Firearm Hobbyist Catch-All

I have their .357 revolver which is why I entertained the idea.

Edwin wrote:

I have their .357 revolver which is why I entertained the idea.

Like I said, their wheelguns are outstanding.

Ironically, the same is true of Ruger. Their wheelguns are fantastic, their centerfire rifles are respectable, their rimfire pistols and rifles are the best you can get, but their centerfire pistols suck snail snot.

Paleocon wrote:

Ironically, the same is true of Ruger. Their wheelguns are fantastic, their centerfire rifles are respectable, their rimfire pistols and rifles are the best you can get, but their centerfire pistols suck snail snot.

There's a lot of positive buzz around the Ruger LCP all the sudden. Supposedly the few initial issues have been worked out. Lots of stories of people taking them to the range and firing off a couple hundred rounds with no issues.

The recall postings at the gun shops for the SR9 don't exactly inspire confidence though

Recall on the SR9? Oof. Not that I was planning on getting one, it's just that I'm months behind on my magazines and just recently read my first article on the model.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

Recall on the SR9? Oof. Not that I was planning on getting one, it's just that I'm months behind on my magazines and just recently read my first article on the model.

There was a big sign posted up on the counter at both the local gun shops I've been in recently. Supposedly it was an issue where the gun could fire if it was dropped.

Here's part of the recall blurb on the Ruger site:

We have determined that some Ruger SR9 pistols manufactured between October 2007 and April 2008 can, under certain conditions, fire if dropped with their manual safeties in the “off” or “fire” position. The pistols will not fire if the manual safety is in the “on” or “safe” position.

We will retrofit all Ruger SR9 pistols starting with serial number prefix “330” (330-xxxxx) with these new parts at no charge to our customers.

Paleocon wrote:

When it comes to autos, they still have a great deal left to learn. The PT92 is supposed to be a M92F "equivalent", but is nothing close. I'm not a huge fan of the Berretta, but have to admit that they make a solid firearm with a very intuitive and reliable control set. That pistol is bombproof and I, personally, know the engineers that were involved in making it that way. The Taurus is to the Berretta as an Atol is to the Sidewinder.

The M9 is far from bombproof. It's not a bad pistol (unless you have small hands); but it has had its share of issues.

As for Taurus, I currently carry a PT145 and I've yet to have a major issue. After over 1,000 rounds I've had 2 FTF and 1 FTE. One of the FTF was cured by a second trigger pull (SA/DA trigger) and the other must have been ammo related because the round failed in another pistol as well.

Taurus seems to be one of the manufacturers that doesn't seem to get a pass when it come to individual weapons having errors.

I'm torn. I really like the HK45 but 10 rounds doesn't seem like enough compared to the USP or some of the XD's. Something bad has been unleashed for my wallet as now I am looking at all the Springfield's M1A's and accessories for my SKS.

Edwin wrote:

I'm torn. I really like the HK45 but 10 rounds doesn't seem like enough compared to the USP or some of the XD's. Something bad has been unleashed for my wallet as now I am looking at all the Springfield's M1A's and accessories for my SKS.

The difference between mag capacities in the USP45 and the HK45 is two (count 'em 2) rounds. That should not govern your decision one way or another. If you really need those two extra rounds, you're probably not shooting straight enough. Folks who tell me 10 rounds isn't enough to deal with a situation generally need to spend a lot more time at the range. In the immortal words of Col. Cooper "you can't shoot fast enough to make the misses count".

Work your rapid reload drills as well. If 10 isn't enough, 12 won't make a difference, but 20 might given the correct circumstances. You're going to have a lot of explaining to do in a real life situation firing a single round. Firing 10-12 will take a miracle to get past a jury of 12.

If you're interested in sport shooting, IPSC events all stipulate max mag capacities of 10. Even if you have hi-caps, you can only load them to 10. In sport shooting higher mag capacites afford you no advantage whatsoever.

If I didn't already have the USP45, I would probably end up getting the HK45 as my starter IPSC/IDPA gun. Since I'm already saddled with thousands of dollars in sunk costs, I'll stick with what I have. You, otoh, don't seem to have that issue. Get what fits you best.

Someone on a board I was reading suggested that before looking into any pistol you should always check prices for new mags for that pistol.

So I looked up mag prices for the CZ75, the SP01 model in particular as that's the one I've drifted toward recently.

Jesus christ. $45 seems about the minimum price for one.

So much for the savings on the pistol. They earn it all back in the mags.

Thin_J wrote:

Someone on a board I was reading suggested that before looking into any pistol you should always check prices for new mags for that pistol.

So I looked up mag prices for the CZ75, the SP01 model in particular as that's the one I've drifted toward recently.

Jesus christ. $45 seems about the minimum price for one.

So much for the savings on the pistol. They earn it all back in the mags.

