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Vrock wrote:

As for the Mauser action and bolt, I was curious as to type and model. I'm assuming it's a large ring, 98 style action, but dependent on what year it was made and model rifle it was made for, metallurgy may be better or worse. Frankly very few folks bother with building a sporter/hunting rifle from old Mauser actions these days: you can get a new, modern rifle with a scope for far less than it costs to sporterize an existing action. But as a fun project, it's still worthwhile.

The action & bolt have been in oiled paper since I was in single digits, if that helps any.

When the sad day comes I'll have tons of pics for the crowd. Pride of place for me will be the 1911A1 with the "US Government Property" stamp on the slide.

just brew it! wrote:

As far as motivation goes, no particular reason. Just a "this seems like something I should know how to do" basic skills sort of thing that I have neglected for far too long.

That's as good a reason as any. Jeff Cooper would say that every man should know how to "ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth". One of these days I need to learn how to ride a horse.

Maybe he meant an iron horse.

He didn't. Too bad, I've got that one covered.

Vrock wrote:

He didn't. Too bad, I've got that one covered.

Might be tough getting ammo for it, though.

Back to range today, shot my new SP-01 Shadow, 200 rounds later, the grin is still stuck on my face. My instructor this time was a nice gent in his 70's, he stood next to me and helped me correct my stance and grip, I started shooting better right away. I also tried some AR-15 clone, that was fun too, but I think I'll concentrate on my pistol skills first.

Two stalls over, someone was shooting some sort of cannon, possibly a .458? lapua? some hand-loaded cartridge with 111 grains of powder.. I felt the sound pressure in my chest, was crazy, he admitted he was just testing some new loads, since the range is only 50m.. he's waiting for snow to be gone to visit outdoor range.

elmopuddy wrote:

Two stalls over, someone was shooting some sort of cannon, possibly a .458? lapua? some hand-loaded cartridge with 111 grains of powder.

Just from a few surfs of freely available reloading data, that much powder means a .416 Weatherby Mag or .460 Wby Mag. Not even the .458 Win Mag was anywhere close to that. Nitro Express cartridges larger than .450 could possibly get there as well.

Captain Ned wrote:

elmopuddy wrote:

Two stalls over, someone was shooting some sort of cannon, possibly a .458? lapua? some hand-loaded cartridge with 111 grains of powder.

Just from a few surfs of freely available reloading data, that much powder means a .416 Weatherby Mag or .460 Wby Mag. Not even the .458 Win Mag was anywhere close to that. Nitro Express cartridges larger than .450 could possibly get there as well.

He said he was at the limit of what the range allows, maybe a bit above it.. nice guy, he let a few people try a shot.

So far I am loving the shooter community, very helpful and friendly.. 2 people today congratulated my on my CZ purchase too.

elmopuddy wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

elmopuddy wrote:

Two stalls over, someone was shooting some sort of cannon, possibly a .458? lapua? some hand-loaded cartridge with 111 grains of powder.

Just from a few surfs of freely available reloading data, that much powder means a .416 Weatherby Mag or .460 Wby Mag. Not even the .458 Win Mag was anywhere close to that. Nitro Express cartridges larger than .450 could possibly get there as well.

nice guy, he let a few people try a shot.

Nicer than you might imagine as even with handloads when you're in that class those are not cheap rounds.

The biggest savings in handloads come with the more obscure calibers.

A friend of mine bought a Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum recently. We went shooting today, and he pulled out a box of ammo he'd just bought that morning from the local gun shop. $52.99 for a box of 50 rounds. That's nuts. You can load .44 mag for a quarter of that cost....less if you cast your own bullets.

When my Smith and Wesson 29 (Dirty Harry model) arrives, I sure as **** won't be buying factory rounds, I can tell you that.

Vrock wrote:

less if you cast your own bullets

Somewhere in Dad's cellar or garage are at least 200 lb of 70's-era discarded wheelweights he got his local garage buddy to save for him. They've all been melted over a charcoal hibachi (my job was to use a small strainer to fish out the clips) and he used Mom's good muffin pan as an ingot mold. There's still a piece of 2x8 in the garage with six char marks that look amazingly like the pattern a muffin pan full of hot lead might create.

I can't really remember (between age and the lead fumes) but I think he might also have sacrificed a cast-iron skillet as the melt pot. I do remember Mom going all Krogoth on him after we were done.

Vrock wrote:

I can tell you that.

Punk.

