So come on, let's make use of this space...Maybe AP1FrEaKsLiDe can learn a thing or two in here... 
Basic kick-off: What's your favorite gun(s)?
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| Initial D World - Discussion Board / Forums > Off - Topic Stuff > The Gun Enthusiasts' Thread |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 3 2006, 07:45 PM |
| I'm bored, and there's gotta be SOME enthusiasts that I can talk random run conversations with... So come on, let's make use of this space...Maybe AP1FrEaKsLiDe can learn a thing or two in here... Basic kick-off: What's your favorite gun(s)? |
| Posted by: MAD MAX Jul 3 2006, 09:24 PM |
| Automatic pistols mostly. I have a soft spot for the HK USP and MK23 Socom especially. I don't have wicked gun taste, I love mostly the military/law enforcement tactical weapons. |
| Posted by: Solid Snake Jul 3 2006, 11:57 PM |
| These are my favorite, and I own two them both: http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-xdpstl-long.shtml & http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-pstl-1911-trp.shtml I went shooting last Sunday to further break-in my XD and to check out the 1911 I just bought. The 1911 F'ing rocked, even with the shitty ammo at the shooting range. I blew a nice 2" hole in my target from 21 feet away.  My XD doesn't like the ammo they sell at the range (Magtech). I use Winchester USA 160 gr. rounds in that one. The Magtechs at the range were 180 gr. and they were grouping in a 5" radius. I usually group 3" or smaller at 21' with the Winchester rounds.I still have to put another 100 rounds through my XD before I can really clean the barrel, and 450 rounds through my 1911 before it too is broken in. |
| Posted by: eighty_D Jul 4 2006, 12:55 AM |
| My favorite guns are 1911 .45, SKS para. and 308. rifle. The only gun I own now is a cheap ass Jennings 9mm. and I have a CWP. because I don't like people to know if I am carrying. I had a Mossberg Security 12ga. but I sold it to my friend because he wasn't a AZ resident yet and couldn't buy a new gun was going to use the money to buy another but spent it on my Fury instead. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 4 2006, 03:06 AM | ||
Damn, that Springfield 1911 is pretty nice...  I'm a sucker for 1911s...The most desirable one I'd love to own are the http://www.sviguns.com/catalog2001/page1.html 1911s; Specifically one of their competition models (http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b361/KravinMorhead/SVI1911_1.jpg|http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b361/KravinMorhead/SVI1911_2.jpg) with a 6" barrel and double-stack magazine (26 rounds of 9mm; 19 rounds of .45 ACP)...Suckers are badass, but a bit hard to find, and steep in the price: MSRP starts at $1250...If I assume their 3.9" models are their basic 1911s that starts the bottom line, my 6" 1911 could be anywhere in Cloud 9, say ~$2000...  We all have our dreams... Anime otakus might find themselves familiar with my gun: It's Vincent Volaju's weapon of choice in Cowboy Bebop: The Movie... |
| Posted by: tUrB0 Jul 4 2006, 03:24 AM |
| i like Beretta 9mms. simple handgun |
| Posted by: Metamorphic Jul 4 2006, 03:35 AM |
| I like pistols and sniper rifles Top rating pistol: Desert Eagle Favourite Sniper PSG |
| Posted by: RalliKai Jul 4 2006, 09:17 AM |
| My favorites are the Mauser C96, CZ-75, Colt 1911. I like the M-14 rifle just cause its a classic and an upgraded version of the M1. AS for more modern stuff, I like the FAMAS F1, Sig P226 and the HK PSG1. |
| Posted by: Möbius Jul 4 2006, 02:17 PM |
| I like L85A1, or the G3... in BF2... |
| Posted by: hellbent Jul 4 2006, 02:32 PM |
| Any Sniper Rifle will do for me. Strange coming from an Arab NO?  Arabs arent know to liking Sniper Rifles. BUt I love them, there is just something about them I love, maybe the fact that I dont have to face my oppenent head on, or maybe that looking through the scope, that I hold the persons life in my trigger finger and at any moment can send him to hell |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 4 2006, 05:11 PM | ||
I was expecting you to be an AKM fan... All the terrorists have one...Osama even has an http://graphics.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/images/binladen_16.jpg... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 4 2006, 05:30 PM |
| Sig Sauer's got a nice bunch of weapons. I'm really partial to the P226/228 series, personally... special forces still use 'em over Berettas. As for something bigger... I dunno, MP5A4? Nice design, pretty stable. And for beauty... the SVD Dragunov. That is the prettiest sniper rifle I've ever seen. |
| Posted by: Steve Jul 4 2006, 08:12 PM | ||
I like your thinking Asian Red-Neck. Teach me! Teach me the differences between guns! Kinda like you taught me the differences between the M4 and M16. I like my M16. =D |
| Posted by: Nappy Hared Azn Jul 5 2006, 11:32 AM |
| ^There really aren't too many difference other than barrel length and the modes of fire. M4 - Semi and full auto M16 - semi and 3-round burst |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 5 2006, 12:01 PM |
| i really dont know anything about guns outside of what i see in movies and videogames. but my uncle is a big gun collector and has more guns than i can count: http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/9003/dsc001441ld.jpg http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7466/dsc001837ct.jpg http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/1949/dsc001850ez.jpg http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/8315/dsc001842lj.jpg http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/1970/dsc059641bt.jpg http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/2383/dsc059680gu.jpg http://img418.imageshack.us/img418/3320/dsc059704xd.jpg every one of them is real, and every one has been shot at least once. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 5 2006, 12:24 PM | ||
But AP1 was calling his dad's M16/AR15 an M4...They're both essentially the same assult rifle, but their overall dimentions still make them different... The M16 has a faster muzzle velocity, and due to the longer barrel, has a longer effective firing range... The M4 is more compact and lighter thanks to a shorter barrel and a retractable stock, and with it's higher rate of fire, it makes great for close quarter combat... Though getting outside the technical stuff, you can tell the difference just by looking at the cosmetics, which is what I did in IDing AP1's gun... By the way; The M4 still has semi-automatic and 3-round burst modes like the M16A2/M16A4...It's only the M4A1 that has a fully automatic mode in replacement of burst, similar to the M16A3...Gotta make sure you specify what variant the gun is on these kind of things... am3 - Shit! That's an awsome collection! One thing that caught my eye is the AMT Automag, either a II or a V...It's the silver pistol on the top middle shelf in the 3rd picture... |
| Posted by: WRX DEMON Type R Jul 5 2006, 12:40 PM |
| Super Soaker Flash Flood. It is a gun. |
| Posted by: hellbent Jul 5 2006, 01:30 PM | ||
This one. I want this one only. @Viper- Bastahd, Me no Terro. |
| Posted by: BOZZ Jul 5 2006, 01:32 PM | ||
@DEMON: ...dude... you talk about people not spamming in your threads then you post this in a thread where peeps want to talk about the real thing... not plastic toys... @Viper and everyone else: I'd like to learn a bit more too... the only gun I really know anything about is the AK-47 Kalashnikov... |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 5 2006, 04:40 PM |
| What the hell's that gun that hellbent pointed out? I originally wanted to say it was an M60, but it looks like it has a detatchable magazine, and the M60s were belt-fed... |
| Posted by: Möbius Jul 5 2006, 04:44 PM | ||
M95, maybe?  Edit : Never mind it's a Barrett M82A1.. http://www.barrettrifles.com/rifles/rifles_82A1.htm |
| Posted by: Rudy Jul 5 2006, 04:47 PM |
| What's the difference between an M16 and my Dad's AR-15 A2, anyways? |
| Posted by: Nappy Hared Azn Jul 5 2006, 04:50 PM |
Nevermind. Apex Carver beat me to it.  ^The AR-15 eventually became the M16 and have many things in common when it comes to cosmetics, but that's all I know. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 5 2006, 04:52 PM |
| MD - The difference is in manufacturer and name... The AR-15 was built by ArmaLite and was produced as is until 1959 when their rights were sold to Colt, where it became known as the M16 (Though the AR-15 name is still used for semi-automatic variants)... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M16_%28rifle%29#History...Someone put up a nice history overview of the rifle that's worth a read if you wanna know the story behind the gun... |
| Posted by: Nappy Hared Azn Jul 5 2006, 04:53 PM |
| STOP TYPING SO DAMN FAST!!!!! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 5 2006, 07:00 PM | ||
as i hear, it can take out pick up trucks from 2 miles away. |
| Posted by: Solid Snake Jul 6 2006, 10:46 AM | ||
The M16 is fully automatic and the AR15 is semi-auto. I'm building an AR15 one of these days.I'll probably purchase an 80% complete lower assembly as getting a good lower assembly is kind of hard to get out here. |
| Posted by: Soran Jul 6 2006, 11:05 AM |
| Hahahahaha, i wonder if i should be here, considering i come from a country that bans the ownership of firearms by private citizens. Ironic, considering that every male above the age of 18 here in Singapore is trained in the use of the M16 assault rifle during their two years of military service. Our front-line combat units are slowly switching over to the locally-produced bull-pup SAR21 rifle though For live-fire i've only fired a M16, but i've test-fired blank rounds on a GPMG (FN MAG) and a SAW Ultimax MKIII during my time as a weapon technician. Fun stuff.... |
| Posted by: Juliet Jul 11 2006, 03:43 AM |
| my marine friend taught me how to shoot. i learned on a remington 700 bolt action rifle. currently im working on my ar15 skills |
| Posted by: hellbent Jul 11 2006, 08:36 AM |
| Julie, You have an S12, that you want to put a CA18DET in, You Like Spiders. Your Hot, and YOu like shooting guns, I think I love you. Found my perfect woman.   |
| Posted by: Möbius Jul 11 2006, 02:43 PM | ||
Ask her if she's been on the 'Ring... |
| Posted by: Juliet Jul 11 2006, 03:14 PM |
| lol :-p |
| Posted by: Shirogane Jul 11 2006, 03:20 PM |
fave guns are these:   AK-74M yeah, baby! btw, Trueno Sprinter, i cant help but laugh at ur sig. |
| Posted by: hellbent Jul 11 2006, 03:48 PM | ||
K Julie- Have you ever Driven the RING. Iam thinking of visiting Germany maybe on August or September, want to come along. |
| Posted by: Juliet Jul 11 2006, 05:12 PM |
| hehe not yet. id love to go though my favorite gun is a beast  i dont f**k around lol |
| Posted by: Möbius Jul 11 2006, 05:22 PM | ||
I thought it would be this one ?  |
| Posted by: xiao Jul 11 2006, 06:02 PM |
| Some years ago a friend of mine and I were huge paintball aficionados. We managed to get a decent supply of equipment from Mexico. After a month or so, we got tired of shooting each other and started making our own little game, target practice to be exact. From afar we would unravel our Spiders and attempt to hit a mix of things from cans to stop signs. One day we took our guns to a small rural area outside the city, some sort of ranching trip with the parents. As soon as the adults began roasting meat and relaxing, we suited up and started our usual game. It wasn’t long before we spot cattle across a large road from the trees that were concealing us. "That one!" my friend said pointing at the only black cow. I took out my weapon, screwed the gas cartridge, planted a single Brass Eagle into the chamber, cocked the handle, and waited in full focus. The view cleared and the black cow stood directly in the center of my scope, my finger convulsed. Out of the blue a beige sedan flew by at 60 miles per hour. Splat. My friend and I looked at each other in disbelief, then the speeding car screeched to a halt. We wanted to run but our legs weren't moving. A tall man with the most menacing complexion a child can imagine got out. He wore a long black coat, round sun glasses, a five o’clock shadow, and the pink paint of a fresh round smeared across his left cheek. Without warning he tugged both of us by the hand and into his car. For a second we though this man was gonna kill us, it could have been the white collar rolling about the floor of his car or the rosary hung behind the rear view mirror, but something told us the punishment was going to be different. The car went round and about the murky woods, and straight into our folks’ camp site. Again we were dragged before our parents, when the man threw the guns in front of them and demanded an explanation. The gear we had worked so hard to procure was trashed in the blink of an eye. I’m not sure if I would have been remotely interested in guns had my friend not been a http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l81/spaerr/JV11205.jpg. Chalk me up the revolver club, I owe that to Russell and Sutherland. |
| Posted by: Juliet Jul 11 2006, 06:14 PM | ||
i see we get our pics from the same site. touche |
| Posted by: Tomiya Takato Jul 11 2006, 06:23 PM |
| you cant even move with that thing on your back |
| Posted by: Möbius Jul 11 2006, 07:37 PM | ||
That's because neither of them are hand arms... |
| Posted by: WRX DEMON Type R Jul 11 2006, 07:47 PM | ||
WTF?! These machine/gattling guns look like something out of a mecha anime... Like Vulcans on the head of a Gundam... They are HUGE! I suppose these babies are operated by button and not a trigger... cuz im sure i'd lose my lunch trying to fire one of either of these. |
| Posted by: Juliet Jul 12 2006, 02:58 AM |
| both are usually mounted on a armored support vehicle or a helicopter of some sort. theres no trigger... just a button. :-p |
| Posted by: tUrB0 Jul 12 2006, 04:55 AM |
me, im practical, this gun is mobile and...  M60s are badass... |
| Posted by: Juliet Jul 12 2006, 08:26 AM |
| that first minigun is a airsoft gun :-p made by p3 |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 12 2006, 08:36 AM | ||
Yes, yes they are... Just don't go all Rambo or Animal Mother if you ever get your hands on one... |
| Posted by: But she looked 18 officer Jul 12 2006, 08:39 AM |
This is what I use for hunting furries. This is what I have for zombie's  And this is to cconfinsate for my shortcomings  |
| Posted by: hellbent Jul 12 2006, 08:41 AM |
| ^^ WTF is that. Can someone explain to me what in gods green earth is that. |
| Posted by: Ayako Watanabe Jul 12 2006, 08:59 AM | ||||
I love that revolver. I'm a fan of revolvers
A giant wiener ? o.O |
| Posted by: Nappy Hared Azn Jul 12 2006, 02:10 PM |
 I'll WTFPWNT you with this on Bloodgulch. |
| Posted by: Rudy Jul 12 2006, 02:18 PM |
| You know, Blain said that the .357 magnum is illegal to have a scope attatched in the state of Washington because its so accurate a scope makes it a sniper rifle. This true? |
| Posted by: Tarento Jul 12 2006, 02:22 PM | ||||||||
| http://i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=18394 I'm not a big gun fan, but this gun is freakin' awesome.
This is the battlefield Metal Storm.
Double
|
| Posted by: Möbius Jul 12 2006, 05:35 PM | ||
Well, you're close, the one Julie posted is the General Electric M61A1 Vulcan cannon, used in the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-4E Phantom , F-111 Aardvark, etc. The one I posted is the one and only Martin Marietta Armament Systems GAU-8A, used only in the A-10 Warthog. @ hellbent, the one in the tank pic, is a giant silencer... |
| Posted by: sideways Jul 12 2006, 09:30 PM |
| The revoler nick posted is the Mateba Unica 6- Which happens to be my favorite hand gun (damn chicken fukker). Its a 357, bottom aligned revolver that also happens to be semi-automatic. Its credited as one of the most accurate handguns in the world and has quite a few titles under its belt in nation competitions. They also make the "hunter" which is slightly beefier and fires a 44. Other fav revolvers of mine include the Ruger Gp100 (specificly the 6inch barrel often refered to a the gp161) and the classic Colt python. Not a huge fan of Covnentional pistols, Though the classic colt 1911 stand out as my favorite. Cant argue with the Mk23 for the bad-ass factor either. Also a huge fan of anything bolt-operated, M24 socom is standard, the walther 2000 also caught my interest though i admit i never looked much into it. Im currently hoping to get my hands on a Stevens 200 in the 223 round however. Assault rifles would go to the famas series- I prefer the overall look of the original with the simple trigger gaurd, but for practicality reasons cant go wrong with the g2. Full hand gaurd and the use of standard m16 magazines is very conveinent. Bullpup design leads to good accuracy despite being only slightly longer then your average small machine gun. Using the stock iron sites can suck a bit though, peripheral vision sucks. Oh and ill gladly be the first to say this; Despite popularity for reasonable reasons, AK47S SUCK as a rifle. That is all. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 16 2006, 11:19 AM |
| Found an interesting article on Wikipedia that compares the AK-47 and M16... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_the_AK-47_and_M16 Whoever wrote it isn't much of the technical guy, but it's still a worthwhile read... |
| Posted by: LAN EVO IV Jul 16 2006, 12:09 PM |
| いまなんじですか？ Anyways, I like handguns. Favorite: http://www.sigarms.com/Products/ShowCatalogProductDetails.aspx?categoryid=6&productid=95  |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 29 2006, 12:42 AM |
| OMFG I bought a copy of "Face/Off" on DVD last weekend, and I finally got around to watching it tonight... Those two gold Springfield Armory M1911's that Castor Troy had, with the dragon insignias on the side...I f**kING WANT THOSE!  |
| Posted by: hellbent Jul 29 2006, 11:49 AM |
| OH yeah, Those were 2 sexy f**ken guns. I so want them. Imagine them in Silver. *drool* |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Aug 1 2006, 11:36 AM |
| Gees, I thought people were going to post guns they DO have. I guess many of you are under age and can only talk about guns you wish you had. Sorry guys..hehe. Well heres my list. Baby Eagle 9mm  Sig Sauer P220ST 45  Springfield 1911 9mm  Kimber 1911 45  Mossberg 500 12 gauge  Kel-Tec SU16  AR-15  M-14    I also have a HK USP fullsize 40cal. But no pics on my computer right now. My favorites are the 1911, nothing is more accurate in my hand than a 1911. Plus 1911s you can modify just like a car and can cost you in the thousands. Ive shot many rifles, and my favorite is the M14...nothing can touch that rifle. Next pistol will be a Ruger Alaskan revolver in 454 Casull w/ 2.5" barrel. Next rifle will be another M14, but in a shorty version w/ sage stock. Like this here.  |
| Posted by: Steve Aug 1 2006, 11:44 AM |
 I win. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 1 2006, 12:41 PM | ||
So? This forum doesn't keep a lot of underage kids from talking about wanting an "86"... Besides, while I can now legally own a gun, I don't have the finances for buying one; Real f**kin' problem for me... AP1FrEaKsLiDe - You ass...You lose; That's your dad's... |
| Posted by: hellbent Aug 1 2006, 01:54 PM |
| Steve doesnt win, nor do 1slwsupra. I win by default B*TCHes, and you know why.     I mean, dont mind the last pic, got there by accident. and you wonder why U.S didnt get those WMD, I wonder where they are  |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Aug 1 2006, 02:15 PM |
| hey hey! At least I can take mines home and are legal to own! |
| Posted by: hellbent Aug 1 2006, 02:27 PM |
| No your wrong, Mine are legal to own too. slong as the PooPoo and the gov dont find out. |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Aug 1 2006, 02:30 PM |
| Man your crazy! |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 8 2006, 04:25 PM |
| 1slowsupra - Out of curiosity, how much did the Jericho 941 and Springfield 1911 cost you? I've been looking at 941s and 1911s for a near realistic future buy...I'd like them chambered in .45 ACP, but I'm just asking for a general estimate... |
| Posted by: Möbius Aug 12 2006, 09:40 AM |
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkBrkciE2lA A nice high speed camera vid of guns/bullets.  |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Oct 31 2006, 01:34 PM |
| *dig* Here we go...The proper thread for real guns, so we don't worry the kids to death talking about this stuff in the airsoft thread... |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Oct 31 2006, 04:44 PM | ||
Hey I never seen your post to me. Sorry it took so long to reply. LOL The Baby Eagle is the same as the Jericho 941...but the 941s are more sought after. I didnt buy this pistol cuz of Cowboy Bebop, even though it is one of my favorite animes. Baby Eagles run right at $500...you can find deals between $400-450. Mine is a 9mm..and that is the round it was designed for. You can get a 40cal or 45 Baby Eagle, but I wouldnt. The Jericho is also designed after the CZ-75. CZ-75 is hot sh!t...cheap, accurate, and highly reliable, I plan to get one soon. Rally from Gunsmith Cats sports a old school CZ-75 SAO. My Springer is the GI-45(replica of the WWII 1911). It is Springfields base model 1911. Parked models are $425 and stainless are about $475. It is decent, but you get what you pay for. My Kimber is leaps and bounds better, but that is also why I spent $500 more on the Kimber. The Springer goes bang but it is not a tight gun and the accuracy is not there. Many people pick this one up to fix up and work on. I myself plan to fix it up one day. I had a 9mm upper conversion for it, but I sold that off. Right now I have a 22lr conversion upper for it. That helps save on shooting big time! You can get a brick of 22lr rounds (500rds) at walmart for 10 bucks! |
| Posted by: Dave Rodgers Oct 31 2006, 04:47 PM |
| I plan on buying a Glock 9mm in the future to get used to and to target hit with, then probably get a Walther PP or PPK. Might also pick up a Jericho 941 as well. |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Oct 31 2006, 04:59 PM | ||
My Glock gripe.. I hate Glocks. I can name 50 other brands I would rather own than Glock. Many people state, "You can not contest its reliablity!" Sure, you cant...me myself agree it is the most reliable gun on this planet. It is the AK of pistols. Is the AK the greatest rifle?..nope. And just like the AK that is all it has going for it. Glocks in my opinion are not ergonmic, has a lame trigger and safety, not accurate enough for me, cheap and not refined (take a HK anyday), and Glocks look like as$! Cheap and reliable with no looks...to me it is the Honda DX of the gun world. They could of at the very least threw in some taste. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Oct 31 2006, 05:03 PM |
| I call it the Jericho 941 because that's what I know the gun as; I don't call it the "Baby Eagle", just because that's what Magnum Research calls it in order to capitalize off the Desert Eagle... I've just got something for .45 ACP firearms...Nothing wrong with 9mm, but if I were to put it into practical use (Home defense), I'd rather go with something bigger for more effective stopping power (Hell, I'd even take the .40 S&W over the 9mm)... ...since asking that question, I've been to Bass Pro Shops and did some pricing of my own, but thanks for answering anyway... |
| Posted by: Dave Rodgers Oct 31 2006, 05:20 PM | ||
Seconded. I'm not buying a Glock because I like it. Those pistols are ass. I just want a throwaway to practice with. If you can suggest something else that's cheap, then I will love you tenderly. |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Oct 31 2006, 05:22 PM | ||
45acp is my favorite round. 9mm is second. If my life was on the line or if I am going into battle, I would take a 45 as a sidearm above all else. 9mm IMO is nothing when it comes to self defense. I could careless about high capacity...all it takes is one well placed shot of a 45 and your going down. The only reason I have two 9s is for fun and nothing more. If you get into firearms, as I have, and from the sound of it Im sure you will, you will see how much a day at the range will cost you. Shooting nothing but 45 is expensive. The cheapest place to buy ammo is Walmart, 100rd box of 45 target is $23. 9mm 100rd box is $12. You see the differance...you can shoot twice as much for the same price. It just makes more sense to buy a 9mm pistol to save on some ends. All of my friends have 45s and they all have at least one 9...the 9s are strictly for practice. The Jericho I have was originally planned to be my only 9mm practice handgun...but I shot my friends Sig and I just had to buy one. Too much fun, felt perfect in my hands...plus my other friend sold me that P228 for $500 brand new. I go 2-3 times a month to the range, this month will be 4 times. Each trip, I will shoot 2-300rds...and that is just pistol ammo. 5.56 and 308 rifle rounds are even more...and I shoot about 1-200 of that. Im sure later, you will have your 45s...and later after that, you will at least get one 9. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Oct 31 2006, 06:05 PM |
| If I want a shoot-for-shits gun, I'll just get a .22 LR; The cheapest of the cheap... My dad has a Marlin Model 60 rifle (Which I've posted elsewhere; I'll bring it up in this thread later) that fires off .22 LRs...He hasn't fired that fun off in 20 years and doesn't have any ammo for it, though...It just used to be his dad's, but I bet it'd make great for plinking... Those Browning Buck Marks and CZ-75 Kadets also look like fun for targeting (Both also chambered in .22 LR)... |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Oct 31 2006, 06:07 PM | ||
Note taken, a lot of people want a starter/practice/cheap gun..and they usually think Glock. It is a decent begineers gun, but everyone has a preferance..just like cars. You drive one, how will you know how the others are. Try a few and see which ones fit you. You can rent at most ranges. That is the best, when you find a gun that fits you like a glove and you begin with that. You will waste time and 2-3 times more money on ammo with a gun you are not comfortable with and not accurate with. Not sure if you know, but not everyone is accurate with the same gun. Same analogy with cars, you have some drivers who cant drive for sh!t with their own car, but when they drive another, they look like a champ...and later you see them buy that car. Practice practice practice...youll need a lot of practice, which is also why I would suggest a 9mm as a first pistol. I would not suggest getting a +$800 gun for a first timer...and I wouldnt get anything too cheap as well. I would never get any handgun under $375 that is brand new(exclude 22s)...you bascially get what you pay for when your in that range. Your price range should be right between $400-750. And I would suggest staying away from unpopular brands(theres usually a reason why they are unpopular) and stay away from compacts, unless you can really get a license to carry. Browning Hi-Power CZ-75 Any EAA (basically all are CZ75 clones) Jericho 941(Or Baby Eagle) HK USPs Sig P2022, P226, P228, P220, P229, P239, P245 Kimber 1911 Custom II (that is their base model) Springfield 1911 Loaded Beretta M9/92 (actually dont like any of them, but you might like them) Keltec Taurus 1911 (just came out, been hearing a lot of good things) Any Walther Glocks I guess, since some people really swear by them.  Might as well give it a try. |
| Posted by: Dave Rodgers Oct 31 2006, 06:12 PM | ||
Good advice. But will they let coloured people try the guns? Because I don't want to go there and then ask to try....and then I hear "REQUESTING BACKUP....COLOURED MAN HERE TRYING TO RENT A GUN....MUST BE A TERRORIST\THIEF\HOLDUP" |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Oct 31 2006, 06:20 PM | ||
Shooting 22s is fun. I take my niece with me to the range also, shes only 11...she can only handle the 22s. If your of age already, your pops shouldnt mind if you borrow the rifle for some fun plinking. And if your dad was really kool, you can give him the cash to buy you a handgun. In most states it is completely legal for a parent to give their kids any legal firearm...and in some states they will allow youngsters to rightfully hold/own a firearm even if they are under 18 as long as it was given by the parent with the parents consent. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Nov 1 2006, 03:50 PM |
| With my dad's Marlin, it's not about what age I am, it's just that it's more of an Anderson family prop... My step-mom wants to go down to The Bottom (One of her relatives on her side of the family owns some property out in southwestern Kentucky, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, that includes some forrest land, and "The Bottom" is a part of their property, about a quarter-mile to a half-mile into the forrest that's maybe an eighth-mile in lowered elevation from the entrance) one of these days and shoot guns off there...My dad says if we get to do that, he'll buy some ammo for his rifle...My step-mom's brothers will also bring their guns, and I'm sure my older cousin Brad will bring his Marlin 30-30... I want a handgun (Even Kentucky gun laws don't care about the posession of a handgun, it's just more about the buying), but I'm content with myself starting out on a rifle for now... |
| Posted by: But she looked 18 officer Nov 4 2006, 11:47 PM |
| haha, a Beagle(941) owner. My dad has one in 9mm as well. I have more trigger time with that thing then every other gun I've shot combined. lol Suprised you said any walther.. unless your refuring to just the new ones? I've heard a lot of flak regarding their famed ppk series, at least the s&w made walther's(yeah yeah I curoius about the bond gun myself, shoot me) Also, any reason you recommend avoiding subcompact guns(if he doesnt intend to carry) but recommend kel-tec ? Cheap pistols in, and under the glock range that many people have recommended to me are teh cz75's and ruger p95, recently rented both as I'm in the market myself and I for what very little my opinion actually matters I loved both of them. Even the ruger, which is rather tank like compared to the sleak cz. Totally different feel, I would think most, including myself would prefure the feel of the CZ. Cant comment on reliabilty though since I just rented them and with maybe 100 or so rounds each nothing borked. Lots of praise go to both guns in that regard, especially ruger from what I've been told.. It seems like the word "tank" goes hand in hand with their guns.. *shrugs In more of the glock price range their is the Springfield Armory XD series(previously hs2000) which are apperently the new it gun in this price range and there is no shortage or rave reviews around them. It's basicly the 'glock' for people who dont like 'glocks'. They come with a 1911 type grip safety and a trigger safety, and the have a more traditional vertical grip angle were as the glocks are more diagnal.. which some people love and others hate. I'm about to put some money down on a two tone XD9 service. Only thing that is stopping me is the fact that christmas season is coming and I still have a shit job. If ends dont meet out and I have to go abit cheaper I'll most likely snag a cz75 SA. |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Nov 5 2006, 02:40 AM | ||
Two of my friends have the older PPK series Walthers and both are fine. I see nothing wrong with them. I mentioned, I would not recommend a sub-compact, but also listed the Keltec. Im not opposed to getting a sub-compact, just dont feel it isnt needed "if you can not carry". Only reason why I mention Keltec is because I was not sure if he has the option to carry...if he did, than get a Keltec. Get it? My best friend had a XD. 50rds and he sold it to my other friend, and now he regrets buying it. I am dead accurate with that pistol, but I fukin hate it to DEATH. That stupid trigger they call a safety...that does not work for me at all. All that extra slack when squeezing, than the trigger goes, and than the trigger has to go all the way to the front to set... Feels like crap and in my opinion is only for public safety when talking LEO drawing a gun on someone and not accidentally shooting them. Try rapid firing with that thing, it is possible but not to easy and friendly. IMO that pistol was made for LE, it is perfect for them...and that is it, not for citizens or the military. And the looks of the XD, just as bad as the Glocks...much rather have a HK if getting a polymer pistol. If I were you, get the CZ. The CZ is proven for decades, and it is still far from being obsolete. There are 3 guns in this world that are the most copied...and the CZ is one of them. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Nov 5 2006, 03:15 AM |
| Seems all the polymer guns take on the same goddamn shape; If you were to set down on a table next to each other any GLOCK, a Springfield XD, and the CZ 100, you would hardly be able to tell any distinguishable differences apart... Only polymer I could ever see myself with are the compact Jericho 941s...I don't like polymers, since I'd rather take durability over weight; Rather feel like I'm firing a gun, and not a toy... |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Nov 5 2006, 11:42 AM | ||
All the HKs are polymer, they have their distinctive shape that I love, and sets them far from the Glocks. Kimber has a polymer line for their 1911s, as well as STi, Para, and a few others. And Sig makes a few awesome polymer frame pistols as well...Very distictive and different from the Glock. All the plastic pistols that look like Glocks are the ones trying to replace it. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Nov 5 2006, 02:54 PM |
| I only listed those three of the top of my head since they're the most recognizable polymer guns (Ohh, the irony)... What HKs are polymer? |
| Posted by: Dave Rodgers Nov 5 2006, 05:39 PM | ||
The Heckler&Koch USP for one. You might know it better as the Peashooter you get at the start of a round. |
| Posted by: IZaven Nov 5 2006, 06:48 PM |
| i like the m14s and mp5s m14 = classic gotta love them |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Nov 6 2006, 01:30 AM | ||
HKs specialize in polymer weapons. IMO they are the greatest gun company ever. PSG1, MP5, G3, HK91, UMP, SL8, G36, OICW, PDW/MP7, and now the HK416...those are HK military weapons that are second to none. All of HKs pistols are polymer also. USP, Match, Expert, Elite, Tactical, P2000, and the infamous Mark23. Id kill for a Mark23...it is the official SOCOM pistol and is listed as a "offensive" firearm. Not sure you if you seen Tears of the Sun...that movie has a great scene of them useing the Mark23. The $2400 price tag prevents me from affording one right now.  |
| Posted by: But she looked 18 officer Nov 6 2006, 08:07 PM | ||
hmm. how much use do their ppk's get? Are they german or the s&w model ppk's? Just curious as all, I dig the guns look and feel but I've heard soo many horror stories about them from just about every person/source I've listened to over the years. *shrugs I've heard mixxed opinions about the xd's trigger as well. People tell me it takes time to get used too but it didnt bother me for the half a dozen rounds I shot with it so I have no real opinion about it, keeping in mind I'm far from an experienced shooter who's opinion should be relivent. *funny offtopic sidenote, when it comes to guns and the discussions of guns the factor of 'opinion' regarding weapon comparisons is almost prevalent then even a musical instrament. Funny since music being an art which has a value to an individual soley based on their opinion and taste. Glad to see(more) praise regarding the CZ though. I swear after toying with it I felt as if something was wrong with me since I liked the cheap basturd(compared to a handfull of other guns that got passed around in our group). That being before I even bothered to do any research on them. Since posting that though I walked into a local gunstore and noticed that they are selling for well above 450 bucks. :/ not quite what I had expected after seeing them from 350/400 range. I've never fired a sig or even picked up an HK. Is it possible or common to pick up a used(but well taken care of) model in 9mm just south of $500. |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Nov 7 2006, 12:34 AM |
| The PPK models my friends own I believe are German models. I will have to ask them later when I see them. I think they are ok, nothing really super about them...the James Bond movies really glorified them. Having any gun star in a movie can really boost the guns reputation. Your right about personal preferance in regards to shooting guns is much like music and instruments. Everyone has their own ideals and flavors. I just feel the guns I have listed up top will get them on the right track faster and easier. Why jump in to the deep end when your just a begineer? You have to crawl before you walk, and you have to walk before you can run. I myself started off with a Sig P220ST, and I wish I can turn back time...I love the gun to death now and it is my second favorite, but I do feel it was the wrong gun for me to start off with, and I wasted a lot of time, effort, and ammo trying to shoot right and develop my skill. Everyone who is clueless about shooting feels it is just point and shoot...which is far from the truth. Much like with drifting, most newbs think it is as easy as power sliding around corners. If you feel comfortable with a CZ, if it felt perfect in your hands, and if you hit the target...than I think you found your match. The more research you do on the CZ the more you will find out how high it ranks in the food chain...it is WAY up there. The ergonmics, grip, weight, and angle is just perfect reguardless of hand size or type of shooting. I have yet to hear anyone say anything bad about the CZ. And it does beat out the Beretta in ALL aspecs...the only reason the US Gov. didnt go with the CZ pistol is because at that time the pistol was made in a Communist country. Even if the price of the pistol is +$450, you are still getting a lot of pistol for your money. If they jacked the prices up to $800, it would still be worth it. It is common to find police trade in Sigs for $500 or below. Right now Turners has German police trade in P225s for $399...but I hear they are very worn. I would look for the police trade in's that have been looked over by the Sig factory. Sig also has good customer service...they will fix anything that goes wrong on the pistol. As for the HK, I hear of some police trade in HKs but they go fast. They will not last a week in the display case. But personally, I love the Sigs...the recoil and shots are easily controllable than the HKs, which is why I sold my HK 40 and have two Sigs. |
| Posted by: But she looked 18 officer Nov 8 2006, 01:47 PM |
| Although I'm almost certain it they dont... by anychance can one get a cz75 compact in SA ? Also, how hard is it to find holsters for CZ75'S? |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Nov 10 2006, 04:48 PM |
| Hate to sound like a retard 15 minutes late with a responce... ...but I was wondering; Of any H&K firearm, how much of it is built with polymer materials? Like say with the USP; I know they incorporate polymer into the magazine build...Anything else on the USP polymer? |
| Posted by: 1slowsupra Nov 11 2006, 12:38 PM | ||||
Not sure if they offer compacts in SA. Might want to check out their website...or look around. I know there are hundreds of holsters for the CZ75s...a gun that popular has a huge aftermarket following.
