Grayfox54

I'm not a fan of leaving weapons in vehicles even if they are locked up. I used to work with a lot of Police Officers and they tell me that the vast majority of stolen gun reports they do, the gun was stolen out of a vehicle. Its just a bad idea.

Garufa nailed it. I'm a big fan of the M1A rifles and I think the Scout Squad is the best of the bunch. Not quite as long as a full size M1A which makes it easier to handle, but plenty of barrel to make proper use of the cartridge. I sorta have a thing for the M1A.

Welcome. I hear ya Bubba. I'm a heart attack and triple bypass survivor myself. I know how it goes. To sell a gun here you have to be a benefactor member. That will allow you to post in the classifieds. It doesn't cost much and is well worth the price. BTW: there's a gun show in Jackson next weekend. You might be able to sell your gun there.

Here's an interesting story. My father worked in the office at the old International Harvester Foundry here in Memphis for 33 years. IH bought all of Sear's broken tools and melted them down for other uses. My Dad was in charge of them. When a load of these broken tools came in they had to be kept locked up and very secure. Otherwise the plant workers would steal them and take them to Sears to be replaced.

I wish they would pick one or the other and just leave it there. OTOH. At least two days a year all the clocks in my house read the same.

Quality tools are never a bad investment. I was a professional mechanic for 42 years. Working mostly on trucks and heavy equipment. Just by the nature of the job, I was hard on my tools. You'll find Snap-on, Mac and other stuff in my tool box. But you;ll also see that the majority of my tools are Craftsman. I only bought the other brands if Craftsman didn't make what I needed. They were quality tools at a reasonable price, fully guaranteed and I could go by Sears to replace a broken one on my way home. No need to wait for the other brand's tool truck to come around. Craftsman was top quality stuff. Unfortunately Pop Pop is right. When Sears decided to get out of the tool business, they sold the Craftsman name to Lowes. Now days Craftsman tools are made in China or some other place overseas and they aren't anywhere near the quality they once were. But at least Lowes will honor the warranty. You get a new replacement tool, it just ain't as good.

Great news! Very happy to hear he won't need grafts. Tell him that scars are good conversation starters. Girls always want to hear the story.

I also recommend starting with a .22. Get the fundamentals down first without recoil causing any bad habits. Cheap to practice with, can be used for self defense if necessary, and just plain fun.

You have my deepest condolences. I have a nasty set of scars where way back in 1984 a piece of slag off a cutting torch set my work shirt on fire. Damned polyester blend material melted to my arm causing full thickness (3rd degree) burns from just above my elbow all the way up into my arm pit. Had to have skin grafts to fix it. The really bad part is preparing the area for the grafts. All the damaged skin and newly forming scar tissue has to be carefully picked and cut away from the damaged area daily for several weeks. It hurts like hell! I sincerely hope your Grandson's burns aren't that bad and the treatment has improved since my time. Tell him to hang in there. It'll be rough for a while, but it will get better.

I also don't recommend a rifle. Rifle bullets tend to go through walls which can lead to all sorts of problems. Plus, I doubt the lady would go through the training. If you feel the need for a home defense weapon, I suggest a 20 gauge shotgun. Considering your description of her, I'd be looking at youth models. I only see a need for one handgun which can serve both in the home and EDC. Normally, I recommend a DA revolver for a newbie. However, a medium frame gun will likely be too heavy for her to EDC and she won't carry it. OTOH, the small revolvers such as the S&W J-frames often have too much recoil for women and they won't practice with it. However, I would suggest she at least try both. I believe in keeping things simple and a revolver is about as simple as it gets. If she likes it and can shoot it, go with that. As far as semi-autos go, again keep it simple. As few controls as possible. No external safeties to forget. Just point and pull the trigger. I do have some concern about her thumb issues you mentioned. Can she load a magazine? Can she rack a slide? I like the idea of the S&W EZ. The 380 is a good choice for a small woman. However, be aware that most .380s are blowback designs and they have very strong recoil springs which make racking the slide difficult. Therefore, I'm gonna suggest one of the compact 9mms which are available today. A locked breach design is much easier to rack. But first and foremost, let her try as many guns as possible and let HER make the choice. I also like the idea of a belly band. Its best to have the gun on your body where its immediately available. And considering her style of dress, that'll work just fine. I've never liked the idea of carrying in a purse. After all, that's what the BG is after anyway.

The .44 Special is one of my favorite cartridges. Generally speaking, any of the 200gr JHP loads are considered best for self defense. My personal favorite is the old Winchester Silver Tip ammo. I've also shot the CCI Blazers with good results.

I have several very large and old trees in my yard. They have lots of dead limbs in them. All of which are right beside the house and garage. It will be a difficult job. Its become quite common that after every storm I have to go out and pick up some large dead limbs that have fallen. I hate to think of what might happen in the event of heavy snow or ice storm this winter. Sever damage to the house or garage is very possible. I'd like to get them trimmed, but I have no idea who to call. I want a good company, bonded, insured, etc. But price is a concern. Can anybody recommend a good tree trimmer in the Memphis area? Some one who you have used and were happy with both the work and price?