Captain Ned wrote:

Vrock wrote:

less if you cast your own bullets

Somewhere in Dad's cellar or garage are at least 200 lb of 70's-era discarded wheelweights he got his local garage buddy to save for him. They've all been melted over a charcoal hibachi (my job was to use a small strainer to fish out the clips) and he used Mom's good muffin pan as an ingot mold. There's still a piece of 2x8 in the garage with six char marks that look amazingly like the pattern a muffin pan full of hot lead might create.

Wow. He should sell it on ebay. That's where I buy my casting lead these days, it's easier than melting down wheel weights.

Captain Ned wrote:

I can't really remember (between age and the lead fumes) but I think he might also have sacrificed a cast-iron skillet as the melt pot. I do remember Mom going all Krogoth on him after we were done.

Captain Ned wrote:

Punk.

It's been an itch that has long needed scratching. The new S&W 29's are a bit different internally from what Inspector Callahan carried, but I'm really looking forward to shooting it when it gets to my FFL. In a word, I feel "lucky".

Vrock wrote:

Captain Ned wrote:

Punk.

It's been an itch that has long needed scratching. The new S&W 29's are a bit different internally from what Inspector Callahan carried, but I'm really looking forward to shooting it when it gets to my FFL. In a word, I feel "lucky".

I'd really like to know if that was one of the earliest pieces of product placement in movies, as it sure sold a lot of 29s.

Most of which were fired once, put back in the box, and are still buried in someone's closet, probably with 4 (or is it 5?) unfired rounds still in it.

I don't think it was deliberate. John Milius is at least partially to blame, as he was a writer for the movie, and as we know, a firearms enthusiast.

A bonafide Smith and Wesson 29-2 in mint condition is about $500 more than I'm willing to spend at the moment. I can get the modern day equivalent for much less, and shoot it too, without worrying about affecting collector value.

I plan to shoot cast lead 240 gr SWC through mine. They should have no problem hitting 1,100 feet per second, a nice mild load for the .44.

Vrock wrote:

I plan to shoot cast lead 240 gr SWC through mine. They should have no problem hitting 1,100 feet per second, a nice mild load for the .44.

4"?

240 gr @ 1100. Sure not the hottest .44 Mag load, but a whole lot more than most pistol shooters are ready for, and well over gov't issue ball .45 ACP in a 1911.

Vrock wrote:

I don't think it was deliberate. John Milius is at least partially to blame, as he was a writer for the movie, and as we know, a firearms enthusiast.

And after traipsing through the various Fountains of All Knowledge, Clint never fired the 29 on scene. He fired a M25 in .45 Long Colt, which is still a test of one's wrist.

Captain Ned wrote:

Vrock wrote:

I plan to shoot cast lead 240 gr SWC through mine. They should have no problem hitting 1,100 feet per second, a nice mild load for the .44.

4"?

240 gr @ 1100. Sure not the hottest .44 Mag load, but a whole lot more than most pistol shooters are ready for, and well over gov't issue ball .45 ACP in a 1911.

6.5" barrel. I'll see how that load feels and move from there.

Captain Ned wrote:

And after traipsing through the various Fountains of All Knowledge, Clint never fired the 29 on scene. He fired a M25 in .45 Long Colt, which is still a test of one's wrist.

I am not sure why various myths still persist that Clint didn't use a model 29-2. They're all false. The actual 29-2 he used is at the NRA Firearms museum in Chantilly, VA. In some far scenes, people say he used a 29-2 with a 8 3/8" barrel to make the gun stand out more, but never another model/caliber.

Saturday was a good day.

Darkmage wrote:

Saturday was a good day.

Oy, station 2. Not done skeet and need to learn. My scattergun is all in trap.

Skeet is IPSC for shotgunners. Good stuff. Been about 20 years since I shot it, and I wasn't very good. But damn, when you hit that double at whatever station has you exactly between the two houses, that is a nirvana moment. All is right with the world for the split second(s) when the clays burst: a fusion of machine, man, time, and space. I wax poetic, but only slightly.

Vrock wrote:

Skeet is IPSC for shotgunners. Good stuff. Been about 20 years since I shot it, and I wasn't very good. But damn, when you hit that double at whatever station has you exactly between the two houses, that is a nirvana moment. All is right with the world for the split second(s) when the clays burst: a fusion of machine, man, time, and space. I wax poetic, but only slightly.

That would be Station 8, where you're in the line of clay throw at the midpoint between the two houses. A double there means a quick shot on one and a 180 followed by a quick shot on the other. Never been able to do it.

