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Flying shrapnel anyone?

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120 COMMENTS

    • Hickok45 giggles while shooting two liters, sounds stupid. What is with the running in and shooting again giggles, and again stupid. Hickok45 is for the kid class warriors that have never handled guns, more stupid people watching their stupid hero.

      • Yeah and you must be the type to watch instructor zero all day to satiate your tier 1 operator fantasies. Only someone with a massive pole up their ass would criticize his videos being exclusively for the inexperienced and children.

        • Hickcok45 is stupid. He knows nothing of what he portrays himself to be. He has gotten way too big for his pants on this youtube! I wish he would go away now and never come back! He is kind of dangerous with his shooting habits ands has an eerie laugh also.

      • I shoot things and laugh at the result. It’s called having fun. What’s the problem with that?

      • Hickok 45 is probably one of the most responsible gun owners on YouTube. This is ridiculous. He is constantly reminding viewers about gun safety and has tons of videos about gun safety and tips for new shooters on how to properly and safely handle firearms. Leave the man alone

      • Strange….Is ” Wee Willy ” your name, or size of brain?
        The gentleman you slander knows, and shoots, the firearms most of us would love to.
        Moreover, Mr. Hickok is extremely entertaining and pleasant to watch shooting.
        Lighten up! Get a life! One only lives once – in spite of James Bond’s movie – which you, most probably believe is reality!

      • Hey Wee Willy, did you get your wee willy caught in your fly this morning? You are letting your inner moron show.

      • I giggle at all of the stupid non gun owners who have commented on this blog. We gun owners enjoy shooting
        and yes, we “giggle” when we make a good shot, which I am sure you trolls are not capable of. Get a life.

      • I hope you are kidding but if not, what Hickok does is commonly referred to as “having fun” Look it up and then try it, you’ll be amazed and how relaxed you will feel afterward.

        • That’s a bad idea, suggesting that moron pick up a firearm…it’s like a pig riding a tricycle.

      • I bet you are the one thinks carrying makes you look cool. Also the kind that shoots himself in the foot

    • While some things drive me crazy like how he misses several shots, high, low, right and left and does not seem to be able to see the dirt kicked up or the leaves and why John does not give him calls on the shots. These things are frustrating, but I still watch,… Why? Because he is informative, fair, unless he’s talking about Glocks and he does a good job at giving wepons reviews. I can see why so many just have not had a good day unless they check in on this seasoned gun owner. As for the Glocks,… Don’t we all have a weapon we’re fixated with? One more thing, he reminds me of the man that taught me about guns,.. My Saint of a grand-dad. Ok not a saint but a good man I still miss after 55 years. Thank’s Hickok45 & John! We are here for you.

  2. I think you are off base on this one. He had glasses on and was no closer to that mower than when he is normally shooting at steel targets. Bad call.

    Hickock45 has a great video on gun safety, which I frequently reference when talking to new shooters on gun safety. I think he can be dinged for allowing the oil to leak from the mower into the soil.

  3. Since I abandon college to join the army, can somebody of local intellectual type made calculations concerning real danger posed by that “shrapnel”? Or we got another “OMFG, firing pin can cause inertial disCHARGE!!!”?

  4. I don’t see anything that is all that unsafe, but at the same time I’m having a hard time understanding the point behind the video. Seemed kinda boring to me. At least have an explosion or a hot chick or something. 🙂

  5. i have to agree with the previous posts, hickok45 is one of the best out there, and the source of lots of good reference information. i also found the video quite funny as well

  6. Hickok45 is one of the responsible good guys out there. This didn’t look unsafe at all. Leave the man alone.

  7. It would have been funnier if he had shot a Mime cutting grass. Mimes are creepy. I wonder if they would yell silently?

    • Or a clown. With the big smiley lips. He would be a happy clown while the life slowly leaked out of him onto the lawnmower.

  8. Don’t see the problem. Are you worried about flying lawnmower blades? That’s what the steel shroud is for. Putting 1/2 inch holes in it won’t do anything. Plus, Hickok’s first shot was through the dead center of the engine housing.

    More holier-than-thou posturing from TTAG.

  9. I agree with Ben, the 500’s could have easily caused some flying metal pieces to take him out. I own three 500’s that shoot 300 to 700 grain ammo, and these suckers can cause some really nasty damage.

