Guns and Ammo Thread

[Honkey_Kong]

True, but I didn't recall what his airsoft pistol was made of.

The bluing should give him a nice dull-ish protective finish for any steel parts.

I thought I remember him saying they were steel. That sounded funny to me since it's a toy. Aluminum would be lighter and more resistant to weather.

[almostgone]

I'm not buying that crap the CEO of Federal was saying about the ammo shortage. I'm positive the military and LEOs are buying up all of the production of complete ammo and the powder, brass and primers. If it wasn't the case, we'd know of people getting lucky and snagging new boxes of primers or bottles of powder.

I got lucky and one of the guys I work with that reloads fell ass backwards into 1000 large rifle primers. We generally keep each other informed of deals or supplies in stock, etc., so he offered to split the brick with me. I gladly took him up on the offer.

Midway had some Federal (not NATO headstamp) M193 5.56 today for around 2x the normal price; think it was 72¢/round. I sent out a few texts to guys I knew were in need and desperate. Think that ammo sold out in under an hour.

One of the Palmetto State Armory shops is just a little ways up the road from where I work. I may ride up there soon just to shoot the sh!t and see if any of those guys have excess personal supplies that they don't want an eyeball and a kidney for.

[Honkey_Kong]

I got lucky and one of the guys I work with that reloads fell ass backwards into 1000 large rifle primers. We generally keep each other informed of deals or supplies in stock, etc., so he offered to split the brick with me. I gladly took him up on the offer.

Midway had some Federal (not NATO headstamp) M193 5.56 today for around 2x the normal price; think it was 72¢/round. I sent out a few texts to guys I knew were in need and desperate. Think that ammo sold out in under an hour.

One of the Palmetto State Armory shops is just a little ways up the road from where I work. I may ride up there soon just to shoot the sh!t and see if any of those guys have excess personal supplies that they don't want an eyeball and a kidney for.

Really? If I could buy ammo online in this state, I would've bought their whole stock.

I recently spent about $220 (with shipping) to buy 1000 Wolf brand small rifle primers off gunbroker. It's obscene how badly people are fvuking other people over this. A year ago, I could get 10,000 primers for that price and I would've never even looked at Wolf. I am totally out of large rifle and pistol primers and I have 100 small pistol primers left.

[almostgone]

Really? If I could buy ammo online in this state, I would've bought their whole stock.

I recently spent about $220 (with shipping) to buy 1000 Wolf brand small rifle primers off gunbroker. It's obscene how badly people are fvuking other people over this. A year ago, I could get 10,000 primers for that price and I would've never even looked at Wolf. I am totally out of large rifle and pistol primers and I have 100 small pistol primers left.

Did they stick you with the Hazmat fees, too? Some guys on G-broker are certified to ship Hazmat items and some just throw it in a box with a little newspaper and ship it on.

[Honkey_Kong]

Did they stick you with the Hazmat fees, too? Some guys on G-broker are certified to ship Hazmat items and some just throw it in a box with a little newspaper and ship it on.

I don't recall any fees on top of that. The packaging looked like any other package you'd get through the mail.

[almostgone]

I don't recall any fees on top of that. The packaging looked like any other package you'd get through the mail.

Usually UPS/FedEx have a hazmat surcharge up to a certain amount/poundage.
I think UPS raised their Hazmat fee to $39 effective 12/27/2020, but some seller's occasionally pay part of the cost. I know Midway will run special deals on the fee and Graf & Son's does the same. Hopefully we'll eventually get some supplies!!


Edit: Graf's site has a $12.50 charge on a case of primers or powder.

Powder, primers & liquid cleaning chemicals over 1 quart, will be charged a $12.50 hazardous material fee per package. Maximum gross weight per package is 40 lbs of hazardous material (some exceptions may apply). We can mix brands in one package. Minimum order for powder is 4 lbs. Minimum primer order is 1000. On any backordered hazardous material, you are responsible for the $12.50 hazardous charge. No individual powder containers over 8 lbs. can be shipped. Hazardous materials cannot be shipped US Mail.

[Beetlegeuse]

To me, reloads are a lot like korn likker. Unless I have supreme confidence in the man what made it, I ain't touching it. And in the case of the likker, I pretty much have to have seen the still it came from.

Hopefully, this will bring some badly needed QC to Colt....

