1gewehr

Yes, there is ALWAYS a learning curve. With some pistols the learning curve is shorter than others. There is a reason why target pistols have a short trigger travel, crisp let-off, and short reset distance. As mentioned above, learning to shoot a double-action revolver well makes most other pistols easier to master. If nothing else, the long travel and double-action will graphically teach you the mechanics of how your trigger finger affects the front sight movement.

Cap, you may be right. I still have to wonder when someone uses the emotionally-charged term 'gun violence' why that is so much more heinous than other types of violence? And I somehow also missed any reference to the Amish beard-cutting epidemic in the article. I thought that they had caught at least one of the miscreants in those cases.

As usual, it comes with lots of spin. The story talks about 'gun violence' as if this was somehow intentional instead of being simple stupidity. This is tragic for two families, and I am appalled that AP would try and link this to a series of murders.

I'm certain that you are such a shining pure light of innocence that you will never be convicted of wrong-doing. Even by someone who takes a dislike to you. But there are other people who may still be innocent and not have your celestial connections. Likewise, it has been known to happen that some jurisdictions have been known to have 'bad cops', or even prosecutors who want to make an example or win a reputation. But the most likely case is the Federal Agency that has an agenda. We know that only real violent career criminals have ever been convicted by the IRS, ATF, FDA, OSHA, EPA, or any other alphabet agency, don't we? Just for fun, some time, why don't you look up the EPAs arrest and conviction history. And ATF? There are entire webpages devoted to that agency's abuses. As for SWAT teams, there have been hundreds of documented cases where SWAT teams did a 'dynamic entry' on a residence that had no criminals in it. Informers make up addresses, get them wrong, or just plain lie. Paperwork gets addresses mis-spelled or numbers written down wrong. And sometimes, the SWAT team just plain gets the wrong house. And sometimes people die or go to jail as a result. And while you may be right that in most cases it still takes bad judgement to get convicted of a felony, do you really want to take that chance? Don't just think of yourself. Think of everyone else out there, who lives a quiet, decent life. Do THEY deserve to lose their rights if they run afoul of a silly law or rogue law enforcement? You make the argument that you are proof against wrongful conviction. But we are not discussing you. We are talking about other people. And not all of them were really criminals or violent.

Just send it in to Taurus. You are assuming that they never made any with metal pins. Maybe they did. Taurus parts are hard to find because Taurus does not sell off their old parts. They keep them to back up that lifetime warranty.

Eastern Black Bear are nowhere near as dangerous or tough as a Brown or Grizzly. Many years ago, I knew an old coot in Western NC who claimed that he used a .38Spl Colt revolver to poach Black Bear. He said he rarely had to shoot more than 10 yards, and the sound of the .38 didn't carry very far. Lots of Black Bears have been hunted with .357 revolvers.

As a teenager, I saw a gunfight in New York City that took place across the roof of a Cadillac DeVille. Two pimps popping at each other with little .25 autos. Two empty guns later, neither had been hit and the gunfight was reduced to shouting as neither had a reload. In that case, the one with a 'pointy stick' would probably have drawn blood. The great advantages of any handgun over a pointy stick, knife, club, or other hand weapon are range and ease of use. Useful skill with a handgun is easily learned, and six rounds of .380 or .38 is capable of a great deal more damage at 10 yards than the pointy stick. An 80-year old frail woman with a .38 is a danger to the life of the goblin who breaks into her home. The pointy stick would be much less of a threat to her assailant.

My friends in Alaska who go in bear country all carry .44M revolvers. Either S&W M29 , M629, or Ruger Redhawks. I'll trust their experience. My experience with .44M revolvers is that it takes practice to be able to rapidly hit a target at combat ranges (50ft and less). After shooting several .44 revolvers, I prefer my Redhawk (NOT the Super) 5" barrel. It is a little heavier than the S&W, but also much stronger. The trigger pull is not anywhere as nice as the S&W, but there are some good 'smiths who can make it much better. I recommend having that done if you get a Redhawk. When you practice, use full-power loads. Recoil recovery is the skill you need to learn, and you cannot get that with lighter loads. Longer barrels improve accuracy and control, but reduce the ability to employ it quickly and make it less comfortable to wear. I like 5-6" barrels best. Anything over 6" makes the pistol unwieldy for wearing and quick use. While I agree with the fellow who recommended a Dillon minigun for Grizzly, the .44M revolver is the best compromise as a carry weapon. Remember that the only good carry weapon is the one you CARRY. A minigun is no use if it is not there when you need it. Neither is a .45-70 BFR or other super-large pistol. My experience is that a .44M revolver is the most powerful pistol you can carry that you will really be able to get used to carrying on your belt.