They very, especially on the rifles. I know the SL8/G36 is about 85% polymer and they are considered to be battle proven reliable. The USPs...the frame, some parts like trigger and safety are polymer. The slide and internal parts are metal. The frame is reinforced with inbedded steel liners...im sure the rifle receivers are the same way. Also, the USP (fullsize) mags are plastic...but the USP Compact, and I think the Mark23 and elite, mags are all metal. The metal ones are more favorable. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jan 31 2007, 08:21 PM |
| Alrightly then, let's try this one more time, eh? Airsofts in that thread, firearms in this thread... |
| Posted by: Dave Rodgers Jan 31 2007, 10:20 PM | ||
I got a serious question for y'all. Do you all use guns as penis enlargement devices for that lack of equipment? |
| Posted by: Solid Snake Feb 1 2007, 01:24 PM | ||
[sarcasm]Nope, I got my Cobra for that. I have guns to kill paper.[/sarcasm] |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Feb 1 2007, 03:36 PM |
| "This is my rifle, this is my gun. This is for fighting, this is for fun." God, I'm so watching "Full Metal Jacket" this weekend... Continuing from the other thread about the whole 5.56mm NATO vs. 7.62mm NATO discussion...Each have their own strengths and weaknesses...The 7.62 is better when it comes to engaging the target over an extended distance via your designated marksman/sniper, but the 5.56 is probably better suited for close quarters combat due to it's relativly compact size and weight... Can't beat an M14/M21/M25, but the US Army SDM-R and USMC SAM-R M16 derivatives are also fine long-distance rifles...I've been more fond of the M4 Carbine over the M16 patterns, but I would kill for an SAM-R; Those things are the absolute definition of "badass"... |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 7 2011, 07:47 PM | ||
What the f**k are you talking about, you f**king nub? Distance, yes, but it's not the only defining thing...7.62x51mm is best suited for it's long effective ranges and large kinetic energy while the 5.56x45mm is best suited for it's higher muzzle velocity and lighter cartridge weight...Get your shit straight; And if you want the best of both worlds, get a 6.8x43mm... Oh wait, I did... "The post you are quoting is over 1526 days old." Oh f**k, Edo Tensei! Thread necromancy, prepare for zombie infestation! Given the slight increase in firearms purchases (Particularly with me and am3) and discussions of such, I suppose now is as any of a time to resurrect this thread to redirect to a more relevant thread... Hmm...I dunno, how do we re-kick things off...Show your shit off? DPMS Panther Arms Mod. A-150 carbine, chambered in 6.8x43mm SPC; 16" barrel, 25-round 6.8 magazine, forward assist, MIL-SPEC 1913 rail on the upper receiver...I affectionately have named her "Yūna"... Pictures are taken when I first bought it; I really want to take some more artistic stuff with my rifle...     I've got a whole bunch of stuff planned for this rifle...For starters, I wanna get an upper receiver assembly chambered in 5.56mm so I can also fire off .223/5.56 with my rifle, in addition to the 6.8; That's my first ...Second thing would have to be an optical sight; A Trijicon ACOG would really be nice, but that might have to wait until next year's tax returns if I want to make it "affordable"... Reflex sights are what I want to go for, but even something like an EOTech is pretty pricey, if only half of what an ACOG would cost...I might also plan on getting a quad-rail guard for the barrel, so I can use attachments with it, like a flashlight and a foregrip...Somewhere down the line, I might also give it a desert tan paintjob, the same thing I did with my airsoft CAR-15, in the same design as the M4 Carbine's default skin in Modern Warfare 2...But I'm really getting ahead of myself...I really need to get an upper receiver first and do some dual cartridge shooting to familiarize myself with the weapon in live fire first before I decorate it with bling... |
| Posted by: RalliKai Apr 7 2011, 08:22 PM |
| Didn't even know there was a 6.8mm cartridge. Nice rifle though I don't want to think how much one of those can set someone back. This is still my top choice in a firearm purchase when I get around to it.  |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 7 2011, 08:27 PM |
| /me likes. I have a Sig Sauer P226 9mm. Below it's shown with an airsoft counterpart. (Pic taken using http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6697/lolbox.jpg setup. Foam core box taped together, Home Depot lights, and tripod mounted DSLR with 50mm lens).  I have only had a chance to take it out once, but it shot wonderfully. I am taking it out again tomorrow, and also plan on renting a .308 M1A  I have every intent to purchase another pistol, and probably soon. I am picking up a membership at my local range which, beyond free lane use, allows for free rental of all their firearms (you just have to buy their ammo for rentals). I remember that I didn't like Glocks, but can't remember why. I remember liking the Beretta 92FS, but I can't remember why. I've never shot a 1911, but I know people who swear by them. So with my ability to rent http://www.gotammo.com/frames/Rentals.htm they have, I can pick which one I like shooting the best. Though, I think I'll eventually end up with a Beretta 92FS or M9 at some point regardless. I just love em! lol. |
| Posted by: Sensation! Apr 7 2011, 08:57 PM |
| you and your Beretta. I actually had a pretty bad experience with a Beretta 96. I love the way it felt in my hands, and i loved the sights. however, amidst all the other range slut guns for rent, that was the only one which double fed. That and the recoil felt strange on it, it wanted to go sideways. Perhaps it was just a bad gun? either way, i was slightly disappointed. Oh and we have a joke about how it ejects spent casings. It'll do a precision headshot at range in opposite directions, SIMULTANEOUSLY. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 7 2011, 09:24 PM | ||
Rifle itself has an MSRP is about $1,019, or whatever, give or take a couple dollars...Two boxes of Barrett brand 6.8 SPC, 30 rounds a box, $40 each, and the guy knocked off a couple dollars for the ammo...Kentucky 6% sales tax...Personally, it broke in my credit card with a little over ~$1,200... BUT IT'S WORTH IT |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 8 2011, 12:31 AM | ||
Sensation!, it wasn't that the Beretta double-fed, it was that it failed to eject a spent cartridge one time. The one that kept misfeeding was the .45 USP... though it probably just needed some love to smooth out the action. It seemed like it occasionally had problems on the reload half of the slide motion. But yes, I was standing a good ways behind him when he was firing the Beretta and he still managed to hit me in the head with some of the casings. Guess that's why Death the Kid holds his upside-down in Soul Eater? LOL.Hopefully next week I'll be buying a 91/30 Mosin, which of course means I won't actually have the damn thing until almost two weeks later due to the stupid 10-day waiting period bullcrap. After that I'll save up for a P226, then... who knows. I'd love an SVD/NDM-86/Tigr but those are $3k+ no matter which way you go. Until then I guess attending gun shows? There's one in Ontario May 14-15 and I'm gonna try to hit that up as long as work lets me have the time off. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Apr 8 2011, 08:49 AM |
| so I'm guessing you guys went to the range again without me |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 8 2011, 10:17 AM | ||
Down here in Orange, yeah. Kinda spur of the moment. Next range visit will totally be back in LA though, I'll let you know. After all, the next rifle night down here won't be until the 21st...oh wait nuts, darn, I wouldn't be able to make that. Stupid 10-day waiting period. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 8 2011, 11:32 AM | ||
If you ever want to make the trip down here, you're welcome to shoot as many rounds as you like through mine.  |
| Posted by: JKaiba Apr 8 2011, 01:07 PM | ||
Makes me somewhat sad that just about all the stuff I still have around I can't take to a Los Angeles range  . |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Apr 8 2011, 02:12 PM | ||
what about Burro Canyon? |
| Posted by: Sensation! Apr 9 2011, 04:27 AM |
| west coast meet thread? west coast meet thread. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 9 2011, 02:03 PM | ||
Wait until after the 16th, dammit! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 11 2011, 11:19 AM | ||
| Well I have a membership for the range by me down in San Diego. I can't help with range fees for others (only 10$ tho and no time limit), but do I get unlimited free rental of anything they have available (I just have to buy their ammo). They have dozens of pistols and a handful of shotguns and rifles. Might be a nice place to meet, even if it's down here. http://www.gotammo.com/frames/Rentals.htm PS: for N1, I know it's not a Draganov, but I stumbled onto this from youtube:
|
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 16 2011, 06:23 PM |
| Went to the range today to work on some accuracy training based on some grouping charts I found online and also wanted to rent some .45s. I ended up doing OK with helping my accuracy, but I still shoot left most of the time. I am considering taking a marksmanship class or something because internet help is hit and miss. As for the rentals, I grabbed a Sig Sauer P220, which is almost identical to my 226, but has a narrower grip thanks to the single-stack 8-round magazine. I thought it shot wonderfully with minimal recoil and seemed to shoot more accurately than my still-pretty-new 226. There was a very large, round muzzle flash for every shot though. Didn't have an impact on slower shots, but definitely inhibits view for a brief moment. I was very pleased with it and almost regret not getting one over the 226.  The other I rented was the Springfield XD45. I hate Glocks, but I wanted to try this other polymer body out because it has a lot of nice features on it. I had every intention of making this my next purchase if I liked it. It has visual and physical indicators for loaded chamber and gun cocked, has both grip and trigger safeties, and disassembles just about as easily as a Sig or Beretta (though on the non-M models, you need to dry fire it for take-down). It was decently accurate and felt good in the hands, but I just couldnt get past how violent of a kick it had. Being that its a lighter weight gun, there's less material to absorb the kick impact, which means all of that is translated to your arm. I didn't like how it felt when fired, though muzzle flash was considerably less. I want to like it because it fits my hand a lot better than a Glock, but also like a Glock, it has that unecessarily hard kick.  |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 17 2011, 02:06 PM |
| Uhh...Question box time: What caliber was the P220 chambered in? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 17 2011, 03:51 PM |
| Does it come in anything other than 45ACP? Both were chambered for that. |
| Posted by: Nappy Hared Azn Apr 17 2011, 04:47 PM |
| I know it's definitely available in 9x19, although I'm sure there's others. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 17 2011, 07:18 PM |
| They must be older models; or had a conversion kit. It looks like on their site, they only have the standard .45 version or a .22LR plinker version. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 18 2011, 01:26 PM | ||
Pretty dang sure the .22s are all conversion kits. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 18 2011, 07:32 PM | ||
Yes, older models were also offered in 9mm Parabellum, but they're currently only manufactured in .45 ACP... Were both pistols loaded with the same cartridges? Like one wasn't an overpressure while the other was regular? I ask because I'm trying to figure out what the deal with the recoil is, because I'm not convinced that weight makes too much of a difference...Physics plays a role, yes, because a heavier gun acts more under the influence of gravity...But just the same is action-reaction; Whatever kick the gun gives off, your arm is going to give right back to the gun, and no matter the weight of the pistol or perception of recoil, your body is still the same place that energy is going to transfer to...If anything, while weight may help absorb some of the recoil, it's also more mass that's being thrown around as well... Proper stance and grip when it comes to pistols is everything...Well, stance if you want accuracy, anyway; Grip, if you want good control...Some people tend to hold a lighter grip for a lighter pistol, all things equal and various calibers notwithstanding, mainly because of the involuntary need to to use muscle energy relative to the weight of the pistol...If you let up on your grip, you're going to let the recoil kick around even more...So while you don't want to choke the shit out of it like you're crushing someone's trachea, it's also better to just mind your strength...It shouldn't take away from personal preference, though; A comfortable position works better for a person than something that feels awkward by reaction... There's a proper way to hold a pistol that can help control recoil that's not dependent on strength that will also help with precision (Precision, not accuracy; If you're good with accuracy but can't group your shots close, it's not going to help much), but it's not something that I could easily explain, and not something I can arse myself to find a photo reference of...It would definitely help you out though, to reduce the dramatic differences between different pistols of the same caliber... When I was in Albuquerque last year, I went with two of my uncles and my cousin out to an indoor shooting range with some rented guns...My cousin had a Taurus .22 LR revolver, I had a Ruger Mark III .22 LR pistol, and one of my uncles rented himself a Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm...This was actually my first time firing off a real firearm, so I was able to get used to the Ruger pretty quickly; I had decent accuracy every magazine, but my precision trended off to one side because my grip didn't account for a change in sideways recoil (Yes, the recoil kicks back and up, but if you don't mind yourself, your hand can go off in another direction, either at the moment when you pull the trigger or when you regroup for a follow-up shot in rapid succession)...My experience with the Taurus revolver wasn't that different either; Different gun, but I was able to treat it the same... But the M&P was a different beast...I only shot off less than a mag's worth of rounds, and yes, a 9mm is a pretty big step-up from a .22 LR... So while I braced myself for the caliber difference, I let that thing buck around because, surprisingly, the weight itself threw off my perception...While compared to the Ruger it was a bigger gun, it really wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be because of it's polymer frame...That was a naive of my muscle memory... If I had more time with it, I'm sure I would have adapted my grip to shoot better with it...https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=39951&st=500&#entry1157864 Those are the pictures that were taken of me, and that's actually my sheet in the background...From what you can see, the center target is with the Taurus revolver, the bottom-right corner with the M&P, all others with the Ruger pistol... Experience definitely helps, though...Even in that short period, I grew pretty well with the Mark III...I'm sure that a year later, even with the Mark III, I could shoot even better with it, and with the M&P, I wouldn't be such a damn noob... Oh well...I'm a rifle person anyway... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 18 2011, 10:27 PM |
| TBH, it really doesn't have to do with control, and I was at least as accurate (if not more) with the XD45. Same box of ammo for both. What I didn't like were the characteristics of how it felt when shooting. It felt like all the force was centered in a single area of the grip instead of spread out (in addition to being stronger). I don't know how to describe it otherwise, but I'm still pretty new to actually trying to structure my shooting. If you have links to specific advice, I'd love it as info online has been hit and miss. I came across http://www.targetshooting.ca/docs/grp-analysis.pdf which helped somewhat, but if there's like a breakdown how-to for stance, trigger control, holding, etc. I'd love to see it. So far, I've only picked up what friends who have gone through minimal training courses have shown me. I'm thinking just taking a training course hands-on for better fine-tuning. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 19 2011, 11:25 AM |
| If you can get some hands-on experience from a trainer, then you'll learn the ropes a lot quicker...Not that learning things from resources and teaching yourself is wrong, which is usually the path I take when taking up things, but it's a lot slower of a process, and it's not an easy thing to share with others either... The only other tip I can give is just practice and practice some more...Take advantage of that all-access pass you have and mind yourself when you shoot...You know, get accustomed to how things feel, pay attention to muscle memory, focus on your peripheral acuity...A lot of things that can be formally taught to someone can be intuitively picked up on through repetitive practice, so if you ever do take lessons, you'll already know something, and you can build upon being more right with your shooting... What kind of shooting are you going for anyway? Are you just wanting to do straight-forward ranged marksman type stuff, or would you ever want to carry it into practical applications? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 19 2011, 11:50 AM | ||
| It's almost impossible to get a ccw in CA if you aren't military, law enforcement, or private security (unless someone knows otherwise) so I'm not terribly concerned with carrying. I'm leaning most toward recreation, marksmanship, and to a lesser degree home defense. Edit: I found a video that was monumentally useful so far:
|
| Posted by: sideways Apr 19 2011, 06:51 PM |
| Oldie but a goodie- Keep an eye or out do a search for more videos by Todd, very informative stuff. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 21 2011, 04:13 PM |
| Well through a series of interesting events (my friend finally paying me back for a Vegas trip and getting refunded for a back-ordered item that will never come), I have about $600 extra cash laying around. So I think I'll pick up another pistol while I'm at it Choices choices.......! |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 21 2011, 09:21 PM | ||
Buy me a West German P226! They're only $400! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 21 2011, 11:45 PM |
| Haha, I'll get right on that. I'm torn with what direction I want to go in: Beretta 92FS/92A1/M9/M9A1: I love berettas, always have, and will definitely own one some day. It's another 9mm, which means not having to buy separate ammo, but no additional big bang or stopping power. Springfield XDM45: High tech new polymer pistol with a lot of nice safety and useful features. Packs a good punch, but need to buy separate ammo. Looks cool, performs well, is something different and is a good alternative to Glocks, which I hate. It would take some getting used to the gun's feel and characteristics. Sig Sauer P220: Smooth, accurate shooting, already familiar with design/handling, same features as 226 but with bigger bang with the .45ACP. Also feels excellent in hands with slimmer single-stack mag. Fewer rounds per mag than XDM (8 vs 10) and feels redundant already owning a Sig. Will probably own one at some time, but looking for something "different" right now. I may screw myself even more by renting some more things next time I go out; but these unlimited rentals are quite nice. I wish they had the XDM model Springfield though; last time I went they only had the XD45 and XD45 Tactical, no XDM. Sigh... its ironic that this hobby still isn't as expensive as photography. At least not yet..... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 22 2011, 05:54 AM | ||
| I'm a Sig kinda guy myself, so my vote would be on the 220. If you were going to go 45ACP anyway, why not? That and I'm not a big Beretta fan. Anyway forgot to post this up yesterday night, derp. Went out to the range yet again (third time in a month?) with Sensation! and Pikachu_Fragger this time. Ended up firing quite a few guns. Sensation! and Pikachu_Fragger messed around with a 9mm USP, we rented an AR-15 (not a big fan, can't say I like that gun much after firing it), and I closed the night by firing a 9mm 226, something I do every time I go. I really do like the feel, and though I'm not yet getting the best groups from it, I still prefer it. After all, my best groups come from guns I would never own because of impracticality, such as the 500S&W I just had to rent. Here were the first five rounds. I got 12 rounds of ammo thinking the gun held 6, but it held 5. Pikachu_Fragger ended up firing two rounds out of it before giving up though so it worked out. Range on the shots was 25 feet. Image size reduced, original size: 1195 x 1600. http://i51.tinypic.com/11c7gup.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. Second five shots weren't as good, mostly because I was rushing. I still hit center of mass just fine, but the grouping wasn't nearly as solid as the first five.
