ken_mays

Keep in mind the EMP is Springfield's proprietary downsized frame. While some 1911 parts are interchangeable, some aren't. That said, I'd still probably pick it over the CZ. I've owned a bunch of CZ 75 variants and have come to the conclusion they just don't work for me, so I'm done trying. Just my personal opinion and experience. I'd really rather have a M&P or Walther with a RDS installed over either, for carry.

The grip safety should not be pressed in while trying to remove the slide. Otherwise the firing pin safety lever can stick up enough that the slide hangs up on it.

I put an Apex trigger in one of these and test fired it afterward. Due to the grip shape, it was one of the most uncomfortable pistols I've shot in a long time. The flare at the bottom of the frontstrap plus the rather square edge of the trigger guard along with the unnecessary hump under the middle finger all combined to make several hot spots. The slide serrations on this one are fine enough that they would be of little use were your hands slick or muddy. The optic plate on it was plastic and I was not able to tighten it down sufficiently to keep it, and the Crimson Trace optic, from visibly moving, but this seems like something you could avoid with a different optic plate. Reliability was OK as was accuracy, but nothing impressive. On the plus side, they're cheap, I guess.

It may not be dead yet but it has one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. If it were a straight wall case, there would be reloaders to keep it around, but nobody wants to mess with bottleneck cases. It’s not unpleasant to shoot but it’s quite loud.

If I had to start over and buy from scratch, I would go with the Lee turret press. Cost is reasonable and the utility is high. Also, swapping dies 3 times to load one round is tiresome in the extreme. Lee products are not always the best you can buy, but they certainly are up to the job, and I use a lot of them (dies, hand primer, powder measure) even though I load on Dillons and RCBS at the moment. If you ever want to go progressive, I recommend Dillon for a progressive press due to the “buy once, cry once” principle. Lee does not make a great press for that, IMO.

PM incoming

Battery life: most decent RDSs have at least a year of battery life, and usually more. Holosuns have the 'shake awake' feature which means it will shut the dot off if the gun isn't moving, which saves battery power, and usually a solar panel to drive the dot if it's getting enough sunlight at the time. "Finding the dot" is a muscle memory function and one of the biggest challenges for people transitioning to RDS for carry. It just takes a certain amount of holster presentations before having the dot on target becomes automatic. There is also a Holosun sight with the ACSS Vulcan reticle which is a huge assist for shooters who find themselves hunting the dot. The ACSS reticle includes a center chevron, but there is a large surrounding circle that can be seen from almost any angle when the gun is misaligned, but disappears when the center chevron is on target. Basically, if the chevron is visible in the window, you can align it, and if the chevron is 'off screen' you can see part of the circle. Going back to irons is effortless, at least for me.

I have a grinder stand like the one shown above and it's not the worst thing I can think of to mount a press to. But it's not the most stable once dynamic forces come into play since it has a 3-legged base. I think the Workmate folding bench (or a knock-off) is a great idea. They have a broad, stable foundation once deployed and there is room for a loading block or brass container next to it. And it folds up when you don't need it. To piggyback on what slickrick said, one of my workbenches is a folding banquet table (think church dinner) sitting on top of a couple secondhand Steelcase office drawers that I picked up at a used office furniture store. I don't have it attached to the drawers but it would be trivial to put a few self tapping sheet metal screws into it if necessary.

A couple ideas. Maybe we can do a weekend get together at MSSA for those of us who can make it. They have all kinds of events open to non-members and there is plenty of space. Bring a lawn chair and maybe a cigar and we'll hang out. If we get enough interest, I am happy to go to the club management for approval. We could also have another event during the week, maybe one evening, at a tap room around town. Restaurants are complicated. I know not everyone drinks beer, but tap rooms are a good venue to people to come and go as they please, and many of them have room inside and out. The Ready Room tap room on Brookhaven Circle off Poplar is a good centrally located one, and food and non-alcoholic drinks are available.

