Firearm Hobbyist Catch-All

Personally I don't think I would ever want a SAO as my prime carry. I may be to used to my G27, and the time i put into that. I think it would bother me to carry something cocked and locked.

Igneus wrote:

Personally I don't think I would ever want a SAO as my prime carry. I may be to used to my G27, and the time i put into that. I think it would bother me to carry something cocked and locked.

Absolutely true.

Just in case you need a refresher on conditions, I know I did. Here you go

I shoot primarily with my brother in law who is a NRA pistol instructor. So when we shoot he is always telling me to put it at condition 4 when we go change the targets. The others while I am aware of them, wouldn't be able to say this is what condition 0-3 means.

I've had multiple people tell me I'm silly for looking at any firearm for CCW that is double action. The best CCW weapon is a single action and even better if it has no thumb safety. To me they are very short sighted. What is the difference between a single action with/without no safety and any other pistol that is "cocked and locked" (condition 1) or completely ready to fire (condition 0). To me there is none.

To me, having a weapon that DOES have a thumb safety is a feature that I want because when I'm not carrying and it's home, even if it's locked up, I'd rather be SAFE than sorry.

When I was in the military police, I only ever had to draw my Beretta M9 once quickly in a threatening situation and having the safety on/hammer down did not impact my target acquisition time one bit nor would it have inhibited my ability to fire quickly had I the need (thank God I didn't). I would never have carried it any other way. In addition, we were instructed that carrying a weapon that was ready to fire could be more lethal to yourself in the case that someone tries to grab your sidearm from you. Having the safety on and uncocked in that situation could save your life when you are struggling for control of the weapon.

Somehow double posted so back to my original post about not being able to choose!

So, out of those pistols I listed on the last page, do any stand out to you guys? There are a couple that have some modifications. Think those are a little better or not necessary?

Igneus wrote:

Just in case you need a refresher on conditions, I know I did. Here you go

I shoot primarily with my brother in law who is a NRA pistol instructor. So when we shoot he is always telling me to put it at condition 4 when we go change the targets. The others while I am aware of them, wouldn't be able to say this is what condition 0-3 means.

Yup. Back at the range where I was a safety officer, there was some discussion about whether condition 4 demanded some visible indication of an empty chamber and magwell/cylinder. We used empty chamber flags and enforced their use when the range was cold, but when folks didn't have them we would normally be okay with the slide locked back, the barrel pointed downrange, and the magwell clearly visible as empty (or in the case of a revolver, the cylinder disengaged, cleared, and the barrel pointed downrange.). I was a bit of a dick about it at times and would be known for physically pushing folks back into a shooting station if they backed up beyond the paint with a loaded firearm. I only once had someone get huffy and tell me "don't touch me". It was a bit of a tense staredown, but he backed down when he realized I was every bit serious about my non-verbal threat.

Sydhart wrote:

I've had multiple people tell me I'm silly for looking at any firearm for CCW that is double action. The best CCW weapon is a single action and even better if it has no thumb safety. To me they are very short sighted. What is the difference between a single action with/without no safety and any other pistol that is "cocked and locked" (condition 1) or completely ready to fire (condition 0). To me there is none.

To me, having a weapon that DOES have a thumb safety is a feature that I want because when I'm not carrying and it's home, even if it's locked up, I'd rather be SAFE than sorry.

When I was in the military police, I only ever had to draw my Beretta M9 once quickly in a threatening situation and having the safety on/hammer down did not impact my target acquisition time one bit nor would it have inhibited my ability to fire quickly had I the need (thank God I didn't). I would never have carried it any other way. In addition, we were instructed that carrying a weapon that was ready to fire could be more lethal to yourself in the case that someone tries to grab your sidearm from you. Having the safety on and uncocked in that situation could save your life when you are struggling for control of the weapon.

If the M9 is a manual of arms with which you have time and are familiar, go with the Storm. It is identical and requires little or no adjustment.