Fun gun, way impractical, way expensive, and way expensive ammo. Another one of those "I'd never own it but I'd love to know someone who does" things. In other news, I picked up a Mosin Nagant finally, now just waiting on the DROS and waiting period BS to clear up so I can take it home. Burro Canyon anyone? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 22 2011, 03:00 PM |
| Damn good shootin with that 500! I went out again today for a number of reasons. I wanted to do some more testing with potential purchases, but also some night crew guys from my work were military and had some fun stuff they wanted to share. He brought out his Mosin Nagant (lol at you getting one, small world) and that thing shot like a champ. It was an original one from WWII and was pretty beat up, but shot straight as an arrow. The bolt was a little strange to operate and was super stiff though. It shot some massive 7.62x54 rounds that were a bit more powerful than what I was used to shooting. Fun though. He also had with him a Benelli shotgun that I'm sure would be illegal for any CA civilian to have (front and rear pistol grips, folding stock, etc) but man that thing was ridiculous. He had slugs and bird shot, neither of which were pleasant for me to shoot. It could be because his folding stock had a tiny plastic butt on it, but it just felt like Chuck Norris roundhousing my shoulder with every pull. As far as my own stuff, I had my Sig, and he showed me some military techniques for stance, holding it, trigger control, and speed reloading. So that was pretty cool. I think I would like to modify the trigger though. Sig makes a short reset option, which I would much like. There is a lot of travel before it actually fires and I think that's what's messing with my accuracy the most. I equate it to driving my friends '01 Mustang compared to my tC. His clutch grabs waaayyy high up whereas mine grabs almost right off the floor. I found out some bad news about the Springfield XDM though.... apparently they are not legal for sale in CA... so... that kind of throws that option out. I still kind of like the standard XD, but little things about the XDM drew me there instead. So rather than mope about it, I rented another Beretta 92FS and remembered why I loved it. Great groupings from ~10yds with good accuracy and still felt very good in the hands; I think this will be my next purchase. I almost walked over and bought one right then and there, but I want to sleep on it and go back in a day or two to see if I still feel that way. They had both an M9 and 92FS available in stock at the exact same price. The guy behind the counter said the only real difference is that the 92FS has 3-dot sights and is made in Italy while the M9 has a single thick verticle line on the rear sight and is made in the US for military; each with engraved trademarks showing such. Between the two, I like a 3-dot system better. If there are no other mechanical differences, I'll likely be picking up the 92FS. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 22 2011, 09:16 PM | ||
Thanks! I actually surprised myself since I was firing with my normal stance (as opposed to the .44 which I had to hold stupidly to get accurate shots off). I might go back and rent it again just to see how many consecutive shots I can nail. According to the front desk crew getting the first few dead-on is simple if you know what you're doing, but once the kick gets to your arm the rest is much harder. I like a challenge. As for the Mosin, it was the cheapest rifle I could get that fired real rounds instead of tiny little retarded plinking bullets. Fun fact: the Mosin Nagant model 91/30 is 48" long--which is the exact same length as the Dragunov rifle, and The 7.62x54R rounds it fires are also the same (albeit modern) rounds that the Dragunov fires. With a little stretch you could say the Mosin is a bolt-action version of the SVD. Hah! Can't wait to go shoot it. My first real rifle! |
| Posted by: Sensation! Apr 22 2011, 09:24 PM | ||
 babys first rifle! uguu! Sorry haha, thats what i imagined when you said that lol |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 22 2011, 10:16 PM | ||
I'm saving for a .308 M1A.... eventually.  Good luck with yours! You'll have to bring it down some time  |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 23 2011, 04:26 AM | ||
Man, we have to go shooting, airsofting... damn. I gotta find time and money to head down to where you are and just have a blast for a week. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Apr 23 2011, 09:06 AM |
| well, when you get your mosin I'm down to burro canyon. I have my scope chart and I'm ready to sight in my mosin. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 23 2011, 10:48 AM | ||
Fo sho. I'd love to give another Mosin a shot. Though I thought the bolt design was really weird. Rather than going from 5 o'clock to 2 o'clock, it pulled up from 3 to 12. Made for slow and awkward chambering. But like I said, it was a stiff and beat up old model too. Lemme know whenever you get some free time. I'm going in again later today with a friend down from norcal, and after sleeping on it (assuming its still there) I'll be signing the papers for a Made in Italy Beretta 92FS. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Apr 24 2011, 07:46 AM |
| I have a bent bolt in my mosin so its from 6 to 3 to chamber it. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 24 2011, 03:53 PM |
| Oh I didn't even think of stuff like aftermarket parts or modifications... Cool. Anyway, I'm now a proud owner of a Beretta 92FS. I pick it up on the 4th. Comes with a nice blue case and two mags. Also though, I came to find out the Beretta CX4 Storm is illegal for CA too. Center fire rifle with detachable mag, pistol grip and/or thumbhole stock is classified as an assault rifle and therefore banned. =/ I was actually looking forward to owning one some day since I already have an airsoft version of it (even if it is a cheap spring one, it has good heft and feel). I just love how it looks and it would be cheap to shoot at the range as you can get it chambered for 9mm rounds. The magazines are even interchangable with those from the 92FS. Kinda sad that what is essentially a glorified pistol (can only shoot .45, .40, and 9mm rounds) is technically an "assault rifle" Sigh.... /california  |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 24 2011, 06:20 PM | ||
Bullet button. Seriously. I fully intend on picking up an NDM-86 one of these days, and when I do I'll be sending it to NY, then removing and shaving the mag release (so you would need a flat-head screwdriver or equivalent to work the release internals), then sending it back to CA. As long as you can't operate the mag release by hand, it's not considered a detachable magazine. And once you have a 'fixed' mag, you can have whatever features you want. Well, except full-auto and .50BMG. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 24 2011, 06:33 PM |
| How would you load it? Especially in the case of the CX4 Storm? I would totally be open to this kind of idea. Edit: wait, I misread. So as long as your mag release doesn't function it counts? Ugh.. Its times like this I almost wish I did live back with the rest of the family in Minnesota. My uncle owns a perfectly legal Barret .50 cal |
| Posted by: Kamui Apr 24 2011, 06:58 PM |
| I guess we our old school around here, tho we do own weapons. We have a 1946 rifle, pretty basic but very accurate. I cannot recall the specs on it I believe it is a Winchester. A double barreled shotgun and a russian single barrel shotgun.Also we have a very old single barreled shotgun, it must be about fifty to sixty years old, tho it is more of a show piece. I only use the rifle for shooting rabbits when they are in season to eat. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 24 2011, 09:31 PM | ||
Correct. The mag can be 'detachable' in that it can be released, but you can't actually do that with your hands. If a tool is required to remove the magazine, it counts as a 'fixed' magazine. That's how you have AR-15s and AK-47s that are legal. They have a bullet button, where you push the end of a bullet into a hole to release the mag. It can't be worked without a tool. That's what it means. You just have to modify the mag release so that it requires a tool of some kind rather than being hand-operated. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Apr 24 2011, 11:05 PM |
| well all CA ak-47's have to be pump action in order to have a mag release |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 25 2011, 10:37 AM |
So here comes the question then, when/where are these modifications to make them legal done? You can't even purchase the gun here legally as is, so it would have to be modified before purchase. I don't know any stores around here that would modify them for you for legal purchase (though I haven't looked that hard), so that seems to leave gun shows and out-of-state purchases. I'm sure this is a big gray area and not talked about publically, so its difficult to find solid, non-generalized information about this. I would just love to own a Storm  |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 25 2011, 10:47 AM | ||
Glad you asked! You have a few options, and I happen to have some business cards on my desk for one of them. 1.) Have the weapon shipped to you in non-Assault-Weapon condition, modify it, then reassemble. Pieces of a gun aren't a gun. As long as at no time the weapon is assembled in such a way that it falls under the category of assault weapon, it is legal. I don't know anything about your Storm, so I can't tell you how easy or hard this option would be. 2.) Have the weapon shipped to a California FFL with an Assault Weapons license who is willing to perform the necessary modification. This will be pricey and I don't actually know any FFLs off the top of my head who would do such a mod for you. I do know a local FFL with one of those AW licenses so you can call and ask if you want: http://www.egsw.com/gunsmith/ar_repair.htm 3.) Ship the weapon out-of-state and have it modified out-of-state then sent back. I asked around a few gun shops and got some business cards for out-of-state companies who might be able to help with modifying AWs into Cali-legal status. They are: >http://www.lanworldinc.com >http://www.ddsranch.com Hope this helps. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 25 2011, 09:53 PM |
| Definitely something to look into! BTW, I'll be up in the anaheim area on June 25th if you wanna meet up some time that day. I have to be somewhere at 6, but I should be good before that. Also, feel free to head down here any time. My local range has for rent (among other things) the Beretta Storm, some form of AK, AR, HK SL8, .308 M1A, and most CA-legal handguns. They have a list online, but it's hit and miss with being out of date (like the pic of their M1A online is a wood stock, full barrel but the rental one is black synthetic stock and short Scout barrel). All rentals (normally 10$) are free as long as I'm there; we would just have to buy their ammo for any rental. Lane use is free for me 10$ for any additional person (as opposed to 15$), unlimited time. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 26 2011, 02:30 PM |
| I'll keep that in mind, that's actually really inexpensive. So for anyone coming along with you, it'd be $10+ammo? That's incredibly badass. I'm guessing that we'd only be able to rent one at a time, though, right? Since you're the one with the membership? In other news, my Mosin shipped out yesterday and will show up here on Friday. Yes, I ordered online, because I priced stuff out and it was cheaper to get one shipped, transferred and DROS'd than it was to straight-up buy one at Big5. So Friday I'll head in, do the DROS stuff, and I'll be good to go on the 9th. Soo... anyone up for Burro Canyon on the 11th? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 26 2011, 03:17 PM |
| I think you can have up to 4 people per lane and up to two rentals at one time per lane. As long as my name is on the lane, all rentals are free (including having two at once). I think the "only use our ammo in rentals" thing is more of a ploy to get your money than a "safety" or "damage" issue. A while ago, I rented the P220 and XD45 (both .45ACP), and only got one bag of ammo. They asked if I wanted any more, but I declined. Had I had some .45 with me, I could have easily used that as well. Prices for ammo at walmart are very, very good (22$ for 100rds 9mm and 28$ for 100rds .45ACP), so after that initial bag, the rest would be cheap. Walmart seems to be out of .45 ammo a lot lately, but they have buckets of 9mm handy. I picked up two 100 boxes a few days ago in preperation of playing with the new 92FS. At the range, its 18$ for 50rds 9mm and 22$ for 50rds .45ACP. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 26 2011, 09:20 PM | ||
Agreed on it being a money thing. There's a $100 fee if you're caught using your own ammo on rentals at some of the ranges here. A few really stuck-up ranges will also only allow you to use their ammo on your weapons. I wonder why? Good to know about your membership, that's sounding better and better. Might have to stop down in June or July and get some shooting in. As for the 25th, that's a Saturday so I will probably have work and because it's so close to Anime Expo I can't request it off (as I already requested the following weekend off). Work is usually in the late afternoon though so we can hang out before then. I'll keep in touch, once it gets closer to June we'll have to talk again. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 26 2011, 10:36 PM |
| For sure. Anyway, I am sure taking full advantage of this range pass.... Friend took me out today with his dad's WWII guns, a .30 Carbine and an M1 Garand .30-06.   Both shot nicely, but the adjustable sights on the Garand, even at it's lowest setting, were still too low for the reletively short distance of the indoor range. I can imagine this thing would be a beast up to 100 or 200 yds, even in my so-so hands. That's why you see me slowly walking it up into the bulls-eye. Also rented the Beretta Storm they had available and a Kimber 1911. We had some fun with those doing "speed runs" IE: how fast can you load and shoot one, switch, load and shoot the other. That Storm was a fantastic little gun, but I don't know if it would be worth jumping through the hoops necessary to have one in CA. Plus, it's always available for rent if I want to take it out. Quite a fun day. And the funniest thing of all is that, even after buying two pistols and probably 800-1000 rounds of ammo, I've still not spent as much money as I have on just http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_70_200mm_f_2_8l_is_ii_usm of my camera lenses. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Apr 27 2011, 07:53 AM | ||
Stop buying handguns and start going big with rifles then...Depending on what you get, your rifle might be pricey itself; If it's a modern assault rifle, then you won't stop at just a basic rifle...Iron sights aren't good enough, so you'll want to get a scope...You want tighter shots for long-range grouping, so you'll get an accurized upper receiver...Comfort ergonomics aren't up to par, so you'll want a different stock and grip to suit yourself...Oh, let's get a 4-rail M1913 setup for the barrel just because it looks cool; Then we'll get attachments for the rails to fill in the void... If I were to get just an ACOG scope for my DPMS Mod. A-140, then that would drive the price up to above $2000, almost $2500, with nothing else bought except for the uber-expensive 6.8mm SPC cartridges... Oh, wait, you live in California, so you might not be able to do all that fun stuff with an assault rifle...Nevermind; There's your money saved... no, rly, if you look into the investment of rifles like I have, you'll find that things can get very pricey, very quick... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 27 2011, 10:59 AM | ||||
| Yeah as stated earlier, the great state of California does now allow civilian purchases of "assault rifles." An Assault Rifle is classified as follows:
And
God bless California  Though, as long as I have rentals available, I can get it out of my system if I want to shoot something bigger. I really have no need for anything large at home (even a pistol is overkill in my white suburbia neighborhood). If I pick up anything else that's not a pistol, it'll probably be some simple bolt action rifle, just because my range doesn't have any to rent and they'd be a lot cheaper than the M1A that I drool over. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 27 2011, 01:41 PM | ||
Mosin owners' club? Mosin owners' club. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 27 2011, 03:29 PM |
| TBH I'll probably look at a .45 pistol next (depending on funds). But maybe you'll have to convince me with yours |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 27 2011, 08:05 PM | ||
 We'll have to hit up Burro Canyon on the 25th then. They're open Saturdays 9-5 and it's $10/shooter all day long. Sidewaysstarion should come too, he's got a synthetic stock Mosin. I'm pretty set on keeping the laminated stock though. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 28 2011, 09:33 AM |
| That's hella far for the tight schedule on friday. Plus, I'll be with someone who probably doesn't want to go. I'll see what I can do for that day, but if not, I'm usually free every Friday and Saturday. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 28 2011, 10:05 AM | ||
Well Anime Expo is the week after, but the week before should work if you're up for a drive. Or you could take the train and we could carpool? Come to think of it I should probably find out when my sister's supposed to be showing up so I know how much space I've got in my house when. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 28 2011, 10:33 AM |
| Train and carpool is cool. How are trains about bringing firearms on board? If not, drive and carpool is cool too (assuming I can find somewhere to park it). |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 28 2011, 03:12 PM | ||
http://www.guns.com/amtrak-gives-gun-owners-the-all-aboard.html http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1248542758975 Looks like you'd be good to go. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Apr 30 2011, 10:36 PM |
| Sounds like a plan. Keep in touch about it. I pick up my Beretta on Wednesday. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Apr 30 2011, 11:40 PM | ||
 Delivery's on Tuesday the 10th, nine days and 12 hours from now roughly. Argh. Stupid waiting period... argh! Of course then there's the fun task of cleaning it. Maybe later on down the line I'll strip and refinish and reblue it but for the short term it'll just be degunked into firing condition. I'll worry about 'pretty' later. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 1 2011, 01:37 PM | ||
| Looking good! In other news, I found a gun shop that is friendly with helping out Californians with some of the silly restrictions on a lot of products. Valkyrie Arms up in Milpitas. I don't have many details on them other than posts I saw about them on Calguns.net, but I shot them an email about the Springfield XDm 45, since only the standard XD is on "the list." Depending on what I hear back, I may make a purchase and possibly put my name down for a beretta cx4 storm. I keep thinking this phase will pass, but I think I am going to end up like my uncle; with my walls lined in firearms. Edit: In yet other news, I found a post online leading to a case in which a few well-minded individuals are trying to fight the California's DOJ hangun list: http://www.hoffmang.com/firearms/pena/Pena-v-Cid-Amended-Complaint.pdf. As I understand it, this case is on hold untill some other case from like 10 years earlier is resolved.... or something :/ Edit2: Got a PM back from a Calguns.net member who recently purchased an XDm45 about how to get one:
|
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 4 2011, 11:19 PM |
Picked up my Beretta today and it is wonderful. Took it to the range after work and was shocked at my first shot. First shot out of a cold, brand new gun (forgive the pic; its taken with my friend's old blackberry. my phone was dead):  And the first few mags:  A nice composite shot I took just a few moments ago:  I was very happy with it. I think it fits my hand wonderfully and I have a long-time personal connection with the Beretta. I almost wish this would have been my first gun instead of the Sig. Not that the Sig isn't fantastic, but there's no soul to it like this 92FS has to me. They also feel very different, but that's a good thing. Variety is the spice of life, and I'll likely be looking into some polymer frame .45 in the near future. Likely a Springfield XD45 and unlikely a Block 21. This was one of the few Berettas I've seen with the Made In Italy stamp on it. Most new Berettas are manufactured in the US for the military, which is cool in itself, but I love paying tribute to my Italian half of the family and the gun's original country. Kind of like how some people much prefer the old W. Germany-made Sigs. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 5 2011, 08:03 AM |
| I have a xd45le tactical |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 5 2011, 10:31 AM |
| If I can find one private party, I'm going to try and get my hands on the not-CA-friendly XDm45. They pop up every now and then on Calguns private sales section. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 5 2011, 09:19 PM | ||
Is that that one that kicks like stupid you had me shoot in LA? |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 10 2011, 01:35 PM |
 1943 Izhevsk, matching serial numbers on the bolt, receiver and magazine. Covered in cosmoline as any milsurp would be, but looks like she'll be beautiful once cleaned up. Gonna boil the bolt and let the stock sit in the sun. I've got until Sunday to clean 'er up so that should be plenty of time! So, anyone else up for Burro Canyon on Sunday? |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 10 2011, 02:56 PM |
| just wipe the bolt and the breach down with some gun solvent and you should be good. as for the stock I wiped my down with a few towels and it was good. and that gun you shot that had a lot of kick was my xd45 |
| Posted by: sideways May 10 2011, 04:45 PM |
| Oh snap, Nomakes joining the mosin club |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 10 2011, 04:54 PM |
| Looks beautiful! I'll have to head up there soon. |
| Posted by: Jardim May 10 2011, 05:19 PM | ||
That Z is never gonna get built. Nah J/K. Guns is always a second priority when you love cars. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 10 2011, 06:29 PM |
| I'm personally actually glad there's a 30 day wait period between buying pistols. It makes it easier on the wallet by keeping from buying moar fastr. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 10 2011, 06:44 PM | ||
But you pay in full up front then you have to wait to get your toy. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 10 2011, 06:58 PM |
| For the 10 day wait period, yeah. I don't know if it's true for all gun types, but you cannot buy a new pistol within 30 days of another. IE, if you buy one on May 2nd, pick it up on May 12th, you cannot then immediately buy another and begin the next 10 day wait. You would have to wait until 30 days after the DROS started for the previous purchase. Effectively, it limits to 1 new purchase every 30 days. Though, I believe private party transfers are exempt from this rule except for a few areas in LA. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 10 2011, 10:59 PM | ||
Hahahaha! You have no idea how hard it is for me now. I think, "Hey, I have $300!" Then I start to wonder, do I get bumpers? Struts? Or... a W. German P226? Decisions, decisions... On a side note, Wal-Mart might not have the ammo I need or any guns... but they at least had some cleaning stuff. Got some CLP oil and Hoppes and some patches for under $10. I really wish I had tomorrow off from work, I'd spend all day on the damn gun. Instead I gotta split it between days. Blah. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 11 2011, 10:25 AM |
| Good luck finding one of those for ~300. Sigs are expensive, even the older ones. I don't think I've seen one under 600 other than a pretty beat-up used one. As much as I love mine, it's some serious cash compared to many other very competent guns. As far as Walmart, what kind of rounds do you need? Mine is only stocked with your standard .223 for rifle rounds. They don't even have .308. But at least they have great deals on 100rd boxes for 9mm and .45ACP. You can always pick up ammo online. A quick google brought me http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=40&name=7.62x54R, and I'm sure there are many other online ammo retailers. Turner's usually has decent prices too, if there's one in your area. Edit: also, http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/ is a highly reccomended site (though, haven't used myself). Direct to 7.62x54: http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/index.php/cName/rifle-ammo-762x54r Looks like they have FMJ range rounds for around 20-25$ for 100rds. That's practically 9mm price! Edit 2: To throw another wrench in there, it looks like a PSL just showed up on calguns PPT forum: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=431645  Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 600. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a359/silver280/Collection/DSCN1371.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 11 2011, 12:35 PM | ||
I already have found W. German P226s in the 300-500 range on both CalGuns and GunBroker. Yes, they're used, but they're not trashed. I don't mind whatsoever. Brand new ones are expensive just like you said...but I'm not buying new. I've no problem finding 7.62x54R online. Surplus ammo is even cheaper, and hell I can even find the 7N1 sniper ammo issued to military SVDs. Aim Surplus is your friend! Thanks for the links, though. I figured Wal-Mart wouldn't carry Russian ammo, but I also figured it was worth checking. As for that PSL, jesus... Temecula's not that far from here, but 900 is ouch. Then again I see them up for 6-8 new and that one already has the Cali-legal mod on it. So AM3, wanna lend me some cash and I'll pay you back ASAP? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 12 2011, 10:55 AM |
| Ah, I never looked for those on gunbroker. I didn't really like them because it seems almost entirely FFL sales and not PPT, which means no off-roster items. The used market on calguns is a bit more sparce, but seems to pop up a lot of off-roster guns from time to time. If you can find a sig for that price, jump on it! Like I said, from what I've seen even used ones go for a pretty high price normally (though 450-500 is way different from 300). As soon as I buy myself a rifle, I might buy ammo online, but till then the WWB 100rd 9mm boxes are way too cheap at Walmart, and buying those online isn't cheaper unless I'm buying 1000+ rds because of shipping. Haha, we'll see about that cash loan I'm playing around with the idea of picking an M1A used that just popped up on the boards. I plan on selling my 50D camera + 70-300 IS USM lens to help pay for it. I've been meaning to sell that thing anyway. |
| Posted by: RalliKai May 12 2011, 11:41 AM |
| If anyone here has had experiences with the Makarov, is the ammo for it really as difficult to find as I've heard it is? |
| Posted by: Jardim May 12 2011, 12:38 PM |
| Like the AK-47, The Makarov is a good tough pistol, simple in desing but the ammo for it is located in Сою́з Сове́тских and the surrounding areas, so plan accordingly |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 13 2011, 12:14 AM | ||
Honestly while that would get it clean enough to safely shoot, I'd actually prefer fully stripping it, heat-treating the cosmo out of it, then re-oiling the whole thing. I dunno, I'm just anal like that I guess. Which is why last night I tore the gun down and used a heat gun from work to do a good chunk of the work. Most of the parts are at least clean enough to touch now, though the nooks and crannies still have some gunk and the stock and handguard still have cosmo impregnated in them.  After that pic was taken I fully disassembled the bolt and removed the buttplate as well, just forgot to take a pic. The bolt was kinda a pain because the firing pin was jammed stuck to the bolt end and required a gentle vise persuasion to break loose, and the buttplate was a pain because one of the screw heads was worn down. Both yieled, however. That and the spring tension on the magazine floorplate was too high, so I had to unscrew the latch completely to get it open. When I clean, oil and reassemble I'll feel a lot better about it knowing it's back together and working right. EDIT: Update time, it's 6:30 in the morning and I just got done cooking up some delicious breakfast! What's on the menu? The most metal breakfast ever, that's what. It's a breakfast that would make the Motherland proud. BEHOLD!  Mmm...boiled magazine. And since I already prepared the rest, here's the remaining meal:   The yellowish stuff is just gun lube, not cosmo. The parts are all soaking in it now out in the garage, I'll leave them there overnight (overday...?) then set them aside. All that's left to do is clean up the barrel and cleaning rod (and that sword-length bayonet!), then finish work on the stock and handguard. I think I'll get a hand steamer, apparently they're ridiculously effective at doing these parts. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 13 2011, 01:36 PM |
| well let hope you get it back together before sunday, I'm really excited to finally sight in my sportster mosin. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 14 2011, 04:27 PM | ||||
You raaaaaaang?  It's a really shitty picture because it's all cloudy outside so I can't get any sun in and my phone's white balance is infamously shit. On the flipside, all these clouds might mean it'll rain tomorrow! It rained last night, so I can only hope it'll keep it up! That way we can shoot up surplus ammo tomorrow, bwahahahaha.Last night Sensation! and I finished up the cleaning of the gun, steaming up the wood parts, the barrel, the bayonet and the accessories (ammo pouches, tool pouch, sling). Then we cleaned and lubed the barrel, then oiled up the rest and let it sit overnight. After all, we were attending the Ontario Gun Show, so by the time we got home it'd be all ready to go! The show itself was fun as hell, and there were all sorts of guns and people there. Very cool, and I'll definitely have to go back to one of these once I have money to spend. As it is I ended up buying some FMJ 7.62x54R rounds (from LAX Gun Range, hilariously) and some cheap Chinese stripper clips (which as expected required some 'finesse' to get them working). I didn't get many pictures, but here are the ones I took. Spoilered for size.
So, see y'all at Burro Canyon tomorrow! Expect some videos to crop up on my YouTube page. EDIT: Okay, okay, ONE more pic.  |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 14 2011, 09:12 PM |
| Speaking of gun shows, if you feel like making a trip down here, I'm going to the Del Mar show on the 22nd. I have the potential to go stupidly into debt very soon. On Tuesday I'm meeting this guy from Calguns in San Diego selling an M1A Scout. Very few rounds down barrel, and it comes with sling, 1x 10rd mag, 5x 20rd mags, and 130 rds of .308 FMJ ammo. I haven't commited to a purchase and am only "checking it out" so far. But it's a damn good price considering what they go for new and how much mags are... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 14 2011, 10:43 PM | ||
Uhh... what? How does this work? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 15 2011, 06:53 AM |
| er... excuse me... "20 round mag rebuild kits" After looking into it though, simply posessing them and using them for a rifle like the M1A (which contains no "evil features") is purely legal. The felonies come from importing, selling (as whole), or manufacturing them. Not using them. oh California.... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 15 2011, 09:19 AM | ||
Whaaaaaaat? What, seriously? So... so wait. If I were to get a P226 and a rebuild kit for a proper magazine... Oh California... EDIT: That also explains why there were so many magazine rebuild kits at the gun show. I was wondering why the ammo places were carrying disassembled magazine parts. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 15 2011, 11:02 AM | ||
Quoted from Calguns:
To clarify a bit about that last part regarding Assault Weapons, since the M1A has a CA-compliant muzzle break and no other "evil features" (pistol grip, thumb hole stock, flash surpressor, folding/telescope stock, forward pistol grip, less than 30" overall length). and the 10-round maximum is only a law for weapons with a "fixed" or "tool assisted" magazine like a bullet button, then an M1A with a standard detachable mag has no limit as long as it does not have any "evil features" like listed above. Someone on calguns said that trying to understand the reasoning behind California's gun laws is like trying to tear down a brick wall with a popsicle stick. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 15 2011, 08:32 PM |
 Image size reduced, original size: 682 x 1023. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Sniping/IMG_7846.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. a little teaser to hold you over till the don gets home |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 15 2011, 09:49 PM | ||||||||
| So you can own one. But you can't have one given to you, you can't bring one in from out-of-state and you can't assemble one in-state. What. So that leaves...uh...huh. Yeah no, that doesn't make any sense at all. "Yes you can have them, but you can't get one out-of-state you can't buy or receive one from someone else and you can't make one." Stay classy, California. I see Mark already posted a teaser, so I suppose I should get on with the range report! So as I posted earlier today a bunch of us went up to Burro Canyon Shooting Park to fire off some Russian guns. In attendance were myself, SidewaysStarion, Sensation!, JKaiba and his awesome wife. Eventually we all arrived and got our gear set up, though we missed a cold range (for those unfamiliar, it's the call to drop arms so you can go set up targets) by minutes so had to wait for a bit to get our targets set. While waiting my Mosin was test-fired for the first time, a GREAT SUCCESS! The recoil wasn't bad at all, much less than I was expecting. Took a while to figure out the vector sight but once I had it it was all good. I also fired SidewaysStarion's sporterized Mosin, but the way I had to shoulder it made the recoil go into my upper arm instead of my shoulder, which hurt. Not a big fan, even though I know it's all posture. I'm just not a fan of the sporterized stuff, sorry dude. I am however super-jealous that your Mosin began life as a sniper rifle. That just makes me mad. J initially had some problems with the scope on his PSL, but I recognized the problem as the same thing that happened to my own POSP scope, and thankfully I knew how to fix it (I didn't figure it out until I'd already broken my gun's scope rail, though..). With some quick adjustments and a bit of cleaning to free up a snagged scope latch it went onto the gun securely. He was there to zero it in, but with all the wind that day it made things rather difficult. That and we apparently had some other problems. When we did get our targets all up and ready, at first only a few remained up because the wind knocked them over. That's what we thought, anyway. It turned out that there was some damage to the frames. Normally that's fine, they get damaged. Except that the damage was caused by .22LR caliber rounds. None of us were firing those rounds. The people nearest to us were also not firing those rounds (there was a guy with a Mosin and a guy with an Arisaka next to us). That kinda ticked us off.  All was not lost though. It had rained that morning, so the range was allowing us to use SidewaysStarion's massive collection of Russian military surplus ammunition (normally bimetal isn't allowed for fire reasons). This meant we fired our weapons all the way up until the range closed and still had ammo left. Eventually J did get his target to stay up (well...on the ground) without some unknown dude blowing it up, so he at least got the scope adjusted some. Sensation! and I meanwhile had a blast just firing the crap out of the Mosin, taking aim at either the battered remains of our target frame or random identifyable objects left scattered about. SidewaysStarion also dialed in his scope, and I believe he was the one who nailed a perfect center bullseye on our target the first time around. Then again without a spotter there's no way to really tell where I was hitting on the target. That was okay though. Next time! Now then, on with the photos and video! I'm glad that Mark took a photo of me with the Mosin, because the ones on my phone had the gun in-frame but not quite me. That's cool though, so without any further ado...  Here's the rifle range at Burro Canyon. Up and to the right is the pistol/shotgun range but it's short so forget that. Rifle range is where it's at!  Somehow Sensation! actually managed to capture me in the process of firing the gun with my crappy iPhone. How he managed to time that is beyond me but it's an awesome photo.  Here's Sensation ready to take down some Germans and stand proud in the Reichstag!  Skip ahead a couple decades and you have J sniping down targets with what we all wish was an actual SVD. It's definitely closer to being an AK but it's pretty fun to shoot and it does use an SVD scope rail. Considering a PSL is sub-$1000 and an SVD derivative goes for $3k if you're lucky and $5k on average... yeaaaah.
