Where are my Gun Owners? (CCW related)

[Gage18]

Welp I got my SR9c...wow what a gun. So versatile! I really recommend it! I also went to my first gun bash over the weekend and won an RIA 1911 .45ACP. Very slick. I am looking for a good gunsmith now though in the north hills area. I want to have a beavertail and commander hammer installed on it. I have heard the RIA is a great gun, but the hamer bite can get bad. Anyone have any suggestions?

[viva la ben]

[Shyster]

I could also use a recommendation for a north hills gunsmith. I was recently given an early 1950s FN Hi-Power by my uncle, and it could use a detail strip and clean, some new springs, and a trigger job. I'd also like to get the slide dovetailed and some better sights installed. Those old-style tiny little fixed sights have got to go.

[ffemtreed]

Welp I got my SR9c...wow what a gun. So versatile! I really recommend it! I also went to my first gun bash over the weekend and won an RIA 1911 .45ACP. Very slick. I am looking for a good gunsmith now though in the north hills area. I want to have a beavertail and commander hammer installed on it. I have heard the RIA is a great gun, but the hamer bite can get bad. Anyone have any suggestions?

Sell the RIA and use the money towards a ruger SR1911 or Smith and Wesson 1911. Both are much better guns for just a little bit more of money.

Congrats on the SR9. They are great guns and my second choice in semi pistols. I just picked up a SR22 a week or two ago and I love it, put over 2000 rounds down range and not 1 single failure, which is quite and accomplishment for .22LR rounds.

[ffemtreed]

I could also use a recommendation for a north hills gunsmith. I was recently given an early 1950s FN Hi-Power by my uncle, and it could use a detail strip and clean, some new springs, and a trigger job. I'd also like to get the slide dovetailed and some better sights installed. Those old-style tiny little fixed sights have got to go.

Have you done any research on the gun? Other than the dovetail for the sights you can probably do most of the stuff yourself. Most of those old military guns are made to be easily torn apart and repaired in the field with little or no training.

Also a detail strip and clean might be a bad idea as most of the bluing is probably gone and you will ruin the nostalgia of the gun, you might be better off to keep the gun it its current state with just a wipe of a light oil to keep it from rusting. I wouldn't want to put that many rounds through the gun. Just something to think about.

[Shyster]

Have you done any research on the gun? Other than the dovetail for the sights you can probably do most of the stuff yourself. Most of those old military guns are made to be easily torn apart and repaired in the field with little or no training.

Also a detail strip and clean might be a bad idea as most of the bluing is probably gone and you will ruin the nostalgia of the gun, you might be better off to keep the gun it its current state with just a wipe of a light oil to keep it from rusting. I wouldn't want to put that many rounds through the gun. Just something to think about.

If it were an ex-military gun or of similar provenance I would keep it original. But it’s a post-WWII commercial Hi-Power that was made for the civilian market. I’ve researched the serial numbers and I think it was made around 1950 or so. So far as I can tell, it’s not particularly rare or valuable. A ton of these guns were imported into the US in the 1960s, and my uncle bought this one from a buddy of his in medical school who had purchased something like five of them. I’d like to use it as a range plinker, but with those tiny little fixed sights it’s difficult to shoot. I’d don’t think I would be committing an act of firearm sacrilege by reworking the gun.

[Gage18]

Bump!

[Corvidae]

A lot of .40 hate in here. I <3 it, but then again, it's the first caliber I shot. I love it to double as CCW and HD.

[Shyster]

A lot of .40 hate in here. I <3 it, but then again, it's the first caliber I shot. I love it to double as CCW and HD.

It’s a fine cartridge. For some reason, I just don’t care for it. I don’t know why. It’s like I recognize that Glock makes excellent firearms, but I don’t have any interest in owning any of them. I have a strong contrarian streak, so that might explain it.

[tifosi77]

I shot a Springfield XD Compact a few months ago and did not exactly treasure the experience.

But yesterday, I put 50 rounds through an XD Tactical and I think I'm in love.