You are right with the no safety striker fired, IMHO condition 0 is basically the same in readiness as con 1 for SAO. My G27 I can only carry in Con 0 or Con 3. I carry in Con 3, and practice drills with the "Israeli Draw" in mind. I've heard arguments for and against.

Sydhart wrote:

So, out of those pistols I listed on the last page, do any stand out to you guys? There are a couple that have some modifications. Think those are a little better or not necessary?

I have shot an M&P. I liked it a lot. Was going to get one before I was given the Glock. The others I don't know about.

Yeah. 19/19 in just over 19 seconds is pretty impressive no matter who is doing it.

Paleocon wrote:

If the M9 is a manual of arms with which you have time and are familiar, go with the Storm. It is identical and requires little or no adjustment.

Speaking as a PX4 9mm Compact owner here.

Unfortunately, one thing he'll quickly find about the Storm is that the aftermarket has never really took off for it. If you're looking for sights/slides/triggers/barrels/mags/etc replacements or customizations, there only either Beretta's own scant offerings, a couple of questionable alternatives (e.g. poorly fitting Trijicon night sights or crappy Mec-Gar mags), or nothing at all. Granted, Beretta's own stuff is top quality and PX4 handles and shoots great right out of the box, but nevertheless, this is a factor one needs to consider.

Whoa. This is why you need to learn proper firearms handling and good range safety. I don't care the what the political beliefs of this group are, but somebody give them some basic safety training. Somebody's going to get hurt, killed, lose a bunch of their hearing, etc:

MannishBoy wrote:

Whoa. This is why you need to learn proper firearms handling and good range safety. I don't care the what the political beliefs of this group are, but somebody give them some basic safety training. Somebody's going to get hurt, killed, lose a bunch of their hearing, etc:

I want to watch this but I'm afraid I'm going to be put on a list...lol.

This was hilarious.

Added to the airgun collection again yesterday (though have not declared the latest purchase to my partner yet). Picked up a Sheridan 2260 air rifle. Aesthetically, it is a lovely thing. And because it uses CO2, I can use it in the back garden. There were some really nice spring-powered guns in the store, but - after firing them - I concluded that they were just to noisy for garden use.

I also bought a Crosman 1377 pneumatic pistol last month. Incredibly accurate. I don't know how Crosman do it really.

Anyway, I think three airguns is my limit.

detroit20 wrote:

Added to the airgun collection again yesterday (though have not declared the latest purchase to my partner yet). Picked up a Sheridan 2260 air rifle. Aesthetically, it is a lovely thing. And because it uses CO2, I can use it in the back garden. There were some really nice spring-powered guns in the store, but - after firing them - I concluded that they were just to noisy for garden use.

I also bought a Crosman 1377 pneumatic pistol last month. Incredibly accurate. I don't know how Crosman do it really.

Anyway, I think three airguns is my limit.

Nice! I agree that the pump powered guns are too noisy for normal in town use, even the "silenced" ones, but when SHTF they will become invaluable for hunting small game.

I have the Gamo Whisper Silent Cat and let me tell you, there is no whisper or silent to it. It sounds like a .22 caliber. It is very accurate once sighted in properly. At 25 yards I get about a 1"-1.5" group with an outlier here or there (probably just me not shooting enough).
https://www.amazon.com/Gamo-Whisper-...

Sydhart wrote:

I have the Gamo Whisper Silent Cat and let me tell you, there is no whisper or silent to it. It sounds like a .22 caliber. It is very accurate once sighted in properly. At 25 yards I get about a 1"-1.5" group with an outlier here or there (probably just me not shooting enough).
https://www.amazon.com/Gamo-Whisper-...

Part of that is what pellets you use. If you use the supersonic pellets, of course you're going to get the .22 crack as the round breaks the sound barrier. If you use a heavier hunting pellet that are either hollow point of flat nosed, they're significantly quieter.

