July 9th is National Firearm Purchase Day

[ExSoldier]

Yeah...I seem to remember reading an article on it in one of my gun mags...it has a slightly ummmm space age look? Right? I had a Kel-tec folding carbine in 9mm and that was a really fun little IDPA gun for those matches...and I thought it was quite useful under certain narrow circumstances...with +P+ ammo it could generate some good velocities....was very accurate out to about 75-100 meters and aftermarket extra hi-cap mags were cheap and readily available...I got several 30rd Browning Hi Power mags for mine. I traded mine even swap for a M92FS Beretta and have been quite happy. This CX4 Storm might fill a similar "niche" market. Probably be good for varmits and ranch work...or for a "truck" gun....

[Mad Dawg]

Oh wow do I ever get that! I got my S&W 686p back from the shop - trigger job and re-finish. Now I'm afraid to use it. It look so purty!

But the other day I saw a former FIB guy's meticulously cared for 25 year old (more or less) blued Smith and Wesson 357 magnum. Even the wear spots looked good!

I'd say, use that puppy and clean it carefully. It'll improve!

[I_dmc]

Thanks for posting this. It reminded me to check into gunsmithing correspondence courses. Pays to have another skill these days, ya know?

[opus86]

An excellent and salient point! And I am blessed to live in a state that issues concealed carry permits on a fairly reasonable basis.

Unfortunately, my beloved wife is "gun-averse." I won't say she's an anti-gunner, and definitely isn't a gun-grabber, but she doesn't care for firearms and wants nothing to do with them (all emotion, no logic here.) Interestingly she's very glad we have one when she hears a "bump" in the night! Ah, well, we've only been married one year, so I've got some time to work on her.

[El Gato]

Ah, well, we've only been married one year, so I've got some time to work on her.

Indeed you do. Start with a .22 handgun, or even a rifle, for a "painless" entry into shooting. The next "bump in the night" might be a good time to bring out and present her with it, after you've investigated the "bump" with something a bit more effective. My wife is not all that "gun-averse". She claims not to like them, but understands the need for them, and the right to have them. She has shot my and her father's .22 pistols. That got her over being afraid of them, but she's just not interested. Which is OK, although I'd prefer she was interested enough to have one of her own, since due to circumstances beyond our control, we currently live over 300 miles apart, seeing each other for a few days a month on average. At least she doesn't object (too much) when I buy a new one. I've got one that I've had for almost 5 years that I've never fired, that's never been fired unless they did so at the factory, and another that I've put only a few hundred rounds through, and none of those in the last two years. Still, if I had the money, I'd buy an AR-15. I still might if the AW ban sunsets. Til then the 7.62 NATO militia rifle, the SKS and the M1 Carine will have to suffice :).

[opus86]

Thanks for the advice. I have a .22 Taurus revolver that would suffice for entry-level plinking. I just need to get her to the range. Since she will have night school at the local university this fall I REALLY want her to carry something that goes *bang*, but for now pepper spray and a pocket knife is all she'll carry. And until she's trained with a pistol it's best that she not carry one.

I'm more of a pistol person myself: .22, two .38s (one for those bumps in the night), a .380 (PPK - had to have it), and a .45 Springfield 1911 (never shot it). I mentioned in a prior post that my next gun will likely be a .40 Glock, though I'd like a nice .357 for home defense.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The .40 Glock I own jammed tight after 25 or 30 rounds at the range. Seems this was a common complaint with the first bunch of these about 10 years ago. I had the trigger trimmed down to 3-4 pound pull, Trijicon "glow in the dark" sights and a thorough honeing and polishing job by the gun smith I knew in St. Paul.
I took my insurance man to the range to introduce him to my "plastic fantastic," and just as I was mentioning the trigger was a little light, he put a round in the ceiling.

[El Gato]

I'm more of a pistol person myself: .22, two .38s (one for those bumps in the night), a .380 (PPK - had to have it), and a .45 Springfield 1911 (never shot it). I mentioned in a prior post that my next gun will likely be a .40 Glock, though I'd like a nice .357 for home defense.

I never said I wasn't a pistol person as well. I shoot my pistols much more often than my long guns. Partly because I can shoot them inside out of the Texas heat. I've got a .22 S&W semi-auto (not the current model) and a 1911A1 and EAA/Tangfilo Witness polymer compact both in .45 ACP. Mostly I shoot the .45s. I'm a big believer in the big bullet theory. The Witness is really light, but the barrell is ported which along with the polymer frame reduces felt recoil and muzzle flip considerably. It wouldn't do much for my night vision should I have to use it in ernest some night, but then again even the 1911 is going to damage it some.

[opus86]

Wow...Okay here's probably a silly question...In terms of recoil on the 1911, how would it measure against shooting .38spl +P's out of a snubby?

[Mad Dawg]

and just as I was mentioning the trigger was a little light, he put a round in the ceiling.

Oops! "Um, did you say,'Light'?" ;-)
"FIRST point the gun more or less where you want the round to go, THEN pull the trigger. These sequencing issues can be a bitch!

BTW, I was at the range yesterday (and shot my best magazine ever -- at 11 yards 9 of 10 in a 2.5" group in the black -- for me that's really good), and a couple of county cop buddies were there shooting H&K .40s. They pretty much salivated over my Cougar in 357 Sig. I don't think they were just being polite, but while I couldn't get hard reasons for their aversion, they both said they didn't like .40 and wished they were issued 357 Sigs.

Go figger.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Fortunately, the range was one of those underground, earth-sheltered affairs. I think he put his finger on the trigger just as he was bringing the pistol down to eye level and, bingo. He still talks about how skinny that trigger is. I'm headed back up to Minneapolis in a week to call on customers and may stop in to see the insurance agent now known as "deadeye."