Any gun enthusiast / experts here?

[Preacher]

The wolf ammo I have from Cabellas is FMJ for my .45 and that's what I linked for the 9mm as well.

 

For my live ammo for home protection I use Hornady Jacketed Hollow Points. They make a bit of a mess but then 2 in the chest will make a guy on PCP reconsider his life choices.

[BushM]

Wolf ammo isn't top tier but I have never had a misfire or anything. I pull the trigger and the pullet goes where I wanted it to, so how does it suck when I only buy it for target and plinking?

 

Oh and Cabellas is free when you pick up at a store (there's one pretty close to me)

 

Ammoman is not free shipping he carries that cost into his ammo price, this means that if you're 20 miles or 10 states away you pay the same for shipping cost.

 

Point taken.. I just won't fire crap like that through any of my guns. Call me anal if you want..

 

You are correct about ammoman but the service is hands down the best on the net.

 

If I had a Cabellas around the corner I may go there more often, but the closest one is in Grand Forks, ND which is 1.5 hours away.

[dwEEziL]

BushM is anal. This game is fun!

[BushM]

BushM is anal. This game is fun!

LOL

[eXile]

my next handgun purchase will be

 

http://www.sigsauer.com/Products/ShowCatal...p;productid=123

[Preacher]

For the money you should get this: http://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/eclip...ipse_custom_II/

[Clueless]

Can't go wrong with Sig or Kimber, both awesome. i have a Para Ordinance which is also pretty sweet

[Laz.e.rus]

Laz, you can never go wrong with a 1911, especially a Colt. I knew a guy that had an Officers Model which looks very similar to that in size...his was made very light, so it had some kick to it. If you are looking for a concealed carry weapon, it wouldn't be my 1st choice...I could never get over the idea of carrying a weapon with the hammer cocked all the time.

 

Yeah, Ive talked to a few long-term carry-ers about the subject. It seems a bit wierd to me too, but they all swear by it. In reality, its all mental. It cant fire unless 1- thumb safety is off, 2- grip safety is depressed, and 3- trigger is pulled. For a striker like a glock, 1- grip safety and 2- trigger/safety (same spot) to fire. But I went over carrying unchambered as well. On repeated demostration it adds about 1/2 second to the time. I've been carrying unchambered locally, and only chamber when I head to the city or at home with the Ruger.

 

Im still debating it. Holding it, it felt fantastic, and in person I loved the way it looked. It looked "quality" rather than cookie-cutter, know what I mean? But on the other hand, I wouldnt mind a tactical with laser either. *shrug*

[boiler]

I don't know how I managed to do it, but I talked my wife into letting get another gun. I wanted to get a .45ACP sometime, and used the "they're going to be hard to find" logic to accelerate the process. I ordered an XD45 Compact in bi-tone and am picking it up on Tuesday

 

It's a 4" barrel with the compact (read: shorter) grip. 10+1 capacity with compact mags, but it will also take the regular 13 round mags with grip extensions (kind of like having two guns at once).

 

This solves two wants: the desire for a .45, and for a more "carry-friendly" gun. Once I receive my permit I intend to carry on a fairly regular basis, and combining the compact grip with a good IWB holster should make for a good combo.

 

I will most definitely be posting pictures as soon as I get it home!

[Laz.e.rus]

nice! got it yet?

[boiler]

nice! got it yet?

Picking it up tomorrow or Tuesday after work. I'll post pictures as soon as I get it home

[Unclean]

So at this year's holiday party, Papa Unclean mentioned he wants to give away his gun collection, since he can't really shoot anymore after his strokes. He offered to give me the pick of the litter, so I'm taking the Browning .380 (my favorite), and he's making me take an antique .22 and his dad's antique shotgun. My brother can have the Dirty Harry guns if he wants - the .357 and the 44 magnum. I'm just mainly interested in the .380 for the range.

 

At any rate, they're all in fantastic condition, and I'd like to keep them that way. I don't plan on shooting the .22 or shotgun, but is there anything else to do to care for the .380 besides cleanings after each use, or anything at all for the .22/shotgun? Is there a definitive answer on which ammo to use, or which to stay away from?

