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Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
7/7/14 1:55 p.m.

Only some of the broomhandle Mausers were full auto. I think the Spanish clones frequently were, and yeah, those would need a lot of paperwork here. I once saw a basket of Chinese made ones for $300 ea. Should have bought one, but let it pass. Saw some at a show for triple that.

This is a Charter Arms Explorer2, pistol with mag not in the handle:

Based on the AR7 rifle.

Hungary Bill
Hungary Bill GRM+ Memberand Dork
7/7/14 2:11 p.m.

I own a Smith and Wesson Model 28 "Highway Patrolman" for home defense. His name is "Junior Brown". He's chambered in .357 but at the range I usually shoot .38 special. The recoil of the .38spcl in Junior is similar to that of a pellet gun, and the .357 shoots with a moderate kick that I would be hard pressed to call "bothersome" (and I'm a really small guy). I paid $500 about three years ago.

There have already been a ton of suggestions as to "what gun" so this is how I chose "junior" for the "Bill house security contract".

Back story:

I originally had a Colt "Series-80" 1911. I bought it without ever shooting a 1911. I bought it because sliding the slide home made me feel like oooooooone "bad mamma-jamma"! and that was enough for me to spend $650 on a pistol that I had to be standing inside a barn to hit the broad side wall. (not the guns fault. It was accurate, I was not)

So years passed, and I matured a bit (although, not a lot) and I met other gun owners. We'd go to the range together and shoot each other's firearms, hold hands, skip, and lah lah la. It was a good way for me to try their firearms. In doing so I had the chance to try TONS different firearms (anything from Ar-15, to AK-47, to various shotguns, a Glock 19, a Bersa .380, a Springfield XD, and an SP-101 chambered in .32 H&R mag) all were awesome. Absolutely awesome. All were accurate, all went "pow", all had the necessary stopping power required for home defense. But I still held on to my 1911.

The "Junior" won because:

  • I could clear the house with it without hitting a wall. I live in a very old house, and it has a very tight floor plan until you get to the living area. This was a big thing (and I'll admit to feeling a bit "wierd" when I was doing it) because when I tried to "clear the house" with the AR and the shotguns it was hard to move without pointing the gun down or hugging a wall. Not a big fan of claustrophobia.

  • I can hit damn near ANYTHING with this pig. I didn't buy this pistol thinking I'd have a new home defense pistol, I just bought it because I saw it at a gun show and I thought it was interesting. Then I went to the steel plate range. This thing could make an amateur look like a professional! (bang-ping, all day long) I think it's the feel and the sights.

  • I like revolvers. That being said: I've RARELY had an automatic fail. From the 1911, CZ75, Glock 19, Bersa .380, Sig Mosquito, and a .25 auto, only the .25 auto and Sig Mosquito had failures (Sig because I didn't change the recoil spring to the proper one, and the slide on the .25 auto developed a nasty crack in the middle) but I like revolvers, I like revolvers, and I just really like revolvers.

(here comes the bit that separated Junior from the rest of the crowd)

  • it just felt right. Shaking hands with Junior is like shaking hands with an old friend. I'm still a bit clumsy with the speed loaders, it lacks the capacity of the automatics, it's heavier than it should be, but dang it if my hand doesn't miss it when I put it back in the safe.

Different strokes for different folks though, the Springfield XD and any Glock come in tied for a very very close second (and these are pistols I REALLY tried to hate).

Shameless plug: go to "guns and E36 M3" (the GRM for firearms enthusiasts). It's been awfully quiet around there lately, and I'd love the company.

Happy shooting!

-Bill

Box_of_Rocks
Box_of_Rocks New Reader
7/7/14 2:24 p.m.
ryanty22 wrote: Just for my personal knowledge, Anyone have one of these? Tried them out before and they fit comfortably, and shoot really nice. just curious to see anyone elses experience with the XD series.

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of the Springfield XDm series. I've got the 5.25, the 4.5, the 3.8, and the 3.3 slim. Reasonably priced (as these sorts of things go, anyway), rock solid reliable, and accurate - what more could you ask for in a pistol?

I've played with CZs, Glocks, Rugers, and a variety of 1911s, but always come back to my Springfields at the end of the day.