  10. Hickock45 knows more about what he’s doing than most anyone I have ever known who shoots guns. He’s not about to do some stunt without fully checking out the hazards and making sure he and his son are safe. This is not an IGOTD.

    • the 500 bullet will splatter or penetrat . the marble shot at wood? not so much. nothing wrong with what hickock did.

    • I’m sitting here wondering how a marble shot out of a PVC airgun at a wooden target has any correlation with a .500 S&W being shot at a lawnmower? Especially when A) it’s done from a safe distance, and B) when you can obviously see the .500 projectile is going through the block and into the dirt?

  13. What is wrong with this video? The bullet penetrates the lawn mower an exits into the ground, there’s NO shrapnel to speak of and he has taken the time to wear all of his PPE. Me thinks that some of the writers are forgetting the definition of the word irresponsible. There is not enough energy from the bullet fired into the lawn mower to create shrapnel that would cause any damage to the shooter or anyone else.

    • People are so negative. This guy is great. I’m reading these comments about his aim, being responsible etc……what a joke these folks are. Like the people posting these comments are markmen or something. Most of this comment are from know it all punks who haven’t half the knowledge of this good fella. Rock on Hickok! You’re doing a fine job sir. Don’t listen to these morons. Clearly they have no life or they would not be taking the time to post put-downs.

  14. you are crossing the line with this one!! to put Hickok45 in the same category as FPSrussia and idiots who shoot them self in the head to demonstrate how safe the gun is on SAFE.I call this the IRRESPONSIBLE GUNBLOG POST OF THE DAY!!.Dont make me loose my respect for you.

  15. Disagree. Hickok45 is the grandfather we all wish we had, and he always mentions safety in his videos. This is no more dangerous than shooting steel plates.

    Besides, this is a secret fantasy for every man. It seems Mr. Shotzberger has apparently never had to mow the lawn in his life…

  16. I agree that this post is b.s. I’m appalled. Hickok45 has done more to educate people in a constructive manner than just about anyone on the internet. He is fully aware of where each bullet is going and what effect it will have on whatever it may strike.

  17. Your bio says: “Ben is an aspiring gun-writer….”

    By writing this rubbish, may you always be in aspiration mode.

    I won’t bother opening anymore of your posts, Benji boy. You now hold the esteemed award for the IGWOTY Award. I’m sure you can figure out that acronym.

  19. Leave Hickok45 alone, and have a little fun in your life. What he did was not unsafe. Lighten up, Francis.

  20. What Hickok45 did here is just good clean fun! This doesn’t even begin to compare to the fun and foolishness we got up to with guns back in the fifties and early sixties when WW2 surplus was plentiful. Things like shooting up old “field”cars with German war surplus “super high pressure anti-aircraft” loads out of our 8mm’s. Trying to see how thick a slab of limestone a surplus armor-piercing round might crack, trying to ingnite and explode gas and propane vessels with armor piercing incendiaries, etc. etc. Good grief, if you live long enough you’ll die, have a little fun before you do. By the way, guns were way more plentiful (and usually loaded) in and around the home fifty years ago and no one ever got hurt. Today guns are tightly controlled and people are getting shot every day. What’s changed? Well, the people have as we’ve worked very hard to bring all the world’s problems here. Now the foreign gangs flourish in our cities and we are all paying for it in so many ways.

    • Couldn’t have said it better myself. Our Founding Fathers didn’t stage a revolution and win our freedom so America could become a dumping ground full of third-world degenerates. Trying to uphold the words “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free….” has seriously backfired.

      • The wetbacks from Mexico comes here for all the gov. Freebies and get them too. Our idiot class runing the country think they are in the shadows somewhere hiding. Come to our town and you’ll. See the cockroaches everywhere.

    • Old413, I agree with your comment 100%! I’ll add that while I have enjoyed many of the artical I’ve read in the TTAG blog, picking on Hickok45 crossed the line for me, and obviously it did for many others based on the comments. As someone else posted already, Hickok45 is the man everyone wishes was their grand father, I’ll extend that to include, father, uncle, friend, hickok45 would be great in all those roles and many more, there is only 1 role I would not want him to fill, and that role is that of an enemy!

