Dolomite_supafly

First and foremost do not alter anything. DO NOT TRY TO REFINISH IT!!!! Do not try to polish anything. Do not turn a screw on the gun or even cock it. Doing any of these things can adversely affect the value. Collectors love the patina and will pay top dollar for a gun that is unaltered vs one that has been refinished or restored. If you must do anything I would limit it to a light coat of oil put on and wiped off with a soft cotton rag. Just regular automotive oil, not some of the new cleaner/protectant type oils. Next do not try to fire the gun. These guns were designed for blackpowder loads and modern smokeless powder loads can destroy the gun and your hands along with it. If you could post pictures that would be great. Because it has pearl handles it sounds liek it might be an upscale version or have had the grips replaced. Either way leave the gun as it. I am assuming the caliber is 44-40. That designation means a 44 caliber bullet over 40 grains of blackpowder which is pretty sedate by todays standards. These guns should not have a blue color but a brown color. Some of the higher grade guns might be blued but the majority of guns from that time period have been rust blued from the factory. That results in a brownish color that most people assume is bad but that is how the guns were finished back then. I would contact Colt and request a history. They have records that can show how the gun left the factory, where it was sent to and when it was made. Depending on caliber and configuration some guns can be quite valuable. With documentation you can prove how the gun left the factory. These have been around so long that barrels get swapped, cylinders changed and finish goes away. Get it appraised, get it appraised, get it appraised and in case you missed it the first few times, get it appraised. And when you do get it appraised do not take it to a show and ask dealers. They are going to price it as if they want to buy it and some probably will try. After you get it appraised This should give you a good idea of value. Just make sure you do not alter the gun. I was at a show and a gentelman had a 1873 Colt. It was shiny to a point it looked chrome. It turned out he polished the gun up to make it easier to sell. Doing that changed his $2,000+ collectible gun into a $500 shooter. The dealer was obviously shaken but more so was the owner as he was trying to sell the gun and what he did cost him $1,500. Dolomite

When I lived in ALabama I read of a study where Guntersville lake had the highest population of "big" bass of anywhere in Alabama. Something like 13 fish per acre that were over 10 pounds. Never fished Guntersville lake but did fish a lot of water in the Anniston and Gadsden areas. Dolomite

You didn't inspect before walking out? I always look the gun over because Walmart will not accept returns for any reason. As far as the configuration they can be had in several different flavors depending on the store and distributor. Yours is as good as one bought anywhere else. There is no validity to the rumor that Walmart sells junk guns. They do not swap or change parts on guns either. Does it look like this one: Ruger® 10/22® Distributor Exclusives Autoloading Rifle Model 1237 If so the distributor was AccuSport. Dolomite

I keep primed brass on hand all the time. They can be in plastic containers, vacuum sealed in bags or cardboard boxes. Never had a problem. Dolomite

As much as most of us hate the current legal system, not justice system, it is still far better than what is about to start happening. I believe this will pass but not because people want it but because our representatives no longer listen to us and now want a way to control us. They already have a list of US citizens that the government wants to detain, they just need the legal justification for it. And when this passes, and it will, we will see and hear about the rush to detain them all. Hopefully during this time people will stand up and not just go hide hoping they won't be next. And something else to realize. It is not only detention those who are detained will have to worry about. It is the tactics and techniques that are going to be used to investigate. Without due process innocent US citizens may be subjected to same treatment as those who we know are our enemies. What really scares me is who is determining who the enemy of the state is? Are you going to be considered a domestic terrorist if you do not support those currently in power? Or if people are going to be getting hauled off in the middle of the night because of what a neighbor tells the local government about you? Sounds suspicously familiar to how things were 70-80 years ago in a country we once fought. I wonder who, if anyone, will come to our country's aid in its time of need? We are stuck voting for the lesser of two evils anymore. No longer are we allowed to vote for what we want. We are only allowed to vote on what those is power let us vote on. This goes along with everything else I have said and that is those in power want to control those who aren't. And when they can't control they will villainize. Dolomite

We had problems with our boxer doing stuff he wasn't supposed to. We bought an electronic dog collar and used it. It didn't take long for him to figure out what was good and what was bad. Another bonus is the dog doesn't see "YOU" as the person correcting their behavior. Dolomite

If you decide to build I can help you out. I would recommend you get with a few AR owners to try their setups out. It can save you a lot of time and money when trying to figure what works for you and what doesn't. If you decide to buy look at the S&W MP Sport. They have a lot of good features for the money. And because there is a standard upgrading or swapping parts are easy. They have a 5R barrel and MPI tested bolts both of which make for a good gun to start with. Dolomite

They are generally regarded as budget, junk type scopes. For the cost of a AIM scope you can get a better quality scope. Just out of curiosity what magnification and price range are you looking at? Dolomite

I will try using Clays to see how it works. It isn't my normal 9mm powder but it is my fastest I have on hand. I normally use Power Pistol for all my pistol loading. Dolomite

From what I have read, not observed, chrome lined bores add a substantial amount to the lifespan over non chrome lined. I have read 15K or even more rounds before seeing any problems related to wear. Barrels that are not lined supposedly only last 5K or so before starting to show issues related to accuracy. I wish I had the funds to test a barrel to failure. But as I have said I have not observed it personally and only relying on what others who do have experience are saying. There are also other variables that affect barrel wear. A 7 twist barrel will wear out quicker than a comaprable 9 twist barrel. Additionally a gun that sees full auto or full auto type fire will see a reduced lifespan because of the additional heat. Dolomite