Will
Will SuperDork
7/7/14 3:31 p.m.
wbjones wrote:
Will wrote: I don't understand the love for the Judge. The .410 is a wimpy cartridge, and while the .45 Long Colt (which the judge can also fire) is pretty stout, a pistol actually made for that cartridge will be much better. The Judge is a huge pistol with a tiny barrel, and seems to be designed expressly for blowing up watermelons with birdshot (which is NOT a viable defensive round).
you can get 410 buckshot …. just saying

Read this. .410 simply isn't a good self defense caliber.

Would I want to get shot with it? No, but there are many better choices available.

Bobzilla
Bobzilla PowerDork
7/7/14 3:36 p.m.
ryanty22 wrote: Taurus .40 cal not great for ccw because they are heavy. But for home defense at a good cost they're great

I don't know where this comes from.... my compact 24/7 in .45 is fairly light and carries 10 (or 12) +1 rounds of really heavy .45ACP. I have hated the trigger on it forever until this weekend. All of a sudden it got 10X smoother. I think I might just have to keep it.

yamaha
yamaha UltimaDork
7/7/14 3:41 p.m.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

ryanty22 wrote:
yamaha wrote:
ryanty22 wrote: Get your purchase permit first though
And I will never recommend a Springfield XD to anyone.
That is the first ill words I've ever heard spoken of the XD series. Curious as to why you don't like them.

The exposed pin on the rear of the slide can cause an accidental discharge if it falls and lands on it.

The XD I owned did exactly that, and there is still a .40 cal hole through my friend's wall and ceiling on the other side.....just from falling off a nightstand in its holster. Mercifully nobody was hurt, but I just don't trust them after that. Its the one time I tasted the koolaid and spit it the berkeley out and had to rewipe my mouth out with the wonders of Glock in a Sig Sauer cartridge. Now I have Sig Sauers, some SA wheel guns, and the forever staple of me, the 1903/8 Colt pocket hammerless.

ryanty22
ryanty22 Dork
7/7/14 3:47 p.m.
Bobzilla wrote:
ryanty22 wrote: Taurus .40 cal not great for ccw because they are heavy. But for home defense at a good cost they're great
I don't know where this comes from.... my compact 24/7 in .45 is fairly light and carries 10 (or 12) +1 rounds of really heavy .45ACP. I have hated the trigger on it forever until this weekend. All of a sudden it got 10X smoother. I think I might just have to keep it.

I have not used the compact version but Taurus's full size guns used to be pretty heavy compared to most other manufacturer's weapons

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
7/7/14 3:48 p.m.

I recommend a .38 +p. Ammunition is available anywhere. You can afford to shoot it and practice (have you looked at the price of .45 shells these days? GGA!)

And contrary to what is put here it does have stopping power. Remember you aren't swat, this is to protect you, not go into a fire fight.

.38 +p is a great load for personal carry protection, but if this is home protection, shotgun all the way.

Best of all a .38 revolver isn't expensive at all.

ryanty22
ryanty22 Dork
7/7/14 3:50 p.m.
yamaha wrote: In reply to Dr. Hess:
ryanty22 wrote:
yamaha wrote:
ryanty22 wrote: Get your purchase permit first though
And I will never recommend a Springfield XD to anyone.
That is the first ill words I've ever heard spoken of the XD series. Curious as to why you don't like them.
The exposed pin on the rear of the slide can cause an accidental discharge if it falls and lands on it. The XD I owned did exactly that, and there is still a .40 cal hole through my friend's wall and ceiling on the other side.....just from falling off a nightstand in its holster. Mercifully nobody was hurt, but I just don't trust them after that. Its the one time I tasted the koolaid and spit it the berkeley out and had to rewipe my mouth out with the wonders of Glock in a Sig Sauer cartridge. Now I have Sig Sauers, some SA wheel guns, and the forever staple of me, the 1903/8 Colt pocket hammerless.

I do love some sig Sauer but unfortunately I've never found one that wasn't way out of my price range

Bobzilla
Bobzilla PowerDork
7/7/14 3:53 p.m.
Flight Service wrote: I recommend a .38 +p. Ammunition is available anywhere. You can afford to shoot it and practice (have you looked at the price of .45 shells these days? GGA!) And contrary to what is put here it does have stopping power. Remember you aren't swat, this is to protect you, not go into a fire fight. .38 +p is a great load for personal carry protection, but if this is home protection, shotgun all the way. Best of all a .38 revolver isn't expensive at all.

