Jonnin

  my first couple of batches were not shoulder sized properly, they were bad.  I figured it out and fixed the issue but the mini let me shoot them up and recover the brass :)

The minis tend to be less accurate and their magazines are troublesome.  Its a post/hole design and not only is it awkward to put the mag in, it will actually go in and click but not be seated, causing no ammo to feed, which is bad for any defense weapon platform.   The accuracy is bench shooting commentary: it will hit a skeet clay at 100+ yards all day long, it just won't put them all in the same hole like a well made AR can do --- it is sufficient for pest control.    That said, the mini is more reliable.  Not that ARs are unreliable, I just found the mini would eat some very sorry ammo that was troublesome in the AR, including the bottom shelf steel junk and some rather bad reloads I made.  The design of the action of the mini is superior IMHO, and if it took standard AR mags, I would probably have kept mine.

My wife carried hers cocked & locked but after a few practice sessions she found she kept forgetting the safety.  She gave it a lot of effort after that but never felt she would remember the safety in a situation, and has moved on from this platform.      The safety only has to come off on the first shot.  You probably knew this but wording above was funky so I said it plain.   I think different people take to the safety or not, and its not easy to say if you are the sort who can learn to draw and disengage smoothly (as part of the draw, you click the safety off, takes practice but its not that hard) or if it will be a problem for you.   Its one of those things you need the gun in hand to really see for yourself, and a number of practice sessions to see if you can do it.  Thankfully, draw practice can be done at home, with an unloaded pistol, away from others at a range (some ranges forbid practice, and even if allowed, some shooters get spooked). 

Neither? an ar in 223 really only excels at one thing: putting a lot of medium power rounds downrange in a hurry.   The caliber is marginal for big game, probably fail for bigger game outside TN but here, its marginal.  Its too destructive for dog sized or smaller animals. Outside of an attack by more than 10 enemy, the AR falls back to a short range target gun, due to its accurate platform and cheap ammo.    A 308 bolt is excellent for target and big game, but useless for defense and small game.   That leaves me to point in other directions for a pure all arounder.  A 12 ga shotgun, with slugs for big game and various shot sizes for everything from a robin to a deer, for example, though obviously this fails at target shooting.   A mid caliber semi auto, like 300 blackout or ar-10 or even a 9mm carbine are more general, suitable for defense, up to deer sized game, and some fun shooting activity at the range.     My advice is to list what you want to do with your gun.  Then pick an appropriate caliber and platform to meet that need.

  I am not sure anything SHOULD happen to her.   Evidence obtained illegally is not submissible --- even for HER. 

Not sure what you will find for sale up there.   All I can remember in the way of a gun shop was a pawn place, in fairbanks.  Not one to window shop, and dealing with out of state buys is usually not worth it, I did not look too hard though.   Nothing rings a bell as "unique".   The locals have bigger calibers, but its the same stuff we have in TN -- large caliber revolvers or big rifles. 

  I would not be so sure.  They are probably very happy to not be trying to replace your rifle or your head or something should you have fired a second, live round after that one.  I bet you get a replacement box soon as they can get it to you.

you should be able to keep the primers too, right?  If a dud, its a dud.  if live, new powder and it works right.   They may be corrosive, but I see no harm in using them.

  sounds like the USA.

  I thought many powders have graphite in them already for this purpose?  

Hate to sidetrack but the last 2 posts bring up something I have always wondered about.... being a youngster, it sometimes seems that before about 1985 or something, almost no one had a semi auto gun.  The movies, the old magazines, everything seems to indicate that the 99% of pistols were revolvers --- even the police.  Being 70 something years since autos were introduced, I have always wondered WHY, or if that is even true or just a perception from the mainstream?

  Good point.   I do have the pro.

  The gun you have with you is the one you acquired beforehand, though.  I mean, if all you have with you is a single shot .22 short, its better than nothing.  But that is what you have with you, your choices made before the situation were, IMHO, poor.   So, before you get into a situation, you have to decide what you buy, which makes the question relevant.  All handguns are compromise, of course, but you do get to pick your platform ahead of time.

