Gun Talk

[M2]

Brick

Haven't owned one, but I am more than happy with my two Taurus semi-autos (a PT111 and PT709 Slim). For that price, I'd grab it!

On a different note, I am picking up a Draco AK pistol tomorrow with potential plans of one day SBR'ing it (yeah, I'll have to get the $200 tax stamp first). I've heard the trunnions are built for an underfold, but most folks go a sidefolder route with them. I haven't decided which way I'll go with it, as I have a Yugo underfold already but I am not a big fan of AK sidefolders. However, I may go with the Romanian wire sidefolder with a standard rear trunnion as that would come close to being a AIMR clone (a.k.a. the Romy Krink Clone, which the Draco was designed to be in the first place). Or I may go with a ACE VZ58 stock, as I really like the look of this:

But I am not sure if that stock will interfere with the safety/selector/dust cover...

Since the tax stamp will take a few months to process, there's no rush to decide.

Cheers! M2

[M2]

Damn, when it rains it pours!

I just got an email about this M72 in Houston, it's back up for sale and I've just got to have it!

It's built on a NDS receiver and with a proper Yugo barrel, bipod and rear sight. It is kit build, not one of the Century-built ones!

I'm trying to save my money for a PSL and a Yugo M76 sniper rifle; but this is too good of a deal to pass up! I guess maybe those will have to wait until next year!

Cheers! M2

I can't help it, I love this Yugo! Here's another pic with a drum mag which doesn't come with it unfortunately!

[brickhistory]

New Auto-Ordnance M-1 carbine or Ruger Mini-14?

I had an M-1 carbine (fcuk why did I sell it?!). No experience with the Ruger.

Any opinions based on experience?

I was too slow on the Taurus .45.

I consoled myself with a new Auto Ordnance M1 carbine and another .44 special.

I'll post on the carbine once I've put some rounds through it.

While this is not a historical M1 carbine, it is new which says a lot for me. Looking at the used carbines I could find, there were either really rickety and fairly expensive ($500+) or really nice and really expensive (I found a cherry-looking Rockola, but not for $1,200!). So I have the 1911 .45, an M1 .30-06, and now the M1 carbine .30 cal. I'll call my WWII collection complete if I can get a Thompson and a BAR (ha!).

[M2]

Well, since the Draco I picked up yesterday afternoon seems to have an underfold trunnion already on it, I most likely will go this route once I get the tax stamp...

Still working on arranging pick-up for the M72.

Cheers! M2

[Timbonez]

Congrats, M2. Let me know how painful it is to get the SBR stuff and whatnot. I'm considering buying a SBR Noveske AR-15.

[Nineline]

M2,

You ever consider buying one of these? I never seen one of 'em in person, but AIM Surplus has them in stock. What are your thoughts?

Mandatory pic:

-9-

[M2]

Congrats, M2. Let me know how painful it is to get the SBR stuff and whatnot. I'm considering buying a SBR Noveske AR-15.

T-bonez

Will do, but it may be a while since I've dropped nearly $1300 on guns over the past two weeks!

By the way, if you're looking for a good AR builder, I recommend Alex at Dreadnaught Industries!

M2,

You ever consider buying one of these? I never seen one of 'em in person, but AIM Surplus has them in stock. What are your thoughts?

Mandatory pic:

-9-

-9-

That's nice, and much better looking than the standard PSL I was considering. But while I would prefer the NDS receiver, Centerfire has PSLs for $449 shipped and only $80 for a PSO-1 4x24 scope. That's $530 shipped versus $700 + shipping for the FPK (so about $730-740). See my above comment about being "gun broke" at the moment, and $200 can (almost) get you a thousand rounds of 7.62x39!

Considering I also want a Yugo M76 (which run $1300 w/scope), a SVT-40 plus a number of other firearms, I have to save where I can.

Maybe if I don't get a PSL in a while I may consider it, but if it weren't for the cost I would easily take one over a standard PSL. I like the stock and handguards on it much better, but those are not worth the $200 increase in price to me right now...

Cheers! M2

Edited November 4, 2010 by M2
Caliber correction!

[brickhistory]

I consoled myself with a new Auto Ordnance M1 carbine and another .44 special.

I'll post on the carbine once I've put some rounds through it.

While this is not a historical M1 carbine, it is new which says a lot for me. Looking at the used carbines I could find, there were either really rickety and fairly expensive ($500+) or really nice and really expensive (I found a cherry-looking Rockola, but not for $1,200!). So I have the 1911 .45, an M1 .30-06, and now the M1 carbine .30 cal. I'll call my WWII collection complete if I can get a Thompson and a BAR (ha!).

Web photo, not my exact gun.

Was able to spend this morning at a range, put 100 rounds of .45ACP through my house gun and 115 rounds through my new carbine.

I mainly wanted to ops check both the carbine and the five different clips I'd purchased (one 15 rd mag comes with the gun) - 3 15rd'ers and 2 30 rd'ers.

