I tried a Glock 30 (45 acp) no joy! Couldn't get used to the trigger, I'm a die hard 1911 fan. Trigger pull short and sweet.
I also have a couple of WW2 rifles, but they are M1 Garands, one is the standard 30--06 and the other is a shortened version called a "Tanker Garand" it's in .308.

I haven't fired the 30 yet, but I want to own one to carry. The stock Glock triggers are tough to pull. On purpose. I upgrade mine for better action. On purpose.

 

I won't get another glock. That glock trigger "safety" is nonconfidence inspiring. The recoil was pretty bad & it was too top heavy (metal up top, composite handle & magazine) I chose it because at the time (my 21st birthday present to myself), the 10mm, enough power to take down a grizzly, was small enough to fit in my pocket. Once both of those points proved themselves to be not very practical, the gun outlived its usefulness. If I were going to carry again, I would look for a compact 1911 45ACP.

 

I like my Glock trigger, although it is upgraded to a 3.5 lb Ghost trigger, and all the 'friction' surfaces are finely polished.

With my 19, I can shoot a 3" group at 7 yards, and 5" at 15 at about 2-3 rounds per second. Not sure if this is good or not, but its better than the other guys at the range. And this is after about 4,000 rounds through the same gun!

See, you replaced the trigger. Try a stock Gen II Trigger, I describe it as squeezing a sandy sponge.

I'm a JMB fan. Shooting bulleye, I can get 10 shots inside the 8 ring at 50 yards one handed during slow fire. 8 ring is about 10" across. 25yds, I get mostly 9, 10, and X.

At shorter ranges, I shoot IDPA (shoothouse/IPSC type shooting) where you double tap silhouettes, but it's hard to miss at 5 yards.

I go through about 15,000 rounds in practice per year, so I have an automated reloader.

How much does a daily excursion at the shooting range cost for you guys?

With Pistols and semi-automatics, around 300 rounds of rifle (.223, .308), and 200 rounds of Handgun (.45 ACP). .223 ammo new is roughly $400 per thousand, pistol ammo is about $250 per thousand. It goes WAY down when reloading. An afternoon of aimed fire is usually 4-5 hours at various ranges, so the round count stays down.

On the days I go to practice Bullseye shooting, I just bring 1,000 rounds and start at about 9 am and shoot until I run out, trying to get the best group I can at 25 and 50 yards, single handed, with a 1911.

When the toys come out (full auto), about two thousand rounds total of .223, 9mm, and .308 vanish per hour, but it is a hoot. Thats with two people playing on 4 guns, if there's 4, double the amount. There are cooldown times between belts or long bursts that slow consumption, since re-barreling is spendy. Call it $1,000 - $2,000 of reloaded ammo in an afternoon.

 

I had an opportunity to test a new S&W M&P. The trigger felt real nice...*but* the damn thing jammed at least once every other mag. I will not be spending *my* money on one.

With over 4,000 rounds of really cheap ammo, my Glock never jammed, and only mis-fired once...and that was last week.

 

Call it $1,000 - $2,000 of reloaded ammo in an afternoon.

You are a far richer man than I, thatoneguy. That explains why you spend so much time here!

 

Try a stock Gen II Trigger...

Please elaborate.

Edit: Oh, you mean the Gen 2 Glock. I thought you were talking aftermarket. No, mine is Gen 3. Never fired Gen 2.

 

<blink>


Okay...

Are you people trying to say to me that you are spending hundreds of dollars (monthly?) on a hobby, (because I can't call it otherwise), while I try to keep a light foot on the pedal of my car trying to save gas and cutting back on fun?

Are you guys sure you have a debt problem?

 

Are you people trying to say to me that you are spending hundreds of dollars (monthly?) on a hobby...

Yes, and that's just electronics!

Edit: Surprisingly, the guns themselves are (relatively) cheap. It's the ammo that'll kill ya (both figuratively and literally)!

