MphsTiger1981

This. Over the many odd years I've pocket carried .22 Beretta, .32 Keltecs, .380 Keltecs, Ruger LCP, Keltec P11 and PF9 with varying degrees of success. My personal findings were that most of them were reliable 98% of the time. Some were finicky about what they ate. Had to use FMJ on the .32 because of the possibility of rimlock. I recently picked up a slightly used 642 from a TGO member and it slides in and out of the pocket very easily. I have carried it in the ankle glove a few times, but for most of my daily routine it works best in a cheap Uncle Mikes nylon pocket holster. The pocket autos were hard to get a good firing grip on when pulling them from the pocket holster, but the revolver is not. I wish mine was a .357 instead of the .38 just because I like options. Some people like to use the Crimson Trace laser with the pocket pistols, but I've found them to be distracting when shooting. I realize these pistols are bad breath distance, get off of me gun, rather than a shoot it out with the Insane Clown Posse or the Latin Kings type of gun. As has often been said, if I find myself needing more than five rounds of .38 +P, I've either exercised some very poor judgment, or the world is coming to an end and i should have brought automatic weapons and more friends.

If you do pick up either a 642 or the 442, you might want to check out this web site which is operated by Michael De Bethencourt. SnubTraining.com

I've driven by there a few times the past few weeks and noticed the parking lot has been almost empty. I stopped in one afternoon looking for a holster and the place was grave yard dead. Everyone was nice and pleasant, especially the guys over in the wheel gun section where I just happened to be shopping. It was a good experience and as the OP said, it was a nice change. +1 on Arms Fair. They are good people and will work with you to help you find whatever you want. It's not a big shop, but they're growing. They've only been in business a few years and it just takes time. I highly recommend them if you're out that way.

Computer snafu. duplicate post.

I experienced the same thing at Range USA on Sunday afternoon, but it was a hour and half wait. I left and drove over to RangeMasters and was the only one using the lanes for almost an hour. I have run into this several times in the past few months at Range USA, once like you, in the middle of the day during the week, like 2:30 pm on a Wednesday. Maybe they are just running too many classes, I dunno. Seems like the range is the bread and butter to me. For what it's worth, if you are from Lakeland, you might consider the TWRA range over off of Hwy 64 and Brother Blvd. It's cheap and for the most part you'd probably have had the range to yourself today. They are open from 11am to 9pm on Thursdays. of course, like anyplace it has a couple of downsides. they are only open at odd hours during the week, the guy who usually runs the place has zero personality, they don't sell ammo, and last but not least, you have to pay in cash or write a check. no plastic. The good news is it's $8.50 for one person to shoot for a lane and that includes either one silhouette target or two bulls, or $12.50 for two shooters on a lane, and includes targets. And that really wasn't a rant, it's certainly understandable. You might shoot the owner Scott an email on the Range USA website and let him know how disappointed you were. Couldn't hurt.

This thread is useless without pics!

Nothing wrong with your Glock. This is a very common experience at gun ranges with people shooting so close to each other. If he was shooting a semi-auto, his gun was also probably showering hot cases down on the person to his right. Of course, if he's shooting a revolver, that's different. The best lane for not dealing with this is always the booth on the left end of the range if it's available. Congratulations on the new Glock. Nice purchase for a first gun.

Thanks. I'm pretty certain the holes that are stripped. I carried it tip up and had to keep trying to tighten the screws, eventually the threads wouldn't hold, and the clip fell completely off. I then moved the screws and clip to the opposite end of the knife and it worked fine. Carried it tip down for a few months with no problems and then the same thing began to happen until the screws no longer tighten whatsoever. I've only owned one Benchmade, but I've heard and read good things about their products. This one is also hard to open using the thumb assist.

(First a disclaimer: I am not a knife guy. Since I was a kid, I have always carried a pocket knife, but my knowledge of the knife world as it stands today, is very limited.) I bought a Benchmade Mini Pika a few years ago. Then suddenly, the handle where the screws that attach the pocket clip became stripped out, making it impossible to attach the pocket clip. I tried blue loctite but to no avail. I ended up sending it back and Benchmade replaced it with a new knife under warranty. Now, the same thing happened to the replacement knife. I guess I'm wondering if Benchmade will replace the replacement knife, or if it's worth the hassle of shipping it back to them. I like the convenience of having the knife clipped to my pocket, and not having to fish around all the other stuff in my pocket to bring it out when I need it. I've also looked at a couple of knives to just replace it, namely the Sypderco's Tenacious and Delica Wave. So, whatever I end up using will be primarily a knife to open packages, letters, some cutting for cooking, but might also be used as a self defense knife if push came to shove. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Nicely done Graycrait!

+1. RangeUSA has a large selection of rental guns for you to compare. You simply pay a $10 rental fee and buy the ammo from them for that weapon. If you tried out four different guns all in .45 ACP, you would only have to buy one box of ammo (unless you just wanted more). The staff there is very friendly and they are also good about answering questions you might have. They are located on Whitten Rd off just off of I-40. It's probably just a little over 45 minutes from the 45 bypass.