  22. I had enjoyed your YouTube channel videos and was a subscriber.
    You are entitled to your opinions but I have decided to unsubscribe to your channel.

    • TTAG – you’re on the wrong side of history this time. I will no longer be viewing any of your content and will encourage my friends and club brothers to do the same. Very disappointed you’d unfairly attack a member of our community.

  23. There is nothing wrong this man named Ben is a liberal trying to have a ban on guns. and besides hickok45 is safe

  24. Find another profession. Gun writing is not your best choice. There’s nothing at all wrong with the hickok45 video, and flying shrapnel is something you apparently know even less about than guns and bullets.

    The irresponsible thing here is your writing, not the video.

  26. Steel targets made out of AR500 cause bullets to essentially disintegrate with fragments generally ricocheting at a 20 degree angle from the steel. Nothing in a lawn mower can come close to the hardness of AR500. Any frag from the metal of the mower itself would travel forward since that is the direction of the energy. I think you’d have a difficult argument saying one would take any shrapnel in this situation. Moreover, anyone who shoots steels for any time has likely taken some frag (good reason for eye pro!), but speaking from experience, I’d equate it to the feeling of some boiling grease popping on you – not pleasant, but not a real threat to your well-being.

  28. Hickock45 is not someone I’d trust very far. When he is given any sort of constructive criticism, he freaks. There are egos and then there is Hickock45 who is in a class by himself.

    • You are right, Dave. Hickok45 is many steps above you in experience, in skill, in education, and most of all in CLASS. Get rid of your attitude. By the by, how could you be so delusional as to think you are qualified to offer “constructive criticism” to your betters?

  29. Nothing ticks me off more than office people yapping away about shrapnel and danger when they have no clue. Serve a tour with me in the sand box and you’ll know what shrapnel really is, Ben. Hickok45 is genuine and conscientious. If you don’t see that, you’re either not paying attention, are jealous, or simply want to go against the grain and be “controversial” like so many “aspiring” writers do.

    – Retired 20 yr Vet

  30. FLAME DELETED. HICKOK 45 IS ONE OF THE BEST OUT THERE.
    ALL HE DOES IS PROMOTE GUN SAFETY, THE SPORT OF SHOOTING,
    OUR 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS AND EXCELLENT MARKSMANSHIP.
    IAM 62 YEARS OLD AND HAVE BEEN SHOOTING FIREARMS SINCE I WAS
    8 YEARS OLD. FLAME DELETED

  32. I’ve been shooting for….nevermind…the earth’s crust was still kinda warm yet
    when I got started. And my first encounter with a renegade lawn mower didn’t
    happen ’til after they’d started building them with aluminum blocks…like Ol’
    Hickok’s mower. Not much there to make shrapnel of, Ben. But now I think
    about it…what Hickok did was a pretty dangerous thing…even fatal…for the
    lawn mower…

    Over the years I’ve had a few folks question the safety of something I was
    doing…even after I’d “scoped” everything out to the nth degree. My reply
    most often….”How old are you, youngster?” And I’d get an answer…to which
    I’d reply, “That’s what I thought. Older person who’d had enough time to go
    anywhere and do anything…or learn anything, wouldn’t have thought my
    actions unsafe.” So much for perspective…

  33. First, thanks Joe F for your insightful comments on shooting hardened steel. I have been watching Hickok45 for a while and have concluded that if it wasn’t safe to shoot hard steel, Hickok would have bought it a long time ago. My only comment on shootIng the lawnmower…Why shoot a mower that “runs”. I have several I want to shoot that wont start, but that wouldn’t be so much fun.
    I am a big fan of Hickok45. He gets a lot of heat for not being critical enough of the guns he showcases. If the weapon is reliable, and he can hit what he shoots (and i have never seen him have that problem) he is satisfied. He points out features, things he likes and occasionally things he doesn’t, but for the most part leaves the judgment to the viewer. Regarding safety: Hickok has a better understanding of ballistics than most would be experts. He knows what he is doing. The only real worry is that some moron ( and YouTube shows us plenty of them) will see this and try something really stupid, like pointblank shots at a propane tank.

  34. Way to go Mr. Hickok45, Thanks for the entertainment. I need a laugh once in a while. And YES, ‘life is good’!

  35. 500 mag against a soft, thin steel mower is not going to bounce anywhere. That round went straight in to the ground on the other side.

