RCCsDad

The Stoeger 2000 is a benelli brand. Same basic function as a Benelli, but not near the same quality. Same as Franchi. A little nicer fit and finish of a Stoeger, but still not a Benelli. You may be able to find a decent used M1 Benelli in your price range. If you want to buy now, I strongly suggest the Walmart Beretta 390. Should be in most wally worlds that still sell guns. Around $550. It is jusy an American made Beretta and is one of the best buys in a shotgun today imo. FYI, Beretta owns Benelli as well. It is just not advertised much.

The Nikon is a pretty good scope. Teh Team Primos by Nikon is the previous Monarch and is better. Might I suggest the Vortex Viper 3-9x40? They have a $50 rebate right now and will be night and day above the Nikon IMO. I agree with the possibility of needing a more compact scope on the rifle. If you are satisfied with the magnification, the Vortex, or Burris FFII, Bushnell 3200 or even 4200 if you find the right sale, or possibly Leupy VXII would be great as well. The Vortex probably has the best glass of any of these except maybe the 4200. $100 more gets you into the Leupold VX3, Zeiss Conquest and maybe the new Nikon Monarch (nice, but HEAVY). These are scopes that you will not be disappointed in. I have also always been of the opinion to put a piece of glass on that is comparable in cost to the rifle. In this case, you would get into diminishing returns unless you are planning to shoot over the 3-400 yard mark or at dusk or dawn. All scopes look good at 12:00. However, if you can upgrade, I certainly recommend it.

The Nova is an extremely good pump gun. I have 2 of them- along with 2 870s and a Mossberg or two. The Nova, while heavy, is far and away my favorite. If budget allows, I always will recommend the semi Benellis or Berettas- but I remember when I was 18 too. You can get a regular Nova for b/t $300-$400.

But an extremely fun gun to shoot is a Remmy 572. Tube fed, plenty of shooting. I have had mine for over 20 years. I have had a couple of older Marlin bolts that were OK- not sure about current production. I would buy one without hesitation though. Savage will be a lot of gun for a little money. CZ will more than likely be the most accurate and nicest finished. I have had a few and they were all accurate in 22, 17, and 22mag. You may be able to get in the lower end models at a reasonable cost.

I have had 2 of the P3ATs. A first gen and a second. I personally never had a problem with either. I would suggest looking at the Ruger LCP. To my eyes, it has had more thought put into the production process. Just looks higher quality and is basically the same gun. Around here, there is only $10-$20 difference in it and the P3AT. I actually just gave my Mother my LCP for her to carry. She has had her permit for close to 10 years now and never carried a gun on her person until this one. For Christmas, she will get a Crimson Trace laser and a Galco holster handbag. Ammo to me is a non-issue. After the initial break-in, I do not anticipate her, myself or anyone else to shoot this thing at the range very much. I have too many other pistols that are actually fun to shoot. Sure, I would like for there to be more ammo available, but I have been able to find all the fmj I wanted at the Outpost and my Dad just bought 5 boxes of Hornady Critical Defense for her (out of the 40 boxes in the shipment) in Dickson.

Have you tried switching ammo? I have had a number of rimfires-many of which were Marlins- that would just not be reliable with one particular ammo, but 100% with another. Other than that, I would call Marlin or Brownells if they have them and order a new spring.

I would think they are pretty close to the same. My wife shoots a Benelli 20ga and says it kicks harder than a Beretta semi auto 12ga. Of course the 12 is heavier as well as gas operated. But, when I am not at home, I load her 20 with Buckshot because she is most comfortable with it. In a true home/self defense situation, I doubt if you would care much about recoil. Kind of like a 3.5" turkey gun- your shoulder never hurts until later. I would get the one that you would have additional use for (hunting, clays, etc.), but that is just me.

Something that will ease his shoulder a bit is possibly a PAST recoil pad that you could put on him. Also, maybe let him shoot interactive targets like 2 liter bottles filled with water. It may make him forget the recoil all together.

