graycrait

I find it somewheat amusing that some would find my first impression of the R1 "off putting" when they don't know me or what I do with handguns. All I am saying is that the gunshop I go to most of the time, which is run by gun nuts, all of which have multiple copies of 1911s, are sending the first R1 that they got in because Remington screwed up the thumbsafety on that particular pistol. However, having done action work on 1911s before I am not impressed by Remington's first effort on the thumb safety. I digress. I don't think I have ever handled a 1911 made before 1912, I am certain I may have missed something. The first 1911 I actually got to shoot was not before 1973. I have an 84 yr old shooting buddy who has a couple of dozen 1911s, including his grandfather's WWI pistol his Grandfather carried in WWI. I know for a fact that there are people who know more about tuning, fixing or shooting 1911s than I do. Heck I made up a nice shooting .22 bullseye gun for a former member of the AMU who shot 1911s for the Army in the 60's. Again I know for a fact, having read books written by them, that there are tons of guys who know more about 1911s than I do, I don't meet them very often face to face. Simply put - this particulare R1, NIB, is being sent back to Remington by the shop owner due to a faulty thumbsafety. Could I fix it through a simple redesign with a file and some sandpaper? Yes. But that is not the point. I hope Remington gets it right. I was sort of hoping for the Holy Grail myself - a well-made US manufactured and assembled Mil Spec 1911. The one I saw "ain't it" at this time. The safety is a small issue to be sure, but it makes me wonder what else might not be quite right. Maybe that is the only flaw and will be corrected in short order with many thousands of happy customers. If that is the case - then "Go Remington R1!" I'll wait to see what happens with that thumb safety.

http://www.brassfetcher.com/158%20grain%20+P%20lead%20HP%20(test%202).html You are going to get a lot of advice. For a revolver that size and weight I say practice as much as you can. You will be suprised how accurate a DA only snubbie can be. I did work on a gun exactly like that for an FBI agent. I enjoy revolvers of every size but don't carry them. I find Keltec .32s and Glock 9mms just as reliable and easier to shoot fast and well. I recommend using 3X5 cards with a 1" dot in the middle as target at 10 yards maximum. You should be able to shoot the 1" dot out with 5 shots. Mount multiple 3x5 cards on your target backstop, number them and shoot patterns or random number selections. Have someone call out the numbers. Use two hands at first. Then use both left and right hand one-handed. Cant the pistol slightly inward when shooting one-handed. Keep both eyes open at all times. This is not a bullseye handgun. This is a save your .... when everything else you have done has failed, including running away. If you have to use this gun you have chosen the wrong geography, occupation, have the wrong attitude or have achieved that thing most of us hope to avoid - that one random act. In any case shoot fast, often and keep both eyes open. Craig

I had an FNP for a short time, it worked, felt decent, but wasn't a big enough jump over Glock to make me want to keep it. I've had 4 or 5 CZ's, pretty nice overall and for full size they make nice service pistols. I like what they have done to the FNX and would trade for one if I wouldn't lose too much in the deal. I'm wondering in overall handling how those decocker/safety levers hold up or if they may be prone to being "accidentally" moved?

Took a look at one this morning at my local gunshop. Fit and finish was average for this price point. However the shop was sending this NIB R1 back because the thumb safety was not right. In my estimation it is a poor design and would actually need to be radiused with a file or better yet, replaced with a better designed safety. From what I saw it brought a big "Yawn" and if I were in the mood for a bargain 1911 it would be the Philipino Rock Island or the Brazilian Taurus or the Springfield (Imbel Brazil) MilSpec.

I've had two of the Taurus 905s. The problem with the Taurus is that the moonclips are flimsy. If you carry a loaded spare in your pocket the clip will bend and the ammo will fall out. 9mm out of a snubbie "ain't" no joke to shoot either. I also had a wonderful shooting 9mm Ruger Speed Six which I should not have traded. Sturdy clips of which I had something like 18 or 20. I would go through ammo in that revolver nearly as fast as I could with a 9mm Glock. That was a fun gun. If I were going to get a pocket cannon I would get the Keltec PF9 - I've had two of those also. I generally just carry a Glock 19L 9mm and Keltec .32 nowadays and call it a done deal.