I have no doubt that they will. Everybody that CZ has bought thus far has prospered on all fronts under their ownership.

[Beetlegeuse]

Smart Guns? Dumb Policy. • NSSF

By Larry Keane

President Joe Biden said he’s figured it all out. Guns can be made safe if the firearm industry would just team up with Silicon Valley to create bio-enabled so-called “smart guns.”

This is according to a long-buried interview with the Las Vegas Sun conducted during the presidential campaign. The information contained in it is just now coming to light and some of the findings might show why. President Biden, as a candidate, was making outlandish pie-in-the-sky claims about theoretical, unproven and unreliable firearm technology.

President Biden claimed, according to this interview, “I also dealt with the folks in Silicon Valley; we have the capacity now to build any weapon where it can only be fired with your biometric marker. And that technology doesn’t violate anyone’s Second Amendment right at all. If you pass the background check, you can purchase a weapon which only you can pull the trigger.”

Smart Gun’s Failing Grade

He’s right on one count. As vice president, he did deal with tech leaders to attempt combining authorized-user, or so-called “smart gun” technology into firearms. It didn’t work. It didn’t get to the point where it could even be properly tested.

Then-Vice President Biden was in charge of an Obama administration task force to come up with gun control answers. One was to pursue so-called “smart gun” tech through the National Institutes of Justice. Officials there couldn’t even test a prototype because nothing was developed to the point where a safe and reliable product incorporating such a capability was available on the marketplace today. It still isn’t.

In 2017, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Earl Griffith, chief of the Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division said the technology still wasn’t there. “Some critics out there would say we have the technology and it would work, but I’ll tell you we don’t think the technology is there yet,” Griffith said.

That was after the U.S. government sunk at least $12.6 million in research to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to work with the tech industry to produce a working solution. It still eludes, but that doesn’t keep President Biden from dreaming.

Campaign Promises

Early on in the presidential campaign, President Biden claimed, “… we have the capacity now in a James Bond-style to make sure no one can pull a trigger unless their DNA and fingerprint is on it.” That’s some serious science-fiction fantasy technology. It makes for a good movie. In real life, it’s clumsy and failure prone at best and impossible at worst.

The president’s campaign trail claim of DNA-enabled smart guns is completely false. No one has introduced technology that would match a DNA sample to activate a firearm. However, attempts have been made at fingerprint-style authorized user-technology. Think of the way a fingerprint is used to open a smartphone. Now, think of all the times a smartphone won’t open when a fingerprint is applied. A little wet, not the right angle, dirty, God-forbid bloody… all these can cause a failure of the fingerprint lock to not activate the technology.

In a life-or-death situation when an individual is under duress and trying to activate the tool that would save their lives, swiping a fingerprint screen is the last concern. If your iPhone doesn’t open, you’re inconvenienced. If your firearm doesn’t work at the moment you need it you could be dead. That’s why study and survey work on this topic show that reliability is of paramount concern. Because the technology is not yet sufficiently reliable, there is very limited consumer interest in purchasing authorized-user equipped firearms.

Unwanted Mandate

Just five percent of those surveyed said they would consider purchasing a gun equipped with this technology. A full 70 percent said they had reliability concerns. They should. Firearms are more than just recreational target shooting tools. They’re also self-defense tools and in a life-or-death moment, they must work each and every time as intended. There is no room for a second attempt at a fingerprint match or battery failure.

Let me be explicitly clear, contrary to the false claims of gun control groups the firearm industry does not oppose the research and potential development of this technology being applied to firearms. Consumers are best left to decide what they want and the free market does a good job of weeding out bad ideas so good ones flourish. What NSSF strongly opposes, however, is the mandate of such technology, like what has recently been proposed by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.). She introduced H.R. 1008, legislation that would mandate that every gun sold within five years be equipped with the unworkable technology. It goes further. It also would require all legacy firearms be retrofitted within 10 years. That’s sure to go over well with collectors.

The firearm industry also has serious concerns about product liability. Even the DOJ’s researchers agree that any so-called “smart gun” technology has to be as reliable as present-day technology. There’s no room for failure. That’s what good engineering does – it eliminates points of failure. This is a particularly important concept for tools that are used to defend innocent lives. Forcing manufacturers to adopt this unproven and unreliable technology exposes them to lawsuits when it fails, and it will. It also exposes them to allegations that models that previously didn’t incorporate “smart gun” technology are potentially “defectively designed.”

