Warbird

Others may have disappointments and guns they don't like and some may equal, but none can surpass the bad that is a Rohm.

Yeah I certainly have no problem with the question. I have been shooting and reading gun mags and such for 30 years, others here longer than that. I can say for certain this, the debate has been going on for decades and will continue to go on as long as there are those who have their favorites and pretty much are stubborn as to the fact there are several options. And in truth there are differences in the rounds, without a doubt. This handgun debate though is only the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to the dozens of rifle and hunting calibers, loads, etc then you really open the flood gates of debate.

Rohm. Horrid, horrid gun. I had an uncle who left it to me along with several other guns. I don't really know why he had it and don't think he ever shot it. The other guns he left me were all high quality including the Colt 1911 that has been in my family since 1917. I was not familiar with the Rohm and asked a professor of mine, I was still in college at the time, about the gun. I remember specifically if it was good for much. He looked at me with a straight face and said it would make a good fishing sinker. He said it was actually dangerous to shoot. You can pretty much tell just by looking at it how poorly made it is. I have bought guns that I didn't care much for, including a couple of Bersas. They never ran without continual problems. Perhaps that was just my luck as I know several people who had similar guns with no problems.

If you are referring to the Miami incident, no. They were hit with 38 special rounds mainly fired from short barreled revolvers. The revolvers were 357, shooting 38 +P. Some agents had 9mm, but most of the actual hits came from the officers shooting the revolvers. The suspects did take both 38 and at least one took a 9mm hit. It would be mere speculation on the part of anyone to say the suspects would have been stopped quicker with a 40 or 45 round. In the end it made a change in the FBI and afterward they were allowed use of better weapons including rifles, which is what killed the agents who died. A couple of officers with their own 223 well could have stopped the assailants before they did. At the very least they could have held them at longer bay than in the end was necessary to get fire on the bad guys. This is the truth and the fact about handgun calibers, everyone of them has had spectacular success and failures. EVERY one of them. There are factual cases of men pumped up on meth or pcp and other whacked out things who kept coming after many hits taken. There is no extraordinary put them down with one shot handgun round in general use. The people who say 9 sucks and won't put em down but the 45 will knock em off their feet, are either misinformed or full of bunk. Oh and while we are at it there are cases of people taking shotgun slugs, 00 buck shot and even rifle rounds who kept coming. If you are a hunter, you understand these things. Animals can do extraordinary things when hormones are raging through their system. Last year we shot a wolverine 3 times with a 300 short mag. First shot was at 150 yards, second at about 100 and third at 25 to 30. He kept coming and we knew we hit him. When he finally died we found three bullets, all kill shots. He was dead on the first shot, but the hormones in his system kept him going for quite some time. Shoot what you like and shoot it well. A well placed 9 is better than a missed 40 or 45. I find the caliber debates fun, I have my preferences like anyone else. But I find it absurd when someone says I saw someone take this many shots and live so I know that round sucks and I'll never carry a gun in that caliber. If it is 38 special or higher your odds of stopping an attack are very very good. 380 is personally the lowest I will carry, but I never do anymore. Lots of people do though and feel more comfortable with it than many other options. Heck, some carry small 22 mag pistols. Great, just make sure you can hit with it and be prepared and situationally aware.

Mechanical and inertial triggers on an O/U pertain to the way the trigger resets after the first shot. On mechanical triggers the trigger must be let off somewhat after the first shot to reset for the second shot. On inertial triggers the recoil and pressure against the buttplate reset the trigger so the amount you let off the trigger is infestimal if you fire the top barrel first. If you shoot the bottom barrel first you have to let the trigger come back slightly more to reset. You still have a barrel selector on a mechanical trigger O/U of any modern gun. I typically shoot light loads on the clays course and have never had the triggers not reset on my inertial triggered guns.

Not sure. The one for the Comp 3 works on the Comp 2. But I am not ositive on the Comp M.

I have one for my Glock's, though I was somewhat skeptical to begin with to be honest, being a leather guy. I have been extremely happy with this holster. It breaks in very quickly, the horsehide takes a bit longer, but not much. I guess the only con to them is if you do not like the kydex holsters. Even though the leather is not especially thick I have not experienced any sweating through the leather at all. Dare I say this, arrrggh, so far I like it as well as my Milt Sparks and it is more versatile in adjustment. Accck, I can't believe I thought it much less typed that.

