Screwball

Most can be fixed with a heavy brass bolt and if you want to get serious, the SUMO charging handle (Twisted Industries makes it). Got to remember, it is a blowback that needs to operate across both common 9mm and .40 loads (bolt and spring are identical between guns). Increasing the energy will have a similar increase in recoil on your shoulder... unless you increase the mass of the bolt.

Maybe I'll have some money by then... want to get one for a Mini-G base.

I got a Chinchilla as a present once... worst present I ever got. They clean themselves in a white dust, which gets everywhere. They crap all over the place... not disgusting wet crap, but little brown rice grains. They are predominantly nocturnal, so you are going to hear them bouncing off the walls. Very temperature dependent... so figure warmer summers (no nearby A/C vents, and not keeping the house at 68). Drafts aren't a good thing, either. Not a free ranger, either. But letting it run in its ball was fun (except the crap issue). Pass on the chinchilla.

I have a Glock 30S... but not really interested in having only Glocks. They don't do a .44 Magnum. They don't do DA/SA or SAO. They don't do an all stainless gun. So many other options out there... why just stick with one?

Be careful with that, being some of the first Tavors brought in had a different trigger pack. Take a look at the Military Arms Channel for their comparison of the X95 and SAR... he mentions the difference briefly. I don't think the 1st Generation gun can use the X95 pack. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Surefire ST07, with a DS00 switch. Allows for momentary activation from the pressure switch, then momentary or constant activation from the button on the light switch. Light is a Surefire M600IB Scout light. Also, current Tavors come with the X95 trigger pack. Unsure exactly when the transition occurred, but sometime around the X95's release.

I got to take some pictures of my SAR... but just recently installed the Gear Head Works folding charging handle. Great investment, as it really cleans up the profile of the rifle. No huge knob that acts like a kickstand. No issue with knocking the bolt out of battery. Was hesitant on it for a few weeks, but glad I picked it up. Didn't go to extreme with forends or anything like that. Did the MI port cover, PA she'll deflector, Homeland Guns metal selector (ambidextrous), Surefire Scout light, Aimpoint PRO, and Geissele trigger and pack. For a 16" gun, I didn't want to go too far off the deep end... but it has a nice trigger and very comfortable. The only other thing I'm considering is sending the bolt group to CCR with other things I'm plating, to give it some love. Their cera-plate gives NP3 a run for the money, and has worked well on other firearms/bolts I've used it with (Beretta PX4, CX4 bolt, magazines, Garand clips, etc). Self-lubricating, but also makes cleaning a breeze.

You really can't say the Walther or Glock is a better gun... comes down to personal preference. The .40 is a adequate round. 9mm is cheaper, .45 is more expensive... but all three are very close in performance for pistol calibers. I mean by that is they all are underpowered compared to a rifle/shotgun. Shooting the .40 out of a rifle, you roughly gain another 150 feet per second in velocity. My .40 guns are M&Ps, being I liked the design. I do have a conversion slide for my Beretta 92, but rarely use it. I also got a SUB-2000 that takes the same magazines as my M&P... in .40. I'm sure neither option you have will give you problems. Glock has A LOT of aftermarket, so if you want to change something, it can be done. Holsters and other gear are available for it. If you asked me which I would get, it would probably be the Glock. If it was the PPQ, I'd be more mindful to give it a look, but I'm not a huge fan of the P99.

I never said to trust the 11 year old with a loaded gun... I said to introduce them to firearms. That means be a responsible adult and teach them things that can go with them for the rest of their lives. It is still the responsibility of the adult to secure the firearm. You don't just hand the keys to your car to a 17 year old first time driver, correct? You try to instill some responsibility prior to that point. Leaving car keys out is more dangerous that a loaded gun in a safe that cannot be accessed by your children. When you hide something away from kids, they will seek them out. Showing them what it is takes a good amount of curiosity out of the equation. But starting good firearms respect at a young age will result in respect for them as they get older. As people have mentioned, there are plenty of us that have been introduced to firearms at those ages (even closer to the 5 year old). I was shooting .22s at that age. My parents kept guns in the house for protection, and I never had the desire to pull one out to screw around with. You know how you know a kid is ready? Hand them a gun, and the first thing they do is check it to make sure it is unloaded. Hell, there are adults that barely do that... and I'm sure most of those that don't didn't have any introduction to firearms as children (or a piss poor one). Even with all the requirements are most ranges regarding safety (videos, wavers, R/Os), there are still people that had to buy an AR after the Newtown shooting, who still muzzle sweep other shooters with loaded rifles. Again, I doubt those people were brought up with the same respect for firearms that some of us have... or I wouldn't be muzzle swept with a 5.56mm that had the safety off.

