Bill_in_Utah

You need to press down on the gold colored rod in the frame before taking the slide off. I did not see him do that. Once its bent it will allow at times the slide to come off the frame with a little "help". Bill

Oh, thought you were discussing the notch in the slide where the crack is in the rail. Sorry. Lack of sleep (going to work yesterday took 2.75 hours and coming home was only 2.5 hours.. On top of a 11 hour BUSY day) Carry on. At least I know the reason for his "hanging up" on takedown... Bill

Very effective rounds. Also very expensive. Barnes also makes some impressive bullets but again $$$ is the word. They are faster since they are lighter. I've always used either a reloaded JSP or full lead round and they have killed anything I've shot well. Both in the .357mag or .44mag Marlins. For blowing up items I use an JHP and that works WELL! Nothing like a milk jug being here today and gone today... Vapor!

Lower parts kit. Then if you want a different type of grip. Stock with buffer tube. Then an upper assembly. A few mags (more is better) And then ammo and your set. I just picked Midway just because they do have the parts and its late at night, just got home after driving in ice fog for the last 35 miles of the commute and I'm tired . But plenty of places (prob at a lower cost too) to check out. But those are the parts you are going to need. Now you need to figure out what type of stock, upper and barrel you need/want. Love the AR platform! Take care, Bill

And we know the CURE!

Best way to nail pumpkins with a handgun load (shotguns work the best IMO) is to drill 2 holes into Mr. Orange and fill him full of water then about 25-50 feet. Hit him with a nice JHP at the center of mass and much better "action" then without the water. The fiber of pumpkins don't allow for as much poof as thin skinned items. Nothing beats a milk jug IMO for spat! Take a 1 gallon milk jug and hit it with a .357mag 125gn JHP or .44mag 240gn JHP and vapor is the rule! Take care, bill

You can find a FFL local who will charge you $20-25 for the transfer fees. You can buy one online for right around $100. Add $10 to ship and wola! Yep, you can change the stock quite easy. Bill

Pass. Why? Because the BEAUTY of the AR platform is that if one part breaks or becomes damaged, you go get that part. Of the barrel is shot out or gets damaged you get just the barrel. If the lower needs to be replaced then you go get ANY mil-spec AR-15 lower for $100-$130 put in your old parts and back in business. Any spec'd part fits with another for the most part. The composite are not standard in any way. This is the reason why I went with a dedicated 22lr upper since it fits with the AR-15 platform. The mags fit the mag well since they are the same size as the normal AR-15 mags. The 22 AR-15 mag works with dedicated uppers or conversion kits. A Ar-15 22 tactical rifle that is ONLY a 22lr most of them have their own mags that work only with that rifle. I don't want that myself. Here is a photo of the evil 30 round mags that can be used in my AR-15s. The left one is the .22LR one. The next one is a Pmag (poly and VERY strong and $12-$17 depending on color and with a window or not) and last one is the metal one with anti-tilt (make sure ANY mag you buy has this!) follower. (about $6 up) My 3 cents. Bill

I've got no problem spending other peoples money helping out! I'll have to go slighty off topic and tell you my break in story on the DPMS Upper in the photo above. So I'm the "shoot one and clean the barrel after each shot" most of the time. So I get this out on the range and decide to shoot at a 5qt QS jug filled with water about 75 feet out. Little windy but not bad. So I shoot at the jug and nothing hit! What? So I clean it and shoot again with my Dad looking to see where I hit. Missed again! Okay clean it again and this time, pull out the table and take my time and bang! Miss! Wow this thing must be way off and we are not even seeing it hit near the #!@^ jug. So about 50-60 ft we have a target stand set up that been shooting with the handguns. So I shoot 5 rounds (still cleaning between each shot) and doing it quite quickly then walk up to the target and all 5 are within a quarter. So what is happening? I walk over to the QS jug and the back is blown up/out and all shots that I fired hit it but since the jug is so thick and my .223 rounds are going past 3000 FPM we were not seeing the hits. Used to hitting those jugs with either the .357mag carbine or .44mag carbine for maximum spat. Like I said, love the AR platform!

