I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. With regards to a safe, I was really considering something small and able to be hidden and locked than a stand alone safe. The post above got me thinking - thank you. Any suggestions in general?
I'm also looking for a few boxes of .308 to break in my rifle as well. I've despensed over 4k rounds of Magtech in 9mm & 40 cal with just a handful if even that failing to extract.
My family uses Fort Knox products for safes (the big ones), they make some small pistol sized ones that'd work for what you are looking for. The brand is a little on the spendy side, but their products are some of the best. I've heard lots of good for handgun, and in autos. Just seen some bad reviews on .308 in a bolt gun, and if all i have at home is one box i wanna know that it will work for sure. Sometime when I can afford too i'll try it or something and see how it works in my SPS
I saw a discussion on this on another forum. There are plenty of larger safes that have been stolen from locked homes, there isn't a 100% foolproof way to secure anything if someone wants it badly enough. That being said, there are plenty of options out there for smaller locking cases that will keep little eyes (and more importantly, little hands) from getting to the gun. Some of them will hardmount to a bed or inside a drawer. The important thing is that if it's going to be used as a HD weapon, that it be ready to go and preferably with a light of some sort (either a weapon mounted light or a flashlight right next to it) to aid in both target identification as well as a blinding device. Once that adrenaline dump hits, you do not want to be trying to load a gun or finding a flashlight, especially in the dark. Have them where you can get to them easily and naturally and practice it as many times as possible, both daytime and nighttime. Also, have a plan for if there is an intruder in your home and how to get through the situation.
This is more along the lines of my inquiry, thank you! I have two small children and love my family so a significant reason behind the purchase is home defense. My wife and I will both know how to comfortable operate the gun and we are working on our plan now which is simple and effective and works with our natural parenting instincts. The intent was to keep my sons from even knowing about the gun - it's not a need to know type of thing. It will be kept out of reach, locked in a safe, but essentially ready. Until I can get a light for the front (I have one in mind) I have a small mag light with fresh batteries with the gun.
So, would this be the place as to inquire opinions on a good all around hand gun for self defense and/or sport shooting? Pending a ccw class I'm interested in purchasing some form of handgun right away. I've grown up around rifles and shotguns but no handgun experience save for pellet/bb guns. If I had to choose without asking anything I guess I would go with a 1911 of some sort just because it seems to be old reliable. I'm looking for others opinions for concealment, weight, capacity and dare I say it - knock down power.
1911s are fun, but if the gun is going to be used as a proper self defense/CCW, either plan on spending a large amount of money (1500-5k+) to get a proven manufacturer or save yourself a bunch of cash and get something else. This is coming from someone who owns two of them, BTW. They're fun at the range, but they're heavy and limited in capacity (8 rounds vs 15+). On the plus side, if you run out of rounds you can still beat someone to death with it. The best gun to get is one that fits your hand and that you can shoot accurately. Once you find that, then start looking at ammo selection. 9mm is nice because it's rather inexpensive so you can get lots of practice in. Also, a 9mm will have more capacity than a comparable .40/.45 just due to the smaller case diameter. There are plenty of great duty loadings available for the 9mm as well. That being said, Glock, Smith & Wesson, and Heckler & Koch are companies I'd take a hard look at. Others to consider would be FN Herstal (FNX/FNS series pistols) and Walther (from what I've heard, their PPQ is supposed to have the best stock trigger of any striker fired pistol out there). I'm not a Springfield XD fan, but there are a number of guys on here who have them and enjoy them. Other things to consider: Are you planning on running an attached weaponlight? Do you have a preference between hammer fired and striker fired? Do you want a consistent trigger pull each time or are you willing to go with a double/single action pistol? How do you plan to carry? (Inner waistband/Outer waistband/Other) Are you willing to trade concealment for capacity or vice versa? How often are you planning on carrying?