I've used Trijicon's RMR, Vortex Venom, Burris Fastfire III and Holosun 407, 507 and 508 and one or two other models I can't recall. I have about 6 Holosun 507s now and they are my preferred optic. They hold up pretty well, have shake-awake, and I have grown to prefer the circle / dot combo. I can get on target faster with it than just a 3 MOA dot. I also like the slide-out battery tray. The window is also slightly taller than the RMR and 508. The RMR is a solid optic but I don't like the excessively tinted glass, and I'm not a fan of the bottom mounted battery and need for a sealing plate. The ACRO sights have some promise but the bugs haven't been worked out IMO. I've been seeing lots of reliability reports with the P2 version.

Dealing with pistol optics and RDSs, a torque screwdriver / wrench is money well spent. I've been using the Wheeler FAT driver and it does the job so far. If it saves you from breaking just one screw off in a slide, it'll more than pay for itself.

That's Phil Colley. I have never done business with him, but know plenty of people who have. Consensus is that he's pretty good but he's slow. I have friends who have had 1911s built by Colley back in the 90s. Here's a racegun he did for one of them. I think the comp was removed and some other things done later, but it was nice work for the time.

Don't know about the best product of the century, but this is a pretty handy one.

I mean, they're 2011s. Meaning you are dealing with all the quirks of a 1911 along with fairly expensive and occasionally squirrelly double stack mags. Everything else is just figuring out what slide and frame size you want to live with. They do carry considerably easier if you remove the extended magwell. They're fine for carry if that's what you want to do, but realize they are somewhat of an enthusiast's pistol and will require a bit more knowledge and maintenance than your out-of-the-box Glock or similar.

I had an Axis in 30-06 for a few years and put maybe 50 rounds through it. It wasn't inaccurate, but it wasn't anything to write home about either. In the end I decided I would rather put the 30-06 through rifles I enjoyed more, so I moved it along. If it was all I had, I could certainly live with it.

I think it's the kind of thing where you have to go find the buyers who'll pay a premium. The time is probably ripe now, because in 5 or 10 years I can't imagine anyone much caring.

Back in the early 90s I owned a Rossi 971 .357. At the time I didn't shoot it much, but I never had any problems with it, either. Looked like this one.

I have reloaded for 9mm and .223 for years. Using coated bullets, and going by current powder and primer prices, I can load for about half of the cheapest ammo I can find. It costs more for .223 but I can still load about 1/3 cheaper than buying. Another benefit is that you can consistently turn out ammo that you know will function in your guns. Chasing the cheapest factory ammo can be frustrating at times, especially when it's underpowered or inaccurate.

Firearms are not 'registered' in TN in the way most people think. There is simply a paper trail when the firearm changes hands from dealer to private individual. It is still legal for private individuals to transfer firearms as long as neither one is a prohibited person (felon, etc.).

A few High Power variants

Kimber has introduced several subcompacts with little success over the past 7 years or so. The Solo was followed by the Micro 9 and now the Mako. They have a tough row to hoe, in my opinion, due to their price, Kimber's lackluster customer service reputation, and the general indifference shown by customers, who would rather buy more affordable, effective, and supported platforms like the P365, Hellcat and various Glocks.

Hello, I'll take them. Will get with you tomorrow to set something up. Thanks

I've had a couple and they are certainly a unique carbine. Reliable and accurate enough. I don't often shoot it because I find it awkward to deal with the thumbhole style stock. It's impossible to shift my hand forward enough to activate the the mag catch. I need to reverse the mag catch so I can hit it with my trigger finger. It can take either PX4 or 92 style magazines. There's a kit that can convert from one style to the other, I think I did it on the PX4 version I had. For what it's worth, I find the Ruger a much more handy and modular PCC in every way.

Never owned one but about 10 years ago they were fairly commonly seen in the 'budget pistol' case in many shops. Retail price at the time was $350-450. I read a review in Dillon's Blue Press magazine and the one thing I remember was the accuracy was not good, like 4-5" at 10 yards.

Nice job sir! As someone who has been in IT awhile, I have noticed that the number of organizations who have backups at all, let alone viable backups, is certainly a minority.