All fed properly and went bang at the appropriate time.

The gun was pretty accurate out of the box. As it's cold and I'm getting too old to freeze, I only shot indoors at the 25 yard range. All rounds went through the nine ring. Probably all would go through the 10 ring if I were more proficient.

It was a lot of fun to shoot. At .30 cal, there's not a lot of recoil, so a sore shoulder is not an issue like the M1 Garand after a similiar number of trigger pulls.

Drawbacks so far - ammo is pretty expensive. Best I have found so far is at Georgia Arms, and even that's $.50 per.

Also, after putting those 100+ bullets through, the thing was freakin' hot! Not just really warm, but almost burning skin hot. Gonna pull it apart to clean it and see what's going on inside. I don't recall this being an issue when I had one previously (why, oh why, did I sell that thing?! Dumbass...). Also, it's pretty short for a tall guy. Guess that's why it's called a carbine...

Final verdict, as of today, anyway, was it's a fun gun. Able to put out a respectable number of rounds in a short amount of time. Fun to shoot, looks good, a little pricey per trigger pull, however.

[Timbonez]

Nice M1 carbine, Brick. I've been wanting AO's paratrooper carbine for a while, but I don't think I'll ever get one. If you look hard enough you should find ammo prices comparable to .45 ACP.

AIM Surplus

Ammunition To Go

[M2]

Got my Yugo M72B1 RPK today, and damn I am happy with it! You can't really tell from the above photos, but the stock and upper and lower handguards all have "trench art" on them. Well, some names were etched into them.

Secondly, except for the NDS receiver, everything is matching. The stock, top receiver cover, front trunnion, everything that had a serial number stamped on it matched. The thing is almost a complete battlefield pick-up except for the receiver, which would've been a full auto since this is originally a light machine gun. Outside of the G2 FCG, NDS receiver and the US-made gas tube it's all the original parts. It's got the original Yugo hammer forged military barrel, Yugo RPK bipod and Yugo RPK adjustable rear sight! This ain't no Century parts gun, this thing saw action.

A few months back I watched No Man's Land, an excellent movie about the war in Bosnia. It promoted my desire to get a M70B1 and to restore my Zastava-built M70AB2 to a more original form. I also have a Yugo M59/66 (as well as an original M59), and recently picked up a Yugo M48 Mauser. Now I have this excellent example of a M72B1 to add to that collection, I think I'm close to being done as I don't think there's much chance that I get a M53 or a DShK. Well, at least not anytime soon, my M76 sniper rifle is next!

Cheers! M2

[brickhistory]

Does the "trench art" lower or raise any such $$$ value for the weapon or is that an eye of the beholder thing? Is that as important a consideration in the market as the mechanical condition?

[Timbonez]

I got my two Mk II Hi Powers today. Here is a pic with my Mk III at the top.

[M2]

Does the "trench art" lower or raise any such $$$ value for the weapon or is that an eye of the beholder thing? Is that as important a consideration in the market as the mechanical condition?

Brick

"Trench art," which usually consists of carvings in the stock or sometimes 90210 stickers (I kid you not) or others (see below) on the stock or handguards, usually is desirable on military surplus weapons. Of course, this kind of stuff can be easily counterfeited; but when a rifle has matching numbers such as the M72 I got there is a better chance that it is authentic. Names and words carved in stocks tend to be more likely original in my opinion, I am suspicious of such art as the full Serbian crest etched into a stock; but you never know. Here are some examples from an AK site I frequent...

And a few of "other" trench art...

As for the value it adds, it all depends on the collector; but I can tell you that firearms with trench art will sell more than their non-marked counterparts!

Cheers! M2

[M2]

It is Михаи́л Кала́шников (Mikhail Kalashnikov's) 91st birthday today!

Happy birthday, Михаи́л! I'm a big fan of your work!

Cheers! M2

[dc58]

M2, looking for a update on how the GSG is working out for you? I have the itch to buy but a small budget due to a new baby so I think this would fit my needs for all around fun at a economical price for gun and ammo. Thanks

[M2]

M2, looking for a update on how the GSG is working out for you? I have the itch to buy but a small budget due to a new baby so I think this would fit my needs for all around fun at a economical price for gun and ammo. Thanks

A Pro Mag magazine helped considerably, but I am still fighting a constant inability to fully load the rounds into the breech. I constantly have to cycle the bolt a second time, and this is the second breech block I've put on it.

I have a bud who builds ARs that I'm going to let take a look at it. He's never smithed a GSG before but he will figure it out if anyone can. I've just shifted my focus back to AKs, which always shoot!

I wouldn't not recommend getting a GSG, as it is a blast and cheap to shoot; but if you buy used be prepared that there may be similar issues especially if the gun has a lot of rounds through it...

I did see new GSG-522s (the post-H&K lawsuit version) at the last gun show for under four hundred, I may end up grabbing one down the road but right now I'd rather spend my money on a PSL, M76, etc.