The CZ75B and BD models both have hi cap mags that are really cheap. I'm not sure, but I think the SP01 might be able to use the full sized CZ75 mags. If not, look into the PCR. That one does for sure.

Plus, cost savings isn't the only reason to get the CZ. It really is a fantastic pistol.

The price for a clip for a HK45/USP seems to be $50 as well. Crickey.

Thin_J,

Here are some mags for $20. http://www.cdnninvestments.com/cz.html

Edwin wrote:

Thin_J,

Here are some mags for $20. http://www.cdnninvestments.com/cz.html

They don't have any of the 19 rounders for the SP01 on there

I'm having trouble finding much in the way of impressions of mags from that Mec-Gar company. Anybody ever heard of them before?

Edwin wrote:

The price for a clip for a HK45/USP seems to be $50 as well. Crickey.

As is the case with all things HK, you pay a premium for the HK name. That said, there is a huge difference between an HK mag and the run of the mill crap you get with other manufacturers. An factory-spec HK mag is pretty bombproof and will probably last you longer than you'll be shooting. This is, btw, a significant concern since most mags tend to have issues with their feed lips over time.

So you have two extra mags instead of four. It's not nearly as big a deal as you might think it is. Ranges don't let you in with loaded mags anyway, so you'll end up loading at your station anyway. No range time saved no matter how you slice it. Unless you're Mr. Gravel Pit Commando, you're really unlikely to be in a situation in which you will ever have to discharge your pistol more than once or twice to deal with a life threatening situation. And if you really are that bad a shot, the two extra mags probably won't help you much.

When it comes to guns and shoes, I prefer to take the advice of the immortal Salvatore Ferragamo: "Buy less. Just buy better. In the end, you'll spend less money.".

We actually do some of our shooting on private property, so the extras are pretty nice to have. I do agree that in the case of a range you're not saving yourself any time at all. It just means you spend time loading mags at the range in larger chunks. Makes perfect sense.

But when we head out to a friend's property to plink the extras are at the very least nice in that if somebody else wants to shoot I can load a couple while they're firing through a couple. Course the 19 round capacity on the SP01 might make that less of an issue. Ah well. We'll see what I do after I actually visit the gunshop next time.

Thin_J wrote:

We actually do some of our shooting on private property, so the extras are pretty nice to have. I do agree that in the case of a range you're not saving yourself any time at all. It just means you spend time loading mags at the range in larger chunks. Makes perfect sense.

But when we head out to a friend's property to plink the extras are at the very least nice in that if somebody else wants to shoot I can load a couple while they're firing through a couple. Course the 19 round capacity on the SP01 might make that less of an issue. Ah well. We'll see what I do after I actually visit the gunshop next time.

I guess that works. The only firearm I have a ton of mags for is my AR15. This is largely because the AR mags have a reputation for lasting just long enough for you to determine their reliability before they wear out. I have 5 Chip McCormick mags for my 1991A1, 4 HK factory mags for my USP45, and 4 Ruger factory mags for my Mk2. The Browning HP35 I owned once had an FN factory mag in it that lasted forever. The cheapass Ramline mag I bought for it lasted two months of heavy shooting before it started double feeding, stovepiping, and otherwise being a pain in the posterior.

Definitely, though, try out the CZ and compare it to other pistols you are considering irrespective of pricerange. I was very impressed with it and might have been tempted to purchase it if I were in the market for a 9mm or .40sw. As it is, I already have too many guns. The wife is duly freaked by my arsenal and I don't exactly want to exacerbate the situation with new purchases.

Paleocon wrote:

Definitely, though, try out the CZ and compare it to other pistols you are considering irrespective of pricerange. I was very impressed with it and might have been tempted to purchase it if I were in the market for a 9mm or .40sw. As it is, I already have too many guns. The wife is duly freaked by my arsenal and I don't exactly want to exacerbate the situation with new purchases.

Live vicariously through others. I'll be posting impressions of it soon enough I'm sure. I'm just in that phase where I'm trying desperately to find a solid reason not to spend the money and all I can come up with is expensive mags.

That's not likely to actually stop me once I get to the shop and think the gun feels awesome in my hand. Course if it doesn't feel good in my hand then god only knows what I may end up with. We shall see.

Thin_J wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

Definitely, though, try out the CZ and compare it to other pistols you are considering irrespective of pricerange. I was very impressed with it and might have been tempted to purchase it if I were in the market for a 9mm or .40sw. As it is, I already have too many guns. The wife is duly freaked by my arsenal and I don't exactly want to exacerbate the situation with new purchases.

Live vicariously through others. I'll be posting impressions of it soon enough I'm sure. I'm just in that phase where I'm trying desperately to find a solid reason not to spend the money and all I can come up with is expensive mags.