[boiler]

Nice pick with the Browning! My dad has a Browning Hi-Power 9mm he bought almost 30 years ago that I not-so-secretly covet. He loves it and will probably take it with him when he goes (so he thinks).

 

As far as .380 ammo is concerned, probably any of the "main stream" brands are fine. I shot my XDm for the first time this past weekend and put 150 rounds of Blazer Brass through it without a hitch. It was a tad dirty upon cleaning, but not too bad at all. With regular cleanings, you should be fine putting WWB, BB, or other comparable ammo through the browning. My dad actually shoots some old 9mm Swedish Army rounds he bought in bulk in the 70s (has 2000 LEFT after nearly 30 years), and his Hi-Power eats them up with no problems. My XDm liked them just fine as well.

 

I will have to vote "no go" for Wolf ammo though - that stuff is D-I-R-T-Y and I have read about too many people having problems with it to be worth the minimal cost savings. I can get 50rd boxes of BB at Walmart for $8.96 which is definitely good enough for me.

 

**********

In other news on the ammo front, the range I went to this weekend had a few 50rd boxes of Federal HST .45 Auto, and I bought two of them for $26.99 each. I couldn't believe that price for police-grade hollow points. I've got 300 total rounds of .45 auto ammo now, all I need is for my gun to come in and a little range time

[Unclean]

Ok, thanks for the ammo recommendations. I would have thought of Wolf as a "mainstream" brand too, so I'll stay away from that one.

 

And $8.96 for 50 rounds is super cheap... apparently I was overpaying before by buying ammo at the range. Note to self: bring ammo with. And $26.99 for 50 rounds? That sounds kinda expensive to me. What's the draw there?

 

On a side note, you'll have to post up your impressions of the XD45. I'm particularly interested in the recoil... my dad's .357 revolver has a 4" barrel, and that's fun to fire for about 2 minutes until my hand goes numb. The .380 can be fired all day... only pain is from the magazine thumb I get sometimes from reloading the clips.

[boiler]

Ok, thanks for the ammo recommendations. I would have thought of Wolf as a "mainstream" brand too, so I'll stay away from that one.

 

And $8.96 for 50 rounds is super cheap... apparently I was overpaying before by buying ammo at the range. Note to self: bring ammo with. And $26.99 for 50 rounds? That sounds kinda expensive to me. What's the draw there?

 

On a side note, you'll have to post up your impressions of the XD45. I'm particularly interested in the recoil... my dad's .357 revolver has a 4" barrel, and that's fun to fire for about 2 minutes until my hand goes numb. The .380 can be fired all day... only pain is from the magazine thumb I get sometimes from reloading the clips.

The $26.99 for 50 rounds is for .45ACP hollow points (Federal HST, new stuff cops use). RANGE .45ACP ammo (Blazer Brass) is around $20 for 50 rounds, so that's a hell of a deal. Heck, the Federal Hydra-Shoks I bought in 9mm for my XDm were $20 for 20 rounds! .45 ammo is more expensive to shoot, and the fact that I got 100rds of quality hollow points for nearly what I paid for my range stuff is pretty nice to me

 

I have only seen BB for $8.96 at Walmart - it was being sold at Gander Mountain for $13, so Walmart definitely has the best ammo prices around here. Unfortunately the range I went to that had the great deal on the HSTs is a 2.5 hour drive away, so it's not terribly practical/convenient.

 

From what I have read, the recoil on a .45 (at least XD45's with 4" or 5" barrel) isn't as bad as a .357 or .44 magnum (or a 10mm for that matter). I have shot .357 and .44 magnums before and probably wouldn't have wanted the .45 if they were going to kick like my dad's S&W model 29. That beauty just about broke a bone in my hand when I didn't grip properly with my support hand.

[Laz.e.rus]

For range I buy Winchester FMJ .45 ACP @ 100/$29. The Remington 100rd box is JHP for $36.

So, $29 or $36 for 100 rnds at walmart.

 

The stuff I keep it loaded with are Federal's .45 230 gr. HydraShok JHP.

[boiler]

GOT MY NEW XD45!

