Hit this poll:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/todaysbuzz/tuesday/sfl-does-the-opencarry-bill-show-t-01182011,0,6797876.story

1/18/2011 7:24:51 PM

what do you guys think of taurus revolvers? any experience with them? are they reliable and dependable? decent quality for the price?

1/18/2011 8:58:22 PM

I've had a Taurus .38 special for 6 or 7 years now and it has never let me down.

A friend actually used it for his CCW range test and shot one of the tightest groupings there.

1/18/2011 10:35:08 PM

^^^we need the poll skew scripts!

1/18/2011 10:38:25 PM

Quote :

"what do you guys think of taurus revolvers? "

They're pretty good.

Quote :

"any experience with them? "

I own a model 85 Ultra-Lite and have owned a Tracker 970 (medium frame 22LR).
I sold the Tracker to fund a 357 purchase, otherwise I probably would have kept it because it would shoot one inch groups at 25 yards and it was fun.
I still have the 85, but only because se7entythree likes it. I have a S&W 637 that is basically S&W's version of the same gun so it's sort of a duplicate. If I didn't have the 637 I'd feel perfectly fine with the 85.

Quote :

"are they reliable and dependable? "

I've never had a problem with the 85 and my boss, who's had an 85UL as a carry gun for a long time hasn't either.
The 970 would bind a little bit if it was dirty but you can expect a little bit of that with any 22.

Quote :

"decent quality for the price?"

Yes. You get 90-95% of the build quality of a S&W at 50-70% of the S&W price.
They won't be perfect. You might find a couple spots where the worker slipped while grinding, corners with wire edges left over from machining, small irregularities in the bead blasting due to blasting a dirty part, etc. Basically if you have a good eye, are nit picky, or are a perfectionist then the small (emphasis on small) issues like these might bug you. Many people never notice these things but I do (I've been accused of having a good eye, being nitpicky, and being a perfectionist more than a few times).
They can also be a tiny bit loose in fit, but not on any part that matters. The cylinders of every Taurus I've handled have had a minimal amount of endshake and cylinder rotation at full lockup.

I think with Tauruses you can't make real big blanket statements; the particular model needs to be taken into account. For instance an 85UL compares very very well against a S&W Airlight. Their big bore revolvers are also good (considering the price) compared to other offerings. But, in something like a medium frame 357 I think the GP-100 is better than the equivalent Tracker enough to easily justify the small increase in price.

[Edited on January 19, 2011 at 12:23 AM. Reason : basically in most cases they are a better buy than a S&W]

1/19/2011 12:18:57 AM

I would love to buy some old casting gear off someone on here if they have they've moved on to bigger pots, larger molds, etc. I'm looking to cast 9mm, FWIW. I can pay cash or do lead+cash (I have 60+lbs wheel weights and about 10-20lbs of pure ingots).

1/19/2011 5:47:24 PM

Reports and pics are coming out from the SHOT show that Kahr has a new CM9 there. Looks to be a more economical friendly version of the pm9 much like the cw9 is to the p9.

1/20/2011 6:10:54 PM

So I went to walmart looking for range ammo and saw some 100ct Remington 180gr JHP and 250ct 180gr FMJ .40 for $32 and $70 respectively. I was curious if anyone has any experience with their ammo? I used to shoot WWB but noticed it was a noticeably dirtier cartridge compared to the Federal/Blazer rounds, so I've stopped using WWB. I was curious if Remington is also a dirtier round, less accurate, or less reliable compared to the Federal.

[Edited on January 21, 2011 at 9:37 PM. Reason : .]

1/21/2011 9:36:49 PM

I've shot quite a bit of the jhp value packs in 9mm, 380acp, and 45acp. I never had a problem with any of it. It shoots a tiny bit cleaner than wwb, but tue fed stuff is still a little cleaner. The other fmj rem umc stuff has never given me problems either.

The only times I've run into problems with rem ammo were with a umc 223 that had a case mouth deformed in during bullet seating at the factory. That one cartridge jammed my AR pretty bad. The other issue wasn't with their ammo, but was in some 308 brass where a few of the cases didn't have a deep enough extractor groove.

[Edited on January 22, 2011 at 1:55 AM. Reason : Accuracy was at least as good as wwb.]

1/22/2011 1:54:16 AM

A little bit of research turned up that Remington rounds have slightly thinner casings, especially around the neck... A few of the forums suggested avoiding reloading with Rem. casings as a precaution because of this. I appreciate your input Fumbler.

