Thread: Gun Lovers

I noticed a lot of folks enjoy guns and reloading. I would be interested in your favorite weapons. .45 ACP's are my weapon of choice, but I do like my new little Kel-Tec .380 for carrying and the Bersa .380. Haven't owned a shotgun in ages, but one of my son's has me thinking about skeet, birds and small game again. Lynn

I used to shoot IPSC regularly (probably 10 years ago now) with a Springfield Armory 1911 in .45ACP. Add a Wilson barrel with compensator, Chip McCormick Carbon Fiber trigger, commander hammer, mill the slide & mount Bo-Mar sights, trigger job to 3½ pounds, and several other things. The weapon is way too tuned for anything but the handload my dad worked up using lead home-cast semiwadcutters. I could ask the specs if anyone's interested -- it's been way too long for me to actually recall what the exact specs were. I did run a Tasco red-dot sight for a while, until a little problem with ejecting brass rendered it inoperable in the middle of a match (and at the time I had no other sights on the weapon!).

The Dillon press is the only way to go when reloading on a large scale. Expensive, but well worth the money in time savings.

I've gotten back into bird hunting (dove & quail) with my Remington 870 12 gauge. Lots of fun when the birds cooperate. I've been experimenting with different loads, varying from #6 up to #7½ shot. We usually shoot a few boxes of clays toward the end of summer in preparation. Unfortunately I'm also trying to diagnose a random problem with the weapon. It doesn't like Remington factory loads -- seems like an ejector problem. Might have it figured out, but I'll have to wait & see.

For plinking and such, a Ruger 10/22 or Mark II pistol are great. Both are extremely reliable and tons of fun to shoot.

I have attended the class for a concealed permit, but opted not to pursue it. They had a lawyer teach a large chunk of the class, and she was of the opinion that my martial arts background would be used against me in the unfortunate event I had to use the weapon. She cited other less lethal means were at my disposal. Granted, the law is written such that the jury is supposed to consider what a resonable and prudent person would do, but you never know.

My dad does possess a concealed carry permit though. His current favorite is a Makarov. Nice, realiable, and easily concealed. I know a couple of other guys with permits, and they range from derringers to Walthers to Colt Commanders for carry weapons. I'd like one of the new compact Glocks in .45ACP or maybe .40 S&W if I were playing.

I was bit into IPSC a little over twenty years ago when they were just getting started, comparatively. For about four years, I was running through about 15,000 rounds of .45ACP each year, between competition and practice. The ONLY way I could do that was by reloading my own with a Dillon press. It's not all that hard, and I got quite good at it.

I ended up with no less that three Wilson-tweaked Colt .45 autos .... one a full blown competition compensated one, another a lightweight Commander that was done by Bill Wilson himself. I also used a Benelli semi-auto, 12-guage for the combined shotgun-handgun events. They're around here somewhere under all these razors. Sheeze .....

I own and shoot several different guns, but I think one of the ones I find most enjoyable is an old surplus M-1 carbine we have back home. Great plinking gun. I am decent with the standard issue M-9 and M-11 sidearms, and shot my first rifle quals with an M-14. Those are unfortunately going away Love shooting in general, but I've never entered any official competitions like you IPSC guys however.
John P

Colt 45 is a good weapon and I still have a soft spot in my heart for one, but the reliability issue always bothered me about them. When I was shooting 3 or 4 times a week, my 45's consisted of a Pachmayer custom, a King's Gun Works custom Goldcup, and a completely custom built 45 made from a 70 series colt, chopped down, excess metal removed from slide, custom barstow barrel with sleeve machined into the barrel and whole thing hard chromed. It was a real beauty. And a tack driver as well. Would cut a sideways playing card in half consistently at 50 ft. The slide started to slip though from use as the slide stop area became worn. So I traded it for an HK91. Still miss it. (

Originally Posted by string

Colt 45 is a good weapon and I still have a soft spot in my heart for one, but the reliability issue always bothered me about them. When I was shooting 3 or 4 times a week, my 45's consisted of a Pachmayer custom, a King's Gun Works custom Goldcup, and a completely custom built 45 made from a 70 series colt, chopped down, excess metal removed from slide, custom barstow barrel with sleeve machined into the barrel and whole thing hard chromed. It was a real beauty. And a tack driver as well. Would cut a sideways playing card in half consistently at 50 ft. The slide started to slip though from use as the slide stop area became worn. So I traded it for an HK91. Still miss it. (

I think the reliability issue with the M1911-type Colt semiautos has to be talked about in light to modifications made to make the pistol game-worthy. As designed and used for decades, the whole action seemed rather loosey-goosey until the slide hammered forward to lock the barrel in the split-second the pin struck the cartridge ....