Product reliability will be demonstrated when the government adopts this technology for the firearms used by the Department of Defense or federal, state and local law enforcement. So far, however, none have stepped up eager to slap a microchip and fingerprint reader in the side of a service firearm. The National Fraternal Order of Police warned that police officers should not be used as guinea pigs. Not a single police department has adopted and mandated their use. It is an anathema on the battlefield where a soldier could be left defenseless if he or she couldn’t pick up a gun in a firefight to defend themselves and others. It’s easy to understand why. The technology isn’t reliable and if it is electronic, it is vulnerable to hacking or denial of service.

This is what gun control advocates won’t admit. There’s nothing that they promise can’t be done through so-called smart gun technology that’s not already available by less expensive and more reliable means. The solution to ending unauthorized use of firearms is properly applied gun locks. That can be as simple as the cable locking device that comes with the firearm, which the firearm industry has provided in the gun case when they’re sold at retail. There are other options too, like trigger locks, lock boxes or safes.

President Biden and his collaborators in Silicon Valley should take a drive through the rest of America. Americans prefer their elected officials to be a little smarter and their firearms to be left alone.

[kelkel]

Beetle you're as big a gun guy as anyone I know. What's your concealed carry pistol(s) of choice?

[Honkey_Kong]

I've had an idea for a "smart gun" too. It basically replacing the primers with an electronic ignitor similar to ones used in kid's model rocketry. Then you can have a battery pack hidden in the stock that supplies the power to ignite the powder.

[kelkel]

Beetle you're as big a gun guy as anyone I know. What's your concealed carry pistol(s) of choice?

Actually I'd be interested to hear anyone's opinion as well.

[almostgone]

A SIg P365XL out in public for me or a Sig Ultra depending on how I'm dressed.
When I'm out in the the country or traveling to and from work, I carry a Sig M11A1 in a level 2 retention holster.

I have other options, but those are my "go to" pistols for carry.

[Honkey_Kong]

A SIg P365XL out in public for me or a Sig Ultra depending on how I'm dressed.
When I'm out in the the country or traveling to and from work, I carry a Sig M11A1 in a level 2 retention holder.

I have other options, but those are my "go to" pistols for carry.

When I lived in Nevada, my CC was a M&P Shield. It was easy to cover up the profile on it. It shoots remarkably good (after you use a Dremel to work out some of the burrs). The only thing I didn't like was the small capacity magazines. But conceal carry is a trade off.

[Fluidic Kimbo]

I've already sprayed primer and matte black on my barrel and slide, and just this morning I sprayed on two coats of matte laquer. I noticed though that the laquer looked like it was blushing (kind of cloud milky white) so I might need to deal with that bullshit when I'm home. Otherwise though I think I did a good job, the paint looks smooth.

[OdinsOtherSon]

M&P is my current CC.

[Cuz]

When I lived in Nevada, my CC was a M&P Shield. It was easy to cover up the profile on it. It shoots remarkably good (after you use a Dremel to work out some of the burrs). The only thing I didn't like was the small capacity magazines. But conceal carry is a trade off.

I have one also, but would gladly trade it for a springfield hellcat. Mines a 40, but the 9 hellcat i picked up was the smoothest pistol i ever felt even moreso than glock

[almostgone]

I have one also, but would gladly trade it for a springfield hellcat. Mines a 40, but the 9 hellcat i picked up was the smoothest pistol i ever felt even moreso than glock

Back when Springfield Armory introduced the XD line, I test drove a friend's XD. Springfield Armory definitely nailed the ergonomics with that line.

Now, it did take me a minute to get used to the narrow grip safety and the blade safety in the trigger felt funky since I'm used to the wider grip safety from my 1911- style pistols. But again, I have to say they definitely nailed the ergonomics on their pistols and the Hellcat with the extended mag fits my hand pretty decently.

When I bought my 365XL, I was back and forth between the 365 and 365XL, but the XL just fit my hand so much better.

[Ernst]

I only own one pistol. Glock 19 gen 3.

[SampsonandDelilah]

Actually I'd be interested to hear anyone's opinion as well.