A buddy of mine bought 350 rounds of Rem for his G23. We're going shootin Tuesday so we'll see how well it does.

[Edited on January 22, 2011 at 3:33 AM. Reason : .]

1/22/2011 3:32:27 AM

Sorry I didn't go more in depth about the brass. I thought you werenonly concerned about the loaded ammo.
Your research is right; it's widely known that remington peters brass sucks.
Case walls are thinner, the web is often thinner, and extractor cuts can be screwed up. That and the consistency is poor. The brass will work fine for reloading bulk ammo, but don't expect it to last as many loadings or be as accurate as other brands.

Whenever I buy loaded ammo I try to stick with Winchester, hornady, or black hills (most hornady and black hills brass is made by frontier) for the sake of having better brass. Of course a good deal on ammo can persuade me to buy other brand. Federal brass is typically just as good as the other brands but they can have loose primer pockets; at least that's been my experience reloading federal brass in 308 and a little bit of 357.

[Edited on January 22, 2011 at 1:04 PM. Reason : ]

1/22/2011 1:02:42 PM

well now i know why i got all that .30-06 RP brass so cheap off tww

not sure how, in all the reading on reloading i did, i never stumbled across that fact

on another note:

i got a Marlin 795 so deemarie could go squirrel hunting with me (thanks to Brandon1 for the suggestion). it was $140 at dick's before a $25 mail-in rebate from Marlin and it's a hell of a shooter. shoots much tighter groups than my 10/22 and i've only tried a few different ammo types. best groups today came from minimag HPs. once you get past the 1 ton trigger pull, it's pretty sweet for the money. hopefully i'll have some squirrel carnage pics to post tonight.

[Edited on January 22, 2011 at 1:21 PM. Reason : adf]

1/22/2011 1:13:48 PM

I've personally had much better luck with federal than remington, but, that's just me. I've always found federal to be as reliable as more expensive stuff, just a tad dirtier.

1/22/2011 3:24:10 PM

I don't mean to be an ammo snob, but I want to shoot quality stuff, even if it's just at the range shooting targets or aluminum cans. With the .40 being a higher pressure cartridge, reading about rare kBs in glocks, and seeing how much of the head is exposed in my own barrel, I want to be safe. I've had very good experience with Federal and after 500 rounds, my gun is noticeably cleaner than when I shot 300 rounds of WWB. Thinner walls and webbing just don't seem worth the $2-3 bucks I'll save on a "bulk" purchase of 250+ rounds... And the Federal at Walmart isn't a bad deal... I believe I calculated a saving of $60 over 1000 if I reloaded my own. I might shoot 1k a year, if that.

Maybe I'm just a little too paranoid...

[Edited on January 22, 2011 at 7:00 PM. Reason : .]

1/22/2011 6:58:11 PM

.

[Edited on January 23, 2011 at 7:17 PM. Reason : .]

1/23/2011 6:56:04 PM

I have an 870 police trade-in that I've been refinishing in my spare time. Finally getting done with the stock: Pictured with fore-end in original shape for comparison.




Probably knock out the fore-end next week and duracoat the barrel. There's a Before picture in my profile.

[Edited on January 23, 2011 at 7:16 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/23/2011 7:15:46 PM

Shot my buddies AR-15 today, nice gun!

1/23/2011 7:48:58 PM

I have a keltec 380 and 9mm. If I wanted to consolidate to one nicer gun for cc would that glock 26 be a good choice?

1/23/2011 8:44:57 PM

^Glock 26 is a good choice, but you may want to wait for the new LC9 from Ruger...little slimmer and lighter.

1/23/2011 8:46:14 PM

^ but it only holds 7+1 compared to 10+1... I agree with the G26/27 consolidation...

1/23/2011 8:54:01 PM

if 8 rounds won't eliminate a threat or buy me enough time to GTFO, i don't believe 3 more is really gonna help. just my opinion.

it really depends on how much easier and/or more comfortable it is for you to conceal. if it's just as easy to conceal the 10+1, go with that.

[Edited on January 23, 2011 at 9:18 PM. Reason : assuming both feel good in your hand, etc.]

1/23/2011 9:17:30 PM

Yeah, don't compromise conceal-ability for capacity. I carry a J frame. It's just 5 rounds, but it conceals better than anything else the majority of the time.
If you can conceal a baby Glock then that's great. I find them too fat.

1/24/2011 1:19:51 AM

Got a FNP-9

1/26/2011 7:04:01 AM

Important tip: When painting a stock, check and ensure you have artistic ability first...

