Grayfox54

On another board I visit there's a discussion going in regard to using a walking cane as a defensive weapon. Of course somebody had to bring up sword canes. I always thought those were illegal in Tennessee, but then realized that I've never heard for absolute certain or seen it in print anywhere. So how 'bout it? Legal or not?  No, not planning on getting one. It just aroused my curiosity.  

Building a 1911 from parts isn't all that difficult. Building a reliable and accurate 1911 takes some skill.  I built up a bare Essex frame to permanently mount a .22 conversion unit on. The project came out much better than I could have hoped for. However, getting everything fitted "just right" was a pain in the rear. Not all 1911 frames are equal. You get what you pay for and the cheaper ones require a lot of hand fitting as QC isn't one of their strong suits. Very minor differences in the specs can lead to major headaches.  :wall: OTOH over the years I've purchased a couple of "know to be troublesome" 1911s  from fed up owners which just needed some minor adjustments or tweaking here and there that turned out to be excellent pistols. In one case the previous owner did indeed buy a bunch of parts in an effort to build his own custom gun and did just about everything wrong. Took me quite a while to straighten that one out, but its a great gun now. The 1911 isn't that difficult to work on, but it does have a few quirks and tricks that you need to learn. Kuhnhausen's books are an excellent place to start.  Rather than trying to build a gun from scratch, I would suggest you find a used gun of decent quality that you can get fairly cheap. Then 'customize" it as you please while you learn.  ;)    

The Model 39-2 is one of my favorite 9mms.  :up:  It just feels right in your hand. I had mine out to the range just last weekend. It was the first DA 9mm pistol made by an American company and caused quite a stir when it came out. It was also the first DA 9mm to be adopted by a major police dept. IIRC: The Connecticut State Police. (?) The steel framed guns are indeed rare. Only 927 were produced. They are all marked Model 39 (no dash). Here's an odd bit of trivia for you. The steel frames were made in the mid-1950s. However, they weren't assembled and sold until 1966. So the alloy framed guns actually came out first. Steel frame guns are highly collectible and nice examples are now worth several thousand dollars. There was no Model 39-1. It never got past the prototype stage at the factory. Rumor has it that it was intended to be a target model and later evolved into the much loved Model 52. There was also an extremely rare Model 39 variation called the Model 44 which was SA only and had a solid trigger resembling a 1911. Only 10 were made with six of those sent to the Army for evaluation. One reported to sell in the $20,000 range.  Info courtesy of The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 3rd Edition by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas 

I have yet to run across one of the RIA revolvers. I'd like to get one in my hands to examine. From what I've heard, they got good reviews at the beginning, but now there are reports that they aren't holding up well to a lot of use. Mostly timing issues and wear on the internals. But hey, its the internet. Use your own judgement as to what that's worth.   Charter Arms makes a decent gun for the money. They're ok for self defense and occasional range use, but I wouldn't put a lot of rounds through one on a regular basis. The older guns are best, the newest aren't bad. Its the middle group that had problems. Definitely avoid any marked Charco.   I don't know why Taurus gets such a bad rap. They actually make a very good gun. I know several Tauri owners who just love them and I've been keeping my eyes open for a nice used one for myself. 

I realize that the show is supposed to focus on one families struggles with what's happening. But I'm having a hard time getting into these characters. Is the average Californian really this stupid? As already pointed out, there's too much that just doesn't make sense. I suppose that this is leading to some sort of "awakening" where they suddenly develop a survival mindset and become hardcore zombie killing machines? JMHO, but in a real SHTF scenario, zombies or not, these people wouldn't stand a chance.  Daniel is the only one who even seems to have a clue. He just might make it if the others don't get him killed. What I do find interesting is the way society is falling apart around them. To me that's about the only redeeming value this show has.  But, being the TWD fan that I am, I will ride it out and watch the rest of it. How knows, maybe the writers can make something out of it after all. 

I not familiar with that particular pistol, but quite often the Novak style sights have a set screw running down through the dovetail from the top. If it does, just loosen it and it should move with no more than a light tap. If not, I just lay the pistol on a padded surface and gently tap it with a brass or nylon punch. 

The Colt Mustang and the Sig P238. Both are basically a miniature 1911 in .380. Same manual of arms as their big brother.  I recently picked up a Mustang XSP which has a poly frame and stainless slide. Its small, very light and darn near rust proof. This is what I carry on my daily walks. Excellent little gun. I might also mention that I'm not a fan of pocket carry and I do carry it in a belt holster. 

There's no need to limit yourself to just one kind of ammo. Mine are currently loaded with two Hydra-Shoks followed by four Winchester FMJs. If the HPs don't do the job, the Winchesters have a big flat meplat that'll drive deep and makes a nastier hole than regular RN.   

I bought on of the standard 1911R1s when they first came out. These are excellent guns. The finish may be a little on the plain side, but they are very well fit, very accurate and have one of the best out-of-the-box triggers I have even come across. I consider the Remingtons to be one of the best bang for your buck 1911s on the market today.

Leaving all the professional hit man and "what if" BS aside.  :shake: For a novice I usually recommend a good medium frame .38 Special revolver. That's about as simple as it gets. No slide to rack, no magazine to fool with, no safeties, just point and pull the trigger. Go with a medium frame rather than a small frame as it gives a better hold and recoil is easily managed. If he's going to carry it, a 2 to 3" barrel is ideal. 