I've handled, not shot one of these. I like the utilitarian feel and balance of this rifle, and is less bulky than my long gone MAK 90. Does anyone have good/bad experiences with them? I've read lots of good reports and some not so good (especially when trying to mount scopes). It appears that Armalite may resurrect the 180B in 2011 with an aluminum lower and some kind of rail. However, I'm interesed in the current plastic lower 180B - but I don't think I want to pay 700.00 for the experience. It almost seems Glock-like in a long gun form; simple and roughly sleek. Craig in Clarksville

A friend of mine used to bring his .454 Alaskan to the range with his handloads. He would give the the gun to me so I could "show" those assembled how a double action revolver was supposed to be shot in double action. I loved shooting a cylinder or two through that thing as fast as I could trying to hit the steel plates. It was comparatively slow getting those followup shots but not as slow as I originally thought it was going to be. Seemed to me some pretty costly fun. Nice gun for an experienced reloader I suppose. I'm sure there is a use for it other than letting knuckleheads like me blow off ammo at a range. Around here I'm not quite sure what that practical use would be.

I used to make leather knife sheaths for a fella and got to handle a lot of knives. I also bought, sold and traded a lot of them. I fiddled and fooled with so many "good" knives I became bamboozled by all the marketing. My most useful knives are pictured: Swiss Army (don't know the model) but I took the spine Phillips head screwdriver and ground it down so that I could punch out gun pins, primarily on Glocks. I carry that one all the time. The other one pictured is one I designed and a fella made it for me. The only things I would change on my design is add 3/4" or 1" to the blade and make a bit of belly on the edge. Another inch would make it even more useful for kitchen chores. The knife is tapered full tang with red spacers between the canvas micarta, blade is 440C. I have a few other specialty knives but the most useful knives at a good price I have come across are Helle laminate steel knives from here: Helle Knives from Ragnar This is the fella that made my knife to my specs: Hunting knives and skinners. Cleveland, GA

I've been buying, selling, trading .22s in an attempt to get several that I really enjoy shooting; inlcuding old Remingtons, Winchesters, Savage, etc. My favorites are the several Mossbergs I have. Next up is the CZ 452 Ultra Lux 28" barrel w/Tech Sights and Brooks trigger kit. I also have this Marlin Papoose I mess around with. The 3 current 10/22s I own are a diversion and I can honestly say I have spent more time on 10/22s than they deserve in my opinion. Pics of other .22s: 1st is the CZ, what an elegant thing. I crudely took off the rear sight mount and I need to clean that up some over time, but I can see where this rifle will be once that is done. Second is a Mossberg 46B( that was made '47-'49, so it is a contemporary of the 151M(a). Lastly is my Papoose which I cut the stock off, fitted a surplus M16 Trapdoor buttplate too to store mags and takedown tool in the hollow stock. Why that isn't done at the factory for all hollow plastic stock rifles... cost I suppose: Links: Mossberg 22 LR Models and Specifications Ultradot USA Home RimfireCentral.com - Rimfire Community! http://www.rimfiretechnologies.com/ Tech-SIGHTS Precision Shooting Accessories Pics:

The first picture is of a Mossberg 151M(a) made in '47-'48, sporting a Weaver B4 with a R.A. Litschert 2X magnifier. Below it is a Ruger 10/22 with a Rimfire Technologies Lothar Walther aluminum shrouded threaded barrel on a hard side Hogue overmolded pillar bedded stock, Tactical Solutions 15MOA scope rail and Tactical Solutions mag release. Internally are Rimfire Technologies hammer and auto bolt release. Optic is Ultra Dot Matchdot adjustable 2-11 MOA. Interestingly squirrels can't tell the difference which of these launched the bullet.

