Weapons Banter Thread

[Uxi]

I've been wanting a KSG for a looong time. I guess I needn't bother looking again.

[peter]

picked up my 45 suppressor today for my HK.

and my AAC 300blk SBR in it's final form. I kept changing stuff on it, but this is what it will be (oh, 1-pt sling is somewhere)

Nice cans, haha!

Stupid Canadian laws prohibit these devices because they're black and evil, while most of us really just want to protect our hearing. I read somewhere in one country (UK? New Zealand?) that sound suppressors are manditory for hunting. Makes total sense, if it's mandatory by law that you have to silence a car witha muffler, why not silence a loud firearm?

Anyway, just for $hits and giggles, I went out and got the loudest, most obnoxious brake I could find. I call it, the Loudener, haha!

[peter]

0% Billet AR-15 Lower Receiver

Product details

We are pleased to offer the finest 0% lower receivers in the world. What is a zero percent lower you ask? As the name suggests, it's a lower receiver that is zero percent complete. In other words, a solid brick of aluminum. Our lowers start off in the form of these bricks and are machined to 80% completion on our state-of-the art 5 axis CNC mills. These 0% lowers are heavy and have sharp edges. They could make a good weapon if thrown at an attacker. Don't tell the Obama administration, lest they try to ban these very scary things.

http://www.80percentarms.com/products/0-billet-ar-15-lower-receiver

[Jasonc]

^^^ LOL, Only a few drill holes and you're done.

[Kyp Durron]

It practically builds itself!

[Jasonc]

Alright, back pay coming. M&P 9C and Keltec KSG, coming up.

[Dio]

Attended my first 3-gun match last weekend, and it was a great experience! I intentionally took it slow (finished in the bottom 15%), so I could get used to the range commands, properly dump firearms when changing, etc, but still did pretty well technique-wise.

My loadout (Tac Ops division, some my own and some borrowed):

Rifle: Ruger SR-556 with a 3-9x Nikon P223 scope, Federal XM-193 5.56mm American Eagle rounds

Pistol: Ruger KP-89 9mm, Federal RTP 115gr rounds

Shotgun: Benelli SBE, Federal multi-purpose 12ga shells with a few buck/slugs mixed in

I did surprisingly well on my pistol accuracy, and the long-range stage had several shots out at like 300-440 meters. First time I got to use the BDC reticle! Shotgun loading went smoothly as well since I had practiced it, but still have quite a ways to go before I'm loading 4 at a time.

Probably the biggest thing I noticed though was how laid back and responsible everyone was, though it was really no surprise. Any questions I had, folks were happy to answer/help out, and resetting stages was smooth with everyone jumping right in. If you get a chance to try it out, do it!

[Kyp Durron]

Alright, back pay coming. M&P 9C and Keltec KSG, coming up.

You'll love the M&P 9C.

[ErikElvis]

I keep looking at the M&P 9 PRO. I like full size and Im kinda looking for something to replace my Glock 19. It just doesn't sit right in my hand. Now my 22, 26, 30 all feel good.

[Chowser]

Dio, how do you like the 3-9 Nikon?

I'm selling my 3x32 Nikon to get a variable one.

Picking up a gen4 Glock 21 on Monday. Coworker's father put one box of ammo through it and decided he didn't like it and offered it to me for $435. For $30 more I can get it new but it would cost me almost $40 in gas to get to the LE dealer and back so I bought it.

[Dio]

Dio, how do you like the 3-9 Nikon?

I'm selling my 3x32 Nikon to get a variable one.

I have been extremely satisfied with it. I've got a similar Nikon Buckmaster on my bolt action 308 and it's terrific too (bottlecap-sized groups of 4 at 100m with good match ammo). Great clarity for the price, and the "tactical" adjustment knobs on the P-223 scope are also handy. I haven't played too much with the BDC reticle, as I said above, but was able to hit a 10" gong at 300m and IPSC steel at 440m pretty easily.

