Old Dog

As someone who moved to Florida a few years ago and started carrying concealed then, I will advise you that a 31 ounce gun like the 92c is not going to be very comfortable to carry and after a while when you are lugging those two pounds around daily with never needing it, you will start to leave it at home like so many do. Every person that I know who started off with a big or heavy gun, ended up buying a much smaller and lighter gun to carry. I am no exception. At first I put up with the discomfort because I was finally able to carry a gun. However, after a year of being uncomfortable and never needing my gun for anything, I started buying and carrying much smaller and lighter guns like my S&W 340PD at 11 ounces or my Sig P938 9mm at about 16 ounces. Even these get annoying after a few hours of activity. I do have heavier guns but they are closer to 25 ounces than 31. If you want to look at guns that most around here carry, take a look at: Kahr CM9/PM9 Sig P938 Ruger LC9 M&P Shield Ruger LCP Ruger LCR S&W J-frame M&P 9c Glock 26/19 or their .40 counterparts XDs .45 or 9mm The hardest part for me was not being familiar with carry guns. I only knew the big guns I had for home defense. The other problem was that my only holster experience was with competition holsters. I bought almost a hundred holsters over the last 4 years in search of the most comfortable ones. When I moved here, I bought the guns I thought were big and bad or what the LEO carried. They did not last long as they all were a pain in my side to carry. Now I have smaller and lighter guns. Heck, these days you can get a 20 oz. .45 and lots of choices in 9mm. A Glock 19/23 is much lighter than a 92c and has a very generous capacity. Just my advice which no one ever listens to so they end up buying two guns. The first big one and then the smaller gun they will end up carrying.

Last week I bought and used reloaded .380 ammo to break in a new pocket gun. This is the first time I bought ammo other than new. I had three hang fires. The first time it happened, I tilted the gun so that the barrel was pointed towards the ceiling of the range so that I could better see if there was a double feed. It was then that it fired and put a bullet into the ceiling tiles. I will never buy reloaded or even hand loaded ammo again. Every gun I ever saw that blew up was shooting reloaded or hand loaded ammo. I am sure that some new factory ammo can do the same but not in my experience.

I happen to have done so a few years ago. I could not decide what to carry so I bought 8 carry guns in all sizes and weights. They did not last long. I was under the mistaken idea that one gun could do it all and like most things, one size does not fit all situations. Here is what I ended up with for carry; Sig P928 S&W 340PD HK P2000SK S&W 637 Gunsmoke edition Sig M11-A1 Sig P238 M&P Bodyguard NAA Pug .22 magnum I would say that I carry my 340PD the most as it is only 11 ounces and has a laser grip. Second would be the P938. For trips to higher risk areas I go with the P2000SK in an Mtac IWB holster or Sig M11-A1. The Bodyguard is my small lightweight carry gun for when I do not need a gun as is the Pug which fits in the waterproof pocket of my swim trunks. I pocket carry the most as it is the most comfortable and easiest. If I am going to be sitting down a lot, like driving, I will belt carry the same guns or one of the larger ones. When I travel through the National Forest, I carry an FN FNX45 in a Wilderness Tactical Safepacker, loaded with some Buffalo Bore 255 gr. .45 ACP +P Hard Cast ammo. Made specifically for black bear. So there is no one gun. I do not know one person here who only carries one gun. In the winter, if you can call it that, most will carry a larger gun when they wear a light jacket. During the summer when the temperature can reach close to 100 degrees, you will find a lot of people carrying Ruger LCP's and similar. If I had to carry just one gun I would lean towards the M&P Shield and Sig P938 for semi autos and the S&W 642 or Ruger LCR for revolvers.

I am waiting for my FNH FX45 FDE to arrive this week. 15 +1 rounds of ,45 and the gun is +P rated. I have seen pictures of a few non tactical ones with the scope mounted instead of the rear sights. Looks good and I will probably do the same, Mine will be for bowling pin matches and for when travelling in our National park that is filled with Bears. BB makes some hard cast heavy +P bullets that he swears will penetrate the skill or shoulder of a black bear should it attack you. Great gun but a beast at 7.5" long and a little over two pounds unloaded. Ami everything so you can shoot with either hand.