I carry a G43 with the magazine extension (8 rounds in a single stack) and I use the “techna clip” as my holster. It replaces the striker plate cover with a clip (similar to the ones that come on the modern day folding knife) and is as minimalist as a carry as I’ve found
(other than my Ruger LCP in .380).

Have a Kimber Covert Carry in .45 but even that feels so heavy some days. Have a bunch of mid and sub compact frames but with a holster they all still feel intrusive

Regardless of the weather or my attire that G43 with that slide plate cover attachment is impossible to beat. You get the power of a 9MM, the availability of 8 rounds in a single stack handle and enough retention to safely and confidentially carry without an actual holster.

Happy to send pics if you’d like. Adding the clip and replacing the factory slide plate cover takes 5 minutes and if my monkey ass can do it, anyone can

[Honkey_Kong]

I have one also, but would gladly trade it for a springfield hellcat. Mines a 40, but the 9 hellcat i picked up was the smoothest pistol i ever felt even moreso than glock

The Hellcat is nice. My only gripe with it is that I hate the politics of Springfield so I'd never buy one of their guns new. How do you like it as a .40?

[Fluidic Kimbo]

Finished spraying her black

[Cuz]

The Hellcat is nice. My only gripe with it is that I hate the politics of Springfield so I'd never buy one of their guns new. How do you like it as a .40?

You can’t hardly find a hellcat around where i live. Ive only actually held one but I didn’t get to fire it. Just the ergonomics of the weapon really fit my style. Im a die hard smith guy and they are getting better. The 2.0 is nice, but id still take the springfield hellcat.
The shield i have is ok but it could be better. 7 round mag thats way to stiff. I haven’t got my hands on a .40 hellcat yet

[almostgone]

You can’t hardly find a hellcat around where i live. Ive only actually held one but I didn’t get to fire it. Just the ergonomics of the weapon really fit my style. Im a die hard smith guy and they are getting better. The 2.0 is nice, but id still take the springfield hellcat.
The shield i have is ok but it could be better. 7 round mag thats way to stiff. I haven’t got my hands on a .40 hellcat yet

The 12 round P365XL mag springs are tight as well. Takes some getting used to. However, they function flawlessly so far. Think I have 8 or 10 of the 12 round mags and 3 or 4 of the 15 round mags and it takes some getting used to.

My P220 Carry is the same way, but it's manageable. The nice thing about the P220 is if you've depleted your ammo, you can beat someone to death with it. The damn thing just will not malfunction, but I have always loaded @ at least the minimum starting weight when loading. No use riding the fine line of a squib load.

My M11A1 mags aren't quite as tight and the Sig Ultra mags are more like my stainless Colt Officer's ACP and SA 1911 mags. In fact my Officers ACP and Ultra mags will interchange w/ no issues.

One thing Sig does do is design with a strong recoil spring. My P220 Carry and the M11A1 recoils springs are made of braided wire. Almost looks like a very tiny coiled up guy wire..

One thing I like to do to all my pistols is put on Hogue finger groove grips or in the case of the P365, a Hogue handall sleeve.

I don't like the politics of Alien holsters, but I will say my IWB holster for the P365XL is very comfortable.

[Beetlegeuse]

CZ didn't waste any time putting a photo of Colt's iconic Python revolver on the front page of their website.





And Bushmaster has revived their Fakebook page. If you aren't keeping score, they're now owned by Franklin Armory, who without question is making the most innovative, thumb-in-the-antigunners-eyeballs firearms on the planet.

I have never been one to turn down a little more Bushy.

[Fluidic Kimbo]

Here's how my Desert Eagles look now. I'll be weary of using matte laquer again as I got a lot of milky white blushing.

[Honkey_Kong]

Here's how my Desert Eagles look now. I'll be weary of using matte laquer again as I got a lot of milky white blushing.

And I'm sure you'll be giving many unsuspecting mailmen welts with those toys.

[Fluidic Kimbo]

And I'm sure you'll be giving many unsuspecting mailmen welts with those toys.

Waiting for the airsoft places to come out of lockdown so I can buy a Lara Croft costume off eBay and run around with two Deagles.

[Beetlegeuse]

Beetle you're as big a gun guy as anyone I know. What's your concealed carry pistol(s) of choice?

kelkel, the short answer is I'm a gun slut. I tend to pick up whatever makes my knickers moist at that moment (but figuring in the weather -- which goes to how I'll dress -- and the anticipated threat level at my destination[s]).

