Community Stories

So... any of our members here have an interest in firearms?

Pastorbottle
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Larry S Larry S
No home should be without a drawer full of clothespins. Versatile invention. My guide rod and sleeve unfortunately has no flange to grab, just the pin hole. Gonna buy another couple of the wrenches/pins from Springfield. Gonna need another tool box soon.
Clothes pegs make a horrible noise in the dryer…..dunno why they’re considered a laundry item
 
Waltesefalcon
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Larry S Larry S
I was at the range this morning and noticed something that as a newbie, i wanted to run by you guys.

The range had been selling Magtech 9mm and today they had Federal. With the Magtech, I’ve had rounds jam on me, even today. Eject, put em back, they might work or jam again. With Federal, no jams. I suspect many of you load your own but have you noticed that some gun tolerances favor one brand or another? Is my gun super fussy because its new? Anyway, I bought two more boxes of Federal before i left. I’d also add that the guns sold there are overwhelmingly the Glock type and they have said that my gun is one of the most complex that they sell. Thanks
That isn't terribly uncommon. Some guns run better with some brands of ammo than others. I have bought a couple boxes of magtech over the years and have not been impressed with the quality of the ammo. Federal is a fairly consistent brand and usually runs well in most of my guns.

If you plan on shooting a lot I recommend getting into loading. It is cost effective in the long run and as you get good at both loading and shooting you'll find that tinkering with loads can produce excellent tailored rounds for each gun.

When I am serious about my shooting I will have small changes between each of my competition guns to maximize their accuracy at each distance I shoot.
 
noelekal
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I have read often on the firearms forums of poor Magtech ammunition performance. I've only ever sampled their ammunition in .38 Special and .45 ACP and both gave good function and mediocre performance.

Automatics can be finicky as Mrs. noelekal's cat about what they will eat. Bullet shape, powder charge, or bullet weight may influence. The truncated cone styles are balky in some pistols, hanging on feed ramps. Same thing for some of the heavily marketed "self defense" loadings with their designed in expansion features.

It's not too difficult to obtain factory loadings with bullets having profiles that mimic the shape of standard round nose full metal jacket bullets, even if one desires an expanding bullet feature. Way too much is made of bullet expansion anyway which doesn't provide nearly the edge that many think it does.

For "something completely different," revolvers will function with any weirdly shaped bullet that fits the chambers of the cylinder.

Cylindrical shaped wadcutters are intended for accuracy and for cutting visibly distinct holes in target paper. Originally designed for target competition use, they would absolutely bedevil automatic pistols.

A ten shots at ten yards effort with one of the primo competitive target revolvers of all time, the Colt Officers Model Match, chambered for .38 Special. Long discontinued, these make delightful range toys and can yet make a good showing at a precision pistol match. This one is the same age as I am, dating to 1957. It's in better shooting trim than I am these days.


Here are examples of 148 grain lead hollow base wadcutter bullets I handload over 2.8 grains of Bulls Eye powder for use in the Colt OMM.
 
Larry S
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Thanks guys.
 
Waltesefalcon
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The Colt Officer's Model is one of my all time favorite revolvers. Here are my two, a first issue from 1908 (at top) and a third issue from 1938 (at bottom). Both will group in the ten ring at 25 yards, and the third issue will punch out the ten ring at 50 yds still (if I'm having a good day anyway). My bullet of choice is a 148 gr wadcutter. I used to always use unique, and used 3 grains, I've now moved to bullseye as it's easier to find local, and use 2.7 grains.
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TheorPhys
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Larry S Larry S
I was interested in a G34 at first but the sales guy talked me out of it. He was right. Sweet indeed.
Just out of curiosity, what did the sales guy say, while talking you out of G34. I have several Glocks (17,19 and 34) and have to say that G34 is a great gun, very accurate and the recoil is balanced. Obviously, it is not intended for a CC, but shooting it on the range is a blast (pun intended) 😀
 