Then came competition. Starting with the old NRA-style firing-line bullseye games the actions got modified to allow for less tolerance here and there and fuctionality with less than full powder charges. Soon, the pistol that survived the muddy trenches of France during WWI was jamming because of gun powder residue after less than a hundred rounds. My Colt LW Commander is perfect for me.

I don't actually know how many guns I have. It's probably equally divided between long guns and handguns.

The pistol I carry with me everywhere, except for an airport, is a Glock 23. It's a 40 cal and will stop even someone on Ice or PCP. The first time I saw the Glock, I thought it was the ugliest gun ever made. I still think it's ugly.

I wound up shooting one because our Sheriff, in his infinite wisdom, declared that we could not carry anything that was not on the DOJ list of approved handguns. Since my triple action Daewoo 9mm was not on the list, I had to buy another gun to carry off duty.

After shooting it, I fell in love with it. I am a pretty decent shot, but my scores improved with the Glock. It's dependable, easy to clean, and does not cost like a Kimber or other top notch handgun. It is a whole bunch easier to handle than your Kel-tec. About $500

For shotguns, there are several choices, but they are all expensive. Skeet will probably require a 26 inch barrel and that is going to limit you with bird hunting. Trap or Sporting Clays, on the other hand, can really be a hoot. Last year I shot over 20,000 rounds in those sports. Any of these guns can also be used to hunt birds.

A great over under is the Browning Citori. They have different models for just about every purpose. Figure around $1500 starting out... new.
Another great shotgun is the SKB 85TSS. A combo (single barrel and an over under that fits the same receiver) goes for about $2700.
I just sold my Berretta 682 Gold E combo. Great gun. New, they run about $4500.
Of course, you could always get a Perazzi combo for around $8700 and up.
Two super autos. The berretta 391 for less than $1000 and the new Benelli is really a treat. You can shoot this one off your nose. Their web site is http://www.benelli.it/Home.asp?Lan=EN
Hope I don't hurt anyone's feelings, but pumps shouldn't be a choice unless you just like playing with them, or want something for home defense. The sound of a shotgun being racked is a pretty distinct sound that usually makes someone beat feet. Other than that, all they do is bruise your shoulder.

I have several, my favorite being my .45 Springfield Armory 1911A1 that's slightly comped out. I also enjoy my Glock 21. Like before I hated the looks of Glocks until a friend talked me into shooting one. My carry is either the Glock or my Bersa .380. Lynn, not many folks know about the Bersa. LOL

Long guns I really enjoy my Marlin .45-70. What a round. For accuracy you can't beat my custom 6.5 X 55 swedish Mauser that was sporterized into a hunting rifle for me. I don't shoot much skeet, and when I did it was just friends using a hand thrower, the only shotgun I have for that is a Mossburg pump action.

I'd have to say my favorite to shoot would be my m79 grenade launcher (inert rounds only), it's a blast trying to hit something 400 yards away. Next would be my Rugar Mini14, and then my Berretta 92. I used to have a couple of AR15s, but they're difficult to own in California.

In defense of the lowly pump shotgun, the Winchester and Remington pumps have sure won their fair share of trap trophies. I have always liked the Winchester Model 12 pump for its excellent handling charachteristics, balance and light weight. When I shot competitive International Trap, I used a Perazzi MX8 combo, which really helped with the swing on those 100 mph targets. My coach, who was the Olympic alternate when the olympics were in Los Angeles, has actually dunked his Perazzi in a barrel of water between rounds as the barrel got too hot to touch late in the competition. Firing up to 2 super hot loads per target can really heat up your barrel in fast paced Int'l competition. But the gun held up just fine. Guess that's why they get the big bucks for 'em. For skeet I used a Beretta 686 O/U, which was a pretty good gun for the money at the time.