Fun times! |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 15 2011, 10:14 PM |
 Image size reduced, original size: 1023 x 682. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Sniping/IMG_7844.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 682 x 1023. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Sniping/IMG_7847.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 1023 x 682. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Sniping/IMG_7855.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 1023 x 682. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Sniping/IMG_7864.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. It's kind of hard to see but that is a bowling pin that I was hitting at the back of the range which is 300+ yards and I was able to hit it pretty accurately.  Image size reduced, original size: 1023 x 682. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Sniping/IMG_7861.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. But overall it was a REALLY nice day out and I can't speak for everyone but I had a blast. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 15 2011, 11:14 PM |
| Looks like you guys had a blast! I'll have to make the trek up there for the next time! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 21 2011, 01:36 PM |
A productive day at the Crossroads of the West gun show today  500 rounds factory reload 9mm - $79.95 20 rounds Winchester Elite hollow point 9mm - $15.95 120 rounds American Eagle .308 - $9.95/box of 20 Beretta gun mat - $10 10-round M1A magazine - $14.95 Empty ammo box (2) - $8/ea Guns and Coffee shirt - $10 Zombie Hunter velcro patch - $7 Not too shabby. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 22 2011, 03:59 AM |
| I love that Starbucks shirt, seriously. I want one badly now. In gun-related news I'm now at something of an impass. I managed to find a Mosin 91/30 PU Sniper for $399 online, which is actually cheaper than trying to scope up my existing gun (if you factor in having paid 85 for my rifle, it's more efficient to just get another one since scope+mount+bolt are 350 not including gunsmithing). It's very tempting. On the other hand, I found a PSL for the exact same price, 399. It doesn't have a scope and doesn't include any magazines, but it's a hell of a lot easier (and cheaper) to find scopes for the PSL/SVD rail system than it is to do a Mosin. Magazines should likewise be fairly simple to acquire online. Both the PSL and Mosin would be 'new' guns. So what do you guys think? Sniper Mosin or PSL build? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 23 2011, 08:50 AM |
| PSL all the way. You already have a Mosin that you stripped and cleaned. Keep it iron sights and use it for closer range and work a PSL for longer. No need to replace something you already have that works perfectly fine, imo. Variety is the spice of life. Plus, PSL's are pretty bad ass. In other news, I pick up my M1A on the 28th and have about 220 rounds piled up from the gun show. We should meet up and burn through a good chunk of them. Plus, I want to shoot your Mosin |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 23 2011, 10:18 PM |
| While AM3 might be the only one who responded in the thread, I've asked around with my buddies online and everyone agrees that a PSL build would be more worthwhile in the long run. I agree, so I decided to do some research and came across some fun things that are making me think a little harder about planning it out. Firstly, I discovered that a lot of these parts kits lack the Bolt Hold Open parts, which are what lock the bolt after the last round is fired. I actually saw this first-hand when I fired J's PSL at Burro Canyon and you can tell in the video of me firing it. I fire the fifth round (I had only loaded the mag halfway) then look confused for a moment and try to fire it again. I'm used to the bolt locking on the last round, but his didn't. It's not a requirement I suppose, but I would like it to be there. Sourcing the parts to fix the lack of one is simple, but as the parts are supposed to be one with the receiver adding them ex post facto requires modifying the receiver (and sight rail). Or I could get lucky and my receiver will have the parts already installed ready to go. It's not unheard of, but it's also rare. Then you have the fact that while getting all the parts that make up the PSL isn't hard or expensive either, they come partially assembled and are therefore useless. I have to remove all the old rivets, press out the barrel and gas tube assembly, then reassemble and re-rivet everything. It seems simple enough... but I lack the tools for grinding out rivets and punching new rivets in. Not to mention if I have to do any modification to get things to fit right, and headspace stuff. Sadly not as easy as disassembling and reassembling a Mosin! And finally, it turns out that there's a company trying to manufacture a bunch of PSLs redone to Tigr/SVD hybrid specs. They have PSL receivers, but are modified with a Tigr barrel, SVD flash hider, SVD handguards and stocks (choice of synthetic or wood) and can take modified SVD magazines. The news was posted in February of this year, so if they follow through it might be worth it to hold off and see. A fully-assembled PSL with SVD parts would be too tempting for me to resist since I was planning on modding mine that way in the first place. So for now, I'm definitely set on a PSL, just not sure what route I'm going to take yet. I have a while to think, I won't have $400 to spend on another gun for a few months at least. As for the Mosin, its tough-closing bolt was apparently a headspace issue, namely the fact that my bolt head was flanged open rather than linear and round. Yikes! I have a 'new' one on order and it will hopefully be here soon. Hopefully it will solve the problem so I can continue shooting it. I'll let you guys know how it goes. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 23 2011, 10:33 PM |
| I haven't even picked up my M1A yet, but I already want to get a JAE stock for it. Mine is the older model synthetic stock (not the new smoother one with checkered grips, but the "airsofty" plastic kind). Still feels solid as a rock, but man, how sweet would it be to drop one of these onto it: Original  Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 176. http://www.kygunco.com/prodimages/22166-DEFAULT-L.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. vs. JAE  Image size reduced, original size: 910 x 660. http://www.jallenenterprises.com/images/customer_large/19.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 1024 x 785. http://www.jallenenterprises.com/images/g2_want_it_now_large.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 761 x 612. http://www.jallenenterprises.com/images/colors.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. Pistol grip style, adjustable cheek rest, bottom and side rails, hand rest, and daaamn sexy styling. What a great way to blow a grand. haha. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi May 24 2011, 01:03 PM |
that's a crazy looking stock, it looks like something out of robo cop. |
| Posted by: JKaiba May 24 2011, 02:27 PM | ||
strangely enough I'm as confused as you are as far as the action staying open, it's supposed to have locked open as it did in Arizona the last time it was fired years ago. So I'm not entirely sure what happened here. I might have to take a closer look later. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 24 2011, 03:09 PM | ||
Maybe the BHO latch got jammed in the upright position? I wish I had known more about it earlier, I'd have looked up the mag well to check. Someone put up a series of videos (in 1080p!) on youtube for building their own PSL and it's honestly not too bad. AKBuilder sells a proper rivet set for the PSL which means I wouldn't have to invent new rivets and that makes things a little simpler. I still lack tools (hydraulic press, sander, dremel, rivet press) but I think that can be arranged. Maybe hit up a certain vehicle shop? So I might just go ahead with building one. |
| Posted by: Agent556 May 24 2011, 04:00 PM |
| Hey sidewasstarion, that shooting area you went to in those pictures with the bowling pins... is that Burro Canyon shooting park? |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 24 2011, 09:12 PM | ||
Yes, we were all at Burro Canyon, as was mentioned in the thread already. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 24 2011, 09:36 PM |
So this is what I get for browsing Calguns' private party sales forums.... I find a posting for willing to trade Springfield XDm9 for Sig P226R. I happen to have a P226R and happen to really want the juicy off-roster XDm in 9mm. The XDm models are more recent and "improved" models over the standard XD. Off the top of my head, they have interchangable grips, a bit better erganomics, do not require a dry-fire for take-down, come in a 4.5" barrel length, and supposedly better barrel quality in addition to what I think is a slightly cooler asthetic design. Possibly against my better judgement, I shot the guy a few PMs, exchanged #s and am meeting him tomorrow to check it out and possibly work out details. Where I think it gets complicated is that he is looking for a straight up trade. It's not so bad until I think that my gun is probably worth at least 800$ still and the XDm (at least outside of california) averages ~$600 used. Now, I don't have any particular attachment to this Sig, even if it was my first gun purchase (I actually would much rather have a P220), but I'm trying to wrap my head around if this XDm is worth the extra cost since you have to jump through hoops and long wait periods to even get a chance to own one in California. He said the process put the value "about the same" as the stock Sig. I will probably go through with the trade because it means a new toy that I wanted to buy anyway, but can't under normal circumstances, AND no cost out-of-pocket. For those unfamiliar, any handgun NOT on the DOJ roster cannot be purchased new or used from any licensed dealer. The only way to get an "off roster" gun is to have bought while living out of CA and brought it into CA, purchased it through a specialized firearms dealer who will do a single shot exemption (modify it so it's firing mechanisms and barrel length exempt it from DOJ requirements), or through a private party transfer from someone who legally owned it already. #1 isn't really an option, #2 is a long, expensive, pain in the ass process, and #3 does not come up very often. As much as I may like my sig, I can always buy another one. I can't just go buy an XDm. *shugs* halp? am I doing something stupid? Brilliant? All of this went down in about the past 24 hours, so I was a little caught off guard... Update: Nevermind. I'm going through with the trade. I shot that thing better than I ever did the Sig. We met up yesterday to check each others' out and wanted to start paperwork, but it was too late in the day. Gonna meet him again tonight to start CA's awesome DROS wait.  ~60 rounds from 10 yds with the 9mm XDm. Update2: I guess no one checks this thread.... Anyway, did the PPT swap today and started my DROS for the XDm. They're closed Sundays, so Monday the 5th is my pickup date. /is excited! |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 26 2011, 10:07 PM |
| I check the thread, I'm just biased and would've told you to hold onto the sig. Besides, a little birdie tells me that you're going through with that Beretta Storm now that a certain CA-compliance part is hitting retail. You free any time next week, AM3? I'd be willing to go shooting with ya. The Mosin bolt head should be here soon (it shipped on Monday...) so it should be back to operational status by the weekend. I work weekends though so I can't do it then. Also, thinking of going through with the PSL build rather than wait for the new SVD-hybrid guys. Sidewaysstarion has been poking me about it, and the places where I knew you could get a build PSL in the ~$600 range are of course sold out. Saving $200 by building my own is great, because that $200 can go towards a really good scope (like my POSP) and some magazines... maybe some ammo too... |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 May 27 2011, 04:30 AM | ||
This "Gun Enthusiasts' Thread" has kind of turned into a "Let's Shoot Up Cali" thread primarily between you and Nomake, so I check all new replies, but sorta-kinda tend to skim over them... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 27 2011, 09:36 AM | ||
^ Haha, I guess that's true. I guess I just don't like the 72 hour rule more than anything It's a shame there arent more enthusiasts here lol.
As much as I liked the Sig, I never loved it. I could never shoot it very accurately and the 226 felt a little big in my hands. I'll definitely own another Sig in my lifetime, but probably the single-stack .45 ACP 220. That XDm was somewhat of a wet dream for me being in Cali. I remember looking them up months ago as a potential purchase and deciding I wanted the M over the standard XD. When I walked into the gun store to check them out, that was my introduction to the wonderful world of the DOJ Handgun Roster. Since then I have been checking off and on in Calguns looking for an XDm. Last time I saw one outside of NorCal was one in Oceanside about 2 months ago and sold within an hour and a half of being posted. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up, IMO. And yes, I'm sure you saw that wonderful bullet button mod for the CX4. I'm free pretty much any time after 4pm and all day Friday/Saturday. Wjhat might work best is if you want to come here, we can shoot on a Tuesday then head to Ultrazone for member's night laser tag after. I've been going there for many years and its a lot of fun. Especially with members night since they run special formats. I'll have the M1A tomorrow, but I won't have the XDm until the 5th. Both it and the Sig are sitting in DROS thanks to the transfer, so the only pistol I'd have is the Beretta. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 27 2011, 08:39 PM | ||
I've got work 4-8 on Saturday and 10-7 on Sunday. Monday's off. Rest of the week is work 5-10 (though on Tuesday I might end up having to work a second job early in the morning). Sadly the bolt head is still not here... maybe tomorrow? If it's not here tomorrow I won't get it until Tuesday at the earliest due to Memorial Day... blargh...I'm now 100% on building my own PSL. I finally found a company that makes SVD wood stocks for them (they're not 100% but they're damn close and a lot closer than the PSD stock), so I'm going to use the money I saved by DIYing it to get the SVD stock, SVD handguard adapter and a set of wood SVD handguards. Then I'll have the PSVD I've always wanted. One where you can't tell it's a PSL unless you look hard at the receiver, hahaha. |
| Posted by: SgtXDNX May 27 2011, 10:05 PM |
| You guys should totally go shooting sometime after the 8th, not that I'm particularly biased or anything. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 28 2011, 06:11 PM |
So I picked up the M1A Scout today and holy crap. I think I'm in love. After running through the paperwork, I grab my friend and we take lane 5 on the range. I put up a target and send it out to 25 yds (the farthest for this indoor range). I load up my first mag with 5 rounds, take aim, and do this: I was like HOLY CRAP! I don't really know how to dial the sights in for 25 yds, but it shot consistantly low by about 3-4" without me messing with it. I'll wait to fine tune it till I get to another range that has 50 and 100 yd outdoor targets. I didn't get any other target pictures because both me and my friend were shooting the same target, and it was getting messy. Weren't trying to go for much other than "hit it and have fun." The funniest thing though, was that I didn't realize how bloody loud the thing is. When I put my first round down range, I was told that pretty much everyone on every other lanes leaned over to look and see what the HELL that was! When you fire it, most of the gases are directed away from you. Meaning that for the shooter, it's loud, but it's not THAT loud. But as soon as I handed it to my friend to shoot and took a few steps back... man. It's like getting kicked in the chest. You can feel blast impact and the sound is quite deafening. I decided to double up my ear plugs with an additional set of headphones. Beastly. I love this thing. It may be a few years old with the older synthetic stock, but it shoots true and true.    Now I just keep on waiting to pick up my wonderful off-roster trade: the Springfield XDM-9.  |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan May 28 2011, 08:26 PM |
| So Matt, can you post up higher-res versions of those images? You know, wallpaper size? That thing looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL. So I think SgtXDNX is right, we should wait until after the 8th sometime. Should be more fun that way. In the meantime, the bolt head didn't show up today so here's hoping it arrives Tuesday. Sigh. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 May 29 2011, 10:13 AM | ||
That flash suppressor says it all for me as far as what business it puts out; That, and the fact that it fires 7.62... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet May 29 2011, 05:21 PM | ||
The bottom one is actually pretty blurry at full size. The downsize helps sharpen things up significantly... lol. Either way, here are some at 1920x1200: http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/5988/img87422.jpg http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/1889/img87442.jpg http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9512/img87582.jpg |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 6 2011, 05:25 PM |
| Yummy yummy yummy! Picked up my juicy http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/index.php/The_Safe_Handgun_List Springfield XDm 9mm today. Win!    Unfortunately, thanks to California's "high capacity magazine" laws, the mags that I got with the gun have been perminantly modified to only hold 10 rounds. Those in "free states" are free to use the factory 19 round mags. Yes. Nineteen. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 14 2011, 10:27 AM |
| So AM3! Bolt head and ammo have arrived and it looks like the problem with my Mosin is solved. I'll be up north from the 17th to the 21st, and Anime Expo is the 1st through the 4th. When do you think would be a good time? Let's make this happen! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 14 2011, 10:48 AM |
| I'll be in Anaheim on the 24th (a Friday, Friday, Gotta get down on Friday). I'm going to a concert at about 7pm, but would be free the rest of the day. So I can head up whenever. Oh, and thanks to a last minute super good deal, I ended up with this little toy below. My mom wanted to go shooting but wasn't a big fan of the big M1A. She grew up hunting in Minnesota, but only really ever shot 22s and 410s. So I was like "how bout we pick up a 22 rifle and split the cost?" she said "show me some" and thought the GSG-5 "looked pretty cool." A quick search of Calguns and a smooth PPT later, I pick it up on the 22nd. Includes 2 mags and an off-brand Aimpoint look-alike red dot scope mounted on the top rail. Only cost me 200$ out of pocket and the ability to plink for less than 5 cents a round is a loooot better than 50 cents per .308 round. But of course, the most important thing of all is that it looks like an MP5  Image size reduced, original size: 800 x 531. http://www.randymays.com/GSG5Rgt.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. Hi, my name is Matt, and I'm addicted to buying guns.....  |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 14 2011, 11:07 AM | ||
You and everyone else. I'm actually trying to get an 03FFL and COE personally, which would let me receive C&R rifles without waiting period, which would be awesome. Did I mention it also lifts the one-handgun-per-month restriction?Considering how cheap and easy that would make buying C&Rs, I have a feeling there will be more Mosins in my future... Maybe an M44 next time... 24th it is. If I have work that day it'll be 5-close, so we could hit up a range around 9AM if you're up for an early morning of shooting. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 14 2011, 11:50 AM | ||
Actually, with the abundance of ppt sales through calguns, that hasn't been an issue with me. And considering the depreciation you get buying new, along with the better prices and "packages" people offer (extra mags, ammo, accessories, etc), I might just stick to used sales most of the time anyway. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 19 2011, 07:25 PM |
| IDW is back! Anyway, I took my dad out to shoot my toys today. I don't see him much, and he showed a good interest in it. He has a Remington 870 shotgun he keeps at home just for protection and has on occasion gone turkey hunting with it. Either way, he loved my toys! As for myself, I feel like I'm getting a much better grip on free standing shooting with this heavy rifle (just over 10 lbs loaded). I really like the way this thing feels and it's getting more and more comfortable every time. You can see below 10 rounds taken from free standing position:  I would love to attach a bipod, but I haven't found a way to do so without taking off and messing with the sling mount. Until then, I just picked up a little sand bag shooting rest that was on sale at Turners. On a different shoot (not pictured) I was getting just about perfect, bullet-width groupings left to right, and about 2" up and down. I would love to try this thing with a bipod and some kind of optics. Iron sights are good...ish, but it still feels like any kind of high end accuracy is lost. I'm in the market to save up and get an http://www.aimpoint.com/us/products/all-products/product-singleview/product/Micro%20H-1/?pid=340&damcat=113. It's a super tiny, super light weight, parallax-free 4MOA red dot, which would be just right for a 0-200m range. I figure that would be a better investment than pissing my money away buying more pistols.... at least for now Also, I'm going to have to pick up some more ammo though, if I'm heading up with Don in a few days I'm almost out of the 700 rds I picked up at the gun show o_0 (500 9mm, 200 .308). Though, if I can shoot steel surplus ammo, I have a belt of about 100 rounds of .308 to blow through that I can't use at my indoor range. |
| Posted by: SgtXDNX Jun 20 2011, 11:48 AM | ||
Only problem with that is that the indoor range we found doesn't allow BYO rifle ammo, and if I remember right, Burro doesn't allow magnetic ammo during summer unless it's been raining. The first one isn't that big a deal considering the prices of range ammo there, but the latter might be an issue. Bring it anyway and pray it rains, I guess? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 20 2011, 04:03 PM |
| Any other outdoor ranges? What are the ammo prices like up there? I know Turner's has American Eagle .308 for 12.99/box, not as good as 9.95 from the gun show, but better than the usual pricing.... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 20 2011, 09:47 PM | ||
All right, here's the situation with ammo and range time and shit like that. Bear with me. We have a few outdoor and indoor ranges that'll allow pistols and rifles, though as soon as you move to real rifles (i.e. ones that don't shoot pistol calibers) that rounds it down quite a bit. The real kicker is what places will let you use magnetic ammo. It used to be that places would let you shoot steel-case but not steel-core, but after some accidents with morons bringing illegal ammo most ranges have hardened up to say no magnetic ammo whatsoever. So for selection, we have the following: -http://www.raahauges.com/pistol-and-rifle.php 9AM - 4PM 100yd Outdoor, allows any ammo you want, happens to be right near Orange. Downside is the cost--$30 per shooter for two hours. -http://www.burrocanyon.com/ 9AM - 5PM ~200yd Outdoor, allows magnetic only the day of a rain due to fire risks. $10/shooter with no time restriction. Target frames are $10 each. Only really viable if you bring non-magnetic or you're lucky with the weather. They're also way north, up by GMR. -http://www.on-targetrange.com/ 10AM - 9PM ?yd Indoor, allows any rifle with any ammo up to .410. However, to use centerfire rifles you have to take a Sunday safety course to get a license of sorts for the range. Worth it in the long run, won't work well for our purposes right now. -http://www.lytlecreekrange.com/ 8AM - 4PM 300yd Outdoor, allows anything except steel core and tracer. Magnetic is fine, you just have to have lead core bullets. They're way up in north LA county like Burro. $14/shooter with no time restriction. -http://thelosangelesgunclub.com/ 3PM-11PM Mon-Thurs 11AM - 11PM Fri-Sun 50ft Indoor, allows FMJ-only for pistols and allows any rifle that can shoot their ammo (they carry every kind of ammo you could imagine). They have a gigantic rental selection too (Kar98s, AKs, ARs, Mosins, M1s, any pistol imaginable). Though a short range and their rifle rules mean you have to buy ammo, it's a great range. $18/lane. They charge to rent a lane, not per shooter. Ammo prices are fair and rental costs are cheap. Shooting pistols is easy, but when it comes to rifles there's just not a whole lot. Lemme know! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 21 2011, 10:27 AM |
| Raahauge's sounds good. It's close, and depending on what others charge for their ammo, this would be the best bet. If we can shoot my surplus ammo, that's 90 free rounds of .308 (as opposed to $xx.xx per box of 20). IMO that makes up for the 30$ fee. Plus it seems the only one in reasonable distance with an outdoor range. Now I've not been to an outdoor, so I don't know how targets are set up (set up multiple and reset at given "safe" times?), but I have a handful of paper bullseye targets. I'd like to pick up some silhouette targets for cheap if they don't have them there. Also, do they have places to sit/rest shoot? I have a little sandbag rest I picked up on sale from Turner's that works well. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 21 2011, 02:14 PM | ||
I haven't actually been there myself due to the cost, so I can only extrapolate based upon my experience at another outdoor range, Burro. If they're anything alike then they sell target frames which you can put a target paper on to. They'll call a cease fire, check everyone's weapons, then you walk out onto the range and set up your target. Once everyone's back they call a hot line and away you go. That's how it works at Burro and Angeles, at least. We'll find out when we get there, I suppose! So when were you planning on hitting it up? I'm free any time before 5 and at $30/2hr that would mean 1PM at the latest. Also man I wish I didn't have work to get ready for... I still have to post up a report from the LA Gun Club. Would've done it before but the forums were down. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 21 2011, 09:01 PM |
| I'm good whenever. Any good places there for breakfest/lunch? I'll have a friend of mine with me going to the concert. She has a slight interest in shooting, but probably not for 30$. I'll probably shoot to be there around 11 or 12 unless you want to grab food beforehand instead of after. As far as arsenal, I'll have with me: M1A Scout GSG-5 (.22LR that looks like an MP5) XDm9 92FS 90 rds surplus 7.62 20 rds American Eagle FMJ .308 35 rds Winchester soft point .308 ~250 rds misc 9mm (mix of WWB and factory reloads) ~525 rds Federal .22LR I don't plan on shooting it ALL, but I'll have most of that on hand. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 21 2011, 10:57 PM | ||||
We have your general breakfast/lunch places. Nothing all that special really, so anywhere is good. There is a Mitsuwa down in Costa Mesa though. Hitting the range at noon sounds good. I'm of course only bringing the Mosin, and I've got 100 rounds of FMJ steel case. Non-corrosive, the good stuff.  Now then, it's time for another range report! This time around it's for the Los Angeles Gun Club (Website http://thelosangelesgunclub.com/), and we went on Wednesday the 15th. See, their website is kinda crappy. It has a bunch of old photographs on it, there are remnants of when it was called a 'pistol club' instead of a 'gun club', heck it doesn't even list their range fee. The shoddy web design and 50-foot range length kinda turned me off but I figured that if they were willing to support rifles they were worth a shot (hah!). Not to mention, I thought I spotted a Mosin in one of the photos. So I called them up and asked if they'd let me shoot my Mosin. "We have Mosins. Oh, your own? Just gotta buy our ammo. $14 for box of 20." All right, a little on the pricey side but by no means super-expensive. I then asked about their range fee. "$18." And what about a second shooter? "$18." Wait... $18 more? "No, it's $18 for a lane. Whatever shooters you want." Oh wow, per-lane pricing! Not bad! Now it was down between going to LA Gun Club and hitting up Angeles Outdoor Range. Angeles wouldn't let me shoot the ammo I had either, but they at least stocked 7.62x54R and on Wednesdays their range fee is $6.50 after 4PM (and they do night shooting!). I called them up and their ammo was much more expensive ($22 a box!!) so LA Gun Club ended up being cheaper by a few bucks all said and done. With that settled we threw the Mosin in the car and headed out. First off, the place is on a side street wedged in between faceless industrial buildings. Coming from the direction we were, you had to know it was there to know where to pull in. We missed it the first time, turned around, and found it. Coming from the opposite direction there's at least a small sign showing where to pull in. Once you pull into the lot you quickly discover that LA Gun Club is in the very back as most of the parking spots say "NO LA GUN CLUB PARKING" on them. It's not until you reach the very end of the lot that you find the club itself. Parking wasn't a problem once we found it, however. Plenty of space. This is where the review gets positive. Let me begin by saying that their website lies. Those guys really need to update it something fierce. The photo they took of the range office looks ancient compared to what it looks like now. It's a massive room with vending machines, chairs, couches and various gun-related posters (including an R. Lee Ermey one for good measure!). Of course, you won't be looking that direction at all because your focus will be on the rental gun selection. They have everything. Literally. If you can think of a gun that's legal in California, they probably have it available to rent. I spotted a Mosin M44 carbine, an M38 carbine, several M1 Garands, several Mauser K98 variants, ARs, AKs... and that's just rifles. For kicks I checked the pistol case for P226s and I found some. Including an original W. German model with the checkered grip and no rail. You know, the one I liked the most? They also have scoped 500 S&W revolvers, something I thought was hilarious. Their selection is by far the best of any range I've yet visited, period. The staff was very friendly, inspecting my rifle and asking how many rounds I wanted. I got a single box (I was just testing the new bolt, after all) and we went through the paperwork. They just needed my ID and a quick thumbprint. SgtXDNX only had to submit a thumbprint as the lane would be registered to my ID, though they did like his Aussie driving permit. We grabbed our ammo and hearing/eye protection and it was off to the lanes. The lanes are simple and there weren't many people there. We hooked up our target, ran it out as far as it would go and set up. Firing the Mosin shocked the poor pistol-users to our right a little but otherwise it was good fun. The Mosin shot good and the casings' primer looked perfect so the bolt appears to be working now. Just for kicks, here's a shot of me with it.  SgtXDNX fired a single round himself and promptly retracted the insults he'd been slinging at me for buying one. That was worth it, personally. As the 20 rounds were used up, however, I decided that it wasn't yet time to leave. They had Kar98ks hanging on that rack and ammo to match. That rifle happened to be one of SgtXDNX's favorites. Like he used to make fun of the Mosin, I liked to pick on his 'expensive WWII bolt-action' for being just a pricey German Mosin. It was time to rent. Rental charge for bolt-action rifles is $5. That's cheap as hell considering that renting a rifle or shotgun or large handgun from LAX Range is $20. The ammo wasn't very expensive at about $14, same as the Mosin. The guys behind the counter cocked a curious eyebrow at us when we only bought a single box of ammo, as if they knew we wouldn't be satisfied. Still, they said nothing and we were on our way. SgtXDNX, I formally apologize for anything negative I ever said about the Kar98k platform. That is a damn nice rifle and it's well worth the extra cost over a Mosin. I'm going to have to get one now. For those of you who haven't ever fired one, they kick controllably, have very very smooth bolts, have an easy-to-operate safety (as opposed to a Mosin safety which takes big Russian muscles to work) and are damn near impossible to screw up. Hell, it even has a magazine catch. A MAG CATCH. ON A BOLT-ACTION WITH INTERNAL MAG. I was astounded. It's an excellent rifle. Enough of my babbling on and on, here's a photo of SgtXDNX with it and some videos of us firing. OORAH! 
After using up the Mauser ammo, we were indeed very depressed to not have enough cash on hand to buy more. We hadn't spent long at the range but it was incredibly awesome and we definitely want to go back. On the way out we decided to give the gun case a thorough look-see. That was when SgtXDNX spotted a Mauser C96 and had to restrain himself from drooling all over the glass. When the guy behind the desk spotted him looking, he asked, "Which one you lookin' at?" "The Mauser." "This one?" "Yeah." "Ah yeah, that one's an antique. Never fired," the guy says, opening the case and taking the C96--which says DISPLAY ONLY on a sign in front--out, up and handing it over. "Just don't break it." So of course at that point SgtXDNX was in Mauser heaven. Kodak Moment!  Sorry for the blurry camera work, that was my bad. All-in-all, we headed home with permanent grins on our faces. We hit major traffic on the I-5S. We didn't care. I missed the exit for the 22E. We didn't care. We got home late. We just didn't care. It was that good. So, who wants to come along next time? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 22 2011, 11:08 AM |
| blarg!!! I had a big response typed up and somehow my browser went back a page automatically.... (maybe I hit some button...? ) Anyway, Kar98ks have held a special place in my heart, but for no other reason than me raping face with them in CoD2. I'll have to make the trek up there some time to check that place out! Keep a look out for K98s for sale, I see them on CalGuns every now and then for 300-400 and they are usually cheap at gun shows. Also, I am now certifiably Tacticool thanks to this little toy:  After looking at the "cheap" optic a little more, there seems to be only minimal parallax movement (if any), so I might throw it on the M1A and save the $550 I was going to spend on an Aimpoint.... I'll try that out next time |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 26 2011, 10:48 AM |
Of the whole day, I don't think I got any pics of me shooting the M1A. =/ Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 540. http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/262703_10100340445950414_3328625_55203600_4047083_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 540. http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/269929_10100340445636044_3328625_55203593_7481711_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 540. http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/265103_10100340445720874_3328625_55203594_2704793_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 540. http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270906_10100340445845624_3328625_55203598_6006144_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 540. http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270969_10100340445785744_3328625_55203596_5550071_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 540. http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/264933_10100340445900514_3328625_55203599_2675267_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 540. http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/270784_10100340445571174_3328625_55203592_5197124_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Jun 26 2011, 03:20 PM |
| You guys should have called me |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 26 2011, 10:02 PM | ||||||||||||||||||
I told you we were going and you said you wouldn't be able to because it wasn't on a weekend. I did tell you! [chrishansen]I have the chat logs right here![/chrishansen]Anyway, since am3pkcet posted up his images, I suppose I should post up the videos and range report and all that. So here you guys go, range report for Raahauge's Shooting Enterprises! First off, having only experienced Burro Canyon for outdoor ranges, Raahauge's really threw me off. They say they're on River Road in Corona. Technically, that's true... but that's because River Road is actually two completely different roads. You take River Road... then it turns into a different road... then suddenly there's another River Road on the left that goes into the middle of nowhere. Literally. It just becomes a dirt path heading out into a farm. Fortunately there's a sign about Raahauge's to reassure you that you're going the right way. The 'office' is a building with a bunch of safe's in it and then a small reception room next to it. It's hosted by a bunch of the most relaxed individuals ever. It really threw me off, which wasn't good because I was the only member of our group (okay, so Sensation! went to Burro with us but he wasn't the one setting this up) who had done outdoor ranges. You hand-pick your targets (as in rifle around in their stuff for things you want), then fill out the waiver and pay up. On the payment side, it turns out that it's not actually $30 per shooter. It's $30 per gun owner and $10 per guest. So because I brought the Mosin and Matt brought everything else, we were the only ones who paid $30. Everyone else (Sensation!, SgtXDNX and Am3's lady friend) paid $10. So $90 for five people. Still way more expensive that Burro or Angeles but less than I was expecting. Just make sure that only one person is paying for the group, because while they're laid-back they prefer to do things simply. Very cool is that eye and ear protection is free (Burro makes you pay), though they do expect the eye protection to be returned to the office when you leave. Doing so may result in some friendly hospitality after shooting, so be sure you return their stuff to the office! The rifle range is... well it's kinda tricky. You have to drive off the beaten path and realize that this place was really designed for All-American vehicles like Hummers and lifted trucks and such. It was definitely not designed for a Ford Contour and a Toyota Prius. Still, we made it there eventually and set up. The range itself is just as laid-back as the guys at the office, with just one older guy overseeing the whole place and offering advice every so often. He pretty much left us alone while we were on the rifle range though, only calling a line break once during the whole time we were there. The rest of the time, the people who were shooting just agreed to stop firing and unload to change targets. Very chill environment. Mutual agreement and safety was the order of the day. My only gripe, to be honest, is that the bench positions are entirely covered with a roof that has an extreme angle to it, making it impossible to fire in any other position than at bench-rest. This bugs me because I'm a standing shooter first and foremost. Yes, I know, bench shooting offers better accuracy and all that, blah blah blah... but I don't care. I prefer to stand, it's just more comfortable. However, like hell I'm gonna let a little thing like that keep me from putting some lead downrange! While there we had the M1A, the Mosin, and the MP5-lookalike. The guy at the end of our benches had a bolt-action hunting rifle of some sort (Remington perhaps? I honestly couldn't place it). At the other set of benches was a guy with what looked like AR-type derivatives. Only a few of us were shooting and we were all focused on our targets, so that removed the annoying thing about Burro's public range. Namely, having other people shooting at your targets. Here, you know that the only person shooting at your target is you. Makes things much easier. At one point the guy with the AR-types called a line break and went to do some tactical shooting. Apparently you can do this if you get approval from the range officer, and since there are only a few people there at a time it's not a particularly huge disruption. Just a few minutes you spend shooting the shit and reloading instead of firing, not a big deal. Now, on to shooting. It was your average day at the range, with a few noteable exceptions. Firstly, we were using a detached airsoft gun scope to check targets with, which was pretty funny. Then there was am3pkcet who kept taking rounds out of the stripper clips for his M1A. When I decided to take a turn at firing it, he sat there and removed five rounds then handed them to me. I put them back down and went to retrieve a stripper clip. "You can't load them with strippers, I don't have an adapter," he insisted. Then I put the mag into the gun, put the stripper into the M1A's stripper mount and slammed five rounds right in. "Oh." To be fair, though, I wasn't without my own fails. After a box or two of ammo went through the Mosin, the bolt started acting up. Unfortunately, it did so while AM3 was firing it, so I just figured it was him pulling a SgtXDNX and not cycling the bolt firmly enough. When I went to cycle it for him, I found that it was indeed much harder to open than it had been, though not impossible. I didn't think much of it and resolved to make a video of myself proving that he was just doing it wrong. I got about two rounds in and the bolt jammed up, refusing to open at all. We ended up opening the bolt via a http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinHumor.htm. Basically, we struck the bolt handle against the side of the bench. It worked! To demonstrate just how stuck the gun had decided to get, at one point the bolt opened and nothing came out. Thinking I just missed the cartridge ejecting I went to cycle another round and it wouldn't go. Tried again, same thing. Again, same thing. Then I removed the bolt and inspected the chamber to find this:  Image size reduced, original size: 1440 x 1076. http://i51.tinypic.com/2prel3k.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. I fixed that by tossing the cleaning rod down the barrel to knock it free. Worked like a charm, of course. For the rest of the day the Mosin flipped between jamming on every other shot and shooting perfectly fine with no conceiveable reason why it was doing one or the other. Afterwards I learned that not thoroughly cleaning every spot of cosmoline from the rifle's receiver can have severely detrimental effects when combined with lacquered steel-cased ammunition (which was exactly what ammo I was firing). Once the rifle heats up, the lacquer melts and joins with melted cosmoline to become a glue-like substance that sticks the spent cartridge in the weapon, making it incredibly hard to open the bolt. It won't happen if you get all the cosmoline out and it won't happen if you're firing ammo that isn't lacquer-coated (such as brass cased or copper-washed rounds). Changing ammo type or going medieval on the receiver fixes it up. I'm thinking of doing both just to cover all the bases. Besides, surplus copper-washed ammo is cheaper than the steel-cased non-corrosive commercial stuff I've been using! At the end we moved one range over to the pistol range. No one was on it, so we had the whole thing to ourselves. It was very cool because they let you do whatever sort of shooting you want as long as you're safe about it. Don't handle weapons while someone's ahead of you, make sure your targets are against the berm, finger off the trigger unless you're firing, only aim downrange, the basic stuff. The RO is a little more invasive when it comes to the pistol range because it's a little more dangerous, but that's to be expected. I actually really appreciated it because he taught me how to properly hold a pistol. I'm guilty of the 'cup and saucer' hold. He got me to hold it much more firmly. I also discovered that the reason why I don't like Berettas is not entirely the fault of the gun--it's also my grip. For whatever reason, the 92FS is very sensitive to limp-wristing on recoil. If you don't hold it firmly then you bleed some of the recoil force upwards, causing the slide to not have enough energy to cycle properly. It's why Sensation! and I kept stovepiping the poor thing, yet am3pkcet could empty an entire magazine without a single issue. In my defense, though, every other pistol I've ever fired never had a problem with my crappy grip! Sadly I had to leave early because I had work, but it was a fun day out. Bench shooting predictably took its toll on me, but that's just another aspect of being a Mosin shooter. And so I present, the trademark Mosin trophy bruise.  And because it's the only other photo I took that day, here's Fred firing the .22 MP5. Squeak squeak squeak!  If someone could ID the rifle on the left, that would be great too. Anyway, on to the videos!
