graycrait

I am going to keep the Scout Mount for the time being on a suggestion by a good friend who shoots a lot of tactical stuff. He thinks the plastic TAPCO gas tube cover with rail won't hold accurately enough for me. I'll have to see. In any case I am going to hang on to it for a while. A friend of mine has his SKS drilled and tapped for a fold over traditional weaver mount and that works good. Like a dummy I have two different receiver covers with integral rails - they were a waste of money.

Leupold 1.5-4x20 Mark AR Duplex Riflescope 67170 FREE S&H 67170. Leupold Mark AR Riflescopes, Leupold Riflescopes. This works for me at the ranges you mention. Due to my old eyes I have to be on my game at 400 meters but I can hit what I am aiming at pretty well at that distance. This rifle was put together on a budget for me by a friend of mine to shoot inexpensive ammo pretty well. I went with this scope due to price, size and my lack of need for a true long range scope or rifle.

Here is what it looked like with stock furniture and Scout Mount in place of rear sight.

I took off the Scout Mount and reinstalled the front rear SKS sight with the hope that the plastic won't warp, flex, bend, soften up or otherwise knock my Millet MultiDot off its generous zero. I expect 6MOA at 100yrds and MOF (felon) at 75yrds and in. If the TAPCO gas tube cover doesn't work with my "relatively cheap" I'll go back to the Scout Mount. I've used Trijicons, Doctors, Aimpoints and I can't remember but these Millets work well enough for me for what I do with them. Here is the Mak 90 that I Bubba'd up. Standard stock, Ultimak, and I can't remember what optic is on the thing. I like the SKS much better. I wonder where that thing is now?

I have a friend who works at my local gun store who has had his for several weeks. This guy is a bona fide gun nut and will destroy a gun to see how long it takes. He has nothing but good things to say about how it functions, fires and accuracy. He said he is nearly through with it and will likely resell it. He says he has no practical need for it and he has had about enough fun with it. His only two negatives were that the rear grip seam needed to be sanded down slightly and that muzzle blast is significant, but understandable given the round in question. de Jeff Quinn, of Gunblast, has also asked for this guy's input, as Mr. Quinn stops in the store from time to time. He said you can have 15 cases in the air at once and can empty an entire mag into a dime.

I have a RIA 9mm 1911 and have had two other Government sized 9mm 1911s, one a Dan Wesson Pointman 9 and the other some Armscor .38 Super that I "converted" to 9mm on the cheap. I like the RIA better than the other two. I have a wealthy friend who has more guns than I can count. He does all sorts of interesting things like test ballistics through gelatin, wraps beef or hog ribs in denim, shoots through wet packs, car doors, etc. Modern 9mm and .38 Spl and .357 knock the socks off of .45 ACP in terms of penetration and expansion. Most JHP .45ACP fail to properly expand and penetrate. A 9mm 1911 is an easy shooting thing. I have another friend who built his own custom 1911 9mm using KART barrel, etc. Another friend of mine, retired Special Forces Warrant Officer, has an RIA 9mm 1911 and he is so stoked he thinks he needs a high dollar 9mm 1911, but won't sell his RIA. You can go hot and cold ammo by changing recoil springs. I don't find shooting .45ACP daunting but the 9mm definitely has a different feel, but easily managed one handed if necessary. I like the 9mm 1911 because I like to shoot as cheap as possible with a caliber that is capable enough. I actually prefer shooting the Star BM or my Glocks over the 1911 9mm, but feel I need to keep one 1911 around just because. And I like the 9mm 1911 over the BHP, even considering capacity advantage with the BHP. The trigger mechanism of both the BHP and CZ are the only things I don't particularly like about either of those pistols except for the CZ SA straight trigger. However, with a 1911 the triggers are their strong point and there are a zillion other parts available for the 1911 so it is easy to keep one running foreever, not so with discontinued pistols with somewhat odd designs like some of my favorites. It is an easy pistol for my wife to shoot. Craig

