Opinions Needed?

[chris downs]

I like 5whiskey's choices for guns to consider. Buy something that you think is FUN TO SHOOT. That way you will want to shoot it more often.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Pistoler0

I personally decided to go the cheapest ammo route possible given what we are going through, and got me something in 7.62x39 which is also a good all purpose cartridge and is still CHEAP (even today). I wish the lever action would have been available in this caliber.

I wish Zastava still made their "Mini Mauser." Maybe they still do but, if so, I can't find anyone who carries it.

[5whiskey]

But as I researched it, I discovered that most of them are chambered in cartridges that use blunt nose bullets like the 30-30, because pointy spitzer bullets have the risk of being set off due to recoil. And... those cartridges are expensive!! That made me decide against one.

I know reloading is not for everyone, but those very cartridges are precisely what makes reloading cost effective. In normal times, there’s very little money savings by reloading 9mm, .223, .308, and the other very popular cartridges. Even in normal times, reloading for .357 mag, .44 mag, .45 colt, et al, can save a bunch of money. There is no more material cost to .45 colt as there is to .45acp. It’s the small volume of .45 colt sales that dictate it must have a higher profit margin per round.

I digress. Like I said I know everyone doesn’t have the space, patience, or time to reload. But it sure does open up firearm options.

[reubenray]

I will be moving in a few weeks closer to my brother who has been doing reloads for years. He informed me that he has over 500 38 special casings for me to reload for my wife's 38 special.

[lordvader]

Youth model 20 gauge. They already come with a short barrel and stock. You also don't have to worry about over penetration. I have and hunt with a Remington 870 20 gauge. Comes with a 21" barrel. I have 12 gauge full size shotguns as well, but that 20 gauge is sweet. Took a doe using buckshot with it. They make good home defense guns, IMO.

[reubenray]

Originally Posted by lordvader

Youth model 20 gauge. They already come with a short barrel and stock. You also don't have to worry about over penetration. I have and hunt with a Remington 870 20 gauge. Comes with a 21" barrel. I have 12 gauge full size shotguns as well, but that 20 gauge is sweet. Took a doe using buckshot with it. They make good home defense guns, IMO.

My sawed off legal shotgun is a 20 gauge.

[Pistoler0]

Originally Posted by reubenray

I was leaning toward some type of AR-??, but [..] I don't want something that I risk having to pay taxes or have it taken away from me.

I just found this, the Kali key, a special BCG and charging handle that makes any AR into a straight pull, thus legal in all states, rifle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBj1smlGvCI

https://kalikey.com/

[Lavan]

A wall of itty bitty pieces of lead from a 10-22 is a formidable obstacle.

[Prof Young]

As noted above I do not think there will be anything other than empty rhetoric and maybe a vague attempt to pass a ban on something . . . probably the "modern sporting rifle."

Last time I checked, there were somewhere between 20 and 30 million "modern sporting rifles" in the USA if we count both ARs and AKs. Now imagine our government trying to round all those up and destroy them. It ain't gonna happen.

That doesn't mean we don't have to be vigilant. If you don't belong to a pro-gun group that goes after the anti-gun legislators then you need to find one and join today. I belong to three. Write to your federal and state representatives and congress men/women. Make your voice heard.

If you look at the USA as a whole, the gun laws are in many ways getting better. Wasn't too long ago in Illinois we didn't have concealed carry. Now we do. More and more people are owning guns. I have a mild mannered "school counselor" friend who lives in a big city and just bought his first gun . . . mostly because, according to him, it was a neat gun.

I say be vigilant but fear not.

Life is good.
Prof Young

[rc]

A Ruger 10/22 is a good SHTF gun to have around especially if you have some extended magazines.

A Ruger Mini 14 or 5.56 bolt gun will give you more reach but do you need it? All depends on where you live.

Even a 30-30 will give you 100 yard Plus capability.

We've been talking about PCC carbines. You may like one in 9 like the Ruger PC.

[reddog81]

Originally Posted by reubenray

I will be moving in a few weeks closer to my brother who has been doing reloads for years. He informed me that he has over 500 38 special casings for me to reload for my wife's 38 special.

That's nice of him. Does he have primers and powder to go with the cases? At this point in time the primers is worth 3x a .38 case

FWIW 500 rounds is one or two trips to the range for many people on this forum.

[Pistoler0]

Originally Posted by reddog81

FWIW 500 rounds is one or two trips to the range for many people on this forum.

Used to be, yeah. Nowadays that is a $300 outing for us non-reloaders, ouch

слава Богу for russian ammo.

[reubenray]

Originally Posted by reddog81

That's nice of him. Does he have primers and powder to go with the cases? At this point in time the primers is worth 3x a .38 case

FWIW 500 rounds is one or two trips to the range for many people on this forum.

