TripleD

My Sig 1911 Tacops is my home defense gun. It's not the prettiest 1911, but I like the no-nonsense look and feel of it. I've put quite a few rounds through it and it has proven to be reliable and accurate. I like the Wilson combat magazine for the quality and the additional rounds. I feel the laser/light can only help in acquiring a target in an emergency situation and, hopefully, getting him to think twice before advancing towards me or my family. You guys have some beautiful 1911s.

Finally got to RTSP Union the other night and had a great time. I went with a friend who was a first time shooter and he was appreciative of the fact that the range officers seemed like they were there to help. I told him that it's not always like that at some ranges but these guys were very nice and helpful. The whole place is really impressive - the facility and the staff. My friend is looking to buy his first pistol and the person who helped him couldn't have been nicer. He was very thorough and patient which is exactly what somebody new to all of this really needs. Living in Edison, I've had to travel to Lakewood or Flemington or further for a public range until now. Having a range 20 minutes away is awesome. The handgun ports were a little small, but I'd rather have that (which allows room for more ports) than having to wait at a place with larger, but fewer, ports. Overall, RTSP Union was great and I'm looking forward to going back soon.

I have a Leatherman Skeletool CX and it's been worth every penny (got it for ~$70). It's light, well-made, comfortable, has a quality blade, and the tools I typically need at work. I'm a physical therapist who works in various nursing homes throughout the state. The blade is great for cutting tennis balls to put on the bottom of walkers, opening/breaking down boxes, and I've even used it to make a new belt hole for a patient who had lost weight. The pliers are excellent for fixing the brakes on rollators (4-wheeled walkers with bicycle-style brakes and a seat). The screwdriver has come in handy tightening wheelchair armrests and rollator brake handles. It's also nice to know I have a weapon - just in case. I've used it for a few odd jobs around the house too when I was too lazy to go down to the basement for a specific tool. Overall, I've found that Leatherman makes quality products and I'd definitely recommend the Skeletool CX.

Exactly. People often spend $20 to have their car go through a car wash and that takes just a few minutes. Washing a car is not difficult, but people pay others to do it. Mowing a lawn is not difficult, and has to be done frequently, and people pay $20-$45 for each cut (depending on the service and size of the lawn). Can I clean my gun? Yes. Do I enjoy it? Not really. Is the thought of a person paying $40-$50 for a professional cleaning where they come to your house crazy? Not at all IMO. This isn't for those who enjoy cleaning their guns or are financially strapped. It's for those who can afford it and don't like the tedious task of cleaning a gun. I don't think the idea or the service is far-fetched at all.

Sig Tacops 1911 .45 ACP with a TLR-2 G laser/light and a Wilson Combat 10 round magazine. I have it as my home defense gun. It’s been very reliable and accurate at the range. Definitely no buyer’s remorse here.

I know how bump stocks work and I’m still not sure why anyone should have one when automatic weapons are practically illegal. Objectively, I just wonder where the line should be drawn. Machine guns? Rocket launchers? Grenades? We all know these guns don’t shoot themselves but, personally (and I know many here will disagree), I think there comes a point where we have to say maybe that’s not the best item to have so readily available. Also, although automatic weapons are technically legal, they’ve made them near impossible to procure for a reason IMO. The reality is, taking away bumpstocks is probably not the biggest issue we’re facing at the moment. Now, please excuse me while I remove the 15 round mags from my range bag. And thank you to everyone for answering without turning this into a big argument.

An honest question, aside from the whole political "don't give an inch" aspect, why should civilians be able to legally purchase something that, essentially, turns a semiautomatic weapon into an automatic weapon? It seems like the cons outweigh whatever pros exist for bump stocks. I'm not looking for a fight/argument. This is just a reasonable, honest question by someone who owns multiple guns. I'm not the enemy. I'm just trying to understand why something that allows a gun to fire at that rate, by just holding down the trigger, should be legal when automatic weapons are illegal. Thanks in advance for respectful responses.

I tried out a bunch of .45s before buying my 1911 and the softest shooter was probably the FNX-45. It's a big gun with a 15 round capacity. Great home defense weapon IMO. You can try one out at Heritage Guild in Easton, PA. I really enjoyed shooting FNX-45 and may pick one up down the road.