Larry S
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TheorPhys TheorPhys
Just out of curiosity, what did the sales guy say, while talking you out of G34. I have several Glocks (17,19 and 34) and have to say that G34 is a great gun, very accurate and the recoil is balanced. Obviously, it is not intended for a CC, but shooting it on the range is a blast (pun intended) 😀
He asked me what I wanted to use it for, which was target shooting. We discussed both the 1911 and the G34. He felt I’d be happier with the heft, sights, trigger action, safety of the 1911 style. I’d rented the G34 and a Springfield 1911. I agree the G34 is a sweet shooter. Easier to clean and far less expensive too. That said, I very much enjoy the attributes of the Springfield and now that I’ve figured out how to clean it, I’m good.
 
ErichPryde
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Larry S Larry S
I was at the range this morning and noticed something that as a newbie, i wanted to run by you guys.

The range had been selling Magtech 9mm and today they had Federal. With the Magtech, I’ve had rounds jam on me, even today. Eject, put em back, they might work or jam again. With Federal, no jams. I suspect many of you load your own but have you noticed that some gun tolerances favor one brand or another? Is my gun super fussy because its new? Anyway, I bought two more boxes of Federal before i left. I’d also add that the guns sold there are overwhelmingly the Glock type and they have said that my gun is one of the most complex that they sell. Thanks

Yes. Ammo type can make a huge difference.

Also----

Federal >>>> Magtech.

Edit: I'm catching up on the thread, seems this has already been addressed! Still, worth being another voice on this topic.
 
lindo
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One of my favourite antique pistols - a cased double barrel by James Wilkinson and Son, London. It was bought around 1839 by an Ensign who joined the famous 9th Bengal Cavalry, and saw a lot of action in India before retiring as a General forty years later. His name and regiment are engraved on the lid. The case is mahogany with all the original fittings. For those that might wonder why it is upside down in the case, that was done so that if you were travelling with the case and needed the pistol in a hurry, you could open the case with your left hand and take it out with your right.

It has the same heft and balance as a Colt 1911 (another favourite), and the .53 cal balls would have been big enough to do some damage. The stock is as finely chequered as I have ever seen.

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noelekal
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I am very pleased to read your post about your Wilkinson and to enjoy your photographs.
 
Larry S
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lindo lindo
Thanks @noelekal . It is nice to share things like this with people who understand.
Have you fired it? Always curious if collectors fire these old guns.
 
noelekal
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The collection here all receives shooting use, but then the oldest firearm in it dates to 1883 and I only have cartridge arms.
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lindo
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Larry S Larry S
Have you fired it? Always curious if collectors fire these old guns.

I don't fire it only because the cocks on these old pieces can sometimes break. They can be weakened by dry firing, then they break clean across. It takes a real specialist restorer to be able to fix them so that the repair is not detectable, especially if the cock is engraved.
 
noelekal
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Yes and it's impossible to know if they've been dry-fired or how many times they've been dry-fired in the past 185 years.
 
lindo
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noelekal noelekal
Yes and it's impossible to know if they've been dry-fired or how many times they've been dry-fired in the past 185 years.

As an illustration of the potential for serious damage, have a close look at the rear of the cock on this 1815 vintage flintlock. You can see the crack - firing it just once might be enough to break the cock in half, and restoring it to look exactly the same would be almost impossible. It would be a shame for fine quality pistols that have never been refinished or restored in any way.

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Larry S
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lindo lindo
As an illustration of the potential for serious damage, have a close look at the rear of the cock on this 1815 vintage flintlock. You can see the crack - firing it just once might be enough to break the cock in half, and restoring it to look exactly the same would be almost impossible. It would be a shame for fine quality pistols that have never been refinished or restored in any way.

IMG_0209.JPG IMG_0204.JPG
So does this diminish collector value? i’ve not seen it in years, but i recall that on “Pawn Stars” there seemed to be an obsession with test firing as part of valuation. Not that that show is any indicator of reality.
 
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