Gun Range 2024

[FergusonTO35]

Here's the M11-A1. Can't wait to bail it out!

 

[Lnk]

I'm going to switch to my rimfires for basic high volume practice. Used to be I could shoot my own reloads for less cost than decent .22 LR, but that's certainly not the case anymore. Factory centerfire ammo is pretty easy to find but powder and primers are not, so I'll shoot the centerfires just enough to make sure they are sighted in and use the rimfires for building muscle memory and improving technique. I haven't seen LR primers for at least a year. I know they are coming in, but they vanish really fast. SP primers are fairly available, but cost more than CCI Mini Mags and then you have to spend money on powder and bullets as well as time reloading.

Might want to budget for more primers even at today's prices. I am still shooting 12 year old primers, and just started buying more, except for LR, as those seem to be made of unobtainium. I still have a couple thousand but will use them sparingly. Just bought a 556 and a 6.5, and started stocking SRP as those are the first calibers I ever bought that used them. Powder I am still good with. Prices are crazy though.

 

[JimBear]

My son has been eyeballing one of these, I don’t know if he has acquired one yet or not.

They were on sale for around $625 last I knew.

 

[JimBear]

Might want to budget for more primers even at today's prices. I am still shooting 12 year old primers, and just started buying more, except for LR, as those seem to be made of unobtainium. I still have a couple thousand but will use them sparingly. Just bought a 556 and a 6.5, and started stocking SRP as those are the first calibers I ever bought that used them. Powder I am still good with. Prices are crazy though.

You sound like a primer hoarder, no wonder nobody else can find them...

My son was chirping about trying to find primers the other day.

 

[Lnk]

You sound like a primer hoarder, no wonder nobody else can find them...

My son was chirping about trying to find primers the other day.

Not a hoarder, got caught out after Newtown. Will never be out again. Started buying here and there until I had a stash that would last me a few years. Now I just replenish what I use as it becomes available. I only buy small quantities, and leave plenty there for others. I also store food, money, fuel, hay and feed. I don't like being unprepared.

 

[Sawdust Man]

I know where a quantity of primers & powder are...... just by the way....
And brass.... and projectiles....

 

[Lnk]

I know where a quantity of primers & powder are...... just by the way....
And brass.... and projectiles....

@JimBear could use them, I am alright.

 

[FergusonTO35]

I buy primers and powder whenever I see them, but always leave some for others. I would guess I have about a 5 year supply at any given time. Could probably stretch that to the rest of my life if I only used them for sighting in and hunting. Wish I could find some more LP primers since they are great in pistol powder .45-70 loads, only have a couple of trays left.

 

[Lnk]

I buy primers and powder whenever I see them, but always leave some for others. I would guess I have about a 5 year supply at any given time. Could probably stretch that to the rest of my life if I only used them for sighting in and hunting. Wish I could find some more LP primers since they are great in pistol powder .45-70 loads, only have a couple of trays left.

LP are scarce too? I thought it was just LR. I think I have seen LP somewhere. Tried powder valley?

Edit, just checked, they have none.

 

[FergusonTO35]

LP are vaporware around here. Fortunately I only have one gun that can use them, and of course I could use LR primers in it as well. In any event I have two guns in layaway jail right now so no fun money for awhile!

 

[SOS Ridgerider]

Any of you fellers own, or have shot, the SA Garrison 1911? I'm looking for a 1911, and the Garrison keeps coming up as a great option.
Gets great reviews pretty much anywhere I look.
Just curious if anyone here has any experience with them. I'm looking at the stainless version, .45ACP and 5" barrel.

1911 Garrison .45 ACP Handgun - Stainless - Springfield Armory

www.springfield-armory.com

 

[FergusonTO35]

Don't know about that one in particular, but we have the Milspec (which isn't really milspec) under the glass at my shop and it's really nice.

The fun store had quite a few SP and SR primers yesterday so I bought some SP. I rarely reload .223 anymore and so didn't buy any SR. I don't shoot them in large quantities, in fact I shoot a lot more .30-30 and .308 than .223. I usually I buy cheap FMJ .223 ammo and replace the bullets with Hornady or Sierra soft points. Fast burning rifle powders are almost as hard to find as LR primers, and I'm happy with the way the substitute bullet factory rounds shoot.

 

[FergusonTO35]

I have a beater 1985 Winchester 94 rescued from a pawn shop some time ago for $200.00. I've been fixing little things on it to use as a general purpose farm and woods stomping gun. It's an example of how far Winchester had fallen. Horrid wood to metal fit, mag tube and barrel bands were loose with the screws tightened all the way down. Grip safety non functional and constant light strikes.