My Dad, Brother and I have been playing with the Blackhorn. One thing we have found is to use the black saboted Shockwaves. They are harder to load, but improve accuracy a bit. T/C came out with the Superglide (yellow) sabot after the Omega was released. Just made it easier to load. My Brother shot a 3 shot group MOA ~2" at 200yds. If I had not seen it, I would not believe it. He was shooting 120 gr- the max for Blackhorn. My gun likes 110. Dad has an older style Encore and he would shoot 200 gr. if he could, so shoots 120 fairly well. Be sure to use a regular 209 primer and not a ML 209 with the Blackhorn. No swabbing- although after 10 or so shots, it gets a little tougher to load, but not as bad as Pyrodex or T7 after a couple. Cleans up easily with Hoppe's 9 or others.

S&W Model 66 2.5" bbl. Had something messed up with the timing and if I knew then what I do now, I would have sent it back to S&W. The only other handguns I can think of are a few HKs. Just because I sold them too cheap. Glocks and Sigs, I can always just buy more. They never change. I only have a very few guns that I will never get rid of. Everything else will get a ride when I get the wants.

Colt branded 1911s? German Sigs? Glocks have not changed prices much more than 5% in 5-10 years. Sigs keep going up, but with the CPO program, you can buy cheaper. Berettas have stayed about the same price as well I guess. Maybe even come down a little on the 92. HKs are very high as well, and while I think they are awesome, they are overpriced for me to begin with. I would be nervous unless you could find something at a realy good price. I wish I had a tractor trailer load of the HK P7s and Sig P6s that Germany released a couple of years ago, but prices are still close to the same. You could have sold a lot of them though.

I shot Blackpowder for years, then Pyrodex, then Pyrodex pellets, then 777, then 777 pellets. Also have experiemented with IMR White Hots and Shockey's stuff. NONE of them compare to Blackhorn 209. It is expensive, but it is worth every penny. I did not like Pyrodex b/c of cleaning. 777 burns cleaner, but has sugar in the mix and that crud is extremely difficult to clean. Blackhorn 209 max load is 120gr. You will knock your hat off at 150. No cleaning b/t shots and it is by far the most accurate I have tested except for a $2000 custom ML that shoots 200 gr of Pyrodex pellets. My Father, Brother and myself all shoot Blackhorn and are getting awesome groups out to 200 yards. All of us shoot Encores with either the new or old style barrel with the 250gr T/C Shockwave EZ Glide sabot. You owe it to yourself to try it. Be sure to buy regular 209 primers, this stuff is a little harder to light per the manufacturer.

I'm originally from Hickman County. Historically, a great number of deer. However, since Unit L has been around, I think the number is dropping but quality is rising. At least on our farms. 25 minutes from Columbia and Dickson, an hour or less from Nashville. Good fishing, lots of turkeys. An hour to TN River. My mother is a retired school teacher that now sells real estate over there. If you are interested in the Hickman/Dickson/Williamson County area, PM me and I will get you her info.

These are a great sharpener as are Lansky Diamond, DMT, Gatco, etc. Anything that will help you hold the angle will be beneficial. Regular Stones are difficult to hold the angle on for a beginner and depending on the steel in the knife, you could be there forever trying to get it done with a stone. Try a diamond.

You can get a 23 at Buds w/ 3 mags for $359 shipped I think. Add a Lone Wolf 40-9 barrel and you have 2. Then a 40-357 barrel and 3 and on and on. I have been back and forth to the dark side for years. Sigs, XDs, M&Ps, etc. The only ones I truly like and shoot better are H&Ks. But not for the price difference. If you want new, pay $35 to join the GSSF, get the $100 off coupon, buy at a LE dealer and you are good to go.

I keep mine in a Gun Vault finger combination vaults on the floor next to the bed. I have a three year old and have imagined her pushing the correct combination and the door flipping open. The biometric version may be a better option. Education is paramount, but you can only expect so much at a young age.

.22 Rifle- .22 Handgun- .357 Mag Revolver- Bolt Action Rifle-.270 or 30-06 12 gauge pump shotgun- I have more than one of each and several more types, but these couldn't be lived without. These will get you through just about anything that could happen IMO. Ammo availability getting to where it is now and assuming it will get worse, these calibers will always be around and shouldn't require a ton of maintenance. Not necessarily the fanciest, but utilitarian and dead reliable.

