Mark@Sea

It hurt - it really really hurt - but day before yesterday I walked out and left an unmolested Krag and a really nice '03 Springfield on the consignment rack.

Hi All, Any other qualified RSO's in the bunch? Marswolf, how about it? If a qual'd or former RSO will step up I'd feel easy about you guys using my place. A little stiff here today. Took the elevator down from the bridge. Minor detail; there is no elevator. Translation: I selflessly took the opportunity to prove that gravity still works. Good news. Although I have to wait until I get home (August, maybe?) to do the transfer, I bought a late '44 or early '45 Remington Rand 1911A1 here. Hasn't had many rounds through it, came with the issue M3 holster (modded by the addition of a mag pouch) and original issue mags. Some holster wear, but otherwise excellent - call it 90%+ cosmetics. The servicemans' children, when they found it in his effects, couldn't wait to get rid of the 'evil gun'. Someone talked them out of handing it over for destruction and instead putting it on consignment at a local shop. The gunshop guy (I've known him for about 15 years, since I was stationed here on active duty) was more than a little disgusted by their attitude, and he gave me a pretty good deal on it. Wish I were rich: Another local collector has put an unmolested 1898 Spriingfield (krag) and a very very nice 1903 on the consignment rack at the shop at attractive prices.

Remington Rand, late '44, nearly unfired when I bought it. Rabbi, fear not. Just 'cuz the .45 isn't your cup of tea doesn't mean you aren't a 'manly man'.

Hi Folks, Amazingly enough, I got a chance to log in! Sorry I can't help with the location... I hope to get a couple weeks at home in July or August, though. Maybe we can swing something then? Meanwhile, save me a bowl of that satellite stew.....

Well, I get something for Christmas after all. Thanks, Len

Reef, when I get a bit more landscaping done here at chaos central, I'm putting in a G scale layout. Is 'putting in' the correct term for an outdoor track?

The price I listed on the 308 I have for sale is better - 36 cents a round- and no shipping, you have to pick it up.

Hi All, Tower flew out this morning, and I have to be in Norfolk on New Years. I will ask Sue - she may be willing to 'host' if someone else does all the hosting work - move/set up the target stands, RSO, cleanup - but we can't put on another spread, so you'd have to go to one of several local restaraunts. I expect I will be home again in August, maybe. On a side note - all the items I've listed for sale will be withdrawn at the end of the month, due to my departure. After a fax battle, a half a dozen phone calls with the detailer, 15 or 20 e-mails, and a few choice words with her boss, I'm finally going to get paid - on the 28th. A month and a half without a paycheck sure puts a crimp in things.

Interesting article. On the other hand, my wife scored better than the chief of police and every deputy at the range when she went for her permit shoot. You can't miss fast enough to win. Boomhower, many moons ago when I had shore duty in Norfolk, I was a member of a private range, had my own key, and if I felt like shooting at 2 am it wasn't a problem. Shot from ahead of the line, shot from the draw and so forth...

Tungsten, there is something deeply, deeply disturbing about Boba Fett in a Santa cap. That being said, I agree she should try a 38 revolver, cops as a whole are lousy shots, and a 1911 makes a great carry gun - even for those of us who aren't trying to show how manly we are.

And me sitting here with a half dozen M1A's and FAL's... Oh well...

Gun store clerk. Sheesh. If he'd covered the four rules, there wouldn't have been an ND. If he'd offered her pistols more suitable to a complete neophyte, there wouldn't have been an ND. If he'd properly supervised, there wouldn't have been an ND. Three opportunities to show professionalism, but the countertop Col. Custer blew it. Will she need a pistol for Saturdays' class?

308 does what I need it to do at any range I can see what I'm shooting at. MolonlabeTN - what flavor of 308 are you looking for?

Hi Sarah, Sounds as if you did not try a revolver. That gunstore clerk isn't your friend. 22's are the easiest to shoot - the very low recoil and comparitively low noise allow you to concentrate on the mechanics of sight alignment and operation of the pistol. Unfortunately, as noted, they aren't very useful for self defense. If you get to the point where you would feel more comfortable meeting someone from this board, I live about an hour and a half north of you, have my own outdoor range, have a variety of pistols for you to try, and I am very married. I'm not looking to sell you anything, either. I have some (very dated) experience as an instructor, but can't provide you with any certifications.

Dead on the money. At one time the perfect pistol was a nickel plated 32 auto, POS if you ever saw one, but it persuaded the gentleman who was touring my apartment that my skull didn't really need a pipewrench remodeling. Consider the wheel. Is it perfect? - well, I want my flying car, dang it, but wheels will do the job in the meantime. The wheel has been around since - well, probably before Marswolfs' time. Tungsten - Lamp?

Rabbi, whats' wrong with it? Is it because it is steel? Too heavy? Too few rounds in the mag? Doesn't have a "trigger safety"? Single Action? Or is it because it is about the most popular design on the planet nearly 100 years after it was designed, and you want to argue with the world? And look - it is, as far as I know, still standard issue in a couple of militaries (see my previous post), and a large percentage of our own wish we still issued it as a matter of course.