I don't really have an opinion as to which is better. I have both and have shot both many times. I do know other Beretta shooter who have had their shotgun converted to mechanical. I never understood why. I like my inertial trigger on the 682 Gold E just fine. I don't have any problems with it, nor never had probs with the 687 I shot thousands of rounds out of. It really seems to be preference and neither is better as far as I can tell. Never had issues with either.

Benelli is a good hunting gun. Not a good sporting gun. The recoil system will beat you up. DO NOT get a cheap O/U, you will regret it. Get a used Beretta 390/391, a great sporting gun, or a Remington 1100. And a good pump gun will hold up, but is a not at all a good sporting gun choice.

Twin yoke, nice. The one I flew in was a throwover. I liked it most of the time, but sometimes a twin yoke could be useful.

I don't believe so. The only true Beechcraft model I have ever seen was from the 40's and was of the original split window V Tail deisgn. That was at a Beechcraft booth in Oshkosh. I never have been into models, so I don't know a lot about them,though I was an accumulator at one point of V Tail items, but as far as I know Beech never really made models for public purchase.

I think you can often say that about nearly everything gun related on gun forums. Few have experience with a lot of stuff. Others regurgitate what they read and not know. In the end most of the time, it is about so many personal preferences and different body types that everyone should find what they like and be good with that platform. I have shot and in fact still own something with most defense rounds and others that are not. I have my favorites and others I live with or don't chose to shoot often. I'll also say and this certainly doesn't apply to everyone, but sometimes shooter do not like the 40 because they do not use correct form and grip. I my experience of shooting with and training with many people, the 40 does seem to need more discipline than the 9 or 45. I have witnessed more people of low to moderate experience has issues with the 40 than the other two. Especially in smaller guns, but that may not be everyone's experience.

I think part of it has to do with your shooting experiences and what you learned to shoot with. I personally prefer the 9 or 45. I shoot them better and find the recoil less snappy and faster reacquisition to the target. I learned to shoot pistols with 9 and 45. I have shot them for over 30 years. I am most comfortable with these calibers plain and simple. That said in the last couple of years I have carried 40 cal Glocks (23 and 27). This leads to the second factor regarding recoil, fit. I did not like the Glock at all in 40 when I first shot it. However, my experience changed somewhat, actually quite a lot, when I had the grip reduced on the Glocks. The near perfect fit for me now makes the gun much more pleasurable to shoot. Any gun that does not fit will be less controllable and recoil will be bothersome. The only reason anyone would ever think the 380 or 9 had more recoil than the 40 would be because either the gun didn't fit or more likely the gun was small. A small pistol is light and anything more than 32 will have recoil. A 380 Euro Glock has nearly no recoil. My HK4 has virtually no recoil. All things being even with a pistol the 40 is certainly snappier than the 9 or 45. The 45 might have a bigger bullet, but it is low pressure. The 9 is the easiest to shoot of all of the big 3 semi auto loads. That's why the 9 is the preferred round of competitive shooters. I can shoot any of them and will deal with any of them and shoot well. But there is no doubt I can more rounds into a small area, faster than any other major semi auto round. They all have their pros and cons and all are adequate as defense rounds. They all have their successes and epic failures. Choose the one you like and shoot well. It doesn't matter what anyone else likes. I admit I find the round fight hilarious when someone says the one they use is the be all end all and the others suck.

I have carried a number of pistols over the last 15 years. I liked the Sig 228. It was reliable, accurate and fairly ergonomic. I wasn't crazy about the DA/SA or DAO only options. But it was a great gun. I traded that use of that for the P7M8. The most accurate combat pistol I have ever shot. The safety and trigger are fantastic. Ergonomics are fantastic. The biggest drawbacks are weight and capacity of 9mm. I have carried a 1911 off and on and don't like the weight of the full or commander size, but love the accuracy, trigger and ergos. I have carried the Glocks nearly as much as I carried my 228. I have carried the 27 and 23. I like the consistency of the triggers, though not necessarily the trigger actions. I love the weight and the durability. I dislike intensely the ergos. In fact all of my Glocks have had professionally done grip reductions on them. It changes them completely and makes them quite enjoyable to shoot. If it wasn't for the reductions done on them and the assortment of holsters and accessories I have accumulated for them I might have traded them for something else a while back. Though there are nice things about several makes I wouldn't go them for carry because I do not trust them, such as Taurus. I have very little time with the M&P's, but the ones I have shot have been pretty good of late. Especially with the Apex trigger. If you read AAR's from some of the top trainers and training groups in the country you will notice many more M&P's and the reports are overwhelmingly favorable. Others I like greatly but not for carry, such as my Beretta 92. My main carry gun is now the HK45c. It is perhaps the finest gun I have ever carried. The multitude of different trigger systems available make it extremely versatile. It can be carried C&L and has a decocker. It is very ergonomic. I prefer the 45c to the 45 as it is nearly the exact same size as my G23. The full size was heavily influenced with the design from Vickers and Hackathorne. I have fired several thousand rounds through it w/o a single hiccup. The backstraps are changeable. The 45 is of course a great round. The only drawback is the capacity, which is the same as the full cap 1911. If I was to get another pistol right now to complement my HK45C it would be the HK P30. Many of the same features as the 45C, with a high cap 9mm framework. Before you commit to anything I would certainly consider the HK's and M&P's.

