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VL-16

By VL-16
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Pancake
Pancake

Really?! Joking, right?! I am all about the second amendment, but is all of that necessary? I'm curious of the purpose of such extensive firepower. Obviously, firearm ownership lines have to b

Pancake
Pancake

And I'm exercising my right to the First Amendment which I have defended (and continue to) for the last 17 years. I disagree with your view of the Second Amendment.

M2
M2

nsplayr, you're weak exit is typical Cartman-esque liberal Democrat, if the other side doesn't capitulate to your line of logic, you're going home. Way to show your ass! Maybe if Obama/Biden wer

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M2 Gray Beard

M2

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Damn, gotta try and check this out the next time I'm up in the DC area...

Secret CIA museum features Osama bin Laden's AK-47

gdUaZit.jpg

The “coolest museum you’ll never see” has a new piece de resistance – the gun found next to the body of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan when Navy SEALs killed him in a midnight raid.

The AK-47 is a recent addition to a collection that’s among the toughest tickets in the country for museumgoers. Tucked into various hallways at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., the museum displays the gadgets, artifacts and trophies of 70 years of spycraft, from World War II through the War on Terror. Closed to the public, it had only been visited by employees and invited guests until NBC News recently became the first news organization allowed to bring in video cameras... (full story at link)

ChkHandleDn Flight Lead

ChkHandleDn

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Decent sale at PSA if anyone is in the market. If you subtract the price of the included optic, that's less than $600 for an AR.

PSA always has good deals. I just picked up another stripped lower and LPK for $100 during one of their daily deals and just missed out on that M4 upper w/ BCG and charging handle for $300.

Fuzz Gray Beard

Fuzz

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Worth the watch, great self defense scenarios with good TTPs for each scenario.

HeloDude Gray Beard

HeloDude

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Good price on some ammo right now at sgammo.com for Golden Tiger 7.62 x 39 and 5.45, all non-corrosive. I have shot the GT 7.62 and it's good Russian ammo.

  • Upvote 1
brickhistory Gray Beard

brickhistory

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Smith & Wesson Model 439

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not my photo

If a M1911 and a Browning Hi-power had a baby, it would be something like this.

First, the history via some google-fu:

S&W developed the Model 39 in the early 1950s to compete for a US Army effort to replace the 1911 (when has that ever happened and how many times?). Specifically, Big Green was looking for a double-action 9mm to be a NATO standardizing weapon and round as well as taking advantage of the double-action of the German P-38 of WWII fame.

S&W came up with the Model 39 and then the competition was cancelled. So they went to the civilian market where it did ok. Incidentally, the Vietnam-era SEALs used the Model 39, including a silenced .22 version called the "Hush Puppy" for silencing the biological ADT alarms of the VC of the day.

Fast forward to the 1970s and the second generation, the Model 439 came out. It fixed some of the issues with the original Model 39 - weak extractor mainly. The Model 439 was the first semi-auto to be adopted by a major police force - Illinois State Police - which began the switch from .38 revolvers to today's semi-auto armed police forces.

So with that background, here is my report on this new-to-me Model 439.

This is a Colt Commander-sized semi-auto. It has a better hand feel than even a 1911 (which is the best, IMO) with curved mainspring housing filling up the center of the palm. The fixed front sight is large, but has no definition for my old eyes, so I had a red insert put in. The large rear sights are adjustable.

Capacity is 8 + 1 of 9mm. Controls are 1911/most semi's standard.

Recoil is soaked up by the steel slide and aluminum frame. This is not a light-weight gun. But the nose didn't rise very much and follow-up shots were easy and quick to do.

I put 200 rounds of 124 gr. FMJ through it yesterday. Zero malfunctions of any sort and it hit where aimed from 25 yards down to 3.

The double action is heavy but not as bad as, say, a Walther PPK/S. But you aren't going to accidentally fire this thing when the hammer is down. You will have to mean it to pull the trigger in double-action.

In single action, there was a little play before the trigger took up tension, but the break was clean and precise. Could be because this is a used gun. (After buying, I took to a gunsmith for a full R&R since I didn't know the full history of it before I bought it.) A trigger job could be on the horizon to lose the slight play.

The slide-mounted decocker/safety is on both sides and easily reached/manipulated.

I like this gun. I could easily see it being a carry piece especially for those that like 1911's for such. And, for me, carrying it with one in the chamber, but the hammer down would be more instinctive than the 1911 condition one cocked/locked. No insult intended for those that do, just that I haven't trained for such. My thought pattern is that if I need to draw, I need to fire. And my lizard brain is likely to be the only one working at that moment, so adding a step of 'safety off' is one I will screw up. Obviously, training and practice could overcome this. But since I don't carry a 1911, I don't need to. But I digress.

Breaking it down to clean it shows the old-school of it as well. Kinda 1911-like here too. Push and remove the slide-lock pin, slide off, mainspring/guide rod off (and it's a looooong spring), barrel bushing off, barrel out, and there you have it.

