TheWombat

Going to www.google.com/news and typing in Mexico protest seems to find stories. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=mexico+protest&oq=mexico+pr&gs_l=news-cc.3.1.43j0l6j43i400.3559.7039.0.9229.11.7.1.3.3.0.63.369.7.7.0...0.0...1ac.vhElH7LUvgY Not sure I see a conspiracy in the Mexico/Spain protests or reporting of. We're coming up to the Olympics, we've had a shooting in CO, Syria 'civil war' - plenty of stories that the media would assume the public would find more interesting and hence sell more papers etc. The job of the news organizations is to make revenue by selling stories/papers, advertising etc whether western, eastern or elsewhere I don't see the level of objective news reporting that interests me which is why I rarely buy newspapers etc anymore. We (the public) seem to be more interested in sensationalism, scandals with celebrities etc. The news organizations are just reporting on stories that the public want to read/buy etc. Just go to your local supermarket/grocery store and look at the magazines/papers that people are buying. TheWombat

I'll expect I'll build an AR-15 at some point, however this first one is just to have as a .22LR hence looking to buy a pre-built .22LR and as it is primarily for MrsWombat the S&W 15-22 seems a good fit. @OldGlockGuy - I'll PM you. thanks TheWombat

I'm looking to buy my first long gun and am looking at the AR-15 platform in .22LR. I've seen the S&W M&P 15 .22LR mentioned a number of times and looking for advice on whether this is the .22 to go for or whether there are others to consider. It would need to be CA and NJ compliant and I notice the S&W model 811031 meets this. The rifle would be for my wife and I, we are both right handed however I am left eye dominant. Thoughts, advice, help please Thanks TheWombat

I would suggest try a Simunitions training class (e.g. at GunForHire) where they can run you through defending against home invasions with a semi-auto and a revolver. After the class you would likely end up favoring a semi-auto as your primary HD/SD firearm. .22 can work in some circumstances however I would suggest 9mm with Hollow Points as a minimum. I personally wouldn't choose a .22 revolver unless I had no other choices left. TheWombat

Had a few guests staying with us, however should be somewhat back to normal now TheWombat

Go to a couple of ranges and try a few. Finding the right firearm is very much a personal thing. The two I would consider (if I was buying a .22) would be: GSG .22 1911, M&P .22. I took a different route though and considered the Sig 9mm/.22 conversion, CZ75 9mm/.22 conversion and the Glock 9mm/.22 conversion. This may not work for your budget, however if you can afford it then having the conversion kit can make things a little more enjoyable when you want to take a break from .22 for a few rounds. I have the .22 conversion kit for my Sig P226 and it works well. TheWombat

I shot > 600 rounds on one day without any issues, so can't say I've noticed during the time I've had the PPS. There have been a few people on the Walther Forum who have commented about the trigger pinching their finger, may be a similar thing to what you are experiencing? TheWombat

Comp-Tac is good, plenty of other brands as well which I'm sure others will suggest. I'm not a big fan of paddle holsters as they can come out when not expecting - I've seen this happen in GunForHire classes for example. My personal preference would be to go for a belt-loop holster. Comp-Tac, Kaluban Cloak are both kydex holsters I have and have positive experiences with. TheWombat

I'm just about to reach 3 months of ownership of the Walther PPS and during this time I've passed over 1200 rounds including 110 Speer Gold Dot 124+P Hollowpoints. I've found the PPS to be far more accurate for a 'small' firearm than I expected. I put 'small' as it is fairly large compared to some of its competitors. During the 3 months it has had some fairly heavy usage including shooting over 600 rounds in a single day at the GunForHire Urban Pistol 3 class. This class included one handed shooting/reloading, shooting in/around/over barricades, shooting while moving etc and the PPS performed perfectly. The class ended with some target practice at ~60 or so yards where it was still able to hit the steel targets with ease. I have also taken the PPS across the state line and made use of my CCW license when driving down to Atlanta and back for a few days vacation. Using the Theis IWB holster it was easy to conceal the Walther PPS with just jeans and a t-shirt. While I could feel the weight of the PPS on my belt it is an easy firearm to carry. My modifications/accessories to the PPS so far are: Theis IWB holster Meprolight night sights Limbsaver BT guide rod (on order) For someone who uses (and likes) the Walther PPQ then the Walther PPS is a natural choice for a carry firearm due to the similar magazine release lever. The negatives for the Walther PPS are: Magazines are expensive, somewhat fragile and also have a fairly large base that can get caught in clothing etc PPS is fairly large compared to other small 9mm single stack firearms Limited accessories The positives are: Surprisingly accurate Easy to shoot Easy to conceal as IWB (it is not really a pocketable firearm) Overall I am very pleased with the Walther PPS. TheWombat