I have my sights on an a FNH FX45 FDE $669 delivered to my FFL. I wanted a big heavy gun for home protection that could also handle the small black bears and gators in our area. This gun was designed for .45 +P and Buffalo Bore has a nice 280 or so Cast Lead bullet that they say will penetrate the skull or a shoulder of the bear. The gun holds 15 +1 .45 ACP rounds. How many .45s do that? Has a rail for my TLR-1 light, ambi controls. Nice accuracy and an extra grip to insert depending on your hand size. Loaded with the cast +P it will take down any animal here. I also will get plain ball ammo in +P also which will penetrate car doors, etc. You get 3 15 round magazine and quality equal to HK as a lower price. These are the guys who developed the Browning HiPower. Quality guns as a good price. I also will order the new M&P Bodyguard. At 12 ounces it makes a good BUG or decent primary with the right ammo. Improved sights and no more laser make it a winner at $300 Also to be bought soon is a HK USP Full size 9mm and HK P2000SK. The smaller HK will be used for ccw. It holds 10 rounds and has a LEM trigger. The USP can be carried cocked and locked, DA/ SA or DA/SA with a manual safety. All sorts of combinations for any taste. Last but not least is the Sig M11-A1 I have on order. Civilian version of the pistol used by special forces, pilots and military agencies like NICS. They all carry them. For the guy who has the Philippian 1911 on his list, consider a Ruger 1911. Very sturdy and did not jam on me once. My only problem with it was its mag capacity. Great gun for around $700. Well made.

I have bought more revolvers than I can remember over the last 45 years. I only now buy S&W and Ruger revolvers. I used to also buy Colt and Dan Wesson before. My only bad revolvers (screws and extractor rods coming loose, horrible triggers, sharp edges due to bad milling, etc.) were Taurus and Charter Arms. Taurus President always seems to be apologizing for bad quality control in the past. A good Ruger .357 is worth the extra money and much less than a S&W. The GP100 is a very fine gun with a good price. Quality guns are even more important in magnum calibers. You can get away with a less expensive gun if you only plan to shoot .38 spl non +P ammo. Once you get into the calibers that are going to make your gun rock and roll, you need quality or little shooting, to make them last. Plus the triggers are better on Rugers and S&W's than the cheaper ones and that affects accuracy. I rather wait to save more money, than buy a less expensive gun. In the long run it ends up costing me more for the cheaper gun because I end up selling it at a loss, to buy a better gun. BTW, less expensive guns do not hold their value well. Try to think of Classic Guns made by the two manufacturers in this survey. Can you think of any? Now do so with S&W and Ruger and many classic guns come to mind.

When I moved to Florida from NJ, I was pleasantly surprised at the prices I found here. For about the same cost as ordering online, if shipping and FFL transfer fees are included in the total price, I can buy the same gun in any of the small mom and pop gun stores here. The reason is twofold. Firstly, due to liberal gun laws and ccw licenses easily obtained, the market for gun buyers is much larger than NJ. Florida will soon exceed NY in population for those who do not know. The last reason is that every pawn shop is also a gun store. Within a 15 minute drive of my house, there are about 8 stores where I can buy a gun. If I increase the drive time to 30 minutes I am in range of over 20 stores because I can hit a few of the smaller towns. In 45 minutes I am in range of Orlando and a lot of cities so there are over a hundred places where I can buy a gun. With this kind of competition, your prices have to be low. If I go into a gun store and want a particular gun, I know the price that the other local stores are charging for the same gun, even if they have to order it for me, so I can negotiate a very good price. The only time prices were high was during the gun shortage. Now all the stores have their shelves filled up with guns. Larger market to sell to and increased competition tend to keep the prices low. Plus with internet sales now in the equation, the gun stores have to be competitive. Most will replace a defective gun rather than you getting stuck returning it to the manufacturer for repairs. One of the places I buy from will let me return a gun for any reason, within a month of purchase, for a $50 restocking fee. Makes it easier to buy a gun that I am not able to shoot first. So, larger market and stiff competition, keep prices low. Chain stores like Dick's and Gander Mountain tend to be about a $100 higher per gun than the local gun stores except when they have a sale which brings their price down to local gun store prices. Large overhead and sales commissions, I guess, and yet new gun buyers go to these stores because they are new and spiffy looking compared to the dark and dingy gun stores run by the owners who are not dressed in shirts with company logos on them.

To the extent that they add more weight to the gun.

I own and carry a Colt 1911 9mm. However, it is a 3" barrel with an aluminum frame which makes it great for ccw but not the best choice for the range although it is a good shooter. Some hate the Hogue Rubber grips but they are excellent for a fighting gun.