thats easy... come down to my house this summer when Shorten, Mlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllgez come down.. we make a day of it Tell your woman to show you the pics on my facebook of our last adventure.. (Album is Kewyns Redneck Adventure)
I got one at fleetfarm... cant find it on their site right now... electronic lock.. can bolt it down.. about $70 on sale... its out of reach of our kids... they are smart enough to get to it if they want but not to be able to open it (thats the key pun intended) I got a larger than just a pistol safe cause I wanted to lock up the ammo too.. yeh yeh dont lock ammo and weapon together... but hey.. I wanna use the gun the ammo is right there
Whelp, step 1 complete: signed up for ccw class in February. Shorty, I'll take your advice and try a few out first. Yes I was worried about the 1911 weight/size and capacity so I can see myself going with a S&W M&P 9mm of some sort or similar type. I have a couple friends down here in Rochester that should be able to let me try their guns out. I live on a 7 acre hobby farm so target shooting doesn't raise eyebrows in these parts.
I had a chance to check out Shorten's S&W M&P 9mm...it is a VERY nice pistol! I'm sure that you'll like it. Very comfortable, interchangable grips (and barrels) i believe? That is the one thing that i would prefer over my Springfield XDm. The fact that it can be set up for a 9mm and 40 cal(?) round. Very versatile!
Glad to help! When it comes to lights, the brighter the better. Surefire makes some great handheld and weapon mounted lights that are purpose built for the task. http://www.surefire.com/gear-recommendations/home-defense.html http://www.surefire.com/illumination/flashlights.html http://www.surefire.com/illumination/weaponlights/handgun.html Are they expensive? Yes. However, they are downright bombproof lights, and if there is an issue with them their warranty is "no questions asked". I would recommend replacing the Maglite with a P2X Fury. I'm not sure if you've ever been on the receiving end of a 500 lumen light, but it's damn near a physical force. They're designed to overwhelm someone to give you enough time to either get away or open fire with positive target identification.
Are you saying that it can be converted for 3 different round types my friend? That would definitely be pretty badass! So, out of curiosity, what does it cost (ballpark) for the S&W 9mm, and the pieces needed to make it into three different calibers? What all is needed to run 40 cal through it...just the barrel?
To do it, you've got to start with an M&P in either .40 or .357SIG. Starting with a factory 9mm will not work as the barrel/slide diameter is different. I have a .357SIG with the .40S&W and 9mm barrels. Both are factory S&W barrels that will drop right in. The magazines for the .357SIG and the .40S&W are the same, and I also have 9mm factory magazines to run 9mm. I don't do much with the .40 or 9mm, but it's nice to have the capability and cheaper practice ammo. Almost forgot, you're going to be around 500ish for the stock pistol.
Hmmm. It's interesting because by purchasing all three pistols(.357,.40,9mm) it would have to cost somewhere around $1500-$2000. But this sounds like a much cheaper alternative! How much do you think that you have invested in the pistol, two extra barrels, and 9mm mags?
The Springfield XDm line has a similar option. The .40 can be converted to 9mm with barrel and mag swaps.
Pistol: 480.00 9mm barrel: 70.00 .40S&W barrel: 80.00 9mm magazines: 25ish each. Around 600 total. Not too shabby.
Got a used Walther PPS at Joes for $450. looked like someone put all of one magazine through it. Trigger is pretty sweet, a lot friendlier than my P229 which lends to a lot of right of target holes.. Was thinking about a light option for it for the PPS anyone here ever use the Viridian CL5? Also, is there ever a MNSubaru range day?
Anyone have any experience with a Mosin-nagant? I may be inheriting one, the research I've done basically says they made about 3 million of them, they are accurate, ammo is cheap, but they are very heavy. What will it be used for? Probably a whole lot of nothing, maybe an occasional shooting session at my inlaws, maybe once in great while, deer hunting.... Thoughts?
My thoughts........Tons made, heavy, cheap, can be accurate. I don't know anything about the different models nor have I shot one but what the hell, it's a gun so that's pretty awesome right there
1. Buy a pallet of dirt-grade Mosins 2. Wait for federal buyback program 3. Sell mosins for 2-3x what you paid for them 4. Use dosh to buy an M1903 Springfield, and revel in the commonality of .30-06 that isn't steel-core russian surplus corrosive BS.
Yep, been lots of them. I'm guessing with the gun chatter around here lately that there will be one coming up shortly.
