Real Guns

[Xavier2342]

So, is ammo really that hard to find right now in the US? I heard most common calibers have dried up completely, even the gun channels I watch are reluctant spending more than ten rounds for demonstration purposes.

Yes and no to a certain extent. Most of the common calibers are difficult to find. Every once in awhile I'll get lucky and find reasonably priced 9mm. But it's been awhile since this has happened. About a week after Thanksgiving, I saw a few boxes of .223/5.56 on shelves at Cabela's. Several months ago there were boxes upon boxes of 12 gauge birdshot at most if not all of the local sporting good stores. But lately, even birdshot has become difficult to find. There are a few online vendors that have ammo in stock, but you're going to pay a hefty premium for that ammo. This is pretty much why it has been several months since my friends and I have participated in any gun competitions and rarely go shooting anymore. The local gun range I frequently visit will sell you a box of 9mm ammo for $50 only if you are shooting at their range. Bear in mind they use to charge $18 or so for that same box of ammo.

Weird. I can't get behind that thought process, do people expect some kind of super mass riot when Biden gets into office, where they'll need so much ammunition? I kind of understood people hoarding ammo and AR's during Obama's second term, but that was because he was a anti-gun hardliner with nothing to lose in the end.
But now?

It is necessarily the expectation of a mass riot. It is more about the availability and the political administration that is about to go into office. For years they have made it clear just how much they hate firearms and their desire to essentially disarm law abiding gun owners. Personally I am very concerned about what could potentially happen once they are in office now that the Democratic party controls the House and Senate. Below is a pic of a few bills that have recently been introduced.

 

[dlshearon]

HR125 is a joke, it already takes a year to get a suppressor.

Democrats are the best gun salesmen.

Lots of factories shut down due to Covid + a huge demand in product = less ammo & guns being available.

 

[Swagger897]

Three weeks ago i just wanted to go out and buy a refrigerator that was in stock within 300 miles of my house... If I want to find ammo? Pshhh, good luck..

 

[Xavier2342]

Have any of you guys owned and/or shot an Arex Zero 1 Tactical Compact? I wonder how this gun compares to a CZ P07?

http://www.arex.si/tactical-compact

 

[Xavier2342]

I was in the area and decided to stop by Cabela's earlier this morning. I got there maybe 5-10 mins after they opened and figured I'd check out their ammo selection. Well, all that was available was about a shelf worth of Federal 10mm, .270 Win (Hornady I believe) and bulk boxes 28 gauge birdshot.

 

[Michael88]

Have any of you guys owned and/or shot an Arex Zero 1 Tactical Compact? I wonder how this gun compares to a CZ P07?

http://www.arex.si/tactical-compact

A friend of mine, who owns a gun shop and has tons of experience has one and swears by them. Never shot one myself but I have heard from several people that those guns are awesome. All *I* know about them is that they look pretty.

I was in the area and decided to stop by Cabela's earlier this morning. I got there maybe 5-10 mins after they opened and figured I'd check out their ammo selection. Well, all that was available was about a shelf worth of Federal 10mm, .270 Win (Hornady I believe) and bulk boxes 28 gauge birdshot.

How about reloading supplies? Powder, bullets, primers?

 

[Xavier2342]

A friend of mine, who owns a gun shop and has tons of experience has one and swears by them. Never shot one myself but I have heard from several people that those guns are awesome. All *I* know about them is that they look pretty.


How about reloading supplies? Powder, bullets, primers?

That's awesome, I hope my local gun range gets one for rental. In regards to reloading supplies, I'll pay more attention next time. But the only things I recall seeing were dies and powder.

 

[Xavier2342]

The AR14... I laughed about it several months ago because of something Joe Biden said while being questioned about a statement he made (first video). But Ian from Forgotten Weapons recently released a video about a real AR14.

Biden Confrontation


AR14

 

[Michael88]

Biden Confrontation

Excellent reaction, hats off for that guy! Also scary how emotional and aggressive the new leader of the country with the most powerful military in the world is, after just a mild confrontation, that's not good. But I don't want to go there now.

Aaaanyway, a couple more parts found their way on my Glock! A PGW aluminum carry muzzle brake (screw-on), also fine adjustable LPA fiber optic sights made from steel. If Glock is perfection as they keep saying, this is beyond perfection. I have not changed any of the guts though, trigger, springs, slide, all stock - I don't want to mess with its legendary reliability.

