Real Guns

[a6m5]

I've been interested in Glock 19 for sometime. I've also been interested in night sights for while, so I couldn't pass this one up.

 

[Michael88]

I lost a bet. A friend brought a steel pipe with him and wanted to see if I can shoot through it.
The pipe had a wall thickness of 2 x 4.5 millimeters, so the bullet would have to travel through a total of 9 mm hardened steel. Thats about .33 inch.

I thought it would barely make it through the first side, disintegrate in the process and only slightly dent the other side. He said it would go through both sides.

Boy, I was so wrong. I took my Mauser 98 in 8 mm Mauser, used a round I loaded myself, a pretty hod load with a 196 grain soft point traveling at around 2600 fps.
The bullet went through both sides like a hot knife through butter, left a huge exit hole and even punched a big crater into the dirt behind the pipe.

Wow, that totally renewed my respect for battle rifle rounds. Its easy to forgot how much power rifles really have if you only punch paper at 100 meters.
Said friend also shot the pipe with a 9mm pistol and it left a little dent.

 

[a6m5]

My background check was delayed(Non-Citizen thing), so I couldn't pick up my Glock today. . They had Barrett. 50 on hand, but I was surprised by how compact the rifle was..... Price was not.

Edit :

Mission accomplished. They just called. Also picked up 1,000rds at $9.50 a box.

 

[Obelisk]

My background check was delayed(Non-Citizen thing), so I couldn't pick up my Glock today. . They had Barrett. 50 on hand, but I was surprised by how compact the rifle was..... Price was not. View attachment 641163
Edit :View attachment 641168

Mission accomplished. They just called. Also picked up 1,000rds at $9.50 a box.

Fricking $12,000 for a Barrett? I could arm a milita with AKs for that money.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Fricking $12,000 for a Barrett? I could arm a milita with AKs for that money.

That's not surprising it's been about that price for awhile, plus it's the light weight model that also has been revamped and strengthened. .50 Cal isn't cheap, and to be honest the Cheytac is more expensive than this.

Most high end bolt action rifles are expensive because they're very accurate, high quality builds.

If you think the price of the gun is bad, you should see how much a single box of ammo is. 100 rounds will run you about $350 USD.

 

[Obelisk]

That's not surprising it's been about that price for awhile, plus it's the light weight model that also has been revamped and strengthened. .50 Cal isn't cheap, and to be honest the Cheytac is more expensive than this.

Most high end bolt action rifles are expensive because they're very accurate, high quality builds.

If you think the price of the gun is bad, you should see how much a single box of ammo is. 100 rounds will run you about $350 USD.

$35 $3.50 a round?!

Screw that, I'm sticking with cheap calibers.

 

[prousonhairy]

$35 a round?!

Screw that, I'm sticking with cheap calibers.

It's actually $3.50 a round. 👍

 

[Obelisk]

It's actually $3.50 a round. 👍

I derp. My bad.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

$35 a round?!

Screw that, I'm sticking with cheap calibers.

Yeah basically (3.50), that's why if you ever go to a range and see someone firing .50 bmg rounds, you'll always see them make sure to collect the casings.

 

[a6m5]

I gave my coworkers bottle-openers made out of .50BMG casing one Christmas. That was a hit.

How long has it been since I owned a Glock? I don't remember how to take the slide off this simplest handgun. That's how long.

It's a good size. I wanted to stick with the .45ACP, looked at the Glock 30(it was REALLY nice), but after losing my USP in the explosion, I was paranoid enough to go with the one of the most tried & true model instead. Plus, I always wanted either this or the Glock 23.

 

[Omnis]

Why does competition make my life so difficulty? New FN 509:

https://fnamerica.com/products/pistols/fn-509/

 

[Dragonwhisky]

After discovering this thread existed, I just spent several days "catching up". Yes, I read the entire thread. All 12 or so years worth. As the man in the movie said, I have patience, and experience. Hatcakes to anyone who knows which movie and which character said that.

I feel compelled to share a bit of my story.

As a young teenager I was given a Mossberg .22 bolt action, scoped and with, I think, a 5 round magazine/clip/explosiveprojectileholderthing (EPHT). Don't remember the specifics of the scope but I was a pretty good plinker with it. At 17 I joined the USAF and shortly after, my Mother gave me my Father's Winchester 94. To my knowledge it wasn't a "special" one of any sort but, it was my Father's, who died at the tender age of 33. A few years later got into some financial difficulties while stationed in Alaska and sold both of them. Almost cried letting that 30-30 go. Cut to about 30 years later and I resolved to get another 30-30. A co-worker had inherited an "armory" from his father and mentioned a 30-30 was part of the collection. It's now mine. It's not a pre-64 but it'll do. That led to a desire to pick up a 1911. Colt's and Kimbers and such were all a bit beyond what I was willing to pay so I picked up that Girsan. It shoots ok but I need to do some work on the sites so I can see them better and every time I take it to the range I get a few FTEs. Might be the crap ammo I use or weak wristing it. After reading through this thread I plan to change the way I grip it and see if the FTE rate improves.