I haven't bought the 45 acp mold. I do have a 9mm mold that I will use when I run out of the 1K I just bought. Right now I am trying to find something somewhat accurate out of a smooth bore shotgun. The Lee Key Slugs are hit and miss, literally. I can have 3-4 hit withing 6 inches at 100 ayrds then have one hit the ground 1/2 way to the 100 yard line or hit 15 feet left or right. I am going to try solid .690 round balls next. Dolomite

Chrome also helps with longevity during normal use with normal ammo, not just corrosive stuff. Chrome lined chambers are also slicker to help with extraction as the gun gets fouled. Even if you never fire corrosive ammo chrome lined bores do have benefits over non chrome lined bores. They tend to be slicker so they do help with cleaning. With that being said I prefer stainless over chrome moly or chrome plated. It offers the corrosion resistance with the accuracy of a non chrome lined barrel. It may not have the wear resitance of a chrome lined bore but my most used gun has more rounds through it than I could ever count and it still holds 1/2" at 100 with my handloads. And as I always say plan for the worst so for $9 chrome lined bores are a no brainer. Even if you think you will not need it it is better to have it because you never know if you might need it down the road. Dolomite

I do know they use large lead weights for race car ballast. I have two 20 pound chunks a friend gave me. I have been melting down wheel weights for slugs. I might try some of the wheel weights in my 1911 to see how bad they are gonig to lead the barrel. I do know that dropping them into what hardens them up enough to make a "tink" sound when tapped together, not the usual "thud" lead makes. Dolomite

Call Predator Custom Shop in Knoxville. They are a local shop that builds excellent rifles for less than you mentioned. Their barebones M4 carbines are $750. Dolomite

I have over 2,000 trouble free rounds through mine. The slide to frame fit was better than my Colt and Metro outshot it as well. Because it is my carry gun I did replace all the internals with forged parts but the MIM parts shouldn't be an issue. Most manufactuers now use MIM parts in their pistols. My only complaint was the bluing was a bit thin. But other than that it has been a great pistol. Anyone who has seen it knows how hard I am on it. Dolomite

Something I received that seems to be a new tactic as of late is this. Don't really like posting new tactics for bad guys to pick up but this is another tactic to get into a person's car. After a car is parked the bad guy places a piece of paper on the back window. After shopping the lady enters car and sees paper on the back window as she begins to back up. Lady places car in park and exits the vehicle to see what the paper is. As she is out of her vehicle to remove it the bad guy enters car and drives off. What makes this most effective is most times the lady leaves the car running and their purse inside when they exit to check the paper. Dolomite

+1 Without all the reliability issues of trying to feed the 7.62x39. Dolomite

Unloading a gun every time you set it down is only going to lead to more AD's. Anytime you handle the gun more than it should there is potential for an accident. As others have said I leave it in a holster loaded. As far as other guns if they are not in storage they are loaded. Dolomite

As far as experience to plug into I would go to AR15.com and read. But be forewarned you are going to leave there feeling inadequate unless you are spending $2K+ on your AR. Also, go to your local shop that builds AR's and ask questions. There are people more knowledgeable than me I am sure. I would be a fool to think I am the expert. But the majority of what I do know is from first hand experience. I appreciate when people ask before they buy. It keeps people from buying something that doesn't fit their needs or from buying something they won't be happy with. Dolomite

But they are being retried because of official misconduct, not on appeal. Or that is how I am reading it. Almost like the first trial never happened. I could be reading it wrong. Dolomite

Bravo company is a much better gun than Colt for the money. Colt used to be the gold standard but not anymore. Bravo is also some of the best when it comes to taking care of their customers. They will build you what you want then back it up with great customer service. And no I do not own anything Bravo but I have seen their products and how they take care of the customers first hand. Dolomite

Went back and read you post again. If I was going to use it for QCB only I would use a lightweight and fast round. Perhaps one of the TAP rounds in 110 grain or even 155 grain weights. The 110 loading gets to roughly 10" in gelatin and the 155 flavor gets to 15". Both would probably reduce the chances of overpenetration during most engagements. Now they are going to be loud and obnoxious when firing indoors. Even with hearing protection the concussion can be overshelming for some. Not to mention the muzzle blast if you are using shorter barreled guns. Now with a suppressor it is going to minimize most of the detractors and would be a viable option. But as I said previously you are talking a bout a full length battel rifle that isn't as well suited as other platforms to buildign clearing. Dolomite

300 BLK in an AR would suite your needs. You can get factory ammo that cycles perfectly in subsonic as well as supersonic loadings. Uses standard AR magazines and is easily suppressed. And honestly a suppressor does go a long way at reducing noise short distances with 5.56. It is when the bullet has enough time to make its supersonic crack that you get the loud suppressed noise. A suppressed 5.56 in a tytpical room isn't going to be tht loud. If you are talking about a true building clearing gun I would use a pistol caliber. Mostly because those platforms tend to be shorter which makes room clearing easier than the full length battle rifles. If you do use a 5.56 with a short enough barrel to make clearing easy you are wasting a lot of the muzzle energy and in turn getting a lot of muzzle blast. Dolomite

What should happen is a legal team should be hired to review the cases for problems with rulings and such during the trial. This would be cheaper for all involved. And honestly if there was any questionable rulings by the judge during the initial it will come out during defendant's appeal process. I see no need for a completely new trial, have a review for the appeal and call it good if no errors were made. What worries me is the defendants might be able to bond out or released in pretrial status because of a potential screw up. We all know if they ever hit the streets again they will all be gone. Dolomite

I am actually just going to call them and get extras. We shoot all of our guns a lot so we will need ot keep some on hand. Dolomite