If you can spend a little more, the M-223 is slightly higher-end. Still considered in the "budget" class of rifle scopes though.

[Jasonc]

You'll love the M&P 9C.

I finally got to hold it in my hands, and it feels great. Now just looking into what variation I want.

[Jasonc]

And now I pick one up in 10 days. It was a pristine used one, and has a nice light trigger, and tuned up proper. Previous owner was an officer, so when I get it, it will be range day.

[peter]

Got a new toy for my 10/22:

Also got a new handguard, a longer one from an SL8.

Had to remove some material to accomodate the .920 barrel.

This time around, I left all the tacticool stuff off it. The thing shoots like a laser at 50meters so I want to see how it does out to 200-300 meters.

Edited July 14, 2014 by peter

[Benson13]

Nice dude.

[peter]

I didn’t have any magnification before so I couldn’t really see beyond 50-100m (really bad eyes), so now with just a bit of help, I’ll see how well this reaches out to further distances.

Lately, I’ve been pretty fixated on precision and reaching out further. I recently participated in my first shooting competition and though I didn’t do very well, I learned a lot of things, and also experienced shooting out to 500m for the first time. I managed to hit 3 v-bulls and 7 bulls out of ten shots with the work rifle, which blew me away because with the crappy 3.4x magnification, I could barely see the target sheet, let alone make out features on the Fig 11.

I’ve got a couple of .308 bolt guns at home I can play with, and I’m hoping to reach out to even further distances, but it’s a pricy game. I hope that I can plink with this 10/22 out to 200-300.

[Jasonc]

I really need a .308. Everytime I get money, it goes to other things. At least I got my M&P9C. Pics tomorrow.

[peter]

I don’t think I can afford to shoot .300wm, .338l or even .50bmg right now, so .308 will do just fine for the foreseeable future. I’ve been pretty happy with the results in my bolt guns, but lately, I’ve been itching to get a semi auto .308. This one came up at a shop a few provinces away and I’m really tempted to grab it:

The only problem is that it’s an AR variant and all AR variants are “restricted” in Canada, which means I can only shoot it at a gun range that allows restricted firearms, and the only ranges near my place max out at 300m.

Non-restricted firearms (like bolt guns) can be taken anywhere considered crown land so it’s not unheard of to set up 1,000m or more of unused forestry block to shoot.

[Jasonc]

Finally home... Came with extra mag, holster, and a lighter trigger pull. Range tomorrow.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Jasonc

[peter]

Sweet! Buddy competes with an M&P9, no problems with it at all.

[Jasonc]

Sweet! Buddy competes with an M&P9, no problems with it at all.

This is the compact, but when I need big, the USP 45 does that. I'm in the process of trying to get a CCW, and this will be my daily carry. I may still do a few things with it, but only after I take it to the range. The one thing I know I'm going to fix for certain, is smoothing out the grip under the trigger guard. Don't know why they put it there, but it can agitate the middle finger after some time handling it.

[peter]

Ah, concealed carry.....the stuff of myths and legends north of the border....

[Jasonc]

So they say. Hopefully with me working in law enforcement, I have a good amount of reference and background to get it. We'll see, I guess. Either way, the wife needs to learn, and it's a decent gun to start on.

[Kyp Durron]

Ah, concealed carry.....the stuff of myths and legends north of the border....

Everyday reality for those of us in the southern states.

[peter]

No sound suppressors, no concealed carry, no open carry, can't take ARs (or basically any scary black gun for that matter) anywhere beyond a certified range, 5 round mag caps on semi auto rifles, 10 round mag caps on pistols.......fun, fun, fun.

[TangledThorns]

No sound suppressors, no concealed carry, no open carry, can't take ARs (or basically any scary black gun for that matter) anywhere beyond a certified range, 5 round mag caps on semi auto rifles, 10 round mag caps on pistols.......fun, fun, fun.

