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Just saying hello and thanks..
Larry_K
Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
Hi guys (and gals of course..),
I'm new to these here parts..
I've been around guns pretty much my whole life, but after moving back from Dallas to Memphis back in '98 I pretty much hung up my holster. My wife's ex had a gun obsession that really bothered her, he was a LITTLE too much into it by her standards and she was very gun shy. Luckily my parents moved back to Memphis earlier this year, so I have my ole' shooting partner back, me & my dad used to go to the range weekly at one point, and usually we would make it out to a range at least once a month. I just had back surgery earlier in August (ugggghhh, 2nd back surgery for a ruptured disc at L4 and I just hit 30 on the 19th of August!), so my hobby of woodworking will have to take a seat on the back burner for quite awhile I'm afraid. Perfect time to get back to the shooting sports I always enjoyed.
Considering the last time I actually bought a firearm was back in around 1990, boy has the scenery changed.
I've been using the search feature quite a bit over the last week, and have gained LOTS of info. It is tougher right now condsidering I can't really get out of the house, so I can only dream about tearing up those round paper villians. My wife borrowed her parents Jimmy on Saturday and I DID finally get to go see my parents, and also got to go out to IHOP for some breakfast for dinner but I felt like I'd been run through the ringer after seeing all that action, had to come and take a pain killer because of how sore I was..
I'm planning on picking up a new handgun within the next month or so. I've been around a few models of S&W and loved them all, my favorite being the M57 .41M, luckily still have that great gun. I'm 6'4" and have pretty large hands, so I'm much more comfortable with a medium-large frame, but if I'm going to fire 300-400 rounds in a single afternoon the .41 can get to be a bit too much.
I'm looking for a .357, and based on all the info I've gathered from searches I'm looking towards either a Ruger GP-100 or a S&W 686, with 4" barrel. My dad currently has a S&W 586, so I know how a 686 feels, but his 586 is out of comission at the moment and will have to be sent off to S&W for repairs, don't remember the failure, but it's one that multiple gunsmiths have told him it can only be repaired by S&W . I just have to get him to get it to them and get it back up and running!
I'm planning on running a LOT of rounds through it, and from the sounds of it the GP-100 is built pretty solidly. My dad is a hobbiest gunsmith, and I also know of a few other good smiths around town so the factory trigger for the Ruger isn't of much concern since I can get that touched up pretty easily.
With any luck, I'll be able to save up and get a semi within the next year or so. Now that will be a totally different ballgame as far as choices... At the very least I'll wait until I can afford to look in the $600-700+ ranges and then pick based on track record and what feels right instead of ONLY what's in my budget.
Again, thanks for already helping out with the loads of info you guys already have here, and just be cautioned that I CAN ask some pretty dumb questions some times.. Especially when I get to looking for a semi-auto, the only type I've EVER used are the inexpensive 1911 styles, and the very cheap .380/9mm.
Thanks,
Larry
I'm new to these here parts..
I've been around guns pretty much my whole life, but after moving back from Dallas to Memphis back in '98 I pretty much hung up my holster. My wife's ex had a gun obsession that really bothered her, he was a LITTLE too much into it by her standards and she was very gun shy. Luckily my parents moved back to Memphis earlier this year, so I have my ole' shooting partner back, me & my dad used to go to the range weekly at one point, and usually we would make it out to a range at least once a month. I just had back surgery earlier in August (ugggghhh, 2nd back surgery for a ruptured disc at L4 and I just hit 30 on the 19th of August!), so my hobby of woodworking will have to take a seat on the back burner for quite awhile I'm afraid. Perfect time to get back to the shooting sports I always enjoyed.
Considering the last time I actually bought a firearm was back in around 1990, boy has the scenery changed.
I've been using the search feature quite a bit over the last week, and have gained LOTS of info. It is tougher right now condsidering I can't really get out of the house, so I can only dream about tearing up those round paper villians. My wife borrowed her parents Jimmy on Saturday and I DID finally get to go see my parents, and also got to go out to IHOP for some breakfast for dinner but I felt like I'd been run through the ringer after seeing all that action, had to come and take a pain killer because of how sore I was..
I'm planning on picking up a new handgun within the next month or so. I've been around a few models of S&W and loved them all, my favorite being the M57 .41M, luckily still have that great gun. I'm 6'4" and have pretty large hands, so I'm much more comfortable with a medium-large frame, but if I'm going to fire 300-400 rounds in a single afternoon the .41 can get to be a bit too much.
I'm looking for a .357, and based on all the info I've gathered from searches I'm looking towards either a Ruger GP-100 or a S&W 686, with 4" barrel. My dad currently has a S&W 586, so I know how a 686 feels, but his 586 is out of comission at the moment and will have to be sent off to S&W for repairs, don't remember the failure, but it's one that multiple gunsmiths have told him it can only be repaired by S&W . I just have to get him to get it to them and get it back up and running!
