California Says One Gun a Month, So...

*sigh*

K-Frame owners unite! I'm jealous of your sights, but I prefer my barrel.

They have a 4.2" barrel version as well, but I have this crazy idea I might get to carry it someday.

So, I've got an X-frame (500), two N-frames (629 and R8), an L-frame (686 7X), and, now, a K-frame (66). All that remains is a J-frame, and I've got my eye on the scandium-framed 360, but it's not available in California yet.

I was also eyeballin' the Les Baer Thunder Ranch this morning. Maybe once my bank account recovers from my vacation...

*looks down at belt*

Yeah, you put that damned idea in my head.

It's the finest 1911 I've ever owned. You won't regret it.

^I really have to sing the praises of the Rock Island 1911. I've got about 700 rounds through it now without any issues, its as accurate as any other pistol I shoot. Fit and finish are better than the Para I used to have. My only issue I have is a bit of vertical play in the trigger, but it's never had any effect on my shooting.

Para, the Chinese knock-offs, and the South American knock-offs are the only companies I've ever heard really bad things about. You don't have to spend half of your life's savings buying a quality 1911. That said, there are things that I personally prefer and look for from a manufacturer.

I want to know what metals they're using. It needs to be high quality carbon or stainless steel throughout. If you can turn the barrel bushing with your fingers without the aid of a bushing wrench the weapon is either old and worn out or, if new, poorly fitted. If the extractor isn't flush with the back of the slide, the piece was poorly fitted. That's the big three off the top of my head. If a weapon fails those three tests, I'm not willing to bet my life on it. But, that's just me and my personal tastes.

Alas, the Thunder Ranch is going to have to wait one more month.

I was in the shop to pick up my Smith & Wesson 66 (and, BTW, I have the 69 on layaway also; can't start the paperwork until 11/20), and they had one of these...



Couldn't help myself. Always wanted a Benelli, and the M4s--especially the H2Os--are sometimes hard to get out here. This means everybody's getting a card for Christmas this year.

Try the image again. Nothing's showing up.

Weird. It shows up for me even inside your quote!

But here it is...

The board is weird sometimes, especially when you try to upload or link to a hosting site from a phone.

Nice scattergun.

It's got a pistol grip. And parts of it are black. That makes it too scary to be legal. Banned!

That's partly why I got it sooner rather than later. I have no doubt it will eventually be banned in California

I'm surprised it isn't, what with the pistol grip and the extended, high cap banana clipizine. Not to mention that "assault" charging handle, no one needs to be able to rack a round that quickly.

Here's the Smith & Wesson 69 (5-shot, medium[L] frame .44 Magnum). That was last month's gun. I like what one guy on YouTube called it: The Noisy Cricket, after the little gun with huge recoil that Will Smith uses in Men in Black.



The Benelli blew a huge hole in my gun budget, so this month's handgun is...



Glock 30SF. I don't think .45 ACP makes much sense in a carry-sized gun, but I've always liked a lot of old school whallop in a small package.

January's handgun will be either the TRS or the Model 29 Classic, whichever I find first.

I'm surprised Cali hasn't banned the subcompact Glocks yet.

In a sense, they have. We can't get anything past Gen 3 here, and who knows how long Glock will keep making those?

Well, better hoard while you can.

*Goes off to lubricate his .50 Cal ar-15, whilst grumbling about the 30 round standard ar mags only holding 11*

I sold all of my Glocks, but my dad upgraded mom's pistol for Christmas. He turned her Glock 19C into a Glock 43 and I have to admit, that's one handy little pistol.

I'd like to have the G43 but...California.

The single-stack subcompact 9mm I've settled on is the M&P Shield, which I can still get here.

.

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I have a Glock 43. Very nice.

I did get a magazine extension on the mag and now the gun is perfect in my hand.

I have nothing but good things to say about my Glock 31, it's the best shooting handgun in my collection.

I haven't shot a .357 SIG yet. I like this caliber as a concept: similar performance to 125 grain .357 Magnum from a 4" revolver out of an auto, and a bottle-necked case that should make for more reliable feeding.

I don't know if I want to add yet another caliber to my collection, but, if I were going to add the .357 SIG, I'd like to have a Sig P239 in that caliber. I shot a P239 in 9mm a few months back and really liked it.

We can still get the Glock 31 here, but it's hobbled with a 10-round magazine.

Round shoots great, recoil is simple and consistent, never had a feed issue, power is great for a semi auto pistol round, and a P239 is on my list, too.

Got it out of jail today (later than I should've because of last week's trip to Mexico)...



#finally

Looks like a dolled up version of my M2

The M2 and M4 are stylistically similar, but I believe their operating mechanisms are very different. The M4 actually has 2(!) gas pistons and is supposed to be automatically self-regulating to function reliably with the full spectrum of 12 gauge rounds.

The shop had another Benelli I like: the M3, which is an M2 that can also be used as a pump. I think Benelli's going to stop making it, though, because it's not in their current catalog.

BTW, I shot my best round of trap ever with an M2. Very fast-handling.

Oh, I wouldn't trade my M2 for anything, she's been a solid workhorse for me for over a decade.