Well what I would do is get a lower ($130 max) then get a pre assembled upper. I picked up from Midway the other month a DPMS A2 upper for $399. So $400 for the upper, $130 for the lower, $55 for the lower parts kit, $65 for the stock and $650 I know what I have. Then get either a conversion kit for $100-$150 for .22lr or a dedicated upper for around $500. The dedicated is a little more accurate but quite a bit more $$. The beauty of this is that you have the same trigger for both calibers and you use normal mags for both guns. The 22lr mags are below $20 and .223 mags (depending if you want Pmags or normal steel/aluminum mags) are $6-$17. So for $800 you can have the .223 and .22lr conversion kit! Best of both worlds for the $$. Here is one of my builds. The dedicated .22lr upper is what is on the lower and the .223 A2 upper (the one from Midway) is above. Both shoot perfectly. LOVE the ARs! Also love M&P but you already have a .40S&W handgun. I'd suggest the AR for the next weapon. Then a shotgun. Then a ......... Take care, Bill

Wayne, That sure does not look "normal". I'd email that photo to Ruger and let them answer it. Mine is dirty but here is what it looks like... I'd wonder if its going to get any worst or damage the barrel or frame? Bill

Nope. IF I need service then they get my name. Never had a problem yet. Bill

I like it. Got a barrel for the full size M&P and it works 100%. It does have a different feel than the .40 or 9mm. Softer but snapper than the .40 but more than the 9mm. Takes out milk jugs VERY well! Point of aim is the same out to about 100 feet then shoots higher (slightly) from there. A lot more expensive to shoot unless you reload. And to reload its 1 more step over the 9mm/.40. I use the .40 sizer and then the .357sig sizer so I don't have to deal with the lube. Take care, Bill

I've never used one but would think that once you did I'd be checking the OAL of the brass just in case. Prob would not be a bad thing to do with brass that you pick up at the range. (though I've been using it for decades with never a issue)

Same here with the exception of the .357sig. Unless I have a reason for the "hot" load (like blowing something up ) most of my reloads are on the "cycle the weapon" and be accurate loads. Paper does not care if its hit at 800 FPS or 1100 FPS. My favorite .40 S&W load is 175gn LSWC behind Clays. Very accurate, pleasant to shoot and makes nice clear pretty holes in the paper. The shorter barrel of the 23 is going to have more recoil than the model 22. But you'll get used to it. Take care, Bill

I've shot quite a few bricks of Remington "golden" bullets and they have the most duds of any other brand brink to date. They used to be good but since 2008 they have gone downhill. Federal seems to be the best as far as firing. They have gone from a few duds per brink to about 10-15. Winchester a few more in their 555 brinks. Remington a easy 50-60 per brick. And it does not matter to Remington if the weapon is a auto-loader or bolt/revolver. Accuracy wise, I'd give it to Winchester in my Marlin or Savage bolt actions. Take care, Bill

I've got a couple of SR9c and LOVE them! Just bought (5 minutes ago ) a SR40 so I must like them. Excellent weapon and for ME, I don't miss my Glocks at all. (and I had them for many years and most of the models...) There are a LOT of excellent choices out there for striker fired weapons. Its no longer just one brand like it was when Glock came out in my book. Take care, bill

Really? SR40? Not good for Bill's budget. If they are anything like my SR9Cs then I'll have to get one.. Thanks (I think) for the heads up! Bill PS:

Ended up getting the M590A1 with ghost sights and orange blade on the front sight. It feels heavier than my Win 1300 or Rem 870 but I love it! Thanks for the comments! Bill

Thread from the owner of this site. I'm hoping on meeting with Wayne next year there if he decides to do it again! (Since he does not know that it may have made his decision easier! Talk about a REASON not to! )

Most of mine are Lee. They produce a excellent die that is easy to adjust and make excellent ammo! Plus you can not beat their price. Never had to deal with any warranty for any brand die so can not comment on that. Load for quite a bit of pistol calibers and .223. Take care, bill

Yep, Handguns have to go overnight ($$$) because UPS and FEDEX can not take care of their dishonest employees. They will not even allow 2nd day air! I'm sending my new Smith to MA on their dime and yes the label they sent me is for overnight. Loved the old days when ground was acceptable. Bill

The S&W SD9 is another one to look at. I picked one up the other day and its a shooter. Much better than the sigma and priced very well. Front night site and steel mags. Plus normal rifling. I'll be posting some pics here (hopefully) this weekend. The P95 is a great weapon for the $$. So is the P85MKII or P89. Love both of mine. The SR9C is also a great choice. Truth is there are many EXCELLENT choices out there for 9mm pistols. Take care, bill

Thanks! Found out our local WalMart is carrying 15 00Buck or 1 OZ Slugs (3-5 rounds boxes) for $9.97 now! I've been getting them for $4.99 for 5. So its like a box free. We like to practice with those loads here and there since that is what is loaded in the weapons. Take care, Bill