1/30/2011 5:34:09 PM

haha nice stripes

i camo'd a 5 gallon bucket. i bought the ultra flat krylon camo paint in green, beige, and black and just used some leaves from the yard. did a base layer of the beige, held the leaves in front and just sprayed around them with the other colors. i'm thinking about doing my cheap .30-06 that way.

1/30/2011 6:01:17 PM

One thing that looks cool is putting on a base coat then draping netting over the stock before you do your secondary colors.

After doing some camo jobs the biggest thing I regret is not spending money on better materials.
Krylon's not bad, but if you spend 10 hrs cutting out stencils for digital camo and another 5 hrs prepping surfaces and painting then you might as well have spent the extra $60 for an airbrush and duracoat.

1/30/2011 7:07:42 PM

post some pics, fumbler

1/30/2011 7:13:14 PM

^^, I've seen a guy just take some leaves and use them as stencils for a darker topcoat on a lighter undercoat and that looked really good. The netting you mention also looks really good. There is a metal mesh that guys take and use for that which keeps it shape better than a fabric to make better patterns as a stencil.

1/30/2011 7:15:45 PM

Its about that time, time for me to buy another handgun. I'm trying to decide between the Beretta 92fs and the 92a1, any input?

1/30/2011 7:19:32 PM

I have a veil somewhere I laid over the handguard on a test run and didn't like the unevenness; I should've used mesh. Oh well, the rifle doesn't actually NEED to be camo.

^I have extensive experience with the 92fs, and am not at all a fan. Why those two platforms? Are you willing to explore other options?

1/30/2011 8:18:22 PM

When I painted my Savage stock, I used the Krylon fusion as a base coat, and the Krylon camo for the other two colors. Between each layer, I just used pine straw to get the pattern going, and it ended up looking really good. Cheap and very effective. Sealed it all with a coat of matte clear and it's held up great ever since.

1/31/2011 9:55:14 AM

^^
I've coveted the 92fs for years now, its just a gun that I've always wanted. I've shot one several times and love the way it feels, and I'm much more accurate with it than my xD. I really doubt I'd consider other options as the purpose of buying a gun this time is to own a Beretta. If you don't mind me asking, what don't you like about it?

1/31/2011 6:30:49 PM

I'm in a unique position to be both an extensive shooter and a sort-of armorer; From my trigger time on the 92, I don't like the humongous grip. There are plenty of high-cap pistols out there with a less obtrusive grip size. Additionally, I've never been a fan of DA triggers, and plastic guide rods allow more muzzle flip.

From the standpoint of maintenance and longevity, the 92s have been notoriously bad as you get up in round count, the locking block and slide will develop cracks, the trigger spring and the trigger bar springs wear out. Also you can see the firing pin blocks get stuck.

As your purpose would simply be to own a 92, and there's nothing at all wrong with owning a weapon just because of what it is, I would keep an accurate round count and conduct periodic checks of problem areas about every 5000 rounds or so. You'll save yourself a lot of asspain.

1/31/2011 8:09:05 PM

I, too, have shot the M9 (92FS) a shitload.

I easily prefer the SIG P226.

1/31/2011 8:20:49 PM

Anyone have experience with the S&W 340PD? They are $Texas and wanted to know if they are worth the price and if there are similar weapons (weight, NS) out there?

2/1/2011 1:03:45 AM

Quote :

"There are plenty of high-cap pistols out there with a less obtrusive grip size."

I agree. On the market there are Sigs, S&W's autos, and CZs just to name a few.
I have a CZ 75 SP-01 Tactical and I looooove the smaller grip. It makes a difference when you're switching targets as fast as you can. The 18+1 capacity isn't bad either.

Of course if he's shot the 92 before and he likes it then that's all the reason anyone needs to get it.

Quote :

"conduct periodic checks of problem areas about every 5000 rounds or so"

Uhh...you should be doing that for every handgun. For me replacing the recoil spring in my autos at 5000 rounds is normal. Some guns need additional preventative maintenance like my Sigs that also get their transfer bar springs replaced at 5000 rounds.

Are these problems:

Quote :

"the locking block and slide will develop cracks, the trigger spring and the trigger bar springs wear out. Also you can see the firing pin blocks get stuck. "

honestly due to bad design or neglect?