I've been a very happy Brownell's customer for many, many years. The best place to find gunsmithing tools and some tools that can't be found anywhere else. I also get the dealer discount on my C&R license which has saved me a ton of money over the years.  :up:

Happened to me about % years ago. The oldest man in the shop retired and suddenly I was the oldest man in the shop.  :dropjaw: Where did the time go? :shrug: Only Mike had been there longer than me and he came when he was in his early 20s. I retired last year.  Mike and I have discussed how much things have changed over the years. He is now the last remaining member of the crew that was there when I started. We both found it strange to look around at all the young faces in the place now. I talked to him not long ago and he says the shop is like a whole different place now. Who are these people, where did they come from and why are they so young?  He's pulling the plug next year and says he can't wait.

Here;s my situation. I walk 3-4 miles almost daily for exercise. Naturally, this time of year I sweat buckets while doing this.  For a carry gun during these walks I have a S&W Model 36. Its an older gun that I picked up some years ago on the cheap mainly because the finish is badly worn. And there lies my problem. I'm sweating so much that the gun has become a rust magnet. Despite wiping it down every day, I still have to give it a through cleaning at least once a week and often twice. This morning I checked it and had a hard time opening the cylinder due to the rust.  :eek: I'm giving serious consideration to having the gun refinished with one of the more durable type finishes. Duracoat  or something similar?  So I'm looking for options, opinions and experience with these type coatings. Also, does anybody know of a place in the Memphis area that does this? I'd hate to have to ship it off for months to have this done.       

This is what works for me. Buckmark Camper pistol Tactical Solutions 4" barrel Tactical Solutions rear sight w/rail Burris Fast Fire red dot. Browning is now offering the Buckmark with a threaded barrel from the factory. So you can save that expense.

My younger son was Army National Guard 11B infantry. In Infantry School he got training with everything from the M4 to Ma Duece, but no pistol training at all. In Iraq his primary weapon was a 240B mounted on top of a MRAP. He had a M4 for a walking around weapon. For a while he was issued a M9, however he turned it back in by his own choice because he considered it just extra dead weight to carry.   As for myself, Army 1972-75, I never got any formal handgun training. However,  I did receive some very basic pistol training on the unit level and was required to qualify once per year, but only because I was a driver of a tracked vehicle and the 1911 was supposed to be my issued personal weapon. However, due to a shortage of 1911s in our unit, I was never issued one.    While I am all in favor of issuing weapons for our military on U.S. soil, most are not trained in the use of a handgun. By all means issue pistols as needed, but first properly train these troops to use them.

When are people gonna finally give up on their PC hopes and dreams and finally admit that Islam has declared war on the rest of the world? I keep remembering the videos of so-called "peaceful muslims" dancing in the streets and celebrating after 9/11.  :censored: I'm just too pissed right now. I better shut up.

I'm surprised this thread is still going.  Just for the record, GF informed me that she had already informed the host that I carry and he was completely fine with it. So the gun stayed on me. Good food, good folks and a good time was had by all.  However, despite all the worry and warnings, I didn't have to shoot anybody.  :shrug:

I like it!  :clap: But I'd also like to see a .308 version. 

Just for the record, I gave up alcohol more than 35 years ago. So I won't be drinking.  My question is more aimed at the fact that this is their home. They make the rules here. Its not so much about what is legal, but rather what simple good manners should be.

Would you carry your concealed firearm into someone else's home without first informing them that you are armed?    That's the question I found myself facing. Normally, if I leave the house I am armed. Just my particular habit. In this case, my girlfriend has been invited to her friend's house this weekend for a 4th of July party. I've never met these people, but they are her friends, she has mentioned me to them and they specifically requested that I come so that they can meet me. Ok, I'm cool with that. I want to meet her friends as well. But this brought up the question of what to do about my carry gun? After giving it some thought, I decided that given the fact that I don't actually know these people, I have no idea how many people will be there and given that it is a party and alcohol may be served, that both common sense and common courtesy dictate that the best course of action would be to just leave my gun locked in the car.    However, just out of curiosity, I asked this question on another forum I belong to just to see how others might handle this situation. Much to my surprise, more than half of the responses were to carry anyway and don't talk about it. Really? Did I miss something here? So, again out of curiosity, I wondered what my fellow Tennesseans might think about this. So what are your opinions on the matter?   One more thing: several of the responses said that in their state there is a law which requires HCP holders to inform a homeowner that they are armed before entering their property. I've never heard of such a law here, but do we have anything like that?

I'll echo what others have said. Get a quality holster and a belt made to carry it. Proper concealment has very little to do with the gun itself. Its all about the gear you carry it in and the clothes you wear. Use shirts that are a bit loose. I generally buy shirts one size larger just for this purpose. Use colors and patterns that tend to break up any slight bulge. Jackets should be hip length or longer. Avoid vests as concealment garments. Its reached the point where these things just scream GUN!. I can and have carried the big N-frame S&W revolvers completely concealed using these simple methods.   Relax! When you first start carrying you worry that everybody can spot your gun. The truth is that 99% of them aren't even looking. So avoid looking nervous or constantly checking or adjusting your gun. These are things that tell others that you're carrying.    Welcome to the club!  :up:    

Just more proof that we have the best government that money can buy. 

At $250, I'd by at least two.  :up:

Stun 'em with a .45 and be done with it. 

IF it were to go through, bear in mind that CMP will still have to unpack, inspect  and in some cases repair as needed every single pistol. Last I heard they were short handed and couldn't even keep up with current demands for sales. I figure it could be a couple of years or more before the pistols actually go on sale.  Oh and yes, I'd buy one, maybe two......... or a dozen.  :D