. The three pistols that look the same are essentially the same. Upper left and lower right hand are two all-steel Star BM 9mm, both repainted. Upper left hand corner is a Star BKS Starlight 9mm. The BKS has an aluminum frame. I am fortunate to have 5 magazines, several extra firing pins, an extra trigger and trigger bar and some small springs to keep these long discontinued pistols running. The black Star in the upper left has after market combat sights, requiring the slide to have been nicely milled to accommodate those sight bases. b. The 2.25" Ruger SP101 .357 sports a Trausch grip made in France. This is the best 25.00 you can spend on a SP101. It makes the gun point flat fast. More comfortable than either the Hogue or stock Ruger grip. Allows easy speed loader use. See the material built up at the top of the grip, beneath the hammer? That makes the gun point flat naturally, just like a 1911 with a flat mainspring housing or my own carved up Glocks and will remind some of pointing a HK P7.

My latest evolution. This thing is a nifty little semi-auto in a useful and comparatively inexpensive caliber.

P.S. I have a "spurred" SP101. And the Book of Knowledge et al also works for SP101s. Craig in Clarksville, TN

If you want to do a trigger job on a Ruger DA revolver I suggest you get a copy of "Iowegan's Book of Knowledge for the Ruger GP100." Go to Ruger Forums or contact me I have the pdf file somewhere. However, dry firing does work. In GP and SP series I also found that dental picks needle files and some 6-800 grit sandpaper can work wonders. In the later Rugers I found that there is "casting slag" left in some places that the needle file and picks can remove. In some of the slots and on some non-critical edges there may be "burrs." I would call removing these burrs and pieces of slag a "fluff and buff." Do that, thoroughly clean and lube with good lube. I don't recommend "respringing" a Da Ruger. I prefer DAO in revolvers so if someone has a spurless hammer they would like to trade me for my "spurred" hammer let me know. Craig in Clarksville, TN

I was explaining this to my wife tonight - providence or coindence? Any it is quite irrelevent. Unless you are a 11 yr old 74lk person or are older with arthritis or are disabled with soft tissue damage in hands, wrists, elbows or shoulders the difference in recoil management is not about pain but about time. Buy some 180 grain Buffalo Bore .357, any hyper velocity 110 grain .357 and all the +P or std velocity .38 you can stomach and take your SP101 to the range. First is weapon confidence. 1)The SP 101 can take it, all of it. 2) Quit shooting a Double Action revolver in Single Action. The SP101 is not a '50's target revolver - it is the preeminent snub nose .357 defense revolver made in the World! Shoot any load with confidence. 3) Adopt a Modified Weaver stance with weak side foot "slightly" forward of strong side food - shoulder width apart. Knees slightly bent. Slightly bent at the waist forward. First distal joint married with the center of the trigger pad. 4) Accept recoil as a natural event, absorbing it with your wrist, elbows and shoulders - allowinig your upper body to firmly absorb the rest 5) Of course offer muscle resistance or you will clock your forhead with the butt of the gun - I have seen this from a knucklehead. But the resistance doesn't have to be that of you holding off a 230lb NFL linebacker. 6) Shoot 250 rds in one shooting session and you will figure it out and be surprised how easy this is. You think that is expensive - what is the alternative? Dead? How expensive is that? 7) All the athletic things you know from baseball, softball, volleyball, martial arts, ping pong, badminton, lacrosse, football, basketball, etc. can be applied to shooting. If you don't know those things then reread No. 3. Best thing is to buy 250 rds of ammo and shoot it all at one setting then you will start to figure out what shooting is about and that you can manage it. Sight picture, grip and speed are on you. Craig

BBTI - Results Although "pistol" ballistics will vary from revolver ballistics here is one look at .38 vs .357.

