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Practically Shooting

BarryinIN

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Everything posted by BarryinIN

  1. The book on Johnson rifles by Bruce Canfield has a list known USMC Johnsons. It is a very incomplete list, showing only a few dozen, but is way more than we had to go on maybe ten years ago. We recently moved, so my copy isn't as handy as it could be, but I can get to it. I can check yours against the list if you want to PM me the serial number. Or if you don't want to do that, you might as well buy the book, because I promise you will get plenty of use from it. The guys on the Johnson Automatics forum will be able to tell you many details of your rifle provided the serial number doesn't have a letter prefix.
  2. I "know" a guy (through the web) who ordered and paid for one. I hope for his sake he gets it, and in a timely manner, but these things always take way longer than planned. A quick look through the website shows they've ran into a few snags already. Snags that took months. I wish them luck, but I'd be terrified to place an order.
  3. It's (supposed to be) back! http://www.automag.com/faqs-about-the-new-auto-mag/
  4. A local gun shop got in a Mossberg Shockwave recently. People were all excited over that. While they were at one end of the counter looking at it, I was eyeballing the mid-60s Trooper that came in about the same time. I kept thinking about Pablo's Trooper. I passed. For now. Don't want to be a copycat, but it may get the best of me.
  5. I've stoppped hyperventilating enough to give some more details. The last ones were completed and shipped in March. FN said the tooling is too worn. They've also apparently decided it's not worth continuing. My opinion is they finally got their excuse to kill it. They've done little to nothing to promote them and haven't made any significant changes in decades. Selling 9mm pistols just isn't their thing. Ohhhh, my head's spinning again. Gotta go.
  6. I've expected it for years, but it doesn't make it any easier. I'll be sobbing softly in the fetal position now.
  7. Lesson Number 6,528: Don't plan a day of slow fire prone shooting because you are low on ammo, then give a bunch of 15-16 year old boys AR-15s. OK, I should have seen that one coming. My excuse as to why this plan made sense to me is the other topic of the day. I was trying to demonstrate different sights and optics. Since the club has an AR with Irons, plus another with a red dot, and I brought one with an illuminated reticle scope, it seemed like a good idea. Virtually identical rifles, differing only in sighting systems. Besides, I knew they would be more disciplined than to burn through the ammo in ten minutes. Uh, no.
  8. Wow, the Gun Doctor- that's a name I haven't heard or thought of in years. I wouldn't have guessed they were still around. I used to live in Schaumburg near the corner of Golf and Roselle. A while ago: 1987-91.
  9. Sorry I haven't got a picture up yet. It's been a busy few days. If I think of it, I'll take a pic of three guns I have VZ Grips on, all together, since they are different textures and different colors. It might help for comparison seeing them together.
  10. I chose the same color, but went agressive with texture and got the Simonich Gunners. . That texture may not be the most comfy, but it's the usual carry gun, so I chose retention over comfort. They weren't as rough on the hands as I thought they might be, but I'd probably swap them out for something tamer if heading off to a five-day class! I was mostly concerned not with my hands but my side. I always carry IWB under a shirt, but without an undershirt between the gun and my skin. I thought due to the direct contact those cheese grater grips would eat me up, but they haven't bothered me at all. I will try to get a picture of the grips and gun on here for you tomorrow. I hadn't thought about it before, but I don't think I've ever taken a pic of it in that "suit". I also have VZs for other guns in Black and "Black Cherry". I like the Black on stainless guns. The Black Cherry is one of their colors that can look good or bad depending on the grip shape or texture. Thats how it is with the more striped colors. The way some textures or the grips' sculpting can remove the layers, I don't think helps some colors. I wouldn't order a set without seeing a picture. Some combinations I'd dreamed up didn't look so great to me once I saw them or their pictures. As an example, I like the Black Cherry on the less aggressive BHP grips, but not on the more agressive ones. I guess the more material removed the more "wild" it makes the colors look. I have Black Cherry on a revolver and like it. The solid colors of course look the same regardless. I felt like the gray-black took cutting and reshaping well, though
  11. In the Chicago area, I don't know of anyone. I can recommend a couple, but they are in the SW states and the wait is long. I used to know of a guy in southern MI who did BHP work, but I have no experience with him other than buying parts and I'm not sure if he's still doing the work. Removing the magazine disconnect will help most, but some don't feel any different to me without it. One thing about BHPs is there are no hard and fast rules. The a!ode stop's half moon is there to cover the opening on the slide for the takedown cut. I was doing the same thing, and decided I'd have to change my grip or not shoot HiPowers. I changed my grip. Spegel grips feel nice, but be warned that the wood ones are so thin the wood can crack easily with use. I replaced my wood ones with the Delrin version, then eventually got a pair of VZ grip panels which are about as thin, are stronger, and have a more aggressive texture. It's a sad thing that Browning continues to put chubby grip panels on the HiPower to ruin what is the best feeling grip of any handgun.