I was going to suggest a NEF right off the bat. You wouldn't be out a lot of money and they are good guns. Managed Recoil loads maybe would work. I think the 270 is around the recoil of a 243. I still have the scope mark from my first deer taken with a 270 with full house loads at age 10. The problem would be the fit of the gun. Make sure the scope is adjusted for him. There is going to be a BIG difference going from a Cricket to any deer rifle. Maybe let him blast a 410 shotgun a few times to see what he thinks before potentially turning him away?

Yup! Buy the CW9. If you dont like it after it is broken in, sell it on here for a very small loss and try again. It will most definitely hold its value better than a lot of guns. The only problems I have heard of have been handled nice and fast by Kahr. I had a good one though as most are. Keep buying and selling and it gets fun after a while. The problem is, you make money on some too and then you buy more and more and then you have a 40 gun safe in the corner and guns hidden all over the house.

Stihl or Husky. I have about 10 saws I have built and cut with just for fun right now. I don't heat with wood, just play around with burnt saws, rebuild and resell them. These 2 brands are the best being made. Without knowing what size stuff you are cutting, it is hard to make a suggestion. Go to a dealer- stihl, husky, jonsered (red huskies) or even dolmar. They all make great saws. There are 2 types- clamshell (homeowner) and pro type saws that are easier to work on. More than likely, the homeowner type would be enough. Stihl 290, Husky 450/350 or 455 are all 50-55 cc homeowner saws that wil last a long time with care. High test gas, stihl ultra oil at 50:1 (husky xp oil is good too) and you'll be fine. After using one a while, do yourself a favor and get rid of the safety chain. Pm me for more info. Or, if you dare, go to arboristsite.com and read. Determine a budget and go from there. Just like guns, a little more money usually means a better saw.

Actually just sold my CW9 today in Chattanooga. Anyway, they are very small when compared to Glock 26s, etc. There are smaller ones out there already mentioned. In the Kahr Club on glocktalk, a guy has cut the grip off of his CW-9 to match the PM9 and is able to use the shorter mags in it. I would never screw around with one like that, but he is very pleased. I skimmed the other posts and saw Keltec mentioned, but not the PF9. This may be another option for you. Slimmer version of the P11. Bersa is reportedly coming out with a 9 approximately the size of the Taurus 709 if you want to wait.

I had a SigPro w/o the rail several years ago. I just never could get used to the fit at all. I really wanted to like it, but it never happened. I also had a M&P 45 for a short time. I did not have any problems whatsoever with it. I really liked it, but found something else I liked more. If the SigPro fits you, I would buy it no question. The M&P is also a quality weapon. They did have a few quirks at the beginning, but they have been worked out by now I would think. Something else to consider is a CPO Sig P226 or P229 for the same money as the M&P. Heck, I even know where there is a CPO Stainless P220 for the same price (Maybe less out the door).

I heard that the guy that started this company took the Keltec P11 design and added a safety. He worked for Keltec at one time. I have heard of one person reasonably satisfied with their gun. Many more not so much. Like above, I would suggest looking at a used gun. for $50 bucks more you could get a Sig P6. For $330, you can get a police turn in Glock 22. I got an email the other day advertising Smith 64 revolvers for $190. There are plenty of other quality, established brands out there if you look around.

I had one for a while. One of the gas ports in the barrel was not opened up. And there was rough machining in the forcing cone. It was the first and only time I have ever had to send back to the manufacturer. I had numerous FTF/FTE using Kent and Winchester 3.5s. I got what I paid for- a $400 beater gun. Trying to keep the Berettas and Benellis out of the junk did not pay off for me. Mossberg did replace the barrel and it worked better, but not 100% so I traded it off. I have had 835s and 500s and never had this problem so maybe it was a rare circumstance.

I have one, my brother has one and I also have the much older version. It is what it is- a beam scale. Very well built and accurate according to my weight check set. Digital is so much easier though! With 12 ga., I do not know if I would bother with a digital press though. I assume you will just be checking one every now and then to make sure your press is throwing them correctly. I check about 1 out of every couple of boxes. Probably not enough, but I trust the MEC.