I like old-school steel and wood guns. But technology has passed them by in a lot of ways. For less weight, I can carry more ammo in a modern polymer 9mm. I can also carry smaller, more concealable pistols. But in the day, or if this was all I had, I would have no problem carrying this one. It is flat like a 1911, points well, and operates in a standard fashion. It also would make a good night table house gun.

Pros:

Feels good

Low recoil

Shoots well

Looks good

Cons:

Heavy compared to modern counterparts

Complicated engineering compared to modern counterparts

Limited magazine capacity

I like this pistol enough to where it made the display gun cabinet. Just a classic, classy looking pistol

  • Upvote 1
Timbonez Gray Beard

Timbonez

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Very nice, Brick. I have a Model 39-2. The weak extractor was unique to the original Model 39. It ran the length of the rear of the slide up to the ejection port. They were also steel framed guns. The 39-2 saw the transition to aluminum frame and a more reliable/durable extractor used on all future versions of S&W's all metal semi-autos. Although the internals on S&Ws 1st-3rd gen semi autos are quite complex, they are pretty robust. The all steel 3rd generation models are particularly durable.

I can't find it at the moment, but there is a story floating around online about the external safety or magazine disconnect of his M39 (don't remember which feature) saving an ISP officer's life when a bad guy was able to get a hold of the officer's gun.

  • Upvote 1
brickhistory Gray Beard

brickhistory

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Surprises or Wonders Never Cease...

About a month ago, my wife surprised the absolute sh1t out of me by saying she wanted to get her CCW.

This is after some years of practically calling me paranoid or a freudian gun nut for carrying, collecting, and shooting.

So, who am I to argue?

Set her up with a state-mandated CCW class which she took today. From what she described it was very much like the lowest-common denominator class that I took with another place when I got mine in Nebraska last year.

Academics, test, basic qual on the range (essentially able to pull the trigger and make a hole appear on the paper target...)

But, to add to this turn of events was her choice of handguns. We went shooting/shopping/trying different ones on Friday.

From .22LR, .380, 9mm, we went through numerous guns trying to find what she liked and would actually shoot and carry.

Naturally, my challenge was/is to not overwhelm with advice or even talking (since I'm only the husband), but eventually she came to the realization of a snub-nosed revolver due to ease of manual of arms.

She did listen when I encouraged something larger than the .22 which she liked because of the no recoil. Being retired USAF, she had shot the Beretta M9 but hated it. Too big/heavy, too intimidating in the mass class that Big Blue runs, etc, etc, etc.

And she went with a .38 special. I am not unhappy.

So, I will be welcoming a S&W Model 642 Airweight into the family by next weekend after doing the on-line purchase and FFL transfer dance.

Range report to follow.

  • Upvote 4
HeloDude Gray Beard

HeloDude

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"Or" I can just wait until she wants to get something else.

Win/win.

Shooting the .357 out of little J-frame snubbie is brutal. My hands are average and my they get a little sore after 50 rounds of +p. If she can handle +p, I'm sure you'll both determine its a fine round for self defense. It is a good idea to either practice reloads with speed strips or speed loaders though as 5 rounds isn't nearly as much compared to most autos.

HeloDude Gray Beard

HeloDude

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In other news...

Kind of looks like the NRA is already jumping on GOP establishment bandwagon just in case Christie is the 16' GOP nominee. Ugh--the guy signed new gun control bills and the NRA sees this as a victory. The establishment always takes care of the establishment.

https://www.nraila.org/legislation/state-legislation/2013/8/new-jersey-governor-christie-vetoes-major-anti-gun-bills-and-gun-owners-secure-a-significant-and-rare-victory.aspx#.UhF76Fc3LQ0.facebook

JarheadBoom Gray Beard

JarheadBoom

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Chris Christie has done a lot of good things for NJ, but he is no friend to NJ gun owners.

  • Upvote 1
M2 Gray Beard

M2

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If Christie is the GOP nominee in '16 than I am finding another party to vote for. There are so many better candidates, Ted Cruz or Rand Paul are two that come to mind...

  • Upvote 7
HeloDude Gray Beard

HeloDude

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If Christie is the GOP nominee in '16 than I am finding another party to vote for. There are so many better candidates, Ted Cruz or Rand Paul are two that come to mind...

Agreed. I'll vote Libertarian again before I vote for Christie. Now, Rand Paul, though I think he could be much more of a true Libertarian (he's a Conservative with some Libertarian leanings), I'll vote for him because I believe it would be a large step in the right direction.

Make no mistake about it though, the NRA is going to be behind whichever GOP candidate wins the nomination, and this is just one of the ways they can say they were behind Christie from the beginning if indeed he does get to take on Hillary in 2016.

Day Man Gray Beard

Day Man

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If Christie is the GOP nominee in '16 than I am finding another party to vote for. There are so many better candidates, Ted Cruz or Rand Paul are two that come to mind...

pro-tip: don't vote based on party...they're all assholes.

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