I also like the lee auto disk.  Its sloppy, so if you want match grade ammo, this isnt for you.  It works for 380 to 223.  Anything bigger than 223 you need the double disk adapter.  It is not difficult to make your own "disk" from a piece of wood if you need smaller than 380.   The powder to disk conversion chart that comes with it is useless, just weigh a charge of a disk and from there it is linear so you can compute the disk you need for that powder after only one try.   It may also leak a little bit, but I have not found it to be enough to worry about --- if you seek 100% leak free, this may also not be for you; I estimate about 1 grain leaked for every 1000 used on mine, very roughly.   It prefers ball/small powders to get the most consistent charges.  It is very easy to use, just run the press handle and it drops the charge.

Well, I am a guy, I have both....    - they are virtually identical in size and shape.  The grip of the 9mm is slightly bigger, to accomodate the longer bullets in the magazine, but overall, identical.  There is no "real" difference for concealment purposes, you are talking small fractions of an inch difference.     - the 9 has significantly more recoil.  It is not what I would call harsh, but its noticable and 50-100 rounds in the 938 leave my hand a little stressed / numb/ stuff.  The 380 is exceptionally gentle.  For the same reasons, the 380 is easier to rack the slide (weaker recoil spring).   I would, then, base my opinion entirely off your ability to handle the recoil or rack the slide.  For all other aspects, they are so close that you can consider them to be identical.

is bad idea.  Odds of setting off a primer by jacking it in anyway are approximately 0.  Odds of a good amount of the powder having fallen thru the primer hole and making a squib or useless round: above average?   At least, um, the time or two I did this, powder went everywhere....  

I would feel undergunned with a 6 or less shot revolver, not because of the capacity but because I do not have the skill to reload it.  My auto holds the same number, but I feel more confident with a magazine.  Revolvers are also bigger/fatter.  The smallest revolver that matches the firepower of my 9mm is 1.5 times as fat and slightly bigger in the other dimensions as well.   The more average sized revolvers are on par with a 20 shot 9mm. 

it would probably work if it would chamber.  9x18 is wider than 380 by just enough to be a problem.   You can fire 380 brass in a mak, but this is a reverse issue, the gas blowby is bad for accuracy and damages the gun over time.  You probably could put a 9x18 bullet in there, and have a short makarov, the load data and bullet weights are close.  Brass in and of itself is not going to cause a kaboom, the issue would be how it was loaded and any bore obstructions created from it.

they are better made and worth at least $100 more on the average.  So 300-400 is not unreasonable for one.  Over 400 better be mint.    Its a single stack, and they qualify for C&R due to age but some other countries do not.  Super accurate.  All steel, very reliable, very durable.   Basically, the best model of a very well designed gun.   Those grips are correct for it.  As I recall you were frustrated before with the ammo situation, which is WORSE now.   I reload for mine but word is finding mak ammo is not easy right now.

I would say irons for a younger person.  If you are older, red dot.  Has to do with the eye problems that come about in the 40s, red dots neutralize them somewhat.

  I do not think most are faked.  If you have a poor grip on a stout pistol, its going to do something, either hit the top of your head or make you drop it or bruise your hand, etc. 

welcome!  Looks like a good day for it, good season for rifle.  Iron sights take pretty good skill as well as good eyesight, not bad if you have not used iron much.  

I reall like it too.  But where you gonna find someone to play in person over a board?  I havent busted out a board in a decade, everyone's online.

I see i was late on the swiss rifle -- I am pretty sure that is correct. Best guess I have atm on the other is a 43 rolling block?   http://www.gunauction.com/buy/9520572/collectible-ammo-for-sale/early-transitional/rem-umc-43-spanish-cartridge

It isnt just women, but yea, its dumb and both irresponsible & discouraging.  They do it to kids and novice shooter men too.  One guy tried it on me with a 44, and I shot it one handed, dead center, put it back down, and said "for all the noise I thought it was going to kick".   Now that was funny :P  I guess he thought my .22 meant I was a wimp or a novice or something.