So, if you buy a used car, get pulled over at a traffic stop and a drug dog happens to find a hidden baggie of cocaine in your car, it's OK for you to lose all of your rights? It's happened more than once. Or, how about the SWAT team goes to YOUR place based on the testimony of a paid informer, conducts a raid during which you shoot at a cop breaking down your door. You survive, but go to jail for 'attempted homicide'. This has also happened more often than you would think. Also, there are a LOT of laws that make violators felons that almost all folks would never guess. How about installing a classic toilet when you redecorate your house? If it flushes 2 gallons, you are a felon. Ever spilled oil while changing the oil in your car? In some places, it's a felony.

The PSL is not a 'match-grade' rifle. The barrel is too thin and there is a lot of recoiling mass that affects accuracy. With regular surplus light ball ammo, you will probably get around 4moa. I had some Czech silvertip light ball and got 2-3moa. The Wolf Gold 148gr gives pretty consistent results but is still only about 2moa. To get the best potential out of this rifle, you need to either handload or find a supply of the Russian 7N1 ammo. With the 7N1 sniper ammo, I got about 1-1.5moa from my PSL. You can get handload recipes that meet that accuracy. A web search will get you started.

As far as accuracy goes, in a .22 pistol anything over 4" does not really make a difference. Added barrel length gives a longer sight radius if you are using iron sights, and more velocity. For target shooting, more velocity is irrelevant. In fact, target ammo is designed to stay subsonic so that you don't have supersonic transitions affecting accuracy. If you are planning on using an optic sight, the shorter barrel will be fine. If iron sights are your preference, the longer fluted barrel allows the longer sight radius without a huge weight penalty.

Statistically, Mexican drug gangs get most of their weapons from either the Mexican Police and Army, or bought from overseas. Why would they pay $800-1000 for a US semi-auto AR-15 when they can get a full-auto M4 from the Mexican police for half that? And a full-auto AK from a dealer for about $250. When you are smuggling tons of marijuana, cocaine, etc, how difficult is it to stuff a few hundred pounds of machineguns and grenades in with the load?

I put our our used cat litter around the outside of the foundation of the house a couple of times each year. Especially right before it gets cold. We used to have a problem with a few mice seeking shelter each year. We haven't seen any evidence of mice since we started doing the cat litter treatment. It seems to keep the moles away from the shrubbery as well. One pan of used kitty litter treats the whole house!

A little history may help. The '+P' ammo started to appear in the 1980's. Initially, it was in .38Spl trying to get up closer to .357 performance. Teh 9mm '+P' loads cam around a few years later, followed quickly by the other calibers. My advice would be that if it was made before 1990, I would be very cautious about using +P ammo in it.

But money is the only real tool we have that enables a criminal to make good the damage he has caused. And it is for damages that cannot be made good with money (murder, rape, etc) that we should be utilizing prisons. And the courts DO have a long history and methodology of assessing damages caused by embezzlement, and other such non-violent crimes. My point remains that if the damages can be repaid, then after they ARE repaid, the person who caused them should get their life back. And I stress my other point. If a crime has no person who has suffered damages, then there really has been no crime. Who is the victim if someone installs a toilet which uses 2 gallons per flush? Who is the victim if someone cuts their shotgun barrel down to 17", but it is never used in a crime? Who is the victim if someone has arthritis and carries a pocketknife which uses a spring to assist the opening? In these cases, the victim is the person being prosecuted who loses essential rights as a result of a conviction. That is supposedly why we have jury trials. To allow the jury to decide if a person should be prosecuted by a stupid law.

Functions fine with mine and a Ceiner kit. The faster twist stabilizes it better than most normal .22 barrels. Not recommended for use with a suppressor as it tends to wobble a bit as it exits th muzzle and may cause baffle strikes.

I'm really more concerned about how many police departments actively recruit from gangs. LA being the most notorious.