Here, .45 is cheap and plentiful. FMJ's for $34 for 100 rds. .38spl is harder to find than unicorn blood and you're LUCKY when you can find cheap crap for $21/50. I love my .38 but it's hard to find the right stuff to feed it.

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
7/7/14 3:57 p.m.

yamaha, was that AD related to the recall they had? I thought it had all kinds of safety stuff, like the Glocks. I can see having an AD like that would put one off that line.

The Taurus 24-7's have a polymer frame. They aren't heavy, and the polymer frame absorbs recoil. 45 recoil in one is not bad at all, on par with a 1911, and I've shot lightweight 45's that seriously punch your hand like a Star PD.

yamaha
yamaha UltimaDork
7/7/14 4:06 p.m.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

It might have been one of the early ones that set off a subsequent recall. I only recieved the "Well the firearm won't fire without the grip safety applied" BS answer. It was an early XD subcompact, and I'm fairly certain they're still made in Croatia instead of Serbia.

Either way, I'll never own another XD series firarm, nor can I recommend one to a friend, stranger, or even an enemy to use without negatively impacting my conceince thanks to that experience.

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
7/7/14 4:13 p.m.
Bobzilla wrote:
Flight Service wrote: I recommend a .38 +p. Ammunition is available anywhere. You can afford to shoot it and practice (have you looked at the price of .45 shells these days? GGA!) And contrary to what is put here it does have stopping power. Remember you aren't swat, this is to protect you, not go into a fire fight. .38 +p is a great load for personal carry protection, but if this is home protection, shotgun all the way. Best of all a .38 revolver isn't expensive at all.
Here, .45 is cheap and plentiful. FMJ's for $34 for 100 rds. .38spl is harder to find than unicorn blood and you're LUCKY when you can find cheap crap for $21/50. I love my .38 but it's hard to find the right stuff to feed it.

Really? I can find .38 +p at Walmart and I haven't seen .45 ammo that cheap in a while.

Huh.

ryanty22
ryanty22 Dork
7/7/14 4:34 p.m.

Why to have a ccw

The Fourth of July ended in fireworks for many Americans, but for one group of Chicago partygoers, the night ended with something else: a firefight

Two side-by-side parties provided the scene of the Friday confrontation, the Chicago Tribune reported.

A group of four people, including one military member, was leaving one party when one of the women in the group noticed a cup of liquor on her car.

She asked people at the party next door who the liquor belonged to, then removed the cup from her car, prompting 22-year-old Denzel A. Mickiel to approach the foursome and begin shouting at and threatening them, officials said.

Mickiel went into the house hosting the second party and retrieved a gun, which he then began firing at the group, Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Hain said at a hearing Sunday. Two other unidentified individuals also shot at the group, the Tribune reported.

They probably weren’t expecting what happened next.

The military member took cover behind the car’s fender, got his gun — for which he had a concealed carry permit — and shot back at Mickiel and the others.

He hit Mickiel twice, wounding him critically, and the group of victims escaped.

One of the women in the group was injured, but has since been stabilized at a Chicago hospital, police said.

Mickiel was also hospitalized.

He did not appear in court Sunday, police said, but was ordered held on $950,000 bail as he faces charges of attempted murder.

Featured image via Shutterstock

Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
7/7/14 4:50 p.m.
Dr. Hess wrote: Only some of the broomhandle Mausers were full auto. I think the Spanish clones frequently were, and yeah, those would need a lot of paperwork here. I once saw a basket of Chinese made ones for $300 ea. Should have bought one, but let it pass. Saw some at a show for triple that. This is a Charter Arms Explorer2, pistol with mag not in the handle: Based on the AR7 rifle.

I need that pistol grip and barrel to go with my rifle...

Hasbro
Hasbro SuperDork
7/7/14 5:12 p.m.

Yamaha, I'm in Arizona. Pretty simple here to get a permit.

They have gun shows fairly often. I imagine they are a good place to check them out. The Peacemaker Tucson Gun Show is this month and another next month.

http://gunshowtrader.com/gunshows/tucson-az/

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
7/7/14 5:29 p.m.