  36. FLAME DELETED Hickok45 is a legend, and is a inspiration many, if not all gun owners, and represents the community better than most people on youtube. FLAME DELETED

    [Please send comments about TTAG’s editorial stance or style to [email protected]]

  37. Someone should fire Benjamin T. Shotzberger. This is the kind of slander I would expect from anti-american, fascist flag waving nanny states like France.

  39. Ben I am sorry and usually do not respond when people say stupid things but you need to get your facts straight Hickok45 is one od the safest people I have seen on YouTube you are just a dumba$$. I would try another profession like maybe a Czar for Obama. It seems they don’t have to know crap about what they are doing and still make a living. Good Luck gun writing…….

  40. I am a woman, small, but proficient and have been trained well in firearm safety. The fact that you call people out in the first place in annoying and holier-than-thou. Secondly, this hickock is a great reviewer. Third, you should immediately cease calling people out the way you are. Forth, this was completely safe by many people’s assumptions based on training. Last, it was amusing.

  41. you need to leave the man alone and stay out of peoples biz, because the man does have pin point accurates with a Glock so i dont no how much you should keep running your mouth! Just sayin!! Hickok 45 all day!

  42. Nothing unsafe. If you have writer’s block or posted this article just to bitch about something, the find another subject. Hickok45 is awesome and his videos are not only entertaining but educational. He has never been irresponsible. Lastly, that video is freaking awesome.

  44. the author of this article is jealous. Check out hickok45 shooting the Glock 23, and you’ll wish you were half as good as he

    • You do realize that you’re commenting on an article from 6 months ago, right? That’s like 20 years in Internet time.

  45. I would be more worried about all the schrapnel coming from under the mower being thrown up from the blade than from the firearm Hickock45 is a veteran firearm shooter and knows what he is doing and does it safely, just the post of another person that dont know what they are talking about stirring up crap. so sick of this type of trash.

  48. I think on this one, you’re off base. He’s what you’d call a “trained professional”
    ie, don’t try this at home.

  49. I as a retired police officer of 22 years would be extremely honored to have hickok45 as a partner , backup or whatever we are very fortunate to have such a person as an instructor on all the weapons he demonstrates. J.J.Hulsey

  50. You need to get your facts straight. Hickock45 is a class act. His approach is always safe. I viewed this particular video and I disagree with your assessment. Grind your agenda elsewhere. This man is a class act.

  51. Hickok45 has done more for the firearms community then you ever will. He is a true american and you are nothing but a low life.

  52. Another retired law enforcement/firearms instructor here. Uh……hickok45 is one of the best……..Never observed any dangerous behavior on his part, I think he may frighten you because he’s a bit colorful at times for entertainment purposes. Hickok rules!

  54. I’m thinking that if this is all BTS has to offer, he should pursue another line of work. -Gunny T sends

  55. Obviously there is some type of jealously or bias because of Hickok45 popularity.
    His gun safety record is excellent.
    Just because you saw something that you did not like does not make it irresponsible.
    As, you can see by the replies you are outnumbered 100:1.
    You could apologize and that would be a good first step…

  58. The man’s name is “Hickok45”, what else do you need? His reviews influenced my last few acquisitions more than any resource available and I couldn’t be more satisfied. Yeah he enjoys Guns and embodies the childlike fascination all us “Gun Nuts” continue to posses, but anyone with any knowledge of proper mechanics, routine maintenance, and even ballistics can easily see Hickok is nothing less than a professional QC rep as all the major manufacturer sends the man their latest product to review. You don’t see him taking 30 minutes to “properly inbox the product”!! he shoots the damn thing! And quite accurately I might add. You sir, are no Hickok45, or even a distant cousin concerning Guns period. Thanks Hickok, the Sprngfield XDS finally ended many years of searching for the perfect concealable I’ve been looking
    for that I can actually snap off as quick as I need and group successfully. That’s all you and your in depth review including the annihilation of a watermelon, several tins, carbonated drinks, and yes, you got it, a broke down law mower. Which I consider safe compared to me and my friends shooting televisions and 20# fire extinguishers. I know this is long but I appreciate all the responses and it encourages me that their are still folk out there who like Hickok, just plain like to shoot. Givem’ Hell 45, Run like it pencil $&@#!