I think all it does is show that you are a good and responsible gun owner, as it did to my close friends and family. It still does not reassure them about the bad and irresponsible gun owners who kill people and commit mass murder. No matter how nice YOU are, it does not negate the fact that there are bad people who use guns that commit mass murders and shootings that they read about daily. My experience is that the people I knew felt that most gun owners are responsible people but there was no way to tell who was and was not without more gun control to weed them out and a restriction on the weapons and magazines to limit the damage they do. What does my being nice and respectable have to do with that? It is not the responsible gun owner they fear. One favorite of mine was a person who told me that the problem was that even if only good people bought guns, the fact that they are in homes and can be stolen, is still a problem. If someone is anti gun, the fact that you are not a gun nut is not going to sway them. All it may do is prove that not all gun people are gun nuts but to tell the truth, I do not think any reasonable and educated person really believes EVERY gun owner is a gun nut. After all, Joe Biden owns a shotgun and Obama released pictures of him shooting one. I guess what it comes down to is your circle of acquaintances and friends as people can have different experiences depending on who they talk to. Since I worked in NYC most of my life with very upper middle class to outright rich people, who led sheltered lives, their views on guns were very different than my close friends.

What is interesting about this article is that is says what I have been saying about the problem with NJ. The poll shows that the majority of NJ residents support gun control over gun rights. I think it was 63%. Today a plumber came over to do some work and we talked guns the whole time he was working. In fact, I talk guns with just about every worker who has come here plus my barber. In NJ, I never told anyone but close friends that I owned guns because it more often than not, ended up in a heated pro and anti gun argument and I did not want to spoil the evening fighting about guns. Here is the link to the article: http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/politics&id=9253990

I posted a similar article on my website today. Although a tragedy, the DC mass shooting shows that gun control is not the answer. Nothing proposed in the past would have stopped this from occurring. It is also an embarrassment to the US Government because the existing laws let a mentally ill person not only legally buy a gun but also obtain a Secret security clearance. What also is embarrassing is that the shooter used a shotgun which Joe Biden recommended as a safer alternative to an AR or handgun. It also points out that guns can easily be obtained by killing someone authorized to carry them. The fact the government cannot even use existing laws to weed out people who had a trail of mental problems and run-ins with the police that they reported to the Navy, adding new laws will only present more of a burden to a government who cannot handle the burden of the old laws.

Other than in combat, the worse I got was after running a Rifle stage at a competition and I grabbed the barrel. The burn was so bad that it fried my nerves and did not hurt for a long time. I knew better having fired an M16 on full auto many times but it goes to show that no matter what we know and practice, our minds are not perfect and stuff happens. The other incident was while waiting my turn at a stage in a Steel Challenge match and feeling a burning in my arm and seeing blood. Seems that some splatter from the next stage got me despite a very high berm between us. Luckily the wound was not deep enough to require stitches but it did allow me to show people the scar from my bullet wound. Makes me look tough.

Here in Florida we just spit in your hands and shake. :-)

What I did is called voting with your feet. Our division of Federal and State laws was designed so that if people disagreed with the laws of any State, they were free to move to a State more to their liking as an alternative to financially supporting the government they disagreed with through their tax dollars. Perhaps if I saw improvement in NJ gun laws over 40 years I may have hung in there but it was and is, getting worse with time. So I made a personal sacrifice which meant working for 5 more years before I could retire, selling my home for a loss and uprooting my life, rather than continue to support those who are trying to take my guns away using my tax dollars. The choices for me were either stop paying NJ taxes or move out of State to voice my displeasure and no longer contribute through my the various and substantial State taxes, to the efforts of the very people who opposed my gun rights. In my way of thinking, my contributions to pro gun groups was a drop in the bucket compared to what I gave to the State of NJ which was used to push anti gun legislation. Continuing to live my comfortable and profitable life in NJ and not pay State taxes was not an option because I did not want to spend my retirement in a prison cell. The only choice for me was to move. To stay and support a government I strongly disagree with was not an option, although it was the easier route. So while we are both pro gun and both contribute to pro gun groups (I even personally finance my pro gun website with no help from ad revenues), I refuse to pay taxes to pay the salaries of those who want my guns while you rather stay and pay. The moral high ground does not belong to either of us but rather to those who stay and refuse to pay NJ taxes. They are the only ones that walk the walk. I also ask that you consider which has a greater impact upon a State; a mass exodus of its tax payers or a growing population of people dutifully paying their various State taxes regardless of gun laws? The power of the vote is only good when used by a majority and NJ lacks a majority of pro gun voters. If you want to believe that things will change for the better, I applaud your optimism. I think that fighting the fight into old age is more than doing my share to change something that is moving towards more gun control rather than less and the small victories achieved are just that, small victories and not substantial changes. I rather fight for pro gun rights from a place where I can finally enjoy them for whatever number of years I have left to live than to continue to support an anti gun State government and be deprived of my gun rights. Just the way I feel. Even old soldiers deserve to spend their remaining years in the rear after many years of front line duty. I paid my dues and now want to enjoy my rights. Whether I live in NJ or Ghana, it does not make my comments less true. 2+2 is always going to be four no matter where I live or what I do.