Heh, still sounds better than our nation's capitol of Washington, DC and the States north of it. Does Canada have the equivalent of an NRA or any firearm support group?

[peter]

Yeah, we've got two (Canadian Shooting Sports Association and the National Firearms Association), and they do put in the effort, but sometimes I'd wish they'd just merge into one stronger organization like the NRA.

Haha, I always get funny looks when I wear my NRA t-shirt Anyway, that's enough depressing talk about Canadian gun laws....here's some fun stuff:

Banging on this from 300m:

My Savage 10TR:

Note the lack of sound supressor and the loudener in it's place.

I know 300m isn't really considered long range, but we're working our way up. A local guy was nailing the the same size gong with his 10TR pretty consistently from over 800m so hopefully we'll try that next time (if we can find that spot, haha!)

Me behind my 10TR

Edited July 16, 2014 by peter

[Jasonc]

Ringing the doorbell.

[peter]

Haha, they say that bear-bells are dinner bells, and they instinctively know to follow the sound for a nice snack, but we didn't draw any bears in that day.

[Chewie]

Nvm.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Chewie

[reddsun1]

[peter]

[miles316]

Any one know of any online sources on ancient Chines weapons and armor other than You tube or Wikipedia?

[Jasonc]

Any one know of any online sources on ancient Chines weapons and armor other than You tube or Wikipedia?

I don't know any, but are you wanting a referral for information on them, or where to buy?

Simple update on the M&P9c... I took it to the range later than I wanted to, which was the day before yesterday. Here's my review of it:

The Feel: The M&P9c's overall feel when held is quite comfortable. It can feel a little different if you are a Glock user, as the grip seems to be a bit more angled. When it comes to 9mm handguns, I started off as a Glock user, so when it comes to compact versions of them, this was my largest learning curve. It caused my first 3 loads of 10 rounds to want to dip the gun slightly downward as I pulled the trigger. It is something that took adjusting, and building muscle memory to get the old Glock, and even my HK USP 45 memory out of. The gun comes with 2 extra optional pieces for the rear of the grip to fit each user's hand. It's basically a S, M, L type of system, and the rear is easy to change out by simply removing the tool located at the bottom of the grip. That piece is mostly used for takedown, but also unlocks the polymer back piece. Quite a good design to adapt to more people, especially if you're going to use this gun and need something smaller or larger.

The magazines: Well, no matter how nice your handgun is, you're only going to get 10rds, so having a compact that carries 12 as a standard doesn't do any good in the state. The Magazine is slightly a double stack (?) meaning that the rounds seem just barely off center from one another. Not sure how much longer the grip would be if it was single stacked, but it may not be that much. Then again, these are the 10 rd mags, and not the 12s. My only gripe is that putting the rounds into the magazine is a bitch!!! I wore my hands out reloading, more so than actually firing. I will most likely stack them both up, and let the rounds sit in the magazines for a week, and see if that softens the reload. These were brand new, so perhaps my gripe there is unwarranted. When purchased the gun comes with 2 magazines, One has a longer finger rest in the front to fit your pinky finger on just nicely, while the other sits flush with the base of the grip. For CCW, if you need more concealment, perhaps the flush mag will work slightly better, but then, you leave your pinky free floating. It really depends on what you're good with. I'll probably buy another with the extended grip. You can also use the standard M&P9 17 round magazines, and there are aftermarket parts for it to adapt to the compact that will eliminate strange gaps in the grip to keep your fingers off the magazine. Versatility is the name of the game when it comes to this platform's magazines, so they got you covered there. While the larger standard M&P9 mags will probably cause you to lose any conceal carry advantage, it's there if you need more.

Magazine release: This is a shiny part in this gun. It works very well, and for you LH shooters, changing the safety release is just a matter of a takedown, and simply moving the parts to opposite sides. Very easy to do. When the mag release button is pressed, it has a good mechanism that is good in keeping the magazine where it should be, and when pressed, pops the mag out quite effectively.