The problem with building the gun from the ground up is the cost of all the tools to do the job properly. You may have to squeeze the slide and or peen the rails, requiring jigs that cost quite a bit. Other tools add quickly. I sold 300.00 worth of parts and tools last year to fella who built his first 1911. He was a machinist, who collected old 1911s, therefore he had a headstart in many departments. If you are going to build one I recommend a Government or 5" gun. I experimented with 4" 1911s, the Commander being 4.25". I do think you might be better served buying a new Phillipino made 1911 and modifying it at your leisure. You can get one of the RIA tactical types for 450-500.00 I believe. You could always be on the lookout for a used one or Norinco. Right now I have a Norinco in .45 and a RIA 1911 in 9mm, both work well. I have had a few others and find the two I have now no better and no worse than other higher dollar 1911s.

I don't recall all the .22 handguns that I have had and certainly don't remember all that I have shot.I am interested in the following for a .22LR pistol: 1) Value 2) Durability 3) Accurate enough 4) Reliability 5) Weight 6) Ease of Maintenance The picture is of the .22s I have kept. The top and bottom Rugers have Volquartsen triggers, Clark Bushings and other Volquartsen parts that make them have pretty crisp actions. The three S&Ws, 2x422 6" & 1x622 6", as well as the 4" slab Barrel MKIII 22/45 are stock. The Ruger with the optic is my Franken .22 or has been described as Bubb'd Up. That is multi dot Matchdot Ultradot on top of a Weigand scope rail, with a portion of a Hogue mono grip cemented to the grip. If I were to only keep one it would be one of the 6" S&W 422s. My wife prefers the 422s over all other .22s that have gone through the house in the last year or so. However, don't overlook the S&W 22A for mom. It already has a rail on top where you could mount a holographic sight or some sort of inexpensive red dot, which might make more sense than a laser. Weight isn't too bad, the grip is a nice fit for many people. It is highly under rated INMHO. Plinker .22s that have come and gone in the last 20 years that I can remember: 1. S&W 22A that a friend talked me out of. 2. Buckmark URX that another friend talked me out of. 3. 5 other Ruger MKIIs, 1 standard, 1 6&6/8" target and 3 other 5.5 bull barrels that I did aftermarket work to that other folks wanted badly. 4. Walther P22 - worked ok, but was too small and I didn't like the pot metal. 5. Sig Mosquito - terrible gun and poor design. Sig makes a real .22 pistol for considerably more money. 6. ISSC M22 (Walther like design with Glock like furnishings). Good training pistol but not one I like to punch paper with. 7. S&W 1951 5-Screw Pre 17 Target Masterpiece 6" I should have never taken that gun to be reblued. 8. H&R Sportsman later ones are model 999 I believe, 9-shot simultaneous ejectiong, great gun, the older the better. 9. Ruger Single 6 .22/.22mag good gun, but no fun for me 10. H&R 629 .22/.22mag(I think that was the model) good gun for field work I have friends who have the other usual suspectsL High Standards, S&W 41, Browning Challenger, etc. So, I have some experience with plinkers. Here are the ones I like. Why 22/45 vs steel Rugers? Weight. I no longer like the notion of heavy .22s and the 22/45 with 5.5 bull is pushing the limit. I like the 6" 422 or 622 better than other plinker. Too bad S&W discontinued them some years ago. I've been collecting small parts for the 4222/622 and springs to keep them running till I can't shoot any longer. Craig in Clarksville, TN

unless you want to get your receiver drilled and tapped the Scout Mount is the best bet. How well it holds zero? Good enough for a 16" SKS, minute of felon at 75 yrds or better.

Anybody else like single action revolvers? Nope! Might as well like the "Sling and the Stone." Although I do have a couple of longbows and a recurve, but no compound. Irony, dichotomy or just misanthropic? OK, stupid works too;) I've had several SAs, toyed with a couple with aftermarket, but don't like cocking the hammer everytime I shoot. If I had my way all DA revolvers would not go SA.

