graycrait

Yes, recently. Call me cheap, frugal or whatever, but it takes a lot to make me part with cash for a gun. These two were like a hedge against inflation. Can a person get either any cheaper, legally, especially in a retail establishment? They aren't pretty but they work well. The dogs and I don't mind what they look like.

Academy of Self Protection is just off Exit 35 as you are going out of Nashville towards Clarksville. Indoor range there also. I've found some good deals there from time to time. Guns and Leather is a good store owned by good people but I don't get up there too often these days. Kind of a long drive and it is usually so busy in there on the weekends there isn't much chance to chat. I generally stick to Tennessee Gun Country in Clarksville these days. Great retail prices, good special order prices, and have or quickly can get anything I need or want. Craig

I haven't had any K Frames for a few years or a 1911 for some time now. Attached is a picture of a Double Action Only S&W Model 64-6 4" heavy barrel that bought for 249.00 (282.00 OTD) from Academy of Self Protection in Joelton, TN. The pictured SA 1911A1 I got at TN Gun Country in Clarksville for 325.00 OTD. That K Frame's internals were pristine, although considerable holster wear is evident. There was essentially no endshake, forcing cone was crisp, no topstrap cutting and crane lockup is tight and even. I believe it still had some factory lube on some internal parts. After installing new rebound and main springs (can't shoot DAO effectively with heavy factory springs), as well as a Hogue Bantam round butt grip this DAO Brinks turn-in is awesome in function. I've been looking for a solution to finding a cost effective 1911 frame to use as a receiver for a .22LR 1911 conversion kit. The SA 1911A1, although nicely broken in with some surface scratches, is 1911 tight in all aspects, as well as smooth as butter. I figured getting the complete 1911A1 for 335.00 was cost effective compared to getting a stripped 1911 receiver, buying and fitting all the functioning small parts. Bottom Line is that if you move around your local gun shop right now you might find a deal. Craig

Refinishing would be up to you and if it were re-blued "again" what would it hurt? If you don't want to spend money reblueing then you might want to try Gun Kote by Brownell's yourself. I did a really beatup 1911 for a guy, had it blasted by a friend then Gun Koted it myself to quite good effect. After it was all said and done it cost about 35.00 and had more Gun Kote left over. Just make sure you bake the gun bare really well to get all the grease and oil out of it even if you degreased it with Gun Scrubber or brake cleaner. Or you could use the lower for a .22 project by getting Bob Marvel's new .22 conversion for the .45: Bob Marvel Custom Pro 1911 22 Conversion or you could get the non-tweaked version of the Advantage Arms Target .22 LR 1911 conversion that Bob Marvel uses for his accurized conversion: Advantage Arms Secure Online Store: 1911 Target Conversion Kit I picked up a "beater" 1911 recently and am going to get the conversion within the next few months. Apparently Bob Marvel's new tweaked AA conversion is better or at least as good as Marvel Precision's Unit 1: Marvel Precision 1911 .22 rimfire Conversions Craig in Clarksville

I've owned or extensively shot, as well as done action jobs on a variety of S&W J-frames. When I got a chance to extensively shoot the LCR I was impressed. I thought about getting one for myself then I thought, what would I do with it? I use a Keltec and/or Glock for a carry gun. I have a Charter .38 snubbie for a tackle box gun. Would I sell a Keltec to get some money to buy a LCR, nah. Used Keltec .32/.380s aren't worth much but they work. I have a hardchrome KT .32 I carry all the time. For ensuring reliability of the KT: GoldenLoki.com I would recommend the LCR to anyone who has a need or a want for a snubbie. From my perspective I would go with the LCR over a S&W J frame in .38, especially compared to the light weight Smiths. I think the LCR is easier to shoot well for a beginner and in "panic" shooting. My perception is that the light Smiths tend to torque a bit more than the LCR, especially when shooting one-hand weak-hand.

I'm no expert but do hang out with a few fellows who border on expertise. One of my friends has over a dozen 1911s, all sizes, all Colts or Springfields. One of his buddies collects WWI era 1911s. I have another friend who collects vintage 1911s over near Dyer. I have a couple of friends who occasionally fit custom ones from parts. I've had 6 myself. One Frankenstein, 1 Dan Wesson Pointman, 3 Springfields and a no name .38Super/9mm. I like fiddling with the actions. I just picked up a reliably functioning used SA 1911A1 (325.00) to eventually become the basis for a .22LR 1911. My friend in the FBI told me that if you get on SWAT you can buy and carry either a Springfield Armory Pro or TRP. I don't like rails myself for my own civilian carry so I'm not partial to the TRP although I have had an Operator with rails. My favorite 1911 is one belonging to one of the aforementioned friends, a Springfield Armory Champion "Super Tuned." It isn't the most expensive one I have touched, but everything works in that pistol right. I have a couple of other friends who have gone through their share of high end 1911s. Nighthawks seem nice. Bottom Line: In my opinion and you know the old saying about opinions, get an old WWI or WWII vintage for a collector, as in any antique collecting enterprise, do your research and exercise caution. People do all sorts of things to fool the naive and ignorant. For a shooter get a Springfield Armory. I'm quite unsure if paying big bucks for a small volume maker's gun, regardless of quality, makes it necessarily a collectible. Only time can tell that.

