Grayfox54

Good grief! I thought for sure I had posted in this thread. It seems that somehow I missed it. There are three guns that I usually carry. My primary carry for most of the last 30 years has been a lightly modified 1959 Colt Commander in .45acp. When I want something smaller and lighter, I generally go with a S&W 642 J-frame .38 On my exercise walks I carry a Colt Mustang XSP. With its poly frame and stainless slide, its about as rust proof as a gun can get. Off and on for the last year or so, I have been experimenting with my Sig P-239. Nice compact 9mm, but really not much smaller than my Colt. The jury is still out on that one. But every now and then I just get an urge to carry something completely different just for S&G. It could be anything from a .25acp to a .45 Colt. Two favorites are a 3" S&W Model 13 and a Walther PPK/S. Old faithful

Sorry to say, but right now is not a good time to start reloading. While the ammo shortage is starting to lighten up, there is still a shortage of reloading components. Especially powder and primers. What little can be found is too expensive for any real savings. You may need to give it a bit more time before taking the plunge. OTOH, now would be a good time to shop for used equipment as some folks are getting out of reloading due to the lack of components. Others bought gear, but never got off the ground. Having said that, I've been reloading on an old RCBS Rockchucker single stage press for about 40 years now. It may be slow, but it still works like a charm. Just finished a big batch of 9mm today.

Apparently not. But who is?

I think they already did. 4.25" barrel? I'd think this set up would be better with a full 5" barrel. A fat, heavy Commander size just doesn't make sense. You'd have to add suspenders to keep your pants up. 17 & 20 round mags? Good grief, the mag probably weighs as much as a standard 1911. 2 piece FLGR? Nope, that'll have to go. Damn things come unscrewed at the worst possible times. Plastic grip frame? Aw Hell NO! I own a Para-Ordnance double stack 1911 and honestly don't care much for it. The wide grip and extra weight just throws the whole feel and balance of the gun off. It just don't feel like a 1911. I'm a huge fan of Springfield Armory and own 4 of their 1911s. But I have no interest in this thing.

I'm glad to see somebody moving away from plastic. I'm real interested in the new CSX which is also an aluminum frame. Just haven't had a chance to see one in person yet.

CMP will start taking application packets for the next round of 1911 sales on Sept. 1 until Sept 30. Here's a great chance to own a piece of history. Get your paperwork in ASAP! I got mine in the first round.

I've been loading on a RCBS Rockchucker , using a Uniflow measure and an old 10-10 Scale for close to 40 years now. And this stuff was used when I bought it. You can't go wrong with RCBS. In fact, I'll be finishing up a batch of 1000 9mms tomorrow.

Firearms are a huge business in this country. I have faith that the various makers and FFLs have worked this out. Like I said, when it actually becomes a problem, let me know.

The original question was about sending firearms in for service. Any gun I've sent in in the past has never been a problem. I did have to take the package to the local distribution center as the storefront places aren't supposed to take firearms. But that was no big deal. Most every town has at least one distribution center. Often, I'm given the choice to have the package picked-up at my home, although I personally never have used that option. This sort of thing pops up pretty regularly every time UPS or Fed Ex makes any kind of policy change on firearms. AFAIK, its never proven to be a problem. Guns are shipped every day and continue to be. My point is why worry and get your panties all in a wad until it actually proves to be a problem? So, has anybody had a problem?

If the maker sends you a pre-paid label, they are the shipper and do meet all the requirements. The only thing that changes is the place of origin. I really don't see a problem here. Much ado about nothing. When and if somebody actually has a problem, let us know. Speculation at this point is worthless.

Generally when sending a firearm in for service, you contact the maker, company or provider first. Making all arrangements prior to shipping. More often than not, they will e-mail you a pre-paid shipping label. Simply attach that to the package and drop off at the named carrier.

PM sent.

Smith & Wesson Military & Police 1st Model of 1899. More often simply called the Model of 1899. The lack of a locking lug at the front of the ejector rod and the round butt are specific to this model. This was the original .38 Special as both the cartridge and the gun were introduced that year. This is the beginning of the entire M&P and later Model 10 line. Manufactured from 1899 to 1902. If you give me the serial number on the bottom of the butt, I may be able to find the exact year.

I'd be interested in the details. Anybody know exactly what happened?

Update: my new license plate arrived today. I was wondering if it would get here before the end of the month. Close, but it made it.

This thread originally started out as just my curiosity, but sorta got away from me. I've learned a lot here, so thanks for that. But as I've said all along, I'm just not an AR guy. I had both rifles at the range on Thursday. Capbyrd was kind enough to give me an accu-wedge to try. Thanks again Sir! I think it helped a little, but no great improvement. I do realize that I am gonna have to start reloading 5.56. But I currently have other irons in the fire. I'll get to that eventually. I've come to the conclusion that both rifles are combat accurate and that's good enough for me. So I'm just gonna live with 'em as they are. Thanks again to everybody who contributed to this thread. Its been quite informative.

I put a set of Hogue Pao Ferro on my SA-35 and have been more than happy with them. Hogue offers a number of nice woods, with or without checkering at a reasonable price. I have them on several of my semi-auto pistols. https://www.hogueinc.com/grips/browning-grips/hi-power/wood

Before state wide permits, county only permits did exist. However, they were still pretty rare as they were issued by the local Sheriff and many were anti-gun politicians. CCW was mostly a matter of who you knew. More often than not, a person who knew the right people would be commissioned as a "Special Deputy". This did in fact make them a LEO. Allowing them to carry anywhere and giving them full arrest powers as well. Former Shelby Co. Sheriff Gene Barksdale (1976-86) was well known for his multitude of "Special Deputies". He was a proponent of civilian CCW and rather free with commissions. Many of which worked private security for various companies around town. My FIL was head of Security for the Montessi Grocery store chain. He was also a personal friend of Barksdale and a fully commissioned "Special Deputy". I got my first Handgun Permit in 1992. It was only good in Shelby County. All it took was a letter to the Sheriff and I was enrolled in a Sheriff's Dept class that earned me a permit. For the life of me, I can't remember who was the Sheriff at that time. But it was really no problem as he favored civilian CCW. My google-foo has failed me. Anybody remember who was Sheriff at that time?

If you can find a way to get it to Memphis, I'll buy it.

Ever since the great .22 drought a few years ago, .22 reliability has gotten very iffy. I believe just about everybody lowered QC to speed up production. I have seen no sign of any attempt to return quality to previous levels.

DAMMIT! Plumb at the other end of the state! I WANT!