I feel for you. I had moved from NYC to NJ and back 5 times in my life. Each time I moved to NYC, I sold off all of my guns. That did not encourage keeping a large gun collection so I usually just had one home defense gun. Sometimes I just gave the guns away to friends.

I had this gun and I remember that FNH sells it with 10 round mags where required by law. I just confirmed this on their website. These days, most major manufacturers sell their guns with 10 round magazines. Have a dealer order one for you.

There is a difference between giving up and realistically evaluating the odds but still fighting on. Just ask the Spartans. The other point is that if there are not enough people in the State to support the cause, getting more with the cause is still not going to produce the numbers you need. The only thing you can do is get more republicans to move to NJ and with those taxes and corrupt officials plus proximity to NYC, that is going to be a tough cause to recruit people for. I fought for the cause for over 20 years and the only result I saw was restricting me to buying only one handgun per month. Maybe in the next 20 years, those fighting will do better. Hope so.

I remember it vividly and wrote about it. http://oldgunhand.com/?p=6764

After several years of living in a State where most of the people are pro gun, even those who do not own them, I can see the big difference between here and NJ. In NJ it does not seem that many politicians are overly concerned about gun rights. In some cases, if memory serves me correctly, both choices for office were not really pro gun. Even if going the Federal route, there is only so much that you can force NJ to do as they are a may issue State and allow people to own guns. Nothing says they cannot restrict the use and sale of guns, as we already know, and despite announcements of small victories, those of us that are (were) long time residents of NJ, know that things got much worse over time despite those small victories. In Florida, with the exception of some areas where northern liberal retire to, most politicians know that it would be an uphill battle to get elected if they are anti gun. Just look at what happened here after the bitter criticism of Florida by not only the U.S. but the world, following the Trayvon Martin shooting and Zimmerman trial. Nothing at all. That is what happens when the majority of people in a State are pro gun. Being loud and active can only take you so far. You need the numbers that translate to votes and after living in NJ since about 1975, I never got the feeling that more than a minority of people were actively pro gun. Talk about gun restrictions down here and you better be worried; very worried. Below is what people can do when they have a strong pro gun base: http://gunssavelives.net/anti-gun-politicians/breaking-double-breaking-both-anti-gun-senators-angela-giron-and-john-morse-recalled-in-colorado/

Had one but regretted not getting it in a longer barrel as I intended to use it for target shooting. In general I like short barreled guns and even have a Ruger Alaskan in .454 Casull. However for target shooting I prefer long barrels. The gun itself is well made and a very good gun but just did not fit my intended use for it. I am sure you will enjoy it. In case you think I do not like short barrel heavy guns, this is one of my range toys. They can be fun and do absorb the recoil. Not as accurate at long distances for me and that was why I ended up with a 5" barrel Ruger GP100 for target shooting.

