Gun Pawn - Warning - Lots of Pictures - as requested

[ErnestM]

Soovy said:

Look at that MAGAZINE!!!!!

Do you just buy them in Walmart?!


I love America!

No. Most of the "good stuff" is mail order/internet. That thing is way too expensive for Wal-Mart, plus it's not made in China. For me Wal-mart is good for range ammunition. Maybe. On a good day. If I have to.

[ErnestM]

KenBlocksPants said:

The worst thing was the shell casing of the autos bouncing off the walls of the booth and down the back of your t-shirt! burnt like hell!

very weird for a Brit, but so much fun.

I prefer outdoor ranges. It usually avoids the hot brass problems.

[ErnestM]

QuackHandle said:

I might be wrong but are you showing some of the pistols with hollow-points? What's the preferred bullet?

It depends on what type of ammunition the guns "like". However - mostly I use ball for backup mags and either Remington Golden Sabre hollow points or Winchester Ranger hollow points (preferred) for all calibers.

The Glock and USPc will eat anything. The PPS doesn't like +P stuff and is iffy on Golden Sabres, so it gets Rangers.

By the way - in the 1911 Piccie - those are the last of my Black Talons

[ErnestM]

TEKNOPUG said:

It just means that burglars all carry guns and shoot to kill rather than waving about a replica and scaring the occupants.

Crime stats will back this up.

Still, the genie is well and truly out of the bottle in the States and it's never going back in. Needs must in that situation.

That must be why crime is reduced whenever an area/State goes to "shall issue" for CCW and crime increases when areas/States ban handguns... Oh wait... that can't be right...

[ErnestM]

nonplussed said:

A pink handgun? WTF?

It's for breast cancer research ya know...

You can get more than pink these days:

http://www.nicindustries.com/guncoater.php

[ErnestM]

redtwin said:

I lived in South Florida for 14 years which has more than its fair share of gun ownership and never once did I ever fear being burgled by armed gunmen. I can't even recall it happening in the city (Sunrise) that I lived in. There were thefts and burglaries etc, but none involving armed thieves. There was once instance where a homeowner shot and killed a burglar, but the burglar was unarmed, so not quite the same thing.

I have relatives that live in decidedly more "dodgy" North Miami on the outskirts of Opa Locka and in their 31 years living there, they have only been burgled once, and it was while they were away on holiday.

Armed home invasions do happen, but there tend to be under lying circumstances such as the "victims" being known drug dealers sitting on large quantities of cash/drugs or a local business owner etc.

I didn't buy my guns for self/home defence which is just as well as it would have taken ages for me to get to them and load them if I heard my door being kicked in. I just didn't feel the need for it.

The law in Florida is rather draconian concerning use of a firearm while commiting a crime. To me, that makes sense. Punishment for misbehaving instead of punishment (banning) so that you cannot possibly misbehave. Most home invasions happen when the homeowner is away (in Florida). The homeowner is at a decided advantage as they know their own place better. A great many home in Florida also have alarm system with great screaching sirens which is normally the first, best defense.

[ErnestM]

Petrolhead_Rich said:

ErnestM - "I'm just nipping down to ASDA for a bottle of milk and some hollowpoint rounds, do you need anything?"

Mrs. Enrest - "Yeah, can you get me a box of 9mm rounds and another magazine please?"

No problem with the ammo, but I draw the line at buying "People" or "the National Enquirer", etc...

[ErnestM]

Pesty said:

Ernest, You are using Wilson Combat magazines in Your Springfields. Why not go the whole hog and get one of their(expensive) pistols and maybe a Les Bear while you are at it.

The comparable Wilson starts at $2700. The Stainless Loaded cost me $950. I am planning on doing some upgrades on it and, after my research, this was the best platform for that. One of the upgrades was the Wilson Combat Mags as they are the best in the business. I'm also working on getting a front fibreoptic/tritium sight for it, some custom trigger work, etc.

Don't get me wrong, the Wilsons are brilliant but the Stainless Loaded was bought for tinkering with and also for possible competition down the road (hence 9mm instead of .45)

[ErnestM]

funkyrobot said:

Ernest, this is the first time i've actually checked your profile, so I never actually saw what you looked like until now. I also didn't realise that you lived in Florida, until now (the amount of guns that you have displayed got me thinking).

For some reason, I pictured you as looking older, with glasses and grey hair. God knows why I thought that

Anyway, sorry for the thread hi-jack. I guess our gun laws over here ruin all of the fun!

As the kids get older, the grey is starting to show...

...the Mrs is still a hottie, though. Don't know how she does it!

- - -

I have theories/anecdotes/opinions about firearms in the UK and will add them later on in this thread (after I get some work done )

[ErnestM]

pokethepope said:

Ernest, how do you cock the USPc's hammer? In the decocked position in your pic it doesn't look like theres any part of it to grip to pull back, or is there some clever mechanism?

The USPc is a double/single action so you don't necessarily have to cock the hammer for the first shot, just double action trigger pull.

However, if you want to - pull the trigger about a quarter of a way and the hammer will go into the "de-decocked" position. You can then release the trigger and pull the hammer the rest of the way back with your thumb.