 

[Xavier2342]

I'm always interested in learning about gun ownership in different countries. TFB TV released a video earlier today about gun ownership in Israel that I though was very interesting.

Excellent reaction, hats off for that guy! Also scary how emotional and aggressive the new leader of the country with the most powerful military in the world is, after just a mild confrontation, that's not good. But I don't want to go there now.

Aaaanyway, a couple more parts found their way on my Glock! A PGW aluminum carry muzzle brake (screw-on), also fine adjustable LPA fiber optic sights made from steel. If Glock is perfection as they keep saying, this is beyond perfection. I have not changed any of the guts though, trigger, springs, slide, all stock - I don't want to mess with its legendary reliability.

I've seen pictures of muzzle brakes on pistol but always wondered if there was any kind of noticeable difference?

 

[Michael88]

I've seen pictures of muzzle brakes on pistol but always wondered if there was any kind of noticeable difference?

I used to be skeptic about muzzle brakes on anything but large caliber rifles and full-auto guns but since I tried the comp on my G17 for fun I have been turned into a believer. I shot it at a friends private shooting range and switched compensator on and off to feel the difference.
With the comp on using standard 124 grainers at about 1200 fp/s I'd say the recoil noticeably less, and less snappy, the pistol stays so flat I barely shift off target when I shoot, recovery is near non-existent.
At 10 meters I could keep my groups in a palm sized area with a cadence of about 3 shots in 2 seconds. Its even better than what the proponents of compensators say.

So yes, it has some drawbacks, like it makes my G17 longer than a G34 - but it does reduce recoil by a significant amount. In my opinion, if your gun proves reliable with a comp and the extra length isn't a concern - go for it!

BTW, weren't you thinking about the Arex?

 

[Michael88]

Did some wetpack testing of my defensive ammunition. Wetpack is newspaper soaked in water to test various projectiles. I put 2 layers of denim in front of it to see if the HP's would still perform with a clogged up tips.

From left to right: (9mm Barrel length 4.8 inches)

124 grain Hornady XTP 9mm / 1250 fps / opened up to about .55

115 grain Sierra 9mm / 1300 fps / Opened up to about .59

124 grain Hornady XTP 9mm / 1250 fps / partially fragmented despite all parameters being the same as in the other XTP I tested.-

200 grain 44-40 Winchester plated lead flatpoint bullet /1305 fps (rifle). Expanded up to about .54, while having about 3 times the penetration as the 9mm projectiles. Left a surprisingly big channel in the pack despite hardly expanding at all.

 

[Michael88]

This is AWESOME. I've always been a huge fan of straight-pull action rifles.

 

[coryclifford]

BB guns count? Couple from Daisy. Indoor in the apartment is easy to do, so I do.. Over 8000 through the Red Ryder. Got the 499B Champion recently, about 350 through it. Considered the most accurate 5 meter BB gun there is, I guess. It certainly is good.

499 on the left target. The Red Ryder on the right is no slouch though. Both from 27 feet.

 

[Michael88]

Thinking about painting my Glock. Wanted to do a camo paint but after doing two of my rifles with various brown, green and grey colors I was thinioing about trying something new. Got me a picture of a Glock and tried various colors in Photoshop, and kind of settled on RAL 3005, which is a very dark red (matte).
Should I paint it that way? What do you guys think? Too garish? Any suggestions?

Olive green. looks nice too, but every paint job I did had that green in it, and I'm growing tired of it.

 

[Brett]

Thinking about painting my Glock. Wanted to do a camo paint but after doing two of my rifles with various brown, green and grey colors I was thinioing about trying something new. Got me a picture of a Glock and tried various colors in Photoshop, and kind of settled on RAL 3005, which is a very dark red (matte).
Should I paint it that way? What do you guys think? Too garish? Any suggestions?

Olive green. looks nice too, but every paint job I did had that green in it, and I'm growing tired of it.

I am not the one to ask on this subject. I own a purple framed Glock.

 

[Michael88]

I am not the one to ask on this subject. I own a purple framed Glock.

So what you are basically saying is that I cannot make fun of you anymore when I paint my Glock dark red?

Damn, I had not thought of that.

Did you paint it yourself? Why that color?

