JimB1

I was looking at both last year and actually got them both in hand at Heritage Guild believe it or not. I think they still have the JM in stock. I'd go for the PC but primarily because I don't like the trigger on the JM. The JM ribbed trigger actually seemed a little sharp to me (almost cut my finger sharp) and the cost to replace would be about the same as the difference between the guns. I didn't feel a lot of functional difference between them though. Maybe the PC was a little less muzzle heavy and the JM had a nicer grip. Trigger pull on the PC was smoother, the trigger on the JM I tried felt a little stiff and had a heavier pull then I expected (might have just been a bad one, lots of folks like the JM trigger, I only tried one). If you get the JM significantly cheaper, and you feel the ribs are sharp like I did, maybe a little fine-grit sandpaper might help take the edges down. In the end I decided I wanted a 357 more and ended up with the 627 Pro instead. Maybe I'll still get the 625 at some point but I'm pretty happy with the 627 for now. Good luck with the search. -Jim

Probably a better chance of me bringing the shotgun then her coming. She's a law student and finals are in a few weeks so she's studying every waking moment right now -Jim

Let me preface this with, I don't know a lot about shotguns so I am learning as I go along. I love my wife but I have to say, where I tend to research exhaustively, she's got style and instinct that she runs off of and it seems to work for her. She's been talking about shooting clays for a while now and her boss is a hunter and does trap and clays fairly often so they have been talking about it a bit. She's a Beretta fan so I let her know about the current incentive they have for the A300 and A400s figuring she'd like one of those so she wanted to go take a look at Heritage Guild yesterday since they had something I wanted. (I got a 10/22 I am going to turn into a target rifle). So I got her setup with one of the sales guys and I wanted her to take a look at a Remington 870 Wingmaster 20Ga they had but they sold it already so I left her to check out a few others and when I came back she had a couple of Benellis, a Beretta A391 (I think) and a Franchi on the counter and was talking with the sales guy. So after a little more discussion on warranties and support as well as reliability she made her choice. So her new shotgun is... a Benelli Ethos 20 Gauge. http://www.benelliusa.com/ethos-shotgun It's a beautiful shotgun with an engraved nickel receiver and the Benelli inertia dampening system (I think they use it in the high end Beretta and Franchi models as well, maybe in Stoger too, in other words it's well tested) . The stock is very high quality wood and the finish is just outstanding on it. The 20 Gauge is apparently new, though the 12 has been out for a little while now and is getting very good reviews. Here's a little clip of Julie Golob using the 12, 20 and 28 gauge versions of each for a fun little demo: So what do you think? Anyone tried the Ethos yet? We probably aren't going to get to try it out for a few weeks yet (we couldn't even pick it up yesterday because NICS wasn't working again apparently ) Let me know, -Jim

2" LCR running 38 (non +p) is pretty tame even with full 158 grain loads ( and she's not practicing anyway so what the hell. ) I get the point that some don't like snubbie revolvers but they are simple as heck to use and for defensive use 3 - 5 yards I am talking about, there's not a lot of thought process involved. I've tried an LCR and a S&W J frame and no contest the LCR was way better to shoot. Here's what policeone.com had to say: "The feature noticed readily by all who shot the LCR test revolver is the surprisingly light recoil. Firing five rounds of 158 grain +P in a brand “S” aluminum framed revolver will make your hand sting, even with the best rubber grips. The slightly lighter Ruger LCR is conspicuously softer in recoil. The soft, Hogue boot grips help dramatically in the recoil reduction equation, especially with an even softer-than normal cushion where the grips hit the web of your firing hand, between the thumb and first finger. The Hogue grips also have a blue-colored inner layer of a different density material where the polymer peg of the LCR’s “frame” pushes rearward into the one-piece grip. Ruger and Hogue teamed up to tame the traditionally sharp recoil of a lightweight .38, and they did their job well." https://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearms/handguns/articles/2010527-Product-Review-Ruger-LCR-Double-Action-Revolver/ Seriously, 38 to me is a pretty nice defensive round. I just got some of the new Interceptor copper-polymer rounds and they are only 83 grains so much more mild then I am used to and most reviews say for home defensive distances they are good to go. They are at over 1200 fps which is pretty fast for a 38 but the recoil in a 4" barrel is noticeably less then say blazer brass with 158gr FMJ. I can only assume that would translate to a 2" barrel in the same way. This is a review of the 380 and 9mm but the 38 special is right around the same ballistics range as the 9mm. http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/04/shootingthebull410/ammo-quest-polycase-arx-inceptor-in-380-acp-and-9mm/ But yeah, for a beginner, you guys are right I guess, stick with something more obviously friendly. -Jim

Currently 2 x 45 ACP with 22lr conversions for both, 2 x 38/357 revolvers and 1 - 22lr revolver. Generally I am trying for simplicity to make my reloading and ammo purchases easier but still be able to practice with my centerfire handguns (or an analog in the revolver's case) cheaply using 22lr. -Jim

Here's Heritage Guild's Black Friday ad: http://www.heritageguild.com/sale/index.aspx A couple of decent deals... -Jim

No training and not willing to get any? A German Shepard and pepper spray are probably better options. If she must have a gun, an hour of basic training and a Ruger LCR in 38 special seem like the minimum to me. -Jim

SGammo.com had them for $11.99 a box and Remington had a $10 a box rebate. Everyplace else was selling them for around $19-21 a box so when I saw them for $11.99 I couldn't beat that price with the rebate -Jim

Last year I got 10 boxes of 38 special +p Remington Ultimate Defense for $1.99 a box after rebate. Took them about 90 days to get the rebate to me. I'm sure they had tens of thousands of rebates to deal with so 90 days was decent to me. -Jim

