Grayfox54

Update: my new license plate arrived today. I was wondering if it would get here before the end of the month. Close, but it made it.

This thread originally started out as just my curiosity, but sorta got away from me. I've learned a lot here, so thanks for that. But as I've said all along, I'm just not an AR guy. I had both rifles at the range on Thursday. Capbyrd was kind enough to give me an accu-wedge to try. Thanks again Sir! I think it helped a little, but no great improvement. I do realize that I am gonna have to start reloading 5.56. But I currently have other irons in the fire. I'll get to that eventually. I've come to the conclusion that both rifles are combat accurate and that's good enough for me. So I'm just gonna live with 'em as they are. Thanks again to everybody who contributed to this thread. Its been quite informative.

I put a set of Hogue Pao Ferro on my SA-35 and have been more than happy with them. Hogue offers a number of nice woods, with or without checkering at a reasonable price. I have them on several of my semi-auto pistols. https://www.hogueinc.com/grips/browning-grips/hi-power/wood

Before state wide permits, county only permits did exist. However, they were still pretty rare as they were issued by the local Sheriff and many were anti-gun politicians. CCW was mostly a matter of who you knew. More often than not, a person who knew the right people would be commissioned as a "Special Deputy". This did in fact make them a LEO. Allowing them to carry anywhere and giving them full arrest powers as well. Former Shelby Co. Sheriff Gene Barksdale (1976-86) was well known for his multitude of "Special Deputies". He was a proponent of civilian CCW and rather free with commissions. Many of which worked private security for various companies around town. My FIL was head of Security for the Montessi Grocery store chain. He was also a personal friend of Barksdale and a fully commissioned "Special Deputy". I got my first Handgun Permit in 1992. It was only good in Shelby County. All it took was a letter to the Sheriff and I was enrolled in a Sheriff's Dept class that earned me a permit. For the life of me, I can't remember who was the Sheriff at that time. But it was really no problem as he favored civilian CCW. My google-foo has failed me. Anybody remember who was Sheriff at that time?

If you can find a way to get it to Memphis, I'll buy it.

Ever since the great .22 drought a few years ago, .22 reliability has gotten very iffy. I believe just about everybody lowered QC to speed up production. I have seen no sign of any attempt to return quality to previous levels.

DAMMIT! Plumb at the other end of the state! I WANT!

Great guns. Wish you were closer.

I'd bet that most of those guns are too hot to hold. Probably got a body or two on them as well. I see a couple there worth some real money. I wonder if ballistics and serial numbers will be checked? Or was anonymity part of the deal?

You actually seem surprised by this? Dude, its Shelby County. Political figures do as they please. Halbert wanted the title, the pay and the prestige, but apparently never thought about actually doing the job. Does anybody remember back in the early to mid-2000s when people with Handicap plates and placards had to mail paperwork to Nashville for renewal? The state took Shelby Co out of the handicap system for a while when it was discovered that all one needed to get a handicap plate or placard in Shelby Co was a $50 bill. They managed to keep that little fiasco fairly quiet. But we knew about it because my wife was legitimately handicapped at the time and we wondered why she was forced to renew by mail in Nashville.

Well my deaf old azz couldn't hear much of anything. However, it does seem to be intermittent and not at all rhythmic. Which is a good sign. Most likely something loose rather than worn out or broken. Remove the fan belt, shake and turn each pulley by hand. If something is bad, you will feel it.

DUH! How did I miss that?

All branches of the Shelby County Clerk's office will be closed to the public this week as they attempt to catch up on the crippling back log in License plates and renewals. Yup, they're so far behind that they will have to turn away the general public for a while in hopes of catching up. My own license plate is due for renewal this month. Its also time for a whole new plate. I filled out the forms and paid on-line 3 weeks ago. I got an e-mail yesterday saying my renewal has been completed and I can expect my new license plate with-in 21 days. 21 days? Fortunately, I was smart enough to print out the receipt in case I get pulled over. Meanwhile County Clerk Wanda Halbert is vacationing in Jamaica this week.

What's a WML? I don't know that one.

I don't think I'd buy anything. I've had plenty of opportunities to shoot many different full auto weapons over the years. Everything from Army issue to toys belonging to friends. Always a ton of fun, but never really wanted one. Its hard to find places to shoot them and I couldn't afford to feed 'em. Kinda like that little blond in your dreams. Nice to play with, but I wouldn't want to own her.

I saw an adjustable sighted Practical Model at Classic Arms in Memphis this morning. Looks to be in excellent condition. But asking price is $1599!

