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Givin' it a shot (pun intended) Not much of a shotgun guy - bird hunting/skeet are usually beyond my eye-hand coordination (I'da been a horrible AAA gunner), but for home defense or camping, I can see a real use for them so I have one. Afer seeing a side by side in a gun store, I decided I wanted it, so now I have two shotguns. I picked up one of these Friday: not my photo for a decent price. It's a Stoeger 20ga. coach gun. The company is the importer; this one is actually made in Brazil. It's not expensive and I didn't want to go deep in the wallet for a classy side by side until I knew if I liked them or not. So I spent yesterday doing my annual self-qualification on my home 12ga. pump and this. The quality of this gun is pretty good; the stock and fore-grip are hardwood/walnut(maybe) with good checkering and the metal is smooth with no tooling marks and the blueing very good. So for looks and craftsmenship, I'm happy with the gun. It has a 20" barrel, gold bead sight, and I went for the single trigger instead of the traditional two triggers for a SxS. It's a handy little gun, short, easy to manuever/manipulate. It takes a couple of seconds to reload so not having multi-rounds shouldn't be that much of an issue in an emergency. (If you've fired off two rounds of buck and the bad guy is still coming and not cowering/hightailing out, it's gonna be a bad day anyway...IMO) My thought for getting this gun was as a basement-level ready piece, a leave it in the truck piece (when I move and get a truck again) or a camping piece. In other words, something I don't mind if it gets nicked/dinged, etc, as long as it works when I need it to. I think this shotgun will do that. As to shooting it, it works fine. Kicks pretty hard, however. Worse than my 12ga, but then that's got a recoil pad and this doesn't. Definitely could use one, but then I start to defeat the purpose of a short, handy gun with some "oomph" behind it so I probably won't put one on it. Reviews of these coach guns show folks using them for birds, clays, and for cowboy shooting. I can see that easily with this and without breaking the bank. I also see where bikers like it because it can break down in a couple of seconds (true) and be easily stored for traveling on such. That won't ever be me, but I like it well enough. Not enough to spend a grand or more for a true, classy English double-barrel, but for my purposes and as a "let's see" purchase, I'm good with it. My shoulder hurts this morning.

I'd like to amend my remarks, er, report on this S&W M&P 9. I put my 1,000th round through it this morning. It has yet to not work. I stick by the trigger being a little goofy, but this gun is rock-solid in reliability, in accuracy, in craftsmanship, and in its 17+1 capacity. I like it a lot now.

Try a band-aide or two over the point of greatest pressure before cinching the straps. That was one way I fixed the air leaks and reduced the irritation prior to getting a better fitting mask. Cleaining the mask daily also helped with lessening the skin irritation. Good luck with this, your medical situation, and retirement.

Yes. I used a CPAP for about 15 months before saying f*ck it. It did help initially; slept better, woke up more rested; wife muchly relieved that she could sleep without either waking me up or leaving for the couch. Had the sore spot rubbed (sts); loosen the mask (assuming it's a full face type) from the forward upper straps; you've got it too snug. At least I did. After a while though, the aggravation of sleeping with a mask on grated to where sleep was not being accomplished. Finally stowed the machine permanently, threw an additional pillow under my melon and pressed. (Lost 20 lbs as well). Make damn sure that the diagnosis is in your VA paperwork before separating/retiring. It can be at least a 10% or more disability rating. edited to clarify the VA disability rating minimum in light of M2's maximum given below.

\ Nice snag. Revolvers are interesting because you can get different calibers. While modern semi-autos are very, very reliable for the most part, there is also the complexity of the mechanism to consider. A revolver is simpler mechanically thus statisically (I would think, no research done nor planned) more reliable. However, that risk is more than compensated for, in my opinion, by the number of rounds available and speed of reloading a semi vs. a revolver. And there is nothing quite like the bank vault-like sensation of thumbing a quality revolver and having the cylinder rotate, the hammer retract, and trigger go to single action. But both are cool. Viva la difference! Post up a report if you get and shoot the 638.