Completely your decision, but I was using firearms at the age of your older two... and was very safe with them. Shying things away from kids makes them want to seek them out even more... whether you or your wife think it is dangerous, yes, just leaving a loading gun out without any talk is a bad idea. Securing it for ease of use when needed can be done easily/safely, and the "talk" is a backup. A firearm owner that is a parent should have a talk with their kids about respect of firearms. Fingerprint safe, and the override keys are stored in your main safe... done. But back to the discussion, if you are worried about them with a loaded firearm... what about a paintball gun loaded with pepper balls? Kind of back at square one (might not kill someone, but you can really screw someone up at close range with no protective gear).

If it is a Glock 19 model... they make that and a Glock 17 model. The latter won't take the shorter magazines.

What do you want to hear... Pepper balls are not like mace or pepper spray. You are shooting someone with a paintball gun... no more, no less. It has been quite a few years since I played, but it wasn't incapacitating to be hit. Have someone with the determination to do whatever you are trying to stop them from doing... a paintball gun isn't going to cut it. If you are in fear of your life (or family members' lives), you can do what needs to be done. Going with a paintball gun kind of precludes you aren't worried enough by the threat. Similar idea with shoot to wound... you then have a pissed off threat. I'd voice the same no that was mentioned previously. You didn't say ages of children... why not introduce them to shooting in a mature way, and get them to the point where you feel safe with a secured firearm? Or go with a fingerprint safe?

Out of the two, I like the KSG better... and own one. Have two options for home defense shotguns; 870 Police and an Ithaca 37. Feel comfortable on the 870, being I've shot Remington shotguns for years. Instinctively, I can operate one extremely well... which is what you want to look for in a defensive firearm. The Ithaca is a little different, but can change out the round in the chamber without having the magazine feed. I prefer it for my girlfriend, being it is a little more streamlined than my 870, so I run reduced recoil 00 in it (I shoot PDX1 out of my 870; slug/00 combo). I did consider the KSG as a defensive shotgun... but opted not to due to the magazine system. I keep my guns with an empty chamber, but if the selector gets into the middle position... I'm not loading anything no matter how much I cycle the action. Not a problem with the other two. The KSG is a fun shotgun... being one that holds 14 rounds in the gun. Switch stinks, but it is affordable over other options, and a sound design. If someone trained hard enough, I'm sure it would be a great choice. But that is a decision only you can make.

Shotguns...

It isn't anywhere near the same system... just like a GSG-5. It is blowback. Charging handle works the same, but like the GSG-5, bolt locks back on empty magazine. That is a good thing, especially for a .22. Wasn't giving it as an option for you... just pointing out the brand for brucin.

ATI... same people that do the GSG-5.

The KSG is a sound design... and Kel-Tec of today isn't the same as Kel-Tec of 5 years ago. Nobody has a problem buying SUB-2000s. In regards to the injury, yes, bullpups are something you need to consider where your hand goes. However, you want to mag-dump a shotgun like that... are you going to be shocked going from ten fingers to eight? Are Glocks the cause of Glock leg? Guns don't take kindly to a lack of respect. If it was the gun's fault, there would have been A LOT more cases to follow the amount of KSGs sold. If that is a concern, look on eBay for a SMT choke tube adapter. Puts a few inches on the end of the barrel, and you get Remington chokes.