I say go for the trade. It is the only way you are probably going to get to try out a wide variety of guns, which then allows you to settle on a small number that you will use and become good with. Lots of guns sitting in safes that never get used, owner dies and the kids sell them off at pennies on the dollar, pawn them or trade them off themselves. If your gun was a vintage S&W nickel plated Bodyguard or some other collectable, then trading may not make sense, economically or otherwise. I've traded or re-sold my share of handguns. I really like snubbies, including doing tuning work on the ones I used to have and others'. My daily carry guns are plastic framed guns, why? Reliability, ergonomics, capacity and weight. Also, there is no shortage of 642s if you want to go back to that gun. If it were me I would go for that SR9C. The SR9Cs, the ones I have monkeyed with, have had very nice triggers. Here is my little test. I figure if I have to use my gun everything else has gone wrong in my life in seconds or minutes leading up to firearms use, which means I proably won't get to do a two-handed modified Weaver strong-side. So I grab my SD guns weak-side, one-handed and try to shoot fast into a small paper plate. If I can handle the gun that way then I will work with it if I like it otherwise. There are guns I like that I can't do that drill well with, I don't have any of those any longer. I think I don't have enough money, ammo and time to be as good as I can be with the guns that work for me. Why waste more time on those that don't work so well for me? I have spent considerable time and money finally figuring that out.

I wonder if Made in America means simply assembled in America or is it really made in America. Is the slide and frame made here and by whom? How is it made? Even Springfield Armory imports slides and frames.

Do not go Taurus revolver, QC has gone downhill in the last 20 years. Do not get a .357 snubbie to shoot .357 ammo. The .357 was never meant to achieve maximum velocity out of a snubbie. Even at its inefficiencies out of a snubbie it is hard as heck to get a followup shot. With a save your behind gun you need to be able to put multiple rounds into the kill zone quickly with either hand one-handed. .357 out of a snubbie weak hand in a panic will likely not work well. For a few who practice and have experience it might work, but doubtful.

I do a reasonable amount of work on revolvers for friends. I get to see the innards of both new and old ones. I can't imagine quality revolvers made for a reasonable cost like back when S&W were making pinned and recessed .357's. I may be wrong here but it is my opinion that even with Ruger revolvers the older Speed or Service Six series (pre-GP or SP) may have had a bit more handfinishing than the new ones. Ruger does a good job in casting but I think I tend to find more bits of "slag" and some "burrs" in newer Rugers than older ones. This tends to tell me that Ruger's casting is better than ever, but it is so good now that they eliminate nearly any hand finishing, just cast and assemble. I suspect S&W is about the same way for many steps of the production. These days I just stay away from Charter and Taurus revolvers. I have had several Taurus and even have a Charter now that is in pieces waiting for me to order a part and to be put back together, which I am in no hurry to do. Charter and Taurus are a lot less costly than Ruger and S&W for a reason and it just isn't brand. My favorites: K-frame .357s or .38s and Ruger SP101 or older Ruger Speed Six. However, I do have beautiful nickel S&W J frame Bodyguard that belongs to a friend who wants me to tune it up that I have been admiring.... Nickel with mother of pearl handles? I never would have thought I would like a gun with that set up but it seems a handy go-to-church style gun, a bit pimpish, but a nice running little piece. Look around there are still a few bargains in the used revolver market. Never ignore the chance to look at police turn-ins or security company turn-ins. I've seen some neat Brinks turn-ins lately that are pretty nice and at 250.00 for a much carried little shot S&W K-frame, how can you go wrong?

3rd Gen G19 Redux:

Keep the HS .357 it is not worth much on the used market as a Face to face trade and would not get you much in the way of barter with a gun shop. It is a serviceable defense gun if kept in good operating condition. Watch which .357 rounds you use for SD, over penetration can be a problem. In a snubbie followup up shots are worrisom. For me capacity in a snubbie is a concern in a worse case scenario. Concerning which caliber is best for a home defense gun is sort of a moot point if one cannot quickly acquire the weapon, clearly identify the target, point shoot at night, etc., etc. However, just about anything equal to or greater than .38 will do the job. Modern bullets expand well in most semi-autos. I've owned more .357s that I care to admit, but carry only Glock 9mm for SD. I practice better & more with 9mm. 12 or 20 gauge shotguns reign unchallenged as the best home defense weapon. Shot gun shot selection allows a wide range of home applications, especially limiting collateral damage while destroying the target. Arguing one shot stops between .38/9/.40/.357/.357 Sig/.44/.45 handguns is a waste of breath and energy, especially if you are a good shooter. A well placed shot or group of shots will do a job in any of the aforementioned calibers, but then they are just handgun calibers - "weak sisters" compared to serious long guns or shotguns. Best shooter I know is an Ex-Army, Ex-PD, now FBI agent. He works at shooting and tells me although he works with the 1911 and trusts his, he also has to carry a Glock .40, but his favorite SD pistol is the Glock 19 9mm. He also has a couple of snubbie .38s. Some interesting reading: Ballistics by the inch http://www.supertrap.com/ST_Downloads_files/HandgunStopPower2.pdf Ammunition and Ballistics at mouseguns.com