  61. Wow this deserves a Pulitzer Prize! Thank you for decreasing the value found in The Truth About Guns.

  62. Everytime I see a link to this forum/site, theres something I disagree with. This is where I draw the line. Hickok is a man that can teach anyone the value and benefit of exercising their 2nd amendment.
    Whether it is for recreational or defensive purposes, I have always found (and most likely always will find) that all of his methods go by textbook gun safety. I assure you that IF HE DIDN’T ALREADY HAVE GLASSES that he would use proper eye protection. There is never any body to harm because the CAMERA man has a CAMERA protecting his eyes. All in all, by my standards Hickok45 is the best youtuber that there is. 99% of these responses are negative towards your statement. You should take this down before any further embarassment. Have a good day.

  63. Sounds to me like somebody was bored so they trolled gun videos until they found one worthy of setting their purse down long enough to bitch about it. Suck it up buttercup. Lot more irresponsible gun owners out there than Hickok45, like cops…

  64. This article certainly makes one consider the true purpose of your website….
    We suggest all our customers subscribe to Hickok45 !!
    His video material has helped many of our customers learn gun safely basics before we ever see them, along with helping them make basic decisions on what firearm to buy for their circumstances, and why !

  65. A lot of us like Hickock45 but that isn’t relevant. What matters is whether the situation was inherently unsafe. Given the distance and trajectory, the risk should be pretty low. The two potential threats are (1) components that act as a lever in response to destructive change such that they launch debris far and hard enough to cause injury, and (2) moving components that happen to be released such that their energy propels them far and hard enough to cause injury. He was wearing basic safety gear. This probably wasn’t much more dangerous than mowing the lawn with it.

  66. Dude, you’re the proverbial 90 lbs weakling kicking sand in the face of a prime Arnold Schwarzenegger. Get over yourself. Hickok 45 has arguably taught more people more about guns and gun safety than anyone else on the internet. He is basically the dad / grandfather we all wish we’d had.

    His explanations are balanced, intelligent, simple, and easy to grasp. His firearms safety is impeccable. As a Marine, I can’t tell you how many safety violations I saw committed by PMI’s…let alone by Marines who don’t provide firearms training to others for a living. I’ve yet to see any clear safety violations by Hickok 45.

    Moreover, I won’t even consider buying a firearm without first checking to see if he’s done a video on the item and watching it to obtain his impressions. There is a reason Bud’s Gun Shop sponsors the guy. They get that if Hickok 45 says it’s a good gun, people will buy it. If he says it’s crap, they won’t.

    That doesn’t apply to Nut n Fancy, the wannabe Russian, the idiot who throws his Nagant on the ground because he thought it made him look cool, or any of the bozos doing a video on their favorite (only) guns and proclaiming them the best ever and awesome and buy it now. Intelligent people laugh at those folks for the same reason we laugh at salesmen who proclaim something “perfect” – because we know a laxative would turn them all into midgets.

    We listen to Hickok because he is authentic (unlike the raters who act like their getting a kickback for reviewing every single gun as “great” even though people know it is crap). He can clearly shoot (unlike most of the spray and pray bozos making a youtube video) and his safety and knowledge are impeccable.

    TAG, you do a bunch of reviews but you are not in Hickok’s league…not by a mile. If you want to kick sand in someone’s face, start with the thousand other guys doing gun videos on the internet, start with yourself, but forget about Hickok, he is way outta your league.

  68. Bennie, you sound like a jealous doosh. grow a pair then maybe someone will give a shit about what you have to say.

  70. I’m confused. We have tactic cool folks running down cool gun owners. Hickok 45 is a cool guy. Never seen any unsafe stuff just a country boy like me who is shooting some guns and he also has a college education. Which kinda blows the liberal stereotype of gun owners out of the water. This is why libs have their bullshit stereotypes stick up their ass SF wannabes running down a cool guy from Kentucky. Absolute shitbaggery of the highest level.