*swoon*

Everything felt right about the gun. Grip angle, pointability, ease of shooting, all the intangibles were there. The only odd bit was the slide lock is positioned in a way so that it nicks my thumb every couple rounds. (Altho I think that is more the peculiarities of my grip than anything wonky in the design of the gun; i.e. I can fix that over time.) Another weird bit was that inserting the mag made the grip feel like it was deforming (expanding) ever so slightly. The mag would not free-fall out of the pistol when released, so it was a very tight fit; I'm wondering if it was an aftermarket mag, or if that's something inherent to XDs?

Any bad things to report? Since they are imported from Croatia and sold under license by Springfield, have there been any reports of quality control problems? Are they consistent? From the print and video reviews I've seen, there seems to be near universal praise for the weapon, especially on a what-you-get-for-the-money point.

Since I like the larger pistol, I think I want to try to find an XDM .45 to shoot. If I like it, I think I'll go for this one:

[Firebird]

I'm looking around for a 9mm, any suggestions? Seems I just missed this deal:

http://www.botach.4psitelink.com/showIt ... ore=botach

[Shyster]

I'm looking around for a 9mm, any suggestions?

Whew, that's kind of a broad question. What do you want to do with it? Concealed carry? Home defense? Range plinking? Do you have a price range in mind? What kind of trigger action are you intersted in (for example, you do want the trigger pull to be the same for every shot, or do you want the option of a lighter single-action pull following a double-action pull)? What size are your hands? There are tons of good 9mm pistols on the market, so it's more of a question of what you are looking for in one.

[Firebird]

I'm looking around for a 9mm, any suggestions?

Whew, that's kind of a broad question. What do you want to do with it? Concealed carry? Home defense? Range plinking? Do you have a price range in mind? What kind of trigger action are you intersted in (for example, you do want the trigger pull to be the same for every shot, or do you want the option of a lighter single-action pull following a double-action pull)? What size are your hands? There are tons of good 9mm pistols on the market, so it's more of a question of what you are looking for in one.

Plinking - otherwise I'd just get the gun I posted above in the .40. And, about the same price as the one I posted above. That one apparently had night sights, case, and 3 magazines. I've never fired a double-action pull.

I don't know how to explain one's hands?

I wear a medium size glove?

[Shyster]

Plinking - otherwise I'd just get the gun I posted above in the .40. And, about the same price as the one I posted above. That one apparently had night sights, case, and 3 magazines. I've never fired a double-action pull.

Any of the Springfield XD, Ruger SR9, Glock 17 or 19, SIG P250, or S&W M&P would make a fine range gun that would also be appropriate for home defense. They're all roughly in the same price range. The S&W Sigmas are also supposed to be decent guns at a low price.

I'd probably go to a well-stocked gun shop and ask to handle the guns, and then buy whatever felt best in my hand. You could also check online gun-sales sites like http://www.gunsamerica.com for used models. For example, Glock recently came out with their new Generation 4 pistols, and police departments may be trading up for the new ones. Police trade-ins typically haven't been fired much and can sometimes be bought for much less than a new gun.

[ffemtreed]

Plinking - otherwise I'd just get the gun I posted above in the .40. And, about the same price as the one I posted above. That one apparently had night sights, case, and 3 magazines. I've never fired a double-action pull.

Any of the Springfield XD, Ruger SR9, Glock 17 or 19, SIG P250, or S&W M&P would make a fine range gun that would also be appropriate for home defense. They're all roughly in the same price range. The S&W Sigmas are also supposed to be decent guns at a low price.

I'd probably go to a well-stocked gun shop and ask to handle the guns, and then buy whatever felt best in my hand. You could also check online gun-sales sites like http://www.gunsamerica.com for used models. For example, Glock recently came out with their new Generation 4 pistols, and police departments may be trading up for the new ones. Police trade-ins typically haven't been fired much and can sometimes be bought for much less than a new gun.