Some people have been preaching a second Civil War in this country for a long time. I disagree. I do, however, believe that at some point there will very likely be an uprising. It won't be a Civil War, but rather a second American Revolution. This time the people will rise up and take this country back from our own corrupt government. If this revolution takes place in the ballot box or on the battlefield has yet to be determined.

I like it! A lever action AR! Who'd a thunk it? Yeah, I'm weird. Y'all just now figuring that out?

I readily admit that I don't like the .40. Had one years ago, hated it, dumped it, didn't look back and will never own another. But that's just me. If you like it, I couldn't care less. To each, his own. As far as the claims in that video, all I had to see was the guy making those claims and any credibility it might have had went straight down the toilet. Total BS and a waste of almost 6 minutes.

Contact your state or federal congress critters. Especially if they are pro-2nd. Politicians just love rattling inept government cages if it makes them look good. Lets them show off their power.

For snubbies, I'm a fan of the old 158 gr LSWCHP load aka the "FBI load". It can be found in both standard and +P velocities. Nothing fancy, it just plain works.

I own a S&W 41 and agree that the only thing wrong with these outstanding pistols is the price. These days you can't hardly touch a well worn one for less than a $1000. Honestly, I know the Rugers are good guns, but I just never was comfortable with the feel of them. The grip angle is all wrong for my hand. Plus the older models can be a real PITA to take apart and put back together. No experience with the S&W Victory, but, like you, I've heard they have some issues. However, I'm a huge fan of the Browning Buckmark. IMHO, this is the best standard .22 semi-auto pistol available today. I have two of them. A 4" Camper model with a threaded barrel for use with my suppressor and a very early 5" Buckmark Plus that I bought way back in the early 1990s. With ammo they like, both will hold 1" groups at 25 yards no problem.

Sounds like its not going fully into battery. Possibly a tight / dirty chamber is making it ammo sensitive. Could be it just doesn't get along with that ammo. Also sounds like there may be some extractor issues. The full cleaning should help. Sometimes just a small amount of crud in the wrong place will cause all kinds of problems. As Garufa pointed out, proper lube is important. Try some different ammo. Believe it or not, some guns just need a whole lot of shooting to properly break in. Clean, lube, try different ammo and see what happens. The 1911 is a great gun and very easy to work on. However, it can be downright finicky at some of the slightest things. RIAs are some pretty good guns, but they do sometimes need a little tuning to work right as they aren't always exactly in specs. I have one in .38 Super that was a total jam-o-matic when I got it. Once I figured out the problem, its been totally reliable.

Marlin and Henry both make excellent lever guns. I can't knock either one. However, I've always preferred the feel and handling of Winchesters. Especially the 16" Trapper Models. In .357, I'd highly recommend you look at the Rossi Model 92. Its a clone of the original Winchester Model 1892. Its a bit lighter and trimmer than the Model 94 and Marlins. It was originally designed for pistol caliber cartridges, so its a bit smoother and more reliable than other guns modified to shoot the shorter handgun rounds. These are currently made by Taurus and I've heard good things about them. I own a much older pre-safety Rossi 92 in .357 with a 16" barrel. Nothing fancy to look at as these older guns had somewhat plain finishes and wood. However, Its one of the slickest and fastest handling lever guns I've ever owned. I love it!

I'm late as usual, just saw this. You've made the right decision, keep the 624. .44 Special caliber S&W revolvers are extremely popular, desirable. and no longer made. A 4" 624 in good condition would fall very high on any serious collector's list. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it sell at $1200 or more. $1000 would be my absolute minimum. Lots of folks just don't get the .44 Special. They seem to prefer the louder .44 magnum. But for those of us who are real .44 Special fans ( yes that includes me) dedicated .44 Special revolvers are highly prized and we are more than willing to pay a premium over going rates for a nice one. Honestly, the price limit is set by just how bad the buyer wants it.

I have several T-grips and do like them. But the company is just barely hanging on. It seems there was a lot of in-fighting when founder Melvin Tyler passed away some years ago. I'm not sure if its been totally resolved yet. They will take your order. But, you can only order by snail mail. No internet orders. If you try to check on your order nobody will answer. The best you can hope for is that a package will arrive somewhere around 6-8 months later. Like I said, I have some and do like them for certain applications. However, I believe the invention of the boot grip has made the T-grip obsolete.

Excellent choice for a first post. Welcome to TGO! I;ve got an older German made P226 from 1990. My favorite DA 9mm.

See if you can find some of the old British .38/200 ammo or at least a good recipe for it. All it is is a 38 S&W with a heavier bullet for a bit extra thump. The British used that load for their military or police revolvers with good results for 50 years or more.

My preference is the Classic Askin's Avenger style with a straight drop. Most holster companies make at least one model of this. Quite comfortable, conceals well and very fast.