A well-aimed vote in 2010 will keep on giving.
Posted on 12/07/2009 5:34:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
On Kevin Wence's 10th Christmas, he opened a gift from his father and discovered what would become "A Christmas Story" legend: a Red Ryder BB air rifle. His first gun.
Last week, Wence bought his 15th, a stainless-steel Smith & Wesson Model 686 revolver. Unlike the air rifle, this gun won't sit under the Christmas tree, he said. But it would be a family gift that he, his wife and his 24-year-old son, all trained in shooting, could use to protect their St. Petersburg home.
"In responsible hands, they're safe. They're fun. It's a hobby," Wence said as he signed a form authorizing a background check at the Pinellas Park Bill Jackson's Shop for Adventure. "Once you fire a bullet, you can't take it back. But you can still have fun with them."
The desire for fun, the hunt or self-defense has drawn shoppers looking for the perfect Christmas gift to gun stores across Tampa Bay, dealers said. At most stores, the shopping is a family affair -- a father and daughter firing at the range, husbands semiauto shopping with their wives, parents price-checking hunting bows for their young son.
"It's a feeling of confidence, like having a shield," said Tony Orifici, a salesman at Dunedin's Florida Survivalist gun shop. "Grandpa wants a shotgun. Mom wants a revolver. ... We had a family come in and buy an AR-15, a shotgun and two handguns, one for each of them."
But the season's real present may go to the gun dealers, many of them still counting the post-election profits of an "Obama rush" that saw shoppers stockpiling in case a new administration banned firearms.(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at scrippsnews.com ...
(No, I'm not joking.)
learn to reload .223. Cheap.
Shotgun shot for lead.
“.223 is too expensive to plink with. ;)”
Reloading is not only a way to have cheaper ammunition, but a rewarding hobby on its own.
“learn to reload .223. Cheap.
Shotgun shot for lead.”
Autoloaders don’t usually feed cast bullets well.
That was then. This is now. Early 1911’s had a narrow ramp that has to be widened and throated. I have some 1911’s and they all can chamber empty cases. I also use Wilson magazines. I haven’t even used some of the magazines that came with the pistol.
“I read there are centerfire vs rimfire .22’s.”
You’re correct. You must have been reading a reloading book. I counted 14 different rounds that are available in .22 all of which measure .223, including the .22 lr.
The best I know of and one that will stay with you forever is a 22-250. Good for plinking and good for varmints. One of the only bullets that shoots well at 1500 fps as well as 4000 fps and everything in between.
For plinking you might want to look at a single shot. Handi rifles from Harrington and Richardson are quite good.
But do learn to reload. I reload my .45-70 for .14 per round. Retail is 1.50 to 4.00 per round. Yikes!
“That was then. This is now. Early 1911’s had a narrow ramp that has to be widened and throated. I have some 1911’s and they all can chamber empty cases. I also use Wilson magazines. I haven’t even used some of the magazines that came with the pistol.”
I’d be interested in seeing that M1911 chambered in .223. ;)
I used to have a Colt HBAR, that was tragically lost in a boating accident. But it came with an alternate bolt and magazine that allowed the use of .22 rim-fire for plinking.
OK,,now start shopping for an 18" cly bore barrel for it. You'll be set for the zombie invasion or squirrel harvest.
I have two 12 gauges, one rem 870 and one Mossberg 500. Both have hunting barrels and short "stop where you are" are barrels. ;-)
Change barrels as needed. The 12 ga is the best "ONE gun".
Of course, the AK's, 22's, and Rem 700's are window dressing in the gun safe.
Jeebus! What is that, an M4 in 5.56 Borg ?
I just recently bought a Romanian "Draco" AK-47 pistol for myself. Still in the box with the packing grease on it.
HO HO HO...Merry Christmas to me!
Ruger 10-22 is an excellent choice, and CCI velocitor ammo works well with it.
AR style .223 manufactured with the ‘gas piston’ system such as Bushmaster or Ruger, also S&W are good. Purchase .223 ammo as it will function reliably in either a .223 or 5.56 chamber. Many aftermarket options.
(waves dismissively)
“Autoloaders don’t usually feed cast bullets well.”
If you resize the cartridge before loading it works fine. Neck sized only cases may work but will eventually jam.
You may have to play around with the bullet seating but many autoloaders are fed a diet of reloaded rounds for their entire life and they do quite well.
Just can't let this pass. If you can't feed anything( cept maybe a wadcutter type round), you need ramp work. Flat nose should work along with round nose.
Having said all that, if you cast your own .223, then it must be loaded to sub sonic levels to keep leadding down. They make copper bases to help, but after a while you get to the point of just coughing up the money for jacketed bullets. Some surplus ammo is already to the point that it's cheaper to buy Chinese or Russian than load your own.
There are certain calibers that pay to reload, and others that do not pay. Any military type round is usually cheaper to buy surplus. Large pistols like .44 mag and .45 are reloaders, but 9mm is just too cheap. .223 and 7.62x39 is cheap, but 7mm Mag or .338 ,8mm and others can be reloaded for half the price of WalMart loads.
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