BarryinIN

REAL is a Lee cylindrical muzzle loader bullet where the REAL letters stand for Rifling Engraved At Loading. It looks like a little tomato juice can. What I would like to know is- Which came first, the REAL or Maxi-Ball? I have always had the impression the REAL came first, as an improvement over the Minie' and then in turn inspiring the Maxi-Ball, but I don't know where I got that idea. I could have imagined the entire thing.

Just FYI, I looked at my 1896 Winchester catalog reprint (I don't have the 1894-sorry) and the 1892 Carbine listed for $17.50 then. Just for comparison, the 1873 it eventually replaced also sold for $17.50 and up, the 1886 started at $19.00, the 1894 at $17.50, the 1895 started at $19.50 ($25.00 in .30 Army due to the nickel steel barrel). The 1885 single shot was a real bargain at $14.50 and up, but their 6mm Lee straight pull was an astronomical $32.00.

I wish I knew. I used to think $3 for .30 cal cans and $5 for .50s was plenty, but wish I could find some for that now. We used to use .30s as semi-disposable coolers, they were so cheap. I got two .30s, a .50, and a 20mm at a garage sale last year for I think eight bucks and was pretty happy but that is a rare thing.

I've never used a pistol mag loader. The only MagLula I have is the one for AR mags. It is OK for loading but is a better mag unloader (should one need that). For loading AR mags I like the one from Beta that was intended for their C-Mag. Stick it on a mag, drop ten rounds in the slot, and push the plunger. Repeat until full.

I love electronic earmuffs. I tried a cheap set and liked them but they didn't last long. I replaced them with a better set and got a few years out of them but they eventually died too. I bought a really cheap set just to get me by because I couldn't stand being without any, even for a short time. I rarely shoot indoors so muffs alone are fine with me. They are almost mandatory at a class in my opinion. You need to hear every word from the instructor(s) but a lot of their speaking is when you are holding a gun in a ready position or shooting, so you can't be upping muffs on and off. With the volume up you can hear all the instruction, and even though it's not always meant for you it's usually valuable info anyway. They are nice to keep by the bed for bumps in the night. They enhance your hearing and protect your ears if you have to shoot. A carbine fired from an enclosed space is nasty loud.

I'm having some computer trouble so apologize for the delayed welcome, but: Welcome!

You must have inspired me. I loaded 20 different loads this morning to try in mine.

I've messed with MLs a few times and find cap and ball revolvers about as much fun there is. I've been to the shoots at Friendship a couple of times and it's a site to see. I always come away from there wanting to build that squirrel rifle I've wanted since high school, but never do anything about it. Now the only BP I shoot is my Trapdoor.

I shot my third IDPA match of the year this weekend, and observed something (again) that illustrates how we need to stay "switched on" about safety at all times on the range. This was an IDPA DMG match. DMG stands for Defensive Multi-Gun, which is like regular IDPA with the addition of rifles and shotguns. Since you have to lug two long guns plus your pistol and other gear, you see a variety of methods to get that done. For the most part, people use either a gun cart of some sort or carry their long guns cased. Some people are nervous about carts ("what if the gun falls off") but there is usually one or more case user who scares me during the course of the day. I always see people handling cased guns as of they are suddenly rendered safe once they go in the case. They walk with them pointed at the guy in front of them or swing them around and sweep everyone. That quarter inch of padding and canvas or plastic in front of the muzzle won't stop a bullet. But my real pet peeve comes when the gun is put into the case. It's a lot easier to show this than to describe it, but if you watch next time you are around someone casing a long gun, I bet you will see it demonstrated. People tend to hold the case open with one hand, then pass the gun muzzle over that hand as they feed it into the case. And when doing this very act, there is a pretty good opportunity to catch the trigger on a case latch, zipper, handle, etc. Its the perfect storm. If they start by holding the gun above the case before opening it up, it's bound to happen. If you hold the gun to the case, then reach over it to spread the case open, you can put the gun inside without shooting yourself in the wrist. The reason this bugs me so much is because often when this happens, it is with someone I've just observed being extra safe. But when it's time to put the gun away, they switch off early. They dropped their guard. Instead of being constantly on their toes about this, they have two modes of thought, and that can get dangerous. It's still a gun whether you are on the line about the shoot it or transporting it. I was a Safety Officer at the match yesterday and brought this up when we finished the first stage and before we cased guns to move to the next one. When we got to the next stage, there was a squad of shooters finishing up. As they started to case up and move, I saw half the guys in my squad couldn't decide whether to watch them do what I just described or watch me to see the reaction. Sure enough, the very first one to case his shotgun passed the muzzle across his left wrist, as did every one of them with a soft case. I knew most of those guys to some degree and know they are safe shooters for the most part. We do things like this and never think about it. We should, though.