I've just passed 8 months of ownership with the PPQ, during this time the PPQ has attended a number of GunForHire and other classes, has taken on the role as home defense firearm and has been taken to the range on many occasions. The only reason the round count has not increased as much over the last 2-3 months is due to the Walther PPS being purchased and me taking the time to get to know the PPS as it is my day-to-day carry firearm (where legally permitted). I still think the PPQ is a tremendous firearm and one to put on your shortlist, the trigger remains very good and it has remained very reliable with many brands/weights of FMJ and also with hollow points (predominantly Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P). The negatives remain as per my 5-month ownership post, namely: Accessories still limited - e.g. sights however there are many more holsters now available compared to 8 months ago Magazine price - Walther magazines are over priced, using Magnum Research magazines brings the price down to an acceptable level (~$32 for 15 rnd) Stippling - a personal thing however I would prefer the stippling to be more aggressive. I have currently fitted a LimbSaver to see if it helps me maintain a better grip in the warmer weather - so far it seems to have helped. Magazine release - some people will not like it MrsWombat thinks it is ugly I would also add that the windage adjustable design of the rear sights could be better. The design results in the rear sights having a very slight 'wobble' when fitting the Trijicon sights. The original plastic sights fit a little tighter. While it doesn't affect accuracy it is noticeable when racking the slide. This 'wobble' has also been noted by other PPQ owners with Trijicons. The only recent addition to the PPQ is that I've fitted a Sprinco guiderod/spring. This claims to reduce recoil (which is unnecessary in my view) - I can't say I've noticed much difference other than making the slide a little harder to rack. I've only shot 65 rounds with the new guiderod/spring so too early to tell if any reliability issues. I have also just ordered the BT Guide Rod/Spring for the PPQ and the PPS in order to try these as well. There's no reason to switch from the factory plastic guide rod, it is only that I want to try a couple of metal guide rods out of curiosity. The Theis IWB holster is good, however typically I'd carry the PPQ OWB for which I have a Kaluban Cloak holster that fits my PPQ and Viridian C5L light. I have also just ordered the Raven Concealment OWB holster for my PPQ (without a light) so will be interesting to compare the Kaluban Cloak to the Raven Concealment. I have mixed views so far on the Virdian C5L. It fits the PPQ well and is an ideal light/laser combo, however I'm not entirely convinced on the durability of the C5L as it seems to be a little inconsistent in use when switching between the various modes. Considering that this is a replacement C5L as the original C5L had the same inconsistent behavior it leads me to believe there could me a design flaw with the C5L. While I've not put so many rounds through the Viridian X5L Gen 2 I have not had any inconsistencies at all with the X5L G2. A number of forum members now have PPQs and I believe their feedback has been positive. The PPQ is also proving popular in general with stock availability somewhat limited for new purchasers and the price now having increased. As this thread now has over 11,000 views there seems to be some ongoing interest in the PPQ :-) TheWombat

You'll get many suggestions as you can see above. If you think you'll end up getting further firearms along the way then I would suggest a good first firearm is either the Walther PPQ you listed, the M&P or the Glock 19 or 17. The advantage of the Glock is you can get a .22 conversion kit for it, there are many many options/accessories e.g. holsters, sights and other items. They are reliable, common, easy to find, easy to clean, easy to look after. If you do something wrong, break something, lose something then getting spare parts is trivial and cheap. I know you put you didn't want a Glock - even with that I would still suggest at least trying one. The advantage of the PPQ is the better trigger, however magazines are more expensive (even if you go for the non-Walther branded magazines), sights are a little more limited and also the availability of the PPQ is not as good at present due to their popularity. M&P - similar positives to the Glock. I would suggest waiting to the future for firearms such as DA/SA triggers (Sig, Beretta) and SAO (1911s) and firearms with externals safeties. I've only been shooting for < 1 year, if I was to go back in time and start again my first firearm would be either the Glock or the M&P. Best option is to go somewhere (e.g. Shoreshot, RTSP) and rent a few and see which you like For ammunition - I would recommend 9mm without question. It is fairly cheap, has reasonable self-defense capability when using hollow points. Ammunition will be by far your largest cost over your lifetime of shooting. However - If you've not really shot much then going the .22LR route is actually likely to make you a better shooter quicker as you'll concentrate more on technique. TheWombat