Eapking, Take it by Classic Arms and see if they there can do anything with it. My wife's dad had an old Colt Dick Special that had been in a drawer for over 20 years. I could bearly open the thing to make sure it was unloaded, it was so gummed up. The guy over there stripped down and cleaned it out and got it working for me. Charged about $40, if I remember. Sad truth is there aren't many good smiths around here anymore. The guy over at G&A has a terrible attitude problem, and the guy over at Dowdle Sporting goods stays about a month behind schedule. ( You can ship it to the factory and get it back quicker than that with most stuff.) If by chance you find someone, please share the info. Good luck!

I just spent about three weeks handling claims in east Tennessee after the storms from 4-27-11. I'm on vacation this week. Not to be insensitive or nothin' but can't all of this wait until at least next week? Seriously?

This.

Very nice. Congrats on a nice pick up!

Why are all the great deals always on the other side of the state?

As a last resort, you can also call Ruger's Customer Service and they will walk you through it while you're on the phone with them. Assuming all else fails. Don't ask me how I know.

For what it's worth, the PF9 is probably more easily concealed than the Taurus. I also have a PF9 and it gets carried twice as much as my 1911. I carry it in a pocket holster, IWB, OWB, Smart Carry, and Belly Band. To say the least, it's versatile. I love my full size 1911, but the PF9 gets the call more times than the 1911 just based upon ease of carry. I don't feel under gunned with either. As everyone has said, you have to decide what works best for you personally. Good luck!

I was in a pawn shop in downtown Memphis today and saw this same model (642) for sale for $489.00. Apparently, not everyone is marking theirs down. Perhaps this is old stock and when they get some new ones in they'll mark them down to what you paid for yours JAB. Nice pistols. congrats on such a nice purchase.

Mine was a used Smith and Wesson Model 28 Highway Patrolman with 6" barrel. Purchased the day after my 18th birthday. Kept it for many years and even carried it while working as a deputy. After a year or two of wearing it on my Sam Brown, I grew tired of the weight, and bought a Glock 17 to replace it. I eventually sold the revolver. Sure wish I had it now!! It was one sweet shooter.

FWIW, KT's customer service is second to none based upon my own personal experience. Regardless of whether you're the original owner or not, if you have a problem you can call them and if it is something you can do yourself, extractor, firing pin, recoils springs, etc, they will mail you the parts directly to your home. If you send it in, they'll fix it. I have personally never owned a Taurus, but I've owned several of the little KT pistols and the only minor problems I've experienced were taken care of very quickly. I've always been very pleased by all of my experiences with the KT customer service. While this alone won't help the OP decide which gun he likes best, or if he should make the trade, it might be worth considering in the event something goes wrong with either of them.

As has been stated, there are two sides to every story. We were not there, so it's only the word of the OP vs Mr. Givens giving defense of his employee. Mr. Givens has further stated RangeMaster's has a somewhat strict policy regarding which guns they allow for the HCP class and the thinking behind this policy. He also stated they provide a pistol to take the class at no charge. The free gun is a very nice touch, no doubt. Likewise, no one wants to be told the gun he bought for his loved one in so many words is a p.o.s.. I will further add that I have had personal experiences with RangeMaster, having both purchased a pistol from them, and taken a tactical pistol class there. I found the instructors to be professional and very informative. I left there much more accomplished and confident in my abilities than I was before taking the class. Mr. Givens has earned national reputation as one of the nations leading self defense instructors. I have stopped by in the middle of the day browsing the showroom. I have had the opportunity to personally discuss my ccw needs with Mr. Givens. He was no doubt busy, but treated me with respect, was quick and to the point about what would best serve my needs. For that, I was both grateful and impressed with his knowledge. Tom Givens is indeed a smart man, who knows his craft. That being said, I have also, on occasion, personally been spoken to and observed others spoken to in short, curt, somewhat rude manner by the staff. Whether or not it is fairly earned, RangeMasters staff has developed a reputation for sometimes displaying a somewhat less than the accommodating "customer comes first" attitude towards the general shooting public. And yes, "any one can have a bad day", but you can visit any of the other ranges in this area and it would be very rare to have someone on staff come across as gruff, short or rude, even on a bad day. Customer service seems to receive a much higher focus at RangeMaster's local competitors. I know this because I personally frequent the others more so now than I do RangeMasters for this very reason. I fully understand that these guys are busy, and they are in a very serious business, and I might add that they are in a high crime neighborhood and probably get cased for robbery about once every three or four weeks. With that in mind, I don't expect the staff to pretend they work at a daycare center or run a Sunday School. I also think the old saying about "be polite but have a plan to kill everyone you meet" comes to mind. Obviously the staff has a plan to kill us, but what about the polite part? The bottom line is just that. If RangeMasters can continue to not just exist, but to thrive economically in our community doing business as they have in the past, then obviously the staff is not as bad as the reputation they have developed. But, if they really do treat customers poorly for an extended period of time, then the shooting public will respond the way that speaks the loudest, they will take their business elsewhere.

This. +1:D

+1 G19 or G23 are both incredible values for the money.

I had one back in the '70s. it was a neat little gun. Bought it new for $150. Sold it to a guy I worked with back in the '90s for $75. It was finicky about ammo, if I recall. I wish I still had it, just for the cool factor if nothing else. Fun plinking gun.