As T Bill said there's 3 courses per round ( slow, timed and rapid fire) and there are 3 rounds making a max score of 900. So that's a 900 match and can be in 22, Centerfire or 45. Take all three of those matches at once and you have a 2700 match. Most folks use the 45 for both centerfire and 45 matches for consistancy but nothing says you have to do that. If you wanted to, you could use 38 special or 9mm for a centerfire match. 9mm doesn't have a great rep for accuracy but I am of the opinion that until you get to consistently above 250-260 a match, you probably won't notice a great accuracy difference. I also suspect in the right gun with the right load, 9mm can be very accurate. 38 special revolvers used to be the centerfire round of choice for bullseye so there is a lot of history around getting good loads and excellent accuracy with that cartridge. I am starting in the bullseye league next week so once I get my 22 numbers where I want them, I am thinking about 38 for centerfire just because I like shooting them Good luck with whatever you choose to use. It's a pretty challenging game, but fun too. -Jim

Ok, I am signed up. Thanks for running this class -Jim

Cool, let me just double check the weekend with command central (my wife) to make sure I am free. Like many (most) married guys, I am not the keeper of the calendar in my home -Jim

I've used SGAmmo & Palmetto state and like both of those, never an issue. Also, you can get some good deals from Cabelas if you catch the right sales and promotions but you have to be opportunistic and grab them when the deal is right. -Jim

Thinking about picking up one since I don't have a shotgun at the moment but I figured I'd put this out there for anyone actively looking for an inexpensive pump shotgun. Reviews all look good on it and the price is right. http://m.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=35436796&cp=4406646.70516396.4414427.33613696&categoryId=33614156 -Jim

Does anyone know if there is going to be another Intro class in Nov or Dec? I went to check out an IDPA match last year around this time and promptly got sidetracked by other things but have still been thinking about it. Still a little out of my comfort zone to go in cold but I might do a intro class to try it out. -Jim

I haven't noticed any particular loss in accuracy using 38 in my S&W 627 or my Ruger Match Champion. You do need to adjust for bullet drop over distance if you swap back and forth with 38/357 and cleaning becomes more important as the jump to the forcing cone is greater meaning more buildup around there and rings in the cylinder from the shorter cases. Long as you keep it reasonably clean, I don't think there will be any accuracy issues. -Jim

I was under the impression that all the 900/1800/2700 matches were open matches but I can get verification on it. I know I have seen non-members (mainly RVPL guys) at some in the past but maybe they were guests of members or something. -Jim

Here are the upcoming conventional pistol matches at Lake Island: Oct 14 7pm 900 centerfire match Oct 15 8am - 6pm 2700 match Oct 16 9am - 1pm 2700 match Nov 11 7pm 900 centerfire match All matches are 25 yard indoor slow, timed and rapid fire. You do not have to be a Lake Island member to compete. Directions and club info can be found on our website: http://www.lakeis.org/html/home.html Hope to see some new faces. -Jim

Thanks Joe, I'll see if she wants to give it a spin. -Jim

Nice! I'll have too think about this one. They are squarely aiming at the S&W Victory. Can't wait to see one -Jim

Ok so we all know a large percentage of gun owners will not respond to surveys about gun ownership. How is it that they can have studies saying half of children are in households with guns if only a small percentage of Americans own guns? Are gun owners especially potent breeders or something? And finally if this is correct, why is this even a discussion: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-crime-rates-2016_us_57e01a0ee4b04a1497b5bdfc So let's see using headlines from mainstream sources: Guns are bad because of gun crime however gun crime is at a historic low so people don't need guns for self defense Guns are bad because half of the children in the country are in households with guns, however only a small percentage of Americans own guns Guns are bad because there is a epidemic of shooting deaths in the USA, however, gun crime is at a historic low and few Americans own guns. Guns are bad because criminals steal guns from legal owners however gun crime is at a historic low and apparently there are few gun owners to steal from. The facts don't support the narrative so maybe if we just confuse them, people will just go with it. Mark Twain was right, there are lies, damn lies and statistics.

ISIS claims responsibility for the MN attacks http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/18/us/minnesota-mall-stabbing/index.html Getting scary out there guys. -Jim

Anyone see this article: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/09/15/breaking-sw-mp-1522-rifles-banned-appleseed-events-due-run-away-battery-firing/ Looks like they have had failures with injuries with 15/22 rifles so they are banned until S&W can investigate and resolve the problems. My wife is looking at getting one of these so I have been researching them for her. I'll be watching this closely to see how S&W responds... -Jim

Code is 16STALKUP I just got 3 boxes of Herter's 38 Special and a box of Eley club 22 (Never tried Eley before and I needed to bring my total over the $50 mark) I had a few bucks in Cabelas club points so it came out to $44 shipped. The 38 Special came out to About .24 a round with my club points. To make it sweeter, I use ebates so I get another 3% back in cash at the end of the quarter. Sometimes things work out -Jim FYI... The new code is STOCKUP16 - Thanks Hairless_Ape

I belong to Lake Island Rifle and Pistol in Carteret. Primarily it is a Bullseye shooting club with an indoor 25 yard range but it is not horribly expensive to belong to and is close enough that I can go and shoot after work if I want to. You don't have to shoot Bullseye but there are some rules of the club that are Bullseye oriented like only using bullseye type targets (no zombies, animals, silhouette, etc). This annoys my wife who likes the shooting game type targets like battleship or whatever (she's a better shot then I am so usually she wins but it keeps me practicing harder to try and beat her at them ) We have a junior rifle league on Weds and Raritan Valley Pistol League shoots matches on Tuesdays over the winter. Occasionally we have 900 and 2700 matches and Junior league matches usually on Fridays or weekends when the range is not available because of those competitions but all that is posted on the club calendar well in advance. www.lakeis.org/ -Jim