Tag: guns

Quote of the Day

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Quote of the Day

I suddenly realized that it was the .45 caliber ammunition I had fallen so deeply in love with, not the pistol I was using to shoot it. Now, we all have preferences as to what is most pleasing to our eye, that’s only natural. I like paintings by Picasso, the color cobalt blue, guys with goatees, arts & crafts furniture, orange tabby kittens and pistols designed by John Moses Browning. So I will always love 1911s aesthetically – to me, they will always be the most well designed pistols and someday I will have a beauty of my very own. But to shoot? Doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s a .45. – Breda, Ruger P345 range report (finally)

Gun Sales & Me

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A lot of pixels have been spilled concerning the quantity of firearms, ammunition and accessories being purchased in the wake of The Obamessiah’s ascension. Here’s my story:

You probably already know about the M14, but here it is again. Since I sold my Mustang, I have a pretty nice chunk of change, and I decided I wanted a really first-rate M1A/M14. My previous experience with Fulton Armory was good, and they offer their Peerless M14 at a pricey, but not overwhelming price.

One problem – 12-14 month delivery.

Kind readers pointed me to Ted Brown, who has an outstanding reputation and offers rifles built on the forged LRB M25 receiver. VERY pricey, but just DAMN. That should be a piece of art when it’s done. I sent him my order last week with a deposit. The wait is 7-10 months. But I’ll be receiving the stripped receiver for transfer as soon as it comes in, just in case Obama wants to add the M1A/M14 to the banned list. I want to own the “rifle” as soon as possible. I’ve already purchased eleven 20-round magazines.

I currently own one AR15 lower and two uppers. The lower was custom built by Fulton Armory on a Bushmaster stripped receiver with all FN parts except for a Jewell 2-stage target trigger and a Ergo grip. One upper is a Fulton custom with a 16.25″ Douglas air-gauged 1:9 twist bull barrel, a GG&G extended picatinny rail, a free-floated quad-rail forend and a Harris bipod. Mounted on top is a Leupold target scope. It’s a tack-driving SOB shooting 75 grain Hornady BTHP handloads.

The other upper is a Stag M4gery with an EOTech and backup irons that co-witness.

I wanted a second lower with a VLTOR carbine stock for the M4gery.

On Saturday two weeks before the election I went in to my favorite gun shop, Murphys Guns & Gunsmithing, and asked them if they could get me an assembled Bushmaster lower without a buttstock (it’s a catalog item for Bushmaster). During that trip I bought a T/C Encore frame from them. Later in the week they got back to me: Yes, they’re available, “plenty in stock” at the vendor. I went in the next Saturday (the one before the election last Tuesday) and placed my order, paying in full up front.

I went in last Saturday to see if they’d received it.

They’d forgotten to order it.

They’re no longer in stock. Nobody really knows when they’ll be able to get one.

My VLTOR buttstock came in from Brownell’s last week. I think it’s going to be lonely for a while.

At the last Gunblogger’s Rendezvous, I shot Dave’s .308 T/C Encore, whacking the steel plate at 400 yards with relative ease. Today I placed an order for a .260 Remington barrel, stainless, with a muzzle brake, scope base and a forearm from Bullberry’s.

Delivery is running three (3) months on those.

Gun Sales

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Gun Sales

Tam points to a story on “Gun Sales Thriving in Uncertain Times” in the WaPo with this comment:

Say what you will about Barry…
…but the man’s an even better gun salesman than Hils.

In the last 30 days (actually less) I’ve purchased a T/C Encore frame, ordered an assembled Bushmaster AR-15 lower (less buttstock), and going in the mail today is an order for a custom M14 to Ted Brown.

I’m also buying other stuff – reloading supplies, etc. (I purchased 11 20-round magazines for the M14 already, even though I won’t have the rifle for months.) One thing I’ve noticed when I go into Sportsman’s Warehouse or Murphy’s guns (especially Murphy’s) is that the gun counter is crowded. Murphy’s parking lot just isn’t big enough and hasn’t been for a while. So the WaPo’s observations are accurate even here in flyover country. Perhaps especially here in flyover country.

Choices, Choices . . .

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Choices, Choices . . .

OK, now that the Mustang is sold and I have some cash in hand, I can get a pretty serious piece of ordnance.

For me, that means a 7.62×51 gas gun.

As I mentioned previously, I was giving serious consideration to a Fulton Armory Peerless M14, but delivery on those is running 12-18 months. Through my previously mentioned awesome readers, I found out about Ted Brown Rifles and LRB Arms forged M14 receivers.

I contacted Ted and told him what I wanted. He replied that it would run about $3,800 and six months.

Hmm . . .

Punt?

So I thought about something not quite so. . . precise. A DSA SA58 seems like a good idea. But what model, and what options?

Start with the Bull Barrel model, add a muzzle brake (yes, even though I hate muzzle brakes, it’s semi-auto and I want fast follow-up capability), go for the Extreme Duty scope mount, Match trigger option, pan & tilt bipod, replace the buttstock with the Precision version, get ten extra Steyr 20-round magazines, and have everything finished in Desert MirageFlage DuraCoat:

$3,300 and about five months.

Both options still need optics. The M14 would get a NightForce 5.5-20X50. The SA58 would get an ACOG 6X TA648-308.

The M14 should be capable of hitting clay pigeons reliably at 500 meters. The SA58 should be capable of reliably keeping a magazine on a silhouette at 600 meters. The M14 cost more, and doesn’t include 10 magazines. (M1A/M14 magazines are about $35-40 each.)

I can’t afford (nor do I want) both.

Any comments or suggestions (well, most comments or suggestions, anyway) would be appreciated.

UPDATE: I just ordered 11 20-round magazines from 44mag.com, and I have an email in to Ted Brown.

Thanks, y’all. An M14 it is.

I Think I’ve Sold the Mustang. . .

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I Think I’ve Sold the Mustang. . .

And to celebrate, I thought long and hard about buying a Fulton Armory Peerless M-14 Match/Target rifle. VERY spendy, but everything I’ve read about it says it’s the finest of its type available, and capable of excellent accuracy. I’m going to Boomershoot in April, and they recommend that you bring a spare rifle (just in case). I thought this might be just the ticket.

So I emailed Fulton Armory about availability (the web page does say “Call for Availability!”) Here’s the bad news:

Unfortunately we are running approx 12-18 months for FA M14 Peerless rifles.

We are very sorry.
Thank you for the interest.

You can’t be any more sorry than I am. Dammit.

Leaving for the Rendezvous Tomorrow

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Leaving for the Rendezvous Tomorrow

I’m going to work very early tomorrow so I can get out in the early afternoon, then my wife and I are headed out. We plan to stop in Laughlin, NV tomorrow evening, then head up to Reno bright & early. Apparently there’s a big to-do the gunbloggers have been invited to attend, so I have to do my best to get to the hotel by 5:00PM Thursday in order to make it.

Meanwhile, I need to load some .308. One of the guns I’m bringing this year is the 5R.

C’ya!

Anybody Need an Aimpoint?

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Anybody Need an Aimpoint?

SWFA has a sale on their Aimpoint CompC3, the civilian version that’s waterproof to 17′ rather than the military version that’s good to 150′:


That’s a pretty good deal, there. I’d be interested, but my AR M4gery upper is already equipped with a EOTech. The deal with the free QD mount is part number 11421KIT, the third item on the page.

Just thought a couple of you might like to know.