Gun of the Day

[PzLdr]

I have a question for you all: does it make sense to buy a variety of guns when you'll have to buy so many types of ammunition, or just stick to a few within the same "family" of ammo? We own three weapons currently - two handguns and a rifle -  each requiring its own type of ammunition. Much as I'd like to have additional guns, I don't like the thought of having to purchase all the different calibers of ammo.  What do you think?

If you're talking defense or WTSHTF, I'd stick to:
    Handguns: .357 [also shoots .38 Special], .45 ACP, 9 mm, .22 LR
    Rifles: .22 LR, .223 [or 5.56], .308 or 30-06. For hunting, I might add a 30-30
    Shotguns: 12 or 20 gage.

You want to go w/ ammo that's readily available. 

[mountaineer]

Thanks for the info. As we have a .22 LR rifle, I was thinking of getting a .22 handgun as well.

[Poser]

A .38 special/.357 revolver is a must for every arsenal. It will shoot mild target loads and heavy defensive loads equally well. If you don't plan to carry it concealed, buy a 4" or 6" barrel. It will give you a better accuracy at the range.

Personally, if I could only have one gun, it would be a 1911 .45ACP semi-automatic pistol.
In order, here are my guns of choice:

.45 1911
.38/.357 Revolver
12 Gauge pump shotgun
30-06 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle
Ruger MarkII Bull Barrel .22 pistol
Glock 17 9mm
AR15

I have lots of others but those are the essentials for every collection. If you learn to make your own ammo you will be able to shoot about three times as much for about the same price. You don't save any money by reloading. You just shoot more. A regular afternoon at the range is about 500 rounds for me. The cost is about $30 and I won't be shooting many .22's. I can make 500 rounds of a single handgun caliber in a little over 2 hours with a relatively inexpensive progressive press (RL550b).

[Poser]

Here are some guns of my day, today:


Clockwise from upper left:
  Glock 17 9mm with ported barrel
  Colt series 70 .45ACP 1911 with ambidextrous safety and flared ejection port
  S&W 686 Stainless .357 revolver with 6" barrel and 3 lb trigger job
  Pre-war Walther PP .32ACP - Bone Stock

I love gun porn!

[Oceander]

That's a well-used S&W

[Poser]

That's a well-used S&W

The petina is accentuated by the lighting but the blue looks great too.

[Oceander]

The petina is accentuated by the lighting but the blue looks great too.

I love the S&W .357 6".  I had a friend once who had one; I used to offer to buy the day's ammo if he'd let me shoot half of it.

[Poser]

Todays Guns (the thread IS called Gun of the Day) clockwise from the upper left:

Ruger MKII Government Model .22
Star Firestar 9mm
Makarov 9x18mm (Russian)
Taurus PT945 .45ACP
S&W Model 41 .22

The Model 41 is way more expensive than the Ruger MKII, but for some reason, I'm more accurate with the Ruger.

[Oceander]

Todays Guns (the thread IS called Gun of the Day) clockwise from the upper left:

Ruger MKII Government Model .22
Star Firestar 9mm
Makarov 9x18mm (Russian)
Taurus PT945 .45ACP
S&W Model 41 .22

The Model 41 is way more expensive than the Ruger MKII, but for some reason, I'm more accurate with the Ruger.

A gun a day keeps the (Obamacare) doctor away!  (or something like that; look, I'm terrible at thinking up even crude limericks)

[ABX]

I apologize for neglecting this topic for a while. Election and all... you know... with the potential reprisal of the AWB, I decided to post today a gun that usually falls first victim to all gun bans. The AK-47. Very few will argue, this is one of the best guns ever made. It is also highly plentiful so the prices aren't too high (it varies greatly but you can get a good one at a gun show for around $500.)



Cheaper than Dirt has given us a buyer's guide to help in choosing.
http://cdn2.cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?p=465

This article is intended to help the first time AK buyer get the necessary information to make an informed purchase of an AK-47 or AK-74 rifle.

This is not for the current AK owner and collector, and as such, you may feel unchallenged by this information. That’s OK. We still love to have you here. Feel free to read along with us anyway.
Century International Arms M70AB Underfolder Rifle

Century International Arms M70AB Underfolder Rifle

Here, we are only talking about purchasing the civilian legal semi-automatic version of the “Automatic Kalashnikov Model 47″ or AK-47, which can go by many trade names and designations, but is still a rose by any other name.