|
| Posted by: Jardim Jun 26 2011, 11:27 PM |
| Crazy mark on the shoulder. When i shot my uncle's .308 back in 8th grade i came home with something like that but 3x the purpleness. I was sore for about a week and we had dodgeball that week in Gym. BTW the Z thread is looking dusty.....I wonder why |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jun 27 2011, 12:14 AM | ||
I assure you, it isn't because of guns. Sure, I could save -some- money by not doing any firearms-related stuff... but not enough to make a difference. My current issue with the Z is that it requires items that are all $300 or more. Bumpers are $320 not including painting and mounting them. Suspension is $300 not including installation and alignment. Vinyls are ~$150 last I priced them. The turbo motor requires a whole bunch of parts which may or may not be expensive but I don't have the list yet so I can't say. Basically, I have no way to make progress on it at the moment, not until I either get more hours at work or get a better job. I just don't have the funds. |
| Posted by: Jardim Jun 27 2011, 07:05 PM |
| The Jardim Volvo shares the same pains. But now im doing this painting gig and 12 hour long days = Boost. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jun 27 2011, 09:20 PM | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling pin FTW. I still cant believe I hit it with that pistol from that far away! (though, I couldn't replicate the shot later... ) And I think we were hitting it a lot more from 100y, they were just making clean entrance/exit and not exploding like I thought it would. I've never shot a bowling pin before, though I was STOKED to have hit it both with the M1A from 100y and 92FS from 50y!
I actually loved that. I only stand at my local range and I can never get good groupings. The M1A is over 10 lbs loaded and is difficult to have good long range accuracy without some kind of rest. I'm glad I brought along those sandbags, and that was the first time shooting it while sitting.
Better than my off-brand red dot that ran out of batteries! Haha! I tried to mount the scope to the .22 but it hits the rear sight.
That's what I get for buying it used w/o manual! Though Springfield is AMAZING and will send you them for FREE. I have the full military M14 manual and standard civ M1A manual in the mail, along with another 10 rd box mag.
Russian engineering at its finest!
I believe his exact words were "get rid of that cup and saucer bullshit" I had a 6-year army guy show me proper grip/stance/etc a few months back and it's helped wonders. If I woulda known that, I coulda shared proper grip stuff; or at least how they do it in the military (competition shooting is different).
Also, the mag wasn't seated properly at least once.
Beretta: *jams* You: Beretta's suck! Me: Ur doin it wrong You: Nuh uh! Me: *grabs* *holds* *pop pop pop pop pop pop pop* /empty mag Me: You:  <3
Should throw a muzzle break on the front. Or at least replace that goddamn metal buttpad! haha!
Love it! No recoil, quick semi-auto, if I had a red dot I could fire even quicker without loss of accuracy. I can't shoot nearly that quick while standing. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 2 2011, 02:09 PM |
| Thought I'd update with a nice new picture. Mounted that red dot on the M1A but haven't taken it out to zero it in yet. I did a ghetto zero to get it close, but I intend to tune it next time I hit the range. What I did was set my gun up on a shelf + sand bag so it wouldnt move (...much). I lined up the iron sights with a small black lamp mounted on a tan wall at what appeared to be about 100 yds away. Popped on the optic without moving it and moved the dot to match the same spot. Looked good so far, can't wait to take it out. Also picked up a Streamlight TLR-1 light for my XDM. It was on a very nice sale on http://www.amazon.com/Streamlight-TLR-1-Mounted-Weapon-Flashlight/dp/B000JWD16E/ref=lh_ni_t_mi for $65 (currently $105, and MSRP between $150 and $200). Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. It just came in the mail today and it's veeerryyy nice. It's bright as hell and would be very useful for illuminating a dark room or temporarily blinding a would-be attacker. Now... the chances that any of these scenarios would ever happen are slim to none, but hey, it was a crazy nice price and very Tacticool.   *Second image is not mine. Taken from XDTalk and was found through google image search. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 2 2011, 07:34 PM | ||
Uhh...You ever consider calibrating your sights with a laser bore sighter? You can't get an MOA accuracy with a bullet any greater than that, and you won't be wasting shots or time used in trial and error just to get it zeroed... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 2 2011, 10:02 PM |
| Well I don't even know how close it is now (I'm guessing it's at least on the paper). I'm just going to bring my sandbags out and have a go. TBH, I'd rather spend 20$ on 40 rounds than on a laser boresight anyway. Shooting is fun, whether it's perfectly on target or not. I don't consider it a "waste" of ammo if every trigger pull is a rush of adrenalin. Plus my ghetto iron sights aproximation isn't any worse than the bore laser. Maybe if I were in the military or competed in various shooting competitions, I would be more mindful. But as a plinking hobby at the range, I'm just out there to have fun and pick up tips and tricks along the way. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 3 2011, 09:00 AM |
In record time (looking at Calguns anyway, the average turnaround seems to be 30-70 days) I've got my hands on two very awesome pieces of paper.   Submitted on June 13th, received the COE on June 23rd and the 03FFL on July 2nd. It's incredibly dangerous that I get paid this coming Friday from both of my current jobs. I really hope the interview I did for a new full-time job pans out else this will be... bad... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 5 2011, 10:37 PM | ||||||
| Farking sweet on that FFL! Time to pick up that SVD? PSL? Some other nice WWII rifle? Help me pick out a Kar98K from the gun show on the 16th. I finally took out the toys to the range yesterday with a good friend of mine from out of town. Tried to zero in the dot and was getting good 1.5-2" groups ("standing" leaning over, rested on a sand bag. range has no seated areas). Thing is a piece of garbage. It was decent once I got it lined up, but it seemed to rattle itself loose every 10-15 rounds. :/ Oh well, back on the GSG5 it goes. We followed that with some iron sights GSG5 fun, and man, I wish this thing had larger capacity mags. With absolutel zero recoil, I was getting ~3" groups at 20 yds firing 4-6 shots per sec. I love this thing and its so dirt cheap to shoot. I'm gonna throw that cheapo optic back on it, re-zero, and just plink with it. Tacticool. Also put about 60 rds through the Beretta and XDM. Beretta was solid as always (for me, lol), but my friend absolutely loved the XDM. With the TLR-1 light on the front, recoil and muzzle flip is well reduced. Shoots smooth and accurate. Love doing double tap drills with it.  I love these targets because you can have a lot of fun with em. There's at least six things you can aim for (center mass, head, left/right arms, top white boxes). My friend was struggling a bit with some of them (a lot of flyers for headshotsand lower left fail), but I think between the both of us, our target had a very bad day. Also! I found a patch I need to buy for Don: Warning NSFW!
Being a sheepdog, mall-ninja civvie, I was not familiar with such terminology and found that definition on wiki. Makes sense though and I'll definitely keep that in mind for future quick checks. But I think that would have been a nice temp quick fix for the Beretta "problem" untill we figured out your shitty pistol grip I found that patch while randomly browsing for other silly things to compliment my http://milspecmonkey.com/store/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Zombie_Hunter_4b80f1a54b85e.jpg. I ended up buying these:  Image size reduced, original size: 736 x 800. http://milspecmonkey.com/store/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/03be121d489a94f43d5d112388924d54.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. Picked up that one in ACU, and the following one in Forrest:  Image size reduced, original size: 1000 x 571. http://milspecmonkey.com/store/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/5_01_11_4dd6d859be9d6.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.
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| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 16 2011, 09:35 PM |
| So another epic update in the semi-dead-thread! So first and foremost, I bought a new tacticool stock for my M1A, the http://www.promagindustries.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=AAM1A. I saw it randomly hanging in my local Turners and went to the internets to investigate. After hearing mostly good reviews of it (with the worst being "its cheap and gets the job done, but the $300 polymer stock is not as good as the $1,000 alluminum JAE that it copies" which is TOTALLY fine by me), the price was right and I decided to take the plunge. We'll get to how it does later, because....... The gun show was today! I saw way too many things I wanted to waste my money on. Mostly though, that job was taken by ammo. I budgeted myself 300$ to blow on 1000 rds of 9mm and 300 rds of .308 win. I ended up getting factory reloads of each the 9mm for $155 and .308 for $89/200rds (x2). So I ended up with 400 rds for a price 5 cents per round cheaper than last time. I think this stuff should last me quite a while.... The 9mm reloads are perfectly fine for plinking and the .308 reloads are actually not too bad!  Image size reduced, original size: 720 x 406. http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/270737_10100391066511404_3328625_55561673_6823600_n.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. I heavily debated if I wanted to get a mount and scope for the M1A, but I finally figured that it wasn't worth the money. It's already got a forward rail that's suitable for a red dot, and it wasn't meant for super long distance anyway. Ended up walking away. Later in the day, we went to the range to have fun with the new ammo I got (I'd been out for a few weeks now). I decided to give the red dot another try if for no other reason than to justify using the adjustable cheek riser on the Archangel Stock. Made sure the screws were nice and tight, and it held up just fine for at least the 30 rounds I put down it.  This stock is great! I absolutely love it. The pistol grip angle gives me a more comfortable grip, the cheek rest is gladly welcome, adjustable length of pull is neat, but the closest setting works fine for me. There is a front rail underneath, with an included cover to keep you from scraping things on it when not in use, which is cool. But just the way the gun is held and the ballance it has is wonderful compared to the factory synthetic stock. How well does it compare? Well it seems to work pretty dang well, especially when rested:   Those shots are a mix of standing and sitting/rested. I'm guessing you can spot the differences.... although see that tiny group just below the center mass cross hair? That was the last set I did of the day and I did that one standing. *beats chest* (It was also after re-adjusting the red dot for aiming a bit to the left)Absolutely love this thing. Ugh... I need to move out so I stop having disposable income to waste on wonderful, wonderful toys..... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 22 2011, 07:39 PM |
I'd been neglecting cleaning my pistols beyond a quick couple bore snake swipes, so I took em apart and gave em a nice detail clean. Seems to work wonders, even with crappy cheap reload ammo.  Anyone else still shooting.....? lol |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 23 2011, 11:09 AM | ||||||||||||||
| Oh snap, I've been neglecting this thread. Not cool, my bad, my bad. This is a bit of a lengthy update I suppose, so let's get right on with it! Now, SgtXDNX is already back in Aussie-land, but before he left we decided to hit up LA Gun Club one last time and rent a ton of crap just because we could. I dragged Sensation! along (the gun nut he is) and off we went for an afternoon of bang-bang-bang goodness. It was a lot more packed than the last time we went, but nothing too terrible. While there I was reminded to take a photo of the lobby since I didn't last time. After all, the http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a161/galvatron2x/_MG_2189.jpg is way out of date and makes the place look tiny in comparison to what it really is. So here you go, for those of you who haven't been yet, the best range I've gone to so far.  Seriously, love those guys. Range fees are good (especially if you're bringing your own guns, though you do have to buy their ammo if you bring along a centerfire rifle... but they allow centerfire rifles!), rental selection is boss, rental prices are low and ammo prices are competetive. Not to mention their 8mm Mauser comes on strippers, that's win right there. So we went with some WWII action, renting the Kar98k first. We didn't get video of that since we already shot Kar98k footage last time, sorry. Next up, I couldn't resist temptation to rent an M44 carbine. It's the carbine front-line version of the 91/30 long rifle. Short, folding bayonet (though the rentals have the bayonet removed), sure to kick like a mule and breathe fire. I wanted to find one for myself, so why not try one out at the range first? So I did. Oh man... doing that just made me want one more. The rental was in pretty sad shape. Mismatched numbers, loose-as-hell bolt... it had seen better days. But it was just plain that fun.
After that we let Sensation! have a vote. Having just re-watched the bluray for Sucker Punch, there was nothing better to do than rent a gun for $5 that retails for $800. Why, the Springfield 1903 of course! Packed up with a box of 30-06 we set back to see how this American rifle could do. It was surprisingly good, but it had damn well better be considering its price tag (retail, anyway, not rental!). Bolt was smooth, rifle felt very hefty and well-built. It was one of those rifles you could cycle without moving your eye away from the sights if you wanted to. My only complaint? Damn you, Springfield sights! Seriously, it had the same damn sights as am3pkcet's M1A. I can't stand those!
We also took the range up on their offer of a free Tokarev rental with the purchase of Tokarev ammo, but I didn't get any video of that because the gun honestly isn't all that great. I now know I don't need one. I'll save up and get a Sig of some sort. Which is why I decided to go ahead and use my last rental of the day to pick up a W. German P225. Sadly the 226 was out, but this was a compact so I figured why not? After all, the P226's biggest advantage gets neutered in California. I gotta say... I really liked it. I'm now leaning towards getting a compact Sig instead of a 226. Maybe a P239 or a P6 (P225).
That was it for the range visit. Was a hell of a lot of fun, thoroughly enjoyed myself as always and was glad that SgtXDNX got to experience all of that before heading back. Well... that update was supposed to have been posted earlier, but I herped a massive derp and so it's being posted now. Which means I have to post my next update later. I should have a very, very interesting post to make come Monday, that's all I'll say. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 26 2011, 11:35 AM |
| And we're back! This would have been posted earlier but since no one else posted up, I had to wait 72 hours. I'm typing this at exactly the 72 hour mark, so that goes to show just how awesome I am, or something. Anyway, so here's the 'Monday' update. After that last range visit, Sensation! determined that we needed a Kar98k. Of course I wanted one, but they're hard to find and expensive. He suggested he could help out a bit on the financial front, with intent of probably buying it off of me later. All right, that's fair. So we began our search for a delicious German gun. Now, those of you not familiar with Mausers (myself included, when we started) might not realize just how tough it is to find a Kar98k. Most of the Mausers on the market that you find online and in stores like Big 5 aren't Kar98s. They're Turkish, Spanish, Yugoslavian, Argentenian... pretty much everything except German. While they're certainly cheaper, they're not what we were looking for. They're actually a very different design from the Kar98k, though they all do have similar actions. Were we not picky we could've gotten one easily, but we're picky! We want a real Kar98k! Which puts us at last Friday. Sensation! stopped by and we began our epic quest to purchase one of those fine rifles. First stop was a little shop down in Laguna Niguel called Saddleback Valley Gun Club. They carried lots of C&R rifles, not to mention they accepted trades. Sensation! did a basic cleaning of my old 91/30 and we tossed it into the car, just in case this place did have a Mauser. After all, I didn't feel bad trading for something like that. Well, we walked into the shop and sadly, no Mausers. Not willing to just up and leave (it's a gun store, for crying out loud!) we browsed the selection they did have. That's when I spotted a short Mosin. A closer inspection revealed that it didn't have a bayonet, making it a Soviet M38 carbine. Much harder to find than the M44 I wanted, but very much a similar weapon. I honestly didn't care for the bayonet, so I was interested. Inspecting the rifle, its action locked up tight, its serial numbers were all original stamps and they all matched--even the butt plate and magazine floorplate. "How much?" "$130." "I'll be right back." I went out to the car, grabbed my 91/30 and C&R license papers, then headed back in. I let them check out the rifle and they ID'd it pretty accurately as a $75 special (though I paid more due to not having a C&R license at the time). They offered $40 for it and I took it. Then he starts getting out his DROS forms and I put down the C&R license. He takes a look at the papers then closes the binder and tosses it aside. "Well, we don't need that then. Lemme make a copy of this and you're all set!" Impulse purchase of the day, traded the 91/30 and got an M38 for $95. Considering a quick check online has them at $270 minimum that's pretty good. Factor in the matching parts and excellent condition (bore was mirror bright, too!) and it was a great purchase. Here's a photo!  While waiting for the paperwork to go through we browsed their pistol selection too. Amazing stuff, they had an original unfired Made in Belgium Browning Hi-Power for like $800. SgtXDNX and Katyusha then yelled at me later for not realizing that that is an original gun and that regardless of how broke I was I should've bought it. Derp. There was also a P239 in 40 S&W for $400 which I kinda do want. I'm definitely gonna have to go back there later. So we still needed a Mauser! Next stop, the closest Big 5. Well wouldn't you know it, the closest Big 5 is one of only two in SoCal that doesn't sell firearms. Ammo, sure, but no guns. Sad day. The guy tipped us to try El Toro since it was close, so that was our next stop. They had a Yugoslavian M-48 on display, so we asked if they had any German ones. "You guys seem like you know your Mausers, so what should I look for?" "The wood on the handguard here should stop at the front of the sight here," I pointed out, which is really the easiest way to tell. Foreign copies for whatever reason have an upper handguard that extends beyond the rear sight. The guy disappears to check then comes back empty-handed. Darn. I was short on time due to having work later that day, so we reduced our visits to two more Big 5s, the ones in Tustin and Orange. Tustin was first, which we got to pretty quick despite the iPhone's map trying to get us to drive in a circle around the plaza it was in. LOL. Same drill as before, we walk in and they've got a Yugo on the shelf. "Got any German Mausers?" This time, the guy doesn't ask questions and walks off. Comes back with a box. I think, nah, guy doens't know what's up. Out pops a Russian Capture Kar98k. Of course, none of the parts match and it's a cosmoline special, but the action is smooth, the bolt is clean and blued, and it looks like it'll make a good shooter. It'll take a lot of work though, something that Sensation! had wanted anyway. After some deliberation, we decided to jump on it. It was $399 and we had the funds, so we started the process. I drop my C&R forms and... there it is, the blank look from the employee. Damn. He goes to get his store manager instead. The store manager knows what's up and has a form for just this sort of thing, but when he tries to confirm my C&R license the ATF phone number doesn't pick up. He refuses the sale and suggests I come back Monday. Okay, that's fine. Except that I'm meeting a guy from Calguns on Sunday to check out his Mauser. Now I had the power to walk away, though, so that was good. Skip to Sunday, we're over at Turner's in Orange and meet up with the guy I'd been in contact with. His Kar98k isn't nearly as rough as the one Big 5 had, and he has a good chunk of surplus ammo to go with it. It's all on stripper clips, and he even has Yugo surplus (which is range-safe non-magnetic ammo). It was a no-brainer! $360 later we had in our grubby little hands a Kar98k and 70 rounds of ammo on strippers. Ka-ching!  Turner's was pretty darn cool too. Their prices aren't too bad, though Saddleback was better on 239s. Sensation! liked that they had California-legal FN2000 rifles right there in the display case too, LOL. Though they were over 2 grand... Well, that's not the end of it. I left out the part where a week ago, I made my first online C&R purchase, an old pre-WWII Mosin 91/30. It arrived yesterday, which was why I was going to write the update yesterday. Beautiful rifle, it's not imported by Century Arms International which kinda explains why it's in pretty awesome shape and isn't electropenciled. Covered in cosmoline (though I would find out later that the underside of the barrel didn't quite have enough), stamped numbers, matching. Much better than my old 1943, that's for sure! It's a 1934 manufactured at Tula. Here's the pretty shots.   Sensation! is in the process of refinishing the Kar98k and cleaning up the 91/30 as we speak. A range report should be in the near future, methinks? All I know is this damn C&R license multiplied my rifle collection by three and subtracted a bunch of money from my wallet. They don't kid around when they say getting one is instant poor house!See y'all later! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 26 2011, 03:23 PM |
| So...... what you doing this Friday? Would you like to meet in Corona for a good couple hours of 100yd outdoor fun? I've still not shot any form of Kar98k outside of Call of Duty 2. Plus, I have that new stock for the M1A you need to try out. |
| Posted by: Sensation! Jul 26 2011, 04:45 PM | ||
correction, what are YOU doing next Wednesday? angeles range at night for CHEAP is what me and don had in mind. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 26 2011, 05:06 PM |
| The 3rd? Only days off I normally get are fri/sat, and I got a brand new trainee to deal with next week, which means no extra days off and I really can't deviate from the set schedule. :/ Angeles looks like a pretty slick range, even if it is an additional 50 miles farther than the already-93-mile-away Raahauge's. I think if you guys can/want to go on a Friday, I'd be totally down to make the trek. I'd love to try and hit some steel with the M1A. I still have plenty of .308 to play with, and more 9mm than you can shake a stick at. I was looking at Corona mostly because it's waayyy closer for me, but I would definitaly like to check out Angeles. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 27 2011, 04:05 AM | ||
Sadly this Friday I'm working from 3PM until 10PM. My only day off every week is Wednesday--I'm actually working over 40 hours this week at one job alone. Not to mention, while the lack of ammunition restriction is nice, I really didn't like that range for its rifle shooting. I know you really like bench shooting, but I don't. I really need the option to stand. Fortunately, places like Burro and Angeles have bench rest positions that aren't covered by a stupid slanted roof, giving you the option of bench or standing.It just so happens, also, that on Wednesdays Angeles is open to 9 PM (instead of 5 PM) and is $6.50 after 4PM. Thursdays are $6.50 all day and they close at their normal hours (but I work Thursdays). I just happen to have 30 rounds of non-magnetic 8mm Mauser ammo, and have a lead on some non-magnetic 7.62x54R. I'm hoping to stock up on three boxes, so I can give each of my two new Mosin rifles 30 rounds. So having non-magnetic combined with the cheap admission cost and no work is pretty win. Plus, they have metal targets on the rifle range, so you can actually hear it when you hit. Burro doesn't have that (but on the flipside, burro allows you to have any target you want as long as it isn't metal, so things like giant fruit are kosher). Add to that the fact that it's shooting as the sun goes down and I have an M38 and you find that it's just irresistable to go. It has to be done! We'll surely take some video and hopefully we can get some people to come along (Sidewaysstarion? Ethos?), but until then here's a teaser shot. Sensation! cleaned up the 91/30 and completely refinished the Kar98k. I'll have to retake this photo in better light, it was almost 3AM when this photo was taken.  See y'all tomorrow. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 27 2011, 06:34 AM |
| I'll see what kind of magic I can work with my schedule.... edit: wellll if one of my girls takes her vacation next week it's a no go unless I can get coverage from another store.... but if she pushes it back, I should be good to go! I'm actually pretty excited (though, let's face it, mostly for the 98 )That range does look really nice, and I look forward to the satisfaction of the "ping" of a steel hit! Also, you seem as bad as me! I went from 1 gun to 5 (one traded) in less than 3 months. You went from 1 to 4 (one traded) in about the same! haha. Two peas, eh? God bless America BTW, what is your opinion of that $400 Russian capture Kar98k? I........ MAAAYYY be interested in jumping on that one if your opinion is that it's worth it. Since you have an 03FFL, could there be some process where you pick it up and PPT it to me? What paperwork would be involved? Does it require DROS for me? |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 27 2011, 11:34 AM | ||
I'll pray that you can pull that magic with your schedule--I'd love to hit up Angeles with you. I too am looking forward to the satisfaction of a steel hit. As for the gun count, technically I went from 1 to 3 in the span of a single weekend. I get what you're getting at though LOL.As for the Russian Capture, it was good. I would suggest either learning some wood finishing skills or finding someone who knows how to refinish wood, because the stock was in sad shape. It wasn't repaired or anything, but it was sad panda. Very rough, covered in shellac. It needs to be sanded smooth and refinished something bad. The action itself was good, and the bore looked like a good shooter. However, I have a lead on some non-Russian-capture Kar98ks, actual Nazi ones without import marks, for $299+shipping. They're no beauty queens either but they'll likely be in better shape than the RC at Big 5. PM me if you're interested. I'd share the link but they require you have an FFL on file before you can even look at their catalog. Makes sense considering their prices are lower than anywhere else I've looked! As for the transfer process, it's actually quite simple for old guns. C&R guns don't require PPT. As long as it's FTF, all I do is mark down the sale in my FFL disposition log and there you have it. No DROS, no cooling-off, just cash and carry. Ah, the beauty of Curio and Relic! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 27 2011, 04:22 PM |
| I have to work 6 days in a row the following week, but I managed to give myself Wednesday off! I'm having second thoughts about the Kar98k though.... I've recently been drinking the kool aid and kind of want an AR. One of the biggest motivations was found at the last gun show I went to where .223 and 5.56 ammo was selling for cheaper than 9mm in some cases! The M1A is fun as hell to shoot, but every trigger pull is 45-50 cents EACH. That brings back painfull memories of force-quit Time Attacks in IDASv3...... As much as I love to shoot, stuff gets expensive QUICK. I'm thinking of picking up some kind of AR to toy around with, slap accessories on, and plink at the range for cheap. S&W has the wonderful and well-priced M&P15 series, which also comes from the factory California compliant (one of the few companies that ship pre-installed bullet buttons in addition to the 10 rd mags). Who knows though, maybe I'll see the glorious light next week and wind up with a beautiful old Nazi bolt gun. |
| Posted by: SgtXDNX Jul 27 2011, 06:31 PM | ||
Damn right you will. Let me put it this way. Before I made them fire one at LA Gun Club, N1 and Sensation! were kinda meh about the Kar98K, and now they're paying $300+ for the bastards. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 27 2011, 08:38 PM | ||
S&W still have quite a fine product with their M&P15s though... Especially for California
A base model can be had for as little as $6-700, though it's missing things like a forward assist and dust cover. The one I would be looking at is the M&P15T: http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_785515_-1__772660__ProductDisplayErrorView_Y Luckilly, I don't really have any money now anyway, so this is all window shopping. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 28 2011, 03:25 AM | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Now I'm praying that I actually -do- have Wednesday of next week off. Not that I've worked Wednesdays lately but it would be just the sort of b*tch move my boss would pull to make me work that day regardless. If he does I'll politely request it off anyway. Hell it looks like I'll be doing Angeles the next two Wednesdays in the row... gosh this ammo is killing me. Anyway, time for today's range update. Before that, we begin with a quest for Mosin ammo. See, we had 30 rounds of Yugoslavian surplus (non-magnetic) ammunition for the Mauser, but only a box of 20 steel-case (very magnetic) 7.62x54R for the Mosins. That wouldn't do. So we called around and first, it seemed that the Big 5 where we were going to get a Mauser had non-magnetic. We stop in, and after waiting around at the firearms counter find out that we haven't been helped because they recognized us as the guys who wanted the Mauser and were trying to contact the ATF again. Apparently they'd been trying since Friday with zero success, which is a cautionary tale to anyone with a C&R license expecting to get anything from Big 5. Don't bother. Finally we get someone to stop messing with my FFL (I'm not buying a Mauser from you guys, you missed your chance!) I ask for ammo. I get the box, pull out a round, pull out my little test magnet and CLANK. Steely-steel-steel. Another negative point for that Big 5. If a customer calls and asks specifically for non-magnetic ammo, why tell them you have some if you don't even know? That's not cool. I then called everywhere close by to see if anyone had anything. Finally I find a place called "The Stockade" down in Westminster who says they've got some. Winchester, the good stuff. The cost? About a dollar less per box than the ammo at the range itself. Sigh. Well at least the tax was less. So we stop by the place. The first thing we notice is this car sitting in the customer lot, which isn't a firearm but I'm posting it here anyway because it's cool, dammit.  So feeling good, we walk inside. It's busy! They had a ton of just about everything you could think of, which was great. Plenty of C&R weapons with a mix of good, average and HAHAHAHAYEARITE asking prices. They had Enfields and Springfields (Mk4s and 1903s, respectively) for under $500 in various conditions, that was neat. SKSs in great shape, real Russian ones too. They also had some M44s, though they wanted $225+ for them. Hahaha... haaaah. The most ridiculous thing I saw was a Mosin Sniper (!). I checked it out, it had a few matching parts and a few electropencil parts, including the scope. It wasn't a Century Arms International, but it was still a force-match-sniper and not an original. The asking price? $1400. I was like, is this a typo? Did you mean $400? Is there really a 1 in that price? For those not into Mosins, a force matched sniper goes from $350-$450 depending on where you look. RGuns is the only place I know that sells real surplus sniper rifles, and they sell for $800. In what universe is a force-matched Mosin Sniper worth $1400!? I don't know, but they seem to. I was like... woow. Of course, I couldn't fault them completely. They had cool stuff in the display cases. Such as this pistol, which is sure to make SgtXDNX wish he had brought more money and left later than he did.  I also spotted this and one other break-action .45 Long Colt revolver in the case. The other one, I don't remember which brand it was but it was black with a wood grip. Both were around the same price. I'd love one, but ouch that's a lot of money for a revolver. Still... I'd love one...  We ended up getting a 40" soft case for the M38, a 44" soft case for the Kar98k, and two boxes of Winchester 7.62x54R each. Was kinda ouch, but also kinda worth it. We now had everything we needed to hit up the range! We headed back, I put some of the Winchester on strippers, strapped my ammo pouches on and put the guns into cases. Off we went to Angeles Shooting Range! It was pretty easy to get there, about as easy as it is to get to Burro. It's also laid out very intelligently, so you can't possibly get lost or go to the wrong office or something like that. As long as you can read English, you can navigate the range. The first thing they do is have you fill out a waiver, which is par for the course really. Once that's done you pay the range fee ($6.50 Wednesdays after 4PM woo!), then get anything else you need (ammo, hearing/eye protection, targets, etc). Ended up getting hearing protection for myself and Sensation! and eye protection for Sensation! since he didn't remember to bring his. We were going to be shooting steel, so no need to buy targets or frames. Out we go to the range itself, unpack the guns, and set up. I take first round, deciding to go with the Kar98k. First few shots are wonderful and the gun's in top shape. It shoots a little high, so you have to aim just under the target to hit at 100 yards. On my second clip one of the (many) range officers came over and asked what caliber I was shooting and to check the ammo. He was a little on the rude side, but I complied. He checked my Yugo Mauser ammo and was like, "You can shoot this. What else do you have?" Again, kinda a rude tone to it. I hand him the Winchester. Brass case, copper bullet! It should be fine! The magnet sticks to the bullet but not the case. "THIS IS STEEL! YOU CAN'T SHOOT THIS IT'S A FIRE HAZARD! I'm confiscating it, write your name here and you can pick it up when you're done for the day. Give me anything else you have of this." Cool story bro? Wasn't like I wasn't going to comply, and I wasn't being rude to you, so what's with the attitude? So yeah, word of warning? Winchester bullets are copper-washed, not copper. Stupid Winchester.The worst part of course was that we'd spent money on the ammo. I'll see if I can return it since we didn't even use it, but a lot of places don't let you return ammo for any reason so I dunno. Might have to put it up on Calguns with my Tula ammo and 40S&W reloads. Sad day. It meant we had to buy range ammo regardless, so FML. A note, they use Prvi Partizan soft points for range ammo. Apparently those are non-magnetic. Yugoslavian surplus would also work but we didn't have any on hand. Next gun show, we're gonna have to stock up like crazy, that's for sure! Range ammo is pricey! It's like $23-$27 for 20 rounds! That's BS! Which brings me to the upsides and downsides of the range. On the upside, it offers night shooting (one of a very very small list), it offers metal plate shooting (again, a very small list) and most of the staff is friendly. On the downside, the range officers are super-zuper-Nazis. Pray you don't have magnetic anything. Pray you don't leave your action closed for even a second after firing, such as when you check your spotter scope to see where your rifle hit. Pray you don't hand an unloaded rifle to someone in any direction but directly upwards 90-degrees. Et cetera. They are on you in seconds and are very pushy. One guy actually pushed past one of our friends and tried to open his action across his chest. Not cool. If you don't mind the Nazi-ism, it's a fun range. If you want a little more lenient, Burro is the place to go. They at least allow steel during the rainy season, and allow you to put anything that isn't metal downrange. Angeles has metal plates but won't allow anything that isn't a target frame downrange. Raahauge's is the most lenient but they're a very limited range. Well, enough of that. Let's go ahead and get on with the photos and videos! We had a ton of fun, screwed that poor metal plate up, and scared people down the firing line shitless firing the M38. All in all it was a successful day, except the part where Sensation! decided he was definitely buying the Kar98k off of me. orz Guess I have to find another one for myself. Dammit. 
