California Says One Gun a Month, So...

Oh, and an update from April...

Another off my hitlist, an S&W 648 (stainless, medium frame, .22 Magnum):


Shoots good! (I was aiming for the 9.)


I found this beauty online for a great price: Browning BAR Hell's Canyon Speed in .300 Win. Mag. Needs an optic (no sights!) and I'm sure it will be a real boomer! (That's a .308 on the right for comparison.)


And I put the optic on my M9 (that's the boresighter sticking out of the muzzle):




This one is currently in jail and will get out in a couple of weeks. Glock 23.

Nice. The only thing new I picked up was this meme shotgun when the bidenbux rolled around.


And just after I finished with my PTR-91 Ian put out his much better modernization video. (mine does shoot like a dream though, that enhanced buffer works wonders.)

I love this new breed of mag-fed semi-auto bullpup shotguns coming out. How does it shoot? Reliable?

Was thinking about a PTR-91. I have a genuine HK-91 but it never comes out of the safe since California surrounds "assault weapons" with a minefield of regulations. I'd have to go with a fin grip and a muzzle brake, but these are annoyances more than any real hindrance.

I havent had any issues with it from the 100 rounds of 2 3/4 00 ive put through it. It fed the whole 20 round drum and 2 10 round mags I bought for it as well. It has a weird and complicated breakdown and the charging handle reciprocates, but those are minor criticisms. Biggest gripe was I had to buy sights separate, but this is also a $600 gun. Material quality doesnt feel the best, but its far from flimsy. Its a few inches longer than the PS90 with the 16 inch barrel and it balances well enough with the 5+1 mag.

Edit: if you end up with a ptr-91 get the enhanced buffer. It will require a stock replacement as well as the enhanced buffer housing is longer, but it cuts out a noticible amount of recoil.

I was required to carry a 23 for years. You'll be fine, but I did notice that I liked the 23C a lot more with that short barrel.

This may be the most ‘Murican thing I’ve ever seen.

I certainly hope that both chambers have to fire for that rifle to unlock. If you get a hangfire in one chamber, but the other chamber goes and it propels both bolts back...

Finally!

Next month's gun. Paid a few hundred over MSRP, but it's been a dream gun for many years.

Getting ready to add some optics!

The Leupold VX-3HD 4.5-14x40 is for the BAR and it matches the rifle's burnt bronze color.

The Vortex PST 1-4x24 is for the Mini-14. This is the Gen I; maybe I shoulda got the Gen II which is 1-6x, but the newer model is $100 more and doesn't have the tacti-cool turrets.

Picked up the Glock, did the paperwork for the Python, and put a Tikka Compact Tactical Rifle (6.5 Creedmoor, stainless) into the queue for next month!

My Python, waiting in jail for the next 30 days. This thing is soooo slick. Double action is like butter. Single action is crisp but a little bit heavy. The gun itself is beautiful.


Tikka CTR (stock photo):


A new safe goes to the top of the priority queue.

BAR with Leupold optic! I hope it shoots as good as it looks!

Mini-14 with scope! Yep, I shoulda gone with the Gen II and higher power. Don't know why I thought tactical turrets were necessary on a gun that shoots minute of barely adequate groups.

Anyway, I carried the silver/black theme through! (Aw, geez, now people might think I'm a Raiders fan...)

Shame on you. Black makes it a Scary Assault Rifle and it will promptly be banned.

Yeah, I shoulda gone for the harmless model with the wood stock. Wood grain takes the sting out of 5.56mm.

I was musing the other day that in California, I can have a semi-auto magazine-fed rifle with a short rifle stock or a long rifle stock, but if I equip that rifle with a stock that allows me to adjust between these lengths, I've committed a felony!

Well, my vacation got pushed back to March (thanks, Covid), so I had a little extra money in October's budget. So...



Smith and Wesson M&P10. A .308 AR. It's been a long while since I've seen one on the shelves here. My LGS had this one and the price wasn't too bad (basically MSRP).

This is currently configured as a break-open top loader (break open the halves of the receiver, insert cartridges into a fixed magazine). But I'm going to change it to a Maglock (break-open, then magazine release works normally). It's a bit of a pain, but I prefer this way to a fin grip/featureless configuration. Clever devices reduce this to a minor nuisance.

Now to choose an optic for it. I'm thinking it will be the Vortex PST Gen II 1-6x.

It is tough to find the safe I want: a Browning, size 49T (49 long gun, tall).

I found one this afternoon at a local shop, but it was the model with the really nice glossy paint. About $5600. Yikes.

I called another shop, they had another model for $5100. Right brand, right size. Slightly less glossy. Prices online for that safe are around $3700, but come with a several month leadtime. I thought long and hard about it.

