Off Season Lets Talk Guns, Part 2

[HonestChieffan]

Been a while since we had a guns n' ammo discussion.


Some of you are AR shooters Im sure. Im looking at a Colt 6920. Will be my first AR. Picked up a Glock this fall and really enjoy shooting it. Any feedback on that weapon?



Anyone else been in a buy/sell/trade mood with hardware?

[Randallflagg]

Originally Posted by Otter

I prefer the AK platform for many reasons, it just feels snugly in my hands.

It's like a big boned, wide hipped, foul mouthed, vodka drinking, hababushka wearing woman that can throw me over her shoulder in a drunken stupor, take me home and give birth on the way there.

It's well known I have eastern european blood circulating so I may be bias.

Hell, if that were the case, I'd still be wearing a Kilt with a sgian-dubh and a Dirk.....

Love it!!

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Thanks man. And thanks everyone for the input. I think I need an AR and an AK. When I find one from a solid manufacturer I’m going to add an AK.

Here's a pro tip for you. If you get an AR, DO NOT buy steel case rounds for it, like wolf, Tula, etc. AR's don't like steel and you will end up with a lot of jams, it will also cause premature wear and can raise hell with the components. Stick to brass or nickle. It may be tempting to buy the steel because it's cheaper, but DO NOT, you will regret it.

If you buy an AK, it doesn't matter, anything will cycle through those things.

On a side note, the price of ammo has gone through the fricken roof out there. If you can find it at all, in most cases, it has at a minimum, doubled, in most cases tripled or more. Here is one example and it's for garbage, sure to jam your AR steel. https://www.bulkammo.com/1000-rounds...-wolf-55gr-fmj

I was in Cabela's a few minutes ago getting some fishing stuff and out of curiosity, wondered over to the ammo section. Their entire ammo section was cleaned out with the exception of some exotic rifle rounds and some 12 gauge. The best way I can think to describe it is, it looked like the grocery store toilet paper section after the rona first started.

I have sources where you can still get it (AK and AR) but you are going to take a beating in the wallet if you need it.

[Megatron96]

About 3 times over pre-COVID prices seems to be about the average. I have seen up to 5 times.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Bwana

Here's a pro tip for you. If you get an AR, DO NOT buy steel case rounds for it, like wolf, Tula, etc. AK's don't like steel and you will end up with a lot of jams, it will also cause premature wear and can raise hell with the components. Stick to brass or nickle. It may be tempting to buy the steel because it's cheaper, but DO NOT, you will regret it.

If you buy an AK, it doesn't matter, anything will cycle through those things.

On a side note, the price of ammo has gone through the fricken roof out there. If you can find it at all, in most cases, it has at a minimum, doubled, in most cases tripled or more. Here is one example and it's for garbage, sure to jam your AR steel. https://www.bulkammo.com/1000-rounds...-wolf-55gr-fmj

I was in Cabela's a few minutes ago getting some fishing stuff and out of curiosity, wondered over to the ammo section. Their entire ammo section was cleaned out with the exception of some exotic rifle rounds and some 12 gauge. The best way I can think to describe it is, it looked like the grocery store toilet paper section after the rona first started.

I have sources where you can still get it (AK and AR) but you are going to take a beating in the wallet if you need it.

Hmm. I specifically got an AK because it can shoot that shitty steel ammo, which is all I've got and all I've ever run through it, with no issues. It's always been my understanding that AKs, despite being cheaply made, are like garbage disposals when it comes to ammo.

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

About 3 times over pre-COVID prices seems to be about the average. I have seen up to 5 times.

Yeah, I mean WTF is this!


https://www.jgsales.com/223-wpa-wolf...rds-p-453.html

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by Frazod

Hmm. I specifically got an AK because it can shoot that shitty steel ammo, which is all I've got and all I've ever run through it, with no issues. It's always been my understanding that AKs, despite being cheaply made, are like garbage disposals when it comes to ammo.

I had a typo and put a K instead of an R. Yeah as stated in there, AK's will feed anything though, AR's not so much. Steel casings are and AR's Kryptonite.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by Bwana

I had a typo and put a K instead of an R. Yeah as stated in there, AK's will feed anything though, AR's not so much. Steel casings are and AR's Kryptonite.