  12. I've been scarce recently because we started a Youth Program at my conservation club/range, and that took some time. Now it's 4-H Shooting Sports time. Both have shown me things that make me question how we are teaching kids. We are teaching kids based on what we expect them to know and not know. Our basis is our own childhood careers. I'm now seeing that is not entirely correct. What we did/saw/learned is different from what kids now do/see/learn. And so it will be with them and their kids. I had a real epiphany yesterday. Please, let me share. I'll start at the beginning. I've noticed I come away surprised at something from every range activity involving kids. Something I have taken for granted is completely new to them. I'm willing to bet many of these things would come as a surprise to most of my generation also. It's not because the kids aren't smart; absolutely not. I have in fact been pleasantly surprised by their general knowledge and ability to learn. This is more a statement about the world we now live in. They can't be expected to know about things that are hidden from them, like guns. I'm sharing this to help the rest of you help others. It shows we can't take anything for granted. And I suppose although kids are the source of this, it may not be confined to them. Yesterday gave me two prime examples. It was a 4-H shoot. In the morning, we have the kids in Basic, and the Advanced kids in the afternoon. For some background, the Advanced kids have three years in the Basic program, then have to pass both written and practical exams. The Basic group is the source of yesterday's learning experience for me. Example One. I have stayed on the rifle side of the range this year so far. For our first two shoots, we used single shot bolt actions. Yesterday, we broke out two .22 repeaters; a Henry lever action, and a Ruger American Rimfire bolt action. With the Ruger, most of their knowledge of the other rifles transferred over. The big difference was it isn't a single shot and therefore has a magazine. It happens to be the same magazine used in 10-22s. I'd start each kid by showing them how to load the magazine, how to get it in the rifle, then where the safety was located and how it operated. I'd end by reviewing bolt action operation. The vast majority of them did not know they had to operate the bolt after each shot. There you go. That was my big learning experience. I thought it was a given. It is not. They would fire their first shot, then I'd see them wait. And wait. I'd look, and they'd try the trigger, only to be disappointed. With things like this, I won't stop the activity and hold a quick lesson. I feel it's more of a hands-on thing. Learn by doing. Besides, I just have to see how many will do the same thing. I'm glad I did, because I thought it was an isolated thing. To my surprise, I'd guess 70% did this. After the first couple, I'd make sure to tell them to run he bolt, but it didn't matter. Even though I told them, they would still do this. I guess they just couldn't believe it. I can only assume they've been conditioned to think that if a gun takes a detachable magazine, it is a self loader. Example Two. The Henry lever action. I am already uncomfortable using this rifle with the newer kids. For one thing, it sets a bad example by breaking some of the very rules we've tried to teach. To load, they have to take a rifle that is pointing downrange, raise it straight up- a direction we don't want them to use at this range, then start fiddling around with fingers near the muzzle to unlatch the magazine tube. Not to mention that many try to do this by resting the butt on the ground rather than the table, so their head would be higher than the muzzle. After I'd sweat through each loading process, the shooting would begin. The majority of them would not only take the rifle off the shoulder to run the lever (not uncommon with adult "experts" either) they would lay it in on the table to do it. Their plan, until I'd change it, was this: With the rifle flat on its left side, swing the lever open then closed. Let go, reposition hands. Pick it up and shoot. See the problem? In practical terms, they are reaching for, and picking up, a rifle that has a round chambered and the hammer cocked. On every shot. Would anyone think that was OK with say, a revolver? Cock it, lay it on the table, then pick it up? Or an auto pistol? I didn't think so. And I don't see what difference the type of gun makes. All they have to do is get a finger in the trigger guard when they grasp it, and we all get a surprise. They are basically putting a gun down and giving up control of it, to make it hot. Why? I think it's partially because the lever action is strange to them. We knew how to operate one when we were 10 years old from watching TV, but these kids may have never seen a western. I took it for granted. There you go, two seemingly small observations, but they told me a lot about "things". Remember, I'm not saying these kids are stupid in any way, so I don't think the answer is to dumb things down. I think it's a matter of realizing how much the world has changed since we were kids and us needing to work accordingly. Simply, they don't know because they've never had a chance or reason to know. Those were just from yesterday. I expect to add to this thread every other week after a shoot. ******************* Now, a positive thing: In the gun club's Youth Program, we held what was basically an indoor air rifle league. Somehow, we had an inordinate amount of left handed kids. Thankfully my partner in this program is left handed and knows all the tricks to adapt to a right handed world. But even he got schooled once. We are using air rifles that are "pre charged pneumatic". An air cylinder under gen barrel gets filled with high pressure air, then it can be shot throughout the night. All the shooter has to do is work the small bolt. The right side bolt My buddy John has tried all the left hand/right bolt tricks. He shared them of course. But one night he calls over to me "Come look at this". A LH boy was shooting, but he operated the bolt differently than we'd seen before. He was able to hook his left thumb under the bolt handle, then lift and move it that way. Very slick. The kid had never shot before this year, and showed us something new. You never know.
  13. Beautiful. And fwiw, the bullets mine prefers are from a Rapine mold that copies the M1881 500 grain bullet. They come out at .460" and even using pure lead and BP to "bump" them up, I wouldn't say they were any too big for my bore.