I have seen my future with my latest acquisition and I can be at peace with it. A dealer has been handling the consignments of an old man who collected for years and years. In all, more than 300 handguns came out of the various safes. Some, as he grew more frail, he put scopes on so he could continue to target shoot. Others simply sat in the box waiting their turn to the big leagues. This is the same collection that I got a barely used Springfield Armory Champion .45 from. One of those awaiting the light of day was this: Smith & Wesson Model 29-5 .44 Magnum Classic Hunter with 6" barrel. While it was sold as "used," this gun had never been fired. It was in the original box with the papers. The barrel was pristine as was the unfluted cylinder and mechanism. Not the slightest hint of residue, solvent, or oil. It was immaculate and at $800 I was very happy to get it. Don't tell me I overpaid (I don't think I did) because for me it's simply buying a piece of Americana and worth every penny to me. That cylinder looks like a very pre- and early Civil War-ish revolver from back in the day. That said, I made it definitely used this morning with 50 rounds of 240gr Magtech and 50 rounds of Blazer 200 gr .44 special. With the magnum loads, you could tell this was impressive, but it was not a wristbreaker or even mildly painful. With the specials, it was absolutely nothing, like a 9mm or the like to me. The mass of that heavy barrel and frame took everything and made it a dream to shoot. The action is simply impressive and rock-solid. The target, i.e., wide hammer spur and trigger were very comfortable and the trigger is incredibly smooth. Totally guessing on the pull, but would put it a 4 lbs or so. Very light and smooth. While I couldn't duplicate M2's bullseye photo, at 50 feet, every single round out of 100 went in the 10 ring of a B-27E target. The total area of that is probably 5" high and 4" wide. Now I've been shooting 200-300 rounds nearly every week for some months now so practice certainly helps, but this is the most solid, accurate handgun I've ever shot. (My dad had a pre-Model 29 when I was a kid and while I remember shooting it, I just remember the extreme weight and recoil of the thing. Being 13 and gangly vs. being late 40s and 200+lbs changes one's perspective immensely. Unfortunately, that gun went to an older brother upon my dad's death.) All the shots were slow aimed fire so nothing tactical attempted. That said, it's heavy. While the recoil is very manageable, by the end of those 100 rounds, I had had enough of hefting the thing for those slow shots. There's a lot to this thing, mostly hardened steel. I like this gun. A lot. The rich blueing and the classic walnut grips are just craftsmanship as art to me. This will never be a carry gun nor a shoot every week gun either. If it were, I'd put some rubber Hogues or the like on it as that grip is not quite big enough for my hand. I got this one just to have it and I am very glad I did. I'll shoot it every once in a while, but I look forward to enjoying a nice bourbon and seeing it in pride of place in my gun cabinet one day.

"How the Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare" by Walter J. Boyne. Good opinion piece on how the helicopter developed, engaged in war with significant development during its first 30-40 years, then stalled in the 1980s until today. Lots of good historical episodes from, mainly, the United States and Soviet Union to make his point. That slowdown is having significant impact on the current, modern battlefield at the cost of crews and machines. Lots of praise for the crews making it work; lots of finger-pointing at the political and military system that condones, indeed perpetuates, such.

Sweet gun, classic lines! Any concern about buying used in the blind, i.e., not knowing the gun's history/upkeep?

M2, yeah, I remember the "why" you collected FSU/bloc stuff. I just didn't/don't know much of the "how." Thanks for the explanation about swapping parts.

M2, I knew/know nothing about them there Commie typewriters, but have learned a lot here at baseops' non-PC gun thread. (Funny how every gun is fantastic in the gun magazines (no pun intended)). But, does it change the value of the weapon to hang different furniture? Also thanks to baseops' thread, I've got a Saiga semi-auto shotgun on my wish list now. Just think of the charities I could be donating to instead...

Yes. We trust him/her enough to pull a trigger or turn a wrench and put his/her ass on the line, then we should trust him/her enough to have a brew on base/post.

Opulence...he haz it...

Stand down with your fear-mongering, mister. Once again, good ol' Uncle Sam's already been there... Unfortunately, the 'captain' of this US Navy floatie thing was relieved of command due to saying the word "fcuk."