Gotcha.

[O.city]

So, I'm wading farther into firearm waters. I've always hunted and fished and such, so I have my fair share of Shotguns and long rifles.

But looking to expand my collection and add another pistol. Looking at a Kimber 1911.

Thoughts?

[Randallflagg]

Originally Posted by O.city

So, I'm wading farther into firearm waters. I've always hunted and fished and such, so I have my fair share of Shotguns and long rifles.

But looking to expand my collection and add another pistol. Looking at a Kimber 1911.

Thoughts?

First - congratulations on considering a 1911. I carried one all the way through Viet Nam and into the early 80s. I LOVE the 1911 profile. It has never let me down once.

As far as Kimber - I have never owned that particular builder, but I hear that they are (1) Very good pistols and (2) fairly expensive.

I would steer you to the Springfield Armory guns. I have a SA 1911 A1 (military) and a 1911 Range Officer in 9mm. LOVE them both and I have yet to have a problem with either one. Yes, they are heavy and they don't carry 15 rounds - but doesn't bother me in the least. I carry a Galco Fletch High Ride in the summer and a Galco Jack Ass Rig in the winter months. Nothing but good things to say.

Good luck in your search!

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Randallflagg

First - congratulations on considering a 1911. I carried one all the way through Viet Nam and into the early 80s. I LOVE the 1911 profile. It has never let me down once.

As far as Kimber - I have never owned that particular builder, but I hear that they are (1) Very good pistols and (2) fairly expensive.

I would steer you to the Springfield Armory guns. I have a SA 1911 A1 (military) and a 1911 Range Officer in 9mm. LOVE them both and I have yet to have a problem with either one. Yes, they are heavy and they don't carry 15 rounds - but doesn't bother me in the least. I carry a Galco Fletch High Ride in the summer and a Galco Jack Ass Rig in the winter months. Nothing but good things to say.

Good luck in your search!

Thanks. I'm just looking around. Have heard good things about them, yeah, pricey, but if it's worth it I don't mind.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by O.city

So, I'm wading farther into firearm waters. I've always hunted and fished and such, so I have my fair share of Shotguns and long rifles.

But looking to expand my collection and add another pistol. Looking at a Kimber 1911.

Thoughts?

I own a couple of Sig 1911s. They are really nice, expensive, high quality pistols. I love them both. And they are the absolute last pistols that I would use in a real defensive situation. Even ridiculously expensive 1911s can be twitchy because of the tight tolerances between the moving parts. Plus, I don't like the idea of an external safety on a defensive weapon. Unless you train to the point where disengaging the safety becomes muscle memory, when confronted with a sudden emergency you are very likely to forgot to disengage it. Then you're likely ****ed. I also like more bullets as opposed to less bullets.

I will again incur the wrath of Raiderhader, but I'm not a Kimber fan. Much like Dorn from Major League, they don't have the quality that they once did, but still have the high price. I have seen expensive Kimbers fail spectacularly on a couple of occasions, and I don't know of any serious competitive shooters who use them. If you want an expensive 1911, I would recommend an STI. Those seem to be the brand of choice among serious shooters.

If you don't have a lot of experience with pistols, I do not recommend a 1911 as your first. They're kind of "expert level" guns, more difficult to break down, maintain and effectively use. If it's just the stopping power of a .45 that you're looking for, there are plenty of non-1911 options out there. I would personally recommend the Walther PPQ.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by O.city

So, I'm wading farther into firearm waters. I've always hunted and fished and such, so I have my fair share of Shotguns and long rifles.

But looking to expand my collection and add another pistol. Looking at a Kimber 1911.

Thoughts?

I’m wearing a S&W 1911 SC-E right now. Love this gun.

Sorry, back to the topic. My brother has owned three Kimbers, 1 was very good, one was basically trash; the other was good after he sent it back for some recall issue I think.