Ooops. Well, they were shot at Serbians, I'm sure.

FS, as noted, that would be illegal in the U.S.A. without declaring it an AOW, paperwork, etc. Plus the receiver is slightly different so that the pistol grip won't fit the rifle, and the barrel has the "notch" on the bottom instead of the top so you can't interchange barrels either. And given the price of parts, it would be cheaper to just buy the pistol.

Flight Service
Flight Service MegaDork
7/9/14 3:12 p.m.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

Well that is crap. Off to the 3d printer...

yamaha
yamaha UltimaDork
7/9/14 3:16 p.m.
Flight Service wrote: In reply to Dr. Hess: Well that is crap. Off to the 3d printer...

LMAO, the BATFE will probably meet you at that printer.

donalson
donalson PowerDork
7/9/14 3:24 p.m.
Bobzilla wrote:
Flight Service wrote: I recommend a .38 +p. Ammunition is available anywhere. You can afford to shoot it and practice (have you looked at the price of .45 shells these days? GGA!) And contrary to what is put here it does have stopping power. Remember you aren't swat, this is to protect you, not go into a fire fight. .38 +p is a great load for personal carry protection, but if this is home protection, shotgun all the way. Best of all a .38 revolver isn't expensive at all.
Here, .45 is cheap and plentiful. FMJ's for $34 for 100 rds. .38spl is harder to find than unicorn blood and you're LUCKY when you can find cheap crap for $21/50. I love my .38 but it's hard to find the right stuff to feed it.

haven't looked at .45 around here but being that .38spcl is my only handgun I've found this to be right on... its difficult to find around here (at least at the sports stores and megastores that I've looked) and when I do they are pricey... it's one of the reasons I'd like a 9mm

Bobzilla
Bobzilla PowerDork
7/9/14 3:59 p.m.
Flight Service wrote:
Bobzilla wrote:
Flight Service wrote: I recommend a .38 +p. Ammunition is available anywhere. You can afford to shoot it and practice (have you looked at the price of .45 shells these days? GGA!) And contrary to what is put here it does have stopping power. Remember you aren't swat, this is to protect you, not go into a fire fight. .38 +p is a great load for personal carry protection, but if this is home protection, shotgun all the way. Best of all a .38 revolver isn't expensive at all.
Here, .45 is cheap and plentiful. FMJ's for $34 for 100 rds. .38spl is harder to find than unicorn blood and you're LUCKY when you can find cheap crap for $21/50. I love my .38 but it's hard to find the right stuff to feed it.
Really? I can find .38 +p at Walmart and I haven't seen .45 ammo that cheap in a while. Huh.

And here it's the opposite. Wal-Mart has hundreds of rounds of .45 acp ranging from $16/50 to HP's at $25/25. I haven't seen .38's consistantly in WM for over a year.

Bobzilla
Bobzilla PowerDork
7/9/14 4:01 p.m.
Dr. Hess wrote: yamaha, was that AD related to the recall they had? I thought it had all kinds of safety stuff, like the Glocks. I can see having an AD like that would put one off that line. The Taurus 24-7's have a polymer frame. They aren't heavy, and the polymer frame absorbs recoil. 45 recoil in one is not bad at all, on par with a 1911, and I've shot lightweight 45's that seriously punch your hand like a Star PD.

full size or compact 24/7? Because I can tell you the 3" compact .45 hurts a little... in a good way. and the fireballs at night .... oh my... you just don't get that with a 9. lol

yamaha
yamaha UltimaDork
7/10/14 8:19 a.m.

In reply to Bobzilla:

You get an even bigger fireball and more recoil with the 357 SIG cartridge.

Bobzilla
Bobzilla PowerDork
7/10/14 8:20 a.m.
yamaha wrote: In reply to Bobzilla: You get an even bigger fireball and more recoil with the 357 SIG cartridge.

but then the bullet is so small and light. Why would I want that? We all know I have "issues" with my "size" and must compensate with bigger, larger things.

Dr. Hess
Dr. Hess MegaDork
7/10/14 8:40 a.m.
Bobzilla wrote: full size or compact 24/7? Because I can tell you the 3" compact .45 hurts a little... in a good way. and the fireballs at night .... oh my... you just don't get that with a 9. lol

Full size. Compact anything in 45 is gonna hurt.

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