I have a similar Gamo, and used it to get keep the squirrel population down when they were getting in my attic. It was quite enough to shoot in the neighborhood. Not silent, but not something you'd hear at long distance and assume it was a gunshot, either.

I've only fired the supersonic pellets that came with the gun, as they're really not better at anything I'd use the gun for.

I use the crossman red and blue field hunting pellets. I'm not even sure where the pellets are that came with the rifle tbh. It's probably my perception on the sound and the fact that my neighbor came out to ask what I was shooting at and wanted to take some shots. lol.

Sydhart wrote:

I use the crossman red and blue field hunting pellets. I'm not even sure where the pellets are that came with the rifle tbh. It's probably my perception on the sound and the fact that my neighbor came out to ask what I was shooting at and wanted to take some shots. lol.

You will definitely know the supersonic crack vs just a subsonic pellet. There's a big difference in sound type and volume. You ought to get some just to try to see the difference.

I'm not saying it's silent. I don't target practice in my yard. However, one round to get a squirrel that's been trying to get into my attic is not loud enough that anybody has asked me about it. It's more the gun thunk than it is the pellet in flight I guess.

I'm using these. So maybe the same thing you are.

I went in with the intention of buying a Gamo CFX, but the combination of the muzzle crack and the noise of the spring really put me off. I wondered whether the synthetic stock was responsible for the reverberation, so I tried a Weihrauch with a wooden stock and got a similar result. Apparently, that's what springers sound like, moderated or not.

I'm still very much in the foothills of this hobby, so I've not gotten into the pellet thing yet. I'm using cheap flat-nosed for the .177 and cheap round-headed for the .22s. At some point, I'll start obsessing about weight and other types of shape, but I a ways off that at the moment. (If I ever start washing and sorting pellets then I've gone to far, I think.

The one thing I'm finding quite hard work is zeroing my sight'. I don't have any rests, so it's a very slow process for me. I've just bought a bipod for the 2260; I'll see if that helps. (I can see this becoming an expensive hobby.)

One question about zeroing. I've put a 3-9x40 on the new rifle, but I can't seem to zero it. Even adjusting the windage all the way to the left, I'm still shooting four inches to the right of my aim point at 12 yards.

Is this me, the gun or the sight? Or all three? Any advice?

Yep, pretty much the same thing. I'm just using the cheaper pointed ones and not hollow points.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BTNLVK

Turns out it was a combination of me and the sight. I'd adjusted the elevation all the way down to allow me to shoot in the backyard more easily. However, this had the effect of limiting the extent to which I could adjust the windage.

Thankfully, I found a website that explained how scope adjustment works and I was then able to zero the sight properly. I also attached a green laser sight on top of the BSA scope, so that I can shoot at different ranges using the same set up (or shoot at precise distances by 'cross referencing' the crosshairs and the laser's dot).

Now that the 2260 is set up properly, my only mild disappointment is the number of shots I seem to be getting per CO2 capsule. It feels like its around 20 only.

"World of Guns" is an interactive encyclopedia of guns, with meticulously detailed models allowing simulated field stripping and also disassembly, as well as being able to show the physics of firing that weapon, with multiple varying "x-ray" modes and detailed specs and histories on the firearms. You can even range-fire the weapons if that is to your taste. The free version is essentially a demo, and allows you to play it as a game, where you get experience and can progress up the various weapon trees as you go along. Or, you can get 50% off of the unlock price and snag the "Full Access" DLC, which opens up all 140 or so current weapons, and the 2-3 a month the devs add.

It's essentially a training tool for armorers, and a version is sold to police and military types for professional use. I can't tell you how interesting it is to explore the inner workings of the firearms, down to the flow of gasses when the weapon is fired. Great for detail fanatics and of course if you can't afford all these guns in your collection, you can at least learn how they work and how to strip and disassemble them. It won't teach you any handling skills, but you'll still know a lot about the tech and history of the weapons.

If you're interested, grab it while it's half-price.