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Barry I am getting a new smart phone (not sure of model/size yet but was looking for someone to make me a tough kydex type case similar to what W. Willson described above and I copy and paste his words below in BOLD letters. " All, I asked Barry if he could make me a cell phone holster that would do a couple things that no other hostler on the market today can do. 1) Protect my phone from being flexed if I roll up onto it when crawling around under a car, playing with my kids, etc. Smart phones are great, but if you flex or twist them, they will break. 2) Make a holster that if snagged on something as you walk by will not break. So many times I've broken the belt clip off of a holster by simply catching it on something as I walk past. This holster is exactly what I asked for and man is this thing tough. You could stand on it with the phone inside and the phone would be fine. The belt clip has a 'hook' on either side that has a death grip on the belt and won't let go. There really isn't a chance that the holster would fall off your belt. The belt clip is longer than it needs to be, so you can pivot the whole holster to make it more comfortable when you're sitting and/or driving. I had it made a bit larger than needed so both of my smart phones (personal a bit smaller than work) will fit. It isn't small and it isn't cute, but it does exactly what I want it to do. Thanks Barry! Finger hole in bottom to push the phone up for removal. You can see why it won't come off your belt. with emphasis on tough and won.t flex phone because I am a fair size guy and my work puts me in many tight places and some times even lying down to be able to get low enough to see what's needed. Since I have never carried a smart type phone on my belt before I also wondered if you offer or can make a design that can be carried either verticle or horziontal and maybe this conversion feature could be accomplished by having two bolt on clips w/ two bolts each that could be unbolted and turned to provide that option. I would want the kydex clips that make a full 360 deg spring open loop so the phone will not come off if it gets accidently picked up on, and I like the idea he had of extra long clips to allow re positioning the case for the sake of comfort for the wearer. Also the finger hole mentioned to allow wearer to start to begin pushing the phone out of the case. I also think an adjustable retention bolt would also be in order. I am very open to your ideas and suggestions Thx Larry

You can get some good deals for 9mm ammo here: https://www.bulkcheapammo.com/handgun-ammo/9mm-ammo

Hello, and welcome!

Hello, I am outdoor sports lover who love shooting & hunting.

Hi Astro Curiously the main difference is exactly the action which being similar in aspect to the Steyr Mannlicher (i.e. 8x60R Kropatschek 1886 and the 6.5x53R carbine 1896) is neither a real Mauser action nor a Mannlicher - it is the kind of hybrid "Vergueiro" action, a unique Portuguese originality created by Capitan Jose Alberto Vergueiro, simpler and very effective! Should you be interested I can try to post some photos.

Hi, from Portugal! I am a new member in this forum and noticed this discussion on the Portuguese "Vergueiro" Mauser rifle. 100.000 of these rifles in their original calibre of 6.5x58mm have been ordered in 1904 and delivered during the following 2-3 years. On 1915 Portugal sent 20.000 to the UDF of South Africa, then under pressure from the German army and about another 20.000 to the African Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique. These rifles were well used by the UDF, the Portuguese and even the Germans when capturing them, as they were better than their 1888 Mausers! Portugal entered the IWW in 1917 in France, under the British Sector and for logistic reasons adopted the .303 Lee Enfield during this period. The Vergueiro rifles that remained in Portugal – about 60.000 – were later converted in 1939 to 7.92mm (8mm Mauser), as Portugal had purchased on 1937 100.000 98K rifles from Germany and it was convenient to unify calibres for logistics simplicity!The 8mm variant can be distinguished visualy from the 6.5mm variant with the 1939 modifications including a shorter barrel, distincive front sight protector and ground down rear sight base This means that the sole rifles still in the original 6.5x58mm were those sent to Africa! These are really nice rifles, although very rare nowadays and a collector’s item! They were well manufactured and still shoot very well! I have both the original caliber (one of the rifles sent to UDF in 1915) and one of those modified to 8mm. To shoot the original we can surely make the brass cartridges from 30-06, .270 or 8mm mauser, with some hard work and patience. But I use another method much simpler and very efficient – I buy 6.5x57 Mauser cartridges (PPU and Sellier & Bellot manufacture them, no need to form from 7x57!) and modify them which is a simple passage with the die to push the shoulder a couple of millimetres down! The result is a cartridge about 1mm shorter than the original, but this makes no difference at all! This brass is easily available in Europe. I hope this may be of assistance and would like to learn about your experience and loads used for the calibre!

Pricey, but interesting. I don't think the Croatian origin is a negative. My XD-M is a well built, good performer. I like how compact the bullpup is, and wonder how this compares with the Tavor. I will say that I like the ambidextrous ejection option as well as the adjustable gas system.

I think the only advantage is the size. Otherwise, I've already got an S&W 9mm concealed carry, double stack with an alloy frame - the 6906. And it's a nice-shooting gun.

I’ve seen one now, and it’s quite a bit smaller than I expected. It’s more appealing than I thought.

I think it will depend on what the buyer wants. If you want a classic HiPower with some improvements that make it easier to use- the SA. I’m not sure who the FN will please. I’m sure it could be a great functioning, good shooting gun. It might, and should, have a great trigger. But it’s going to be chunkier feeling and heavier than an HP or most other guns in its class.

MSRP $1049-1099 https://www.smith-wesson.com/volunteer?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=smith-wesson&utm_content=11%2F18+Volunteer+Announcement

Which will be better, the Springfield or the FN?

https://fnamerica.com/highpower/?fbclid=IwAR1ZS7ovUm4JQhVdD6zBsyynkrQ9c6qbFxTamLxHmaYVbpLSLphHZ5prWQ4 A 40 ounce single action 9mm that only vaguely resembles a BHP and has an MSRP of double the SA. I’m not sure who the target audience is here.