I live in Edison and just went through the whole process of shopping for guns and trying out different ranges. Two of the closest shops to me are Heritage Guild in Rahway and Bullseye Tactical in Woodbridge. Bullseye is a small shop. The guys who work there are pretty nice and can answer some questions for you, but their selection is very limited as far as holding/seeing different types of guns. Heritage Guild in Rahway is a little bigger place with a pretty nice selection of guns to hold. Some of the employees there are lacking personality/friendliness, but they will all spend time with you and answer questions. Sean (short guy with red hair) is very nice and helpful. As far as ranges, I've been to TTC in Flemington, Shore Shot and Garden State Shooting Center in Lakewood. TTC has a pretty good selection to choose from if you're interested in renting a gun to try out. I'm not a fan of the guys who work there - definitely a bit arrogant and don't rely make you feel welcome. It's a pretty nice place though. Shore Shot is a small, bare bones range with a small shop. I recall them being very expensive when it came to rental ammo. There are Groupon deals for that place that makes the experience more reasonable if renting. Garden State Shooting Center in Lakewood is my favorite and I became a member a few weeks ago. It's nice, neat, reasonable, and the staff is pretty friendly overall. Other than it being 40 minutes away, there were no real negatives for me. There are gun clubs in Old Bridge and Carteret. The one in Carteret (Lake Island) seems interesting and more reasonably-priced than the Old Bridge Club but I don't know that much about either. If you want to go to a big store with a large selection of rental guns, I suggest you check out Heritage Guild in Easton, PA. It took just about an hour to get there from Edison, but it was worth it. Shopping for a gun is not as convenient as shopping for most other items. If you can find a place like HG in Easton that has a large amount of rentals and tons of other guns in the store to hold, it's definitely worth the trip. I went there one Saturday morning and tried out 6 guns over the course of 2 hours. It wasn't cheap, but it was definitely fun and worth it. And what I mean by "wasn't cheap" is that renting 6 guns and ammo and paying for 2 hours or range time is simply not cheap. HG in Easton was reasonably priced. All that renting is costly no matter where you go. Good luck! Between forums, other sites, and gun stores, there is a ton of information out there about whatever you want to know - and don't be afraid to ask people questions. I've found that most people that are into guns like talking about them and sharing information. Oh and, you probably already know this, get a couple of extra permits when you apply. They're only a couple of bucks each and can be extended one time. Even if you only get one gun, it will save you time if you change your mind and want to get a 2nd after that first purchase. I thought I was getting one gun and ended up using the two other permits. The range is more fun for me having a variety of guns to shoot with that I own (and don't have to pay for rentals and rental ammo).

I did try 1911s with the “bobtail” or “fastback” and they felt good. I was going to go that way at first especially since a couple of the 1911s with the standard grip jabbed into my palm. However, the Sig 1911 Tacops didn’t stick into my hand and filled out my hand a little better than the 1911s with the rounded back. I just purchased the Truglo TFX sights which I’m looking fwd to trying with my aging eyes. Lol. Thanks for the suggestions!

Just wanted to wrap up this thread with my "range report". I put it in quotes because it's not a detailed report from some experienced shooter, just a summary of my experience. I went to Garden State Shooting Center in Lakewood for the first time and had a great experience. The facility was nice and clean, the staff was nice. I didn't detect the aloof, arrogance that I've sometimes experienced at TTC. The facility was simply nicer than Shore Shot which is just down the road. So I brought my new Sig 1911 Tacops (of course) and my CZ (I have plenty of 9mm and like to get in practice with it). I shot what was remaining of the Blazer Brass 230 grain .45 cap from Heritage in Easton (when I tried out all the .45s) and some Federal (white box) which I had picked up the day before. I put about 100 rounds through the Tacops when all was said and done. I had no failures of any kind. The gun felt even better in my hands than the Emperor Scorpion and was very accurate right out of the box. The recoil was pretty soft and very manageable. I rotated all 4 magazines that it came with and had no issues whatsoever. I love how the gun looked, felt, and shot. I can't really say a bad thing about it to be honest. Thank God for the internet because it really allows one to do a lot of research (reviews, forums, videos) before making a purchase. I couldn't be happier about my 1st 3 guns: CZ 75 SP-01 9mm S&W 686+ 4" .357 magnum Sig Sauer 1911 Tacops .45 I feel like I've got quality and variety in my collection. Most importantly, they all feel good to me when I shoot them and they're all considered reliable, accurate handguns. Everybody has got their preferences. I have found that I prefer the feel of a larger, heavier, all metal gun (however, I still may consider a polymer gun in the future since I did enjoy shooting some of those). I also happen to be a pretty big guy with large hands, so these guns may not be for everyone. I am 45 and realize that larger, brighter, more visible sights may be in my future since I have to really focus to see my sights. I definitely can see them, but it would probably be easier with other types of sights. That's just a possible change I might make in the future. Thank you again everyone. All of your input was greatly appreciated. Hopefully this thread will help others make a decision if they find themselves trying to figure out which gun to buy next.