Stay away from the Smith and Wesson sigma its a giant piece of crap. Its rare I will say that about any gun, but in this case its true. The slides rust on them if you look at them wrong and the trigger pull is worse than any gun i ever shot, The one I shot wasn't very accurate either, my group sizes were a lot larger than they where with my m&p and the ruger SR9 I was shooting that day. They are cheap for a reason, stay away.


Also stay away from Botach.com they have a poor reputation of listing low prices and then taking weeks or months or never to deliver. Been there and done that. Buds Gun shop is okay for cheap prices but they are a little slow to ship, you might want to check them out. Also gunbroker.com has some deals as well. As others said I would stay away from online and just find a good local gun shop and fondle some toys.

The list of guns about are all great choices, I havn't tried the sigP250 yet, but if they are anything like their big brother sigs that is a good deal!

My personal favorite gun is the Smith and Wesson M&P, because it fits my hand almost perfectly and it never malfunctioned for me yet.

For a new owner i am almost always going to recommend something in 9mm because the ammo is a lot cheaper than .40s/w or .45acp which means you can shoot more often and become more proficient. Don't let anyone say how whimpy the 9mm round is, its NOT. Many law enforcement are only carrying 9mm today, a lot of them have gone away from the .40s/w due to cost and other minor problems associated with the .40 round. The self defense rounds that Winchester (ranger) or Hornaday (critical duty) are very sufficient in 9mm.

[Gage18]

I went to the range on saturday and put 100 rounds through the SR9c, and another 50 through the RIA 1911. I love both of them! The SR9c is very comfortable and didn't malfunction once. I was using Fiocci FMJs, but yesterday I fired another 30 rounds and it jammed twice. I was using remington FMJs...might have to stick with Fiocci.

The 1911 was dead accurate. Only issues I have with it is the hammer bite. I was torn up good after 50 rds. It might be worth buying the beavertail and get the gunsmithing done....

Also for anyone shooting in the north hills at the gamelands. Becareful and make sure you have your hunting/range permit. They were up there Saturday checking. One guy got nabbed for having more than 6 in a clip...200$ fine!

[ffemtreed]

I went to the range on saturday and put 100 rounds through the SR9c, and another 50 through the RIA 1911. I love both of them! The SR9c is very comfortable and didn't malfunction once. I was using Fiocci FMJs, but yesterday I fired another 30 rounds and it jammed twice. I was using remington FMJs...might have to stick with Fiocci.

The 1911 was dead accurate. Only issues I have with it is the hammer bite. I was torn up good after 50 rds. It might be worth buying the beavertail and get the gunsmithing done....

Also for anyone shooting in the north hills at the gamelands. Becareful and make sure you have your hunting/range permit. They were up there Saturday checking. One guy got nabbed for having more than 6 in a clip...200$ fine!

Something is wrong with the SR9c if it is jamming on FMJ factory ammo of any type. What kind of malfunctions were you having?

Failure to feed the next round, failure to eject the spent casing, double feed?

[Gage18]

I went to the range on saturday and put 100 rounds through the SR9c, and another 50 through the RIA 1911. I love both of them! The SR9c is very comfortable and didn't malfunction once. I was using Fiocci FMJs, but yesterday I fired another 30 rounds and it jammed twice. I was using remington FMJs...might have to stick with Fiocci.

The 1911 was dead accurate. Only issues I have with it is the hammer bite. I was torn up good after 50 rds. It might be worth buying the beavertail and get the gunsmithing done....

Also for anyone shooting in the north hills at the gamelands. Becareful and make sure you have your hunting/range permit. They were up there Saturday checking. One guy got nabbed for having more than 6 in a clip...200$ fine!

Something is wrong with the SR9c if it is jamming on FMJ factory ammo of any type. What kind of malfunctions were you having?

Failure to feed the next round, failure to eject the spent casing, double feed?

