DrCoxx122

I’ve seen a lot of static on here about the Hellcat and it being a ripoff of the P365, that the original P365 had issues off the line, etc etc but I don’t get a clear idea of which everyone here prefers and why. I’m in the market and am curious about your opinions. I’m leaning more toward the SIG, more so because of what SA did in the gun lobby in my home state, but also because of that the P365 has had more time to work out the kinks than the Hellcat. Thoughts?

Thanks, y'all, for the input. Still in the market, but this is all good stuff.

I was talking about the 9mm shield. My EDC has been an SP101 loaded with .357, a full size Beretta in .40S&W, and now a 1911 compact in .45. I’m not a stranger to a little bit of recoil, I just wasn’t a huge fan of how it felt in my hand. My dad has a Springfield XD subcompact in 9mm that I can put a round in a flea’s rear end with after months of not shooting it, I just don’t have the cash for one right now so I was leaning toward something a little more cost effective.

I shot the Shield and wasn't a huge fan. At least for me, and I know I'd need practice with it, it was hard to regain target picture. It was a little zippy for me.

So, I may be beginning a new career soon, a career in which I trade in my cargo pants and duty belt for business casual. So, I will need to pare down my carry options from my full size Beretta PX4 Storm or RIA 1911 to something smaller and easier to conceal. I currently own a Ruger SP101 with a 3" barrel and most often carry it in my original Alien Gear IWB holster at around 4 o'clock (or 8 o'clock if I'm carrying it lefty as a back-up), and as it is that combo disappears on me under a slim button down shirt and dress slacks. My issue is that I want more than 5 shots, so I've been checking out a number of cost effective micro/subcompact semi-autos. My parameters: 9mm, easily concealed under business casual, 7+1 minimum capacity, and no more than $450-500. I've narrowed my selection down to the Ruger LC9s, Ruger EC9S, Springfield XD-S, and Beretta Nano, leaning most heavily toward the Beretta Nano. My questions: 1) What are you opinions on my options? 2) What does everyone think about the Nano? 3) Does anyone have any experience/does anyone carry the EC9s? and 4) Are there any other options that I'm missing?

It fed ball just not hollow points. But now I'm good.

SUCCESS!!  I bought a Chip McCormick magazine today and I cleaned the crap out of the gun and now any ammo I put in the mag will feed on the first try!  I haven't shot any hollow points yet but just loading them is a huge step in the right direction!  Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

I love my Storm. I carry a .40 when I do work and swear by it. It's next to my bed at night. No misfires, stovepipes, or any other malfunctions. All around hardy gun.

Awesome. Thanks so much, everybody, for all the advice. I own a few guns, all models newer than the last twenty years or so, and I've carried them all for work. So I know them inside and out, front to back, side to side, etc. The 1911 is a different animal altogether, so to have a forum like this is really helpful.

So, Chip McCormick is a good magazine?  I'm probably going to pick one up today to test it.

I carry a Glock for work.  I like it, but why buy another Glock when I can get some variety?

Hm.  Alright.  Well, I'm experiencing another problem involving the hollow point feeding.   In order to get the top round to chamber I kind of have to slingshot the slide.  Even then the round doesn't chamber smoothly.  So I change out the top round each time I load it so the same round doesn't keep getting abused and pushed back into the shell.  What I'm noticing, though, is that there are dimples forming on the primers.  Not big ones, but anything at all on the primer concerns me.  Keep in mind the weapon hasn't been shot that much, so everything is still a little tight on it.  With all these issues in mind should I be concerned?   On the other hand, I'm not opposed to carrying jacketed ball ammo in the weapon if this kind of ammo is still effective.  I know carrying jacketed ammo in a .40 or a 9 mm for defensive carry can be dangerous because it doesn't always stop when it hits the target.  I also know .45 is much slower than these rounds.  Can I carry jacketed ammo in .45 for defensive carry without this kind of concern?

I don't have the tools to do the polishing myself.  Does anyone know of someone in or around Nashville that can polish the feed ramp for a decent price?  I've looked at the feed ramp and it's definitely not polished, and I plan to get a couple decent mags, but the first step is the polishing.

So, I got a great deal on a 1911 recently and so far I like it.  The problem is that range ammo feeds great but carry ammo (Federal hollow points) won't feed worth a darn.  I'm using the stock magazine and the first two or three rounds off the top of the 8 round magazine just won't feed.   What I've heard is that most stock 1911 magazines are pretty much garbage, even higher end ones.  I've also heard that Wilson Tactical is more or less top of the line.  Here's my question: Is this the direction should I go to replace my stock mag?  Are there other decent mags?  Are there other underlying issues with the weapon itself that might be causing these misfeeds?

I've only seen one mil-spec Springfield 1911 in .45 around $500 recently, and it was a private seller who has a dungeon full of guns that he doesn't even shoot.  Even then he had to be haggled down, and the deal ended up falling through.  I'm not trying to be argumentative.  I'm more curious, because if you know where I can find one like that I'd love it.

That's exactly what I want!  I want something super basic, GI looking, no bells or whistles, but if I want to I can mod it up a little.  I'm in talks about something.  As soon as I get something I'll post it here!

Yes, indeed.  Haha.  Rock Island it is.  Now it's about finding the best local deal.

I'm looking .45 with a 5" barrel.

Good call, thanks.

Alright, I've read a lot of forums about 1911's, budgets, etc. but I was never in the market.  Now that I'm in the market I don't want to sift through the forums, so I figured I'd start my own.   I'm on a STRICT $500 budget (wife...) so I started with Rock Island Armory.  Everyone I've talked to has said good things about them.  In my search friends of mine mentioned other budget 1911's, Tisas for instance.  I saw a forum from TankerHC who HATED Tisas.  He's been banned since, so I don't know if I can trust his opinion.  Everyone else I've talked to has said good things about them, though.   Tonight I was at Academy looking at ammo and started browsing guns, and when I started browsing a guy mentioned American Tactical Imports.  I checked their website and saw THEIR prices, but then I checked Buds and couple other places and saw really decent prices.  I haven't read a ton of reviews but what I read is good.   Honestly, I can get a really decent Rock Island for under $500 and still have money for a nice holster, but if I can save a little and be able to buy some hardware to upgrade why not?  So, what does everyone think?

@Metalhead, do y'all regularly carry Rock Island Armory 1911s?  I'm looking for a 1911 but I'm on a $500 budget (no more than $50 for FFL, background, etc.).

I'm looking to buy my first gun online since moving to Tennessee and am looking for a local FFL to do a transfer for me.  Does anyone in Nashville know a local FFL that does transfers relatively inexpensively?

Alright, I got what I want.  I found a Ruger SP101 in .357 magnum with a 3" barrel used (barely) for just over $400 at Nashville Armory.  I just started paying on it so it'll be a little while before I have it, but for all intents and purposes it's MINE!  Thanks for all your input!

Noise isn't something that I'd taken into account.  Thanks for that piece.  I like the AK but the ones I've seen have been pretty pricey.  I'm looking anywhere between $400-700.  This isn't right now but more in the next couple of years.  I have a number of reliable handguns in the house that I wouldn't have a problem using for the time being for home defense.

A buddy of mine has a Mosin Nagant and loves it.  My grandpa has an SKS that he's never shot (and I'm not sure where he got it).  I've seen lots of AK's on this site.  I want an inexpensive, reliable, fun-to-shoot rifle that can serve as home defense if necessary.  Franklin Gun Shop has a bunch of random old surplus guns but I'm not sure about the integrity of their condition, so I don't necessarily know if their prices are fair based on condition (no offense to anyone who has an affiliation with the shop).