That's not likely to actually stop me once I get to the shop and think the gun feels awesome in my hand. Course if it doesn't feel good in my hand then god only knows what I may end up with. We shall see.

When you do go to check it out, pay careful attention to two things: 1) the trigger and 2) the slide.

I was VERY impressed the last time I checked out a CZ75 with the trigger. I'm used to pistols in that price range having rough, nasty, triggers with tons of takeup, creep, and overtravel. In the CZ, I felt none of that. The takeup is smooth, the factory spec has the trigger breaking nearly like an icicle at 4 pounds in SA, and the trigger stops soon after hammer release. I'm told that the trigger actually only gets better with time, though I've known truly impatient people to rouge the trigger slightly to get it to crack like a set trigger.

Especially with the SP01, the slide mechanism has complete contact with the frame across the entire length of the frame. Rack the slide and you'll notice that there is very little if any play as the slide goes back. Nothing rattles even when the slide is out of battery. Furthermore, the slide is recessed creating greater contact with the frame throughout. In a full sized pistol like the SP01, that should relate to tackdriving accuracy.

Two things that aren't for everybody, however. One is that this is an all steel gun, so if you're a limpwristed nancy-boy who whines about how heavy a real man's pistol weighs, you may wish to consider something more feminine. The other is that the recessed slide is pretty low profile and requires you to pay attention when racking it. The slide loosens up with use, but can be a little tight at start. Once again, if you have delicate princess fingers and lack the necessary strength to pinch and rack the slide, you may wish to consider a girly polymer striker fire weapon.

Stop poking fun at my Glock

Like I said earlier, I like the idea of the gun having some heft to it and the SP01 empty weighs about twice as much as the Glock 17 I bought.

While we're talking about the polymer guns though, if I get my CCW sometime in the next couple months (I'm looking into classes and stuff for it at the moment) I've been reading about popular carry guns. So far the H&K P30 seems like best all around answer as far as a balance between size and performance, at least based on what I've read. I held the Glock 19 in the store and still can't imagine carrying the thing around. It feels good in the hand, but it's so thick (and I'm so skinny) I can't imagine the thing not printing like crazy, no matter what I wear to try and cover it.

Currently have in my arsenal:
HK94 (SBR)
Springfield 1911
Sig Sauer P229 (.357 Sig)

Wishlist:
FN FNC
Springfield M1A
Dragunov (E. European or Russian)
HK93
Colt AR15

Used to own:
FN FAL
Colt AR15
Mac 90 (NORINCO)
Uzi (NORINCO)

Thin_J, what state are you living in?

Used to own:
FN FAL

I've been trying to find one in decent condition, neat gun.

Gorilla.800.lbs wrote:

Thin_J, what state are you living in?

Kentucky.

TrashiDawa wrote:

Used to own:
FN FAL

You had a FAL and got rid of it? That seems like an unpopular thing to do

That Astra is a nice looking Sig clone, where did you get it?

Everything was inherited from a friend of my father's.

Damn you loonies and your incessant discussion of details. You've nearly sold me on a CZ75, Paleo.

clover wrote:

Damn you loonies and your incessant discussion of details. You've nearly sold me on a CZ75, Paleo.

It's very much a retro gun. If you're looking for old world craftsmanship with the benefit of modern CNC machining and metaleurgy, it's really hard to do much better than the CZ without spending a fortune. It's the sort of work you expect to see in custom 1911's at four times the price.

Thin_J wrote:

Stop poking fun at my Glock

I'm waiting for the Youtube video of a tearful Thin_J balling "Leave Gaston alone!".

MaverickDago wrote:
Used to own:
FN FAL

I've been trying to find one in decent condition, neat gun.

DS Arms STG58. Brand new manufacture with a bipod for under $1100. That's about as good as you'll get.

Thin_J wrote:

You had a FAL and got rid of it? That seems like an unpopular thing to do :P

Indeed.

MaverickDago wrote:

I've been trying to find one in decent condition, neat gun.

"Decent condition" is key here. The upper receiver tended to separate from the lower receiver upon firing with the one I owned...It was heavy as hell too.

I'll take a M1A or a HK91 for my 7.62 NATO needs.

Is there a national organization/registry/certifier for gun smiths? I need to get some of these pieces checked out for working order.

Edwin wrote:

Any thoughts or opinions on any of these?

Nothing first-hand. It's an interesting and eclectic collection. I've always viewed the stuff coming out of Spain as cheap knock-offs, though I don't know entirely how accurate that is. Winchester's not making those rifles any more, so who knows, you might be able to find someone desperate to find one (though I doubt there's any shortage of them on the open market). Personally I'd probably keep the Taurus, High-Power, Luger-clone, SKS, and possibly the Ruger, sell the rest (I already have a lever-action .30-30).