I see my 1980s Political Science degree didn't go to waste. Your technical description of what it actually is captures my description of "goofy." edited to add:

Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm not my photo I wasn't looking to buy this gun. I'm not really enamored by this gun's looks and wasn't when I purchased it. It's another black, polymer auto in a market flooded with the same by various manufacturers. Glocks just don't feel right to me, H&Ks don't do anything for me, neither do XDs. I'm not faulting any of those brands as they obviously have a huge share of the market and have glowing reviews here and elsewhere. For me, however, none of them really did anything for me in the looks ("cool" department if you will) or any other reason I can think of. This M&P is in the same boat. I've read a bit that it is utterly reliable. That it has a good reputation for quality in the manufacturing, yada, yada, yada. Still it did nothing for me. Made in the U.S.A. I was in the market for another 9mm to go with my Walther P99 and had seriously been considering the Colt Defender in the smaller caliber. When one of my local dealers offered me this M&P for $400 + tax, my logic - to quote Dave Barry, "I am not making this up" - was that I could get this in 9mm and then get the Colt in .45 which is what I wanted anyway. As if I had to rationalize anything to anyone. But that's how I made it work in my brain. Besides, a Colt 1911-ish in anything but .45 is blasphemy anyway. So I got the gun. I reset my disposable income meter to "E" and started saving for the Defender, but that's for a later, hopefully, time. Plastic box with foam cut-outs, two 17 round clips, three different sizes for backstraps, a lock, the gun, and instructions. I put the largest backstrap on this one. The very bottom of the frame contains a plastic tip that rotates to pull a long pin out of the grip. Pull this, swap grips, there ya go. The fit and finish of the gun is pretty good. Tight but not ludicrously so on the slide and magazine release. There is no safety on this version, so don't touch the trigger (more on this later) if you don't want it to go off. I played hookey today and did some errands. 300 rounds through this was one of them. Equally split between 147gr. ball and 147gr. JHPs, and it never skipped a beat. Not a jam, not a FTE, not a failure to fully seat, nothing. Boringly reliable. I usually shoot 10 rounds per clip as after that, aimed fire for me requires a break after that number. And it eats through a 50 round box more slowly than going 18 at a pop. Hey, I'm old now, I need a break in between... The gun is striker fired and double-action only. The trigger is ok, no great shakes as far as crispness, but it's not a hike to take the slack out of it either. One characteristic that I didn't like, actually two, was the trigger has a pivot/hinge in it about half-way down. I guess it's to avoid such a long pull in a reasonably short pistol, but it felt goofy. The other thing that I didn't care for was this was a no-kidding double-action only trigger. Second shots for double taps were awkward as I'm used to the single-action follow up from every other pistol I own. First shot, no problem, but attempting a rapid follow-up was disconcerting the first few times because you had to let the trigger go forward.i.e., it's just what the label says, double action. Every pull is exactly the same. This reads/sounds much worse than it is; it's just different. Nothing that some more time/familiarization won't cure, but it must be done if this is to be a carry gun. Specs: Overall length: 7.5" Barrel length: 4.25" Height: 5.50" Width: 1.08" Weight empty: 24 oz Capacity: 17+1 9mm The length and height are just under an inch more than my primary CCW, a Bersa .45 which is a 7+1, all steel. The weight is not even close, the S&W wins hands down. Field-stripping and cleaning it are pretty standard save for one step: lock the slide back, pull the grip tool, use it to fish the sear pin down into the empty magazine well, rotate the take-down lever, pull the slide forward, remove the spring and rod, remove the barrel, clean, reverse the steps except for the sear pin -which putting a magazine in does for you - and there you have it. As this is a service weapon, I think the needed any extra tool to strip it is a fail. Sure, a paper clip could fish the sear pin down if need be, but that step in itself is a no-go for field conditions to me. Likewise, lose the grip pin needed and not only can you not strip the gun, but the backstrap is held on by that pin. Lose it and it could be awkward. As I started out by saying, this gun does nothing for me. I like, mostly, the old school stuff - steel, wood, blued, etc, etc. As much as I don't feel much for this pistol, I am gong to replace my heavy steel.45 for CCW when I'm able to carry a larger pistol under a jacket, sweater, etc with this S&W. For summer, it's probably a little big. As has been noted in previous posts in this thread, those that carry do so not wanting to have to use it, but if required, want something utterly reliable. The downside of that selection is often times it's gonna be a pricey gun. It'd be worth it to be the one still around to explain to the cops what happened, but those same cops are most likely to take your gun with them. It will be a long time before, or if, you see that one again. For reliability and not shedding a tear if it should ever be taken, God forbid, this is a good one for me. It did, however, probably keep me from getting the Beretta Px4 Storm. I don't think I'll be getting another 9mm auto anytime soon. Something could tempt me, but not just now.

This Better'n a big, shiny watch...