Ok, if you followed my AR thread you know that to get the best accuracy I'm gonna have to start reloading 5.56 ammo. I can get dies. I have plenty of OF brass. I have SR primers in stock and I see that there's a pretty good supply of bullets out there now. The big question is powders? What are the best powders for this caliber and are they readily available? I'll likely go with 55-62 gr bullets for the 1/9 twist M&P. But I also want to try some heavier 75-77 gr bullets for the slower 1/7 Colt. Any pet loads to share or recommendations?

The thing is that I picked this particular model of the M&P because I wanted the Magpul furniture which came factory on it. Not sure I wanna change it either. I do like it. IDK, maybe I just felt like griping. Maybe I should just lower my expectations. These days nothing is as good as it once was. Why should a run of the mill AR be any different? After 50 years of hearing that the AR-15 is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I guess I just expected too much. I do believe I'm gonna try an Accu-wedge. They're cheap and it couldn't hurt. I'll also try to hunt up some 75-77 gr ammo to try in the Colt. And sooner or later I will have to start reloading 5.56 once components have gotten more available. I will be looking for advice there too. In fact, I think I'll start a new thread on that. Meanwhile, I guess I'll just try to live with it.

The thing is that I don't want to spend much money or go changing a bunch of parts. Remember, I'm not really an AR guy. Just a little frustrated with the ones I have as I think they should shoot better than they do. I have no desire to make any changes in the Colt. Its a range toy and I like it the way it is. Besides, I understand it has some collectability and I don't want to mess with that. I did put a LaRue trigger in the M&P. That helped. But I've spent a fair bit of money in scope, mount, BUIS and such already. I'm hesitant to put any more money into it. And here is where my lack of knowledge really starts to show. I know nothing about twist rates in these things. I checked and the Colt is 1/7 while the M&P is 1/9. So what bullet weights should I be looking at? To be completely blunt here, I'm not a fan of the AR-15. I never liked the M-16 when I was in the Army and I put off buying an AR for more than 40 years. The only reason I own these is because the antis don't want me to have them and I got 'em at a pretty decent price at the time. IF the S should ever HTF, I'm going right past these poodle shooters and grabbing my M1A Scout Squad. That's a real battle rifle to me.

Has anybody tried the accu-wedge? Did it help? If so, how much?

One of my issues is that I do not reload 5.56. I got my first AR a couple of years ago right when the ammo situation started going to Hell. Its been enough of a problem finding components for the calibers I already reload, that I haven't even bought dies for the 5.56. Just don't need the headaches of a new caliber right now. So I'm pretty much at the mercy of the market for my ARs. The majority of ammo I use is either mil-surp or cheap bulk stuff. Honestly, I haven't even been able to settle on a particular bullet weight or style for these rifles yet. I have bought a few boxes of premium ammo here and there as I find it. But so far there hasn't been any noticeable difference in accuracy. That's one of the reasons I started this thread. The truth is that the only reason I own these rifles is because there are so many people saying I shouldn't be able to own one. I'm kinda stubborn that way.

Ok, let me put it this way. Is the 2-3" groups at 100 yards considered normal for these two rifles? Should I expect better? The Colt is really more of a nostalgia piece for me. Other than the A2 rear sight, its pretty close to what Uncle Sam handed me back in 1972. That's really why I own it. Its basically just a range toy. I usually do shoot it with open sights. But I do have a carry handle mount and a cheap 4X scope I put on from time to time. Honestly, it doesn't fit that well and tends to work loose after a while. So I don't use it much. The S&W has a 1-4X variable scope and is always shot using it. This one I consider a defensive rifle. Like I said, ARs really aren't my thing. I don't know the tricks you builders do. I'm just curious if there are some fairly simple things I can do to improve mine without spending a lot of money or replacing parts. Am I to understand that simply re-torqueing the barrel could make a real difference? But back to the original question: What does it take to get a sub-MOA rifle, recommendations and how much should it cost?

Ok, this is more about curiosity than anything else. So bear with me. I'm not really an AR kinda guy. I do own two. A 16" S&W M&P 15 and a 20" Colt Sporter Match. Both are combat accurate. Meaning 2-3" at 100 yards with mil-surp ammo. BTW: I'm pretty much limited to a max of 100 yards for my shooting as I never got around to qualifying at longer distances. The thing is that I grew up on hunting and target rifles and In my mind anything over 1 MOA just ain't cutting it. Less is better. So, what does it take to get a sub MOA AR-15? I'm talkin' one small raged 1/2" or less hole at 100 yards. Is this purely a build proposition or are there factory rifles that can do this? And how much should such a rifle cost? Again, I'm not saying I'll run out and buy one, I'm just curious. BTW: I'm a big fan of Springfield Armory. Kinda thinking a Saint. Opinions? Is that good enough? And shouldn't my Colt shoot better than that? It is a Match HBAR version after all. Can I improve it?

Yep, my hammers nail 'em!