Grayfox54

I sorta have a thing for 1911s and own quite a few. My first choice would be an older, used Colt. But that's out of your price range. A very close second is Springfield Armory. Since you're looking for a target/plinking gun, the Range Officer is an outstanding choice. Many here are recommending RIA and with your budget, its definately worth a look. I've never owned one, but I've also heard nothing but glowing praise for them. 

Another big fan of Springers here. Just might be time to add one more.  :up:

The locks did originally come about as part of the Clinton administrations deal with the gun makers. However, it was proved that any such agreement would not stand up in a court of law. The majority of internal locks on guns today are the direct result of over zealous lawyers and liability laws.    Go over to the Smith & Wesson Forum and do a search. You'll find a number of recorded incidents where the internal lock enganged itself. Most often this happens in lightweight guns in fairly hard kicking calibers. But there are a few stories of it happening in guns you wouldn't normally expect it to. You will also find tales of the lock malfunctioning and locking up the gun to the point where it had to be disassembled in order to fix it. In fact, complaining about the Lock as well as a few other changes S&W has made got so bad that the Admins had to make it against the rules to even mention it.  There is also a guy over there who sells an item called "The Plug". It plugs the hole in the frame once the lock is removed.   Ruger also has a lock. As mentioned, its under the grip and I've never heard of any problems with it. Taurus has a lock built into the hammer. A small key is inserted just below the hammer spur and lets a spring loaded spur pop up that prevents the hammer from moving. I have heard of one or two problems with this lock. However, it seems to be very rare and there's no real proof of it happening. As much as I love my Springfield 1911s, they too have a lock. In their case its built into the mainspring housing. Very easy to get rid of by simply changing the mainspring housing which I normally do anyway. So I don't worry about it.    I've been shooting and collecting guns for about 40 years now and its safe to say that I have "a few". None of my guns have internal locks and none ever will.

.22LR to .45/70 Gov't.

I'm a 1911 guy. If not that, then it'll be a S&W wheelgun.

In the target/action/plinking catagory you can't go wrong with the Browning Hi-Power. Why not buy a classic? Makes one hell of a carry gun too. 

  They just cut the cylinder so that the .32 cartridge headspaces on the case mouth same as in an auto pistol. Works great.

Some years back my best friend gave me a Nagant as a Christmas present. It came with the holster, lanyard and tool kit. I believe he gave around $65 for the whole set. The ammo was extremely hard to find at that time. So I spent $25 for a .32acp cylinder.  The last gun show we went to we saw them priced at $250 for just the revolver.  :screwy: On the bright side, ammo is much easier to find these days.  :up:

When I first heard about it and saw pictures I had high hopes for the R51. I really wanted to like it and probably buy one.  Then I saw one at a gun show and as soon as I picked it up my hand and brain both said "NOPE!". Lost all interest right then and there.  :down:

The guy is a prepper, anti-governement, anti-obama, very vocal and posting on the internet about it. Any of these things are perfectly legal BUT, it will get you on .govs radar. Once you've been noticed, its only a matter of time before they come knockin'. This guy has already been found guilty no matter if he did anything illegal or not.. 

I haven't watched any of the so-called comedy movies or TV sit-coms in years. Nothing but lewd, vulgar or suggestive stuff that I find to be too stupid to be funny. Just further evidence of how far our society is sinking.

Absolutely wonderful rifles. You'll love it.  :up:   It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that PING!  :clap:

The problem is and always has been that the U.S. government can't or won't accept the simple fact that they are dealing with an entirely different culture. These people have had their own ways of doing things for thousands of years and they won't let go of that no matter how hard anybody tries. The U.S. government seems hell bent on forcing our form of democracy on people who have absolutely no concept of it nor do they want to learn. Not only does forced intervention not work, it makes them hate us for it. I say leave 'em alone. Let them sort it all out on their own and in their own way. Once its all said and done, then we need to find a way to peacefully deal with whoever is left. 