HU&W's post reminded me to post on this: Springfield Armory Champion .45 note: not my photo I picked this up about a month ago as the result of an estate sale (at least the gun collection part) handled by one of my local gun shops. Normally, I don't buy used guns unless I know the original owner and his/her reputation, but this exception was due to what looked like a guy with lots of money having a massive gun collection and never/rarely actually fired them. There were some other buys I'd have liked to make, but the wallet bingo light illuminated, so I only picked up the Springfield. Specs on the gun are: 4" inch bull barrel 8+1 .45 ACP 34 ozs 7.5" length Like all 1911s for me, the grip of this one was too narrow in girth until I put a set of Pachmyers on it. Now it is a blast (no pun intended) to shoot. The low-profile sights aren't the greatest for precise work, but the low-drag could be a convenience if you need it out in a hurry. I'd rather have a good set of tritium sights, but these are usable. Not as heavy as my Colt 1911 since it's shorter, this Springfield went through 300 rounds without a hiccup. If I'd had more rounds with me, I could've kept going which is rare for me when using a larger caliber like the .45 or .44. Usually, after a couple hundred, I'm ready to call it a day with that weapon due to recoil and arm fatigue. This one was low-felt recoil yet heavy enough to stay (relatively) down for follow-up shots. At 7.5 and 15 yards, it was consistent 9 rings. Moving out to 25 yards and the shots were more scattered, but that's a combination of the small sights and 47 year old eyes. Operator weakness, in other words, and not the gun's. The fit and finish are pretty good, black parkerized with wood grips (replaced on mine as noted above). I picked up a couple of Wilson Combat 8 round clips when I bought with the gun, but my standard 7 round G.I. issue clips work as well. Is this a Kimber or other high dollar 1911? Nope. I had the opportunity to shoot a friend's Kimber ultra-carry for the first time that same day and have to say "daddy like." But for a mid-range price, I'm digging this Springfield. Some of them there fancy laser sights (Crimson Trace I think you young 'uns call 'em) would come in handy if this were a daily carry weapon. It's not for me, but I could easily see it being one. Overall, I like this gun. P.S. I'm looking forward to M2's review of the TCP. Those micro's are just too small for my paws, but I'm interested to read his thoughts on the .380. I took my PPK/S carrying JHPs to dinner tonight in a front pocket, a first for me.

Jake Herring passed away today. He was 89. He was raised on a tobacco and hog farm in nowhere North Carolina. He was drafted into the Army Air Corps, later Army Air Forces, trained in electronics and the then top-secret world of radar. Assigned to a signal aircraft warning battalion, he shipped out for Australia, then on to New Guinea. He did combat landings on the islands of New Britain and Biak (first wave of troops on this one), where he operated as part of an early warning net, using a vacuum-tubed 1st generation ground radar that broke down into two duece and half and a jeep loads. The gas-fired generator put out a blue flame exhaust that drew Japanese snipers multiple times. Moving on to the Phillippines, he finished out the war there assisting in one radar-controlled confirmed P-61 kill on a Betty bomber, returning to the North Carolina farm at the end of the war. Later, he walked a US Postal mail route, about 18 miles per day for nearly twenty years. He had a voice like a country-fied Richard Burton; pure joy to hear a story told in that voice. Godspeed, Uncle Dick, godspeed.

Another lesson learned here. We're 5 years from being them financially.

Outstanding! Unfortunately...

Gunship book Some on the -130s. Lots more on the predecessors. Not too bad.