I like having the complete gun when possible. I always knew where my .22 1911 was but often have to look a little for my AR conversion unit.

If you haven't already, you might give them a good cleaning. I have been surprised at the crud that came out a couple of times. They pick up a lot of tiny brass bits in use. Beyond that, yes it looks like a trip to Lee is in order.

Very cool. The gun could tell any one of a thousand life stories. Looks like a fairly low serial number; are the chambers bored all the way through or do they have a ledge for individual cases to seat on? I know they changed that at some point, but don't know when that was. I can believe you that it shoots well. I don't think I've heard of an M1917 that didn't come to think about it. I don't have one but have a Colt New Service, which is pretty much the same thing. While mine is far from the mechanical condition you describe, it shoots fairly well in spite of it. The heavy DA pull was from when men were manlier, though.

I just re-read your post. I missed the phrase "...focusing on the target..." the first time. You should be focusing on the front sight. Concentrating on it. Counting the serrations or locating imperfections in the tritium vial. FSP: Front Sight, Press. Or, FSPR: Front Sight, Press, Repeat.

Ideally, you should keep both eyes open. That's ideally. I never could do it. I always see too many sets of sights to align. When I shot Highpower (rifle) people were always trying to get me to stop (until I made Master classification) and half the pistol matches or classes I am in end up in a discussion on this, dominant eyes, etc. Some instructors make a big deal about it and others wave it off as nothing, and I don't see any difference in their results. Truthfully, I side more with those who think it's a big fuss over nothing. The only time I see serious trouble with one-eye or cross-dominant eyesight (an example of cross-dominant would be someone who is a right handed shooter with a left dominant eye) is with long guns and then when the shooter simply cannot use the other eye. I have heard that around half the people in the world are cross-dominant, but to what degree is the important thing. Just a little bit isn't that bad, but being practically unable to use the "strong side" eye with a long gun could be a problem. Then if they have to shoot using the "wrong" eye, they shoot from that shoulder but place their hands as if using the other. In other words, shoot from the left shoulder but have the right hand on the grip and manipulating the trigger while the left supports the forend.

Oh, I forgot. I don't know if 38 specials will even feed. The 92 is pretty picky about overall length of the cartridge. I couldn't get 158 SWC 38s to feed in mine, although the longer 173 grain SWCs and some others I have now might work.

Wow, you bought the brother to mine. Mine was made in 1907 (or 1904? I'll look when I get home) and was also converted to .357 mag long before I owned it. Whether mine was a 25-20 or 32-20 I don't know. I want a .32-20 so it does kinda bother me that it might be one more taken off the market, but like you say, the conversion might be what saved it from being parted out or something worse. I don't worry too much about shooting .357 Mag in mine, but like most of my guns, I don't think I have never shot a factory load through it either. I generally load .357 to "moderate" levels- not 38 Spl level but not the smoking hot level they were loaded to for the first 20 years or so the 357 existed. But I don't think any current factory load is close to those original little bombs either. I might be more concerned about one rechambered to .44 Mag, which seems to me was done more than .357 conversions back then. There would be less steel around the chamber with those. I have heard people talk of problems with the .44s but have never actually seen it. The 1892 came out right before smokeless powder came into use here (it was being used elsewhere) so I have to think that the use of smokeless and it's higher pressures was taken into consideration. I need to check when I get home but that might even be one of the reasons Winchester wanted Browning to design the 92. There were also factory ammo loadings in 32WCF that were loaded to higher pressures. These were intended for the Winchester 1892 (and not the 1873 or handguns) and so-marked right on the box. Winchester made some. This was the .32-20HV loading. I don't have access to anything right now that would tell me the pressures (if they are even known) but it helps me feel OK knowing the 1892 could handle more than the pressures delivered by the factory ammo originally loaded for the 1873. What variation is yours? (20" carbine, 24" rifle, etc) It sure is a slick action isn't it? The current made copies don't compare. They give you the general idea, but the real and worn slick original is as smooth as can be. It's a compact little action too. I like how slender it is. Mine is a 24" rifle configuration, and with that long barrel, slender action, and curved buttplate, it reminds me of a graceful Kentucky rifle to a degree. Congratulations.