Let's use words correctly. There is no possible way that losing a right can repay a debt. And the phrase 'debt to society' is not just slang. It really means to repay society for the expenses caused by committing a crime. If a book-keeper steals from the company accounts, then the amount they stole, the cost to the company of prosecuting the criminal, the court costs, and other expenses and damage caused by the crime are what the criminal 'owes' to society. Obviously, such non-violent crimes can be accurately accounted, and the debt repaid. The problem comes in when you add violence to a crime. How do you put a price on a murder? A criminal cannot possibly pay back THAT debt. That is why we lock them up. Somehow, our system of justice has gotten away from that. So, now we lock people up for crimes that have no victims and take away fundamental rights without any means for that person to ever get them back. Where is the sense in that? If you cannot point to the damage, then there should be no crime. And thus, no 'debt to society'.

Also to verify TN residence. You cannot legally buy a handgun from someone out of state without getting an FFL involved.

I have a Detonics, Star PD, and Star Firestar in .45. Both the Detonics and Firestar are compact, solid steel little bricks. And they are very reliable. But, I carry the Star PD. It's thin, light, and reliable. None of these are being made any more. But they are all still good choices for CCW. I used to have a little AMT Backup in .45. But I could never get it to cycle reliably with anything except milspec .45 ball. even then, I never really trusted it. I liked the feel of it, and it was easy to carry shoot quickly. Others have had better luck, so maybe it was just mine that was a problem.

I like Bob and usually respect his opinions. On gun control, he and I are on opposite sides. He has his opinion that somehow government has the ability to restrict a criminal's ability to acquire guns. Contrary to all facts and studies, he still believes it. In this case, Bob is a perfect example of someone who is going to believe what he wants to believe regardless of facts. I cannot understand why he felt it necessary to talk to a known gun-hater about it.

Link for this year's games: http://www.fbschedules.com/downloads/2011-12-bowl-schedule.pdf

P1s are very nice and an excellent bargain! Walther quality and a great design for under $350. Beat THAT! While not rated for +P ammo, they do handle NATO-spec which is 124gr at about 1200fps. Many women like them as the grip is thinner and fits their hands better. Don't just flick the hammer-drop safety on. Ease it on to lower the hammer slowly. While the hammer-drop is a decent design, they have been known to fail when mis-treated. It's better to just treat it gently and never worry. The magazine release is typical European heel-type. It takes some getting used to. Genuine Walther magazines are inexpensive right now. Stock up as they are excellent quality and very reliable. Aftermarket mags aren't worth bothering with. The small dual recoil springs tend to wear out more quickly than most pistols and should be replaced about every 2000 rounds. They are also inexpensive, and the factory springs are good quality. Right now, you can get a complete spare parts set without frame or barrel for about $99 from several sources (CDNN, Sarco, etc).

There is nothing wrong with some of the less-expensive lowers. Some are cast, and some are machined from a block of aluminum. There has been a lot of hype about forging. It's just that as far as an AR lower is concerned. The lower takes no major stresses in an AR. It just holds stuff together. Many years ago (1984), there was a company that started making inexpensive cast lowers (EA, Essential Arms). Many folks disparaged the product as it was not milspec. I have yet to see one that has failed. Many were made into machineguns before the ban and have had many thousands of rounds fired through them. I have one that was used to build a semi-AR-15 and had at least 10,000 rounds through it with no issues. I then used the same receiver for my Ferret 50, .50 BMG rifle. I have over 500 rds of .50BMG through it and no sign of any issues. I currently have a Surplus Arms & Ammo lower that looks very nice ($79 ea.). I've known several folks who built on Palmetto Armory receivers ($59 ea on sale) and have been very pleased. You can pay more money, but unless you really want a special appearance, you won't get an added functionality, durability, or reliability with more expensive receivers. Unless YOU are capable of shooting well under 1moa, there is no pointing getting the special target features.

Bad: Do not dry fire it. You will eventually break the firing pin. Murphy says "sooner rather than later". Some people complain the trigger bites them. Others never see it. Depends on how your hands are shaped, I guess. Hammer drop safety sometimes isn't safe. Don't rely on it. Use factory magazines. Aftermarket ones are crap. Good: Powerful, reliable, and accurate pistols. CZ has a reputation for making well-made firearms. Spare parts are still pretty inexpensive. Get a couple of extra firing pins. US-made ones are actually better int his case. Gleefully eats any ammo you find. SMG ammo makes great fireballs in low light! Take care of it and your grand-children will enjoy it too! It's that well made! Clever design is roller-locked, like a H&K rifle. Makes a strong action.