Make sure that the rental gun's barrel doesn't have any crud/lead/copper buildup in the bore, it doesn't take much to affect accuracy. I was having that problem a couple of weeks ago at the range with just one of 6 .22 pistols I was working out, a new to me 4" 22/45. I was using Blaser LRN. That pistol would build up lead in just several mags and throw wide groups. I would clean out the bore with a brass brush and it would shoot "straight." Several mags later and the groups would open up, clean the bore and tight groups. Just my thoughts on what could cause an otherwise decently designed gun to shoot wide groups for two different shooters. Of course ammo can be the culprit too. I bought some Pakistani ammo last year....... won't do that again, some rounds were almost squib, while others seemed +P++.

While you are comparing compact guns throw in the Ruger SR9C. That little compact is pretty nice with a decent trigger. A friend has one, I like it, but won't deviate from my Glock 9mms for something that isn't a quantum leap ahead in value, durability, relibility, and accuracty. I had a M&P and the only thing I didn't like is that the internals are a little "fiddley" compared to Glock. I sort of hate to say this, but the slickest carry gun that makes sense to me besides a G19, G26, SP101 is a Star BM. A tad heavy, but a "smooth" carry gun, points well, can be slicked up, but is now discontinued so have to make sure you have springs and spare parts.

Small short barrelled handguns are harder to get good hits than longer barrelled ones especially under stress. I've had a bucket load of .22s. 1. If this is to be a home defense .22 and she wants a laser then I would get a Walther P22 and attach a Streamlight light/laser combo on the rail. I'm not real high on P22s but if a reliability check is done periodically and the break-in period was long and flawless then the Walther P22 with rail & light/laser would be useful, along with a couple of extra magazines. I would not recommend any other of the "new" .22 pistols other than for plinking. 2. However, as much as I think she needs a good weapons light along with her handgun I really would recommend that she get a Ruger MKIII (has mag disconnect safety) standard barrel with Crimson Trace grips. Run 500 - 1000 rds though it to get it settled in. Just use CCI Mini Mags for Self-Defense but whatever ammo it will shoot while breaking it in. Watch for leading in the barrel if you use lead round nose. Make sure the mags work flawlessly. Get her one of those little gizmos that assist her to reload the mags, cost is around $3.00. Don't worry about crazy hot Aguila ammo or Velocitor other high speed ammo. CCI Mini Mags work pretty well in any handgun, are probably more reliable and will do whatever a .22LR can do. I am not high on .22mag handguns other than specialized ones for paper or hunting that have long barrels and even then I have some doubts on utility. .22LR revolvers are great as trail or plinking guns. I would only recommend S&W & Ruger .22 revolvers for self defense and then I am not really crazy about that idea. I'm not enamored with the new S&W 617. I've worked on a couple. The discontinued Ruger SP101 in .22 is great, hard to find and expensive. I will not recommend Taurus or Charter revolvers in .22LR, not for a defensive .22 revolver. An older S&W or Ruger would be my choice for a revolver but .22 revolvers can be tricky to reload if that is necessary and why not have a 10rd mag to slap in as opposed to fumbling with a speed loader or indivual rounds when adrenalin and fear have disabled fine motor skills. Can't you steer her to a .38 revolver like one of the new S&W Bodyguards or LCR? snubbies take practice but the new S&W Bodyguard in .38 or even the new Bodybuard in .380 have integral lasers and cost would be about what a MKIII standard with Crimson Trace grips would cost. I would lean her towards the .380 Bodyguard. Can she shoot now and is she reliable with a handgun. She is going to have to get hits on target, as many as she can, and then the perp will have to bleed out, which means that could take a while. Here is an example I recently got from a friend. This is the second person I have heard of who primarily used .22LR handgun to dispatch treed mountain lions "back in the day": Jay Bruce, an oldtime California mountain lion bounty hunter, killed 200 plus cougars with a .22 pistol. Never had one survive long enough to injure any of the dogs. All of them shot in the lungs while treed, I think. They did not jump out, just stayed there in the tree for a few minutes until the lungs filled with blood. They were dead when they hit the ground. Shows you what a .22 LR round can do. Sometime I will copy and send you a couple of paragraphs about that from Bruce's book "Cougar Killer." He had lost the use of one hand in an accident and of one eye when a piece of brush swung back and hit him. Had one hand to handle dog leashes. Went to a .22 pistol or revolver because could carry it on the belt and use it with one hand when needed. In many cases big bore revolvers and rifles caused the cougars to jump from the tree into the midst of dogs, which they would kill or seriously injure before dying themselves. That did not happen with the small .22 bullet in the lungs.