Wife wasn't all that jazzed about having guns in the house again but after shooting my son's 1911 and a .22 pistol he had, she decided she wanted one so we picked up that Bersa .380 for her. It's a bit small for me but it seems to be alright for her. She hasn't shot it much yet but we intend to change that. The only other handgun I wanted at this point is a revolver. My go to "gun nut" co-worker picked up that Ruger Redhawk from his Dad and then sold it to me. Bought a box of .44mag the next day at the range and my poor wallet squealed like a boar hog gettin' his nuts cut off with a dull knife. Damn that .44 mag ammo is expensive.

I understand I can load .44 special into it for a bit less but the cost of that or the mag ammo alone has driven me to consider taking up the fine art of reloading. At the moment however, the cost of entry to that endeavor is more than I want to spend. That go to co-worker has offered to teach me on his equipment but I'll need to get a set of dies for the .44 plus the bullets, powder, brass and primers. At least until I get a sufficient quantity of brass to start cycling through anyway. @Michael88 and anyone else that reloads, do you by chance know, at what point in the round count, starting from nothing, would the cost of reloading balance out buying retail? I'm looking at Lee's equipment and the stuff I've priced out so far has me over $500.00 and I'm sure I'm missing something. Of course, that's press, dies, brass and bullets for the .44, .45 and the 30-30, along with some case lube, tumbler and walnut media. I'm so newb at this that I'm not certain the same primers and powder could be used in all 3 cartridges but I suspect not after perusing a couple of reloading recipe charts.

At any rate, here's a pic of my zompocalypse/SHTF kit in it's present form. I would still like to get a holster/harness set up that would hold my 30-30, machete and Louisville Slugger Thumper softball bat, yeah that's what it had written on it when I bought it 30 or so years ago, on my back, cross draw holster for the .45 and a right side thigh holster for the .44. Wife would have my 6 with her .380 and if I can talk her into it, a .223 semi-auto rifle. So long as neither one of us gets zombified, I think we'll be covered. At the moment I just have to manage with the range pack that holds my .45 and .44 + assorted ammo and shooting accessories and the range box my wife uses to move her pistol around. The .45 is the only store bought gun in the group.

Without further ado.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Father's personal carry is a Bersa .380 with hydro shocks. Seeing it's the go too CCW for many, I didn't care for it because in even slightly moisture or humid areas it begins to rust pretty easy compared to others. But you have a nice set up there, glad you enjoyed the thread and our commentary.

 

[Brett]

After discovering this thread existed, I just spent several days "catching up". Yes, I read the entire thread. All 12 or so years worth. As the man in the movie said, I have patience, and experience. Hatcakes to anyone who knows which movie and which character said that.

I feel compelled to share a bit of my story.

As a young teenager I was given a Mossberg .22 bolt action, scoped and with, I think, a 5 round magazine/clip/explosiveprojectileholderthing (EPHT). Don't remember the specifics of the scope but I was a pretty good plinker with it. At 17 I joined the USAF and shortly after, my Mother gave me my Father's Winchester 94. To my knowledge it wasn't a "special" one of any sort but, it was my Father's, who died at the tender age of 33. A few years later got into some financial difficulties while stationed in Alaska and sold both of them. Almost cried letting that 30-30 go. Cut to about 30 years later and I resolved to get another 30-30. A co-worker had inherited an "armory" from his father and mentioned a 30-30 was part of the collection. It's now mine. It's not a pre-64 but it'll do. That led to a desire to pick up a 1911. Colt's and Kimbers and such were all a bit beyond what I was willing to pay so I picked up that Girsan. It shoots ok but I need to do some work on the sites so I can see them better and every time I take it to the range I get a few FTEs. Might be the crap ammo I use or weak wristing it. After reading through this thread I plan to change the way I grip it and see if the FTE rate improves.

Wife wasn't all that jazzed about having guns in the house again but after shooting my son's 1911 and a .22 pistol he had, she decided she wanted one so we picked up that Bersa .380 for her. It's a bit small for me but it seems to be alright for her. She hasn't shot it much yet but we intend to change that. The only other handgun I wanted at this point is a revolver. My go to "gun nut" co-worker picked up that Ruger Redhawk from his Dad and then sold it to me. Bought a box of .44mag the next day at the range and my poor wallet squealed like a boar hog gettin' his nuts cut off with a dull knife. Damn that .44 mag ammo is expensive.