A new hammer spring, which is much stiffer than the old one, and a new grip safety/trigger spring seems to have fixed those problems. I did a total redneck job of snugging up all the loose and I'll fitting parts by bedding them with Gorilla tape. Seems to be holding so far. Being an angle eject model, I topped it with a little Bushnell 1-4x32 scope in quick detach Weaver rings. Gonna add a Marble's 69WEH rear sight so I can use it without a scope also. Hopefully give it a test drive tomorrow.

 

[av8or3]

Purchased a revolver. H&R 999 with very cool vintage Black Sheep Brand holster. Serial number puts it mfg’d in 1968. Was a good year for me, started H.S. After I graduated my Grandfather presented me with his H&R .22 revolver w/holster that he coon hunted with. It was not as nice as this one and not having the proper appreciation for such a gift (at 17), I rubbed all the blueing off thinking I could blue it back better. Right. It looked awful of course and not long after I either traded or sold it. I was such a dumb ass. I’d been looking at newer more expensive .22 revolvers when I came across this and thought of him. Took about a second to hit the BIN button. Not a bit sorry either, gun and holster are very nice and every time I look at it I’ll think of the most important man in my life. Dad was a close second, but Papa Grubb was #1 for a bunch of reasons.

 

[av8or3]

Any of you fellers own, or have shot, the SA Garrison 1911? I'm looking for a 1911, and the Garrison keeps coming up as a great option.
Gets great reviews pretty much anywhere I look.
Just curious if anyone here has any experience with them. I'm looking at the stainless version, .45ACP and 5" barrel.

1911 Garrison .45 ACP Handgun - Stainless - Springfield Armory

www.springfield-armory.com

Looks to be a nice 1911, and it retails for less than 1K. I enjoy stainless handguns, quickest and easiest to clean, not having to worry about rubbing off the bluing and all.

 

[Lnk]

Purchased a revolver. H&R 999 with very cool vintage Black Sheep Brand holster. Serial number puts it mfg’d in 1968. Was a good year for me, started H.S. After I graduated my Grandfather presented me with his H&R .22 revolver w/holster that he coon hunted with. It was not as nice as this one and not having the proper appreciation for such a gift (at 17), I rubbed all the blueing off thinking I could blue it back better. Right. It looked awful of course and not long after I either traded or sold it. I was such a dumb ass. I’d been looking at newer more expensive .22 revolvers when I came across this and thought of him. Took about a second to hit the BIN button. Not a bit sorry either, gun and holster are very nice and every time I look at it I’ll think of the most important man in my life. Dad was a close second, but Papa Grubb was #1 for a bunch of reasons.
View attachment 406530

That is a pretty revolver. I have read enough stories of regret from people that sold stuff. My regrets are from passing on buying stuff. Still kick myself for not spending the $250 on the HK91 back in 1985.

Did a bunch of case prep and sizing yesterday. Have a boatload of LC 7.62x51 brass, so chamfering, decapping/sizing and primer crimp removing. Then cleaning. Will do more today as it is something I can quit if I need to run a call.

I did get to ring some steel yesterday afternoon. So was a good day.

 

[FergusonTO35]

The Beater 94 seems to be shooting point of aim at 100 with 29.2 grains H-335 and a Sierra 150 so I'm calling it good. Here it is with my trusty Glock 19 gen. 4, also a pawn shop rescue.

 

[FergusonTO35]

Only real problem with this rifle is the dreaded light strikes from the rebounding hammer design. The usual fix for this is to trim the lower legs of the hammer spring strut which contact the bottom of the hammer. This part produces the rebound effect, and is the usual cause of light strikes. This is what I did, and it now seems quite reliable.

Only thing is, when you do this you are effectively removing the "half cock" part of the hammer. If you pull the trigger then the hammer will come to rest on the button which strikes the firing pin. It won't have enough force to fire, but something else striking the hammer could cause it to happen. It doesn't help that the grip safety on this rifle doesn't work due to the dimensions of the trigger and grip safety lever being hopelessly out of spec. I have an extra complete lower tang with hammer and trigger, but it has the same light strike problem.

Winchester has been using this sh!tty design for over 40 years now and won't do anything about it. I knew I was buying a $200.00 black hole for parts and time wasted when I rescued this one, but a new Winchester lever action is well over a grand. One would think that consistently going bang would be a standard feature of the product you are paying so much money for, but that is too often not the case. So, on all the gun forums we have many pages of woes and workarounds for pricey Winchester 1886, 1893, and 1894 rifles.

 

[av8or3]

1892

 

[FergusonTO35]

1892

Yep! 'Scuse me.