I'll be at RTSP tomorrow morning (Saturday). Walther PPQ and PPS most likely. TheWombat

Check this post: http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php?/topic/29720-new-handgun-what-to-do/page__view__findpost__p__390510 TheWombat

Yup - was me. I keep a log. As much for curiosity as anything else. Takes very little effort. I bring home the empty boxes and just add them up, enter into the spreadsheet. TheWombat

Suggest get a PPQ AND a PPS... Assuming you don't mind the paddle style magazine release then I'd be surprised if people are not pleasantly surprised by both. @Keithco88 :-) TheWombat

Having put several thousand rounds through my PPQ (read my thread for more info) I would say that the Raven or Kaluban Cloak are two highly recommended Kydex holsters for the PPQ. I also saw that CompTac have just launched a PPQ holster which is another option (I have CompTac for my P226). Good to see more people trying and liking the PPQ. :-) TheWombat

:-) TheWombat

I took my 9mm PPS with me on a recent multi-day drive down to Georgia and back. Wore it (almost) the entire time in a Theis IWB holster. Overall found the PPS not too onerous to carry, and it hid well beneath t-shirt and jeans. During the 7 days we were away the days were typically 'drive 200-300 miles South, then spend 2-3 hours hiking, then have dinner and go to hotel'.. repeat, repeat, repeat. The PPQ has a much nicer trigger, however the PPS is still fine to shoot - you may need to fire a few hundred shots or gently work the internals to smooth it out a bit more quickly. I put > 600 rounds through my PPS on a single day at a recent GunForHire Urban Pistol 3 and it worked a treat and I found it surprisingly accurate. I would suggest taking a look at my PPS thread from a few weeks ago and invest in a LimbSaver - it makes the PPS much more pleasant to shoot. As for the PPQ... it's just F.A.B. 'nuff said... :-) TheWombat

My local PD didn't need the receipt. TheWombat

We were there a few weeks ago, much prefer Dutch side however both have something to offer. Nice place and will go back there at some point. I personally hated the bar/beach by the airport, found it very noisy and smelling of jet fuel.. however my wife liked it. If you're going there (and it is worth it just once!) then take some ear plugs just in case. TheWombat

However if you have a Jury deciding your fate, a lawyer will try to spin the fact that the perpetrator was shot 45 times when only 1-2 shots were required (in a situation where you took lethal force and shot 3 magazines etc). You just have to look at the recent news headlines from CA and NY where the cops fired 'a large number' of rounds at the perpetrators and the public opinion that has resulted. Hence perhaps in the public's eye there are degrees of lethality?????? Tying this thread back to the Jury Duty thread that's running - the Jury is not necessarily going to be logical and able to analyze and understand the situation..... Someone in my office commented on the Zimmerman/Martin case Person: 'Why did they have to shoot him' Me: 'They felt there life was threaten' Person: 'Well then why couldn't they have just shot him once in the leg' ..... However to get back to the original post... There are plenty of valid reasons for using HPs for home defense, any good lawyer should be able to cover this. The fact that the Police use them, the fact that they do not over-penetrate etc etc... TheWombat

I've shot thousands of rounds of 9mm 115/124/147 9mm and also 180 .45 ACP Speer Lawman across my various firearms no issues with Speer Lawman - it is my standard range ammo TheWombat

I've recently converted my HK45 from DA/SA to Light LEM - it took 1-2 hours of going slowly and watching a YouTube video on how to do the conversion. There are a lot of posts on the HK forum on the conversions, suggest take a look there as I also expect someone would have made a video. Not entirely sure if the P30 conversion is similar to the HK45, I assume it is reasonably similar? TheWombat

I'm considering the Logman mags as I've seen them mentioned in another forum, however as it is MrsWombat's EMP she'll be the one deciding.. I personally prefer my PPS for a carry firearm as it is lighter and no need to worry about safeties, but MrsWombat likes the way the EMP looks! Now we just have to see if it can stand up to a GFH course without any jams/failures - the PPS shot over 600 flawless rounds last week at GFH Urban Pistol 3. :-) TheWombat

It's due to taking the photos myself with one hand as MrsWombat was doing errands. The holster doesn't actually dig in and is comfortable enough to wear for 10+ hours with no issues. :-) TheWombat