The USPc's safety also acts as a decocker, so, at full cock, you can depress the decocker and it returns to the "de-cocked" position which is slightly above the firing pin.

Interesting note - the follow up gun to the USPc (the P2000) actually has a decocking "button" near the hammer (as do certain others with certain trigger groups)

The reason why the hammer is all the way down in my picture is because I cleared and made safe all of the guns before I photographed them.

[ErnestM]

Whatty said:

Blaser F3 for Sporting Clays.

Nice Shotty. Of course, when I think Blaser, I think R93 (which is another long distance shooter that is better than my abilities)

[ErnestM]

redtwin said:

I remember one patron getting a telling off, something along the lines of "Slow down, you are not that good anyway and if you keep it up yer outta here". I can't say I would be so brave as to give an armed man such a public dressing down.

My favourite range has a two second rule between shots. I can understand why. They also don't allow NFA stuff (full-auto). They would never dress anyone down in public. They go from hot to cold and then simply have a quiet private word (and do some innocuous range clearing stuff to cover any word they may be having with somebody)

One or two of the indoor ranges that I go to allow double taps at certain times.

[ErnestM]

Dan_The_Man said:

Check out THIS video of a new UK spec 9mm rifle in action, perfect for double taps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoHfAcWNMK0

Some of my rifles, I do like AR's

Nice - I keep telling my wife that the minimum allowable number of AR's is 5. She keeps telling me that the minimum amount of Jimmy Choo's are 200 sets.

I guess marriage is compromise, eh?

[ErnestM]

For all the shotgun lovers, look what we are getting later this year...

http://www.keltecweapons.com/news/preview-kel-tec-...

By the way Kel-Tec is about a 45 minute drive from me

Personally, I am probably going to trade up my mossy bullpup for a Benelli M4 sometime later this year... We'll see how the year goes.

[ErnestM]

If stopped, what I do (and yes - Charles Bronson is funny)

[ErnestM]

Jovial Joe said:

ErnestM said:

For all the shotgun lovers, look what we are getting later this year...

http://www.keltecweapons.com/news/preview-kel-tec-...

By the way Kel-Tec is about a 45 minute drive from me

You win; 14 round mag.

Not just the 14 that's nice. It has two mag tubes and you can load two dissimilar ammo types and just click to switch mags on the fly. 7 in each tube. So... buckshot in one and birdshot in the other...

They just introduced this at SHOT 2011.

[ErnestM]

Pesty said:

if you needed it in an emergency do you think you would remember to switch over to the other shells

you don't fancy a Saiga then Ernest ?

Its probably a good job I don't live over there I would be skint

I don't fancy shotguns as a rule. The reason that I am looking at the M4 is for possible "3-Gun" competitions in the future...

...BATFE are also looking at banning the importing of the Saiga because it doesn't fit a "sporting purpose" (another quirk of US law) To get around the ban, Saiga would have to set up shop in the US and manufacture locally.

I have read good and bad about the Saiga (more bad) from people that I trust. I have yet to shoot one myself.

[ErnestM]

Simbu said:

Interesting that it says "Weapon". Does this license permit you to carry around more exotic "cutlery"?

Also, I assume ammunition is like water over there? As opposed to the strict limits on the amount of ammo you can hold for Section 1 weapons over here.

Finally, is there much interest in black powder weapons in the states? AFAIK they're pretty much the only pistol firearm you can use in the UK for sporting purposes these days.

Yes on the cutlery. Allowed but I don't. Although I do keep a microtech scarab qd in the car for emergencies.

Ammunition - Put it this way, I have over 2000 rounds of M855 5.56 penetrator rounds, 500 rounds of Silver State armory 77 grain 5.56 (similar to the Mk 262 round for the SPR) alone. I also have about 500 7.62x39 and about 1000 each for each pistol type that I own. No that's not much if you consider a day at the range, but, yes, ammo unlimited (and mail-orderable)

There are ALL types of firearm interests in the US. There are some folks that use modern black powder guns for hunting. Then there is Cowboy Action Shooting (similar to practical shooting but with spitoons and ladies with bussels) If there is a sport for firearms, it exists in the US. Black powder arms require no registration, waiting period, etc and are mail order friendly.

[ErnestM]

mybrainhurts said:

Oh, that sounds interesting. What's a bussel..?

I may have spelled it wrong...


The gathered part in the back...

[ErnestM]

jimmyjimjim said:

An acquaintance of mine keeps about 12,000 rounds of 5.56 and climbing. That was the last time he mentioned it, a couple of years back; he doesn't trust Barry O'bama not to try to do something foolish about firearms laws.

Looking at Gen 4 Glock 19 prices.

Mods, please lock the thread before I go broke.

The local constabulary carry gen 4 Glock 19s here. They are nice. A member of the local Sherrif's SWAT team drops his daughter off at the same school bus-stop in the morning and let me take a look at his new piece when I dropped the kids off. The kids didn't bat an eye (didn't seem out of place to them).

I'll bet you that never happens in the UK