Don't be discouraged if you at first don't seem to shoot it as well as previous pistols, or even larger Glocks. In short order it will become a favorite. In my never ending search for Glock perfection here is a pic of mine that I did a little work on to make it work better for me.

I'll be coming down from Clarksville on Saturday, picking up a couple of gents from south of Manchester, then coming to see the info and wares. Hope there is something left by 11:00 a.m. Saturday. I'm personally looking for a Keltec Sub2000 9mm that uses Glock 17 mags and 6" S&W 422, but always interested in rimfires of many sorts. I could be "talked out" of my Excel Arms Accelerator in .22WMR with Swift 4X pistol scope, cheapo UTG bipod, personal stipple job, box and papers w/2 mags. Craig in Clarksville

Here is what a Buckmaster 3-9x40 SF Mildot looks like on my 10/22 with Rimfire Technologies 16" (M) barrel..

It is a shame that Keltec can't find a way to load a .22LR Mag to accommodate more ammo than 10rds. This would be way cool in .22LR, But I guess they have taken lessons learned from the Grendel and applied them to the new .22WMR. So, I'll take the fun in .22WMR and shoot it less than I do my .22LRs.

I need the new .22WMR Keltec to go with my ongoing project, the .22WMR Excel Accelerator.

I've shot a bunch of Glocks, owned quite a few, only own 26, 19, 17 now, owned over 12 including multiple copies of all 9mms including 34s and 17Ls, and have worked on 3X that many as favors to friends as a hobby. 21's are easy too handle as far as shooting at the range but are too big for CCW unless you are a big person. I'm 5'10" 185lbs and the 21s are too big for me. I've read and heard rumors about 9mm Glocks failing but I have never seen it. Glock 9mm advantages: ammo is literally everywhere, Glock 9mms and parts are literally everywhere, parts are inexpensive, Glock 9mms will digest any 9x19 I have run across, lightweight, durable, accurate enough, tons of aftermarket (which I don't necessarily recommend any longer), relatively inexpensive, easy to modify the grips, easy to slick up the triggers and RELIABLE! Glock disadvantages: tend to point 5 or so degrees high vice 1911s (which can easily be remedied with Dremel and wood burning pen), may have too large of grip for small handed person (within reason can again be easily modified with a grinding wheel, dremel, and woodburning pen), does not have as nice a trigger that a good 1911 can have (can be remedied to a degree, but with Glock trigger system there is a point you probably shouldn't cross - been there done that - unintentional doubles and NDs could unsue)

I've had way over a dozen Glocks and have worked over dozens. I occasionally do grip reductions for friends. I carry a Glock everyday at work and as a citizen. Internally I would recommend you do nothing. I have tried nearly all aftermarket set-ups. I finally gave up on sights and use stock plastic. However, the best Glock shooter (best pistol shooter period I have met)I know uses Warren Tactical sights. He told me he recently met Scott Warren while he is attending the FBI Academy. Once you get some experience with the Glock trigger the Glock is accurate enough for most applications. I do shoot some pistols better, but none of them are as easy to carry, durable with inexpensive replacement parts. I also like the fact that Glock 9mms will digest nearly any 9mm ammo made. I shoot all sorts of crap through mine. From Berdan primed Pakistani made ammo, Russian steel cased and on up. I hate a finicky gun unless it is strictly for the range. I have several of those too. If after you have shot a couple of thousand rounds through yours and you don't like the way the grip feels to you let me know. I'll tell you some things you can easily do on your own at the kitchen table to modify your grip. Craig in Clarksville

I carry a P32 everyday. I've had and worked on a couple Keltec.380s. I don't have one myself any longer. A friend of mine did quite a few wet newspaper penetration tests with .380 and .32 ammo. Seeing it is a "last ditch - I've made a series of bad life decisions- chose the wrong geography, etc" pistol we both carry ball ammo in our .32s. Both my wife and I have Keltec P32s, the hardchromed version. It isn't necessary but the hardchromed ones are easy to clean and require less of a fluff and buff. Here is how to do the Fluff & Buff: GoldenLoki.com

I have and have had a number of Advantage Arms conversion kits for Glocks. They are fine as far as function and minute-of-soda-can at 25 yrds. However they a .22 pistol that weighs about 12oz, too light for most applications. It all depends what you want in a .22 plinker. My most fun is the ISSC M22 which looks like a Glock, sort of, but has some Walther P22 qualities also. I am just breaking it in but I like it better than the P22 that I have and it is more fun than the 5 Ruger MKIIs I have had and customized to action better. If you want to discuss .22 pistols give me a shout at harr1502@bellsouth.net. I've owned a bunch and shot more and can give you some practical advice.