Mostly wouldn't feed the next round. I have read that for some reason some guns work better with different ammo. Like I said I shot 100 rds of FIOCCI FMJ with no issues at all, but then UMC Remington wasn't working well. I only shot maybe 10 shots. I plan to take it out again soon and see if it was just a fluke...

[Shyster]

Mostly wouldn't feed the next round. I have read that for some reason some guns work better with different ammo. Like I said I shot 100 rds of FIOCCI FMJ with no issues at all, but then UMC Remington wasn't working well. I only shot maybe 10 shots. I plan to take it out again soon and see if it was just a fluke...

That gun was brand-new, right? I'd maybe give it another 100 rounds or so and then see if the problems are still there. Some guns take a couple hundred rounds to break in. Kahr, for example, tells its customers to run at least a couple hundred rounds through their new pistols as a break-in period before expecting 100% reliability. You could also hand the gun off to someone else and see if they experience the stoppages. If it's just you, then you could be limp-wristing the pistol.

[ffemtreed]

Mostly wouldn't feed the next round. I have read that for some reason some guns work better with different ammo. Like I said I shot 100 rds of FIOCCI FMJ with no issues at all, but then UMC Remington wasn't working well. I only shot maybe 10 shots. I plan to take it out again soon and see if it was just a fluke...

If it was having trouble feeding the next round the gun could have been short cycling due to lubrication issues or it could be a weak recoil spring. The Fiocci Ammo was probably loaded a little hotter than the UMC which compensating the problem.

You are correct in that some guns don't like certain ammo, but that is typically true of Jacketed hollow points (JHP). pretty much any production gun should run any factory FMJ ammo flawlessly.

I would field strip it and clean it as best you could and then very lightly lubricate the slide rails and barrel. Then give it another shot (no pun intended).

Also make sure you aren't "limp wristing" the gun when shooting, its easy to do and not realize it. Basicly you are lettting your wrist take the recoil energy instead of providing resistance to the frame of the gun, so the slide doesn't fully cycle with each shot and can cause the problem you are having. It is more common on compact models like you have because you don't get as good of a grip as you would with a full size.

[ffemtreed]

Just an FYI for anyone reading out there:

Whenever you get a new gun you should always give it a good cleaning and proper lube job before taking it out and firing it. The factory guns are almost always over lubed and get gunked up to preserve the gun in case it sits in a box or on a shelf for a long time. You need to get all that factory grease out of there and lube with something appropriate for your application. In almost every case, less lube is better than more.

[Shyster]

Speaking of cleaning, lets discuss our handgun cleaning rituals. I do the following:

1. Put on pair of disposable nitrile gloves. Gun-cleaning solvents are nasty, and they eat latex gloves for breakfast. Nitrile gloves are tougher and more resistant to chemicals.

2. Field strip gun and remove grips if applicable.

3. Use spray bottle and disposable cotton flooding swab to coat slide rails, bore, feed ramps, revolver cylinders and every other part with Hoppes #9. Allow to soak for a few minutes.

4. Use old toothbrush to scrub accessible parts.

5. Run appropriate Hoppes bore snake through bore and cylinder charge holes for revolvers (2–3 pulls).

6. Gun is now coated with Hoppes and dislodged/dissolved gunk. Use a cleaner/degreaser like Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber, Break-Free Powder Blast, Remington Action Cleaner, Hoppes Blast & Clean, or similar product (I like the Break-Free Powder Blast—it smells like oranges) to remove both the solvent and the dislodged gunk. I spray every part of the gun, including inside the clockwork for revolvers. Let dry for a few minutes (it won’t take long; those evaporate quickly).

7. The gun is now clean and completely dry. There is no lube anywhere. I then use Hornady One Shot to re-lubricate gun. Spray into all parts of action, bore, clockwork, etc. I usually reassemble the gun (without grips) while it’s still wet and then set it aside to dry. One Shot evaporates to leave behind a thin layer of Teflon-based lubricant. I can spray it into everything and know that it’s only going to leave a thin layer that won’t gunk up stuff. It also means I can lube the guts of a revolver without taking off sideplates or the like.

