Has anybody been able to access his site lately? When I try I get the following message.....

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You are not authorized to view this page
You might not have permission to view this directory or page using the credentials you supplied.

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If you believe you should be able to view this directory or page, please try to contact the Web site by using any e-mail address or phone number that may be listed on the www.edstc.com home page.

You can click Search to look for information on the Internet.

HTTP Error 403 - Forbidden
Internet Explorer
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... funny,this is the same message that I get if I try to go to Graybeards ever since he "BANNED" me,......you dont suppose he's convinced ED that I'm not fit to own any Contender barrels,or view his site either do ya?
Naaaah, he wouldn't do that to a "RABID" Mike Bellm fan now, would he?

I just clicked on my bookmark and went right to Ed's site. No problem.

REF:
"a "RABID" Mike Bellm fan"

Is it that you are a "fan" of someone or simply have the ability to think?

Any ability to think is what is banned, or so it appears.

Someone referred me to a post over there recently, and since my stomach had been feeling just fine for quite sometime, I thought I'd turn it upside down for awhile by reading some of the posts.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the opinions thrown around there for fact are really misleading, to be kind. It is quite pathetic, really.

Being banned is not a bad thing at all. It is compliment, a mark of distiction, lest you be included in the same group.

Wait until my headspace indicator (on the store now) gets circulated a bit. Talk about an eye opener when you can easily take accurate measurements that remove all speculation!

Mike Bellm,
THE TC Heretic, and proud of it.

Eds site works fine for me. It has not been updated in some time,because his online sales and gunshows keep him very busy. I recently held an email conversation over the course of consecutive days with Ed and traded a 30-06 barrel in on a 260Rem. barrel. Ihave shipped the 30-06 and am waiting for the 260 to arrive. ANTICIPAAAAATION !!!
Regards
Rick

Ed Kirkpatrick is nothing but a class act.

He's a CPA that makes his living on accounting and tax work.

The Contender and Encore business he does is more a hobby than a going concern.

I suggest that you call Ed on the phone and wait until you actually get him. Leaving messages can be a frustrating experience.

Establish a relationship with him! He and Mike Bellm will be the most valuable resources you can have as a Contender/Encore owner....

Other than AccurateReloading.com

Ed and Mike are both great guys and will both treat you honestly and be fair with you if you conduct yourselves as gentlemen and are fair and honest in your dealings!

However.... Like most good businessmen.... They are both successful and with success comes lots of business and they can be a bit slow to respond and preoccupied at times.... Trust me on this... They're both worth waiting for.

Sincerely,
$bob$

Tommyn and cricker,
Thanks for the info guys,I just gave Eds site another try and am still getting the same message, so I tried Graybeards and the same identical message appears.

>>"Is it that you are a "fan" of someone or simply have the ability to think?"<<

Yes Mike, I'm sure its that I have the ability to think

>>Ed Kirkpatrick is nothing but a class act.<<

LDHunter, It was never my intention to imply that ED was anything less than "A Class Act", I know for certain that he is indeed a class act.
I will call him when I "need" something, but right now it would be as hard for Ed to get a hold of me as it would be for me to get in touch with him, I know he isn't able to get his site updated very often, but I hadn't checked in for a long time and just thought I'd see if he had anything I could'nt live without
Anybody have his email address so I can see if he will allow me access to his site?
Mark

try this link. Works for me on two computers. http://www.edstc.com/edstc/index.html

It's possible that being that you are banned from GB's site that it's also carrying over to Ed's because it's hosted by GB's also.

You might try contacting Matt to see what can be done to let you have access to Ed's site.

Regards

Very interesting. I too receive the same message when trying to access Ed's site. Yes, I have been banned from greybeards kingdom. Maybe an e-mail to Ed explaining that he is loosing business because of greybeards control issues is in order.

I have purchased several things from Ed over the last few years. All transactions have been very professional. If he continues to allow greybeard to control his site in this manner. I certainly will take him off my list of places to look when I need something for my contenders.

[ 12-01-2002, 00:20: Message edited by: Fisher ]

Guys
This is the way that I'm looking at it. If you guys have all done business with Ed without any problems & now you are being blocked from future business with him, Who is really losing? If you want a particular item & can't get it from him you'll look else where to buy it. You may have to pay a couple of dollars more but you'll end up with what you want anyway.

The next question is this if the man is doing what you think he is, is he worthy of your business? I know that I work hard for my money & will give my Business to whom I feel will appreciate it.

That is a question that each of you have to decide on your own. Me personally, I'd call maybe it is just a cyberspace problem. If it isn't then you'll know for sure instead of guessing.

Rich Jake

I agree Rich,

I'll bet a new nickle that Ed has no idea what is happening in regard to this, so I would not hold it against him.

Hence my recommendation to get a hold of Matt and ask him about it being that he does all the web voodoo for both.

Regards

I'm feeling a little left out because I haven't been banned from greybeards. Course I rarely visit there anymore. I know why Mike got banned, what did the rest of you do?

Well, I listed an ad there that mentioned Mike -- only in the fact that he did the work on the barrel. He deleted it, and I re-listed. This went on for a couple of days. But I don't feel that's 100% of the reason I was banned.