Some more googling brought up a model at Cabela's/Bass Pro Shops that was the right brand, size, and price. I called the store way down in San Jose and the lady told me they only had the floor model left.

I went down after work to check it out. Sure enough. Just right. And only $1850(!!!).

But they weren't sure they could sell it (they could) and they weren't sure they could deliver it (they could BUT...).

I had to find someone to move this thing for me (it's 1000 pounds). So I got in touch with someone who, I believe, is a Russian mafioso who told me: "Can move in morning but will cost you." He gives me the figure; I cringe, but it's not that awful, just more than I'd like.

So, I go back to the Bass Pro guy to see what the deal is on delivering it. They will, for only $250, but only as far as the doorstep. So, how am I going to get a 1000 pound safe into the house? I'm going to have to rent or buy an industrial grade dolly and hire some Mexicans from the front of Home Depot.

I decide to pay Sergei the Razor to move it. It'll cost a few more bucks, but there are fewer moving parts.



Hopefully, this finds its way to my Mancave tomorrow.

Oooooooh, an AR-10, wouldn't mind side-by-side trying one out next to my ptr-91.

I rented a Sig 308 AR maybe 5-6 years ago and really liked it. At the time, I was deciding between a 308 AR and the Springfield Armory SOCOM 16, and ultimately went with the latter, and, though I love the SOCOM, I've still carried that urge for the big AR.

It's been awhile since I've seen S&W M&P10s, but they've popped up in several places lately, so I presume Smith has made a new batch.

I has a new safe!

Sergei turned out to be a young Ukrainian guy who really knows the business of moving safes. He has this cool, motorized, heavy duty dolly and was able to maneuver the 1000 pound behemoth into place quickly.

My entire collection fits in the safe, and I'm now using the old safe for ammo storage.

No, black makes it look sexier so jerking off to it is faster and more efficient.

Hey didn't name anyone, and fear and arousal can be deeply entwined. If people will be scared of it based on the colour then the other also makes sense.

edit: Whoops, didn't realise what room this was, will now exit the safe space.

Brought the M&P10 home today...he took an extra month because I bought the Python last month and California law doesn't let one buy a semi-auto rifle and a handgun in the same 30 day period.

I've got a Vortex PST scope to put on, but I need to get some rings. This is also a fixed magazine gun, so I'll be converting it to a more usable AR Maglock setup.

While I was at my LGS, a shipment of these came in, so I put one in the queue for next month: an HK MP5 22, a .22 semi-auto replica of their MP5 submachine gun. Just for fun at the range. It will need a red dot optic.

Brought the MP5-22 home today. Cute little sucker!



And I've got another in the queue: a Riley AKM-style rifle...


I have a pre-ban Chinese AK/Type 56 (PolyTech), but I wanted a California compliant one so I don't have to negotiate the minefield of potential felonies whenever I take it out of the safe. At least I can use my hi-cap magazines with this.

40 years ago, I read a Guns&Ammo(?) review of the Maadi AK, at that time the only AK imported into the U.S. I thought it was extremely cool, but it was VERY expensive (and I was poor[ish] and a kid) so I couldn't get one. Fortunately, other AKs eventually flooded the market and I got mine in 1989 (just before California quasi-banned them).

But I always wanted that Maadi, because it was an AKM and had that nifty little slant brake on the muzzle. This new Riley model I bought has that. Objective complete!

Eh, I'd be happy if I was even allowed to own a pea gun like that.

Though for some reason, antique black powder guns are legal to own in Sweden with no license.

I take it you mean muzzle-loading black powder guns. One couldn't get into too much mischief with one of those because they're very slow to reload.

But if all blackpowder guns are allowed, a Walker Colt would be almost as useful as a modern handgun. It took almost 100 years for a more powerful handgun to surpass it!

No, that gun is legal to buy, sell, own and fire without a license in Sweden

Edit to clarify: All guns manufactured before 1890 that do not use modern style all-in-one cartridges (what's the proper English translation of "gastäta enhetspatroner...") are exempt from license. You do not need to keep them in a secure locker. You may not carry them in public (in the same way you're not allowed to walk around in public with a bidenhänder) but you're allowed to, for example, take them to a shooting range. There are some sites that specialize in selling these guns to the Swedish public, as you can imagine, they aren't cheap.

Crossbows are much harder regulated. All crossbows require a license and getting a license for a crossbow is near-impossible.

I don't suppose I want to know how hard it is to get a license for a modern handgun there.

You probably don't. It's doable to get a license for a hunting rifle. In order to get a license for a modern handgun you need to be a competition shooter, more or less.

I figured. An AR-15 would probably be out of the question.