So does Smellie still post to forums?

I too miss Smellie and his wisdom.
I was concerned for his health after not seeing any posts recently.
I am relieved to hear he is well, sorry to hear that he chooses not to take part.

Please pass along Best Wishes from me.
 
An awesome source of knowledge, and even better an ability to convey it. He may have decided to publish instead of handing out tuition-free degrees here. Also a [very rare] reasonable voice in O/T. One of a few missed posters here.

Glad I'm not the only fanboi. His B-day is next month (lol shared with an ex-gf so I'll never forget the date), and I hope he celebrates in style.
 
From what you all say about this guy, he sounds like a person that would be great to sit and talk with for a few hours... or more!
As a some what newbie to the mil surp thing... he sounds like the type that wouldn't mind answering the odd stupid question from someone that dont know better.
 
Smellie was always willing to help with questions and share his knowledge, and he did it with sincerity and class. This board is not the same without him.
 
rockport guy said:
From what you all say about this guy, he sounds like a person that would be great to sit and talk with for a few hours... or more!.
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I have done that on several occasions and I'll say I've left his house with a sense of enlightenment and new take on things.

In 5 or so years smellie along with Buffdog taught me proper shooting techniques, how to judge wind, how to properly use iron sights at close and long ranges, bullet casting, cartridge conversions, handloading both common and obselete rounds, picking the right burn rate for the application, twist rates, how to re arrel a rifle, how to make tools or parts etc etc etc.

I also now own and run my own lathe and agan thats where the knowledge came from. Never even touched a lathe til I met those 2.

Without those 2 I'd still be shooting 10 moa "patterns" and buying factory ammo. They have made me a very competent shooter and a decently knowledgeable collector.

Smellie is truly and amazing man. Always quick to lend words of encouragement, always there to lend a hand. He talks but he also listens, never does he talk over anyone or let his ego get in the way of learning something.

He is always ready to say "I don't know about that" if he has no knowledge of a perticular subject. That's whats neat he's a great teacher but always willing to be a student.


It's really neat that his amazing character comes out in his writing, he is every bit ad neat in real life as on here.

A gift to our hobby.
 
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thats a shame ! His posts were alway worth reading through

somebody's gotta tell him to come back !

ipscgraz said:
I enjoyed his depth of knowledge and he was certainly willing to share information. Some loudmouth called him a "resident blowhard" for some asinine reason and I think that was the beginning of the end.
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ipscgraz said:
I enjoyed his depth of knowledge and he was certainly willing to share information. Some loudmouth called him a "resident blowhard" for some asinine reason and I think that was the beginning of the end.
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I think a few old salts have left since 'the kids' took over.
 
From what i have seen, sure smellie was a asset to the forum with a wide knowledge base, however, the problem with a wide knowledge base you cannot be a expert on any one given subject, i did notice a few of the comments made by smellie on the SMLE were old school ideologys that have been debunked over the years thanks to the vast amount of knowledge & access to multiple examples posted in various forums especially Lee Enfield specific forums, the biggest problem with putting any single member of a forum on such a high pedestal is they will fall harder, some of you will not like what i have just written but this is just my opinion/ take on the matter.
 
5THBATT said:
From what i have seen, sure smellie was a asset to the forum with a wide knowledge base, however, the problem with a wide knowledge base you cannot be a expert on any one given subject, i did notice a few of the comments made by smellie on the SMLE were old school ideologys that have been debunked over the years thanks to the vast amount of knowledge & access to multiple examples posted in various forums especially Lee Enfield specific forums, the biggest problem with putting any single member of a forum on such a high pedestal is they will fall harder, some of you will not like what i have just written but this is just my opinion/ take on the matter.
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That's why we are where we are these days.

Smellie is a generalist in a world full of specialists.

The problem for me with specialists is they know a lot about only one type of rifle. They tend to form oppinions about certain aspects of the rifle they study and tend to feel the need to correct any small details that they don't agree with when any other expert chimes in with oppinions contrary to their view. Then the message of the entire post someone took the time write is lost while experts rehash what they see as incorrect about said post. I've had it happen to me and really it grows old.

Also if said rifle isn't being discussed those members have nothing to say..

Thus we are left with experts arguing over miniscule details that really don't matter, what's it worth and which rifle for shtf threads. Real shame.

I find the difference between Smellie and others is he never wanted pedestal status while others can't wait to climb up there.

This is my opinion and really not a direct shot at you 5THBATT. It's just what I notice on this and the half dozen other forums i frequent.
 
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Tinman204 said:
That's why we are where we are these days.

Smellie is a generalist in a world full of specialists.

The problem for me with specialists is they know a lot about only one type of rifle. They tend to form oppinions about certain aspects of the rifle they study and tend to feel the need to correct any small details that they don't agree with when any other expert chimes in with oppinions contrary to their view. Then the message of the entire post someone took the time write is lost while experts rehash what they see as incorrect about said post. I've had it happen to me and really it grows old.

Also if said rifle isn't being discussed those members have nothing to say..

Thus we are left with experts arguing over miniscule details that really don't matter, what's it worth and which rifle for shtf threads. Real shame.

I find the difference between Smellie and others is he never wanted pedestal status while others can't wait to climb up there.

This is my opinion and really not a direct shot at you 5THBATT. It's just what I notice on this and the half dozen other forums i frequent.
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Bingo! I've only stumped smellie once, and that will likely be the only time. He has always given me positive advice and encouragement. Never has he taken me to task for using the "wrong" term to describe something. He is one in a thousand kind of person who can correct you and make you feel good.
 
I think that Smellie's undoing was that he seems very thin-skinned, which caused him to regularly retreat to his sock closet when disagreements arose. After having been cajoled out with flattery a few times, I guess enough was enough.

That's too bad, because his reputation was solid and earned. Unlike many "experts" his knowledge was first-hand, not Googled and assembled and passed off as his own.
 
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