Cheers! M2

[busdriver]

If you want a .22 plinker you can always pickup a used 10/22 and go all tacti-cool with it if that's your thing.

[StoleIt]

If you want a .22 plinker you can always pickup a used 10/22 and go all tacti-cool with it if that's your thing.

It's tacticlol...there is a difference.

[dc58]

Thanks guys, I do have a couple 10/22s that are a lot of fun....I'll let you know what route I go

[M2]

Don't forget the Sig 522...

I've heard these have had a few had problems as well, but not as bad as the GSG. They are more like a "real" rifle (e.g. heavier, sturdier).

I would steer clear of the M&P 15-22 as well as the GSG AK-22s...

Cheers! M2

[brickhistory]

Taurus 24/7 OSS .45 acp, black, three dot sights

Bought this gun for a couple of reasons: 1) I had the gun buying itch, 2) Good price for a new high capacity .45 ($350 + $30 dealer transfer fee = site called gunbroker), 3) felt better in my hand than a comparable XD45 as well as being $250-300 cheaper.

Put my first 100 rounds through it this morning, took it straight out of the box. Every round fed fine and went bang on the first pull of the trigger. Accuracy at 7.5 and 15 yards was very good with no sight adjustments needed, all inner 9 ring if not 10s.

Pros: it's been a while since I've shot a full size pistol; mostly been shooting my compact .45 and a .44 snubbie. I was pleasantly surprised to relearn at how a big gun handles the recoil better and allows me to get the sights aligned faster for the next shot.

It was amazing to have 12+1 rounds of .45 at one go. That nearly doubles my Colt Government 1911 or my compact carry one. For serious target work, that was almost too many to keep the thing up and steady for that many bullets (or I'm a big puss, but I digress). For faster, center of mass work, this was a great piece of hardware.

This is a internal striker design, i.e., there's no external hammer, so the pistol is essentially double-action only (ok, not the technically accurate term, but it works for me). Keep pulling the trigger and it keeps going off until the magazine is empty. The Taurus literature says it's a "second strike" capability in the event of a misfire. As for me pesonally, too many years of tap and rack are ingrained, not to mention the other semi's I have are not so designed, so keeping my habit pattern seems a better bet than remembering which gun I'm using in an emergency.

Cons: speaking of that trigger, it has an extremely loooong pull. It felt really mushy the first few magazines. I got used to it, but it is definitely different.

I still think I will wind up putting a Hogue slip-on grip. It still felt too narrow in my hand and my trigger finger could and did reach around and hit the magazine release by accident (no, not a pure case of incorrect gun hold, I've just got NBA-style fingers but without the talent). It addition to stinging, ejecting the magazine inadvertantly would look really silly.

To disassemble it for cleaning, there is a small-ish pin that physically comes out of the frame and has to be set aside and reinserted for assembly. Lose it and you now have a gun-shaped rock. I'm no design engineer, but that seems not a great feature. Other reviews I've read said this pistol was a contender for a SOCOM large semi-auto competition that was floated a few years ago. This pin in the field would seem to be a "doh!" feature.

This also seemed like a damned big gun at first. I compared it to my 1911 after I got back and it's pretty much the same size in all dimensions, just seemed bigger while shooting it. Again, probably because I haven't shoot full size in a while.

Note: image from Gunblast. Not my photo, but it does give a good size comparison OSS v. 1911

Overall, me likey.

Edited November 14, 2010 by brickhistory

[StoleIt]

Question:

Can I (should I) bring my weapons with me when I go to Altus?

I, obviously, wouldn't let TMO touch them...so should I keep them with me or ship them off to a family member for storage?

[busdriver]

Coupla questions:

The BX here has the sub-compact XD for 450, good price? Looking on line seemed average, but no taxes....

They've got Century Arms AKs, I can't remember, but is Century the guys having problems with crooked front site posts?

Hell, they've even got an LWRC gun!

[M2]

Coupla questions:

The BX here has the sub-compact XD for 450, good price? Looking on line seemed average, but no taxes....

They've got Century Arms AKs, I can't remember, but is Century the guys having problems with crooked front site posts?

Hell, they've even got an LWRC gun!

Busdriver

That's a decent price on the XD. It is an XD, and not an XDM, right? Still, $450 out the door would be tough to beat; but what caliber is it?

And yes, Century AKs suffer from canted front sights. Not all of them, but my Yugo M70AB2 did and I sent it back to be fixed. Which AK is it?

Cheers! M2

[busdriver]

M2, It was an XD in.40 not the M model, I'm still torn on caliber however. They have the XDM as well, but I'm looking for a carry gun at the moment.

They had a variety of AKs so I didn't get a chance to actually look at any in depth; everything from some freaky thumb-hole stock thing with a long barrel to a more "standard" AK with a 16" barrel, one actually had some plastic rails built into the fore-end. If I bought an AK, I'd probably end up taking it to a gun-smith to build it correctly anyways, so as long as the base receiver/barrel combo isn't junk, cost is a more important factor I think they were asking around 400 bucks....