I have been on RFC for a number of years. I dabble in quite a few different .22s, both long and short guns. Craig

Broomhead, I have an extra hammer if you want it. I think it is stock, but out of the 4 or 5 hammers I have it may be aftermarket. I can't tell anymore. I have had 4 10/22s, 3 on hand. Jeez Louise, I have learned some stuff about 10/22s in the past several days. I have 4 10/22 bolts for 3 rifles, they are not all the same configuration. Also, some trigger housings will not work with some bolts. I have 4 trigger housings for 3 10/22s. Some bolts will not work with some barrels. Some bolts will not work with some barrel/chamber configurations. Some extractors will not work with some bolt/chamber matchups. Some recoil springs will not work with some bolts. Don''t worry about taking stones and dremel bits to a 90.00 dollar afermarket bolt. I think I am a couple of weeks away from being a 10/22 meister. These things can't beat me. But they are frustrating me. biggest lessons learned: get your stock barrel and bolt reworked for HV ammo by Randy at CPC. Buy a VQ hammer. Bed your action. Get a hex head takedown screw. Don't do anything else. If you want a Cooper buy a Cooper. CPC 10/22 Bolt Rework, Craig Harrington Clarksville, TN

I have had six or so 1911's, don't have any currently. I've done some armorer style work on quite a few. My 84 yr old WWII Marine vet shooting buddy has several ammo cans full of 1911s, various makes and barrel lengths, stuffed in socks doing nothing. He uses Kahrs, Glocks and .38 snubbies. In my mind it is hard to beat a 1911 trigger well done. The 5" 1911 is a good gun, but the others all have some sort of issue that needs constant supervision to maintain reliability. The shorter the 1911 the more attention they seem to need. I prefer the recoil impulse, trigger and natural shooting tendency of the 1911, but those attributes are outweighed in my mind by Glock's reliability, durability, price of parts (if rarely needed) and carry weight. If I was a pro LEO like FBI SWAT or HRT I would like the Springfields that they endorse, but as a middle aged civilian who just wants peace and quiet I will happily settle for my Glock 9mms. Craig

I'm trying to find someone locally that knows 10/22s inside and out or at least has put together several good shooters that I can bounce ideas off of and maybe get together to go shooting. Right now I have 3 10/22s, two are costing me a lot of time and money, the other I am keeping stock as a "control." I have a Rimfire Technologies trigger housing and R/T bolt that I would swap for a decent Marlin or Savage if I didn't have this crazy idea that I can get them to improve two aftermarket barrels. It ain't working out as planned though. Craig in Clarksville

Never mind I think it is Hulme's Sporting Goods. Craig

"The old store in Paris is much larger than the one they have been operating out of in Lexington. The old store and range was sold, and is run by another company now, who also will be starting a website before too long." What is the store's new name? Craig in Clarksville, TN

Durability and reliability go to Ruger SP series. I work on revolvers ever now and then for friends. I've had most of the current brands apart and some not so current. In fact I am waiting for some parts for a Charter Police Undercover. There is no comparison in reliability and durability - the Ruger wins hands down. I traded for this Charter just to see how it does, and have shot other Charters, esp. the .44Spl. I would not pay cash for a Charter and after this last one I will steer clear of any others.

tapco stock, Green Mountain Running Boar Barrel and C-More.

ATI with Rimfire Technologies Stealth Sporter barrel and some other "stuff".