 

Bit of an interesting story to it, if you're not interested just skip down to the gun pr0n pics below. I called up my shop of choice on the 30th, and they ordered from their distributor an XD .45 compact bi-tone (read: stainless slide) for me, and told me they should have it by this past Wednesday. I (impatiently) waited until Wednesday, then called them up to make sure that they had received it before I drove up to get it (the store is a 30 min drive for me). I was told "yeah, OD green with stainless slide, right?" I said "uhhhhhhh, noooooo..... it was supposed to be black frame with stainless slide - bitone..." The guy apologized profusely for the confusion and promised me he would look for a black/stainless 45 compact for me. I thanked him, and told him I'd probably see him in an hour anyway since my dad was picking something up of his own there and I was riding along. I get to the store and after poking around a little, he says "do you wanna at least play with the one we got it?" I told him sure, I'll have a look. When I opened up the case though, I was surprised how much I LIKED the OD green frame - every pic I had seen of it online made it look electric or something and I didn't care for it, but in person it looked waaaay better. The guy then spends the next 20 minutes digging through his distributors for a black/ss for me while I played with the OD/ss one, and the color grew on me enough that I just decided to take it home anyway! It may not be for everyone, but I LOVE the look of this gun and am looking forward to having it be my everyday carry once I get my permit. I also love the two mag sizes as it's kind of like having two different guns.

 

Unfortunately, none of the pictures below really do justice to the OD green color of the frame, but it was the best I could do with this camera.

 

ON TO THE PICS! (sorry they aren't as good as the previous ones - I used a much nicer camera for those)

 

 

With extended 13rd mag w/ grip extension

 

 

With my XDm9

 

 

**RANGE REPORT**

 

They both are very sweet shooters and I was surprised how accurately I shot them both considering prior to last weekend I hadn't shot a firearm of any kind for over 2 years. I've put 200 rounds through the XDm9, and the last 2 mags worth were all in the black at ~25' (this is the second time I've taken it to the range). I put 100 rounds through the XD45 (first time at the range with it) and did ok, all hit COM at roughly the same distance as the XDm, although my accuracy got a little better by the last couple of mags. Considering I hadn't ever shot a .45 before, I was pretty pleased with it. I cannot recommend XDs enough as I have been thrilled with every aspect of them thus far.

 

As far as recoil is concerned, it was definitely more "snappy" than the 9mm, but the recoil was very manageable. Not nearly as hard as I expected. The .45 definitely goes *BANG* louder thanks to the 230 grain ammo, but it was pure joy to shoot. I shot 100 rounds with zero problems, and felt like I could have shot all afternoon without any discomfort. Definitely no .357/.44 magnum numbness here.

Edited January 10, 2009 by boiler

[Unclean]

Ooh, very nice! I don't see any hint of green though, maybe it's my monitor.

 

How large are your hands? More specifically, what's the length between your first and fourth knuckles? It looks a little tight without the grip extension - did you get a little bite on your pinky from the clip? And did you try double-tapping to see how recoil affected your accuracy?

[boiler]

Ooh, very nice! I don't see any hint of green though, maybe it's my monitor.

 

How large are your hands? More specifically, what's the length between your first and fourth knuckles? It looks a little tight without the grip extension - did you get a little bite on your pinky from the clip? And did you try double-tapping to see how recoil affected your accuracy?

It's definitely green, and shows that way (although poorly) on my screen. Like I said, internet pictures don't do the color justice. I'd like to get a couple of shots with the camera I used for the XDm pics.

 

My hands are fairly large. About 3" between first and fourth knuckles. It doesn't feel tight without the grip extension when shooting it. I shot a sub-compact glock at the range the same day and my whole pinky finger was hanging off the end. It's very comfortable in my hand with both lengths of magazine. No pinching at all when shooting either. I did not get fancy for this first time at the range, particularly since I had never shot a .45 before, so no double taps. As I mentioned before though, the recoil was very manageable so I would anticipate being able to double tap with more practice.

[Laz.e.rus]

I had been considering a .40 for a bit, partiallly for mag capacity and partially to have a smaller round for the wife to shoot (than my ,45). But every single person at the gun shops I discussed it with said they prefer to shoot the .45s to the .40s any day because the powder in the .40 makes it way to snappy with too much recoil. I found that interesting.

 

Nice looking gun btw!

