Got a new tool today

[yamahonkawazuki]

TBH i htnk it has saved our ass in the past. liek the japanese were afraid to invade us, and others as well, because we were, and ( until its outlawed) still ia gigantic ass armed camp.

[bettingpython]

I ran Several Hundred Shots thru my Ruger P94 Last week.Still can't Hit shaZam!. I'm getting better though.Made some real Nice Noise with the 2 16 Round Clips and then the 32 Round.

Slow down and focus on what you are doing, learn body position,(stance) breath control, recoil absorbtion, trigger control and target reaquisition techniques.

I highly recommend reading no second place winner by Bill Jordan, I have a first edition copy of it that I treasure. Also Massad Ayoob of the lethal force institute who writes or at least did write for several gun rags has a few books out, I don't take magazines anymore since there more advertising than content like they used to be. Firearms training is really an extension of hand to hand martial arts training. When done right a few hours at the range sending 100 rounds flying through the 10ring of a bt-5 sillouhette target at 15 yards can be very Zen like.

Learn to shoot slowly and deliberately being smooth in all aspects of gun control, just like in motorcycling and speed will follow. I also recommend once you become moderately profecient at pistol range target practice getting involved and shooting an occasional IDPA match. Nothing really enhances your shooting skills and mental sharpness like shooting in situations that are as close as possible to real life.

Last but not least if it ever happens in real life the ability to think of the bad guy as just another paper target will help you survive a bad situation, the stress over killing another human if it occurs during a bad situation could cost you your life.

It's all about quality of practice not so much about quantity, burning through 200 rounds with poor technique actually reinforces bad shooting habits where 50 rounds of good controlled practice does a person far more good.

[yamahonkawazuki]

↑↑↑ totally agree, and BP, very well written and sage advice. ↑↑↑ and OP or whomever, practice, and practice often, and maintain your weapon like nothing else, cause a gun, can be a lethal weapon, if somethign goes wrong

[blwnbwtie]

nice! i love 1911s i have a rock island tactical and a springfield armory GI.  I love the rock, its a great shooter. 

[bettingpython]

I found a shop here that sellls the Mil-Spec springfields for $377.00 and I think I am going to get one in the next week or 2. The wife has discovered that she likes shooting, as with everything else she is a very rapid study, she prefers the single action to glock or XD etc. She's also strong enough that the .45 doesn't bother her so life for me just got more expensive...again. Last year for her birthday it was a brand new f4i, guess this year when she unwraps her anniversary present in New Orleans it'll be a new springfield .45 auto.

And the hell of it is she appreciates gifts like that 10 times more than diamonds or jewelry, I boughrt her one piece of jewelry and that was her movado watch.

[theUBS]

I found a shop here that sellls the Mil-Spec springfields for $377.00 and I think I am going to get one in the next week or 2. The wife has discovered that she likes shooting, as with everything else she is a very rapid study, she prefers the single action to glock or XD etc. She's also strong enough that the .45 doesn't bother her so life for me just got more expensive...again. Last year for her birthday it was a brand new f4i, guess this year when she unwraps her anniversary present in New Orleans it'll be a new springfield .45 auto.

And the hell of it is she appreciates gifts like that 10 times more than diamonds or jewelry, I boughrt her one piece of jewelry and that was her movado watch.

....sounds like a good woman! 
She like beer too? 

[bettingpython]

Nope. Wine and mixed drinks.

[theUBS]

Can't win 'em all...

[cstilt]

This seems like a good place to ask the question I have. I'm thinking of getting a new pistol and am kinda torn between a Sprinfield EMP and a Kimber Ultra CDP II.  I considered getting a Kahr CW9 and Sig 239SAS, but decided I wanted to give a 1911 a try.  Anyone have any experience with these?

[frankieG]

ya u can be fodder while the real military and former military do the guerilla thing.  you cannot say you are anything like a military.  just a dork with a weapon    besides in a true invasion or battle anything smaller than a assault rifle/shotgun is useless.  you will most likely got shot and have it taken away from you or get shot and have it taken away from you lol.  this hole thing about keeping arms for some fabled invasion or citizen uprising because of a federal government run awry is idiotic.

[bettingpython]

This seems like a good place to ask the question I have. I'm thinking of getting a new pistol and am kinda torn between a Sprinfield EMP and a Kimber Ultra CDP II.  I considered getting a Kahr CW9 and Sig 239SAS, but decided I wanted to give a 1911 a try.  Anyone have any experience with these?

I have a friend who carries the kimber ultra cdp, it's a very reliable  weapon. Spingfield also makes a nice piece. Excellent forgings and quality steel.

I have just Shy of 1000 rounds through my taurus pt1911 with one failure to feed, I had not cleaned my mag's out and the mag follower jammed. The OEM mags that come with the Taurus are a basic stamped steel follower. No issues from either of my Wilsons Comabat 8 round mags. So far it has been an excellent investment for the price out of the box it's shooting sub 1" groups at 15yards, I let one of the range pro's wring it out thay shoot better than I do, my personal best was 1.25".

If your looking for a base model for a reasonable price to build on if you're so inclined I recommend either the springfield basic GI model or the rock island arnory wepons. Both are very solid foundatioms and a good buy they're based on the series 70 colt instead of the later series 80 with the second internal firing pin safety.

You might want to go the less expensive route to start, especially if you haven't shot much .45 before. it can get a little tiring. Take a good look at the taurus pt1911 though, it's already had all the goodies done to it and it's been a real pleasure to shoot, and it's $500 less than the kimber, plus it's not much more difficult to carry a full size 1911 than it is to carry the compacts. I prefer the milt sparks summer special holster, you just have to buy your pant's one size larger than normal.