 

Are you guys sure you have a debt problem?

Not as bad as yours!

 

You are a far richer man than I, thatoneguy. That explains why you spend so much time here!

I usually make money when I bring out the toys, people will drop $100 in a "donation" bucket to run one belt through, or 3 mags, or whatever, I end up making a profit.

It's just cleaning them that is a pain, including supressors after they get run that hard. Only do the shoots about 4 times a year, otherwise they are in a vault (literally).

I prefer semi-auto, one shot, one hit. spray and pray is literally a giggle factor. I've seen so many people that have never shot full auto start giggling after shooting and walk around like the rest of the day.

 

TOG you're a maniac!
You go through more ammo in an afternoon that I've gone through in my entire life.

 

@thatoneguy:

You know, if you ever want a good dog to go with those guns, let me know and I'll hook you up with the right people...

 

@thatoneguy:

You know, if you ever want a good dog to go with those guns, let me know and I'll hook you up with the right people...

I go to a lot of shoots in the summer, usually TX, AZ, NV, KY, and IN.

Florida is too long of a drive.

Get a can for your Glock, the $200 stamp and $300 can are worth it, for your hearing alone. If you qualify for a FL CCP, you'll have no problems getting the stamp.

I actually have non-resident Concealed Carry Permits for Florida and New Hampshire. Those, tied with South Dakota and all the reciprocity means I can carry everywhere but California, Illinois, New York, and Washington DC.

Transportation of Class 3 firearms (full auto, suppressed, short barreled, AOWs (Any Other Weapon) such as grenade launcher) is a bit of a pain, I usually air-freight them to a destination FFL I know, then drive with everything else. Especially if I'm heading to Indiana or Kentucky and have to drive through Nazi Illinois.

I only stay in fully "Class 3 Friendly" states, which I think FL is, but haven't gotten around to a winter shoot down there.

The only pain is you need to carry your tax stamp card with the weapon, so I have an entire wallet for permits and 11 stamps so I don't misplace any.

This is the reason the gun laws are stupid. I keep all of them safe, my background has been scoured since I was an FFL dealer, so I had to buy stamps for all my favorites when I closed the dealership due to the extra stuff they pile on FFLs, especially where the .gov can hold the FFL responsible for selling a weapon to somebody that commits a crime, even though that person fills out the paperwork and is given the "Thumbs Up" by the FBI NICS check. The .gov is trying to reduce the number of FFL holders, and it's working. Lawyers cost more than ammo.

 

"An armed society is a polite society" Robert Heinlein

The main argument for having a gun at home that are being mentioned here are self-defense, mainly when your home is being invaded.

I would be interested to know if there is a truly reliable source of information or a reliable statistic on that subject.

Does having a gun at home really decrease the number of home invasions?

Secondly, when looking at this statistic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate then the "1st world" country with the highest murder per capita rate is the US.

It is important to make a distinction between the Western world and emerging or 3rd world countries when looking at these statistics.

Third, the statistic "murder per capita" unfortunately includes all murders that could not have been avoided by having a gun at home (because they didn't happen at home) or they are not related to a normal persons living environment, like gang wars etc.

Giving guns to just anybody involves the risk that a person who shouldn't have one can also get one EASILY. Not talking about the guys who get them illegally.

With great power there comes great responsibility.

And power is being abused, we see it everywhere. Many humans are to weak to deal with it.

Just my humble opinion. I'm not trying to convince anybody. I lived in various places and didn't see a need to have one until now. The only one I ever fired was an AK-47... and that was long time ago.

 

With great power there comes great responsibility

Well said, uncle Ben, well said.

 

Just for curiosity, a question.

The only way I would feel safer with a gun would be if it was near where I am at the moment I expect someone to invade my home.

That would be near my bed, since I guess the main risk getting attacked by someone while I'm at home would be at night.

The gun and the ammo need to be at the same place, easily accessible.
Or maybe the gun even loaded.