I just use TAPCO external mags for now. I got this one at a bargain and acquired an internal mag from a friend, however that mag needs some grinding to fit, which I haven't done yet. The stock on this and maybe all Para's has a 12.5" LOP (not sure if all SKS have this short of LOP). I needed another 1.75" for comfort, but you use what is available.

Pic is of my SKS Paratrooper with Scout Mount, Millet Multi-Dot red dot, E&L stock extension. Scout Scope mount http://161.58.206.244/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=scoutscopes&Category_Code=skscope Stock extension E&L Manufacturing e.Store - Stock Extensions Millet Multi Dot Red Dot Millett Sights - SP Series Red Dot Gunstore that had the SKS Tennessee Gun Country - Home Itricked out a Scout Scoped MAK 90 (AK 47) a while back and had a Scout Scoped Remington 700 w/16" barrel in .223, as well as had a couple of Scout Scoped Marlin lever 30.30's. I like the SKS the best of the bunch.

ZZRGUY, I have had a few more Mossbergs than what I currently have, like a straight up 144 and then a 144LSB. The 144 shot better for me than the LSB. I have since gotten rid of my heavy barrel .22LRs including Ruger, Remington and Mossbergs. I like non-under the barrel tube fed semi autos. As for the 22/45s I fell into good deals on a couple and for me, since getting rid of my "heavy" .22 pistols, am trying to keep the weight down on .22 pistols also. The only .22 rifle I have a hankering for right now is a Marlin 795. I think that rifle may be my holy grail where the delta of value, accuracy, durability and ease of maintenance intersects.

as of today: 2 Ruger MKIII 22/45s: 4" and 5.5" 1 Ruger MKII 22/45: 4" 2 S&W 6" 422s 1 S&W 6" 622 3 Ruger 10/22s in various stages of customization 1 CZ 452 28" barrel Ultra Lux 1 Marlin Papoose takedown 1 Mossberg 46B( boltaction tube fed 1 Mossberg 151K (schnabel forend) Semi Auto 1 Mossberg 151M (Mannlicher) Semi Auto 1 Mossberg 51M (Mannlicher) Semi auto and have had dozens of others over the years.

I know my way around revolvers a bit, especially S&Ws but I am stumped right now. As you know the Rossi is pretty much S&W j-frame all the way. When I remove the hammer block the gun runs fine, but who wants a 4-round revolver. When I put the hammer block and install the sideplate the trigger won't reset and you have to nudge the trigger forward a bit to get it to reset. Of coourse w/o sideplate and hammer block in the gun runs fine. Put the hammer block in and sideplate on, the trigger won't reset. I have cleaned this gun well. I got aother hammer block from Numrich and made it smaller so that it is not hanging up. I touched up the hammer block slot that engages the rebound block pin. All to no avail. It is putting some pressure on trigger, somehow, to where in normal ops the trigger won't reset. It doesn't take much force to get it to reset but it does take some and it won't "fall" into reset. Suggestions? Craig in Clarksville

I know that you can stick a lot of shells in the stock of the Marlin Papoose, little brother to the 795. Just install a M16 trapdoor buttplate.