I did a search and could not find the answer. So here's my question. If I buy a modern gun off one of the auction sites, do I have to pay sales tax to the transfering dealer? I remember hearing that the state was going to do that some time back. I haven't bought anything over the internet except C&Rs for quite a few years. I've found something I'm interested in on GB, but if I have to pay sales tax that would put it out of the budget.

1911 not included? I don't think so. The 1911 is my first choice and always will be. Everybody already knows why. 2nd choice is a S&W K-frame revolver. Again, everybody should already know why.

I have a great fondness for the M14/M1A rifles and it is my prefered battle rifle. I have two. A full size Federal Ordinance M14A and a Springfield Socom 16. Springfield is probably the best way to go. Excellent rifles, but they ain't cheap. Used ones can be found for about $1000. I suggest taking a close look at the 18" Scout Squad rifle as I consider it to be the best all around weapon. I'm thinking about getting one of these myself. The old Federal Ordinance rifles can still be found and are fairly inexpensive. BUT you have to know what you're looking at. The early rifles were made with excellent recievers and all G.I. parts. (Mine has a 4 digit serial number.) However as time passed, reciever quality dropped off and they started mixing in cheap import parts. By the time they finally closed the doors, Fed Ord rifles were little more than cheap chinese junk. If you find one, be sure to field strip it and check all the parts. If there are any non-G.I. parts in it- PASS. Norinco imported some for a while. Just don't do that. The less said about them the better. And of course there are the custom builders. They can put together a 1000 yard tack driver for you, but you'll probably have to take out a second mortgage to finance it.

Being a fan of the Hi-Power, your post got me curious about current pricing. So I did some checking on the auction sites. WOW! prices are all over the place! Some as high as $2000. But then again, those high prices aren't getting any bids either. Best I can tell, the only auctions for Mk IIIs getting any bids are those that start at $500 or less and generally sell in the $600-650 range. Hope this helps.

The 3" guns are hard to come by and often sell at a premium. You did good.

Lots of places for good pulled pork. Take your pick!  I live in Bartlett and am partital to a local place called Brad's.  But if you want ribs, I highly recommend Fat Larry's on HWY 70 also in Bartlett. Meat so tender you have to eat it with a fork because the bones pull right out of it.  :drool:

Ok, I'll play this game.   1. M1 Carbine: Light, compact, accurate enough for head shots at 100 yards, enough power to spatter a zombie skull and you can carry lots of ammo.   2. 1911: what I usually carry anyway and my most familar handgun.     Back up: Suppressed Browning Buckmark.: good for when you need to stay quite and small game for the pot.   3. Ka-Bar Cutlass Matchete : Short, heavy blade made for choppin'.

To me the 3" K-frame makes for the perfect carry revolver. Well done Sir!  :up:

Never trust your life to anything that requires a battery. 

I'm a 1911 guy so its single stack for me. I carry OWB in a good leather holster. I have no more use for a plastic holster than for a plastic gun.  :stir:

The Lorcin threads reminded me of this. About two years ago a Lady Friend of mine mentioned that she had a .38 snubbie, but had never fired it. She asked me if I might give her a few lessons and take her to the range. Naturally, I said yes. Told her to come to my house, bring her gun and I would teach her the basics before going to the range. When the appointed day came, she showed up with this. :stunned: :squint: :puke: :wall: :censored: :huh: I really hated to hurt her feelings, but I sure couldn't let her shoot that thing either. To further complicate matters, she unfortunately lived in rather unfavorable area. So I did the only thing I could do. I traded her a well used, but perfectly servicable S&W Model 10 I had for her Unfired, NIB collectors item. I think it was one of the best trades I ever made. ;) BTW: she turned out to be a quick study and did quite well with the Model 10. :up:

No medium frame S&W or Colt revolvers and no 1911s.    Just because its in the paper doesn't mean its true.