Allright boys, what do I do with the fired shell that came with my gun? Does that go into the fire safe?
I just keep them in the case behind the foam, I'm pretty sure we have zero obligation to do anytthing in particular with it......And then join the NRA
picked up a XD45 tactical a few weeks ago, doing my conceal carry class on Sat finally will be legal. Bes t part the class is 4 hrs long and only $75 but work pays for it.
Hey boys with Springfields XD or XDm;s, have you had better luck with brass jacketed rounds or is there no difference?
FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER! Seriously. Finger off the trigger till you are ready to shoot. As for the mosins, I have one, it's accurate enough to hit a 4 inch wide, 8 inch tall gourd at a solid 300 yards, standing, no support, iron sights. They were commonly used as sniper rifles during WWII and other wars, so they are accurate enough. Last but most importantly, never turn down a free firearm.
Took my C&C class today. Not sure if I'll even get a gun, but nothing wrong with gathering info on gun safety. I'll likely file the paperwork soon. May even toy with the idea of picking up something this summer. Not sure if I like handgun or rifle more. We'll see. Maybe I'll just shoot Shorten's guns.
I get it. Muscle memory. Noted. I have not put a round into the gun yet, ever. I do not want to be unsafe, and I get it.
I'm a brass-guy myself Teddy! Not sure if they're better or not, but i only run the brass through my guns.
I tried to run some Wolf ammo through my XDM. I had issues loading the magazines, and then with the rounds running through the magazine correctly. They would hang up all the time. If I mixed this stuff up with brass, I didn't have the issues. It also seemed to smoke more, was dirtier, and I noticed a larger flash out of the barrel. I'm sticking with Federal from now on.
That really says something because i've NEVER had issues with my XDm jamming or hanging up with brass rounds. I've been buying the Blazer 350 round boxes at Fleet Farm...i believe they are made by CCI and run about $90. Either way, brass with copper, no issues. I HAVE had issues with Remington ammo being really dirty tho, they were brass and copper also. I think that it's maybe the powder they use or something? Lot's of cleaning after running a 1/2 dozen mags of Remington through it FTL.
AWDL, I own a Mosin and know many people who do. They are great guns: cheap to buy, ammo is cheap and available, reliable, accurate, and they are powerful. That being said, make sure all of the "cosmoline" is cleaned out before you shoot it, if there is any. You never know what you're going to get with one... You want to look for one with a bright bore, clean trigger, smooth action and pretty wood. It took me over a year of looking at hundreds of them to find one with all of those qualities. Many have some of those qualities, but few have all of them. To the OP, good luck finding an AR - but as people have said, a Mini 14 functions exactly the same as an AR without the "Assault" look. I doubt you will be able to find those either, but you could get lucky. I've dealt with Fisherman's corner out of Duluth before and have had good experiences. Last I heard they were still receiving 2-3 AR's a day on average, but you'd have to catch them right when one is delivered to get your hands on one. As for shotguns, I agree with what people have said on Remingtons and Mossbergs. I own an 870, and a Benelli Nova as well. The one thing I will say about Remington is that if you have oily hands the finish on their guns rusts very easily. I learned that the hard way with mine, and have to clean them always after handling them. Can't say enough good things about my Benelli though... Handguns these days really come down to personal preference. Most of the newer pistols made by major brands will be reliable, it just comes down to what you're looking for. 9mm is snappy to shoot, cheapest, and is still plenty for bad guys. .40 is more powerful and more expensive. .45 is the most expensive, but more available generally than .40 and does have the knockdown punch. If you're looking for a more unique handgun, I'd suggest a Browning Hi Power. They are sweet little guns and have a lot of history behind them - I regret selling mine. Good luck!
Today I went to the range with some family and friends. Everyone has a great time, and learned a lot. I was a very busy guy and will probably be going back soon to get my Benjamin .22 air rifle and Savage 308 sighted in. We got there bright and early just before 9am and managed to get three lanes. The crowd afterward's were crazy long lines.
mostly brass, but i cant pass up a good deal on dirty steel sometimes....no problems with it besides needing more cleaning.