Sarah, as for caliber (size) of the bullet - 22 is too small to be a reliable self defence round. A lot of people carry the 38 special, the 9 millimeter, and the 357 (which is the same size as the 38, but has a longer casing, which holds more powder, allowing the bullet to go faster). A 357 will also allow you to shoot the shorter (and slightly cheaper) 38 special. A 38 will NOT shoot the 357. There are pros and cons to any given gun. My wife carries and practices with a 38 special revolver. Getting the laser grip is a personal choice - I wouldn't use one, but hey, what do I know? Good luck, good shooting. Mark

Weren't many South Koreans prior to WWII, the Greek Hellenic Army's current issue pistol is the 1911A1, FBI's HRT current issue pistol is the 1911A1, the spanish Modelo 9 was... Never mind. As you say, proves nothing. And I certainly believe you didn't buy a vette because you were afraid you'd be mistaken for an "ex frat boy". That has been one of my major worries in life as well!

Likewise the Norwegians, the Spanish, the South Koreans, the Brits during both world wars, and oh yeah, the Greeks. Easy to forget, buncha wussies. I owned a bug once myself. It was simple to fix - a high point, in my estimation, as I spent a lot of time doing just that. A crescent wrench and a hammer were definitely required accessories. Other than that, it was a cheap car well suited to mass marketing. Made some good memories, that car. Glad to get it when I got it, glad to see it go when I got rid of it. Given a choice between an early 'vette (before they went plastic ) and a VW, I'd certainly go with the... Well, you know.

Argentines liked the 1911 so much that they built their own factory, with Colt techs, making the Sistema 1911 under license. Dang fine pistol, too. What, exactly, makes the 1911 obsolete? Lower round count? (slimmer grip makes better concealed carry, for me - YMMV) Steel vs plastic construction? Hmm... Had a plastic pistol when I was 6. The dog ate it. Don't need another one. The weight, right? Because, of course, lighter pistols have less felt recoil - wait a minute.... Ease of construction. Well, you got me there. Kind of like how a VW was easier to build than a Corvette - obviously the VW is the better auto. Must be the .45 cartridge; Everyone knows that smaller faster bullets are better than larger slower bullets, right? Except the USMC, of course, but what else would you expect from characters like them?

Tungsten, I have a pocket-portable flintlock, for certain values of 'pocket". Bonus - it is a boarding pistol - more of a blunderbuss, really - so you can load whatever you fancy - ball, grape, nails, what-have-you. But wait - it also has a folding spike bayonet! Really. PM me if interested. I like 1911's, my wife carries a pair of 38 specials constantly, but it takes all kinds... Stolen from another board, I give you the perfect GFB post; "However, in just a few minutes a Glock fanboy will come by and post a link to a test where a Glock was put in a blender filled with Drano, sulfuric acid, Coca-Cola, pirahna, and 2 pounds of industrial diamonds. A CAT D8 bulldozer was then dropped on it from 1000 feet. The owner picked up the Glock, chambered a 155mm HE round, hit a post-it note at 917 miles, and then proceeded to run 726,761 rounds of Wolf ammo coated with Gorilla Glue with no failures."

Get a pistol, practice with it. Make it a habit to have it within arms reach AT ALL TIMES. Watching the tube. Making breakfast. In the shower. In bed. If it is farther away than you can reach, it is too far away. Dry-fire with it (practicing with it unloaded). Take it to the range when you can. Clean it. Become familiar with it; the familiar isn't frightening. Doesn't really matter what pistol you get, as long as you are comfortable holding and firing it. There is no magic to defensive pistol shooting, no 'sure winner' you can buy, no 'gaurantee in a box'. What matters is that foremost, you have it in your hand when you need it - not in a shoebox in the top of the closet, not buried under the socks in your drawer, but in your hand. It isn't a magic talisman, it is a tool. There are pros and cons to any tool, someone who'll tell you it is the best on the market, someone who'll tell you it is junk that should never have made it to market - but they are all just tools, and pretty much all of them will perform to the skill level of the user. Police reports, complaints to the management and so forth may be useful as background if you have to shoot someone in self defense, but don't let them give you a warm fuzzy feeling. They're just notes on a blotter, or filled out forms, and they'll do nothing for you in the crunch. Sorry that you are reluctant to meet anyone here, as I have a selection of pistols you could try, and my wife might be able to give you some advice as well - but thats' certainly your right and choice. My advice - sign off right now, go to the gunstore of your choice right now, and pick a pistol right now, because bad things don't schedule themselves for our convenience. Get a basic cleaning kit as well. As a matter of record, the 38 special has done what needed doing quite often. It doesn't have a harsh recoil in most guns, and a revolver doesn't take a whole lot of training to get comfortable. Whatever you choose - do it now. And welcome to adulthood - personal responsibility that extends to protecting yourself!

Means that it is mildly corrosive, and if you shoot it, clean with ammonia or HOT soap and water as well as standard cleaning...

Thought a 6 pounder would be a nice touch... kind of lends authority to the 'trespassing discouraged' sign...

Rabbi, unless you are deliberately trying to stir up a fuss, I completely miss your point on the 1911 being superceded. In its' various renditions it commands a major share of the market - in fact, there are revolvers, 1911's, and 'everything else'. It is still quite capable of putting lead on target - a point I'd be happy to demonstrate anytime you are in my area (well, I didn't really mean that the way it sounds...) and as far as I know, the stopping power of the .45 is still the standard to meet - and has been since the Moro uprising. The M14 is of course completely superceded by the AR platform, which is why virtually every one in the inventory is in use, Crane has been stripped bare, and they've been pulled off ships for rework/re-issue to the ground-pounders in Iraq. Wanna buy an AR?