The long answer is I'm a Glock guy. It sounds cliché to say that in 2021 ...

Get yourself a Glock and lose that nickel-plated sissy pistol

... but it's 39 years since the G-17 first stood the handgun world on its ear, and it's easy to lose sight of what made Glocks so noteworthy in the first place.

It wasn't because it was the first plastic handgun, that honor went to Remington's XP-100.



Nor was it the first of the large-capacity striker-fired Wonder-Nines. H&K did that.



What Gaston Glock did was invent the first autoloader that was made from pure, 100% don't-give-a-fuck-ness. It doesn't give a fuck if you don't clean it, it doesn't give a fuck if you never take it to a smith for a "tune-up," and it doesn't give a fuck if you run a million rounds through it. Glocks continue to go BANG! with a tedious regularity that nothing that came before it could approach.


In 1973, OPEC cut off the sale of crude oil to America because President Nixon had openly supported Israel in the 1973 "Yom Kippur" war. The price of sweet crude went from $3 a barel to $12 and the "Energy Crisis" was born. Gas prices went up so much that the majority of Americans for the first time started seriously considering buying a Japanese import. Because the Jeep Wagoneer's 8 mpg was breaking the bank, and for a fraction of what the Jeep cost you could get a Honda Civic that got 30 mpg around town (and better on the hiway).

Which had an unexpected consequence. In 1972 America, it was largely agreed that if an American-made car was still running after 100,000 miles, it was worth what you had paid for it. But by 1978, everyone knew that you could count on a Japanese car for at least twice that. At least. A Japanese car that didn't keep going for at least 200,000 miles was junk. So car buyers came for the fuel economy but stayed for the reliability.

All of which gave Detroit two options. Get with it or get put on the trailer. So Detroit began in earnest trying to design and build cars that got better fuel economy and lasted longer.

Not because they wanted to, but because they had to. Because the Japanese had changed the American auto industry's paradigm.

Which is exactly what Glock did to the firearm industry in 1982. Nothing that came before it would shrug off neglect and abuse like a Glock. They soon captured 60% of the world's law enforcement market and looked set to take over the world entire. But as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Once the industry had figured out that Glocks weren't just a fad, imitators were popping up like toadstools after a spring shower.

So today if you have a striker-fired polymer wonder-nine with steel parts that have been melonited, that has no manual safety and that came with 15-rd (or other 'large' capacity) magazines, you have Glock's trailblazing to thank for it. And if you're carrying a Beretta Storm, FN FNP, H&K USP, Kahr PM9, Kel-Tec PF-9, Ruger P95, S&W M&P, Sig P320, Springfield XD or Walther PPS, what you're carrying isn't an original, it's a copy. The closest they could get to cloning a Glock without getting sued for patent infringement.

Which is why I created "Gaston's Razor," a corollary to Occam's Razor (which you likely are familiar with). Gaston's Razor says, in the absence of evidence to he contrary, always assume that the correct answer is 'Glock.'

Because it's a pragmatic solution. I don't buy the "Glock perfection" hype, but the truth is they're stone reliable and don't cost too much. Which is why I would argue that if you're not terribly knowledgeable about guns, if you don't yet have the experience to tell the pepper from the fly shit all on your own, your default position should be, "I'll have the Glock, please." Because even if it isn't the perfect answer, you won't go far wrong by picking a Glock. Buy once, cry once (unlike some nickel-plated sissy pistol).


That's why Gaston's Razor.



Now then. All that said (and a long answer gets longer still), I never carry just "a" gun. Except when I'm puttering round the house, because if I put on a pair of pants that has pockets, the next thing I always do is drop a mouse gun in one of the pockets. It's a wee tiny thing I could conceal wearing nothing but a Speedo, so it's not much of a gun, but it's a better defensive tool than a sharp stick would be. Money clip, butane lighter and AAA flashlight in one front pocket and my mouse gun in the other. It's small enough to forget it's there.

But if I'm leaving the house, I strap on something more substantial and the mouse gun becomes my backup gun (BUG). Because the fastest reload is another gun. And when weather cools enough to warrant a flannel vest or light jacket, that gives me enough pockets for hiding a third gun, something small but not mouse gun small. Because three is two and two is one and one is zero.