I think the 92 has a reputation that's worse than it deserves. This is because there are so many 92s/M9s in circulation and lets face it, our military isn't going to baby any range gun. When a part breaks, they replace it. Is there much routine preventative maintenance?
So, you've got all these 92s/M9s that are being beat to death and everyone sees how crappy they must be because they're breaking left and right, then the words spread.

I have a friend who was in the air force that told me when a part on a gun breaks they go looking through the used parts bin and slap whatever fits and isn't broken into the gun. Can someone like Duke verify this?
If it does happen then you can expect more failures because used parts wear into the other parts on the original gun. Swap the parts and the wear marks don't match then the parts take an even bigger beating due to tolerance stacking. My friend said swapping broken bolts on their M-16s for other used ones was common. It wouldn't be a surprise if the replacement bolt broke because in addition to the specific wear characteristics of each gun there's this little thing called headspace that can get screwed up.

IDK, I think a commercial 92 is a pretty good gun. Do i prefer it? No, i like my CZ and Sigs more but I don't think my CZ or Sigs are inherently more durable than a 92 either.

Quote :

"Anyone have experience with the S&W 340PD? They are $Texas and wanted to know if they are worth the price and if there are similar weapons (weight, NS) out there?"

You sure the 340PD has NS? A coworker has a 340PD and I'm pretty sure he's got a red ramp front sight.

The 340 M&P has a tritium front sight, weighs about 1 oz more, but costs a bunch less. You should look into that. I think they're basically the same other than the sight and the cylinder material.

If I had $texas I'd get the PD because lighter is nice. I don't have $texas so I got a 637 and a bottle of orange fingernail polish to paint the front sight. I think the 637 is around 2-3 oz heavier than the PD and it's not heavy IWB. Are you going to pocket carry? In the pocket every ounce counts and it might be worth the money to you to pay for the PD.

2/1/2011 1:54:26 AM

Quote :

"honestly due to bad design or neglect? I think the 92 has a reputation that's worse than it deserves. This is because there are so many 92s/M9s in circulation and lets face it, our military isn't going to baby any range gun. When a part breaks, they replace it. Is there much routine preventative maintenance? So, you've got all these 92s/M9s that are being beat to death and everyone sees how crappy they must be because they're breaking left and right, then the words spread. I have a friend who was in the air force that told me when a part on a gun breaks they go looking through the used parts bin and slap whatever fits and isn't broken into the gun. Can someone like Duke verify this? If it does happen then you can expect more failures because used parts wear into the other parts on the original gun. Swap the parts and the wear marks don't match then the parts take an even bigger beating due to tolerance stacking. My friend said swapping broken bolts on their M-16s for other used ones was common. It wouldn't be a surprise if the replacement bolt broke because in addition to the specific wear characteristics of each gun there's this little thing called headspace that can get screwed up. "

Pre-post disclaimer: We are delving into the treacherous territory of internet gun opinions with my post.

I would hesitate to use the the Air Force as a litmus test for military firearms maintenance. While your friend's story may be true, the community I work in is quite different.

As I mentioned earlier, I am a quasi-armorer trained in quite a few U.S. and foreign weapons; what this means is that people like me are supposed to identify problems long before a part goes bad or a weapon breaks. Once at that point, we correct these problems, or pass them along to our actual armorers for maintenance and repair; the folks doing the work are gunsmiths in practice if not name. In addition, the maintenance issues I mentioned earlier for the 92s are all actual problems I have seen.

As shooters, we keep an accurate round count on our various weapons systems, 92s included. 92s require far more frequent periodic maintenance than the Glocks, 1911s, or USPs we have.

However as a caveat, I feel the 92 platform is much better than many pistols out there, and if the gentleman above wants to own one for the sake of owning one, by all means he is within his right. I was simply trying to clarify if he had a specific purpose for the pistol, and he asked me to pass along my experience.

Oh and swapping bolts on an M-16? Sweet jesus! I do hope you imparted some of your quite sizable firearms knowledge to your friend, at least to save him and some of his buddies from potential injury.

2/1/2011 6:10:21 PM

You've got me interested.
What do you have to do to a 92s that you don't have to do to the other autos you mention?
What round count intervals do yall use for each type of auto regarding spring changes?

2/2/2011 1:03:24 AM

Just ordered me a KKM G27 Match barrel.. Oh I'm so excited

2/2/2011 11:57:27 AM

you best be putting some money in some reloading equipment and components

2/2/2011 3:19:24 PM

Quote :

"What do you have to do to a 92s that you don't have to do to the other autos you mention? What round count intervals do yall use for each type of auto regarding spring changes?"