|
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 28 2011, 04:21 PM |
| Well. I'm sold on this range. Nazi supervision aside, that place looks GREAT! Next wednesday sounds like a plan. I should head up early, grab lunch, chill, then head over. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 28 2011, 05:23 PM | ||
Schofield! I'll be finally taking my 6.8mm DPMS Panther Arms Mod. A-150 out to the range next Saturday...My dad and my brother will also be going, and so are everything we've got, from my other .22 LR Marlin-Glenfield Model 60 rifle, my brother's .22 LR Marlin Model 795, and my dad's .22 LR Sig-Sauer Mosquito and .30-30 Marlin Model 336... And at least I hope my dad's gonna bring his Marlin Model 336; I love a good lever-action .30-30... I also can't wait to shoot my rifle, see what a 6.8mm puts out, particularly the Hornandy rounds I got that are essentially plastic-tipped hollow points...Shame I can't shoot at ballistics gel instead of paper targets... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 28 2011, 05:26 PM |
| A friend of mine's dad has a Sig Mosquito. Really high quality fit and finish; makes me miss my 226. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but handling it was nice. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 28 2011, 06:19 PM | ||||
Yeah, it's a really nice pistol; Has the looks and ergonomics of the P226 but doesn't have a hostile essence so it's nice, cheap, easy shooting fun... Oh, and...
This kind of reminds me of the Knob Creek Gun Range, out along Dixie Highway in Bullitt County near Fort Knox...Don't know if anyone out west has heard about it, but they host one of the nation's biggest gun shows twice a year...They also sell a bunch of class III firearms and parts, and I'm hoping to pick some stuff up in October...It's also an outdoor range, and they're not quite as Nazi-like as you describe your range, but they have this rule that all guns held and not in action have to be held straight up to the sky... Just in general, such a rule is so goddamn ridiculous...I understand their need for gun safety, but there are so many practices within the worlds of police and military procedures that teach you to hold your firearm pointed down straight at the ground that it really doesn't make practical sense...In the event that someone doesn't put their firearm on safety and doesn't mind their trigger finger, I want the worst case scenario drawn out from someone that fails gun safety, is to know what foot or wherever else that round is exactly going to go, rather than fire a round off and come back down to Earth traveling at terminal velocity falling at some completely random location...Plus, having the firearm pointed down is just natural for the arms to hold it and it's only going to point down, whereas if it's held upwards, that rifle is eventually going to level down at some point, and OOPS, you just shot Marvin in the face... I don't know...It's like, let's actually take firearms safety notes from organizations that actually utilize their tools in practical applications instead of not thinking like the professionals... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Jul 28 2011, 10:56 PM | ||
Thanks for the name! Armed with the proper name I identified the other gun they had on display as a Cavalry-style Uberti. So essentially the same gun, just a different manufacturer. I still really want one, though! I really do agree on the muzzle direction thing. When I first read through firearms safety books (good idea to do before taking a Handgun Certification Exam when you've never owned a handgun) they suggested either having the barrel pointed upwards or straight down when not in use. I thought to myself, "Doesn't it make more sense to point it downward since there's less distance and more 'berm' beneath you than there ever would be above you? Well, whatever. Those are the rules. Do you think you could check for any SVDs or SVD variants at that gun show you're attending? It would be interesting if you could find an SVD, NDM-86 or Tigr locally. Here they're illegal in stock form (detatchable magazine with thumbhole stock). If not for the stupid AW laws, an SVD (a Russian one) is classified as Curio & Relic and could be shipped to my doorstep! Thanks, California... Anyway, if you spot one, mind snapping a photo?am3pkcet, I just got my schedule for next week and sure enough, I've got both Monday and Wednesday off. See you on Wednesday! Hopefully I can scrounge up some monies to get more ammo, since I'm broke and totally out of range-safe 7.62x54R and 8mm Mauser. I found a place online selling range-safe 8mm Mauser for $65/300, but damn it I'm broke! Argh! Range-safe 7.62x54R I couldn't find nearly that cheap, with the best cost being $170 for 600 rounds. All of it is Yugo surplus, because the Yugos for whatever reason only use brass cases, copper bullets and lead cores.Something I forgot to say last post... it's really sad that a Mauser with no matching parts outshot two Mosins, both of which have all matching parts. That, if anything, is a testament to German engineering. Also, I figured out why I had so much trouble with the Mosin stripper clips. Yes, part of it is shoddy Chinese QC not having the bends for the rims perfect... but most of it was because I was loading them incorrectly. It wasn't until I looked at a Mauser round next to a Mosin round that I realized, holy shit, 'Rimmed' means the rim sticks out from the case! I wasn't sure what significance 'Rimmed' had. I thought all cartridges were rimmed (because they all have a rim on them, it just doesn't stick out!). So if you stack them staggered, they work just fine. I just didn't do that. LOL! Anyway, come on, there have to be more gun enthusiasts on this board... |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 29 2011, 04:03 AM | ||
Actually, I wasn't quite paying too much attention to what exactly you were saying; I was just making a spontaneous muse, since that Beretta Laramie looks exactly like my favorite western revolver, until I realized it was derived from the iconic Smith & Wesson Model 3 a.k.a. the Schofield revolver... Actually, if I had payed attention to the Schofield Wikipedia page, it says that the Beretta Laramie and Uberti/Armi San Marco revolvers are modern reproductions...HERP DERP! |
| Posted by: chillined Jul 29 2011, 08:43 AM |
| So a few weeks back, I was looking at a Ruger 10/22, had a really nice feel, and a neat flush mount rotary clip. Any feedback or recommendations? |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Jul 29 2011, 09:10 AM | ||
I don't have recommendations, but someone on another forum I post at was asking about the Ruger 10/22 and I started looking into it...My brother and I both have .22 LR rifles, so they're good, cheap fun that can be attested to, and it looks like the 10/22 has a very large range of options to accessorize it with, if you want to have fun with it...You know, up to and including this "Archangel" kit...  Image size reduced, original size: 961 x 600. http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1600/815976/5189276/314884820.jpg to view the image in its original dimension.  Makes me want to get a 10/22 and do things like that for shits and giggles... Well, really...It's a Ruger, though; They make good firearms, and you can't lose with one...I guess it really comes down to if you really want one or not... Well, I was out at Shooter's Supply this morning and looked around at some of their AR-15 parts...And you know? f**k it; There's so much I want to do with my Mod. A-150 that I'm just gonna credit the stuff and pay it off after 2 months...More so since when I'm a week out from range day, I wanna gear it up not as the rifle I bought, but the rifle I own...I've been so horrible with my spending lately that the only thing keeping me from going in, getting an EOTech sight and magnifier, Magpul quad-rail handguards, and foregrip, is my financial logic... Shit, they even had a nice S&M M&P15, chambered in .223/5.56mm that came with a quad-rail handguard, foregrip, aftermarket flash suppressor (f**k, I can't remember who makes it either) and flip-up iron sights, for around $900, cheaper than my rifle...It wasn't there just months ago either... Maybe I'll just buy another rifle! If you can't afford it, charge it! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Jul 29 2011, 12:03 PM | ||||
65$ for 300 rounds is DIIIRRRTTT CHEEEAAPP! Hell, I paid $89 for 200 rds of .308, which is more than double per round! Any way to get a hold of those? If not, what kind of prices do they have for 8mm there? I can look around here too, but I can't imagine they would be any better.... Do they sell it at Walmart? Turners has 8mm for a ridiculous $34 for a box of 20. Anyway, I'll be honest that I'm much more excited for that Mauser than the Mosins, and I'll probably still only shoot about one or two boxes through the 98. One of the big reasons I want to shoot a bolt gun (or cheaper ammo) is that M1A eats ammo like no other. 10 rds mags, semi auto? With a mag change, I can blow an entire box of 20 in less than 30 seconds. :/ Edit: found this on CalGuns: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=436904&highlight=8mm Well either way, thanks to the last gun show, I'm certainly prepared!  And for the record, that can weighs 22.8lbs! That's 525 rds of .22LR, 100 rds of .308, and "several handfuls" of 9mm.
Also, the nice thing is that since it's a rimfire .22, its exempt from all the wonderful assault weapon classifications that plague centerfire weapons. IE, you can have all the telescoping stocks, pistol grips, and flash surpressors you want, and still be allowed a detachable magazine. Well at least for California and other states that still have the awesome Assault Weapons Ban. |
| Posted by: chillined Aug 4 2011, 01:41 AM |
| Oh my f**king god. That 10/22 with the archangel kit looks goddamn sexy. I see problems with it though. Being a .22 Long Rifle round, isn't the magnifying scope too much? What I also love about the Ruger 10/22 is that it doesn't need specialized weaponry tools to be serviced. It's barrel for example can be replaced/removed with common house-working tools. I already knew about the total immersion in customizing the Ruger 10/22. It's real cheap too, I just gotta get my PAL and hopefully my prohibited license soon. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Aug 4 2011, 02:06 AM |
| Well, let's see if I can field this report properly with just images and text. Normally I want until I have video up on YouTube for these sorts of things, but seeing as am3pkcet was involved, he would rather get a copy of the videos himself, edit them, then upload them. I'm totally cool with that--he's professional status with that stuff--so for now you'll have to deal with a more usual reporting style. Videos will be up as soon as he's done editing! (Also, I've been hearing a rumor that Imageshack, the host I use, has been blocking direct images on forums. If for some reason images don't appear on this page, please let me know!) (Disclaimer: It's 1-something in the morning and my brain is fuzzy. I apologize in advance if I forgot something that happened or if this seems focused on stuff that happened to me. Am3pkcet and Sensation! feel free to add to or correct me!) So first off, the name of the game here is sleep. A few of us got a little. A few of us, not so much. Poor Sensation! got only a few hours and by the end of it was completely drained. I got almost 6...ish... and was decent. I mean, I'm awake right now typing this, right? Am3pkcet and his lady friend, they seemed to have gotten enough sleep for the day... but they had work early in the morning and didn't leave for home until after 11 PM. Very ouch, darling. Anyway, we all met up at 1PM at my place and started collecting the things we'd need. I foolishly decided to skip out on getting a new bottle of Hoppe's and some new cleaning patches... something I would regret later since I ended up being the cleaner for the day. Instead we just loaded up all the ammo we could, the guns, and headed off to eat lunch before the range. Am3's ammo count is as the above post. I had 105 rounds of range-safe 7.62x54R thanks to trading all the spare ammo I had via CalGuns, as well as 300 rounds of range-safe 8mm Mauser thanks to AM3 ordering it for $80 shipped. It showed up before we even woke up today. Awesome! Here's a pic of the trunk of the car. For a little bit, we felt kinda like FPS Russia, only you know... not as cool.  After lunch we drove up to Angeles, arriving precisely on time despite a moderate detour (I dyslex'd the 2-to-the-210 freeway directions). Getting our range pass was painless, so next it was setting up to shoot. We laid out all our gear and prepped to slap some delicious metal plates. I put a bunch of rounds through the Mosins, but couldn't quite seem to replicate the accuracy I had had a week prior. Not to mention, the rounds seemed...flat. Not physically, but they didn't react properly. I shrugged it off and decided to leave further Mosin firing for later in the evening. The Kar98k, too, seemed to not quite be shooting where I wanted it to go. I chalked it up to just jitters and figured I'd try again. First, I'd let am3pkcet have a go at the German rifle! After all, it was our job to get him to want one before he did something stupid like buy an AR-15. Oh wait, he already did and only told us just before we left for the range. Ugh. Anyway, Am3 picks up the rifle, cycles it, fires a round... and the magazine floorplate falls out, dropping all of his ammo onto the ground. To say that the gun was not pleasing him was an understatement. It turns out that the weird black thing we found on the ground last Wednesday was probably our magazine catch. Hopefully we can get that back, since one of our friends took it with him. In the mean time, we had 300 rounds of ammo to go through! It was time to bust out the GHETTO GARAGE! Yup, we taped that shit. We taped all over that shit. It wasn't the best thing in the world, and it left icky residue on the wood finish, but hey... it worked! The weapon's magazine didn't spontaneously disassemble anymore. However, a few rounds later, Am3 handed the gun to me saying he couldn't close the bolt, but he couldn't open it either. It was stuck in the forward position with the bolt half-closed. I slapped it a bit and got it to open, then went to chamber the round again... no dice. Next time around Sensation! took the round away and found the problem rather quickly. Look what ended up in our tin of surplus 8mm Mauser rounds!  We believe that's a 30-06. Whatever it is, it didn't belong in our 8mm Mauser can yet ended up there anyway. Needless to say, the Kar98k didn't like it. We discovered that the only real way to jam the weapon was to put ammo that's the wrong size into it. Otherwise, you can shoot it all day! Which is exactly what we did. Out of 300 rounds, there were two that were the wrong size (the 30-06? we found first, and later we discovered a 7.62x51 for no reason) and about 15-20 that malfunctioned in some way. Some of them, the primer dislocated and gummed the bolt (!!), and others refused to fire entirely. On one of the primer-dislocations we had to use Am3's sandbag to open the bolt. It worked. Sensation! wanted to use a Mosin to do it, but I figured that was more than a little unsafe and would draw undue attention from the ROs. When it happened again, Sensation! took the sandbag and hit the Mosin bolt handle... tearing the sandbag open. Yet again, tape to the rescue! The tape held up all night on the sandbag, too! As we were firing the Mauser, some guy with some AR derivative two tables to our left turned and yelled at us to stop shooting his targets. Considering we were shooting the steel, that seemed highly unlikely and we told him we were only shooting the steel plate on the left. He swore that there were foreign holes ending up in his targets, but again it wasn't us. We still don't think it was any of us, but we found out that he had set up his targets to the right of the steel. So he was shooting diagonally across the range, and had set up his targets in the steel's ricochet zone. Not only isn't that particularly smart, but it's amazing that this range lets you do that. No other range I know of (including Burro and Raahauges) lets you shoot across other lanes. Weird. He apparently found out it wasn't us and ended up being chill, but it still caught us off-guard. Next up, Am3 suggested we try his new M1A out. Same gun, different stock... and he put the red-dot sight he got for free with his .22 on it to be silly. Well it turned out to not be so silly. Load five rounds into the magazine. Aim the red dot for the 3-o'clock mark on the metal plate. PING PING PING PING PING! Couldn't be any easier. All of the crap I gave him over the M1A and the stock... I take it back. It's too easy plinking targets at 100 yards. He needs to take that thing to somewhere with 300+ yard targets, seriously. To be silly, I decided to try to hit one of the steel targets at 100 yards with one of AM3's pistols. I tried the XD first, and thought I was getting close. AM3 told me I wasn't, that my shots were going way low then ricocheting up towards the berm. I switched over to the Beretta (even though I didn't care for it) and... PING! Dropped one onto target. I then missed every other shot I took, but I got one and that's all I cared about LOL. The .22 got a bit of a workout too, not just as a training tool for Am3's lady friend but also as a bit of simple plinking for the rest of us while we let the Mauser cool down. It was actually pretty easy to hit the steel with it, though none of us hit 10 out of 10. Not necessarily because we couldn't, but because the gun had a habit of jamming and losing rounds. So I think the best was 8 out of 9, LOL. As for the ROs, at first it was a fairly chill environment. Yes, they checked our ammo, but they were very friendly about it and none of us had anything magnetic so it was fine. One of the ROs loved our little gun collection so much that he chatted us up for quite a while, even convincing Am3's lady friend that she should try something bigger than the little .22 GSG. So she did! First she fired the Kar98k. Once she discovered the recoil wasn't as huge as she thought she put more rounds downrange, then even ended up firing the 91/30 (which she hit the target with!) and even the M38! She also fired the last two rounds of the night, our last two 8mm rounds. Good on her. Later on, however, the same exact Nazi guy who harrassed myself and our buddy last time showed up on the scene. He jumped on us (maybe recognizing me?), testing AM3's 7.62x51. He then announced that AM3's non-magnetic ammo was magnetic and began to confiscate it. Sensing shenanigans I took one round of my Yugo 7.62x54R and one round of my Yugo 8mm and handed both to the RO to inspect. Instead he took them, tossed them in the ammo can and went to walk off. "No no! Those were for you to test!" I exclaimed, making him stop and reopen the can. He then pulled out my 7.62x54R... and one of AM3's 7.62x51s. Testing both clean he handed them back. "This one isn't mine, it's his." I reach in and retrieve my 8mm Mauser, which he also tests and confirms. "This one was mine. Could you test the rest of his ammo please?" The guy sheepishly goes to test the rest of AM3's 7.62x51, finding that it was okay. There were a few rounds that were questionable which he still took (lol) but we saved most of our remaining M1A ammunition from him. He was on us for just about the rest of the night, especially during an event that happened later.  Not related, this MAD DOPE PRIUS we saw in the parking lot.  Related, me trying to be as cool as FPS Russia. Strapped to the right arm is the 91/30. Strapped to the left is the M38. I'm holding our awesomely-taped Kar98k. The black discoloration on my right hand isn't hair (for once!) it's a stamp of a pistol signifying that I paid the range fee. BLAMM!! A loud as HELL rapport came across the range and I snapped my head over to find another person with an M38! Except this guy was throwing fireballs that made mine look pitiful and sounded more mean than the M1A. I headed over to see what ammo he was using and chat the guy up. At one point he had a bad case of sticky bolt, so I pointed out that pulling back the cocking handle would help relieve some tension. This gave me a reason to be there, so I asked about his ammo. Sadly I can't find the brand he was using, but it's 182gr! By comparison, our Yugo surplus was like 148-ish? I gotta find some, 'cause it's powerful and range-safe. Was really cool to see another Mosin carbine user. Apparently he got his from Big 5 and says they show up every once and a while for $99 so I'll have to keep an eye out. Speaking of our ammo, Sensation! and I were doing HORRIBLE! The last time we were at this range, we were slapping that steel like... well you know, like something you slap! Our average was 3 out of 5 rounds on target, easily. This time we were lucky if we even got a single round on target, yet there was AM3 with the Kar98k averaging a cool 3.5 out of 5 rounds on target. We would stand there raging because we'd just barely miss the target then he'd take the gun and be like, "I dunno what you guys are talking about" while cylcing the bolt and nailing bullseyes. After some inquiry we realized--DERP--that we were both shooting high. Our ammo last time was heavy-ball Prvi Partizan. Our ammo this time was light-ball Yugo surplus. So Am3, having never fired the gun, adjusted for it and was doing great. Whereas we, who had fired it plenty of times before, were aiming the same way we always had and missing terribly. Hilariously, one of Sensation!'s best sessions was when practically the whole range aimed for the first steel plate, covering it in smoke. Unable to see he didn't bother aiming precisely and nailed the plate with 3 rounds in a row. I didn't even come close that whole night. As the time started to run out we realized that it was time to really get rid of our Mauser ammo. We had a hundred or so rounds to go through, so one person would fire the gun while another reloaded stripper clips (to make sure no foreign rounds ended up in the gun). Am3 spent most of the time on it, which meant I got to get a great video clip. I can't post it, but I can post screenshots from it as a teaser. We're still not sure how exactly this happened, but our theory is that either Am3's round hit another round at the same spot at the same time, or his round grazed one of the holes in the plate. Either way, the result was... well, this. http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/114/mattmauser1.jpg http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8173/mattmauser2.jpg http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/58/mattmauser3.jpg To say the Nazi RO was on us in an instant would be an understatement. He wanted to bust us so badly... but it was all Yugo surplus, all non-magnetic. There was just nothing to be done. Looked pretty cool though, whatever it was. In the end we did manage to get rid of all 300 rounds by the end of the night. The Kar98k was so hot afterwards that some of the wood finish had started to boil off. I originally thought it was cosmoline, but no... it was linseed oil. It took quite a while to cool down but it sure says something for reliability. It ate 300 rounds in one day with only minor problems related to the shoddy ammo. I love it. And now Am3pkcet loves it.  Great day, really. Lots of lessons learned, lots of fun times had. Now to get these rifles clean! See you later, IDW. |
| Posted by: chillined Aug 4 2011, 02:14 AM |
| Sounds like an absolute blast, loving that Prius by the way. |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 4 2011, 06:57 AM | ||
If you're loading quality .22 LR cartridges in, then it can have an effective range of 150 yards; Between an outdoor range and a serious case of pest control, the scope is still justified... Just because the .22 LR is a weak caliber compared to other calibers doesn't mean it's impractical... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 4 2011, 11:09 AM |
| Since I'm just on my lunch hour right now, I'll just post some brief edited photos and give more impressions later. I'll see what I can do with those video files, but since Don uses the tool of the Devil, and his iPhone records in the worst video format known to computer-kind (.mov), I don't know how well Premiere will handle it... :/            And lastly, the mailman was nice to me today:  Already had the scope (Leupold Mk AR 3-9x40mm mil dot), but I got the flip covers, Burris rings, and two 10/20 PMAGs for the AR that Don hates. Got a Ruger SR-556E on sale from Turners. A great piston driven AR at a very reasonable price (at least when on sale). Heard wonderful things from owners and reviewers, with the only real complaint being the mediocre trigger (something I can live with or easily fix). I pick it up on the 11th.  Image size reduced, original size: 825 x 216. http://ruger.com/products/sr556E/images/5912.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Aug 5 2011, 04:14 AM | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Funnily enough, the iPhone's MOV files aren't the ones that everyone is so used to and loathes so much. They're really just MP4s with a different file header. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if you could literally extract the raw h264 and aac streams and just remux them into an MP4 container with no problem. I agree that MOV is a crappy container, though. Anyway, since he gave me permission, here are the individual videos we took that day. Sure there were some more, but most of the videos I didn't upload were uninteresting duds. This is the good stuff.
