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BarryinIN

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Everything posted by BarryinIN

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. I guess their place is for those who prefer an aluminum frame, like the Sig P938.
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. Astro- I too am curious how people use them. Almost everywhere I saw this news posted, most replies were demands for a longer barrel.
  8. I really want a BAR! Watching old episodes of Combat! on H&I channel is not helping at all.
  9. Nine year update: Still going strong. Still my favorite .308 semiauto, and probably my favorite rifle. I thought pretty seriously about getting it a present recently. There were some tempting Black Friday scope sales, and I was looking hard at 1-8X and 1-10X scopes. I was ready to pop for a Vortex Razor Gen III 1-10X, but was reminded of something. I was at dinner with my classmates in my annual night shooting class, and the year we worked with rifles came up. The instructors remembered the SCAR/Trijicon doing well, which in turn got me wondering why I wanted the replace it. I couldn't think of anything that 1-4X couldn't do that I'd asked of it. More magnification would be nice sometimes, but definitely is not necessary. I chose to save the money and the seven ounces the bigger scope would add. Instead, I treated the SCAR to a thorough bore cleaning with copper fouling removal. And is it ever fouled! I don't think I've ever given it a real copper removal type cleaning, and it's had (mumble) thousand rounds through it. I'm making lots of blue-stained patches!
  10. Well known for their semiauto M1918 BAR and M1917/1919 .30 BMGs, they are now making a semiauto M2 .50 cal. You could have yours by the end of December. https://www.oowinc.com/exclusives/semi-auto/m2-slr/ How much? $16,407.90 Its a good thing they got that 90 cents in there. That’s without the tripod, pintle, traverse and elevation adjustments, which run another $1957.00, for a total of… $18,357.90 Plus ammo. Oh, the ammo cost! I’d better not look at that.
  11. I got something recently with that sticker. Now I don’t recall what it was, but it was something harmless and generic like a screw or washer. It was connected to reloading, though. I think just about anything connected to reloading ammunition gets a sticker now. It seemed odd when I first saw a warning on a box of jacketed bullets. Now look where we are.
  12. For a long while now, it seems like a lot of people judge a class by the round count. They will hear about a class coming up and the first thing they ask is “How many rounds do they call for?” as if that is the most important factor. Let me be clear: This didn’t start with the ammo shortage. I’ve been hearing it for a long time. I’ve also had this rant on my mind for a long time. Current ammo cost and availability just gave me another reason to let loose. The truth is, I’m actually talking about the other direction Those who think the more rounds the better. I don’t know where and how it got started, but they equate round count with the level of training. Low round count? Must be a beginner class. A three day class that calls for 1500-2000 rounds? That must be some real operator-level stuff there. The better classes I’ve had were very easy on the round count. The best word might be “efficient “. Every round fired had a purpose. Every single round. Some of the better ones might have used under 300 rounds total over three days. A lot of people wouldn’t have even looked at such a class. As a matter of fact, I’ve heard instructors say (in the past) they inflated their estimated round count just to keep from being overlooked. The most I’ve used in a single day was approximately 350 rounds, and both times I had to work at it. The first was a class where I used an HK P7 pistol. They have a reputation for hearting up quick so they are “unusable”, and I was determined to break that myth. I shot the max number of rounds each drill, and stepped into the line whenever there was an opening. The other one was this past weekend. It was also a one day class where I used around 350 rounds. Again, it took some effort on my part to shoot that many. This class was pretty open regarding how many rounds you used per drill. It was also heavy on movement, with some drills being a bit lengthy. For example, line up, go one shooter at a time, start at one end of the line and walk across, shooting as you moved. If you got five rounds off in that time, OK. If you shot 20, OK. Another big factor was there were only five of us, so we weren’t sharing time by splitting into two relays. We were always up. I was using a Sig P320 that takes 17-rd mags and 21-rd mags. I emptied a 21-rd mag in more than one drill. I didn’t need to do that, but I was both trying to get used to a somewhat new-to-me gun and just plain fooling around. I could’ve used 150 rounds in the class without being miserly about it. So if you’ve been holding off on training because you don’t want to burn through a mountain of ammo you don’t have, that may not be necessary. It might not even be possible. Most trainers and facilities have backed way down on the rounds used in classes. However, they haven’t been the best at getting that word out. Their websites and class postings may still show the original (and probably inflated) round count, so don’t let that scare you off. Even if they don’t say it, it’s understood that ammo is tight. Every class I’ve taken in the past couple of years began with such a statement to let you know it’s ok to be easy on the trigger. As to why some people think a class has to be judged by how many cases of ammo you burn up? I have no answer.
  13. It’s been rumored for a long time; since before the 2.0 series. Four basic variants for now, 4.0” barrel and 4.6” barrel, with or without thumb safety. All are optics ready with an RDS cut and high sights. Mag capacity 15. S&W Spec Sheet https://snwcdnprod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/spec-sheets/13388-mp-specsheet.pdf
  14. The class is on again for this year at the usual time, early December. This will be my first time using a red dot sighted gun in a night class. That should help. If not, I'm really in trouble. "Tune-Up" pistol class this coming weekend.