The 92s receive detailed inspection every 4000 rounds, and spring replacement about every 8000, so approx. 6 mos. and 1 year respectively.

They usually are able to start developing locking block or slide cracks around 25-30,000 rounds. If the funds are available, pistols near this round count will receive new blocks or the 96/Centurion slides which are beefier.

The 1911s on the other hand receive new springs approx. 10-12,000 rounds. Honestly the majority of issues we have with those are with the mags; We cannot replace the mags with Big Army money as they are no longer a Big Army weapon, and would be mandated out of unit discretionary funds.

The Glocks are usually run on a case-by-case basis with a recoil spring test.

The competition is already open for the M9's new replacement, interested to see where we go.

2/2/2011 3:46:13 PM

Quote :

"you best be putting some money in some reloading equipment and components "

LOL. Yes, actually the wife asked what I wanted for Valentine's Day and I printed off the Lee Reloading kit + .40 Die kit. When April comes around, I'll buy some primer, fmj bullets, and gunpowder. Then the fun begins I got a discount on a new KKM barrel, so I couldn't pass it up and decided to go ahead and get it... Plus it's just good piece of mind knowing that it "fully" supports the .40 brass and helps keep the brass from expanding as much as the factory Glock barrel (which will make for more reliable reloads).

[Edited on February 2, 2011 at 5:21 PM. Reason : .]

2/2/2011 5:19:18 PM

yeah, i've read that resizing cases with the glock bulge can be a pain

[Edited on February 2, 2011 at 5:51 PM. Reason : zcv]

2/2/2011 5:51:32 PM

I've never really found it to be a "pain", a minor annoyance at worst if you just lube them, The real important thing to keep in mind is that their chamber design significantly overworks the brass, and in a high-pressure cartridge like that, a weak head can obviously be very, very bad.

2/3/2011 8:19:39 AM

I said I'd post pics in my post

Quote :

"I just received an heirloom. Its an early 1930s Belgium made double barrell .410 shotgun. It belonged to my grandfather, the story is that he got it during WWII when he was over there. At any rate, I think I might have the gun restored, what places do you guys recommend for this? Its just old and looks pretty worn down/well used. I'm not really concerned with the monetary value of the gun, it'll be something that I hand down to my kids/grandkids one day (if I have any). I'll put up some pics when I get home tonight. "

So as to not fill the thread with a bunch of pics, they're in my gallery, located at
photo_folder.aspx?user=30244&folder=Antique+Gun&filter=

If anyone can help me in identifying the origins of the gun, that'd be awesome. All I've been able to find is that it was made in 1930 in Belgium.

2/4/2011 4:21:29 PM

i wouldn't re-blue it

looks exactly like an antique gun that was used and cared for should

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 6:37 PM. Reason : are those sling swivel studs?]

2/4/2011 6:36:24 PM

yep, those are swivel sling studs. I don't know if they're original or if my grandfather put them on at a later date. (he's deceased, so I can't ask him).

2/4/2011 7:08:39 PM

reposted from the classified thread, though I'm sure this has been answered many times over here I'm not about to wade through 96 pages:

picked up a 4506, stripped and cleaned it with Hoppe's solvent and lube. For whatever reason I also have a can of Break Free CLP, and after some reading CLP and 40W Mobile 1 come highly recommended as lubes

any thoughts or particular lubes y'uns swear by?

2/4/2011 10:44:26 PM

The only thing I use solvent on while cleaning is the bore. Everything else gets cleaned with Breakfree CLP.
Most of the time I use CLP for lube on internals. I use Breakfree LP for barrels, slide rails, and bolts. LP is thicker than CLP; about like Mobil 1.
Some autos get Wilson Combat Ultima grease on the rails depending on the conditions and what I'm going to do with the gun.

Just about any oil will work for lube while it's freshly applied. Mobil 1, militec, Breakfree LP, and similar often stay in place pretty well. Breakfree CLP migrates pretty bad due to the cleaning properties.

So basically I'm a Breakfree CLP and LP fan. I like the idea of staying with one brand so i Know the lubes are compatible. I like how I can go anywhere and get CLP.

2/4/2011 11:19:11 PM

I use Breakfree CLP for general clean/lube, Hoppe's #9 comes out if I'm trying to clean some really cruddy stuff in the barrel, and if I'm cleaning small grungy parts they go into an ultrasonic cleaner with a Simple Green solution. Pistol slides get a little dab of grease, but that's the only place I use the stuff.

2/5/2011 7:51:14 AM