I guess he does. Back in September he was showing me all the containers he had of reloading stuff. I had no idea what I was looking at.

[BourbonCowboy]

I think a 9mm PCC would be a nice addition to your collection. You wouldn't have to search for ammo in additional calibers, and they work well for home defense.

Originally, I wanted a Beretta CX4 - but the prices went through the roof. I wanted decent accuracy and high dependability, so I looked at other brands. Eventually, I bought a Hi Point 995TS. Yes, it was ugly as hell, and my friends laughed at me for buying it, but it was as accurate as the Rugers they had and a lot of fun to shoot. Then I added a Hi Tower Armory Bullpup stock and some Red Ball 20-round mags. I didn't tell anyone about it. When I brought it out with my friends, they were drooling over it...but I kept my secret. When I demonstrated the accuracy, I had a few folks wanting to buy it. And then I told them who made it. Hi Point Carbine: $199...Hi Tower Armory stock: $249...Telling your gun-snob friends that the gun they were lusting after was a Hi Point: PRICELESS.

I realize that the finished product cost more than the Ruger carbine - or a lot of other carbines on the market. But the investment was gradual, as I bought the improvements over time. But the coolest thing is that no one owns a more awesome-looking PCC rig...at least not anyone I know.

[FunGramps]

Originally Posted by Pistoler0

If you want something that would be a bit less likely to be taken away (and I say a bit), a Ruger Mini-14 or Mini-30 is similar to an AR, but in a traditional rifle stock. I think the traditional montecarlo furniture (evern more so in wood) makes it a little safer from confiscation, since the antis are fixated on the looks of the AR. They are mag fed, and legal in Comifornia! Here is a picture, doesn't it look "safe"? It looks like it could never hurt a peep! If you don't believe me, ask John "Hannibal" from the A Team, who would shoot it profusely but never kill anybody with it:



Other solutions:

although pricier than a regular AR lower, a rifle lower made for AR upper such as Fightlite SCR:
https://www.riflegear.com/p-8298-fig...w-763282862200


--------------------------------------

or... give up the semi-auto altogether and go to some kind of straight pull AR. These I reckon would be very very difficult to legislate against, and a few examples are:
Troy's industries' straight pull (around $1100):
https://worldoftroy.com/product/troy...ht-pull-rifle/


or the straight pull Lantac Raven, which apparently is made to be legal in the UK:
https://www.lannertactical.com/strai...ven-ar15-rifle


I hope this helps, best of luck with your decision!

Yeah, the top photo...Wood and SS Mini-14. My gun. They just run and run. Can't go wrong. Add high-cap mags.

Close stuff...

The highest capacity shotgun you can buy. With plenty of .12 gauge 3" magnum 00 buck.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Pistoler0

Other solutions:

although pricier than a regular AR lower, a rifle lower made for AR upper such as Fightlite SCR:
https://www.riflegear.com/p-8298-fig...w-763282862200

There's no buffer tube. Doesn't that require changes to the upper and/or the bolt carrier group?

[Pistoler0]

Originally Posted by Aguila Blanca

There's no buffer tube. Doesn't that require changes to the upper and/or the bolt carrier group?

Aguila,

yes, it is my understanding that the buffer tube is built into the rifle's grip, going down at an angle. That's why it needs a special carrier with an articulated "rat tail" pointing downwards, which pushes onto some short of pushrod/spring going down the grip and buttstock. I don't know if the bolt is regular mil-spec, but they do say that no changes are needed to the upper and you can use your own.

This video explains it, its a clever mechanism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbMD...art=85&end=100

I mean, basically it is the same as a Ruger mini-14 but built with your AR upper, which would improve upon the accuracy of the mini (not known to be a precision rifle) as the accuracy would be that of the AR upper and barrel?





.

[reubenray]

With the suggestions of a 22LR I am checking into them for plinking also. If I can find one and ammo. I would want a carbine style not AR style. What brands would y'all suggest? I see Ruger is recommended. What about Savage, Citadel and Rossi? I want one that has rails for sights.

[ballardw]

Originally Posted by reubenray

With the suggestions of a 22LR I am checking into them for plinking also. If I can find one and ammo. I would want a carbine style not AR style. What brands would y'all suggest? I see Ruger is recommended. What about Savage, Citadel and Rossi? I want one that has rails for sights.

You might want to take a quick look at https://ruger.com/products/1022/overview.html
and the various 10/22 models that are factory available.

Several of these come with rails for mounting sites.
The take-down version may have interest for compactness in storage.

Magazines from 10 to 110 rounds (GSG makes a drub that fits) are available and pretty affordable in most cases.

The ease of changing barrels and stocks means you may even be able to pick up spare basic stocks and barrels readily.

And if there is an accessory that doesn't have a version for the 10/22 you likely don't need one.