Gun Appreciation Thread

[JustinW]

Originally Posted by suited

Thanks, it was my great, great grandfather's.

Wow! That is pretty special.

 

[suited]

Originally Posted by JustinW

Wow! That is pretty special.
Hopefully it will be mine one day (it belongs to my father). I knew he had an old 1911, and I wanted to get it refinished for him for father's day. After realizing what it was, I obviously would never do anything to the gun but keep it in its original condition.

 

[milosz]

Originally Posted by TotesMcGotes

Just wondering what you guys thought about an HK P30 as the first one I actually own.

I had a P30 LEM, my father has a P30L DA/SA.

The LEM was a great gun - easy to shoot, accurate, dead reliable. But I couldn't find a comfortable grip that didn't have my thumb riding the slide release (meaning it didn't lock back on empty). If I consciously held my thumb off, it was fine - but muscle memory built on 1911s and similar guns made that hard. Decided it wasn't worth it, sold the gun. If the grip design works for you, it's a fantastic pistol. Todd Green at pistol-training.com put 75k or 100k rounds downrange over the course of a year and only cleaned it a half-dozen times or so.

My father's P30L had a ridiculously heavy trigger from the factory - by far the heaviest DA pull I've experienced. SA was crisp and fine. If I picked up a DA/SA P30 I'd send it to Bruce Gray (grayguns.com IIRC) for a trigger job.

If you want a DA/SA gun, the Sig P226 and P229 are great options. Out of the box they're perfectly shootable, magazines are affordable, the guns are somewhat more expensive than a Glock/M&P but roughly the same as the P30.

If you want a gun where every trigger is the same, I'd say rent a Glock or M&P, decide which one you like the grip and trigger on. I love the feel of M&Ps, but the reset on the trigger is so weak and indistinct I end up short-stroking the trigger too often.

Note - the issues I describe are my fault really, for having too many guns of too many different types and spreading my shooting between them - any of the above are perfectly good firearms if you train on them enough to adapt to their quirks (whether it's the slide release/proper grip, trigger, etc..).

 

[TotesMcGotes]

What is a DA/SA and LEM?
I know less than I thought, you have humbled me sir.

 

[suited]

Originally Posted by TotesMcGotes

What is a DA/SA and LEM?
I know less than I thought, you have humbled me sir.

Double action, single action, law enforcement modification.

 

[milosz]

H&K semi-autos come in three basic trigger styles:
DA/SA - in this, you chamber a round and hit the decocker, putting the hammer down. This makes your first shot longer and heavier than successive shots.
LEM - every round is the same, from first to last, after chambering a round.
SA - chamber a round, switch the safety on - every round is the same from first to last, but quite a bit lighter than with a LEM.

(DA - double action, SA - single action, LEM - Law Enforcement Modification)

LEM is the most similar to a Glock trigger, but it's heavier with a longer reset (the amount your trigger finger lets the trigger out after a shot before it can shoot again). One advantage is that it has an external hammer, so you can thumb the trigger back while you holster, shaving off a percentage of the chance that you have a negligent discharge while holstering (which is not common with Glocks/M&Ps/XDs, but far from unheard of).

 

[milosz]

Right now, based on what I see in shops and at shows, the vast majority of P30s retail available are 9mm DA/SA guns, followed by .40 S&W SA guns, followed by 9mm LEMs.

 

[JustinW]

Now that Sabre Defense is under indictment for fraud and being auctioned off, does that mean we won't see any genuine Steyr AUGs built in the US?

 

[Crane's]

Originally Posted by JustinW

Now that Sabre Defense is under indictment for fraud and being auctioned off, does that mean we won't see any genuine Steyr AUGs built in the US?
Years ago I had a Steyr AUG. Awesome gun, wish I never sold it.

 

[JustinW]

Originally Posted by Crane's

Years ago I had a Steyr AUG. Awesome gun, wish I never sold it.

I traded my issue SLR for a brand new F88 Austeyr just before I left the Defense Force. Pretty cool little riffle - especially when I had it set-up for left-hander only shooting. I'd like to get a civy version some day.

 

[milosz]

I think Steyr had already indefinitely suspended domestic production. Too many black rifles already out there, and the AUG is a niche inside of a niche.

 

[JustinW]

Originally Posted by milosz

I think Steyr had already indefinitely suspended domestic production. Too many black rifles already out there, and the AUG is a niche inside of a niche.
Well, that will be good for MSAR, I guess. Speaking of old service firearms, I was issued an F1 SMG for a couple of days when we were training with a US Navy medical team once. It was pretty cool, though I only got to shoot it a couple of times on a range. If I could get more details on them, I'd think about trying to make one using a Sterling parts kit and some SLR furniture. Obviously, the biggest difference is the top-feeding magazine and 'sideways' receiver.

 

[Duff_Man]

Originally Posted by JustinW

I traded my issue SLR for a brand new F88 Austeyr just before I left the Defense Force. Pretty cool little riffle - especially when I had it set-up for left-hander only shooting. I'd like to get a civy version some day.

Wow, you're old.

 

[JustinW]

Originally Posted by Duff_Man

Wow, you're old.

Hey, I didn't even mention the Mk1 SMLEs we used to drill with in the school cadet corp.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Originally Posted by JustinW

Well, that will be good for MSAR, I guess.


I'm not sure MSAR is even alive at this point. This is purely unsubstantiated rumor, but there is a lot of buzz about MSAR having "gone dark".

In the course of their move from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, apparently they have stopped responding to customer service requests and warranty repairs. Supposedly Ratworx USA is taking on the warranty work in their stead so MSAR owners like myself are not totally out in the cold.

I've not had occasion to use their warranty so I cannot verify this. I will say that I have been waiting for a MSAR accessory since December 2009 but it's not a critical part so I am content to wait. Hell, if I've been waiting since 2007 for my next Randall knife, I can wait a few months more (my knife is due in 2012).

I would exercise extreme caution if anyone here is looking to buy a MSAR STG or E4.