Djay3

When holding one of those beauties I always wonder what their "life history" has been. With all the hand fitting involved in their manufacture, no telling what their retail price would be if made today!

I can empathize with how you must feel about your purchase. A couple of years ago I bought a "new' bolt action from a Franklin gun shop. Got it home and the warranty card in the box was already filled out with someone else's name and information! Upon returning to the shop the owner agreed upon a modest store credit. I asked him to please initial the credit chit, he jerked it out of my hand, tore it up, and said I was trying to tell him how to run his business. ... Oh, he said the rifle was new but a guy intending to buy it had filled out the warranty card in the store and then changed his mind about the purchase while still in the store!!! ... hmmm. Haven't darkened Franklin Gun Shop's door way since. Op thanks for posting your experience. And best of luck with your purchase. May it serve you well.

Now that was a smart move by the engineers! Thanks for the clarification!

In most cases, dropping in a 9mm conversion barrel is recommended for RANGE USE ONLY and not for defensive carry. The 40 caliber extractor when using a 9mm conversion barrel has the potential to not reliably extract the smaller diameter 9mm round. It is, of course, important to use a "fatter" diameter 9mm conversion barrel and NOT a standard diameter 9mm barrel. Looking forward to your further updates. Good luck!

That is a big disappointment but I suspect rather a rare occurance. The thing is, as it currently stands, Wilson Combat will perform a courtesy repair of any Wilson firearm (not user abused) that it has produced regardless if it is owned by the original buyer or even if a pre-owned Wilson. Their customer service reputation is extraordinary. It is not a stated warranty but rather what they simply do for Wilson owners.

The JD single barrels I've tried were VERY nice on my taste buds! We're lucky to live in Bourbon country! Other than JD Single Barrel I like a bunch of what is coming out of Kentucky! But, with the growing worldwide demand the prices are starting to sting!

Fortunately, M1A/M14 and M1s share the same extractor. USGI extractors remain on the market so maybe the extractor failure rate won't become a deal breaker. The extractor failure rate can easily be magnified online, as we all know, since the breakage stories get posted online and not the ones that keep chugging along.

At least on the international scene the LMT .308 could be considered a battle rifle in terms of its' military adoption- Around 2011: The New Zealand Army adopted the Lewis Machine & Tactical LMT .308 AR-10 rifle as their Designated Marksman Rifle. In 2010 the British Army also adopted the LMT 308 as a designated marksman rifle. (No 3 round burst on the military ones, but rather same as available to the commercial market). _______________ On the M1A topic, maybe you can luck into an earlier one that is chocked full of usgi forged parts. Not personal experience, but it appears that it is not rare for the current M1A extractors to have early failure. Probably best to keep a spare forged extractor.

Before you call your upcoming M1A/M14 your "last battle rifle", maybe a nice M1 Garand would be a good addition. Despite the CMP backorder situation, the Civilian Marksmanship Program is still a great deal on an all forged steel and walnut battle rifle! http://www.odcmp.com/sales.htm Good luck with the M1A/M14 hunt!

During the Preakness I finally uncorked an old bottle of 2003 Old Forester Birthday bourbon. It was so good I googled it and dang if it wasn't voted "Whiskey of the Year" by Malt Advocate that year. Now I know what whiskey will get me through the Belmont! : ) Anyone know if the more recent O.F. Birthday bourbons have held their own with their earlier releases? I did find where one taster gave the 2014 Spring a so-so rating and they were $50! Ouch!

Since you are familiar with the iPhone, I would suggest you try an iPad. Apple provides a two week evaluation period. The Apple sales folks at their Apple Stores or at Best Buy can do a very good job of advising which iPad might best fit your needs. In my case, I store a lot of photos on mine so I much prefer the retina display. On Apples website they have a chart that compares the features of the various iPads. Good luck! It is an amazing device. Turn on the iCloud feature and your iPhone data and your iPad data will wirelessly and automatically synchronize with each other! Good luck!

There are some used ones out there. I know 'cuz I stupidly let an early Italian Inox get away in a trade years ago during an attack of 1911 fever. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! I had convinced myself it was too big for the caliber, etc, etc. Now I look back at the absolute buttery action and finish perfection and sulk.

