Topic: The Gun Thread

[Tamer]

I wasn't sure if I should start this here or in Sports (many people think shooting falls along those lines), but ultimately I decided here was best after RC-1136 said we needed to start one as evidently there are a few of us who like this. I thought it was a great idea.

My background into firearms is that I grew up with them. Probably the biggest tradition in my area growing up with the week at the end of November when everyone got together to deer hunt. I can still remember the buckwheat breakfast my grandma would make before everyone went out. Being able to join that breakfast as a hunter myself the first time is one of my fondest kid memories. I still deer and turkey hunt, not as much as I used too, but I still go a few days to remember my heritage if you will.

Tack on a stint in the army and being a certified hunter safety instructor in WV I have found I just enjoy a good built firearm, optic, and shooting as much as anything anymore. My latest fun has been with my first pistol purchase, a Canik Tp9Sfx. I have wanted one for a long time (I am mainly a rifle guy) and after doing a lot of research and wanting to use a holo site (for me Burris Fastfire 3) this one seemed like a good bet. The set up and mounting of the optic was simple as was the takedown to clean it before I fired it for the first time. Here is a better look at it and my first grouping with it at 25 yards (it took me just one adjustment on the red dot site to hit the bull). This was just me resting off my banister on my front porch (I live in the middle of the woods).









I liked the red dot site so much (Burris Fastfire 3) that I bought another one and mounted it on my Turkey Shotgun (I will do pics with it later on when I site it in). The optic has a pitcanny accesory if you need it and will co-witness with regular iron sights on most firearms. The best thing about it too is it has a lifetime warranty with no questions asked and you don't have to send in a warranty card. I like that type of dedication. It also withstands a ton of recoil. I think you could use it on an elephant gun. The power button is simple too with just four modes ( first is auto adjust with available light which I always leave it on), two is bright, three is less bright, and four is dim, while another push turns it off. It stays on for 8 hours if you forget to shut it off, but this is nice for forgetful people like me. It is so nice for my old eyes which have a hard time focusing on closer ranges anymore.

I have another red dot sight called a Vortex Spartan I put on a souped up tactical SKS I have (pics on that one later) that is nice too, but I haven't even shot it or sighted it in yet. I might make that some of my fun for next week.

I also have quite a few hunting rifles I can share pics of if folks want; most bolt-action rifles in various calibers. I have either an optic problem or some type of problem with my 7mm Rem Mag I need to flush out in the near future too. It seems to be throwing shots and won't line up with the scope. I also have a few AR type rifles and some military surplus stuff and a crossbow (it shoots almost like a gun) too. Anyhew, I figure this is enough to get us started.

[JDeck]

I have this old Belgian double barrel shotgun. I have no idea what it is to be honest. I'm more into antique military weapons, and this seems to be like a bird hunting gun.  It says, touzalin armes chateaurenault . I know chateau means house and Renault made vehicles, but other than that I'm clueless   Any thoughts? I can't find anything on it.

[RC-1136]

Top: Remington 870 Tactical Shotgun, with after market mods.

Middle: M-4 Carbine...leftover from military surplus and is my patrol rifle from work. The government knows we have fully auto rifles but doesn't care...lol

First pistol is my service weapon. Glock 17, .9mm.

Second pistol is my conceal carry/back up gun. Sig Sauer P320(C), .9mm.


The notorious third click!


Here's a picture of myself shooting my buddy's Romanian PSL (Drugnaov knockoff doppelganger)

[Tamer]

JDeck I have never even heard of that shotgun brand. Sounds French? It is definitely an upland bird gun. I have heard back in the day they would release thousands of game birds into a piece of property, station a person every few hundred yards or so in a line and then flushers would go towards the shooters and the birds by the hundreds would fly over the shooters. I wonder if this gun was made for something like those hunts?