No, they do not in general conduct tours for the publc.

You haven't said what you plan to hunt in them or where. How much walking or hiking will you do. Personally I hate heavy rubber boots. My Cabela's boots are about on par with my Mucks. I only wear them if I have to. I prefer to wear lighter boots and if need be put on boot blankets when sitting. I recommend Schnee's or Kenetrek pac boots. Warm, comfortable and will withstand some serious abuse. Soles wear out, just them resoled.

Beretta Auto loader with 3-" bbls. It would work for clays and waterfowl and upland hunting. IF you hunt woodland birds you would probably want to pick up a shorter barrel as well. They have adjustable stocks are easily fitted by a good fitter and work for a long long time. If you desire an over/under you would be hard pressed to find better than a Browning Citori or Beretta 686 series gun. Find a way to try out both as you will likely have a favorite because they both have a very different natural fit and most peole find they are more comfortable with one over the other. I am a Beretta guy. They point naturally well for me. If an O/U does not naturally point well for you forget it, it would cost a fortune to make it do so. There are too many options to not buy one that at least comes close to a good fit. Stick with good names and they will last a long time. There are plenty of used ones out there so don't worry about not being able to find a good one. Do not buy a gun that naturally has handicaps like an old superposed with fixed chokes. If you are going to buy a gun for sporting and multiple purposes of hunting you will want adjustable chokes. The Beretta 686 Sporting as well as Browning 425, 525 Citoris are also overbored so they have less recoil, which makes several hundred round days bearable. I would buy a used gun if you buy an O/U and stick to good brands again. Many lesser made O/U's may work well for hunting and sparse clays, but they die quickly on the vine from moderate sporting use. If I was going to buy something for multiple purpose I again say I would buy a sporting model of a Beretta auto loader or perhaps a Browning sporting auto-loader. Don't bother with pump guns or anything else made primarily for self defense or short barreled field model guns. Even the inertia run Benelli's while OK for hunting, will beat you to death on a sporting clays course. You will soon be sorry and looking for another gun.

Fielder is an instructor at Gunsite as one of Jeff Cooper's proteges. They know what they are doing and have excellent credentials. If you like the Gunsite method, you will definitely enjoy their courses. I guess I am of the mind in fact that as long as you get training from someone who really knows what they are doing you will learn more than a little something even if they don't teach your particular method. If you aren't steeped in any particular method then you will gain a lot from solid training. PRI is highly recommended.

After a period of recovery from injury and illness I could not believe how much weight I had gained. A year and a half ago I decided to get back to fighting weight. I am now down 105 pounds and inching toward my goal of 10% bodyfat. I probably have less than 10 pounds of weight left to lose and a few percentage points in BF. In fact I don't care if I lose another pound if I can drop BF and continue to hold or slightly gain LBM. Then I will slowly try and put a few pounds of lean body mass back on, very slowly. I don't want to be back into the single digits BF wise I once was or have as much LBM as I once had. The vascularity has come back into my arms and definition has come back in many areas, though I still have a bit of low belly fat to lose to fully see my abs. I am back to the point where I am what I consider in shape. I can fairly easily manage, and have several times now, the most difficult physical hunts, which was one of my primary objectives. Altitude doesn't bother me, nor am I extremely bothered by high heat. My strength is not where I would have wanted it to be, but much of that is due to a car accident in May which left me with a partially torn rotator cuff. The biggest part of it is determination and consistency. Make the right choice the majority of the time and you will succeed. And if you are over 40, like me, never let anyone tell you that it is time to just accept age as having won. It doesn't have anything to do with age. It's about lifestyle. I won't say it has been easy, it hasn't. But it wasn't extremely hard either. There have been many days where I did not want to go to the gym and I did anyway. There were days where I seemed hungry all day despite the fact that I eat every 2.5-3 hrs. My metabolism was just high, a good thing. I kept my goal in mind. I eat a cheat meal when I need, whether physically or mentally, and leave it at a cheat meal, not a cheat day. If you consistently eat less calories than you consume, by about 500 a day, and you have some exercise to burn fat and as importantly to add lean muscle, you WILL succeed. I travel all of the time. I travel for a living and I still managed to make it work. Anyone can take the excess blubber off. You just have to want to do it. It's funny but I am now mistaken by those who don't know me well for being 10 years younger than I am. And over the last several months at different events I have numerous times been asked how I like still being in the military. I state that even though I am quite often around military people, I am not IN the military. They are surprised and have commented that they assumed it from my lean frame and haircut. Hey it feels good to be mistaken for still being in shape enough to run with the warrior class. However, even though I look more like it, I certainly have more aches and pains, more like my age, than I did 15 years ago.