When I used to compete, some of the worse times were from bulls-eye shooters who were used to taking a lot of time between shots. However, once they learned to shoot face they became very good action shooters. There is no secret other than just practice shooting fast. When you get faster, practice shooter a little faster and so on. Get a timer if that helps. I found that shooting Steel matches helped a lot because you did not have to concentrate on hitting any zones but just hitting the steel anyway. That will get you used to shooting fast and perhaps point shooting a little more. Someone once told me that the sights should be used to confirm what the eyes see. That basically means that you should be able to just point your gun where you want to hit and the sights used to just confirm that you are pointed correctly rather than being used to line up your shot. That will also serve you well in a real life defensive shooting situation. I train a few guys a year and the biggest problem I have is that they think that shooting at paper targets at their own speed, prepares them for the defensive use of a gun. It does not. Until I started competing, one second seemed like a very short period of time. Then I watched as others made multiple accurate shots in one second and knew it was possible to do so I kept practicing shooting faster and faster until it became second nature. The major hang up seems to be trying to get the perfect sight picture. Practice so that when you present your gun, it is already pointing to the A zone and you glance at your sights to confirm this and then fire. The other thing to practice is to develop muscle memory so that after you shoot, you bring your muzzle back to where it was for the follow up shots without have to do much aiming. This do becomes easier the more you practice as your hands will bring that muzzle to where it started without thinking about it for a while. That is all I got. The rest is talent. In some sports I excelled, in others no matter how hard I tried I never got better than middle of the pack. You will never know until you put in a good effort first so try as hard as you can. BTW, when I shot at Old Bridge, David Olhasso gave me tips when I asked and improved my shooting. JJ Racuza also shot there and I watched him and asked questions. Most are very helpful and can teach you a lot if you ask.

You have a glaring hole in your collection. No revolvers. Despite what you may think, revolvers are still selling well to those in the know. For under a $1000 you can get some pretty nice S&W and Rugers. How about a S&W 625 in .45 ACP or Ruger Vaquero in .45 Colt. Everyone owes it to themselves to experience what the cowboys felt shooting them six irons. One of my most enjoyable guns to shoot at the range is a Ruger GP 100 in .357 with a 5" barrel. No magazines to load, no brass to police or hit me in the head and since you have to reload every 6 rounds it kills more time at the range. Just pure shooting and the best part is it will work with any old ammo. Just for fun I recently bought a Ruger Alaskan .454 Casull that also shoot .45 Colt. Talk about fun at the range and gathering a crowd around you. Also comes in .44 mag. NAA makes a mini revolver with a swing out cylinder now, just like a regular revolver. Lots of fun to play with and for under a grand you can buy several of their models. So much to choose from in the revolver world. How about one of them new Chiappa's with the barrel on the bottom of the cylinder? Everyone says they shoot really well. A S&W 629 in .44 magnum is always fun and you can get them in all barrel lengths. Nothing like a magnum round to make you giggle like a girl every time it goes boom. While I may favor a semi auto for home protection, revolvers are more fun at the range where their ability to hold more ammo does not matter. I had a lot of semi autos and sold most. Kept 3 Sigs, one P226 Combat and the small P238 and 938 to carry. Sold off the last of my HK's. Great guns but seldom shot. I mostly shoot revolvers for fun these days. Nothing like shooting big bore revolvers for fun. I also like shooting .357's through my 11.4 oz. J-frame. Can only take two cylinders of that but fun nonetheless. For just wow factor, try a Ruger Alaskan. They are heavy with well cushioned grips. They may recoil like hell but they never hurt your hand, even while shooting .454 Casulls. Make you feel alive. Now tell me that this picture does not excite you. This is the gun the Rock used in the movie Faster, a Ruger Alaskan .454 Casull. Used to kill a charging Grizzly in Alaska and been documented as to that fact. Who does not want a handgun that can take down just about anything in the world? Got to get close up and personal though but that is half the fun. This is the bear that this gun brought down:

I do not understand why you kept an unloaded gun with the safety on? Most of these guns are just as safe as a Glock without their safety on. The Glock has a shorter and lighter trigger pull than all DA/SA guns. The safety is there so they can sell it in all States and to make the new gun owners feel safer. If you are willing to store a Glock 23 without one in the chamber, what is the problem with your Storm being stored without one in the chamber without the safety on? Do not get it but maybe I am missing something. If the gun is unloaded there is no need for a safety, right? I keep changing my home defense guns too but always switch back to my Glock 19 after the shine comes off the penny for the new gun that took its place.

Just bought and shot the Ruger 1911 Commander. That gun is a winner. Shoots as well as the full sized version but balances better in the hand and is a little easier to conceal, especially sitting down. I got it for $700 and I like it better than my $1000+ 1911's. I think it has to do with the fact that a 4" barrel gun balances well in my hand. The same reason that after buying 8 Glocks, I only kept the Glock 19. The Ruger 1911 CMD is one of the best values out there. A well made, rugged, reliable and accurate American made 1911 for $700 that gives you a great trigger with adjustable over travel, Low Mount Novak sights, large and positive manual safety, Double Diamond Walnut grips, large magazine release and more, make this gun a winner. I posted a brief review elsewhere on this forum and a range report on my website.