The Gun Thread

[DavidT 11]

Newest toy Im waiting the transfer on.

[Monty22 833]

Nice A1 Dave- How old is it- looks like the finish is in great shape. Wish I had the coin for a fun switch....

[DavidT 11]

Probably made around 1967-1968.

[Trooper 8]

DavidT- very cool. My FIL was in the 173rd on his first tour and 5th SF for his second and carried that same version.

[DavidT 11]

That guy probably has some great stories. I did a book shoot yesterday with a guy who was SF in Vietnam through the early 90s. He's now writing a book on m16s.

[Trooper 8]

That guy probably has some great stories. I did a book shoot yesterday with a guy who was SF in Vietnam through the early 90s. He's now writing a book on m16s.

To some extent, he doesn't talk a lot about the nitty gritty. He did tell me once that he grabbed a Thompson (SF were allowed to grab confiscated weapons if they wanted) for a long patrol and hated it because it was so heavy and talks about training, just not about combat. He still keeps in touch with his buddy he spent his first night on watch in a foxhole with. Stuff like that. His photo album is really cool, lots of shots of guys around camp. One has them standing around Gen. Westmorland when he visited.

[Chadd 916]

Where do you guys source your ammo? I just inherited a couple guns in calibers that aren't all that common. 30 carbine and 32 winchester special.

[wrangler 157]

Gun stores, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, gun shows, though it's been a while. I reload, and haven't shot much for some time.

[Chadd 916]

$30 for a box of 20 at Gander Mountain was the impetus for this topic.

[donkey87 0]

I've used:

http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/index.php/cName/rifle-ammo

and

http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=5&name=Ammo

before and had good experiences. I've also used

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/CategoryListing.aspx?catid=75

They can have have good deals at times, but a lot of their stuff isn't much better than the prices you would find at Walmart or Bass Pro.

[wrangler 157]

$30 for a box of 20 at Gander Mountain was the impetus for this topic.

What caliber? I don't remember seeing handgun ammo in boxes that small.

[Chadd 916]

What caliber? I don't remember seeing handgun ammo in boxes that small.

32 winchester special is a rifle shell, it's essentially an oversized 30-30. 30 carbine is also a rifle shell, mainly used in M1 carbines.

[camhockey16 5]

funny i was just looking into getting a handgun and was wondering what you guy would recommend

im not looking to get anything crazy like a desert eagle .50 or anything - but i haven't decided on what caliber im looking for

if you guys were getting a sig sauer what would you recommend?

if you were going to get a glock what would you recommend?

i think i would probably like to get one of those two brands - but i don't know what models are good or bad..

[Chadd 916]

I know a lot of guys (many in law enforcement) that swear by the Sig P226. I haven't done research on handguns in years though, so I can't add anything personally on that.

[Monty22 833]

camhockey- what is your reason for purchase? Is it strictly target shooting/plinking? Concealed carry? Home protection? The answers will drive what size/type you will find is appropriate. If you are going to carry, try to find a range or some friends that will let you shoot different makes models and sizes. find something that is comfortable ( many models now offer interchangable grip sizes). If you are going to carry, find something you can consistently hit your target with. Then find something that you will actually carry- a gun for protection does no good at home in your safe. Make sure it's not too big or heavy. I thought my HK USP compact was perfect, but iI find myself more often than not carrying a tiny .380. There are tons of single stack 9mm pistols flooding the market. 9mm will be cheap to shoot if you are looking for a plinking pistol. Compacts will offer you a happy medium between being accurate and easy to conceal. Full size models will be easier to shoot with slightly less recoil, a longer barrel and increased sight radius. I wouldn't narrow it down to just those two brands. There are dozens of really good pistols on the market. Sig has been coasting on their name for the past few years. VT State police just switched over to S&W M&Ps from Sigs due to poor customer service and even worse quality control.

Chadd- check Cabella's for the .30 carbine- try the Wolf. It's dirty but it's cheap, and the manufacture stands behind the product.

I'm not too familer with the 32 Win special- sounds like a hunting cartridge. Probably will be expensive wherever you find it. Try Walmart, or find someone who reloads that caliber.

[camhockey16 5]

for now just target shooting/home protection but maybe down the road would carry - hadn't really thought about it

and the 226 was already on my list chadd - that just confirms it even more

monty i noticed you didnt talk about glocks at all - what is your opinion of them?

[Trooper 8]

There are a lot of good guns on the market now, you need to get them in your hand and shoot them. The Glock is going to feel and point completely differently than the Sig, than a 1911, than an XD, etc. With the 226, there are a variety of different triggers offered now, you would need to decide on that as well. It's also a pretty big gun to carry, plus it weighs a lot. I don't carry mine a lot and I have a great holster for it (Milt Sparks). Find friends whose guns you can try or go to a range and rent some.