The trigger on the current Tavors is actually the upgraded X95 pack. It wasn't that bad of a trigger... but I like my guns being upgraded. If you get a 16" Tavor, really you only need a sight (Aimpoint PRO is on mine)... but you could use the flip up sights of need be. If you get an AR, you are going to do the same thing... buy a $X rifle, and put $Y money into it. Some people do worse than $1,800/$500 in those places. [emoji6]

Look into Military Arms Channel on YouTube... they did a few videos on them. Short story, they are having issues getting it to run , while keeping it accepting the original parts, and doing it in such a small company. They still seem to be working on it, but don't use previous ETAs as a measure of seeing it. Good news... if you call it that, is they are offering different calibers and different magazine offerings. Personally, I rather the original design, but some people might like it taking AR magazines and in 5.56mm.

Going with a 14.5" pinned AR... you are looking for short overall length. Can't beat a Tavor for that. I'd say get the 16" Tavor, and have a muzzle brake pinned. I got mine from Monmouth Arms, and very happy with it. If you decide to go with a Tavor, why make it longer with an 18" barrel? Between the SAR and X95... I actually prefer the SAR. The magazine release on the X95 is supposed to feel AR like, but I didn't like the position. I did A LOT to my Tavor... Geissele trigger pack and bow, MI ejection port cover, PA shell defector, HG ambidextrous safety, and finally GHW folding charging handle. While the basic Tavor is a good design, there are improvements that can be made.

In all fairness, it does add something to the conversation... a point of view that differs from everyone else that posted before. While more obviously could have been said (but then someone would have had issue with that, so moot point), some people aren't a bullpup fan. Let's say this wasn't a NJ question... and the Saigas were the topic. Do we really just need to hear which smith did them the best? Or if someone states that Saiga magazines are finicky, and shotgun shells don't do well in the long term being stacked vertically... is that not something that speaks to the conversation? The KSG has its detractors. I personally don't like how complicated the DP-12 is (and expensive). Moving past that, I prefer the KSG. I liked what it offered, which is why I bought it and a Tavor after the past election. But I'm also a fan of the Ithaca action... which the KSG is very close to (just bullpup, and the ability to pick from two tubes). It has plenty of aftermarket, and really has been used a lot (having a Gen 2 of anything tends to show progress). Having the newer version, it is well built and definitely will last. I did have a bad frame pin (spring wouldn't hold it in), but KelTec sent me a replacement quickly (I had a KNS QD pin on order, so was a spare). If you go with the KSG, get a decent vertical grip (I run a Magpul). Best way to keep your hand from going in front of the muzzle. Another big thing is the plastic cheek rest... because steel is cold. But I did a few extras that most people won't... high visibility followers and SMT choke adapter. Followers clean up the gun, and it is nice to open the tubes up for cleaning crap out of there (you definitely want to clean a KSG, because there is lot of oil/preservative in them when they ship). But the choke adapter extends the muzzle (less chance of blowing a hand off) and gives me Remington chokes (what I use with most of my shotguns). I also don't recommend loading different ammo in each tube and trying to select one for a specific need. While you can train to run a KSG, flipping a switch for slug might not be a great idea when you forget there is buckshot in the chamber. Too much difference in operation, and too much liability. Use it as a reload.

A few people do... Paul at NJ Arms did my SUB-2000. I know Steve at Monmouth Arms does it, as well (did a 16" Tavor for me, and a muzzle brake on my FDE build). Just have to ask around.

Just need to have the muzzle pinned.

Hugo and Emma... My girlfriend got Hugo via friends of hers. They went to an island by Puerto Rico (don't ask me, forget it each time she tells me... I do remember they call them Satos [emoji106]), and he made his way into their rental. When they went across the island to a beach, he showed up... so they decided to bring him back. Only problem is that they couldn't keep him, so she took him. Little over two years old, but she had him since like six weeks. We got Emma in November, and she is just over a year. She is shepard and coonhound. Was adopted in Tennessee, but returned because she chased their chickens. Monmouth County SPCA took her in due to the shelter in Tennessee was a kill-shelter. We originally were looking at American Bulldogs, but she works with children (dogs are with her all day)... so cannot have any bite history. When we picked two other dogs, my girlfriend saw her on the way out and remembered her name. After the other two were found to have a bite history, she said we should meet her. I was against her in the beginning, being I'm not a fan of docked tails, but she is a sweetheart. Had Hugo meet her a little bit, and they got along pretty well (he is still jealous of her). Best decision we could have ever made.