Uhuhuhuhu... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 6 2011, 12:06 PM |
So it turns out when I bought my two cans of .308, only one of them was non-magnetic. That's why super RO Nazi took my ammo at Angeles. However, I found a good friend of mine who just so happened to buy a Remmington 700 VTR Tactical in .308 and has no problem shooting steel ammo. I figured he could take it off my hands no problem! This all came at great timing because a local gun mart has a big tent sale every now and then, and today happened to be one of those days. We settled on 80$ for the 185 rounds of .308, but he didn't have any cash on him to buy it right there, so I said to him, hey, take the .308 and buy me some .223 on sale. It happened to be a pretty good price on sale, as PMC .223 rounds going for 5.89 for a box of 20. Ended up with 18 boxes (360 rounds), since it was such a good price (cheaper than ordering online with shipping, as far as I could tell). I gave him about 25$ to make up the price difference for the extra boxes and called it even. Not too bad, I think! Now I have plenty to put through my new Ruger SR-556E when I pick it up next thursday! |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 9 2011, 08:30 PM |
| Uhhh....Garblegarble Dad took my brother and I out to the Bluegrass Indoor Range to shoot of some of our guns there; Rented two lanes for 30 minutes...My dad brought his Sig Mosquito and Marlin .30-30, my brother his Ruger .22 (And inadvertently his mom's .38 snub-nose revolver, neither which he got to shoot because the .22 still had the stupid childlock on it without the key and he had no ammo for the revolver), and me with my Panther Arms Mod. A-150... My dad didn't bring that much .22 LR ammo, so he got to shoot his Mosquito off for a bit, but I didn't get to shoot it at all because he burned through his ammo pretty quick between him and my brother...I got to shoot his Marlin .30-30 a bit, and damn, is that thing a cowboy rifle...The lever-action was smooth, the recoil was quite notable with 150gr., but the climb was surprisingly easy to control...The iron sights too, for a rifle like this, are very reflexive to use, because the front sight has a sort of "box" around the notch for quick acquisition with a green dot for the front sight; Something I wouldn't expect from an old lever-action (Though it's also not that old)...This is the kind of old gun I love, and would really want to own one for myself...   My rifle, though, was kind of surprising, and then again, not that surprising...The special forces-created proprietary 6.8x43mm SPC cartridge is actually a very intimidating round if you've ever see video of what it's capable of against a human target; Entry wounds have a small cavity the size of a 5.56mm but could have the exit wound of a 7.62mm with the back blown out...On the safer side of business, not so much, though...Being as big as the caliber is at 110gr., the AR-15's design that puts the recoil straight-back horizontal, allowing you to control the muzzle climb very easily, and it's good that there's really not much to it either...I got to stay on target shot after shot with very negligible amount of target reacquisition...If I had a recoil-reducing stock and a foregrip, I bet I could put rounds in a tighter grouping in much faster pacing without having to think about any of it; With an optical sight for quicker acquisition, I would feel murderous...  I wasn't taking myself too seriously for my first time shooting the rifle since I bought it back in February, so I was mainly using this time to adjust to what my rifle felt like; How it fired, how smooth it operated, what it's recoil and muzzle climb were like, what the shooter's ergonomics are, how easy are the handle top/A2 front iron sights to use, and so on...I wasn't really going for accuracy or precision (Especially since the rear iron sights were only set at the lowest elevation setting), I didn't shoot fast at all (Shoot, beat, shoot, beat, rinse and repeat), and I didn't send it back far at all (And after my dad shoot off about 5 very high rounds, with one of them maybe hitting the target cable, the only way I ever got my target back from 21 yards was by hand-reeling it back in)...But I got a good feel for it, and I put my rounds on all the right places...You know the old term of "smoking gun"? The AR-15 design is literally that, what with the gas-piston action practically smothering the gas tubing with heat and putting out a nice puff of smoke after just 10 rounds...Kinda makes you feel badass, though...  The only shot I had that was out of place was that shoulder shot, and that may or may not be my dad's...I know no more than 5 of them that are found at the very top are when my dad shot my rifle, the three that are off-target are definitely his'...I only bothered to hit the center of mass twice, when I was doing a once-over on the 2-chest/1-head drill, mainly aiming for the head...And that crotch shot? Deliberate; Though it looks like I hit the liver or kidney instead...He's still not recovering easy from that... You know what's funny, though? We came in with two 36" and 40" rifle cases, we made a whole shit-load of nice at the booth, my dad must have put no more than 15 rounds in about 10 minutes with his Marlin .30-30 while I put 50 rounds out with my Mod. A-150 in 30 minutes...According to the website, our calibers were within acceptable ranges for rifles, but all too late at the end of our rent, they came in and said that we couldn't shoot our rifles because they were too powerful for the backstop...Whuuuut?  Suffice to say, we still got away with it, and this range is still a good range, albeit without air conditioning and with rifle Nazis...Of course, with big-ass ear muffs, it's hard to understand what the f**k they were saying in the first place...f**kin' A! I brought about 4 cases, 80 rounds total and I shot off 50, so it was good enough for me...I mean, with all the signs there that we were shooting pretty big guns, why did it take them that long to figure out what we were shooting? While everyone there was putting out pistols that could like popguns compared to the loud report of an AR-15 or lever-action rifle, I wonder if the range owners were too distracted with other stuff or were slightly brain-dead for the day...Gunstop insurance, my ass; They allow bigger pistol rounds that put out more kinetic energy than most rifle rounds...Oh, and before that, we went to the local 111 Gun Shop here in Louisville...They've got a f**king SCAR-L copy chambered in .22 LR! I've never seen a .22 LR rifle look as cool as shit like that before...They had the GSG-5 .22 LR MP5-copy as well, both for $500...If I wasn't nearly as sensible on money, I would have left that shop with one of those charged on the card...They had a good stock of Mosin-Nagants that could be had for just a couple of dollars over $100 as well...Good cheap fun, and here in Kentucky, you could have to be a f**king clown jumping through hoops just for a firearm! f**k me, maybe next tax return year, I'll get them both! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 10 2011, 11:07 AM | ||
Is there a good used market in your area? Calguns (a California forum) has a HUGE buy/sell/trade section, and I see them often selling for 300-400 depending on condition/accessories. I picked up mine used for 400 cash with two mags and a cheap red dot optic (which actually works pretty well). I love mine, and it's a great plinker. 20$ for 550 rounds is nothin to shake a stick at! |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 10 2011, 06:48 PM | ||
I'm not sure, because I haven't really looked too much into it...I've only ever visited two local gun shops that I know of, though I've been meaning to register on this Kentucky firearms forum and ask around about alternative markets...There's a lot more in Kentucky than what can be found in Louisville, though at the same time, there's a gun show that comes around at least 3 times a year at the KY Fair & Expo Center that brings about hundreds of dealers that's essentially the flea market equivalent for firearms, and the bi-annual Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot also attracts tons of dealers as well, expected when it's revered nationwide... I'm looking forward to Knob Creek in October, so I can take the weekend off and score some deals... But I swear, man, when I saw that GSG-5, I totally thought of you...Seeing it in person made me realize just how awesome it really is, and it blows my mind that it's really chambered for .22 LR...It's cheap fun, and it looks cool as shit... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 10 2011, 07:56 PM |
| The action can get a little crunchy with time, and it will jam all the time (probably 1 in 30 rounds or so on average) which could be a combination of light loads and dirty gun. But for the most part, you could run a thousand or so rounds through it without much more than a bore snake every once in a while. I had no problem hitting that steel plate with the irons at 100 yds 8/10 or 8/9 times (1 jam lol). I took it fully apart and cleaned it proper about a week ago after shooting one more time after Angeles. It had a lot of buildup and looked like it had never been cleaned. I know I've put at least two bricks of 525 through it and the previous owner said "around 1000." I followed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VxOk74Q3oQ, but I think I missed a few spots because the action is still just a tad crunchy. But hell, as long as it shoots straight and loads the next round, I'm totally cool with it. I bought it as a complete "here, have fun" plinker for me and my friends, or when I want to blow off 10 rounds at full speed and still have 2" groups at 15 yds. It's a fun little workhorse that always gets used because it can shoot nearly two magazines for the price of a single .308 round. Super fun and super cheap (as far as firearms are concerned). If you have the cash, you should totally get one. Edit: Picked her up today Am going to try and take her out tomorrow. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 13 2011, 08:04 PM |
| 72 Hours is up! Ugh, I hate that restriction..... and it just ended about 10 minutes ago! Anyway! I wanted an AR platform gun, chambered in 5.56/.223 and was piston driven. Ideally I wanted a complete gun, too. IE not build one from parts. Even if it may be cheaper, it would only be marginally cheaper, and I personally didnt want the headaches and extra wait time. Saw the sale for the SR556E at Turners about two weeks ago and looked more into it. It seemed to have everything I wanted in a clean package and wasn't missing anything I really needed (This was the "stripped down" version compared to the regular SR-556 which differs by coming with nice iron sights, quad rail with hand guards, hogue grip, chromed bolt, and 3 mags instead of 1). Anyway, it got great reviews, owners loved em, reviewers loved em, and the price was right (and a good couple hundred less than any other piston AR I could find). I pulled the trigger and bought it.  Scope is a Leupold MK AR 3-9x40mm and its sitting on Burris extra tall 1" rings. Fast forward to 11 days later and I sighted it in yesterday using basic maths. I got pretty damn close after the first adjustment! The 1" box grid made a WORLD of difference (I just kind of eyeballed it with trial and error with my cheapo red dot on my other gun): Each box = 1" 1" at 25y = 4MOA One click on scope adjust knob = 1/2MOA 2 3/4" down and 2 1/2" left = 22 clicks up and 20 clicks right. Bull's eye. Had some fun with it afterwards, shooting both front rested and free standing at various speeds. It seems like it's still a hair low, but that could just be my point of aim for the head. This was a 25yd range and I think I'll wait till I get to a 100yd range before I do any other adjustments.  I'm debating on what I want to do with front hand guard; either get the Ruger hand guards, small plastic covers, or a super trendy kool-aid Magpul AFG. The front gets hot to the touch, even after only 40 or so rounds. Probably going to just go with the covers.  Image size reduced, original size: 825 x 195. http://ruger.com/products/sr556Standard/images/5913.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. ^With the covers.  ^AFG |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 19 2011, 08:50 PM |
You know... having cut back a lot on eating out, drinking, expensive movie outings, and other things, I seem to have way too much disposable income....  I picked up those handguards, which came in the other day. They were only 20$ from Ruger and they give a nice grip to the front and will keep my hands from burning. So far though, I think I like a mag well grip best. Also picked up a Magpul CTR stock to replace the GARBAGE spikey plastic, loose, flobbery, piece of junk it came with. In addition to being better made with a nice rubber butt place and better cheek weld, that secondary lever LOCKS the thing into place solid as a rock. Love it. I think this thing is pretty much good to go. I know the AR is the Barbie doll of guns, but I think I'm good on this one..... for now... The only other thing I could see myself getting is a different grip (that one is kind of thin) and possibly swapping out that ugly flash hider with a nice muzzle break. In other news..... I finally sold my camera and lens combo that I'd been trying to get rid of, which means a cool lump sum of money came my way. I paid off my AR with part of it and spent the rest (plus some additional cash) on a scope and mount for the M1A.  I went with the Leupold VX-R 3-9x40mm with the standard Duplex "Fire Dot" reticle, which has an illuminated red dot at the center. It's that visable in bright sunlight, but works wonders in shaded areas and when it's darker out (I'm seeing another trip to Angeles soon!). I was debating heavily between a 3-9 and a 4-12 and eventually settled on the 3-9 because I really didnt see myself shooting farther than 300 yards (and even that would be rare). The only ranges in San Diego go to either 25, 100, or 300 max, with the 300 being the farthest away. There are some other longer ranges farther away, but at that point, I might as well just drive up and meet N1 to go shooting up there. Plus, with a 25y range right by my house, 3x works perfectly.Anyway, the scope and accessories are in the mail now... Should be here by mid/late next week. Looking forward to it! |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Aug 20 2011, 02:47 PM |
| Went to the Costa Mesa gun show today and there was quite a bit of stuff there of interest. For one, we saw an incredibly rare Mosin Nagant there. Now you might be thinking, come on now N1, a rare Mosin Nagant? They made millions! How could that be. Well, friend, it's simple. This was a 1917, making it an M91, AKA a Dragoon. Now that in and of itself would be pretty unique, but this one was extra special. Its arsenal? Nope, not Tula. Not Izhevsk either. Remington. That's right, a Remington Arms M91 from 1917. Guy wanted $400 for it and I so wanted to justify that purchase but didn't. It was amazing. The same group has a bunch of other rare guns, mostly German weapons. Great stuff. There was a 1950 Russian SKS for $400 with all matching parts that was pretty cool. OC Armory was themselves selling a Yugo SKS for $350... which still had its integral grenade launcher and grenade launcher sight. How that's legal here in CA, I have no idea, but they were selling it. There were only two booths I spotted that had Browning Hi-Powers, and both wanted about $900 for one. Yearite. Sadly no one had any W. German P226s, P225s or Schofields. Which was okay, I left my HSC at home so I wouldn't have been able to purchase one anyway. Lots of people had P239s but they wanted a lot more money than a certain shop down in Laguna Niguel. I'll have to stop by there again sometime soon. There were some booths with things like M44s and M38s, but they wanted $200+ for 'em. Most places wanted at least $300 for a Mosin carbine, and over $400 for a Mauser. That's nutty. And yet again we ran into the whole "Here's this force-matched Mosin Sniper for $800!" problem. It at least helped my wallet though, since it meant I yet again ended up buying no guns. When it's easier to just get them online, there's no reason to be hassled by nutty booth prices. However, there were temptations. For instance, AM3, you're hilarious. At the gun show they had a DPMS Oracle (A renamed Panther for Cali compliance), full build, for $599 cash. It wasn't a person, it was an actual store that specialized in ARs. Sure, those sorts of places are a dime a dozen, but come on. Full build for $599. You paid how much, again? How much was it? Remind me. I don't remember. We went in for ammo, stripper clips and parts for the Mauser. We managed to be completely successful, and not only that, it was almost all at one booth! Remember that Mauser booth I reported about last gun show? They were back, and had everything we needed. Bulgarian Mosin Nagant stripper clips? Done. A complete Mauser K98 magazine assembly so we could fix ours? Yup, got that too. Yugo 7.62x54R? One of the last places around that carried it. The only thing we didn't get at that booth was 8mm ammo. That we got at a different booth, from a guy who loved my shirt. I wore a http://dvdforme.com/Jim/93218.jpg shirt and he wished he had some http://media.skateboard.com.au/forum/images/leninade1.gif to give me. Instead I bought a shitload of 8mm Yugo from him. So our grand total for the day? -300 Rounds Yugo 7.62x54R -6 Bulgarian Mosin Nagant Stripper Clips (they work!!!) -Mauser Magazine Assembly -576 Rounds Yugo 8mm Mauser (Late Manufacture Good Stuff!) Total Spent: $391 I think that was a successful trip. I only regret not being able to get more 7.62x54R Yugo. I know it's pretty much dried up and I've love a stockpile. Perhaps next time! For now, photos of the goods.   There's another show tomorrow... so maybe there'll be more to add. For now, I've got work. Sigh! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 20 2011, 04:27 PM | ||
Last I checked, that one's not piston driven. I personally like my high reliability, clean bolt carrier group, and keeping the heat at the front instead of in the action. Good luck finding a well-made piston AR under $1,300 (other than the one I bought at Turner's on sale for $1,099) By the way, if you head back there, wanna pick me up a can of .308 and call it even for ammo? IIRC, it was 89$ for 200 rounds of non-magnetic reloads. I'll buy lunch next time to make up the difference if you want Gimme a call if you're heading over. I'll be at work, but should be able to take the call. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Aug 20 2011, 10:16 PM |
| So I got word from Nomake about the SKS's so I decided to run down and check out what they had. Fred met up with me and we were running around looking for a decent SKS before the closed, we found a guy with a Yugo SKS with a for sale flag with the price of $400 with 200 rounds. so after walking at least a mile to get back to the guy's car he threw in a nice gun case and "200" rounds of ammo. I checked over the gun and paid him the money and I was on my way. After I got home I realized I had 21 boxes of 40 rounds each, the best part is all of the ammo is non magnetic and already on stripper clips.  Image size reduced, original size: 1600 x 1200. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Torrance-20110820-00019.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 21 2011, 10:26 AM |
| Wait.... that's nearly 1000 rounds... how do you mix that up!!! By the way.... who's up for another Angeles or Burro trip? |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Aug 21 2011, 10:59 PM |
I'm down, also today I picked up an sks 75 round drum mag "rebuild" kit and another 135 rounds to fill it with  Image size reduced, original size: 1600 x 1200. http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c255/sidewaysstarion/Torrance-20110821-00021.jpg to view the image in its original dimension. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Aug 22 2011, 10:45 AM | ||
Silly piston user, I laugh at your justification for spending twice as much for something with worse barrel harmonics. Then again it's your gun, so I suppose you can do with it what you like. Though I regret saying that sometimes, because certain people (COUGH COUGH SENSATION) take it a little too far and do silly things. For instance: I mean I know it works and all but... I mean... argh. Dammit Sensation! why couldn't you just put a long eye relief on it and call it a day. I ended up not going back to the show on Day 2 but I'll still see if I can find you a good bunch of ammo. I hear that there can be some good stuff had for very good prices so I'll ask around and try to get a little more bang-bang for your bucks. Oh, fun stuff. I got home from work the other night and Sensation! was playing around with the Mauser all giddy-like. He has apparently figured out the fool-proof way to load six rounds into the Kar98k without it jamming. I guess he got mad because he tried to do it at the range in the heat of the moment and failed, so he played around at home and figured it out. We'll definitely have to get a video of it, because the majority of people online either don't know about it or say that it's impossible. Those that do think it's possible either say it'll damage the extractor (it won't) or that it's too dangerous and will try to catch two rounds (it won't) or that the weapon must be broken (it isn't). TACTICAL RELOAD BOLT-ACTION! YEAH! Too bad you can't do it with the Mosins. Stupid rimmed cartridge.Also with the Mauser, it looks like I might be able to get another one sooner than I though. I'm thinking of building one rather than buying a whole rifle since it'll be cheaper and the parts are still available readily. That way I can have my own and won't have to share, fu fu fu. Very soon, I think. Very soon. As for Angeles or Burro, I'm itching to go back but thanks to Back-to-School I'm working every day except this Friday. Officially I'm working 11 days in a row but since I have one day off per week it's technically not a violation. Meh. I hope that other job gets back to me already, I'd love to just kinda... leave. Sigh. Anyway, more later. Back to sleep before work. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 22 2011, 11:22 AM |
| I'm free friday if you're up for it. According to UPS tracking, my M1A scope should be here Thursday |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 22 2011, 01:56 PM | ||
With a short-stroke gas piston, maintenance is necessitated less, upper receiver parts are put under less stress, the action runs cooler, and there's a smaller chance for fouling...Whether it's more reliable or not is debatable, since direct gas impingement with it's fewer moving parts has obviously worked for the US military and police and many other countries across the world for a half-century... But dammit, what I wouldn't give to have a Barrett REC7 or a Heckler & Koch HK416...  On the other hand, it just really isn't necessary...The 6.8mm SPC my DPMS Mod. A-150 itself is already a little unnecessary, even if awesome yet practical with incredible stopping power and defensive attributes...But really? How often would I have to shoot sustained fire in order to necessitate a piston rifle? You've got soldiers that go into battle with M4s under intense fire for hours and mags on end with little maintenance beforehand without any fouling, so direct gas impingement is good enough for a casual civilian like me where my rifle may or may not see any practical application anyway, and I have the time to sit down for maintenance one way or another... Oh, but to have a REC7 would give me great bragging rights! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 22 2011, 07:42 PM |
 Call me a sucker, but I like keeping gunk and heat out of my action. There's a little hair of muzzle climb, but nothing I can't control with a good grip. I plan on throwing a muzzle break on at some point, too (factory flash hider sucks and is ugly). N1, you've seen yourself how nice a good break is on a large caliber, piston-driven gun (M1A), so it should be great on a little 5.56 round. One way or another, I'm probably heading to a long range this Friday. If I dont meet up with you guys, I'll hit either P2K or South Bay Rod and Gun down here. I want to sight in the M1A and see what the Ruger does at distance. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Aug 23 2011, 12:33 AM | ||
Muzzle brake, since it's braking the muzzle. But yeah. Anyway, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but at the same time I'm not going to lie here--Sensation! and I are tempted to build ARs of our own just to see if we can manage to throw two together for $1100 combined. This Friday...hmm. My only issue, to be perfectly honest, is that it's expensive to go on any day that isn't Wednesday or Thursday. We could certainly do Burro if you want, but I'd need to find some range-safe targets I could shoot at since they don't have steel stuff out there and I don't feel like doing target shooting at Burro. For one, their target frames are crap. For another, if you don't rent a private range you have problems with other people shooting your targets. I really wanna check out Desert Marksman but it's a members-only thing. To be a member you have to of course pay dues (though that's pretty damn cheap considering member costs I've looked at at other ranges, it's $60 yearly plus an initial $40 administration fee). You also need to be a member of the NRA, so that's another $10. $110 for near-unlimited use of a 600-yard range that allows you to have any weapon and shoot any ammo but armor-piercing, tracer or incendiary? Did I mention they open at sunrise and close at midnight? I'm definitely going to be a member, but it's not going to happen soon. I think I'll wait until I have a few things in life squared away (like my living situation, for instance) before joining the NRA and being a member of a private range. I think my parents would be more understanding of my actions were I living on my own. I know they're not big on guns and I have a feeling they might not like me joining the NRA, but they do at least understand my hobbies and accept my desire to own and shoot guns for sport. I'd be up for driving down to one of your ranges on Friday. What's available near you? Anything with metal targets? Anything that closes late? Anything with range fees $10 or less? That sort of thing. I'm not familiar with anything but the ranges up here, so you'll have to help me out. Maybe we can work something out, since I seem to always force you to make the drive. It'd only be fair. |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 23 2011, 10:59 AM |
| Break, brake, blah blah. Anyway, I know OF places around here, but have never actually BEEN to any of them. I hear good things about P2K, which isn't terribly far, but their longest range is 100y and they charge by the hour. Without a membership, you're looking at $14 for first hour, $10 each additional hour. $10 for each additional shooter per lane. (Membership is $65 and reduces fees to $10 first hour, $6 each additional). I also hear good things about South Bay Rod & Gun, which is about an hour away. They have a couple ranges for pistols, shotguns, and rifles. Longest there is 300 yards. Fees are $75/year for membership (grants FREE shooting for a year), or $20 for a whole day (8am-4pm) and one free target. Depending on how things look, if we go here, I'll probably just drop a membership. I have no idea how their targets are setup, but as far as I know, neither of them shoot steel. There are a couple others north and east, but they're only open to public under certain times and circumstances. There's also random desert land out in the boonies you can drive to (a possibility), but that would be at least 2-3hrs driving, one way. And we would have to setup (and track distance) of all our own targets. There really isn't anything on par with the low costs up there, and I'm pretty sure no place has steel. Any of the other ranges are all ~25y indoor ranges. So you see why I go to American Shooting Center more often than not. Haha. Also, I had a late night impulse buy that I hope shows up in time. I saw some good prices on CheaperThanDirt.com and jumped on a bunch of nice ammo. Got 10 boxes of American Eagle 7.62x51 168gr (14.97/box) and 5 boxes of Federal Gold Metal Match .308 168gr (19.25/box). Those are cheaper than the prices I've seen at the last gun show (which, you would still have to pay tax on). Combine that with the shipping being cheaper than tax.... and oops: there goes a couple hundred bucks. I'm not going to blow through it like my reload ammo, but I will use it when I want to do actual target shooting (and sighting in the scope). It's going to help a lot with better consistancy and tighter groups. I'll still keep a can of that cheap stuff around for plinking and letting friends shoot   |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 27 2011, 12:13 PM | ||
| Well I guess I'll kick off my write up of yesterday. Let's just say first and foremost that Garmin nav units seem to have no issue getting you to whatever road you need to be on. However, once you are ON that road, the actual position of the address number may be spotty at best. Let's just say 3 miles down a terrifying dirt "road" leading us less than half a mile from the Mexican border, only to be turned around by a locked gate saying "OMG U CANT GO HERE" was not our intention of the day. Had we just turned at the "Gun Range Thataway!" sign, we could have saved Don's nerves (and suspension!). Here's a http://g.co/maps/d6p3 showing the gun range (A) and about where we hit the gate and had to turn around (B). That line at the bottom is Mexico.... o_O Anyway, to begin with, I impulsively bought a scope and mount for my M1A earlier this week, and it came in the mail thursday night. Spent some time mounting and eyeballing a zero (can still use iron sights, and used that to estimate zero). Though I found that I needed to nearly max out the Right and Down adjustments. I took the scope off and noticed the mount was slightly off center. Was kind of MEH about it, but it was too late to do anything about it at the time. I would see Friday how it would work out.  IMO, it did not work out well. It was getting only decent groups at 50yds, downhill, at an angle. At 100y, it was consistantly off target and compensating was difficult. I was just not having a good day with this at all, which is both disappointing because of the money spent on the scope, but also a relief that I didn't waste all my expensive ammo (we'll get to that later). I'm going to take it to a gunsmith, who is a friend of a friend, and have them look at the mount. I'm pretty sure I did everything properly (even took it off and re started from scratch with same results; even with the locking nut in the correct position). It may just be that my reciever is slightly off from standard USGI. These are the headaches that kept me from wanting to get a scope for the M1A in the first place, and I kind of regret getting it now. Depending on what the gunsmith says, I may end up selling it or trading it for a nice dot optic for the forward Scout rails like I wanted to do in the first place but thought was a waste of money. /shrugs.  My Ruger AR was the star of the show, IMO. At least for me. after an initial loose group, I re adjusted the scope and ended up perfectly on target. Was getting nice (relatively) tight groups for many rounds. Best of the day was a single shot headshot bull's eye that I didn't want to ruin with follow up shots (was the first shot of that mag). I shot mostly from a bag rest in the front, free holding in the back. I had a few free standing shots too, with good results, IMO. Groups were much wider, but I landed all 10 shots on center mass at 100y. They may not all be in a 2-3" group, but the guy's definitely going down! I absolutely love this gun.  Shooting Don's 98k and Mosins only confirmed how much I don't like Mosins and how much I DO like Mausers. :P I'll get one some day... All in all, I liked this range. Very chill staff and they are friendly with just about any ammo you can bring (including steel). I only wish they had steel targets to hit because paper led to much confusion later in the day. One other guy had the right idea though. He had like 20 small targets stapled up to each target holder. I think I'll give the range one more shot before committing to a membership. But the biggest reason I didn't get one right there ($75/yr, unlimited access) is they preferred cash and I didn't have it on me. Had dinner at Fridays afterwards and they had some of the best potstickers I've ever had outside of an authentic place. Whoda thunk they'd be amazing at Fridays??  Got home to see Fedex finally dropped off my prize box full of ammo. Kind of a disappointing sight though, given the current state of my scoped M1A. Hopefully it'll turn into a happy ending though; either with a proper scope mount or a swapped red dot. Also in the shipping box (but unpictured here) was another 100 rds of American Eagle .223 ammo. Was only $30. Not too bad. Oh! I forgot to add as we were leaving we had to go through a border patrol checkpoint, which went like this:
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| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 29 2011, 06:54 PM |
Preliminary product review!  Finally got to install my Magpul MOE handguard and AFG2 on my DPMS Mod. A-150 over the weekend...Personally, I should be kicking myself in the ass for not buying this at the 111 Gun Shop prior to the range shooting last month; The combination of the two is one step towards AR-15 shooter's orgasm...I love the word "ergonomics" because I like things that "work" efficiently...But it's a theory-based product; It's not plug-and-play, so you have to change your mindset for it to work the way it should, but once you get it in theory, you get it... Just getting a feel for it, the AFG2 allows for a more natural handle over the barrel than otherwise if you were to hold it horizontally without a foregrip (Bends the wrist too far forward for comfort), and also reducing the fatigue found from a vertical foregrip (Muscles are worked more often than necessary)...The point being is that it allows your grip to control muzzle rise more effectively by allowing you to put more of your hand above the centerline of the barrel, thus allowing you not only better shooting comfort, but also more controlled follow-up shots...The MOE handguard also helps with this, because it has an angle to the guard that fits the natural profile of the human palm...I'd love to test this out with my 115gr 6.8mm rifle... The AFG2 in particular over the original AFG is that it's smaller, thinner, and has a lower width profile allowing it to be compatible with a larger range of rail systems, which personally works for me because my hands aren't that big anyway...It's made of lightweight polymer so it doesn't add much of a weight to the rifle and still feels solid in construction... The MOE handguard is also a great piece of upgrade for any AR-15...This too is made of polymer so it's also lightweight, maybe an ounce or two less than the standard handguard found on your typical AR-15...But the great thing about it is that the lower-half of the guard has a metal heat shield on it, which is not only how it securely attaches to the barrel, but also provides a good measure of heat protection from the barrel on the handguard (The dissection of a standard handguard is pretty much a grid of plastic)...Like I previously said, it has an angle to it's design, so whether or not you use an AFG with it, it allows for a more natural handle on the barrel of the rifle...It attaches to the rifle solid too; There is absolutely no play when you have it installed...I've seen people on the internet complain about how loose it feels, which tells me one of two things happened; Either their delta rings are f**ked up or the were doing something wrong (And if you're ever doing anything with an AR-15 that involves you having to pull back on the delta rings, do yourself a favor and buy a handguard removal tool; It will save your life)...It also has rail slots at 10, 2, and 6 o'clock positions to attach Magpul's polymer rails to and they range in size from 2.5, 3.25, 4, and 5 inches, so you have a good variety of attachment options without having to go with a full-metal quad-RIS barrel shroud to put something on it...The guard also extends slightly over the front barrel ring to provide a little extra protection against accidental burn from the gas block... Aesthetically? It looks badass...The MOE handguard is based off the handguard design used with the Magpul Masada ACR so it's incredibly tacticool and streamlined for good taste that really sets the AR-15 design off, especially since it's an uncommon sight from the set familiarity of the quad-rail look...The AFG2 is very low profile too, so it doesn't intrude too far from the barrel like a vertical grip would...I like how Magpul offers their products in a wide variety of color choices so you can have insta-camo to plug and play with; Flat dark earth is certainly not appropriate in a green Kentucky, but as a military enthusiast of desert warfare, it's fun to play with the topic...And you're right, am3; The black AFG2 with the dark earth MOE guard plays a nice contrast and will still fit my dark earth/flat black theme I'm going with in my rifle... The AFG2 was only $42, the MOE hand guard $32, so they're affordable upgrades to any AR-15 that both look good and are really helpful; Takes mere minutes to install... I just placed an order for the MOE grip and CTR stock, both in flat dark earth, from OPSGEAR over the weekend...I should expect the grip soon, but the stock (in flat dark earth, commercial-spec, of course) is on backorder...I really, really can't wait for either to ship... And then once that happens, I really, really can't wait to shoot it again...Although if I get a sound suppressor for it, I can go out to the woods and shoot it whenever the hell I want to; Thank you, KY!By the way, am3; How much did that Leupold scope cost you? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 29 2011, 08:31 PM | ||
| Which one? The excellent mk AR or the waste of money VX-R? Mk AR was about $360 out the door with tax at my local Turners after a mild discount for buying the gun there too. I love it and it's a really great scope, especially with mil dot reticle. I don't even wanna talk about the other though.... Unless you're interested in buying it! The mk AR is great though, and 3-9 is perfect for 200y and under. If you plan on shooting any farther, consider at least a 4-12x. I think I'll try and capitalize on the magpul sale that's still going on at Turners and get a replacement grip. The one it comes with is really thin and not very comfortable. If the magpul one isn't as good, I might go for a Hogue or see whatever else they have in stock. There's nothing really wrong with the factory grip (which looks the same as your stock one) it's just.... meh. Not comfortable. The wonders of ARs though. The Honda Civic of guns. Edit: btw, found something for you, Don:
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| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Aug 30 2011, 01:00 PM | ||
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with it, but it also could be better...The Magpul grip has more of a textured surface around it, and with my hands, I need that extra grip...Plus I appreciate it's aesthetics...And it has a really cool miniature storage container inside of the grip...And I hate the finger indentation on the stock grip... ...which reminds me, I need to switch my AFG2 out to a flat surface and get rid of that damned indentation insert... Damn, I'm not satisfied with stock, am I? |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Aug 31 2011, 09:51 PM |
| Just placed an order myself for some Magpul Kool Aid from http://www.riflegear.com/default.aspx. Turners didn't have any good Magpul stuff in stock (which is all 10% off right now), but it was on sale at Rifle Gear too! Picked up MIAD grip (Black), AFG2 (Black, style-biting ), and a 10/30 PMAG (Black) to go with the two 10/20 PMAGs I already have. Right now, a mag well grip is really the only way I can comfortably hold it; anything else feels too loose and unstable. Perhaps a standard VG would be fine, but I figure'd for 30$ I can give this a try!   Also picked up a small rail from Ruger for the under side to mount the AFG on since the SR-556E does not come with side or under rails from the factory; only the flat top rail.  Also, got some (hopefully) good news about the M1A. My buddy couldn't get his gunsmith to look/work at the mount for anything less than an arm an a leg, so I'm just going to get rid of the mount. I already came to grips with the fact it was a poor, hasty, late-night, impulse buy that I just had to buy right now or I wouldn't have gotten it by that Friday. I shouldn't have done it, and the EXACT thing I thought would go wrong, did. I'm pretty much done with the idea of a scope on my M1A (maybe if I ever get another, but not this one). It shoots wonderfully with iron sights and a dot, so I'm going to stick with that. Eventually, I'll probably get a Remington 700, or some other bolt in .308 to share ammo with, and that will be my long-range paper-puncher.  Considering I can't return the scope to MidwayUSA because it had been mounted and used on a rifle, private party is kind of all I got. Long story short, I found a guy on Calguns who is interested in a possible trade for his Aimpoint CompM4 red dot sight. He was asking $550 for a moderately used CompM4 and I offered a trade for my scope set (mount + rings + scope) for his Aimpoint + $100 cash. I'd still be losing about $100 if you factor in shipping, but it's not a bad deal as I wanted to get an Aimpoint from the beginning anyway, and new ones are $700+. I've heard numerous happy owners of M1As (Scout and SOCOM) who swear by 2MOA dots on their guns. With my eyesight, I should be good out to at least 400yds for consistancy at banging steel targets. If he backs out though, I'll just try to sell the set for cash and maaayybbee put that cash towards another gun. If I can't find a good deal on a .308 Rem 700, I maaayyy have Don find me a nice Kar98k. |
| Posted by: HorizontalMitsubishi Sep 2 2011, 04:47 AM |
| I have 1260 rounds of range safe ammo showing up for my sks and we can put my 80 round drum mag to work at the range. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Sep 2 2011, 07:25 AM | ||||||||||||||||||
You have three options. One, there's an M98k on SamcoGlobal which is a Czech-made Kar98k with a winter-use trigger guard. This means the trigger guard is flared out in the front to accomodate gloved fingers. It's $230. It's also late-manufacture so it has all the typical cost- and time-cutting shortcuts like no spot in the stock for a bolt tool, stamped-metal parts, etc. The overall gun condition will be really good, but the blueing may or may not still be on all the parts (the bolt especially). Or, you could get an actual Nazi (not a Russian Capture, not a Czech late-war) Kar98k. These run $290. They no beauty contest winners but they're great shooters and have a good chance of being matching parts (since they're not refurbs). The only real problem with going this route is that they're out of stock more often than they're in. Right now they're back in stock but it won't stay that way. If you want one, let me know ASAP. Otherwise you'll be in for a wait. Last wait was over a month. The last option is to build your own. Barreled action (everything except the stock and stock parts) is 210. The stock with all necessary stock parts is 110. The nice thing here is that the quality of all the parts is excellent, and all the blueing will be intact. You can also choose straight/bent bolt as well as flat/cupped buttplate. Now then, I believe the range report is well overdue. Am3 covered most of it, though, so I won't go too far in depth and instead will pretty much just skip to the few photos and videos we had.  The bullseye, sadly, was me using Matt's M1A. His scope may not have been attached properly but it shot pretty well... if you were aiming down and to the right. I had the scope on center, pulled the trigger and bam, first shot bullseye. It made me really want an M1A even more. I'm going to probably end up getting a FAL instead, though. Judging by the angles, the bottom-left two holes were also the M1A. Apparently a repeat bullseye just wasn't in the cards. As for the rest of the holes on that paper, those were the 98k. The photo only has one target on it, while the paper had three. The other two targets had so many holes on them that I figured a photo would be boring since it was hard to tell one shot from another.  Sensation! wanted me to take a photo of him with the AR, so I took a photo of him with the AR. Also, Am3pkcet's buddy loved my 91/30 for some reason. Not that I mind, because I love my Mosins too... but I have a feeling that had he not forgotten the bolt for his Remington 700 at home, he wouldn't have liked my 91/30 as much. Now, on to the videos!