Congratulations and thank you. I have thought about it many times but for a while there I was getting mad at the NRA every few years so I guess I didn't want to commit. Then more recently is the little matter of not working a real job in ten years. So I keep paying annually or three years at the most at one pop. The numbers are screwy for several reasons. One is ambivalence of course. A lot of gun owners are "casual gun owners" who look at them like they look at their car, computer, or coffeemaker. It's a thing they own and that's it. They couldn't tell you which amendment covered arms and don't care. I know of several gunowners who won't join because they are afraid they will get more mail from them than they already do. They have told me that themselves. Still others have the idea that they will be targeted first if there is ever gun confiscation and they are on "the list". I usually ask them why they think they aren't on the list now.

Two rules to cover: 1- What most people view as cover is actually concealment. 2- All cover, no matter how good, is only temporary.

Run a search using the same words he uses in the description "Weatherby Vanguard 30/06 Bushnell". It will automatically search for current auctions. When those results come up, look a little below the box with your search words. There will be a box that says "Period" with "Current Auctions" in the box. Click that box's arrow and you'll get some choices of search periods. Pick "Ended in last 30 days (or 60 or 90 days) and check to see if it shows up there. If it's been listed for two months and never got a nibble, he might be interested. He could just be renewing it every time it expires without a lot of hope. If it's a first time listing, he might not budge. Also If you dont know, the Wearherby Vanguard is more or less the same as a Howa 1500. I dont know if they sell for less with the Howa name than the Weatherby name but it might be worth a look.

While I'm sure the Lee Loaders make good ammo, and I would kinda like to have a couple in case of emergency, I always think of this when I see or hear about one- When I was about 15 and wanting to start reloading, I was looking for a used Lee Loader. A used one. A new one was something like $12-14 then, so by me wanting to find a used one you can guess how little money I had. I checked in gun shops when I could, and at one I asked at, I got the following response: "If you want to get frustrated and fed up with reloading real fast, get a Lee Loader". I'm sure he saw the skinny teenager in front of him as having zero patience like most teenagers. The truth is I had more patience then than now, but it was still probably good advice. I never regretted that I saved up several months and bought a Rockchucker. I was just as happy when I bought the Dillon 550 in 1992.