[Tamer]

RC,

Those are some fantastic firearms. I love that tac'd out 870. I am thinking of trying to buy a black synthetic 870 express and put a speed bead on it to have an upland bird/skeet gun. I have never done a bunch of that, but the 870 imo is probably the best pump shotgun out there. I remember winning a turkey shoot one time with an old 870 wingmaster as just a daggone kid. I did so good the organizer of the event told me not to bring the gun back!

I am envious of your AR for that third click on your safety. I have never had a need for full auto, even in the service, but it sure is fun to shoot that way. I remember how serious the zeroing was back in the day. All those clicks. It seems you like iron sights. Nothing to fail on those at all. Still, get yourself a flat top, put a red dot on it, and tell me you don't pick up your target quicker. Its just unreal. I have an Olympic Arms AR with a hunting scope on it. It is my freezer filler as WV does an end of year Christmas Season for whitetails and I love to use it. You can shoot more than once and having a semi is critical imo. And the feel and lack of recoil of the AR just makes me more accurate. At 300 yards I am unreal, and I don't think I am that great of a shot.

Now your pistols are fantastic. I see iron sights once again. Are those just tac lights or are they lasers too? Seem nice. I thought about getting something for my Canik, but am unsure about how much weight those would add and I really like the feel of it now. It might be interesting to see how a laser and the red dot sight would co-witness. It could be awesome or really screw things up I would think. Glock and Sig are just awesome brands too. About the only other one I might consider is smith and wesson. Their M and P line really seems nice. Does the Sig have a safety? I know the Glock doesn't. How do you feel about that? I know my Canik doesn't have a safety and when I have one in the chamber I am really careful with muzzle control. I wonder if I would be as careful if I knew it had a safety? I am just wondering if you like the pistol with our without a manual safety?

That last image reminds me of my tricked out SKS a lot! I will post some pics sometime soon. I really enoy the tactical look. I was watching a shotshow 2020 video on youtube this morning and saw an AR on a tactical bolt action platform and the accuracy they were stating was unreal (.35 at 100 yards for the best groups no worse than .75).

Thank you for sharing your picks.

[Tamer]

Ok, here is my latest fun with my firearms. Once again I liked the Burris Fastfire 3 on my pistol so much I got one for my turkey shotgun. The past few years I had a scope on it and was really having a hard time focusing on the target and the birds. I actually had two gobblers on two separate occasions get away from me because I couldn't get em in the scope. After seeing my target acquisition with the pistol this was just a no brainer. I can't wait to get some shells in to try it out, but you can shoot with both eyes open!





Turkey season starts April 20th and the way this work stoppage thing is going I might actually have some time to hunt em this spring. With how warm things are though, the gobblers will probably be henned up. It is extremely hard to get em away from their girlfriends and they don't gobble much. I got skunked last year cause of it.

I am also starting to research an upland bird/skeet/trap shotgun that I want to put a red dot on.  I have always wanted to try that out, but the way my eyesight has been the past few years, till I found out about red dots I have thought that was done for me. I just can't focus on the iron sights and then the target. One of them was always blurry. The red dot, at least the BF3, for me allows me to keep both eyes open and focus only on the target and I can really get on target fast now. I am probably gonna go Rem870, but Stoeger has a cheaper pump that seems nice for the money. I want pump or semi-auto.

[RC-1136]

RC,

Those are some fantastic firearms. I love that tac'd out 870. I am thinking of trying to buy a black synthetic 870 express and put a speed bead on it to have an upland bird/skeet gun. I have never done a bunch of that, but the 870 imo is probably the best pump shotgun out there. I remember winning a turkey shoot one time with an old 870 wingmaster as just a daggone kid. I did so good the organizer of the event told me not to bring the gun back!

