Anybody here own a firearm?

[General Stalin]

Once I learned better footwork techniques and driving into my shots, mine got much better than when I was just eyeballing the sway and relying on my wrists.

What do you mean driving into your shots? Like physically pushing your body and the gun into the shot?

Do you guys only shoot at shooting range or train tactics, survival etc?

I shoot at ranges and also shoot to hunt. I'm looking to get into competition handgun shooting soon though. I have a couple friends who do it regularly and one of them is going to show me the ropes and get me on one of the events he organizes.

I got myself a Sig Sauer P229 in 9MM Luger. Pretty badass gun - I can shoot tight groupings with that thing all day. Not the best concealed carry gun but does the trick with the right holster.

Is that a good first gun, provided of course one is not concerned too much with price?

Sig makes a great firearm. IMHO you can't go wrong with them, but they are not cheap. Glock 19 is another tried and true handgun that is also simple to operate and maintain and inexpensive.

 

[Bartimaeus Rex]

I’ve had a P226 for a while now, and definitely enjoy it. Might get a Glock in the future though.

 

[CaptainChardonnay]

Who needs a bump stock

 

[TravelerKai]

Once I learned better footwork techniques and driving into my shots, mine got much better than when I was just eyeballing the sway and relying on my wrists.

What do you mean driving into your shots? Like physically pushing your body and the gun into the shot?

Do you guys only shoot at shooting range or train tactics, survival etc?

I shoot at ranges and also shoot to hunt. I'm looking to get into competition handgun shooting soon though. I have a couple friends who do it regularly and one of them is going to show me the ropes and get me on one of the events he organizes.

I got myself a Sig Sauer P229 in 9MM Luger. Pretty badass gun - I can shoot tight groupings with that thing all day. Not the best concealed carry gun but does the trick with the right holster.

Is that a good first gun, provided of course one is not concerned too much with price?

Sig makes a great firearm. IMHO you can't go wrong with them, but they are not cheap. Glock 19 is another tried and true handgun that is also simple to operate and maintain and inexpensive.

The first video covers it. The others just help and supplement what the first video teaches.

 

[CaptainChardonnay]

I got myself a Sig Sauer P229 in 9MM Luger. Pretty badass gun - I can shoot tight groupings with that thing all day. Not the best concealed carry gun but does the trick with the right holster.

Is that a good first gun, provided of course one is not concerned too much with price?

 

[SlickyBoy]

As much as I like the action and ergonomics, I am not a fan of the SigSauer pistols since about 2007, at least with respect to the US produced versions. Quality went downhill a bit when a new CEO took over and introduced a lot of MIM manufacturing techniques in place of machined parts. Profits went up so it was good for the company, but they had a LOT of growing pains. The rifles were (maybe still are?) even more of a random shit show - quality was all over the place. I've heard this not just from news and shooter forum postings, but from someone who used to work there. Sig is not a pleasant employer, from what I gathered.

I suspect there are slight, customer-specified differences between the versions of Sig pistols meant for the US military versus their civilian equivalents, as there were for the M9 used in the military versus the civilian version. If you really want a SIG and can find a deal on a good, lightly used SIG, I would go that route.

You can tell old from new by the back of the trigger. The rear of the MIM versions will have a concave appearance to them, as in this picture.

The older pre-2007 pistols will have a machined trigger which is flat on the back side (can't find an example pic for this). Of course I don't think this one feature makes or breaks a gun (there are many more MIM parts inside), but overall there were other problems with Sig pistols, such as the bump-firing fiasco. The problem with the p320 bump firing was fixed - I think.

Which spotting scopes are all of you guys using (if any?) and what do you mostly use it for?

With respect to spotting scopes - I was this close to buying a Vortex until I had a chance to check one out at a show. It was ok, but not so much better than the cheap Chinese scope I already had, so I didn't buy it.

There really is no magic bullet with respect to spotting scopes - it depends what you want to do with it. Glassing for big game at 300 yards may be doable with a moderately priced scope. Seeing the difference between one hole in the paper and another right next to it from several hundred yards is a different story altogether. Need top quality glass if you want that kind of resolution, which will cost you. Buy once, cry once.

Army national guard is an endless source of jokes. They are a laughing stock. But here they did surprisingly well.

It isn't surprising when you realize that A) one of the guard groups listed in that roster is an SF unit, the members of whom same qualifications as their active duty counterparts and B) most guard units will have a few cops in them, some of which might be shooting enthusiasts too. The result I would like to have seen was how the FBI finished, since their average "sniper" shot is within 75 yards, which can still be tough but isn't the same kind of shooting at all as a long range shot where wind drift, bullet drop, heat rises etc. come into play.