Short answers: Yes. Neither/both. Lots of thoughts. OK, the longer answers: I shoot both. I shot IPSC/USPSA starting about 1997 and joined IDPA a couple of years later even though there were no places to shoot it around here yet. I quit USPSA for a few years and started up again about six years ago. IDPA clubs have come and gone around here over the years. We've had two or three within reasonable driving distance for a few years now. I can shoot one of the other (or 3-gun) just about any weekend. Which is better depends on what you're after. If you like playing around with cutting edge guns and seeing how crazy fast you can go, USPSA is it. As far as I've seen locally, the best shooters shoot USPSA. That shouldn't scare new people off though, because they have so many divisions that new people won't shoot against the top dogs and the Glock shooters won't compete directly against the $4,000 race guns. There will be more shooting, with a stage having as many as maybe 40 rounds fired, although most run around 20. A local match might call for 150 rounds or more, although they can vary widely. I'd guess the least I see shot are 60 rounds, and the most 170, with an average of about 125. There are usually 5-7 stages. IDPA is usually considered better for those wanting to practice with their carry gun and gear. They don't allow guns that are very far from stock, holsters have to be concealable, and you will usually have the gun concealed by some article of clothing. You will have to use cover (hide behind and shoot around a wall) most times. The stages are "revolver friendly" in that you won't first more than six rounds from any one spot, and you won't shoot more than 18 rounds in a string, usually less. The stages are shorter than USPSA, and they often have more of them, but the overall match round count is still usually lower. Our matches might have 6-8 stages and use 60-110 rounds. I'd guess they average around 75 rounds. I go to both to use them as practice with my carry gun and gear. I shoot both games using my regular carry gun and holster, from under the same concealment I use everyday. People will tell you that USPSA is no good for this, but I disagree. A lot of other people will tell you both disciplines are a waste of time, and only good for instilling bad habits. I disagree with that too...as long as you are careful. It is easy to get caught up in the competition aspect and start doing things you know you shouldn't just to get a slightly better time. When I am faced with these choices and realize later that it never occurred to me to do it the "fast" way instead of the "safe" way, I at least learned that my practice is paying off and that made the trip worthwhile. You probably won't win a USPSA match by shooting from behind cover and drawing from concealment, but you can get some good practice doing it. It's a chance to practice gunhandling skills under a little pressure, even if it doesn't match receiving incoming rounds. No matter how wild a USPSA stage, I can almost always look at it and see a good lesson. This occurred to me at one match where we had to shoot through gaps between stacked barrels at 18 targets stacked one above each other in nine pairs. I wondered when I would ever have to do such a thing. I finally realized that while I might not to exactly that, I might have to shoot at one person who is running and bobbing while we each are trying to stay behind cover so I am presented with 18 different targets. This may be a repeat of some things I just said, but this is a post I made a couple of years ago at another forum in response to "Will matches get you killed?" I try to shoot IPSC or IDPA when I can, and I do it to practice with my carry gun and gear. I think doing this has benefitted me, but I also think there is a right and wrong way to do it. I haven't seen the inside of a Guns & Ammo for 15 or more years, but I hear there is another "Will IPSC get you killed?" type story in the latest issue. I haven't seen it, but have heard it discussed. That and another recent thread got me thinking about this. I think competition can help IF used well. Let me say that I feel neither IPSC or IDPA is training. Every time I go to an IDPA match, someone remarks about what good training it is. It isn't training- it's practice. Training is when you have someone teaching you something and correcting your mistakes. Practice is when you exercise what you learned in training. This is one reason why I didn't post this under a "Training" heading. The usual criticism I hear about these games is that "they aren't relevent", especially about IPSC. I felt way for a long time. I saw the guns and tactics used and could see no "practical" benefit. I hear the same things from others: "Nobody carries a gun with a multi-chamber compensator and holds 20+ rounds in everyday life, or carries it in a low-slung skeleton holster." "They avoid cover and reload out in the open." So don't do those things. You don't have to. Nobody makes you use a gun you would never carry. Nobody makes you run into the open to shoot. Go ahead- Use your carry gun. Use your concealment holster. Carry it concealed. Use cover. In IDPA, people point to things like the tactical reload, saying few would use anything but a speed reload in a gunfight. So do speed reloads and eat the penalty. That's the thing about either game. You can use them however you like- within safety limits. They are exactly what you make of them. If you want to shoot IPSC to play with the top fuel dragsters of guns- go ahead. I did it at first, and had fun playing with the toys, but got bored with it quick. If you want to use your carry gun and gear to get some practice or try different things like rearranging mag pouches to see how they work, it's a great place to do it. If you just want to hang around other gun people for a few hours, that's a great reason. I go to practice with my carry gun and gear. I get to use scenarios that I could never set-up by myself. I get the added bit of pressure that comes from shooting in front of others (and from being that oddball who uses his carry gun). It's not the same pressure you get in a gunfight, but it's more than you get shooting alone or with a buddy or two. Mostly, I can see that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. I know what I've been taught. I know what I practice. But there is a temptation in a match to take shortcuts to place better. I will be tempted at times to go ahead and do something the faster, but less tactically correct, way "just this once". When I avoid that, and do things the "right" way, my training and practice must be paying off and I'm pretty happy. I've finished shooting a course, and only after I'm done do I realize that I took the time to pie a corner, or ducked back behind cover to reload. I didn't notice it at the time, but either thought about it afterward or- when the other shooters were mocking my taking cover from cardboard people. I get more pleasure from realizing I did something the right way without trying, than by placing a spot or two higher. But it's easy to feel thatw ay when I know I'm not going to win the thing anyway. One last benefit to shooting them is that it makes me go shoot. If the weather is crummy, or I'm feeling lazy, I might still go to a match even if I wouldn't have bothered to practice on my own that day. For that reason, it's often another day I go shoot that I might not have otherwise. So can IPSC or IDPA be harmful? Yes they can, if you let them be. But I think they can be helpful...if you let them. I know a lot of people still refuse to go, but I'd rather go and shoot the matches my way than sit at home or cut grass on the weekend while complaining they "aren't relevent". Going shooting usually beats talking about shooting.

No sling.

It's official. http://www.downrange.tv/blog/the-ruger-sr1911-video/9290/ Yawn.

And there is your greatest error. You have been handed a pretty good excuse and won't use it. Never pass up such a thing. Never.

I get that on some guns. The Browning HiPower, with only a single grip screw for each grip, is one of the worst offenders. I use blue Loc-Tite, which is a nice compromise of providing security while still being able to get the screw out without extra effort. I have had it happen on revolver sideplate screws too. Any gun that might see serious use, like an AR, gets Loc-Tite on a lot of things and and witness marks painted on almost everything. I learned not to skimp on the Loc-Tite during my first carbine class. Even though I checked the security of everything thoroughly before the class, I found my Aimpoint's mount rattly loose on the third day.