The trigger: If you buy this gun fresh with no mods, the trigger already has a great pull. However, at the range, if you fire your rounds, you will need to have the trigger go all the way to home position to reset. I believe this was done out of request from law enforcement personnel who wanted this gun. There are aftermarket triggers that have a reset halfway or even less, and that is what I did to mine before coming home with it. I also lightened the pull just ever so slightly, and my reset is between 1/3 and 1/2 the return. Not that I necessarily need it, but it is a slight advantage, an you can always use an advantage if one of those moments arrive. What I did hear, is that newer M&P models will not need a full return to fire. I bought the version that has the safety in the trigger only. There is a version with a safety that can be bought pre-installed, or installed on your own at a later time. In my case, I don't need the extra safety, but if you like that extra little bit of comfort, the options are there. It Seems Smith & Wesson did a great job in making this gun well diversified for the various setups shooters prefer. My one gripe in this that I do intend to fix, is that the grip finish that is on the handle rides up through to the lower 1/3 of the bottom of the trigger guard. What this does, especially in a limited real estate handle, is cause the middle finger to get a bit agitated on its side pointing upwards of the gun. Not a good design here, and trust me, you can feel it after a short time. The saving grace in this, is that there seems to be sufficient real estate on that part of the polymer, that will allow you to smooth that out, and even indent in a small fraction, and still keep great integrity of that piece. This will be something I intend to do immediately (well, after cleaning).

For this model in paticular, it has the ability to fire the round in the chamber while there is no magazine in the well. I believe this is one of the reasons, along with CA wanting to have the micro stamping and other BS, that will make newer models of this gun unavailable in CA. It's a nice feature in continuous fire an reload times that will help in not needing to pull back on the slide after reloading. It's a great feature.

Takedown: This is definitely an easy gun to take down. I won't go into the manual and give you the directions, but with a built in tool for performing this, it's not bad at all. Technically, you really don't even need the tool piece, but it is an option. I spent a good day learning how to take this thing apart and put it back together, and I must say, it's one of the easier guns to disassemble and reassemble. No problems here.

Sights: These are quite standard and quite effective 3 dot sights. I intend to aftermarket these and get some tritium night sights, but in the meantime, they work. When matching them up, there is a bit of a gap between the rear and front posts which at longer distance, can lead you to fire a bit to the left or right. I would've liked to have seen a slightly wider front post on this to tighten the gap a bit, but that said, this is a compact, and your targets are probably going to be close enough where you won't need to worry too much about it. Something the upgraded tritium sights might fix (fingers crossed).

Firing and recoil: I've fired these well before purchasing this, so I already knew what I was getting here. This gun fires like a dream. S&W really did right with this platform, and the kick is minimal. It has a 3.5" barrel and for something this small, you'd think there would be a bit of a jump to it. However, as this gun weighs in at roughly 22 oz. it's not the lightest beast, but perhaps that weight mitigates a lot of the kick. This is one of the very happy features of this gun I enjoy. You fire where you point it, and reacquisition of your target is quick and painless. It slams forward at a good amount too, which seemed (in my case) to return almost where I originally pulled the trigger at. With proper grip and trigger pull, you really can't go wrong with this gun. If you need to know if there's a round in the chamber, there is a loaded chamber indicator (LCI) on top that easily will let you know if a round is there. To me, I don't need them, as I'll always assume the gun is loaded anyways, but in the thick of things, it's there if you lose count.