And now, videos of stripper clips that work and tactical reloads!
Also I've placed an order for something expensive... so we'll see how that goes. More news as I get it... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Sep 2 2011, 09:02 AM | ||
Check out at 26 seconds when I knock down my ammo can handle with the whoosh of a shell casing :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9UT3yqXS0c&t=0m26s I'll let you know on the Kar, but I'm not going to do anything until I can get rid of this scope and get some cash. |
| Posted by: SpaceCowboy Sep 2 2011, 05:02 PM |
| Been a while since I've been on this board, but I contribute to this thread. In 15 days or so, I'll have a off-roster handgun. No rifle... yet, but I'd be down to go to a place with a handgun range sometime. >:D |
| Posted by: Bubs Sep 2 2011, 06:03 PM |
I have had my concealed permit since I was 18, and have an Astra A-100 "Panther". |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Sep 2 2011, 06:07 PM | ||
What gun? I have an off-roster Springfield XDM 9mm that I absolutely love. Had to trade away my Sig P226 to get it. |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Sep 3 2011, 04:29 AM | ||
I'm jealous! Also, wow, that looks kinda like a Sig of some kind. Which my friend tells me is because it's a clone of the P220. Nice! @SpaceCowboy: Well, I won't be hitting up the range for another two weeks or so, but keep in touch and post your stuff when you get it! I'm planning on going to Angeles again, which in addition to having 100yd steel plates also has a steel pistol gallery. The more the merrier! |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Sep 4 2011, 05:58 PM |
| Headed back to South Bay Rod and Gun club today with Conrad (who had the bolt-less Remington 700 VTR last time). The main reasons were two-fold: we both wanted to finally take out the 700, and we both wanted to get memberships. 75$ for a year of free shooting? I wish I had the cash on me last time... Anyway... main range was occupied by a cowboy lever action event, so we spent our time on the 100y range (though, they put a big pile of dirt blocking about halfway limiting it to 50y). They didn't say if this was temporary or whatever, but we didn't ask questions, we just wanted to shoot. AR performed wonderfully again, still getting consistant groups, and hitting on target as long as you hold over the first dot underneath the crosshair center (mil dot ftw!). It's almost boringly accurate and reliable Ruger has not shipped my my rail addition yet (will call them tuesday if it's not here by then), which means I can't mount the AFG. Fired a mixture of bag-rested, free sitting, and free standing. Free holding could definitely benefit from AFG. I'm going to try tonight to see if this QD stud from the Archangel stock will plug into one of the screw holes in the ruger handguard. Maybe that will save me from having to choose between AFG/bipod (only got a small rail piece) by giving me the option for both.M1A is back in it's factory form with the original synthetic stock and iron sights. Irons were not calibrated and were shooting high, but was pretty consistant the whole time. Still getting good groups, and it's definitely a different beast shooting free standing in a standard stock. Makes me want to buy another M1A.... Keep one in my Archangel (or go balls-deep on a JAE) stock with a dot or scope, keep the other in a nice walnut stock and national match iron sights. Seriously love this gun way too much. Friend's R700 was a pleasure to shoot. Scope needed to be zero'd, which I made a simple attempt at. But between the cheap ammo we were using, the moderate winds, the grid-less targets, and lack of bipod (has QD studs which tore up my rest bag), results were close, but not pinpoint. Without a reliable zero, I couldn't bring myself to use the expensive ammo. So we burned through the rest of his steel core reloads and shot for the fun of it. I managed to slowly creep my way into the black circles, where I stayed pretty consistantly after tweaking the knobs. I was only messing with his windage because I didn't want to zero his elevation at 50y; save that for the next time we hit the main range. The 700 VTR has a triangular barrel and integrated brake on the front. It shot with considerably more kick than the M1A (also could be because it weighs half as much), but does not kick as hard as Don's WWII beauties. The muzzle still jumped a bit, but it could be because my shoulder was knocked back more than I was used to with any of mine. It's definitely a different beast from what I'm used to (lightweight AND powerful round), so it took some getting used to, but after a while I was able to group ~1" for 4 shots (internal magazine max) at 50y. Granted the group was about 6" away from the bull's eye..... it's still good for consistancy! I think for now I'll just shoot his and save the rest of my money for the guns I already have.... building up multiple guns has been killing me, and adding another would only make it worse! Didn't really snap any pictures other than my setup of toys:  |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Sep 4 2011, 06:44 PM |
Muh-muh-muh-muh-moar Magpul MOE product reviews! CTR is sadly still on backorder from OPSGEAR, but at least my grip finally came in the mail, and I also bought the trigger guard from the 111 Gun Shop as well...My rifle's finally coming together! And it all feels good... First up, the grip...It's just the basic drop-in replacement MOE grip, so there's really nothing special to it, other than it really is better than the stop grip...Most nifty thing is the little compartment cover on the bottom of the grip (Which is also kind of hard to get off, sometimes) that allows you to turn the hollow part of the grip into a mini storage compartment for any small item up to and including one last bullet for your final stand in the zombie apocalypse...But the ergonomics for the grip is what's great about it...The actual texture of the grip is both on the front, back, and side giving you more to grip on when holding it, with the indentations on the front and side that prevents your hand from slipping up and down (Which is a little thing, but can also matter very much)...It's also raised a bit right where you would place your thump and trigger finger at, giving you more stability control with your shooting hand and contouring more to the fit of your palm, and the grip itself also extends further into the back curve of the lower receiver up to the stock tube...Both of these things help you actually hold the grip at the grip; Your fingers are elevated down so your thumb isn't bumping into the fire selector and your trigger finger is actually in line with the trigger itself...Bottom line: It just works better... And then there's the trigger guard...What it does is that the curve at the bottom allows for more room inside the trigger for when you're wearing gloves; Which is nothing you can't deal with on the stock trigger guard by depressing the front pin to swivel it down parallel to the grip, but the Magpul trigger guard also fills in the gap just above the "ears" where the pins are, so the entirety of the guard is flush with itself...And that's it! But it's a cheap accessory that's good for people who either wear shooter's gloves or would otherwise want to shoot in cold weather conditions (And would have to wear gloves anyway, of course), and since I got mine in flat dark earth, it's another addition to my color theme that I'm working on...It just looks nice and "finished" in coordination with the other Magpul accessories I already have mounted on it... But I'd like to just say for the record that getting the stock trigger guard out is a b*tch, and getting the Magpul trigger guard guard in was a little difficult too...And I don't mean to say gunsmith expertise is needed for the install, but you really need to be careful with this install...  This is what drove my paranoia fuel to make sure I didn't f**k up something that would have been otherwise just normally easy...Whether tapping the pin out with a proper 1/8" punch (Any improv tools just didn't give me the area pressure I needed) or tapping it back in with the hammer itself, make sure that the "ears" of the lower receiver where the rear pin goes are firmly supported on a hard surface, so that it doesn't break off from either too much force or misalignment...What NO ONE on the internet seems to want to tell anyone either that could save a lot of trouble and prevent a lot of unnecessary damage is that on the trigger guard pin (There's a new pin that comes with the Magpul trigger guard; use that and don't reuse the old one, especially if you pry it out the rest of the way with pliers) there are two sides to it; One that has a slight cone end to it, and another that has a "mushroom" end to it...MUSHROOM END GOES IN FIRST! I thought it was the cone end that goes in first, so that it can go in easy, but it doesn't go in easy and it will end up going in crooked, and if you keep tapping it in crooked without straightening it, then that's what will break the ears off...The mushroom head actually keeps it flush and straight when you get the first few taps in, and then after that, it goes in easy without pain...Thankfully, I don't plan on taking this trigger guard back out, though I also know what to do should I have to install one again on another rifle...Thankfully, I also studied the old pin before trying to hammer the shit out of the pin which would have led to another statistic in AR-15 trigger guard despair... And here people were complaining about DPMS lower receivers not being to spec which led to the ears breaking off...NO, YOU'RE JUST DOING IT WRONG, YOU f**k-UPS! Whelp...It looks good, and nothing's broken, so I'm pleased... Funny thing, though...There were a couple guys at the 111 Gun Shop that were all buying Mosin-Nagants and other old bolt rifles when I was waiting to get checked out, and here I was buying a small gun part; I mentioned that to the guy that rang me up too... |
| Posted by: am3pkcet Sep 14 2011, 06:02 PM |
After a very lackluster response to my For Sale ad on Calguns for the M1A mount and Leupold scope, I decided to give it another go and fiddle with it myself. After playing a bit with the locking nut and observing how it affects the angle of the mount, I think I got it locked on a pretty centered spot. I finally had a chance to take it out today to zero it in (at least for 25 yds) with some interesting, and very different results compared to a few weeks ago: VERY pleased with this.... It may only be about two and a half MOA, but that's also with the back of the gun free floating. There's a bag rest on the front, but the lanes here are not designed for sitting (and there is only ONE stool to share between 14 lanes). There is no place to rest your shooting arm's elbow, which means the stablization and weight is literally a burden on your shoulder ( ).I will be heading out to South Bay on Friday to see if it can hold it at 100 and maybe 200 yds... Should be interesting to see..... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Sep 15 2011, 09:42 PM | ||
| Well AM3 all I can hope is that your newly-adjusted mount solved the issues we were having with it before at South Bay, namely the magazine being difficult to insert and casings failing to eject. If those problems are fixed I'm sure the rest will be cake. And speaking of cake, man have I wanted to post this for a while but I was saving it until I had a range report behind it. It didn't go exactly as planned and I forgot to take some video, but here's the latest Curio & Relic deliciousness from my neck of the woods! Back on Tuesday I awoke to the UPS man somewhat mad (lol u mad?) that he had to lug two massively heavy boxes to my door. 45 pounds' worth of DELICIOUS MOSIN NAGANT. Damn right. I ended up trading two of the three off to SidewaysStarion, and kept the third for myself. Of course the first stop for any curio & relic firearms is our helpful restoration specialist Sensation! who was more than happy to refresh the beauties. Here's a shot of the current collection:  The one on the far left and the three on the far right are mine. The rest are SidewaysStarion's, including that sexy-ass SKS. I didn't think I'd like the SKS much to be honest, but I had to give it props for simplicity. You can disassemble, clean and reassemble it without tools. Even the glorious Mosin requires a flat-head screwdriver at least. The SKS? Nothing. Amazing. Now, we're a couple of WILD AND CRAZY GUYS so this was the next logical photo to take:  WHY CAN'T SENSATION! HOLD ALL THESE RIFLES!? Now, you may notice from that photo that there's a rather different-looking Mosin Nagant in there. It has some things the rest of mine don't. And that's why I kept it. All right, all right, enough suspense. Here's a beauty shot from after Sensation! got done stripping and oiling it.  SO WHAT IS IT LIKE TO FIRE REAL MOSIN NAGANT SNIPER RIFLE?  "Well... it was basically like firing a Mosin Nagant. With a better bolt. And a scope." Okay, okay, okay. So I didn't spend $800 on a real Mosin Nagant sniper rifle, I spent half that on a Mosin Nagant that had been turned into one. Difference being that real ones were hand-picked during the war, scopes were matched and bolts were made right then and there. Fakes are hand-picked by Century Arms (..lol), scopes are mounted, and a bent bolt handle is welded on (not as pretty as a real one). You'd never know unless you knew what you were looking at, however. Or if you knew that real sniper rifles started in 1942 and mine's a 1938. LOL. So the idea was that this morning we'd go and sight in the sniper rifle at Angeles. I don't have any nights off all week, so Thursday morning is the least expensive option. It ended up working out perfectly because it wasn't busy at all (at least in the high-power rifle section) and the weather was perfect. Not windy, not hot, not humid... just perfect for shooting. Loved it. We brought along the sniper, the Kar98k (so Fred could match any shots I made with the sniper... on ironsights) and the SKS. We also brought my friend's girlfriend along, who had never fired a gun before in her life. She didn't care for the Kar98k (it was a little big for her) but loved the SKS. Heck, she even slapped the steel target just fine with it, which was awesome. I felt bad that we didn't have something a little lighter for her to mess around with (like AM3's GSG-5) but she had fun. Of course it wasn't all fun and games... we needed to get this Mosin set up. There's good and bad to this. The good news is that unlike most force-snipers, ours requires no grinding or shimming of the scope mount, which is SPECTACULAR. It means that we could get the scope zeroed with a proper sight picture without whipping out a grinder or cutting up beer cans. Very very awesome. I think that alone makes it worth the hand-pick fee, personally. The bad is that to counter any possible rust issues (it's the most expensive rifle we have so far and is one we'd prefer to keep in perfect shape) the entire weapon was thoroughly oiled... which resulted in the screws in the scope mount working loose every two shots or so. This is a problem even on a stock Mosin sniper, so it was worse on our well-oiled machine. When the screws are all tight you line up the three-post sight, pull the trigger and whatever you aimed at becomes dead. After a shot or two, that ceases to be the case and it's time to bust out the screwdriver again. Next up for the sniper will be blue lock-tite for all the mounting screws to keep them from working loose when firing and a clear-coat finish to protect the wood. Thankfully the actual windage/elevation knobs stayed in place just fine while firing and have been zeroed-in properly. Sensation! is a god when it comes to sighting scopes so he had it done within the first magazine. Bravo, sir. So here's some more beauty shots, this time at the range.   And here's Sensation! practicing double-taps with the SKS.  The SKS we had because SidewaysStarion remembered I hadn't had a chance to use it and wanted to prove that it was worth getting one. I must admit, after firing it, that it's quite nice. Hardly any recoil, looks pretty cool (more original-looking than an AK, that's for sure), loads easily via stripper clips, and was plinking the steel no problem. It had a few "screw on the mount working loose" things happen, but nothing more blue lock-tite can't fix! Dead-on accurate at 100yds and at 17 cents per round it's cheap to shoot, too. I might have to get one for myself. Dang you, SidewaysStarion! Meanwhile Sensation! was also rocking face with the Mauser, which you may notice in the above images now has a proper sling, cleaning rod and sight hood. The sling is great for getting a solid shooting stance, the sight hood is great for eliminating tunnel vision on target, and the cleaning rod... well you know what that's good for. Sensation! nailed a 5/6 on the steel and was averaging 4/5 the rest of the time. He could basically just pick up the Mauser cold, take aim, and be sure he was going to hit some steel. That is because the Mauser, frankly, cheats. No rifle should be that accurate on ironsights. Now for the very fun part of the range report... screwing with the ROs. Yes, this is now our official past-time at Angeles, because we don't like some of the ROs there. The young jerk guy who we don't like was there, and as soon as he saw us he had one of his coworkers run over and check our ammo. Of course, all of our ammo (7.62x54R, 8x57 and 7.62x39) was Yugo surplus and therefore non-magnetic. Score one for us and being prepared. So we're firing, having a blast, chatting it up with another Mosin guy who stopped by to ask about the sniper rifle and talk about a problem he'd been having with his... and then Sensation! thinks that while practicing double-taps with the SKS he's knocked a piece out of the steel target. I look, and while there is a little piece missing in the upper-left I didn't know if it was there to begin with or not. We figure meh, wait for the line to go cold, then run out to inspect. As I'm checking the target, I notice what looks like a crack on the back of the target. This gets me thinking... if the target isn't sound on the back, chances are it's not sound on the front either. So maybe a few more shots and this thing is dead. On the way back to our bench I make a friendly gamble with Sensation! about who can destroy this thing first. He can use the SKS, I use the sniper, but he has to let me load my magazine first. Okay, deal. Line goes hot. Bolts fly forward to chamber the first round. The SKS goes 'click' as the surplus ammo fails to fire. I line my sight up dead center, pull the trigger... BAM! The target splinters to pieces and hits the ground. One shot, one kill. We use the rest of that hot range to plink what little is left of that target and occasionally fire across the range to the remaining two steel targets. LOLS. Line goes cold, I go over to one of the ROs. Conversation went a little something like this. N1: Hey there, are there any more steel target plates?  RO: (Looking at me, not the range) No, it's just those three. N1: Uh, because I think that one on the left is dead. RO: (Gives odd look) Huh? (Cranes neck around and spots the obliterated target) Holy shit! What the hell did you guys do!?  N1: RO: Dude, I've been here a while and I've never seen that happen. N1: Yeah, I've been here like five times and it's never been a problem. RO: I've been here four years, man. He and I start laughing as we walk out onto the range and inspect the damage. Here's a photo, taken by Sensation!  When we walked back the RO took the pieces and walked off to show his coworkers our handiwork. A guy came over and slapped me on the back, proceeding to shout "Komissar! Lots of Vodka and dry-firing!" Apparently we became mini-legends among the high-power rifle guys there for destroying the target with our Russian (okay, the SKS is Yugoslavian but it's a Russian design!) weaponry. And you know, me with my Ushanka on. Of course, all that popularity meant that the nazi RO detected a threat to his socialist empire from communist regimes and immediately proceeded to check and re-check all of our ammo, because he swore that we must be using steel-core surplus. The fact that none of our ammunition whatsoever stuck to a magnet just made it more awesome. Sorry bro, only Yugo lead-core here! It was hilarious, and we had a great time. Hopefully next time our fixes will be all set and we'll be able to get full magazines' worth of rounds on-target with the sniper. Until then, here's a video where I pretend to be more awesome than I am, get dissed repeatedly by Sensation! for doing so, and proceed to miss the last three shots I make. Enjoy!
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| Posted by: am3pkcet Sep 16 2011, 09:35 PM |
Well I found out two main things about today: my scope mount works perfectly now, and can seem to hold zero for at least 60 rounds. But also, a 3x9 scope is pretty underpowered for anything longer than 100 yards, at least for a reasonable sight picture. So I go with my buddies Conrad and Mackey to South Bay Rod and Gun Club. Luckilly, we get there right at a cease fire and jump on the range to put out targets out. Some guys leaving give us their bearly used targets and we set up two at 50y and three at 100y.  Part of the occasion was my scope testing, but the other was to take out my friend's brand new S&W M&P15 Sport AR. Love it. It's super lightweight compared to mine. Very fun to shoot, even with iron sights. He already swapped out the handguard and grip for OD Magpul stuff and has an OD 10/30 PMAG. He's gonna buy an OD stock as soon as he can afford it  (100 yds, sighting in scope) I sight in the M1A scope after a preliminary sight at 25y, and it's actually pretty close. Click it up a couple notches and boom. Groups are so-so, but it could be a combination of my poor technique and the M1A being more-or-less a 2-3MOA gun out of the box (unless you get the National Match model). So I was pretty pleased with what I was getting.  Now, when I took it out to 200 after the first cease fire, I was VERY happy. You can see how far away it was (the three verticle black circles under the 12 mark way far out there). I took a bit more time between each shot and landed all but 2 in the black (with one sneaking into the bull's eye!). I totally flaked and didn't get shots of the full thing, but I tore off and kept the bottom one. Top one was off target because I forgot to adjust the scope; it was grouping about 4" low. Middle one was a mediocre group from the 556 AR. 3-9x is very limiting at this distance. I have pretty good eyesight, but even then the target is veeeery small. I am still totally able to hit the target, I guess I just got spoiled being able to see my impact holes at 100yds without needing a spotting scope.  In other news, I will never buy Remington .223 ammo from Walmart ever again. Not that I would at the moment anyway, since I just bought 1000 rounds of American Eagle AR 5.56 NATO. But more so because of the odd jam I had below. Now, when it jammed, I thought awwwww my first jam! I looked at it and it seemed like I accidentally loaded an empty brass case and that's why it didn't feed. But as it turns out it PUSHED THE BULLET INSIDE! EEK! Luckilly no other malfunctions for the day.   F'n congrats on breaking the plates! I really wanna try out your sniper Mosin! Loctite will work wonders for sure... good luck with that Vasilli! |
| Posted by: MidnightViper88 Sep 18 2011, 07:09 PM |
 All of the Magpul parts installed on my rifle now (Though I still need a sling, and just as dependent, the sling mount), making it pretty "complete" for the time being, at least with all of the practical ergonomic upgrades, still making it not the rifle I purchased but the rifle I wanted to own...Maybe some Magpul PMAGs would be fun to buy as well, for shits and giggles...The only things left for me to get is an optical sight (Really gonna set my sights, no pun intended, on a Trijicon ACOG with next year's tax returns), a suppressor, and a pistol to partner with my rifle... ...and goddamn, with the 6.8mm SPC, a suppressor would be extremely welcome... |
| Posted by: Nomake Wan Sep 22 2011, 02:12 AM | ||||||||||||
| All right! We're back from the range and feeling good! This time along IDW's very own FC3SSavannaIII came along and shot up some targets too, making it a very good day for communism (and socialism but we don't talk about that, ja?). Here's the range report! First off, blue Locktite is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Mosin sniper. Those screws aren't going anywhere any time soon and it showed. The scope was rock-solid throughout the whole night no matter how many rounds we put through the rifle. Absolutely perfect performance. Having every shot you fire go right where you aim it is easily the most satisfying feeling any gun purchase can give you. Buyer's Remorse? F*ck that! I love this gun! LOVE IT! Love it, love it, love it! Yes, the Mauser is amazing. It's amazing that it can have no matching parts yet fire amazing groups on ironsights. But I have to say... the Mosin sniper is just win. Just ask FC! Now, of course, no gun is perfect, especially not one you paid $400 for and got out of a pit in Stalingrad sniperized by some monkeys in Florida. Ours has a nasty habit of getting hot really fast. Faster than my first 91/30. Faster than the M38. Faster than the Hex 91/30. Heck, faster than the Kar98k and we managed to boil that thing with 300 rounds. The sniper gets hot after only four or five magazines tops, at which point it starts to get unhappy and the Point-of-Impact starts shifting upward. Reason being, the hot barrel starts to shift away from the stock just slightly. You can compensate by clicking the elevation knob a hair but that's not optimal. The solution for this can be one of three things. One, you could just lower your rate of fire to 20 shots/20 minutes. So fire four magazines, then let it cool for almost half an hour, then go back to it. Two, you could buy another Mosin sniper rifle and switch off. I kinda do that by using the M38 or Kar98k when the sniper's sitting but again, not really good solution (though I am seriously thinking of putting together another sniper rifle...). Finally, you can just suck it up and glass-bed the stock. Sensation! seems pretty enthusiastic about that, so that's what we'll end up doing. It'll take a while to complete (since it'll also be an opportunity to clean up the finish on the wood as well), but that's okay since today we finally ran out of 7.62x54R. I actually ended up buying a box of soft-points from the range at the very end of the night. That was mostly to be a dick and freak out the range, though. There's a lot more powder in the soft-points than in the Yugo surplus, so firing them from the M38 makes everybody go "WTF IS THAT GUN HOLY CRAP!?" Which brings me to my overheard conversation of the day: Me: *hefts M38 loaded with soft points, takes aim, blasts away at the target* Guy 1: What is that?! Guy 2: It's a Mosin I think, but it's a carbine. It's LOUD. Guy 1: I love how he has the hat too. Me: *pretending I'm not hearing and trying not to laugh, switches to sniper rifle* Guy 2: I think he thinks he's in St. Petersburg. Me: *thinking: Stalingrad actually...* And speaking of powder, Sensation! had a scary experience. It was the end of the night, I was putting the Mosins away while he fired his last box of 8mm through the Mauser. I turn around and there's this huge cloud of smoke around him. My first thought is to look to his left and right to see if someone's using black powder or something. When I confirm that no one nearby is using such a weapon I step closer to inspect and he looks a bit dazed. He opens the action, ejects the round and smoke POURS from the action. Here's what the ejected brass looked like:  Fortunately, both Sensation! and the rifle came out just fine. German engineering at its best--even when the ammunition fails catastrophically, the gun holds and keeps the shooter safe. I wouldn't want this to happen ever again but it's good to know that it will survive. I really hope FC had fun and that he'll join us all again. I think we should add "range time" to official IDW meet events. You know, in addition to massive food consumption, Anime Expo and hitting up touge. Now then, on with the videos, including a full review of the Mosin sniper rifle! Woo! By the way, AM3 is dumb. LOL.
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| Posted by: kazahana Sep 22 2011, 05:27 AM |
| So. Many nice guns. I wish it's actually legal here. |
".......y...yeahhhh" 
...... 