Today’s semi-automatic AK market is flooded with Kalashnikovs ranging from marginal to excellent quality. You may find that the deciding factor is your “hip-pocket national bank” (your wallet). We can work with you as well as the guy with deep pockets who is ready to buy but just needs a push in the right direction. Let’s begin.
Some Basics

The AK-47 and AK-74 rifles are by far the most produced modern small arms in the world. Some estimates are as high as 100 million copies. That means the AK accounts for one out of every five firearms in the world. In addition, they are quite the “bad-boy” of the firearms world. There is good reason for this. The AK has earned a reputation for being an extremely reliable weapon under all possible conditions. This is a good thing. Since it is such a good weapon, and the full auto version is relatively cheap on the international black market, many find it to be their weapon of choice, especially gangs and drug traffickers, not to mention terrorists in all parts of the world. Also, the US military has faced the AK-47 in just about every conflict from Vietnam to the present day–thus, the “bad-boy” reputation. You should have already gotten over the “not invented here” syndrome or you would not be thinking about buying one to start with. Believe it or not, and much to their loss, many folks suffer from this malady.

To keep a mental tab on how long the AK has been in service, the AK-47 was introduced in 1947 and the AK-74 in 1974. Pretty easy to remember, huh? Actually, this method of model numbering is common to the European world where the rifle is simply named after the year it was designed or introduced.

The 7.62x39mm round has good stopping power and can be favorably compared to the .30-30 cartridge. 7.62x39mm is plentiful in that countless ship loads of ammo have been brought into the US over the last 20 years, to the extent it is virtually a universal cartridge. The AK-74 5.45x39mm round is a bit less well known. It is essentially the Soviet answer to the 5.56 NATO round. For the past few years, inexpensive (and corrosive) surplus 5.45 ammo has been available, but it seems to be drying up. New production ammunition is still available in great numbers, so ammo availability isn’t a factor. The AK is also available in 5.56 NATO for those who would find that convenient. Most folks looking to buy their first AK will stick with the original 7.62×39 caliber.
75 Round Magazine

75 Round Magazine

A LOT more here: http://cdn2.cheaperthandirt.com/blog/?p=465

[Ford289HiPo]

Gun of the day. Today, my personal concealed carry choice for every-day carry. The Walther PPK/s.

(and not just because I am a big Bond fan and collector)





    Walther® PPK/S Pistol
    Manufacturer Number: VAH38001
    Action: Single/Double
    Caliber; .380 ACP
    Capacity: 7 Round
    Features:
        Firing Pin Safety
        Manual Safety with Decocking Function
        Double Action and Single Action Trigger
        Extended Beaver Tail
    Barrel Length: 3.35 Inch
    Overall Length: 6.1 Inch
    Sights: Fixed
    Weight (Empty): 22.4 Ounces


Before someone talks about the stopping power of the .380, consider this.



It doesn't have the energy of the .45 but the lack of energy will cause the bullet to stay in the target longer versus going right through. Maybe not the best against a large bear, but for the average tweaked out crack-head mugger, it will work quite well.

The .380 is a good round. I have actually knocked down deer with it, and I am more comfortable using it as a home defense round since it won't blast through every wall in the house.
BTW- My .380 weapon is a CZ83, and my Walther PP is a .32cal.
Sort of ironic.

[Ford289HiPo]

I have a question for you all: does it make sense to buy a variety of guns when you'll have to buy so many types of ammunition, or just stick to a few within the same "family" of ammo? We own three weapons currently - two handguns and a rifle -  each requiring its own type of ammunition. Much as I'd like to have additional guns, I don't like the thought of having to purchase all the different calibers of ammo.  What do you think?

Your choice. I have 6 weapons in my house, all of different calibres, but only two hands. I'd also like to get something in 5.7mm, .22cal, .40cal, and .17HMR

[massadvj]

I have a question for you all: does it make sense to buy a variety of guns when you'll have to buy so many types of ammunition, or just stick to a few within the same "family" of ammo? We own three weapons currently - two handguns and a rifle -  each requiring its own type of ammunition. Much as I'd like to have additional guns, I don't like the thought of having to purchase all the different calibers of ammo.  What do you think?

I like my Mossburg 500 shotgun, but with three barrels, I have to buy three types of ammo for one weapon: slugs, buckshot and bird shot.  One the other hand, it's the only rifle I own or really need to own.  It's weak as a long-range deer rifle, but it'll do the job.  Can't be beat for short and intermediate range.