[Chadd 916]

camhockey- what is your reason for purchase? Is it strictly target shooting/plinking? Concealed carry? Home protection? The answers will drive what size/type you will find is appropriate. If you are going to carry, try to find a range or some friends that will let you shoot different makes models and sizes. find something that is comfortable ( many models now offer interchangable grip sizes). If you are going to carry, find something you can consistently hit your target with. Then find something that you will actually carry- a gun for protection does no good at home in your safe. Make sure it's not too big or heavy. I thought my HK USP compact was perfect, but iI find myself more often than not carrying a tiny .380. There are tons of single stack 9mm pistols flooding the market. 9mm will be cheap to shoot if you are looking for a plinking pistol. Compacts will offer you a happy medium between being accurate and easy to conceal. Full size models will be easier to shoot with slightly less recoil, a longer barrel and increased sight radius. I wouldn't narrow it down to just those two brands. There are dozens of really good pistols on the market. Sig has been coasting on their name for the past few years. VT State police just switched over to S&W M&Ps from Sigs due to poor customer service and even worse quality control.

Chadd- check Cabella's for the .30 carbine- try the Wolf. It's dirty but it's cheap, and the manufacture stands behind the product.

I'm not too familer with the 32 Win special- sounds like a hunting cartridge. Probably will be expensive wherever you find it. Try Walmart, or find someone who reloads that caliber.

I read a few bad things about Wolf, have they improved or was that overblown? As for the 32, I don't expect to do a lot of shooting with it. For a 60 year old gun it's in great shape, but I don't get out in the woods much anymore.

I couldn't agree more with your analysis above. When I did all the research with my father when he was looking for a personal protection sidearm, he had some issues with larger stacked mag grips. I really liked the S&W 5906, that thing shot like a dream.

[Axxion89 32]

I read a few bad things about Wolf, have they improved or was that overblown? As for the 32, I don't expect to do a lot of shooting with it. For a 60 year old gun it's in great shape, but I don't get out in the woods much anymore.

I couldn't agree more with your analysis above. When I did all the research with my father when he was looking for a personal protection sidearm, he had some issues with larger stacked mag grips. I really liked the S&W 5906, that thing shot like a dream.

I own (my dad/brother owns) a Marlin 32 Winchester Special lever action. Great gun but its a wildcat round meaning you will pay top dollar for it like you saw Chadd. I make my own ammo because its cheaper and more accurate and there are a few ways to make the 32 round but reloading supplies for that round are becoming more and more scarce. My suggestion is to buy a few boxes of it when it goes on sale just so you have some if you want to shoot the gun.

For your 30 carbine, just use anything that isn't military grade from the 40's - 60's/70's for the reason being it may have corrosive primers in the shells which can pit the barrel if not cleaned right away. Wolf is great ammo for the .22, a lot of target shooters swear by it. I don;t like wolf for centerfire because you can;t use the cases for reloading, but if you are shooting for fun anything works.

[Chadd 916]

I own (my dad/brother owns) a Marlin 32 Winchester Special lever action. Great gun but its a wildcat round meaning you will pay top dollar for it like you saw Chadd. I make my own ammo because its cheaper and more accurate and there are a few ways to make the 32 round but reloading supplies for that round are becoming more and more scarce. My suggestion is to buy a few boxes of it when it goes on sale just so you have some if you want to shoot the gun.

For your 30 carbine, just use anything that isn't military grade from the 40's - 60's/70's for the reason being it may have corrosive primers in the shells which can pit the barrel if not cleaned right away. Wolf is great ammo for the .22, a lot of target shooters swear by it. I don;t like wolf for centerfire because you can;t use the cases for reloading, but if you are shooting for fun anything works.

I had a bad experience with corrosive 5.56 and 7.62 stuff when I was younger, try to avoid it at all costs now.

[wrangler 157]

32 winchester special is a rifle shell, it's essentially an oversized 30-30. 30 carbine is also a rifle shell, mainly used in M1 carbines.

I assumed that anything "32" was handgun; that's a new one on me. I'm familiar with .30 carbine, as used in the M1 carbine -- it's rather generous to call it a rifle round, though technically, I guess it is. I generally think of it as a handgun round, and thought I remembered it coming in boxes of 50.

[camhockey16 5]

let me ask the question in a different way - if you had $800-1000 to spend on a handgun what would you pick? not just what brand but what actual gun

[skyscrape 5]

32 winchester special is a rifle shell, it's essentially an oversized 30-30. 30 carbine is also a rifle shell, mainly used in M1 carbines.

http://www.midwayusa.com/find?userSearchQuery=30+carbine

Midway is usually pretty good for this stuff.

[wrangler 157]

let me ask the question in a different way - if you had $800-1000 to spend on a handgun what would you pick? not just what brand but what actual gun

You really need to have an idea what caliber you want, and then try guns in your hand -- fit is very important. It would also be a good idea to decide if you want a semi-auto or a revolver.

You can punch paper with a .22 cheaply, for example, but it's quite light on stopping power.

[ktang 34]

Anybody here use a scout rifle setup? I'm looking for a general-purpose rifle.