Well, I FINALLY made up my mind. After my day at the range where I tried a bunch of .45s, I basically narrowed it down to the FNX-45 or a 1911. I was very close to getting the FNX, but I kept going back to my experience with the Sig 1911 Emperor Scorpion. I was really impressed with the accuracy and had been checking out the Sig 1911s (in addition to other brands like Kimber and Springfield) for the past couple of months at Heritage Guild in Rahway where they have a nice selection of Sigs to look at. When I held the Sig Fastback Nightmare, I liked it. Then the guy showed me the Sig 1911 Tacops and it felt better in my hand. I liked the look and feel of the Tacops. The Emperor Scorpion that I fired at the range is essentially the same gun as the Tacops, with a different look. The more I researched the Tacops, the more I found that this was a consistently well-reviewed gun. Many of the reviewers were highly skeptical of Sig 1911s, since that isn't what they're known for, but came away really impressed with the quality, reliability, and accuracy of the Tacops. Most felt that you really got a lot for your money with the Tacops (quality, features, accuracy, extra mags, etc). The negatives I would read had more to do with it not being a truly "classic 1911" since it has a rail and an external extractor. Not being some sort of 1911 purist, by any stretch of the imagination, those were non-issues for me. So after a few days of shopping/researching, I bought a new Sig Sauer 1911 Tacops from a reputable seller through gunbroker.com at a good price. It arrives at my FFL's today and I'll probably pick it up some time within the next week. I may come back here with a "range report" at some point, but it might be a few weeks since my wife just gave birth to our daughter a week ago and things are kinda busy. I want to thank everyone again for all of their input/suggestions! You guys have been very helpful. I feel good about my choice and, hopefully, it performs as well as I expect it to. Thanks again and have a great weekend.