  71. Hickok45 is the best gun reviewer on youtube! Just because a man has fun with his guns doesn’t mean he’s irresponsible. I bet you’re the type of gun owner who likes to rattle off a Kreighoff rifle parts list at parties and argues bullet weight to velocity ratios with the 16 year old sporting goods clerk at Walmart. I am a responsible gun owner and I love poppi’n soda cans and concrete blocks like a fat kid loves chocolate. Keep on being a snot. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is deleting this website from their bookmarks. Thanks alot for having a place on you’re website dedicated to us “irresponsible gun owners”.

  73. We love hickok 45 down here in TEXAS…he has class ….he is a true southern gentleman…I would back him in anything vs anyone….believe me….I’m not the only one….when we finally lose him….we will have lost someone that never can be replaced…..he is a good man….in a world of self centered, decadent , Immoral and hateful people….when GOD returns ……he will bring order out of chaos….thus educating. ….and hopefully instilling class in all you hate full people

  74. The writer needs to review his weapons-related vocabulary. “Shrapnel,” for example. That term refers to the bits of metal or other material propelled outward by an explosion–for example, the metal fragments blown outward by a fragmentation grenade or a bomb or, according to some writers, also the bits of material that are not part of the explosive device that are propelled by its explosion, such as a chunk of a brick blown outward by detonation of a bomb that crashes in through the roof and explodes inside. In the highly unlikely event that Hickock’s bullet knocked a piece of metal off the lawnmower, that fragment would be known as “spall.” That error, standing alone, demonstrates the ignorance of the writer.

  75. Leave the man alone. He gives good reviews and he and John are very entertaining. I’ve never seen any dangerous actions by any of these guys. Even my two young boys are impressed with their content. Any responsible person would do well to look at these reviews before buying specific firearms. I do and I am from South Africa.

  76. All u dumb@$$ that keep knocking hickok ,well tall probably couldn’t hit the damn side of a barn with birdshot. So all u haters shut the he’ll up. Yall just made he has more guns and sponsorsee then u. It don’t matter what gun u have they still shoot the damn same bullet. No difference, also how many of tall haters had ever had to use a gun in a real life scenario, probably none. So all tall kiss my ass. Hikok45 is the fucking man. That old Fulkerson can shoot, plain and simple

  77. Benjamin T. URDBURGLAR should be sent back to making a living wanking it on xxx sites. Hickok is a pillar of the gun owner community and this author is a wanker. I won’t be reading this blog ever again. That’s what they get for letting this brown stain post here.

  78. You know what, I am seriously beginning to rethink the whole concept of “free speech”. We have degenerated into a society with way too many stupid idiots who wish to judge others and twist/shape our nation into what they perceive as the correct path. These idiots often speak louder than us rational and educated patriots, and thus they are heard over us. And worst, they attempt to muzzle anyone that voices a philosophy different from theirs. That is NOT free speech – that is Bullying! A man cannot even post a video talking about and shooting firearms without some fool making critical comments about how he giggles. How childish! Sometimes on the range I laugh out loud!

    GOD help us….

    TOM in the contested state of Michigan

  82. Even our Lord was criticized and even crucified. Hickock 45 is providing a series of videos that have become one of the most entertaining and informative that I have seen in years, thank you Hickock45.

  83. If you don’t enjoy his videos, fine, but to start deriding him is foolish! The guy’s been shooting a long time, obviously. Has the basics for all you IGNORANT NEWBS, down pat. You Retards could learn something, giving his videos a chance. The whole point is, shooting isn’t a science! It’s quite easy, just practice and have fun, like Hickok does!

  84. The AR-15 with Giggle features. Next to the bump stock, this is what flakes will be howling about.

    Remember that guy who said the AR-15 cannot be a suitable hunting rifle because the bullet keyholes upon impact? Even Elmer Keith who prefers heavy slugs won’t say that. I discovered how much this keyholing thing is over-hyped. They say 5.56mm slug that hits you in the leg can come out through your hand, wrecking everything along the way.

  85. Hickock 45 is fun and this comment regarding him is typical stupidity. You can’t fix stupid!

  86. He has 5 million fans and subscribers and is loved everywhere he goes. How many subscribers and fans you got, Mr. Shotbrainburger?

    Loser.

  87. Well that’s the end of reading truth about guns for me. More like, truth about my jealousy of people far better and more successful and more liked than me.

    That’s the truth!

    Ha ha.

    Bye now.

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