[boiler]

I had been considering a .40 for a bit, partiallly for mag capacity and partially to have a smaller round for the wife to shoot (than my ,45). But every single person at the gun shops I discussed it with said they prefer to shoot the .45s to the .40s any day because the powder in the .40 makes it way to snappy with too much recoil. I found that interesting.

 

Nice looking gun btw!

I have shot my Dad's XDm40, and to be totally honest there really isn't a significant difference in recoil. I have read that .40S&W can be a little more "flippy" (muzzle flip) than .45, which would make the .45s easier to control for follow up shots. In my honest opinion, if she could take the recoil of a .40, the step up to a good .45 wouldn't be much difference at all. If she really doesn't like shooting a .45, you may want to consider stepping down to 9mm. It can still get the job done, has higher capacity, and is much easier to control. Not to mention cheaper to shoot! When I get my carry permit I will be carrying my .45 with me, but I am already using my 9mm as my nightstand gun and am totally fine with that. If the first 9mm round doesn't drop an assailant, you've got 15 more chances to get it done (or 18 more chances in my case). Chances are though they will not enjoy being shot the first time and won't bother with provoking another. Place the shots right, and a 9mm will be just as effective as a .45.

Edited January 12, 2009 by boiler

[Laz.e.rus]

she found a couple little .380's she likes. That should suit her well. Very small, very light, cheap ammo.

And really, who wants to be shot 3 or 4 times, even if its just a .380? Not me!

[Preacher]

Honestly guys unless you have a carry permit the best home defense weapon is and forever shall be the pump 12 gauge shotgun. There is nothing in the world scarier than the sound of that pump shotgun loading a round into the chamber and there is nothing as devastating to a torso than a 12 gauge shot pattern at close range (except maybe an elephant gun lol).

 

Also it takes very little instruction to teach how to load and fire a pump shotgun and in the heat of the moment you don't need to aim the shotgun and have a lot less to worry about when it comes to where the bullets went that didn't lodge in the intruders skull.

 

If the lady of the house just cannot handle a 12 gauge a 20 gauge is also a viable option. I keep a loaded .45 in my gun safe but my home defense gun is above the bedroom door. The good ol Winchester model 12 pump 12 gauge loaded with #7.5 shot shells. You get hit with that and don't die you'll wish you had lol.

[Laz.e.rus]

Heh.. I have a 12 gauge holding 6x3"mags for such an occasion.

 

I have my carry permit (two states), she is getting hers.

 

 

On a side note, during a friendly discussion the other day, a guy at my Dad's house told me he doesn't believe in carrying or needing a firearm because he doesn't own anything valuable enough to protect with deadly force. He mentioned something about just buying another tv.

 

I politely disagreed.

 

I told him that I do...

One of those things was sitting next to me holding my hand, the other was playing tag downstairs with his daughter....

[Bush]

Honestly guys unless you have a carry permit the best home defense weapon is and forever shall be the pump 12 gauge shotgun. There is nothing in the world scarier than the sound of that pump shotgun loading a round into the chamber and there is nothing as devastating to a torso than a 12 gauge shot pattern at close range (except maybe an elephant gun lol).

 

Also it takes very little instruction to teach how to load and fire a pump shotgun and in the heat of the moment you don't need to aim the shotgun and have a lot less to worry about when it comes to where the bullets went that didn't lodge in the intruders skull.

 

If the lady of the house just cannot handle a 12 gauge a 20 gauge is also a viable option. I keep a loaded .45 in my gun safe but my home defense gun is above the bedroom door. The good ol Winchester model 12 pump 12 gauge loaded with #7.5 shot shells. You get hit with that and don't die you'll wish you had lol.

 

You are 100% correct Preach. I grew up in rural Michigan, but when was in college I lived in a crappy neighborhood in Grand Rapids. There was a crack house across the street from where I lived (Heritage Hills area for those whom know the area). We as in 6 of us rented a huge house with 6 bedrooms for $350 a month this was back in '93 btw.

 

Well the crack house kids liked to vandalize our cars, smashing out windows ect... I got fed up with it and brought my 870 to the place, my bedroom was on the 2nd floor facing the road/crack house. I heard them outside one night and stood in the window of my room and pumped the shotgun once and never had a problem again..