 

[Obelisk]

Why not just go hot pink and be the troll of the gun ranges?

 

[Michael88]

Why not just go hot pink and be the troll of the gun ranges?

I already put a muzzle brake on my Glock, and I'm disturbing the peace regularly by shooting a .375 H&H on the range, I'm already on the verge of getting excommunicated.

 

[Brett]

So what you are basically saying is that I cannot make fun of you anymore when I paint my Glock dark red?

Damn, I had not thought of that.

Did you paint it yourself? Why that color?

I did not paint it myself. While looking for a Glock 48, I noticed that there were purple framed and robin's egg blue framed ones available. If I got either one, then I figured I would be the one of the only persons with one in that color. I like it because it is different from the normal black, FDE, or ODG.

 

[Michael88]

Just finished the paintjob! I used NATO olive drab, does not come across well in the photo due to the poor lighting, its actually way darker.

 

[Xavier2342]

As far as colors go, I was thinking more along the lines of an Oxford White frame and Kona Blue slide . The color you chose and the paint job look awesome.

 

[Brett]

I am not the one to ask on this subject. I own a purple framed Glock.

I did not paint it myself. While looking for a Glock 48, I noticed that there were purple framed and robin's egg blue framed ones available. If I got either one, then I figured I would be the one of the only persons with one in that color. I like it because it is different from the normal black, FDE, or ODG.

I guess since I mentioned it, I should post a picture of it:

 

[kikie]

I've always wondered about how a gun works. Now I know.

 

[Brett]

I've always wondered about how a gun works. Now I know.

If you want to know how other firearm operations work, here is a great playlist:



The video you linked shows short recoil operation and that is just one way guns work.

 

[Michael88]

I just had to re-do the paint job on my Glock, the paint was not fully cured and I was handling some Loctite blue, apparently when the paint is still not fully cured Loctite drops will melt it away. Boy that was frustrating, I hated myself for the rest of the day for screwing up.

I tried it on cured paint and it did nothing.

 

[phillgt2002]

Considering my stay in Missouri may be extended, I'm thinking about getting something to plink with for a few months. Obviously it has to be concealable. I have maybe $1,000 to play around with.

As much as I'd like a rifle to shoot, it's a bit much.

 

[Xavier2342]

@phillkillv2 what about the Arex Delta M? $515 before tax and you would have enough money leftover to purchase a good red dot sight.

https://gunzonedeals.com/product/arex-delta-m-fde-optics-ready-9mm-for-sale-at-gunzonedeals.com-1-1

 

[Michael88]

Considering my stay in Missouri may be extended, I'm thinking about getting something to plink with for a few months. Obviously it has to be concealable.

Why does it have to be concealable if you only want to plink with it, and only for a few months?

I'd recommend the obvious choice, a Glock 45 MOS for ~ 500, and invest the rest in magazines, a good holster and ammunition. Small enough for concealed carry, big enough to be fun at the range, dead reliable, time proven, lightweight, big magazine capacity, red dot mountable, great right out of the box.

If the G45 still proves to be too fat for your concealed carry needs, go with the Glock 48. It has a 10 shot magazine which makes it a lot slimmer and lighter, but at the same time its still big enough and the sight line is long enough not to be frustrating at the shooting range. Not sure if there is a MOS version of it though.

 

[Brett]

Why does it have to be concealable if you only want to plink with it, and only for a few months?

I'd recommend the obvious choice, a Glock 45 MOS for ~ 500, and invest the rest in magazines, a good holster and ammunition. Small enough for concealed carry, big enough to be fun at the range, dead reliable, time proven, lightweight, big magazine capacity, red dot mountable, great right out of the box.

If the G45 still proves to be too fat for your concealed carry needs, go with the Glock 48. It has a 10 shot magazine which makes it a lot slimmer and lighter, but at the same time its still big enough and the sight line is long enough not to be frustrating at the shooting range. Not sure if there is a MOS version of it though.

The G19 would also be a good option. I would second the G45 or G48. There is a MOS version of the G48. It has only recently been released. Shield Arms makes magazines for the G48 that hold 15 rounds in the same space as the factory magazines; they recommend replacing the factory magazine catch with a metal one. I have a few of them, but have not had a chance to give them a try; fortunately, there are a bunch of people who have and they work well.