I did mention GB a couple of times on THIS site, esp. the way he handled the Bellm situation and how he deleted the ads, and the lurking old fool didn't like what I said, but he'd never admit that because then he'd have to admit to lurking and banning someone for absolutely no reason. (But then I forgot.....he's the almighty one!)

Those of you that can't get to Ed's sight.....try going through an anonymous web server and see if it works.....if it works that way, then I'd say old GB is preventing you from viewing Ed's sight. Hit the link for several free anomymous servers

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=anonymous+web+surfing&spell=1

Gonhuntin, it lets me right in through the anomymous server link. I guess that answers that question doesn't it.

Oldfart, my story is the same as Contender85's. I had responded to a post at the pond. I believe someone had asked about the quality of work that Mike was putting out. Ole greybutt proceeded to hammer Mike about several things. I responded to the post saying that myself as well as many others have used Mike's services with excellent results. I also commented that it was very unprofessional for him to attack someone that he had banned (Mike). Not allowing Mike to respond or to defend himself while being attacked is pretty low even for him. greybutt did not like that I disagreed with him so he deleted my post. Of course I expected this and had a copy on my hard drive. I just cut and pasted the exact post on his site again. Obviously he did not like this so he banned me from his site. I however did receive an e-mail where he proceed to give me the speech about how he could do what he wanted because it was his site blah blah blah.

The bottom line is this. The company here is better then at the pond. The information here is better then at the pond. This site in my opinion is a much better place to hang out then the pond. So maybe ole greybutt can tell us all again why we need him. To be plunt, I don't need him or his site. Besides, he is to much of a chicken shit to post here.

Sorry about the rant guys.

I posted at that other place too, because it seemed to me that the owner's bashing of Bellm was very much a personal problem and thoroughly negative, which tells me that it has nothing to do with Bellm's work.

My post lasted an hour, and was deleted, showing that owner's true colors

For the record.....

I used to do work for Ed Kirkpatrick and used to refer hundreds of people to him for TC products, but got into a peein' contest with him awhile back over a barrel I bought from him with the specific condition that it had to be good inside, not pitted. I told him I did not care about the external condition, but it had to be good inside.

In Ed's good manner, he of course said to look it over and that I was welcome to return it. Fine to this point. Just as it had always been.

What I got was dirty inside. Too dirty to see anything. When I patched it out, it was pitted all to hell, and I was rather put out that he was too lazy to run a patch through the barrel in the first place and too inconsiderate to do so when I had stipulated the barrel had to be good inside, no pitting...... this after all the business I have herded his way for a number of years.

I had the audacity to express my displeasure in a note to him included with another barrel I was sending back for a customer for exchange.... and asking if he had credited my credit card account for the barrel I returned, since there was nothing else I needed.

Time went by. Then I get an irate phone call from him stating "he didn't have a borescope......" yaddie, yaddie, yaddie...

Any fool can see pits in a barrel. If he can't, then he can make no representations about the condition of an item, which is customary in the gun trade. Go look at Shotgun News, Gun List, American Rifleman, etc. about guides for representing the condition of a gun. If he cannot make a basic representation about the condition of a barrel, then perhaps he should not be selling barrels.... unless you accept the TC manner of doing business: We are dumb enough to send it out if you are dumb enough to accept the product.

Then, I get this tight jawed remark about how he had done what he said he would do.... in regard to issuing a credit to me for the returned barrel.

Well, folks, I only asked because I had not received a credit slip from him, and I had not gotten a credit card statement for that card prior to sending the note asking if a credit had been issued. I just wanted to know, lest it slip through the cracks. Is it too much to ask a CPA, a person who lives in a world of documented transactions, to issue a credit slip?

Inspite of our former relationship, I was so badly disappointed with his conduct on this transaction, that I 1) will never buy anything from him again, and 2) do not refer anyone to him either.

It could be that at the Tulsa show about this time last year we were borescoping barrels and one just happened to be a new TC factory barrel just purchased by a customer from Ed. So happens the chamber was very visibly off center from the bore. It was for rechambering anyway, so it really did not matter that much. Word got back to him.

Then at supper, Ed attempted to proselytise the gospel of TC philosophy, which I adamently oppose and find full of all sorts of travesties and injustices that cheat shooters out of millions of dollars.

While I am not "in the fold" regarding TC, that does not absolve any dealer from taking at least minimal responsibility for evaluating the condition of an item he is selling, especially when it is stipulated as a condition of the purchase.

And a CPA, of all people, getting irate over the request for a credit card credit slip is hardly excuseable.

A word to the wise to those buying used barrels from Ed, he isn't going to take responsibility for representing the internal condition of a barrel, so you had better clean it and inspect it yourself as soon as you get it.

Until this incident, I thought he was a prince of a person. Feet of clay syndrome? I found his feet of clay alright, but I don't have time to play the TC barrel roulette game hoping to get a decent barrel from him. I'm done.

THE TC Heretic.
(I earned my stripes)

Email for Ed's?
edcon@theshop.net
This is the email I use.
Regards
Rick

All bans that effect Ed's TC's have been lifted, I am very sorry as I had no idea that people were being blocked from visiting Ed's...

But as I said all blocks have been lifted.

Matt