  15. I realized today that the Magpul stock is the last change I have planned for this gun. I might have to make a small change in light mounting on the new stock, but that would be it. Point being, once I spend the last money and time on it, Ruger will announce a 10mm version.
  16. I’m weak. So weak. I lasted maybe another 20 minutes. A black one is on the way. Or at least it’s paid for.
  17. I’ve been wanting the Magpul stock for this carbine since they announced it. That was what- 3 years ago? Three years this coming SHOT Show? It solves at least three needs I have. Or think I have. With my use of the PC-9 as a motorcycle saddlebag rifle, being able to snap the two parts together in one package would be a plus. The magazine storage under the comb of the stock would be a benefit, too. Those two things make it a single grab-and-go unit. The interchangeable comb allows use of a higher one, which I need for the red dot I have on it. So yeah, I’ve been waiting for it, checking the website and my email for the announcement. The time is here. They started shipping this week. They’ve been showing four colors, but for now at least, they only have black. I really wanted OD green. So I’ve been holding back. it’s not easy. You know what? Black would blend in against the saddlebags and frame.
  18. I've seen a couple reports of the firing stop being loosely fitted on these. One claimed it dropped out when hand cycling the gun. That would be a tricky thing to accomplish, but I suppose not impossible. I've also seen one photo of the rear end of the slide that was poorly finished, with circular tool marks visible. I'm not too picky about wanting a gun's finish to be absolutely flawless, but I sure would not have accepted what I saw. Being very early production guns, I am not a bit surprised to learn of issues like these. Also, being early production guns, I am not a bit put off from the SA-35 by it. Things like this will happen. I'd be more surprised if such a project went perfect from the start. The good news is maybe the selling price on these will now plummet to around $2,200.
  19. I have five Browning/FNs. Seriously, my cost for all five adds up to less than that. And no, I didn’t buy them in 1970 either.
  20. That one sold for $2525. Well congratulations, someone gets to say they are first.
  21. I’ve heard that Brownell’s shows it in stock at $679.99. I was hoping for better than MSRP minus $20, but I’ll see what I can shake out. Want to make that $680 from Brownell’s sound better? https://www.gunbroker.com/item/914387224 It started at one penny. After 3.5 hours, it’s at $930. Only six days, 20 and one half hours to go! Ah, the first of a new gun to hit Gunbroker. Always fun. OK, what I SHOULD wait for is an optics-ready model. If it ever happens. In stainless.
  22. The world’s best handgun… The handgun designed to fit the human hand… The handgun carried by the coolest people… The glorious, celebrated, loved, and admired Browning HiPower… Is back. But not from FN/Browning. Springfield Armory is making them right here in the USA. Or so they say here: https://www.springfield-armory.com/sa-35-series-handguns/sa-35-handguns/ I swear I have ranted on here before that SA or Kimber should start making them, with the small changes it begs for (sights and thumb safety), maybe in stainless and a lightweight alum frame option, and actually TRY to sell them unlike Browning… but I can’t find it now. My dream might be here. Please, SA, don’t screw this up. I won’t even comment that they didn’t extend the frame tang and used the most bite-prone hammer design because I’m so appreciative of this gift to the world. I read rumblings of this a week or two ago but didn’t believe it. Well, boy howdy doo, there it is. Shipping now, they say. The local gun shop is closed today, but I pestered the owner’s son and found they don’t have any yet. He is going to start checking tomorrow. I had another gun purchase in mind, but I might hold off on that one. I do have to wonder about SA’s claim to making them in the US. This could have changed, but they didn’t used to actually make any guns, at least not the way most people think of it. The 1911s had the frames and slides made in Brazil by Imbel. Entry level guns were more or less rebranded Imbels. At the other end of the scale, the Custom Shop guns were made up from not-quite-finished frames and slides, machined and finished by SA. The rest fell somewhere in between. The XDs are made in Croatia and rebranded. At least some rifles had their receivers made in Australia by ADI. So I have to wonder what the situation is with their HiPower. I seriously doubt they invested in a total manufacturing process for them. As much as I like the design, it’s not going to be the biggest seller. But welcome back, wherever you’re from!
  23. I’m not sure now that you mention it. Some comes from the Ukraine, like Century Arms’ “Red Army” brand. I tend to forget that some of these places aren’t “Russia” anymore Brown/Silver/Golden Bear is Barnaul, which is Russia. Wolf and TulAmmo are in Tula, which is Russia. Those make up a lot of it.
  24. The US State Department announced this late Thursday, in response to the possible state-sponsored poisoning of Russian government critic Aleksey Navalny a year ago. Russian ammo like Wolf and Tula has already shot up in price. https://www.state.gov/fact-sheet-united-states-imposes-additional-costs-on-russia-for-the-poisoning-of-aleksey-navalny/
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