Stay away from alloy frames, they don't hold up as well if your an avid shooter and stay away from the para ordanance double stack jobs, every one I have had has been a pain in the ass and the extra thick grip cross section makes it harder to conceal it prints under a t-shirt unlike my single stack which goes inside tghe waistband and has gone unnoticed.

And that reminds me I need to call para and get a RMA number so I can ship my p10 to them for an issue it has with locking the slide in battery on the ejection cycle.

[jserio]

i noticed taurus and many other manufactures have a special line for concealed carry. this is the line i'll most likely buy from. but not because i want a concealed carry weapon but because i've got small hands. i want something that fits comfortably. i noticed like for the taurus that they offer .45; 9mm; .380; 32cal and i believe .40; all in the concealed carry line-up. are they all going to fire the same or a bit different? they guns are almost all identical in size the only difference is the round. what would you suggest a fellow start with? i'd like cheap (but not cheap quality).  and something that i could still use for home defense purposes if necessary. 

[bettingpython]

I'll check out Taurus's website tonight I didn't know they were offering a compact model in the 1911 style, for small hands the single stack magazine is the best option.

Now the cold hard facts as evidenced by Evan Marshall and Ed Sanow. There is no magic bullet for self defense, depth and width of wound channel along with shot placement are what stops bad guy's. The bigger the caliber you can shoot the better because in adrenalin filled situations unless you have been there before and have the cold calculative detachment that few men even among professional soldiers develop your shot placement goes out the window.

[bettingpython]

Taurus is only offering their 1911 in a full size pistol. It's a good buy though, my wifes hands fit it great and she's 5'7" and has small hands. I haven't played with any of the other taurus .45's but they have some CZ clones in.45 as well. Those are a little more compact while still utiilizing the single stack mags which makes for an easy to handle weapon for people with small hands.

[cstilt]

Thanks for the advice bettingpython.  I've not shot any of the 1911 line of guns, but have shot many pistols. Mainly your typical guns. S&W 38s, Colt 32, a couple semi auto 45s and a few 9s and a 40.  Just to give you some background on what I've had experience with.  Right now I own a CZ P01 in 9mm. It's an amazing little gun. Roughly 1000+ rounds through it and not a single failure of any sort. It's not a whole lot to look at, but anytime I pull the trigger it goes bang and the hole is where I want it.

I'll have to give the Taurus another look. I've always wanted a 1911 and can finally afford one. I just thought a full size would be a bit more difficult to carry. That's why I was looking at those two particular 1911's.  That and I thought the EMP was one of the nicest guns I've ever witnessed.  My CZ is a good length and height for carry, but it's a little too thick and the rubber grips grab my shirts and causes me to print. (i know, i can change the grips but they are comfortable to shoot with. lol)

jeserio, i would go to a shop and handle many of the guns they have there and find one that fits you well. If you have any friends that shoot, go to the range with them.  You mentioned taurus and I've shot the 24/7 line in a 45acp. To me the grip was nice and recoil wasn't bad at all. Very accurate as well. You may also want to look at some revolvers like the Smith 642 or anything by Ruger or Taurus that fits you. Revolvers are very good all around guns, and simple to use.  bettingpython was 100% on the caliber. It's whatever you can shoot accurately that will get the job done. A hit with a 380 is better than missing with a 45. Most people don't recommend less than a 38special or 9mm though.

[bettingpython]

Once you go single action 1911 you'll never want to go back.

I carried a customized officers model colt 1991a1 and with a IWB holster you're only concealing a little more gun butt than the compact versions. The barrel end doesn't matter in an IWB rig.

[jserio]

i heard someone mention ruger so i looked em up and found this. 




http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAFamily?type=Pistol&subtype=Centerfire%20Autoloading&famlst=64

[cstilt]

I've heard some mixed reviews on the Ruger LCP. Initially they had some reliablity issues that are seeming to get better. I really like the idea they have with it as a BUG though (Back Up Gun). It's too small for my tastes though.  I wouldn't be able to get a full grip on the handle and I like guns a bit bigger than a 380.  If you're in the market for a smaller sized auto have a look at the Springfield XD Compact, Glock makes several compact and subcompact models, Taurus Millennium Pro series, Khar CW series, Smith and Wesson MP Compacts.  That list should be a good place to start with, or atleast I think one of those would make a fine gun.  There are many others out there as well.  I've not heard any complaints on those models though. The Springfield XDs and Glocks always said to be good guns.  I hope this helps you out some. Remember, the smaller guns are harder to shoot accurately (smaller sight radius) and will generally have more recoil and muzzle flip. You can also read reviews of many of these at places like shootingtimes.com, gunsandammomag.com and other websites. Nearly all of them have their own forum also.

http://www.glock.com/english/index_pistols.htm
http://www.taurususa.com/products/gunselector-results.cfm?series=MP1
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=11101&storeId=10001&categoryId=15711&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=15708&top_category=15708
http://www.kahr.com/PA-1_9mm_cw.html
http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php

[frankieG]

how is it a "tool"?

[pkhoff]

Tool:

1.   an implement, esp. one held in the hand, as a hammer, saw, or file, for performing or facilitating mechanical operations.
2.   any instrument of manual operation.
3.   the cutting or machining part of a lathe, planer, drill, or similar machine.
4.   the machine itself; a machine tool.
5.   anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose: Education is a tool for success.

1,2 and 5, fit pretty well