So if you see me on the street, the question isn't "Is he armed?" it's "How does he hide all them guns??!?"

And at least one of which isn't a Glock. What the other(s) are is negotiable.

[Hughinn]

Actually I'd be interested to hear anyone's opinion as well.

I'm old school.
Kimber 1911 .45acp.

Not that there isn't better carry pistols. But this thing is super smooth shooting and extremely accurate.

I figure, you might as well carry what you shoot well.

Small of the back or appendix carry. Depending on how I'm dressed.

[Honkey_Kong]

I'm old school.
Kimber 1911 .45acp.

Not that there isn't better carry pistols. But this thing is super smooth shooting and extremely accurate.

I figure, you might as well carry what you shoot well.

Small of the back or appendix carry. Depending on how I'm dressed.

I love 1911s. That being said as great of a genius as John Browning was, a lot of advancements in firearms have happened since he invented it. In fact, the .45 ACP is in many ways an obsolete round. I can't name one advantage to carrying a 1911. It's big, it doesn't have the firing capacity. The rounds barely go fast enough to get any expansion out of them if you're using HP rounds.

The only thing I really like is that it's a single action. But in a CC situation, I'd rather have a double action or a double/single and not have a safety to fumble with. I also don't want everybody around me knowing I have a pistol in my trousers. It kind of defeats the purpose of CC.

[Hughinn]

I love 1911s. That being said as great of a genius as John Browning was, a lot of advancements in firearms have happened since he invented it. In fact, the .45 ACP is in many ways an obsolete round. I can't name one advantage to carrying a 1911. It's big, it doesn't have the firing capacity. The rounds barely go fast enough to get any expansion out of them if you're using HP rounds.

The only thing I really like is that it's a single action. But in a CC situation, I'd rather have a double action or a double/single and not have a safety to fumble with. I also don't want everybody around me knowing I have a pistol in my trousers. It kind of defeats the purpose of CC.

You're right about all of that.

But, that pistol and me go back a long way. And I can shoot it reliably and with deadly accuracy. I've put thousands of rounds through it. I know it's feel, I know it's point and I know I can hit what I'm aiming for without any doubt.

So I pack the clunky old thing. Lol.

Because I know with that pistol, I'm not going to miss.

Like they say, there are others, and there are better, but that one is mine.

Sorta like my ol lady. I wouldn't take zillion dollars for that one woman of mine.
But , I wouldn't pay you a wooden nickel for a hundred just like her.

[Honkey_Kong]

You're right about all of that.

But, that pistol and me go back a long way. And I can shoot it reliably and with deadly accuracy. I've put thousands of rounds through it. I know it's feel, I know it's point and I know I can hit what I'm aiming for without any doubt.

So I pack the clunky old thing. Lol.

Because I know with that pistol, I'm not going to miss.

Like they say, there are others, and there are better, but that one is mine.

Sorta like my ol lady. I wouldn't take zillion dollars for that one woman of mine.
But , I wouldn't pay you a wooden nickel for a hundred just like her.

Any situation where you're going to need a CC weapon, you're not going to be Jerry Miculek hitting paper or iron targets. Adrenaline will take over and you're going to likely have very bad accuracy. That being said most citizen involved shootings happen in under 7 yards. Likely, it's going to be under 5. At those distances, you don't need to be an expert marksman to walk out of there alive, you can pretty much just point in his direction and give him a very bad day.

Just think of guns as tools. You might be great with a hammer, but sometimes, you need a screw driver.

[almostgone]

I love 1911s. That being said as great of a genius as John Browning was, a lot of advancements in firearms have happened since he invented it. In fact, the .45 ACP is in many ways an obsolete round. I can't name one advantage to carrying a 1911. It's big, it doesn't have the firing capacity. The rounds barely go fast enough to get any expansion out of them if you're using HP rounds.

The only thing I really like is that it's a single action. But in a CC situation, I'd rather have a double action or a double/single and not have a safety to fumble with. I also don't want everybody around me knowing I have a pistol in my trousers. It kind of defeats the purpose of CC.