Overall outlook: The M&P9c has some drawbacks to the design that may irritate you at first. Some standard features and design choices you want to scratch your head at, but those don't outweigh the functionality and performance of it. For a compact, this gun is a beast in 9mm form, and for the price, you get a great gun for what you pay for. It has versatility, adaptability, good aftermarket parts options, and shoots clean and smooth. While I'm not trying to draw Glock owners/enthusiasts away from their brand of choice, if you are in the market for something new, this is a great alternative. For those whom aren't used to either brand and are looking for a good gun, shop around and don't just go on the advice of one person. Try many brands out. You never know what you'll find that fits you. If I just went on the advise of a couple people, I'd be doing a review on something else. Instead, I did my research, tried out several various brands, and went with this. Yes, I need to fix that poor design in the trigger guard, but it's not a deal breaker for me, and all the other pluses I've had with it far outweigh some plastic I can easily smooth out. In conclusion, very happy with it. I'll be putting another 100 or so rounds down range soon, with confidence in the M&P9c.

[miles316]

I don't know any, but are you wanting a referral for information on them, or where to buy?

Simple update on the M&P9c... I took it to the range later than I wanted to, which was the day before yesterday. Here's my review of it:

The Feel: The M&P9c's overall feel when held is quite comfortable. It can feel a little different if you are a Glock user, as the grip seems to be a bit more angled. When it comes to 9mm handguns, I started off as a Glock user, so when it comes to compact versions of them, this was my largest learning curve. It caused my first 3 loads of 10 rounds to want to dip the gun slightly downward as I pulled the trigger. It is something that took adjusting, and building muscle memory to get the old Glock, and even my HK USP 45 memory out of. The gun comes with 2 extra optional pieces for the rear of the grip to fit each user's hand. It's basically a S, M, L type of system, and the rear is easy to change out by simply removing the tool located at the bottom of the grip. That piece is mostly used for takedown, but also unlocks the polymer back piece. Quite a good design to adapt to more people, especially if you're going to use this gun and need something smaller or larger.

The magazines: Well, no matter how nice your handgun is, you're only going to get 10rds, so having a compact that carries 12 as a standard doesn't do any good in the state. The Magazine is slightly a double stack (?) meaning that the rounds seem just barely off center from one another. Not sure how much longer the grip would be if it was single stacked, but it may not be that much. Then again, these are the 10 rd mags, and not the 12s. My only gripe is that putting the rounds into the magazine is a bitch!!! I wore my hands out reloading, more so than actually firing. I will most likely stack them both up, and let the rounds sit in the magazines for a week, and see if that softens the reload. These were brand new, so perhaps my gripe there is unwarranted. When purchased the gun comes with 2 magazines, One has a longer finger rest in the front to fit your pinky finger on just nicely, while the other sits flush with the base of the grip. For CCW, if you need more concealment, perhaps the flush mag will work slightly better, but then, you leave your pinky free floating. It really depends on what you're good with. I'll probably buy another with the extended grip. You can also use the standard M&P9 17 round magazines, and there are aftermarket parts for it to adapt to the compact that will eliminate strange gaps in the grip to keep your fingers off the magazine. Versatility is the name of the game when it comes to this platform's magazines, so they got you covered there. While the larger standard M&P9 mags will probably cause you to lose any conceal carry advantage, it's there if you need more.

Magazine release: This is a shiny part in this gun. It works very well, and for you LH shooters, changing the safety release is just a matter of a takedown, and simply moving the parts to opposite sides. Very easy to do. When the mag release button is pressed, it has a good mechanism that is good in keeping the magazine where it should be, and when pressed, pops the mag out quite effectively.