Walther PPK/S (licensed built by Smith & Wesson) or Old School little pistol Finishing up my Walther obsession, I bought via gunbroker ($480 + $30 FFL transfer) the Smith & Wesson built Walther PPK/S in .380 acp, stainless steel. The “or” part of the title for this review had its genesis in a comment my wife made when I showed her the pistol yesterday. She said it look “old fashioned.” And she was right. Specs: 6.1” long ¾” wide 22.4 oz empty weight 7 +1 .380 acp Gun came with two 7 round stainless clips, one with a pinky extension, one without, instruction manual, plastic foam-lined case The lines are classic and flow much more than most modern polymer or 1911-style autos. Built under license by S&W in a Maine factory, the machining is flawless and the thing is incredibly tight as to fit, finish, and operation. The machining is so tight that some of the edges could cut. I’d read some on-line comments on this and sure enough, the trigger guard edge, the bottom of the slide, and the safety are damned sharp edged. A little fine grain steel wool took care of the trigger guard and safety. I didn’t touch the slide. Speaking of the slide, the longer tang of this model certainly helps keep the thing from biting with those razor edges. I guess the original PPK’s have a reputation for nice surgically clean slices in the webbing of the hand. I can see how it could happen easily. I put 200 .95 grain FMJs through it yesterday and 300 today (100 of them being 102 gr. Remington Golden Saber HPJ). I had a slide not fully return forward nearly every clip – sometimes multiple times per clip – yesterday and still too many today, but not as many. Except for the 102 gr rounds where it never happened. So the moral of the story is this thing likes heavier rounds. Or at least until it gets broken in. As noted above, the construction is really solid. The big-ass spring is very impressive. That might be part of the problem with the slide not returning consistently. It happened much less today, but still too many times. A tap of the slide with just a thumb moved it forward to continue firing. The sights on such a little gun are tiny as well. Surprisingly, they aren’t bad, however. I shot everything at 25 feet since you aren’t likely to use this to reach out to someone very far away. Center mass (9 ring or better) was very easy and consistent – more so just aiming it along the ridge along the top of the slide versus centering the miniscule front post and rear notched sights. Think Colt New Agent and you’ll have it. If you noticed in the specs, the empty weight of this thing is surprising as well. It’s heavy. Add in a clip and it’s not a lightweight gun at all. Small yes, light no. That weight, however, made it easy to shoot and reacquire quickly. It is a snappy little gun and I was tired after only 100 rounds. The weight helps absorb some of it, but as it is small, your hand does most of that. Yesterday I shot it using the factory plastic grips which were slippery and narrow. That contributed to the uncomfortableness. I had some pre-ordered Hogue checkered wood grips waiting on me in the mail when I got back and swapped the grips out. Today was much better. The checkering helped with the grip, but the wider girth of the Hogue’s was key for me. My hand wasn’t nearly so tired today after the session (sts). There is no slide release. Insert a magazine, rack it (pretty heavy pull), and you have it ready to fire in single action. The safety/decocking lever is for right-handed shooters only. It’s on the left side of the slide and is simple to use/understand. Push it down, hammer moves forward to a block, push it back up, the block retracts and the chamber is loaded but the pull must be double action or a manual cocking of the hammer. The double action pull of this pistol is really, really heavy. You practically have to put your back into it to get it to move. I can’t measure it, but on-line guys say 13-17 lbs. There’s no pull to speak of. It’s pull hard, then “bang!” No in-between. The single-action is much less, maybe 4-5 lbs. Again, no trigger travel noted, just a much lighter pull, with the bang result. The magazine releases with a right-handed only button very similar to a 1911. Cleaning it was very straight forward. Pull the trigger guard down a la an M1 Garand, push the guard slightly to the side to keep it from returning, push the slide back until it clears the rails, remove the slide from the barrel which is an integral part of the frame and there you have it. Clean it up, put the spring on – make sure the small end goes on the barrel first – push the slide onto the frame all the way to the rear, line up the rails, and let it move forward. Push the trigger guard up to lock it in and you are done. I kinda like this gun. I got it as noted above because I was on the Walther kick but also with an eye to hot/humid summer carry. With shorts and t-shirts, something smaller sounded attractive and this in stainless steel was a potential solution. While it’s small enough physically to fit in some gym shorts pockets, the weight is too much. I think a holster will be mandatory. If that’s the case, then something with a bigger diameter than a .380 would be better, at least to me. Doesn’t mean I won’t carry it, but I’ll have to see how it goes this summer. Ok, yes, it will fit under the cummerbund of your tuxedo (you know a James Bond reference had to appear somewhere!) if you want it. Those Euro bad guys much drop easier than our Dirty Harry .44 magnum catchers, but for a back up gun or something small, I can see it as useful. Pros: Solid construction Simple, reliable operation (provided the bigger round is used. So far, those 95 gr. Bullets make me suspicious) Classic piece of hardware Cons: Racking the slide requires some muscle. Might be too much for smaller ladies, older folks It’s still a .380 Why yes, that is my appropriately titled for this thread book underneath the Walther...

I have found Bersa to be a trusty, reliable, cost-effective brand. I have not shot their 9mm, but I use their .45 compact as my daily CCW. Several thousand rounds through it, failures less than fingers on one hand. It's all steel, so it's heavy compared to a polymer, but it's rugged as hell. Fair trade for me.

Out-fu*king-standing.