I am envious of your AR for that third click on your safety. I have never had a need for full auto, even in the service, but it sure is fun to shoot that way. I remember how serious the zeroing was back in the day. All those clicks. It seems you like iron sights. Nothing to fail on those at all. Still, get yourself a flat top, put a red dot on it, and tell me you don't pick up your target quicker. Its just unreal. I have an Olympic Arms AR with a hunting scope on it. It is my freezer filler as WV does an end of year Christmas Season for whitetails and I love to use it. You can shoot more than once and having a semi is critical imo. And the feel and lack of recoil of the AR just makes me more accurate. At 300 yards I am unreal, and I don't think I am that great of a shot.

Now your pistols are fantastic. I see iron sights once again. Are those just tac lights or are they lasers too? Seem nice. I thought about getting something for my Canik, but am unsure about how much weight those would add and I really like the feel of it now. It might be interesting to see how a laser and the red dot sight would co-witness. It could be awesome or really screw things up I would think. Glock and Sig are just awesome brands too. About the only other one I might consider is smith and wesson. Their M and P line really seems nice. Does the Sig have a safety? I know the Glock doesn't. How do you feel about that? I know my Canik doesn't have a safety and when I have one in the chamber I am really careful with muzzle control. I wonder if I would be as careful if I knew it had a safety? I am just wondering if you like the pistol with our without a manual safety?

That last image reminds me of my tricked out SKS a lot! I will post some pics sometime soon. I really enoy the tactical look. I was watching a shotshow 2020 video on youtube this morning and saw an AR on a tactical bolt action platform and the accuracy they were stating was unreal (.35 at 100 yards for the best groups no worse than .75).

Thank you for sharing your picks.

For me, safety is always my Boogerhook. I control the bang switch in a safe and professional manner. I take the cardinal rule of firearms very seriously. I have tactical lights on each pistol, they have iron sights with night sights on them. Unfortunately the AR doesn't have much in terms of equipment on it. And I have to have the agency armorer inspect and approve/install attachments. Those sights run way more than what I make right now (I make about $14/hour, for a total of 86.25 hours every 2 weeks). Once I'm out of training I'll make about $18/hour for the same amount of hours. The city is doing a pay study and seeing about paying more. Because due to how many people are in our city, we should have 35 officers. We have 15 total. My sig also doesn't have a safety. Same as a Glock. I have no issues with that. And I love my 870. It has a side saddle, window/door break choke, custom foreend slide and stock with minimal recoil. It feels like shooting an AR or less. Instead of a shotgun. And the fire rate is insane if you can manipulate the action quick enough. I have practiced to where I can speed load.

[JDeck]

JDeck I have never even heard of that shotgun brand. Sounds French? It is definitely an upland bird gun. I have heard back in the day they would release thousands of game birds into a piece of property, station a person every few hundred yards or so in a line and then flushers would go towards the shooters and the birds by the hundreds would fly over the shooters. I wonder if this gun was made for something like those hunts?

I thought it was French too, but the antique guy said it was Belgian, I agree because Touzalin doesn't exactly sound French, of course French and Belgian are pretty similar. I tried Google, and even they're like WTH?  I think it looks very similar to a Remington model 1900 hammerless, it's possible that's what it could be, but built in Belgium. I dunno, but it's possible. The patterns on the barrel looks like it very well could be made of Damascus steel.

[Tamer]

JDeck sounds like a cool research or maybe even a restoration project. I would definitely get some advice on its worth so you don't end up devaluing it, but man that gun is gorgeous. I could see you wanting to restore it.

[Tamer]

RC,

Yeah the Burris and Vortex's aint cheap. I guess there are quite a few manufacturers out there. I know Sig makes a Romeo folks rave about too. Leupold makes a good one tood and Lueys are my go to brand for regular rifle hunting scopes. They are pricey, but have never let me down. Well, other than one I have on my 7mag now I gotta figure out if its the scope or the gun (Rem 700 BDL).

There is so much aftermarket stuff for the AR I wouldn't even know where to begin. The only thing extra I have on mine so far is just a Burris optic (its a flat top). I am thinking about a light/laser combo but those ain't cheap either and right now I like its weight for my doe harvesting (just cooked up a batch last night and it was awesome). I really should shoot it more though. I am thinking about perhaps getting a 1000 rounds of something 5.56.