That is one very content fellow! Life is good! : )

Another vote for the CZ 527. Even the carbine version tends to be very accurate. It is a 1/12 twist. Many CZs still show up on the dealer racks with nice figured walnut. They just don't seem to hit the store racks very often nowadays. You might check out the CZUSA site for details. Excellent customer service is a plus also.

Yep, the 9mm sure sounds like the best path based on all of your various posts in this thread. Please post a shooting experience update after you get your firearm!

[/quote] Mr. Gone, with your scope mounted on that nice wood stocked Vepr how much better does it group for you? I'm terrible when trying to use classic AK sights. I need to at least try using a peep sight I guess. Very nice Vepr!

One of my frequented haunts might add a gun counter! I just told this to my wife and she said "Oh, Hallelujah!" ... hmmm ... I don't think she was being sincere. : /

Sounds like you found a winner for a heck of a price! Congrats! Those hidden gems are out there! Another good example of solid Turkish semi autos are the Stoegar made Cougars. Stoegar is owned by Beretta and is using the same equipment used to make the original Beretta rotating barrel Cougars. They come in 9mm, .40, and .45 caliber. I haven't kept up with current pricing but the MSRP was around $350 and included 3 hi cap mags.

"A hard firing gun with a lot recoil (like my .38 snub nose) and a good practice session will kick start an (arthritic) flare, and once flared grip and hand strength are reduced ..... I sure shudder at the thought of being limited by it." Routine focused practice is probably more important than a looooong pain provoking session when it comes to building and maintaining proficiency with a defensive handgun. If a prolonged practice session flares the arthritis and yet abbreviated sessions prove tolerable maybe the 9mm Sig 938 will fill the bill. If one ever had to unfortunately use it in a defensive situation adrenaline would likely counter ANY arthritic pain. Both versions of the little Sig are viable choices. Here is Hickok45's youtube video using the Sig 238 ... http://youtu.be/6W4AVpxvGgg

"I didn't put this in there. But I do have rheumatoid arthritis. A hard firing gun with a lot recoil (like my .38 snub nose) and a good practice session will kick start a flare, and once flared grip and hand strength are reduced." Having some hands on experience with both the Sig 238 and the Sig 938, the 238 is an incredibly soft shooter. The 938 is snappier but controllable for most shooters. I would liken the 938 (with wooden grip) recoil to firing a Walther PPKs fixed barrel .380. The 238 I used had the Sig rubber grips and the 938 had the Sig wood grips. Both the 238 and the 938 can come with or be fitted with Sig or Hogue's palm swell rubber grips. Obviously, the .380 caliber is a ballistic compromise vs the 9mm. And, also rubber grips can grab clothing during a defensive draw. However, with arthritis being a factor, the softest shooting combination would be the 238 with rubber grips.

You might want to check out the firing range demo and review by our area's own Hickok45 on youtube. He discusses the 938 versus a double action only Kahr. Seeing his fine handling of the diminutive 938 is fun to watch. http://youtu.be/w6Js4acN46k Thundersnow (above) nailed the serial number issue. Good luck on your search!

The Sig 938 is an excellent choice! As long as one is comfortable with a single action firearm (I am) it is a superb choice. When surfing the web for information you may run across some early negative early release reviews. Those with serial numbers >9000 should be good to go. It is important to read the manual for proper reassembly.

I suppose somewhere there still exist Gun Shows with >85% of the booths actually featuring firearms and accessories. I have fond memories of such shows years ago. Haven't been to a Gun Show in years because of the dismal "watered down" state of affairs in most contemporary shows. So bottom line suggestion is if it's called a "Gun Show" feature guns.

Appreciate the heads up. A big fan of the movie. But, I don't recall Billy Bob Thornton being in it. The main character was played by William H. Macey. Whoops, you meant Billy Bob is starring in the series! Sorry.

A lot of early and mid round drama for the final round. It just seemed like after Speith jarred that incredible sand shot that he may have gotten overly excited and it took him out of his focus "zone". But what a great 4 days for a 20 year old Masters rookie! Had high hopes for Kucher but a 4 putt! Ouch! Hats off to Mr. Bubba!