  14. We were gone over Spring Break, but when we returned, there it was.
  15. I got a reply. My order was found in the "Completed" file, like several others have been. He says he is going to jump on it and get it out by the end of the week. Yeah. I guess that's the system. You learn some orders were never completed even though they were filed as such. More than a couple of them. So what do you do? I guess you just wait until you hear from someone looking for their barrel. And don't watch your email very close either. Why bother with that?
  16. After sending a few emails, I got a response. He thinks my order might be one that was lost. He's checking. Sigh.
  17. Thanks for the excellent rundown! The price I saw was quite a bit more, but it may have been a different type of course. Probably was For $800, it's a super deal. You can't hardly buy a Garand for that now. I share their opinion on Winchesters. You don't have to do much comparing to see who took the least costly paths.
  18. Lucky you! I just heard from someone who attended (last name same as a country). I didn't know about that class before. It sounds amazing. I saw the cost and choked a bit before I realized you got to keep the rifle.
  19. Steyr posted a teaser picture on their Facebook page. It shows a box of .300 BLK ammo on stable with a few loose rounds scattered about. The top of an AUG is visible in the corner, the only gun in sight. No comment or explanation. I'm not sold on the 300 BLK. I want to like it, but always end up asking what it will do better than any number of other cartridges. I never come up with an answer except for three fairly specialized uses. 1) It keeps the energy up in short barreled guns (real short, like 10" or less) better than 5.56. 2) It works well in its original role: suppressed use. 3) It allows a larger bore option to those who MUST stay with a 5.56-based gun. Reason Number 3 fits the AUG, at least in my case. The more my back deteriorates, the more I like the AUG and other bullpups for the rearward balance compared to conventional rifles. It's been pretty slim pickings for .30 caliber options there. A new barrel for my AUG in 300 BLK is something I might be interested in.
  20. Sometimes I don't get people. Yesterday I had a conversation that went something like this: Other Guy: Nice AUG. I went with the Tavor because it used AR mags. Me: You know you can get an AUG that uses AR mags, right? Other Guy: Well, that's the MSAR or something like that; not a Steyr. Anyway, they aren't made anymore Me: No, you can get a Steyr that uses AR mags Only the stock is different. It's called the NATO stock. You can buy the stock alone and swap it, or buy it with the NATO stock to start with Other Guy: Oh. I wish I'd known that. (He was by then thinking it might be nice to have the option of using either mag.) He's not the first. I've had that conversation in public before, and I've seen it on the internet several times. And that's what I don't get. Do these people do any research? If they had, they would know about the mags. I could see them not knowing about it if it wasn't that important to them, but they made it clear taking AR mags was the deciding factor. They spent $1600 or more and didn't check enough to find this out? Even with the recent additions, it's not like there is a huge number of 5.56 bullpups to look into. I usually do more research on a gun as the price rises. Seems like a good plan. Apparently it's not a universal one. So as a public service since I've blabbed about the AUG here all this time, I thought maybe I'd better come back and update this thread. So here it goes. Attention, everyone. Attention! The Steyr AUG can be bought, or converted to, a configuration that uses AR/M16 type magazines. There. You are aware. If it saves but one...
  21. Yesterday was one year since ordering this barrel. Nothing. Full disclosure, I did make a change along the way. I contacted him in May and changed the order from a 26" to 28". This added the complication of having to use a different blank manufacturer to get that length. Since my blank hadn't been ordered yet however, it should not have made any difference. And that's the only contact I've had with him since ordering. I tend to get my questions out of the way up front for things like this, place my order, then stay out of the way and let them work. He did post an update on his website last Sep. It seems he added an employee and took on more work accordingly. The employee didn't work out, so he was let go, but the owner still has the orders to fill. I can understand that accounting for some more time. Maybe not this long. Perhaps I should've emailed quite a while ago, but as I said, I hate ordering something them bugging them about it. Then I saw this bit of news. The blank is/was coming from X-Caliber. At the time I ordered, they only sold blanks and no threaded and fitted ones. Now they sell them. And in the contour I really wanted rather than the one I sorta want. Lead time is 6-8 weeks. I gave him until yesterday, then sent him an email wishing him a happy anniversary. We will see what I hear.
  22. No, but this is the place I'd watch for it: http://www.shootersproshop.com/ i bought some of Nosler's new RDF bullets off there before Nosler announced them.
  23. https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/1/16/the-keefe-report-go-small-or-go-home-22-nosler/# In a nutshell, .22-250 performance but fits in an AR.
  24. And here I was, thinking there was nobody left who wasn't selling one. Savage has announced an AR-15 for 2017. They are calling it the...Oh, would am I kidding? I didn't pay attention that long.
  25. As far as I know, this is the first metallic reloading press they've made. Rather than post a link to MEC, here is a good review with its own link to MEC: http://ultimatereloader.com/2017/01/05/mec-marksman-single-stage-unboxing-overview-setup/
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