And I still have that nagging thing of wanting an upland bird and or trap or skeet gun. Man, hobbies are expensive!

[JDeck]

JDeck sounds like a cool research or maybe even a restoration project. I would definitely get some advice on its worth so you don't end up devaluing it, but man that gun is gorgeous. I could see you wanting to restore it.

It'll definitely be a fun research project. If it is a  Remington 1900, it's probably not worth as much as the American version. As far as restoration it's in perfect condition, everything works, no cracks, even the wood is perfect. I'd like to shine up the barrel and reveal the Damascus finish, but it would completely destroy any value it has.  People want antiques for the age, if you make it like new it's wortlhess. I think there may be some exceptions, but for this the patina is gold, because you can't really replicate the way old guns oxidize.  It's like repainting vintage Kenner figures. If I repainted my Jedi Luke Skywalker face, it would be worth less because it's not original factory paint.

[Tamer]

I went back and looked again. It is a nice look for an old gun.

For me though, I would have to have that baby shining like when it first came off the factory floor. I can see your argument though.

Ok folks, which gun would you like me to share next; hunting rifles, AR, military, souped up sks? I have a plethora of plinking 22s as well. Are any of you thinking about any future gun or optics or accesory purchases?

[Tamer]

Here is my AR:

Oly Arms in 5.56 with a Flat Top for various Optics. Here is what I have on it:

Talk about one fun gun to shoot. That little flip scope cap on the end of the scope is so nice when you have weather out. I think Butler Creek has the market cornered on those for the most part; if you can ever figure out what size you need. Their sizing is just nuts.



I really like the adjustable stock. It makes it easy to transport and doesn't even take a second to get it in firing position. I also like it has a couple options so my daughter can shoot it in a shorter configuration so the gun fits her better and the recoil is almost non-existant.

I took a friend of mine who wanted to learn how to shoot, who had no gun experience at all, to my range and he was hitting bulleyes with this thing in just a couple shots. He wanted to buy the gun. I told him I would help him find one to buy that was similar if he wanted. Of course with the Covid 19 stuff going on the prices on ARs now has went way up. I was seeing decent ones in low 400s and now they are almost twice that if you can even find them now.

Here is something I wonder if there is any use for (RC you might now what this is for)? I have this Pitcanny mount right in front of the scope that for the life of me I don't know what you would use it for as it would get in the way of the sight picture. I could see this if it were on the bottom cause you could put a light or a laser or something on it, but what would you put on top of this that wouldn't interfere with your optic?



This gun also came with some awesome pitcanny iron sights I still have. Its nothing fancy, but boy is it fun to shoot and hunt with. This is my late doe season firearm I have talked about. It is just deadly with Hornady V-Max Ammo.

[Tamer]

Ok, so I am narrowing my sporting clay, upland bird shotgun to two and I need some help with what to get. I am thinking either

Remington 870 12 gauge:
https://www.budsgunshop.com/product_info.php/products_id/95587/remington+870+express+12+28+rem-choke+mod+black

or

Stoeger M3000 12 gauge:
https://www.stoegerindustries.com/m3000-shotgun

Both can accomodate the Speed Bead System which I think would be better for me to wing shoot (it forces you to have your head lower to the gun) and the prices is pretty much the same. So, do I go with a proven brand but is only pump or try the newer Stoeger (reviews seem good) that is semi which means very quick follow up shots if I need them? I also know that for the Rem870 there are just so many after market products that if I decided I wanted to do something else with it it would be a breeze to just buy a new barrel or whatever to put on it. I would love to hear folks give their opinion.

I also think I may need to wait till this Covid 19 thing to go away as firearm and ammo prices are just going nuts now. I like with bread and toilet paper; folks buy up all the guns around too. I guess to protect their bread and toilet paper.

[RC-1136]

You have quite a few weapons there, Tamer. Trophy wall to boot?