Now, how do people that have kids solve this dilemma? How to avoid children (or any other person not mature enough) having access to firearms while you want to be able to get them fast... when needed?

 

The main argument for having a gun at home that are being mentioned here are self-defense, mainly when your home is being invaded.

I would be interested to know if there is a truly reliable source of information or a reliable statistic on that subject.

Does having a gun at home really decrease the number of home invasions?

Secondly, when looking at this statistic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate then the "1st world" country with the highest murder per capita rate is the US.

It is important to make a distinction between the Western world and emerging or 3rd world countries when looking at these statistics.

Third, the statistic "murder per capita" unfortunately includes all murders that could not have been avoided by having a gun at home (because they didn't happen at home) or they are not related to a normal persons living environment, like gang wars etc.

Giving guns to just anybody involves the risk that a person who shouldn't have one can also get one EASILY. Not talking about the guys who get them illegally.

With great power there comes great responsibility.

And power is being abused, we see it everywhere. Many humans are to weak to deal with it.

Just my humble opinion. I'm not trying to convince anybody. I lived in various places and didn't see a need to have one until now. The only one I ever fired was an AK-47... and that was long time ago.

Try post #28.

But that is not the only reason, as has been discussed elsewhere. People hostile to the USA have to enter it into their calculations if they want to come here to start troubles, it is a very real deterrent. There are yet other reasons, most of which have been named in this thread.

The power being abused is usually governments. Guns in the USA is viewed as an equalizer. We live with the personal abuses to prevent systematic abuses.

I remember a story that made a lot of sense at the time. When outlaws went to their home towns, they tended to be well behaved for several reasons. One is the disapproval of kin folk, but the other is the awareness that every one else was also armed. You can intimidate people on the short term, but if you live with them and they are armed it is best to be polite. It is where Heinlein coined his popular phrase.

Funny thing about Heinlein, he was a liberal, but he also believed people were responsible for themselves and their actions. It is what shaped a lot of my beliefs.

The question about kids is easy, you teach them. That is how it has been, and how it should be.

 

Now, how do people that have kids solve this dilemma? How to avoid children (or any other person not mature enough) having access to firearms while you want to be able to get them fast... when needed?

I would teach them gun safety, or if they are too young, to just never ever touch the gun. Tell them how dangerous it is, and to stay away from it. Other than that, there's really no way to keep them safe, unless you keep it hidden in a drawer by your bedside.

 

Now, how do people that have kids solve this dilemma? How to avoid children (or any other person not mature enough) having access to firearms while you want to be able to get them fast... when needed?

I kept mine loaded on my headboard before my stepdaughter moved in. now I keep it in my closet. I have bars over my doors & windows which should stall a would-be intruder long enough for me to leap across the room and fetch the gun. But then again, maybe not. Its a "lesser of 2 evils" scenario.


In an interesting side note, yesterday I brought my daughter to the doctor and they had me fill out a questionnaire regarding health and such. It went something like this:
(50-something questions, ending with
Does the child have asthma?
Has the child ever been involved in an accident or trauma?
Does the house which child resides in have peeling paint?
Is the house in which the child resides in sanitary & clean?
Are there guns in the house which the child resides in?

I wish they had just asked that question first so I could have promptly thrown the questionnaire away before wasting all my time getting to the end of it. By what stretch of the imagination is that any of the doctor's business, and how would it affect the manner in which the doctor treats my child if I were to answer either way?

 

I would teach them gun safety, or if they are too young, to just never ever touch the gun. Tell them how dangerous it is, and to stay away from it. Other than that, there's really no way to keep them safe, unless you keep it hidden in a drawer by your bedside.

Yes, in a couple of years I am going to do what my father did when I was young, and take my daughter out and teach her about the gun. I will let her shoot it, and teach her how to treat it safely. I will shoot an animal with it and make her look at the carnage it causes so she will respect it. "keeping the kids in the dark" only causes unhealthy curiosity which could result in bad things.