 

[vinman]

As much as I like the action and ergonomics, I am not a fan of the SigSauer pistols since about 2007, at least with respect to the US produced versions. Quality went downhill a bit when a new CEO took over and introduced a lot of MIM manufacturing techniques in place of machined parts. Profits went up so it was good for the company, but they had a LOT of growing pains. The rifles were (maybe still are?) even more of a random shit show - quality was all over the place. I've heard this not just from news and shooter forum postings, but from someone who used to work there. Sig is not a pleasant employer, from what I gathered.

I suspect there are slight, customer-specified differences between the versions of Sig pistols meant for the US military versus their civilian equivalents, as there were for the M9 used in the military versus the civilian version. If you really want a SIG and can find a deal on a good, lightly used SIG, I would go that route.

You can tell old from new by the back of the trigger. The rear of the MIM versions will have a concave appearance to them, as in this picture.

The older pre-2007 pistols will have a machined trigger which is flat on the back side (can't find an example pic for this). Of course I don't think this one feature makes or breaks a gun (there are many more MIM parts inside), but overall there were other problems with Sig pistols, such as the bump-firing fiasco. The problem with the p320 bump firing was fixed - I think.

Which spotting scopes are all of you guys using (if any?) and what do you mostly use it for?

With respect to spotting scopes - I was this close to buying a Vortex until I had a chance to check one out at a show. It was ok, but not so much better than the cheap Chinese scope I already had, so I didn't buy it.

There really is no magic bullet with respect to spotting scopes - it depends what you want to do with it. Glassing for big game at 300 yards may be doable with a moderately priced scope. Seeing the difference between one hole in the paper and another right next to it from several hundred yards is a different story altogether. Need top quality glass if you want that kind of resolution, which will cost you. Buy once, cry once.

Slickyboy you get a +1 from me for knowing your shit. I personally knew people at Sig Arms who are well respected in the gun industry that were from marched out of Sig for voicing concerns about the quality of the product around that time frame.

 

[JackinMelbourne]

RE: Spotters

Thanks for all the recommends on Vortex. Was going to cheap out for short range work but got an insane deal on a Razor HD.

..can just make out and count people walking around a car park in the mountains 15km (10mile) line of sight on a Sunny day! Shouldn't be a problem seeing holes on targets at any distance within my skill level even in poor weather

 

[SlickyBoy]

RE: Spotters

Thanks for all the recommends on Vortex. Was going to cheap out for short range work but got an insane deal on a Razor HD.

..can just make out and count people walking around a car park in the mountains 15km (10mile) line of sight on a Sunny day! Shouldn't be a problem seeing holes on targets at any distance within my skill level even in poor weather

I think the one I was handling was the Vortex Diamondback, a cheaper variety. Glad to hear this worked out for you - it's got decent reviews. MSRP is about $1200 on the Razor in 65mm - was that the one you got? What kind of deal?

 

[JackinMelbourne]

Next one up Slicky, Razor 27-60x85mm, I don't want to boast about the deal in case karma gets me and I drop it but well under MSRP!

 

[General Stalin]

Went elk hunting this past week and lost my 10x42 diamond backs while trekking through a nasty ravine in the dark. Needed new binos in a pinch and the only place around was Walmart. Picked up a pair of Bushnell Legend E series 10x42 and I actually think I like them better despite the fact that these are a sort of budget line of Bushnell glass. Image quality looks the same as far as I can tell, but these Bushnell's feel lighter in my hands - easier to hold up to my face.

 

[JackinMelbourne]

Went elk hunting this past week and lost my 10x42 diamond backs while trekking through a nasty ravine in the dark. Needed new binos in a pinch and the only place around was Walmart. Picked up a pair of Bushnell Legend E series 10x42 and I actually think I like them better despite the fact that these are a sort of budget line of Bushnell glass. Image quality looks the same as far as I can tell, but these Bushnell's feel lighter in my hands - easier to hold up to my face.

Nothing worse than losing good gear, you must have been annoyed!

I also have a Bushnell rifle scope and some cheap 80's Hanimex binos and to be perfectly honest, I don't think there is *much* difference in sunny daylight at low magnifications. The Hanimex binos (8x40) seem just as sharp as the Bushnell rifle scope (12x42) and the Vortex spotter ([email protected]), if you ignore the different magnifications, distances and fields of view.

Ok maybe the spotter does smoke them in every single way because you can see so much but if you could set it to 8X I don't think the difference in detail and clarity would be so huge...

 

[SlickyBoy]

A common problem with most of the less expensive spotting scopes I've checked out is their zoom magnification claims are ambitious, at best. With cheap glass, the more you increase the zoom, the darker the view gets, to the point where it's way too fuzzy to be of any use for long range target shooting. Cheap glass just doesn't provide enough light under extreme magnifications.

I'm glad to hear the good reports on the Vortex Razor HD - not a cheap item, but nowhere near the highest priced spotter out there.