AK-47 Accessories, AK-47 Mini-14, Mini-30, M1 .30 Carbine Scout Scope Mount from UltiMAK I put one of these on my MAK 90 and then added a Trijicon Reflex sight. Very nice setup. Craig

I was just talking this past weekend to a bullseye shooter who has owned a fair number of bonafide high class .22s. He has gotten rid of them all, including his Russion and Italian pistols. He shoots with Ruger MKIIs. Even though he is 70 I won't shoot against him. I like to handfit a Marvel trigger and install a Volquartsen sear into a MKII. Do a good fluff and buff on all internal friction points and you have a a great shooting pistol.

I had an older Speedmaster once, very nice rifle and that one had the old "Tootsie Roll" forend. I should not have traded that rifle. For plinking at targets I like the old post WWII Mossbergs the most, semi-autos or bolt guns, they are fun, accurate-enough, and priced right. Got to have a 10/22 though, but I went a little crazy on one and semi-crazy on another. However, IMHO the CZ 452 has got to be leader in quality, reliability, accuracy and looks for the money. I've had a couple, one a Full Stock (FS) Mannlicher style and the one I now have is a 28" barrel Ultra Lux. I tried various irons on the UL hoping to keep it a "clean" rifle but my eyesight has dictated a scope. I put the Weaver 3-9x28mm rimfire scope on it, it shoots great and looks pretty good. Craig in Clarksville

Matchguy, Again great Cadet review. I've had 4 CZ centerfire pistols (2 75's, 1 85, and a P01), don't have any right now. I was always curious about a Cadet, especially if it was mounted on 75 SA. Having said that how would you compare the Cadet to other .22 pistols? I seem to go through .22 pistols about as fast as they can come up with new ones, and like Goldilocks, have only found one that I really really like, even though I do a bit of interior "tuning" on some. I just got a NIB Austrian Arms ISSC M22 but haven't shot it yet. Did a fluff and buff on it and really like the pistol's feel. My favorite .22 pistol is the now discontinued 6" 422, even though I have had other variations of that S&W design including the all-steel 2206. My issue with the Cadet is the overall weight, which is the same issue I had with the centerfire CZs except for the P01 (that was trigger pull and geometry). For a range gun they are OK, fabulous performance and accuracy for the price, but unless you like carrying a good sized chunk of metal off your waistband the CZ 75/85 are a bit much for CCW, especially in the summer. However, if you think the Cadet will shoot all day alongside a Ruger MK series I may have to give a Cadet a whirl as a range pistol. Nearly makes me want to get a 75SA. Craig in Clarksville

Oh yeah, recoil. After owning 3 9mm revolvers I have none. Recoil about mimics a .357 and in a small revolver, like the Taurus 905, it can become somewhat unmanageable. My test is to to shoot quickly off-hand one-handed, if I can't put them fast with confidence inside a 6" circle at 10 yrds then I don't buy it or keep it (any more). I had a ported titanium .357 J-frame sized revolver once. After shooting it a few times the most fun I had with it was loading it up and giving to whoever and "take this little baby around the block a time or two." Regardless of the skill level of the shooter I never had even one person say, "let me have another cylinder full." The little 9mm Taurus's are not as bad as the titanium revolver was but to use it with confidence off-hand one-handed you have to practice a lot. The other issue is that in the two Taurus 905's extraction became a problem in both revolvers unless the gun was clean. I mean after 15-20 rds extraction became iffy.

Cool SP101. I've had two of the Taurus and one Ruger Speed Six 9mm revolver. Always wanted to shoot the S&W 9mm revolver but the cost of one and their rarity leaves that in doubt. At the price of your SP101 you got a very a good deal. Rugers are fun and very easy to work on. One thing I always think is a good thing to do with a Ruger is completely dismantle it and clean and hone/polish it at key points sparingly. Due to the investment casting methods that Ruger employs there are sometimes little bits and pieces of cast "slag" left in nooks and crannies, you can often remove these with dental picks. Using a nice stone, some fine polishing rouge on a dremel felt pad, finishing with a good lube can often improve the action dramatically. I have sometimes ground and polished off the corners of the thumb spur. Enjoy that uber neat revolver. Craig

That particular pistol is a very fine example of the BHP. I had one. It is a fun gun to do all the gunsmithing that costs you big bucks from the pros as a DIY. Get rid of the mag safety and start the work and you can have a very nice shooting BHP

Before you get a Umarex Colt you may want to read this: COLT M4 22lr RUN BOYS RUN (away) - RimfireCentral.com Forums If a person wants to train with the AR but wants to use .22 I think one of the .22 conversions for an AR then you have exactly the same platform and controls. CombatRifle.net - Colt AR-15,AR15,M16 22 Long Rifle Conversion Kit - Upper Reciever - Reviews - Sources and Information I suppose some folks use "tacti cool" stocks just for the purpose of looking military like, not me. I am on my second collapsing stock 10/22 with aftermarket barrels and components. They actually make sense in that they are extremely fast and pretty light, with good accuracy for hunting and plinking. The first one I had had a Green Mountain Running Boar barrel which made shooting steady and accurate even when swinging the barrel, but the Rimfire Technologies barrel that I have this ATI stocked 10/22 works really well. If you are just taking a 10/22 and restocking it have fun, it may make the rifle a tad faster and maybe more useful in the field. I'll be interested in seeing if the SR22 has more potential than just a tacticool plinker.