My hand gun is Ruger 9MM.  I think if I got another one, I'd go bigger, maybe 357 or 45.  But then that would be five varieties of ammo for just three guns.  And ammo ain't cheap these days.  My Sportmens Club says range use is way down this year because the cost of ammo is so high. 

[Oceander]

I like my Mossburg 500 shotgun, but with three barrels, I have to buy three types of ammo for one weapon: slugs, buckshot and bird shot.  One the other hand, it's the only rifle I own or really need to own.  It's weak as a long-range deer rifle, but it'll do the job.  Can't be beat for short and intermediate range.

My hand gun is Ruger 9MM.  I think if I got another one, I'd go bigger, maybe 357 or 45.  But then that would be five varieties of ammo for just three guns.  And ammo ain't cheap these days.  My Sportmens Club says range use is way down this year because the cost of ammo is so high. 

Oooh!  I love the Ruger 9mm!  I used to have one when I lived in VA.  Had a little Browning .22 auto pistol too; that had a tendency to jam, however, when ejecting spent casings.

[massadvj]

Oooh!  I love the Ruger 9mm!  I used to have one when I lived in VA.  Had a little Browning .22 auto pistol too; that had a tendency to jam, however, when ejecting spent casings.

My Ruger used to jam once in a while, but now that it is broken in, it never does.

[Oceander]

My Ruger used to jam once in a while, but now that it is broken in, it never does.

  My Ruger never jammed, not once.  It was the p86, all black, kinda like this one:

[massadvj]

I have an SR9C.  What's cool about it is that it is a nice little conceal and carry with the 9-bullet clip, but you can put on the 17-bullet clip to extend the handle if you want more firepower.  Here it is each way.

[Poser]

, and my Walther PP is a .32cal.

I have a pre-WWII Walther PP in .32ACP. It's a nicely made gun but you can get a 9mm now that is as small and light.

[TheMom]

I suck at linking pictures, but here is the link to what Santa is getting me for Christmas this year ~ http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/bigbore/1895SBL.asp.

Do I need that powerful of a gun when I don't hunt ~ no.

Does Santa need to spend that much money on a gun that will only be shot four or six times a year ~ no.

Is it beautiful ~ yes!

Will it kill zombies ~ yes!

Also, you never know when a herd of elephants might swarm the neighborhood!

[ABX]

Very nice. You could hunt some grizzly bear with that.

[Oceander]

I suck at linking pictures, but here is the link to what Santa is getting me for Christmas this year ~ http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/bigbore/1895SBL.asp.

Do I need that powerful of a gun when I don't hunt ~ no.

Does Santa need to spend that much money on a gun that will only be shot four or six times a year ~ no.

Is it beautiful ~ yes!

Will it kill zombies ~ yes!

Also, you never know when a herd of elephants might swarm the neighborhood!

Very nice!

Here's the zoomed in pic:

[TheMom]

Thanks!  I am both apprehensive & excited about shooting that rifle.

[ABX]

On the other end of the scale, my in-laws are in town this weekend and tomorrow we are taking out a Marlin 817 that shoots a .17HMR. This uses a .22 magnum scaled down to .17. A real test of skill. It uses almost a rifled type bullet versus the normal .22.

Here is a .22 Long Rifle versus a .17 HMR.



I'll give a report tomorrow night.

In other news, picked up a gem at a gun show today. A British Enfield 303. Needs some work but a nice classic to add to the collection.

[Ford289HiPo]

I have a pre-WWII Walther PP in .32ACP. It's a nicely made gun but you can get a 9mm now that is as small and light.

I purchased my Walther PP from a German Polezei when I was stationed overseas. The guy carried that same weapon for his entire 20+ year career. I got the original plastic box it came in, two mags, and the holster. It's not worth much, but it has some history to it.

[Ford289HiPo]

On the other end of the scale, my in-laws are in town this weekend and tomorrow we are taking out a Marlin 817 that shoots a .17HMR. This uses a .22 magnum scaled down to .17. A real test of skill. It uses almost a rifled type bullet versus the normal .22.

Here is a .22 Long Rifle versus a .17 HMR.



I'll give a report tomorrow night.

In other news, picked up a gem at a gun show today. A British Enfield 303. Needs some work but a nice classic to add to the collection.

I like the .17HMR because it's a darn good varmint round. I wish the rifles would come in a semi-auto though. I've only seen bolt action .17HMR's
The .22 will always be a contender just because of the low price for a brick of ammo.

Sweet looking Enfield you have there ^-^