So, this morning I went to Heritage Guild in Easton, PA - that place is impressive. I was on a mission to try a bunch of .45s over the course of a couple of hours, and I did. I rented six .45s and bought 200 rounds of .45 ACP. I also shot my CZ 75 SP-01 a bunch. It was a fun morning :). So here's my "range report". I probably shot about 30 rounds with each - some a bit more or less depending on how I liked it. I don't consider myself an expert on any of this stuff at all obviously, so take what I say with a grain of salt. This is just what I felt today: HK45: Felt great in my hand ergonomically, was accurate, but had quite a bit of recoil. It also threw a steady barrage of brass in my face. I expected better recoil, and less brass in my face, from the pricey polymer. Glock 21 Gen4: Felt good in my hand, recoil was not bad at all (a little less than the Glock 41 if I recall correctly) and very accurate. I still hate that trigger which stings my finger. FNX-45: I really liked this gun. Unfortunately it had suppressor height sights since it had a threaded barrel. Those sights took some getting used to but, when I did, I pretty consistently put the shots where I wanted. The FNX had the softest recoil of all the polymer .45s that I've tried. It was enjoyable to shoot. It looked and felt great in my hand. It can hold 15 rounds and has a rail which makes it a strong consideration as a nightstand/home defense gun. S&W M&P45: This was a disaster. First, when I put the mag in, the slide slammed closed without me pressing the slide release. I looked at it and the slide was uneven. I showed the RO and he saw that the slide was out of its groove. The guy who cleaned the gun didn't put it back properly. The RO fixed that, but the trigger pull was horrific. I don't know if this gun was a dud or the trigger was just that bad, but I had to squeeze ETREMELY hard to get the gun to fire. It felt like something was stuck. Both ROs tried it and it felt funny to them too. I probably should have gotten a refund for that gun, but the ROs acted liked it was just a crappy trigger. Whatever. I stopped shooting it after about 10 rounds. Walther PPQ: Similar to the HK 45 in that it felt great in the hand, had considerable recoil, and was accurate. Unfortunately, like the Glock, it had a trigger that stung my finger. The Glock and Walther both had trigger safeties - so I assume that design simply does not work well for me comfort-wise. Unlike the HK, it didn't consistently hit me in the face with brass. This was a nice gun which I wish had a different trigger. Sig Sauer 1911Emperor Scorpion: I was NOT planning to try a 1911. Lol. However, the Sig P220 that they had there had a suppressor (which was "pinned" and could not be removed) so I didn't feel that would be a good way to try that gun since I would never have that in NJ and it would likely give the gun a different feel/balance. That was disappointing because I really wanted to try the P220. I was going to try a Springfield XDM45, but they were having "Springfield Day" and it was only available to rent with a certain promo which just didn't fit into my plan of trying 3 guns/hour for 2 hrs. At this point the person working there said "Just try a 1911 - how about this Sig?". I was like "What the hell.. why not?" I knew this would open a can of worms. Lol. And, of course, it did. Holy accuracy Batman! Why the hell don't most guns have that trigger design?! I'm sure there's a reason, but it certainly makes a difference IMO. Being all-metal, of course, the recoil was better than all the polymers - except maybe the FNX which really was "soft-shooting". The Emperor Scorpion appears to be very similar to the Sig 1911 Tacops, which I've held, liked, and considered, so it was good to try this out. So, if the FNX-45 didn't impress me so much, and meet all of my home defense/range needs/wants, I probably would be saying "Screw polymer, I'm going with a 1911 or an all-metal non-1911 like a Sig or CZ." I'm still not sure. I might just get an FNX-45 and then do the big 1911 search when I get more permits. If I decide to pull the 1911 trigger now (pun intended), I'll probably get one with a rail to mount a light for home defense. Was obviously hoping to be 100% sure at this point, but I've ruled out quite a few (and had fun/learned while doing it) I'd like to try the P220, and maybe another 1911, before making a decision but time is running out. I'm leaning towards the FNX-45, but I'm gonna think about it for a bit longer. Hopefully I'll decide before the year is over. Lol.

I actually have extended the permit and it expires on 10/12. If I don't make a decision/purchase by then, then I'll just apply for more (at least I used 2 out of the 3 I got). Edison wasn't too bad as far as wait time. So, I've decided to take a trip over to Heritage Guild in Easton, PA. They have a pretty huge selection of guns to rent. I'm planning to rent a few non-1911 .45s. I apparently change my mind a lot on this. Lol. I have a feeling the 1911 will be a bigger purchase down the road. I definitely plan on trying the HK45 and the Sig P220. I'll probably check out the Glock 21 Gen4 to see if it feels any different to me than the Glock 41 (I have a feeling I still won't love the trigger but I want to try again). If I do the 4 gun "rent before you buy" program they have, I'll try a 4th - maybe an FN FNX-45 or a Springfield XDM-45. Knowing me I'll come back as undecided as ever, but I'm definitely having fun doing this shopping. Learning a lot and getting better at shooting during the process too. Thanks to everyone again. All the opinions are greatly appreciated and feel free to keep them coming.

Thanks for the advice. I went there on Saturday and rented the Glock 41. I actually shot it pretty well, but I really didn't enjoy how it felt. I've watched and read plenty of reviews on the Glock 41 and some describe it as feeling "snappier" than the Glock 21. I think I understand what they mean by snappy. My trigger finger actually felt uncomfortable after each magazine. Now I'm leaning back towards the 1911. Lol. The point made about the NJ permits is dead on. You feel a pressure to get the 2nd or 3rd gun before time is up. I'm gonna keep shopping and try to get to the range within the next couple of weeks. If I find something I like, I'll buy it. If I have to let it expire and get some new permits, that's life. I definitely don't want to force it because of a permit expiration date. Thanks again everyone. More suggestions are welcome and I'll keep you posted when I FINALLY make up my mind.