8. (Optional) I may add a tiny coating of additional oil to a semi-auto’s slide rails, especially if I know it will be shot a lot the next time I use it. If so, I use a tiny amount of Break-Free LP (not the CLP, the LP is different stuff). I’ll soak the tip of a Q-Tip with the oil and run it along the rails. No more oil than that.

9. Thoroughly wipe off outside of gun with clean cloth. Reinstall grips if applicable.

10. Happiness is not a warm gun. Happiness is a clean gun.

[ffemtreed]

Speaking of cleaning, lets discuss our handgun cleaning rituals. I do the following:

1. Put on pair of disposable nitrile gloves. Gun-cleaning solvents are nasty, and they eat latex gloves for breakfast. Nitrile gloves are tougher and more resistant to chemicals.

2. Field strip gun and remove grips if applicable.

3. Use spray bottle and disposable cotton flooding swab to coat slide rails, bore, feed ramps, revolver cylinders and every other part with Hoppes #9. Allow to soak for a few minutes.

4. Use old toothbrush to scrub accessible parts.

5. Run appropriate Hoppes bore snake through bore and cylinder charge holes for revolvers (2–3 pulls).

6. Gun is now coated with Hoppes and dislodged/dissolved gunk. Use a cleaner/degreaser like Birchwood-Casey Gun Scrubber, Break-Free Powder Blast, Remington Action Cleaner, Hoppes Blast & Clean, or similar product (I like the Break-Free Powder Blast—it smells like oranges) to remove both the solvent and the dislodged gunk. I spray every part of the gun, including inside the clockwork for revolvers. Let dry for a few minutes (it won’t take long; those evaporate quickly).

7. The gun is now clean and completely dry. There is no lube anywhere. I then use Hornady One Shot to re-lubricate gun. Spray into all parts of action, bore, clockwork, etc. I usually reassemble the gun (without grips) while it’s still wet and then set it aside to dry. One Shot evaporates to leave behind a thin layer of Teflon-based lubricant. I can spray it into everything and know that it’s only going to leave a thin layer that won’t gunk up stuff. It also means I can lube the guts of a revolver without taking off sideplates or the like.

8. (Optional) I may add a tiny coating of additional oil to a semi-auto’s slide rails, especially if I know it will be shot a lot the next time I use it. If so, I use a tiny amount of Break-Free LP (not the CLP, the LP is different stuff). I’ll soak the tip of a Q-Tip with the oil and run it along the rails. No more oil than that.

9. Thoroughly wipe off outside of gun with clean cloth. Reinstall grips if applicable.

10. Happiness is not a warm gun. Happiness is a clean gun.

Good post!

I''ll add that I like to use an air compressor to blow all the stuff out.

My favorite chems are
Hoppes #9
Breakfee CLP (never tried the LP stuff)
Wipeout foaming bore cleaner with accelerator
Ballistol (liquid, not aerosol)
remoil for giving the super light coating to external parts like slides and etc.
And just for my AR, mobile one full synthetic to lube the bolt and bolt carrier.

[Godric]

I pretty much do the same as above ^

When do you normally clean your guns? Sometimes when I am watching a movie before I go to bed ill clean a weapon, I find it relaxing

[Pen48guins]

Utopia would be boring.

Anyways, yea Maryland has crazy gun laws. And yet, still is a terrible state

tell me about it, I been living here for 6 years now.

In all actuality MD is not at bad as some other areas like California, Illinois, DC and NY. MD is more quirky with the laws than restrictive. You have to jump through some hoops to get stuff, but if you jump how high they tell you can at least get most stuff.

The only real bad things about MD is the fact its virtually impossible to get CCW permit and the 7 day waiting period when you buy a regulated firearms (all handguns and some rifles) hopefully the CCW status will be changing soon since a federal judge recently ruled the law unconstitutional.

I really hope CCW changes in Maryland. Its the only reason I do not own a handgun yet.

Where are you at a FF at?