Grayfox54

Yes, call Batf. Don't want to hijack this thread, but I had a gun stolen not long ago. A Smith & Wesson Model 10-6 HB .38 Special. Serial # D191385. Its easy to spot due to a black aftermarket finish and rubber grips. I had loaned it to a lady friend who is disabled and lives by herself in a rather questionable part of Memphis. Several months ago she had to have surgery and because she lives alone had to spend about 6 weeks in a nursing home until she was able to care for herself. All told she was away from home for about 2 months. Her landlord is cheap and has a habit of hiring cheap labor for repairs. (drunks and druggies). We know he was in the house at least twice while she was gone. BTW: we do not suspect him. We think one of his laborers took it. She just noticed it was gone about a month ago. Anyway she called the Police and they sent an officer out to take a report. The officer called me and I gave him a full description and the serial number. A detective has contacted both of us to say that the gun has been entered into the database and they are watching for it. I've also entered it into the Hotgunz.com data base. So if anybody should run across it, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know.

WOW! That's strange. I would think the police would want to recover a stolen gun. I'd go with the previous advice. Call the police again and also contact BATF. I wouldn't call the guy. That'll put him on alert. He may just be an innocent victim who unknowingly bought it or he may be a thief himself. You don't know. Let the cops handle it. Bear in mind that if its recovered, it may be some time before you actually get it back. Cops gotta do their thing ya know.

I don't know about the east end of the state, but there ain't been any rabbits here in the west end for at least 15 years now. Not since the damned coyotes moved in.

I noticed the other day that I was very low on .38 factory ammo. My preferred SD round has always been the tried and true 158gr SWCHP +P. Commonly referred to as the "FBI Load". it was pretty much the standard Police load back when wheel guns were king. Over the years this load has been made by Federal, Remington and Winchester. I got to searching the internet and it seems that this load is getting hard to find. It just ain't out there. I did find some Winchester at $46 per box. After a bit of searching I found Lucky Gunner had Federal for $20 per box of 50. Depending on how much you buy, with shipping and tax, it'll run about $22-23 per box. That's a heck of a deal folks! So if you're like me and have a fondness for revolvers, now is a good time to stock up on this ammo. Lucky Gunner .38 Spl 158gr SWCHP

Ok, enough of this serious talk. Time to get back to the fun stuff.

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.