I wish Tufpak would simply make a case that would allow me to placemy hard sided shotgun case insid of their case. The Tufpak is extraordinary and terrific for hunts because you can place multiple soft sided gun cases inside of that case along with clothing, boots, etc. And it doesn't look like a gun case, which I like. But for short term trips to shoot I'd prefer a hard side case capable of travel and hauling to the shooting course when I arrive at my destination with ease.

I finally have a new shotgun. I found, unbelievably, a used left handed Beretta 682 Gold E with 32" bbl with a Gracoil Recoil Reduction system on it. I would not have thought they would make much difference, but let me tell you it really does. I shot 150-200 rounds through it last week and had absolutely no shoulder pain or soreness after the round. Pretty good considering a partially torn rotator cuff. Very happy to have a sporting clays gun again. Now to replace the travel case. I am leaning toward the Pelican military cases.

That's a heck of a lot of cartridge for plains game. Even for Kudu I use a 300 Win Mag. However, you will be prepared in case you come across that world record lion and are ready to shell out $50k or so to have it. There is perhaps no rifle cartridge other than the 30-06 used more worldwide than the 375. I like the cartridge. Though I admit that I have become more of a fan of the 416 Remington in recent years. It has less recoil than the 375 and as good ballistics. Africa is a magical place and if you haven't been there you will be changed by the experience. My grandmother lived north of the Limpopo along the Zambezi in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Mozambique for over 30 years. I hope you have a terrific time.

I said I would give an update to this story so I will. While they didn't com through for as much as I had hoped, Southwest finally did send me a check to buy a new shotgun, case and accessories. I will buy something else ASAP. In fact a fellow who I met a short time ago, who is selling one of his guns, lent it to me to try out. So I will head to the sporting clays course today to try it out. Last week in Missouri I shot a couple of Berettas, a Cesar Guerini and a Browning. My favorite was a DT10, but I'm not going to shell out the cash for a DT10 or Perazzi. They were all left handed, which are in general hard to find. So likely it will be a Beretta 682 Gold E. Try finding a used left handed shotgun. Ugh, it isn't easy. Naturally I could convert most any one to left handed, for an extra $450 or so added to the cost of a gun. All in all, this has been a huge hassle, especially since I needed the gun right now. But they have tried to make it right and accidents happen. I have to replace a case as well and I am not sure where I will turn for that. Part of me says to get something like I had before as the odds of that happening again are small and I don't really know that anything would have withstood the weight of a fuel truck running over it.

I bought mine for two reasons. One I bought them in 9mm to shoot in my 40 cals. Two I can use lead if I so choose, though I rarely choose to shoot lead. I know my aftermarket barrels are more accurate merely because I tested them on a rest. I was just curious. When shot offhand I am more accurate and faster with the aftermarket barrel, but mostly attribute this to the fact that I have shot 9mm so long I am more comfortable with it in general. I would say in general terms, either the OEM or the SL, LW barrels can outperform me. I do, but rarely do, meet shooters who can outperform their OEM equip on a top level firearm. They are mostly competitive shooters, who could outshoot me any day of the week if we switched guns and I shot their performance gun and they my stock gun.

Wilderness would be my first choice. SOE makes a good belt. Many places to buy a good leather belt. I had one of the 5.11 belts that are inexpensive. I think they make an inexpensive belt and a more expensive true tactical belt. The cheaper one is junk. There is no comparison except the similar appearance between that 5.11 and the Wilderness belt.