I understand I can load .44 special into it for a bit less but the cost of that or the mag ammo alone has driven me to consider taking up the fine art of reloading. At the moment however, the cost of entry to that endeavor is more than I want to spend. That go to co-worker has offered to teach me on his equipment but I'll need to get a set of dies for the .44 plus the bullets, powder, brass and primers. At least until I get a sufficient quantity of brass to start cycling through anyway. @Michael88 and anyone else that reloads, do you by chance know, at what point in the round count, starting from nothing, would the cost of reloading balance out buying retail? I'm looking at Lee's equipment and the stuff I've priced out so far has me over $500.00 and I'm sure I'm missing something. Of course, that's press, dies, brass and bullets for the .44, .45 and the 30-30, along with some case lube, tumbler and walnut media. I'm so newb at this that I'm not certain the same primers and powder could be used in all 3 cartridges but I suspect not after perusing a couple of reloading recipe charts.

At any rate, here's a pic of my zompocalypse/SHTF kit in it's present form. I would still like to get a holster/harness set up that would hold my 30-30, machete and Louisville Slugger Thumper softball bat, yeah that's what it had written on it when I bought it 30 or so years ago, on my back, cross draw holster for the .45 and a right side thigh holster for the .44. Wife would have my 6 with her .380 and if I can talk her into it, a .223 semi-auto rifle. So long as neither one of us gets zombified, I think we'll be covered. At the moment I just have to manage with the range pack that holds my .45 and .44 + assorted ammo and shooting accessories and the range box my wife uses to move her pistol around. The .45 is the only store bought gun in the group.

Without further ado.
View attachment 642560

Glad you could find the thread! 👍

 

[Blood Eagle]

Welcome to the thread @Dragonwhisky

 

[Michael88]

Its really hard to say when handloading your own ammunition really pays off financially, it depends on many factors such as the quality of the components used, training volume, the calibers you are using and if you intend to shoot matches or not.

If you are just going to plink a couple of boxes of standard ammunition / year than it definitely won't pay off in the next 30 years or so. If you are a serious target shooter with weekly visits to the shooting range then it can pay off in a year or less. And if you intend to do target shooting on a competitive level you HAVE to reload since you can greatly increase accuracy if you match the ammunition to your specific firearms. You can double accuracy with good handloads vs commercial ammo and thats crucial.

Investing in reloading tools cut my ammunition cost in half with some calibers it even brings it down to 1/3.
But in my case it was never really a question about the costs, I shoot firearms with rare calibers and I do competitive shooting so reloading is essential.

I suggest running some calculations, compare commercial ammo with the ammo you would make, plus your estimated training volume and see when it would pay off.


All that being said, making your own ammunition is just pretty darn cool.

 

[Obelisk]

Question: Has anyone ever been near a De Lisle or a Welrod? I want to shoot the former, they look fun.

 

[prousonhairy]

I've been working at a Cement Plant for about a year now. My job is I Spray on a Preheat tower riser, and knock off huge car sized chunks with an 8000+ psi WOMA high powered water gun. Anyways, after the material goes through the kiln it goes into a clinker cooler, where it gets cooled and crushed by some roll crushers, then into a pan conveyor.

Sometimes when we knock a bunch of huge chunks off the riser, or sometimes the kiln will have a "breakout"(huge chunks of material fall off the side of the kiln), and the rollcrushers in the cooler can't keep up. Then we have to use this thing:

It's a Winchester industrial 8 gauge kiln gun. It shoots high dollar industrial zinc or lead Magnum slugs. I don't know how much exactly they are, but I've seen prices on the net for around $10 a pop. It's really fun, but kind of hectic too because if we can't get the crushers cleared quickly enough, they have to stop the feed. There's really not much kick, because the gun weighs 75lbs or so.

Me and another guy shot 1050 rounds out of that thing tonight, I shot the first 650. It's a lot of fun blowing those chunks up, although I do have a slight blister from pulling the lever constantly.

 

[Obelisk]

I've been working at a Cement Plant for about a year now. My job is I Spray on a Preheat tower riser, and knock off huge car sized chunks with an 8000+ psi WOMA high powered water gun. Anyways, after the material goes through the kiln it goes into a clinker cooler, where it gets cooled and crushed by some roll crushers, then into a pan conveyor.

Sometimes when we knock a bunch of huge chunks off the riser, or sometimes the kiln will have a "breakout"(huge chunks of material fall off the side of the kiln), and the rollcrushers in the cooler can't keep up. Then we have to use this thing:

View attachment 643170

It's a Winchester industrial 8 gauge kiln gun. It shoots high dollar industrial zinc or lead Magnum slugs. I don't know how much exactly they are, but I've seen prices on the net for around $10 a pop. It's really fun, but kind of hectic too because if we can't get the crushers cleared quickly enough, they have to stop the feed. There's really not much kick, because the gun weighs 75lbs or so.