Here’s another thing to keep in mind: right now every manufacturer is turning out product just as fast as they can, QC be damned. That’s exactly what they did back in 2009 and 2013. So just be aware of that when considering a brand-new gun right now. Pick a company with great CS. Or buy used.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Bwana

Here's a pro tip for you. If you get an AR, DO NOT buy steel case rounds for it, like wolf, Tula, etc. AR's don't like steel and you will end up with a lot of jams, it will also cause premature wear and can raise hell with the components. Stick to brass or nickle. It may be tempting to buy the steel because it's cheaper, but DO NOT, you will regret it.

If you buy an AK, it doesn't matter, anything will cycle through those things.

On a side note, the price of ammo has gone through the fricken roof out there. If you can find it at all, in most cases, it has at a minimum, doubled, in most cases tripled or more. Here is one example and it's for garbage, sure to jam your AR steel. https://www.bulkammo.com/1000-rounds...-wolf-55gr-fmj

I was in Cabela's a few minutes ago getting some fishing stuff and out of curiosity, wondered over to the ammo section. Their entire ammo section was cleaned out with the exception of some exotic rifle rounds and some 12 gauge. The best way I can think to describe it is, it looked like the grocery store toilet paper section after the rona first started.

I have sources where you can still get it (AK and AR) but you are going to take a beating in the wallet if you need it.

Thanks for the tips here Bawan, duly noted and appreciated. The toughness and durability of the AK is a definite plus.

The ammo situation is the same here. I have two shops that I go to once a week or so to see if they have .45 and 9mm. One of them lets me know what they have coming in and when so I'll pick up 200 at a time or whatever the limit is for that shipment. Once I get to 3000 rounds of each I'll stand by for prices to drop.

[Bwana]

Originally Posted by vailpass

Thanks for the tips here Bawan, duly noted and appreciated. The toughness and durability of the AK is a definite plus.

The ammo situation is the same here. I have two shops that I go to once a week or so to see if they have .45 and 9mm. One of them lets me know what they have coming in and when so I'll pick up 200 at a time or whatever the limit is for that shipment. Once I get to 3000 rounds of each I'll stand by for prices to drop.

Prices will go higher and we are NOT at Sandy Hook panic levels yet.

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I own a couple of Sig 1911s. They are really nice, expensive, high quality pistols. I love them both. And they are the absolute last pistols that I would use in a real defensive situation. Even ridiculously expensive 1911s can be twitchy because of the tight tolerances between the moving parts. Plus, I don't like the idea of an external safety on a defensive weapon. Unless you train to the point where disengaging the safety becomes muscle memory, when confronted with a sudden emergency you are very likely to forgot to disengage it. Then you're likely ****ed. I also like more bullets as opposed to less bullets.

I will again incur the wrath of Raiderhader, but I'm not a Kimber fan. Much like Dorn from Major League, they don't have the quality that they once did, but still have the high price. I have seen expensive Kimbers fail spectacularly on a couple of occasions, and I don't know of any serious competitive shooters who use them. If you want an expensive 1911, I would recommend an STI. Those seem to be the brand of choice among serious shooters.

If you don't have a lot of experience with pistols, I do not recommend a 1911 as your first. They're kind of "expert level" guns, more difficult to break down, maintain and effectively use. If it's just the stopping power of a .45 that you're looking for, there are plenty of non-1911 options out there. I would personally recommend the Walther PPQ.

My Kimber is 9 years old now and I either got lucky with it or got it right before the company changes (I’m a little fuzzy on that actual time line, I haven’t been able to put any kind of date to it yet) that have caused so many complaints. Interesting side note on that, the guy who came into Kimber and started ****ing things up (name escapes me at the moment) moved on to Sig and there are now some Kimber type rumblings starting to occur in the Sig world. Anyway, I’ve been seeing fewer complaints as of late in regards to Kimber. But I’d actually recommend a different direction, especially for a first time 1911 purchase.

Randall brought up his love of Springfield and in some of the reading and researching I was doing - I had a fair amount of free time on my hands recently - SA kept being mentioned. In fact, if I remember correctly, it was a forum discussion about purchasing a SA 1911 vs a Sig 1911 where a gunsmith was singing the praises of the current crop of SA 1911s as not only having the fewest out of the box issues of any of the mainline makers but, the numbers were even lower than what he would consider typical for the model.

Combine that with their number of options ranging [from what used to be] affordable to higher end builds and that is where I’d tell someone to look first.