And then there’s this:

Lightweight coming? Recently, Kimber let slip (on purpose?) that a lightweight model was coming. They listed a K6xs on order sheets. Then some images appeared online claiming to be of the 2022 Kimber catalog. The specs listed weight as 15.9 ounces for a 2”, or 7.9 oz less than the all-steel K6s. That’s around 1.5 oz more than an Airweight S&W J frame. EDIT: .38 Special only. The picture shows a couple more changes. There is a grooved topstrap for a rear sight instead of the separate dovetailed sight the K6s uses, and more traditional cylinder flutes. This started maybe two months ago. Since then, nothing. The SHOT Show is this week, so maybe there will be an announcement. Or maybe it was all a ruse. An internet hoax, if those even exist.

https://www.springfield-armory.com/hellion-series/hellion-rifles/ Bullpup 5.56 from, you guessed it, Croatia. I wonder if it has a Grip Zone??? Additional info from the HS VHS-2 (Croatian) website: https://hs-produkt.hr/military-law-enforcement-program/vhs-2/ It has an adjustable length stock, which is lacking on other bullpups. Even better is that it will surely be priced better than other ‘pups. Oh wait, MSRP $1995.

Jumping straight to the point of my posting this: SWFA-branded scopes have been a standout for me Their SS line has become my go-to. https://www.swfa.com/optics/riflescopes.html?brand=SWFA+SS#brand=SWFA+SS (Bold statement alert) Until you are talking higher level brands of at least $1,000 and up, I’ve just about stopped bothering with anything else. Or put another way, from their starting price point of around $300 on up to $1000 or so, they are my pick. Yes, you generally get what you pay for in optics, but the SWFA products seem to perform out of their price range. Just about the only time I don’t look at them first is when I’m forced: They don’t have a wide enough line to cover every need. I recently wanted a small and light scope for a small and light short range rifle. A fixed 2.5X was about right, but they don’t have one, so I bought a Leupold. The Super Sniper (SS) line they’ve sold for years is their standard bearer. The base design was originally a 10X submitted for a US military test in the 1980s. SWFA contracted to have this 10X made for commercial sales, then expanded out to 6X, 12X, 16X, and 20X. Later they added other variations like the HD with better quality glass, and a choice of parallax knob location. In the last few years, they’ve sold some new designs like the 1-4X I’ve posted about here, a 2.5-10X Lightweight, and variable power models with HD glass. As far as I know, all are made in Japan or the Philippines. Don’t knock that. Most scopes seem to be made in Japan, the Philippines, or China. Many of the really nice brands we ooh and ahh over are made in Japan, and some good ones are also made in the Philippines. China, well… China. The SS line is $299.95 with a rear-located parallax control (where a variable’s power ring is) and $100 more with a side knob. A couple of reticle choices, 1/4 MOA or 1/10 Mil, 30mm tube. I use one for the long range .22 matches where we are dialing the knobs constantly. The clicks are accurate and repeatable, which is extremely important there. A $300 scope. And I haven’t paid full price yet. They have sales a few times each year. Specific models get a good cut, plus the rest get 10% off across the board. They also have a “Sample List” of demos and trade-ins. The SS models are usually around $250. If you time it right during a sale, you can get a like-new one for around $220-225. It’s almost comical what a deal they are. The demos and trade-ins have three condition ratings. I’ve had the top two and levels and could only see a very slight ring scuff on one of them. I have never had an HD model; only the “Classics”. It’s a pretty fair step up in price for an HD (the 10X HD is $800) but they are still priced very competitively and everything I’ve read says they are worth it. The only negative I can think of is shortages in the best of times. When they are out of stock, it can take a while for the boat to arrive. They have a big Black Friday sale that wipes them out pretty good each year, and it can be spring before they get some items back.

I guess their place is for those who prefer an aluminum frame, like the Sig P938.

I read everything I could find about this new gun and can't get excited about it. The main 'feature' seems to be the aluminum frame, which to me is a detractor because it's going to be heavier than the same gun with a plastic frame. A couple ounces carried all day feels much heavier. What am I missing that I should be excited about?

I can't imagine why one wouldn't just use a 9mm? The external ballistics are similar, but you could get 2 more rounds into a subcompact magazine. Does the increased round count really matter? Considering the new round will likely be extinct in a couple years, I'll pass as I'm guessing most will.

This one had escaped into the public eye a few days ago, but it has now been officially announced. https://www.smith-wesson.com/product/csx?sku=12615

New from Federal, to give us something to ask “What for?” is the .30 Super Carry cartridge. Sort of a rimless .327 Federal. I guess the idea was to outperform the .32ACP and .380ACP, but at 9mm length it pretty much requires a 9mm-size gun. Pressures of around 45k PSI will need a locked breech. But at least it gives us another cartridge we can’t find. https://www.federalpremium.com/30supercarry.html My only interest would be that I wouldn’t turn away an auxiliary .30 Super Carry cylinder for my .32 Mag Single Six. Not that it offers anything new, but it would give one more cartridge option.

Astro- I too am curious how people use them. Almost everywhere I saw this news posted, most replies were demands for a longer barrel.

I really want a BAR! Watching old episodes of Combat! on H&I channel is not helping at all.

How about that BAR, though!