Lead the first a lot and the second a little. Go for the one on your body's natural side last. So if you're right handed, shoot the skeet from the right house first, then twist right to pick up the skeet from the left house. It's a more natural movement then going across your body. Or do I have that backwards? It's been a while. I remember the second shot is more like a trap shot than a skeet shot. I've only gotten it once or twice in my life myself.

i'm aware this post will be nothing special to anyone in here. but for me it's been almost 20+ years since i shot a gun. and my first first time shooting a handgun! woo hoo!

went to the range earlier today and tried out a Kimber CDP II Pro 45 (single action FTW, so awesome best gun evar!), some S&W 40 (double action sucks boo - lame gun), some toy rifle gun that shot 22, fun, accurate, but *yawn core*... and finally the AR-15 (woo hoo. more of this please! i did the M16-A2 in the USMC, but that's been a very long time since that). and finally a snub revolver (my hand stung after 2-5 rounds of 357 ammo, dizzam!!!!)

so yeah. there ya go. now i wanna buy myself a nice 1911 style around $500 range. maybe the sig sauer? i dunno... H&K? i wish i could afford the $1200 kimber... meh!

How dare you call DA sucky. Its about knowing your weapon and how much squeeze is needed to make the striker fall. I am quite good with my DA Sig.

Certainly to the untrained a DA handgun will feell awkward at first. But after some practice there should be a level of confidence and comfort gained.

thegleek wrote:

so yeah. there ya go. now i wanna buy myself a nice 1911 style around $500 range. maybe the sig sauer? i dunno... H&K? i wish i could afford the $1200 kimber... meh!

Before you lock yourself into a 1911 style, you may wish to find & try a Browning HiPower. They're 9mm single action pistols, so they're cheap to feed and fun to shoot.

If you're still set on the 1911 style, the review I read of the Springfield Armory one was pretty good. And the price is about where you want it to be.

Darkmage wrote:

Before you lock yourself into a 1911 style, you may wish to find & try a Browning HiPower. They're 9mm single action pistols, so they're cheap to feed and fun to shoot.

yeah those browning hipowers run $1000, but seem to be for collectors and avid shooters. also, the browning lacks that neat grip safety i like that exists on the kimber (and the springfield model you linked below)... not sure if this would be a good starting point for me. should i even consider a used gun?

Darkmage wrote:

If you're still set on the 1911 style, the review I read of the Springfield Armory one was pretty good. And the price is about where you want it to be.

good review. something like that i would need to rent and test out with 100+ rounds to see if my hand would hurt like the guy reviewing it did. not sure i want something like that! haha

tanker27 wrote:

How dare you call DA sucky. Its about knowing your weapon and how much squeeze is needed to make the striker fall. I am quite good with my DA Sig.

Certainly to the untrained a DA handgun will feell awkward at first. But after some practice there should be a level of confidence and comfort gained.

While I don't disagree with your comments on double action, I will say that a double-action only semi-auto pistol is a solution looking for a problem.

Hi-powers are nice, but they're expensive, hard to find and generally have lousy triggers. I had one, and sold it. The lack of a grip safety isn't a big deal IMO. Why does it matter to you, Gleek?

I'd take a CZ-75 over a Hi power. But if you're going the 1911 route, you can't go wrong with a Kimber. Or heck, how about a Colt?

Springfield Armory 1911s have never done anything for me. They're made in Brazil. A foreign made 1911 just don't sit right with me, sorry.

Are any of these sidearms pricey or too much gun for a starter?

• .45 Caliber Les Baer Government Model M1911
• .45 Colt Anaconda revolver
• Signature Grade Colt 1911 .45ACP

I guess I enjoy the .45 --- although I admit I have not tried 9mm ammo yet on any pistol.

thegleek wrote:

Are any of these sidearms pricey or too much gun for a starter?

• .45 Caliber Les Baer Government Model M1911
• .45 Colt Anaconda revolver
• Signature Grade Colt 1911 .45ACP

I guess I enjoy the .45 --- although I admit I have not tried 9mm ammo yet on any pistol.

Are you trolling? Yes, all of them are too pricey for a starter (Anacondas have been out of production for years, too). Les Baer 1911s are some of the most expensive 1911s on the market.

Go buy a $350-$450 polymer framed pistol, or a CZ-75. Elmopuddy just asked a similar question about his first gun, it's a couple pages back. Plenty of good recommendations there.

A Rock Island would fall into that price range as well.