Gun Appreciation Thread

Originally Posted by twoism

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Hopefully going to be getting my first few guns this summer... I've never handled or shot a firearm before, but hunting is something I'd like to get into. Kinda tough when you don't know anyone with guns, or anyone who hunts, heh. Oh well. I'm probably going to start with a Remington 870 and a Ruger 10/22 for dicking around at the range, before I buy a hunting rifle. Thoughts on these guns? I also have my eye on the Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun. Looks like a fun gun!
My first firearm purchase was a 12ga 870 and my favorite gun to shoot is still my 10/22. You can't go wrong with either. Though if you are going to shoot the 870 recreationally I would recommend buying it in 20ga. Your shoulder will thank you after a 50-100 round session.

Originally Posted by Ace Rimmer

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On the Ruger 10/22, you may want to buy a used one for cheap. Most 10/22 owners get the upgrade bug very quickly. You end up throwing out everything except the receiver.

So you may as well pay less for your "base" by purchasing used. The only original parts on my 10/22 are the receiver, bolt and trigger group. Everything else is aftermarket. It's a disease; I've got $700+ into a gun that cost me $130 new!

Word

Originally Posted by twoism

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Hopefully going to be getting my first few guns this summer... I've never handled or shot a firearm before, but hunting is something I'd like to get into. Kinda tough when you don't know anyone with guns, or anyone who hunts, heh. Oh well.

I'm probably going to start with a Remington 870 and a Ruger 10/22 for dicking around at the range, before I buy a hunting rifle. Thoughts on these guns?

I also have my eye on the Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun. Looks like a fun gun!

The 870 and the 10/22 seem like sensible enough choices, but if you are just getting into guns, the Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun seems like an odd choice. It'll do for deer, pigs and maybe black bear at very close range with factory loads, but that's about it. You can jazz it up with hot handloads, but the recoil becomes quite vicious.

For a more generally useful centerfire rifle for general big game hunting, I'd suggest a good bolt-action in .308 Winchester with maybe a 3-9X variable scope. The .308 is mild-mannered and very pleasant to shoot and capable of excellent accuracy, ammunition is everywhere and there are a great variety of loads to choose from. For everything except grizzly and Alaskan brown bears and perhaps bison, it is a reasonable choice. There are no doubt better choices for elk and moose, but if you keep your ranges reasonable and are careful about shot placement, it will certainly suffice on these big animals. The .30-06 has most of the same virtues as the .308 except that it is less pleasant to shoot than the .308, but it is probably somewhat more decisive on the larger beasts.

Plus inexpensive .308 is easier to find than just about any other caliber useful for hunting. I like my .280 but if I were looking for a hunting rifle again I'd probably follow JLibourel's advice.

^^ I would like a line on this "inexpensive 308" plz. Last time I bought 308 for my DSA STG58 it was just under $0.40/rd (Belgian surplus). I have a goodly amount of South African 308 stored up as well but the days of $20/140rd battlepacks are gone.

Well, inexpensive might be bit of a stretch, but you can get the Brown/Golden/Silver Bear stuff and the like for $6-$8 a box of 20 which is sort of affordable for plinking. It certainly beats the $17+++ that 30.06 seems to be going for these days.

^^ Yeah, I hear ya. Did you know you can get cheap 30-06 ball ammo from the Civilian Marksmanship Program? They recently sold out of M2 armor piercing but shortly thereafter lifted their "10 can per year" ammo purchase limit.

I've got several CMP M1 Garands and a Remington 700 ADL in 30-06. The CMP can be a good source of (relatively) cheap plinking ammo if you have a 30-06.

Saw this nice 1958 Ballester Molina on another forum that would look cool next to my Astra 400, but I wouldn't pay $300 for it:

^Per Fjestad's Blue Book $300 is probably a reasonable price for one in that condition.

Originally Posted by JustinW

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Saw this nice 1958 Ballester Molina on another forum that would look cool next to my Astra 400, but I wouldn't pay $300 for it:

gotta ask, would you trust a 50 year old automatic with your life?

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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gotta ask, would you trust a 50 year old automatic with your life?

just as much as the Colt M1911 A1 I carried in the first gulf war.. worked just fine in the close confines of the bunkers. I wouldn't trust it at anything greater than 25 feet.

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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gotta ask, would you trust a 50 year old automatic with your life?

Oh no, if I got it it would be only as a collectable/working antique. Which is why I am not buying it. I could easily become a real firearms collector if I didn't check myself.

Originally Posted by NH_Clark

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just as much as the Colt M1911 A1 I carried in the first gulf war.. worked just fine in the close confines of the bunkers. I wouldn't trust it at anything greater than 25 feet.

you had a wwii era colt 1911 with you in the first gulf? or do you mean that you had a weapon that had been designed 50 years ago?

honestly, I would have to question the judgment if the first was the answer.

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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you had a wwii era colt 1911 with you in the first gulf? or do you mean that you had a weapon that had been designed 50 years ago?

honestly, I would have to question the judgment if the first was the answer.

That sounds reasonable to me. Frame and slide are probably original WW2, the rest would have had so many arsenal refit & finishes as to be 'ageless'?

Originally Posted by JustinW

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That sounds reasonable to me. Frame and slide are probably original WW2, the rest would have had so many arsenal refit & finishes as to be 'ageless'?

ok, that probably makes sense. I'd still prefer to use a personal weapon that was newer, although I feel more secure with older revolvers than older automatics. we used to get 20 year old m-16's and they would be given to artillary people and other people who didn't really need personal weapons.

we did have a lot of 60 mm mortar tubs and 50 caliber machine guns that we wwii era, but they were used mostly for training, and they are pretty robust.

I was thinking that carrying a 50 year old pistol in combat was maybe a sentimental thing, not what was issued but a father's or grandfathers weapon.

or that if the military is issuing people 50 year old handguns to take into combat, I'd question if that is the best way for them to be saving money. I would hope that I would be issued with the best possible tools for the job, not stuff that I didn't trust.

but I might be paranoid - I have fired a 1911, but never carried one. and the IDF isn't a big fan of 1911s.

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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but I might be paranoid - I have fired a 1911, but never carried one. and the IDF isn't a big fan of 1911s.

Bucking the trend, the East Timorese Defense Force recently adopted the 1911 as standard military sidearm (thanks to a kind donation from the USN). While I like the .45acp round, I've never been a big fan of the 1911 - though I have also never carried one.