 

[vinman]

Went elk hunting this past week and lost my 10x42 diamond backs while trekking through a nasty ravine in the dark. Needed new binos in a pinch and the only place around was Walmart. Picked up a pair of Bushnell Legend E series 10x42 and I actually think I like them better despite the fact that these are a sort of budget line of Bushnell glass. Image quality looks the same as far as I can tell, but these Bushnell's feel lighter in my hands - easier to hold up to my face.

Whenever you go out with valuable stuff tie it down with "Dummy Cord". You can buy 550 or paracord online.

 

[MOVSM]

How did I not know about this? Radian Weapons RAPTOR DICTATOR EDITION - 24K GOLD PLATED

 

[General Stalin]

Not a bad tip. Having a more secure bino harness would be good too. The one I have opens very easily which is why they fell out. Might be worth shelling out the $100 for the zip up magnetic hatch ones by Sitka.

 

[SlickyBoy]

Oh yeah, if you're in the US and live in NY state, might want to limit your posts here. They just tried (and failed, this time) to pass a law to require anyone seeking a gun permit to open up their social media and search histories for police scrutiny.

November 20, 2018 10:24 PM

New Yorkers applying for handgun licenses or renewing existing licenses could potentially have to submit to a state review of their social media histories and internet searches under a proposed new state law.

"We hear about these instances where there's a mass shooting," said Rochester area Assemblywoman-elect Jamie Romeo, "but there were all these red flags. People should've seen this activity or somebody should have… is there a way that we could've seen this before tragedy struck?"

To head off violent incidents such as mass shootings, 21st District State Senator Kevin Parker of Brooklyn introduced Senate Bill 9191 which requires anyone getting a state handgun license "to have his or her social media accounts and search engine history reviewed."

The law would empower State Police to investigate for "commonly known profane slurs or biased language used to describe the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person."

It also notes that police would be on the alert for mentions of violence or terrorism in online writings and searches. (EDIT: This part reads almost as an afterthought to the wrongthink provision above).

The law would require handgun licensees to open those records up for an audit of their search records going back one year, and of their social media activity going back three years. (EDIT: Makes no mention of deleted accounts or erased search history, but that's probably in the next draft)

"The Bill of Rights is totally under assault with this particular bill," said Tim Andrews, president of the New York Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE). "It's an invasion of privacy. Some would see it as a Fourth Amendment violation, and a violation of the First Amendment, freedom of speech."

Senator Parker unveiled the bill in Brooklyn, accompanied by Brooklyn's borough President Eric Adams who tweeted, "#Hatespeech that incites violence, or indicates the intent to commit violence, is not part of our constitutional tradition …our primary goal must always be to end #gunviolence."

"What might seem offensive to you might not to me, and vice versa," said Andrews. "And, unfortunately, even bigoted, tasteless speech is protected under the Bill of Rights. Your right to bear arms under the Second Amendment shouldn't be subject to potentially limiting your First Amendment rights."

Rochester social media lawyer Scott Malouf saw privacy pitfalls in the bill, but also a potentially slippery slope where a social media or search audit for guns today could become something much more pervasive tomorrow.

"So you can imagine if this went through," he said. "Five years from now, people saying, 'well maybe, licensed professionals, teachers, nurses, attorneys … we should look at their social media before we renew their licenses.'"

Romeo pointed out that Senate Bill 9191 has no companion bill in the state Assembly and said she considers it more of a helpful starting point to ignite discussions of what could be a long list of other new gun control measures like a ban on bump-stocks or "red flag" provisions to keep guns away from violent or mentally ill people.

The drafters of this bill never hoped it would pass, but merely wanted to do their best to shift the Overton window, create an anchor, and make use of whatever other persuasion technique came to mind.

Watch this space, in particular for efforts on the part of social media companies to gleefully comply and even offer to help assist in creating future initiatives, all in the name of public safety of course.

 

[WomenLuvDeez]

Fellow Americans, your liberties are being taken away slowly. Here is a ballot that Florida is trying to pass against pretty much any/every semi automatic rifle:
https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/initiatives/initdetail.asp?account=70490&seqnum=1

Also for Californians they are now trying to pass a bill that makes it so you pass a background check JUST FOR AMMO!
Link: https://www.wfla.com/1619272863

 

[General Mayhem]

Not a bad tip. Having a more secure bino harness would be good too. The one I have opens very easily which is why they fell out. Might be worth shelling out the $100 for the zip up magnetic hatch ones by Sitka.

I got the Alaska Guide Creations harness with the added tethers that keep the binos attached but you can unbuckle them when you want to glass off a tripod. You can pick these up used for less than $100 but I'm not sure if they all come with the tethers.

 

[BlackFriar]

Delete