The trigger: If you buy this gun fresh with no mods, the trigger already has a great pull. However, at the range, if you fire your rounds, you will need to have the trigger go all the way to home position to reset. I believe this was done out of request from law enforcement personnel who wanted this gun. There are aftermarket triggers that have a reset halfway or even less, and that is what I did to mine before coming home with it. I also lightened the pull just ever so slightly, and my reset is between 1/3 and 1/2 the return. Not that I necessarily need it, but it is a slight advantage, an you can always use an advantage if one of those moments arrive. What I did hear, is that newer M&P models will not need a full return to fire. I bought the version that has the safety in the trigger only. There is a version with a safety that can be bought pre-installed, or installed on your own at a later time. In my case, I don't need the extra safety, but if you like that extra little bit of comfort, the options are there. It Seems Smith & Wesson did a great job in making this gun well diversified for the various setups shooters prefer. My one gripe in this that I do intend to fix, is that the grip finish that is on the handle rides up through to the lower 1/3 of the bottom of the trigger guard. What this does, especially in a limited real estate handle, is cause the middle finger to get a bit agitated on its side pointing upwards of the gun. Not a good design here, and trust me, you can feel it after a short time. The saving grace in this, is that there seems to be sufficient real estate on that part of the polymer, that will allow you to smooth that out, and even indent in a small fraction, and still keep great integrity of that piece. This will be something I intend to do immediately (well, after cleaning).

For this model in paticular, it has the ability to fire the round in the chamber while there is no magazine in the well. I believe this is one of the reasons, along with CA wanting to have the micro stamping and other BS, that will make newer models of this gun unavailable in CA. It's a nice feature in continuous fire an reload times that will help in not needing to pull back on the slide after reloading. It's a great feature.

Takedown: This is definitely an easy gun to take down. I won't go into the manual and give you the directions, but with a built in tool for performing this, it's not bad at all. Technically, you really don't even need the tool piece, but it is an option. I spent a good day learning how to take this thing apart and put it back together, and I must say, it's one of the easier guns to disassemble and reassemble. No problems here.

Sights: These are quite standard and quite effective 3 dot sights. I intend to aftermarket these and get some tritium night sights, but in the meantime, they work. When matching them up, there is a bit of a gap between the rear and front posts which at longer distance, can lead you to fire a bit to the left or right. I would've liked to have seen a slightly wider front post on this to tighten the gap a bit, but that said, this is a compact, and your targets are probably going to be close enough where you won't need to worry too much about it. Something the upgraded tritium sights might fix (fingers crossed).

Firing and recoil: I've fired these well before purchasing this, so I already knew what I was getting here. This gun fires like a dream. S&W really did right with this platform, and the kick is minimal. It has a 3.5" barrel and for something this small, you'd think there would be a bit of a jump to it. However, as this gun weighs in at roughly 22 oz. it's not the lightest beast, but perhaps that weight mitigates a lot of the kick. This is one of the very happy features of this gun I enjoy. You fire where you point it, and reacquisition of your target is quick and painless. It slams forward at a good amount too, which seemed (in my case) to return almost where I originally pulled the trigger at. With proper grip and trigger pull, you really can't go wrong with this gun. If you need to know if there's a round in the chamber, there is a loaded chamber indicator (LCI) on top that easily will let you know if a round is there. To me, I don't need them, as I'll always assume the gun is loaded anyways, but in the thick of things, it's there if you lose count.

Overall outlook: The M&P9c has some drawbacks to the design that may irritate you at first. Some standard features and design choices you want to scratch your head at, but those don't outweigh the functionality and performance of it. For a compact, this gun is a beast in 9mm form, and for the price, you get a great gun for what you pay for. It has versatility, adaptability, good aftermarket parts options, and shoots clean and smooth. While I'm not trying to draw Glock owners/enthusiasts away from their brand of choice, if you are in the market for something new, this is a great alternative. For those whom aren't used to either brand and are looking for a good gun, shop around and don't just go on the advice of one person. Try many brands out. You never know what you'll find that fits you. If I just went on the advise of a couple people, I'd be doing a review on something else. Instead, I did my research, tried out several various brands, and went with this. Yes, I need to fix that poor design in the trigger guard, but it's not a deal breaker for me, and all the other pluses I've had with it far outweigh some plastic I can easily smooth out. In conclusion, very happy with it. I'll be putting another 100 or so rounds down range soon, with confidence in the M&P9c.

I'm looking for information, and I have already gone through Wikipedia and Google.