In bold above. That's why I load 185gr Sierra, Berry's JHP, Hornady XTPs. or 200gr Gold Dots for my .45ACP. Much better velocity and expansion. Couple that with Vhitavouri N320/N330
Good expansion, low muzzle flash.

I have grown to love my 9mm pistols though. The ballistics have improved with newer load data vs. what we tinkered with in the 90s.

[Beetlegeuse]

Yeowch.

Pretty scalding but also (IMHO) very even-handed. Follow the hotlink in the headline for the rest of the story (3 minute read).

Behind NRA’s fall, the high cost of betrayal

The NRA thought it was a political kingmaker, but its power always came from the passion of its members. When it forfeited their trust, the mighty organization collapsed.

[Beetlegeuse]

Some hoplophobe nabobs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (of Troy NY) are proposing smart guns (=stupid guns) with Artificial Intelligence to prevent mass shootings.

Which is in effect proposing to let a computer decide when you may or may not exercise your unalienable right to self-defense and/or fend off a tyrannical government. So let me wish a hardy and heart-felt FUCK YOU to the authors.

They even opine that it's acceptable to have a few innocents killed because they couldn't get their gun to work when they legitimately needed if it curtails events of mass murder. Apart from announcing what merciful and humanitarian sumbitches they aren't, this also brings to mind the phrase "death panels," don't it? Letting government bureaucracy decide who lives and who doesn't?


This obviously won't get much traction (yet) but the problem with notions (I won't flatter it by calling it an "idea") such as this is that every time the topic comes up, some misguided few will entertain it seriously rather than slapping it down outright as the manifestation of government overreach and basic affront to personal liberty that it is. And in the doing they lend it a certain degree of legitimacy.

So the next time the same idea comes up, the neo-Bolshies who swallowed the story become the first time become evangelists for the cause and proselytize to their circle of acquaintances. Because every new convert they recruit confirms their biases and reinforces their own (obviously shaky) sense of self-worth. "If other people think the same as I do, then I'm obviously right!"

The problem is that many of the sheeple have a morbid fear of conflict so they're heavily invested in group-think and will go out of their way to always agree with the sentiment of the (perceived) majority rather than have to defend their own beliefs.


Which can lead to the entire group finding themselves on the bus to Abilene when in fact no one in the group really wanted to go there in the first place.

[Beetlegeuse]

Bay Area Kommiefornia snowflakes are apoplectic because of shootings involving a 5.7x28mm. They haven't even found the gun yet they're still blaming the FN Five-seveN because they too are bog-ignorant to know that there are other handguns chambered for the same cartridge. And of course they're quaking with fear over the spectre of "armor-piercing bullets" when no AP rounds were used in any of these shootings. And, point of fact, if there's been a single homicide in the US using AP 5.7x28mm since the Five-seveN was introduced 23 years ago, I haven't head of it.

Which really shows their stupidity because who apart from an idiot would get exorcised over AP bullets when they don't even wear body armor.


In related news, NATO has standardized their 5.7x28mm cartridge, b ut I haven't been able to find what sort of (or weight of) projectile they're using.

[Beetlegeuse]

[wango]

The wife is completely opposed to guns in the home. Any input on these? Of course they are not lethal, understood. Damn, I can practice in my back yard. Just was curious as to some opinions. Home usage only. Thanks in advance!

https://byrna.com/collections/ammo-projectiles

[jstone]

Really? If I could buy ammo online in this state, I would've bought their whole stock.

I recently spent about $220 (with shipping) to buy 1000 Wolf brand small rifle primers off gunbroker. It's obscene how badly people are fvuking other people over this. A year ago, I could get 10,000 primers for that price and I would've never even looked at Wolf. I am totally out of large rifle and pistol primers and I have 100 small pistol primers left.

you should look at this as a blessing wolf srm primers are some of the best you can buy hands down. they produce some of the best sd and es numbers you will see with a good load. i believe david tubbs was the first person to import wolf primers.

[Honkey_Kong]

you should look at this as a blessing wolf srm primers are some of the best you can buy hands down. they produce some of the best sd and es numbers you will see with a good load. i believe david tubbs was the first person to import wolf primers.

I haven't fired any of them yet, but if they work as good as you say, I'll at least get some satisfaction out of it. Spending 10x the price for the box keeps me from being happy. I didn't want to participate in the price gouging, but at one point we have to accept that it's either cave in or go without.