Me and another guy shot 1050 rounds out of that thing tonight, I shot the first 650. It's a lot of fun blowing those chunks up, although I do have a slight blister from pulling the lever constantly.

...Where do I go to shoot one of those?

But 8 gauge? Aren't punt guns somewhere around there?

 

[prousonhairy]

...Where do I go to shoot one of those?

But 8 gauge? Aren't punt guns somewhere around there?

If you get a job at a Cement plant or lime plant, anywhere with a kiln and cooler will have one. I can't find 8 gauge shells anywhere to buy, I guess they are industrial only.

We also have a "ring gun" for shooting a ring out of the kiln, it has a seat and everything, but I haven't got to use that. I think it shoots 8 gauge shells too.

 

[Dragonwhisky]

Anyone have any experience with Sellier & Bellot ammo? They appear to have been in business a long time, and it's relatively inexpensive + brass.

 

[a6m5]

Anyone have any experience with Sellier & Bellot ammo? They appear to have been in business a long time, and it's relatively inexpensive + brass.

I know that I've shot a box of them before, but it's been so long I don't remember where I got it, or the caliber(.45ACP or 9mm). They looked & fired good, I do remember that much.

 

[Brett]

Anyone have any experience with Sellier & Bellot ammo? They appear to have been in business a long time, and it's relatively inexpensive + brass.

I have shot around 1000 rounds of their 9mm stuff and not had any issues with it.

 

[Michael88]

Anyone have any experience with Sellier & Bellot ammo? They appear to have been in business a long time, and it's relatively inexpensive + brass.

I cannot speak for their handgun line but all the rifle ammunition is very high quality. Consistent, very hot loads, very accurate and if you are a reloader - good brass.

The Czech guys are pretty good in all weapon things, be it guns, ammo or accurate replicas of medieval swords and armor.

Their cars are hit or miss though.

 

[Brett]

This will be good to watch:



I am looking forward to the rest of the videos in the series:

 

[a6m5]

What kind of hollow point do you guys keep in your 9mm? My local Walmart carries the hydrashock in standard & low recoil. Are they any good? Low recoil sounds good for home defense, but I want them to cycle reliably, too.

I haven't shopped 9mm in a looong time, so I'd love to get some recommendations or tips before I try a couple.

P.S. I heard that one kid at work purchased a VP9 Tactical. I had never heard of it before, but I guess it has the threaded barrel? Bad ass!

 

[Brett]

Generally, Federal HST or Speer Gold Dots are the most recommended. That is also typically applicable for .40 S&W and .45 ACP. The nice thing about both is being able to buy 50 round boxes, as opposed to the 20 round boxes that most self defense ammo comes in.

See this: http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#9mm

 

[Blood Eagle]

What kind of hollow point do you guys keep in your 9mm? My local Walmart carries the hydrashock in standard & low recoil. Are they any good? Low recoil sounds good for home defense, but I want them to cycle reliably, too.

I haven't shopped 9mm in a looong time, so I'd love to get some recommendations or tips before I try a couple.

I've done some backyard type testing on 9mm hollowpoints and discovered that either Federal Tactical HST and Speer Gold Dot will reliably expand. Main problem with hollowpoint ammo is the cavity getting plugged with either clothing or any kind of debris in the way and them becoming basically standard ball ammunition and passing through without expansion. This was the biggest problem with them in the early days. Speer Gold Dots are bonded so there will be no jacket separation while an HST is not so the jacket may separate. Low recoil would be good for a magnum load like a .357 magnum but I don't feel it's necessary for a 9mm and would prefer hotter loads like +p which most if not all Gold Dot and HSTs will be +p. I shot a 115 gr +p 9mm Federal Tactical HST into a 55 gallon drum from above once. Here's a pic. Very cool looking. Sorry bad pic.

 

[a6m5]

I checked Walmart again, and it did say HST, but also micro? Do you guys know what that's about? 9mm is 9mm,but you can't return ammunition, so I put off the purchase for now. PS Thanks guys for the recommendations. 👍

 

[Blood Eagle]

I checked Walmart again, and it did say HST, but also micro? Do you guys know what that's about? 9mm is 9mm,but you can't return ammunition, so I put off the purchase for now. PS Thanks guys for the recommendations. 👍

Micro means they are for a sub compact. Jacketed Hollow Points like an HST is designed for more of a full size pistol like something a police officer would carry. I think a regular HST would probably be too much for a sub compact.