I'm planning on running a LOT of rounds through it, and from the sounds of it the GP-100 is built pretty solidly. My dad is a hobbiest gunsmith, and I also know of a few other good smiths around town so the factory trigger for the Ruger isn't of much concern since I can get that touched up pretty easily.
With any luck, I'll be able to save up and get a semi within the next year or so. Now that will be a totally different ballgame as far as choices... At the very least I'll wait until I can afford to look in the $600-700+ ranges and then pick based on track record and what feels right instead of ONLY what's in my budget.
Again, thanks for already helping out with the loads of info you guys already have here, and just be cautioned that I CAN ask some pretty dumb questions some times.. Especially when I get to looking for a semi-auto, the only type I've EVER used are the inexpensive 1911 styles, and the very cheap .380/9mm.
Thanks,
Larry
Comments
Best!!!
Rugster
Toujours Pret
B - BreatheR - RelaxA - AimS - SightS - Squeeze
If you will blame gun makers for every shooting then blame car maker for every car accident.
AlleninAlaska
http://www.outdoor-o-rama.com
He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
-- Thomas Paine
Wanted to respond to SaxonPig real quick...
He was out of her life way before I met her, but here's the story, and she's not usually one to overstate things too much..
From what she's told me about him, he would be the neighbor that you really wish would sell all his guns. He was always HOPING for a chance to get to shoot someone. I don't think he ever did, but as a CO at a fed prison she said he enjoyed getting to beat prisoners around when they acted up.
From what I gather, when she meant he was 'too' much into them, it was more the reasons he liked them. He didn't see them as great joys to use, he ONLY saw them as something that you can kill someone with. He only had maybe one or two guns at any given time, but it was his whole personality regarding weapons that she had a hatred for.
When I explained to her that I love to shoot, and have since I was a kid, and that I see shooting as a sport much like how others go play golf she was like 'Ohh, that's cool'. Her only request was that I don't push guns on her. I have a feeling I can get her into it, but I may have to start her out with a smaller round than the .38/.357. I do have my dads little S&W .22 revovler tucked away in the safe, if I can talk her into going to therange with me I'll bring that along and I'm sure she'll enjoy it, and from there I can hopefully get her to where she would feel comfortable with something larger.
Hopefully that explains what was meant, not a quantity thing, but a mental thing.
Larry
Welcome indeed. You can't go wrong with either of the choices you're looking at, but it might be fun to take the offered suggestion and check the classifieds for a Python too. Some people buy these magnums and are afraid to shoot them. You might find a new one in your price range on the pre-owned market. Not that there's anything wrong with your current round of choices; there isn't.
I got away from my enthusiasm for the hobby the last few years too -- I let my subscriptions to everything but Guns & Ammo and American Rifleman lapse, but 9/11 sat me STRAIGHT UP in my chair and I've been back enjoying guns as an interest for the last year. I've also renewed my subs to a number of the gun magazines, which are a great way for you to catch up too, especially since you can't get out. I always love to get the latest mag in the mailbox and get my "fix."
You'll enjoy it around here. We have a lot of wits and experienced shooters on this board, and very few halfwits (thank goodness).
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
"It was like that when I got here".
So ask away.. you will get some very helpful answers.... and by the way.. hubby knows who I am now.. *LOL
Lil' Stinker's Opinion
There are some guys here partial to S& W and some to Rugers, but both make good firearms and I see it as more a matter of aesthetics and preference. Personally, I like the Smiths best of all wheel guns, but that's just my bias; Ruger finishes a strong second in my book.
Deep sympathy on the back. I've been fighting a congenital back deformity for years. That is, of course, in addition to my many other shortcomings as detailed by my ex!
Guns only have two enemies: Rust and Liberals....
I'm new here too, and you'll find out ,like I did, there are some really good people here. Those other forums don't measure up to this one, some of them are full of egotists like...
Bartman
If I knew then, what I know now.
Dont carry anything more than a couple of pounds away from the body.
Good luck.
Been there, done that.
"The great object is that every man.... everyone who is able may have a gun." Patrick Henry
I HAVE to drive a 2dr blazer for work (company vehicle), I hate that thing, but it does ride decently and has great power for a small sized SUV type. I can't remember where I read it (maybe here..) but it's a proven fact that a company owned vehicle has at least 30% more power than a privately owned vehicle. Also, the shift points for an auto transmission are higher on them too, mine always goes up to around 5,500 RPM before shifting... I wonder why I only get 200 miles to a tank of gas in that thing though? Maybe something to do with my driving style in it though, but just speculating.
For going to teh range, I'll have to live with my '95 F-150. I love that truck, with ONE exception. When buying I skimped and bought manual trans instead of the auto. Saved me a couple of grand, but after getting married and having a wife that doesn't know how to drive a manual I have to drive anytime a family need requires a pickup. And no, I'm not going to teach her in my baby. With my back problems, I KNOW I'm not gonna be the one to put a clutch in that thing and don't really want to have to pay to have it done either.
I think my mother in law would KILL me if I told her someone sad a bad word about her 'Jimmy'. She loves that thing, always brags about how it is a '4x4', hee hee. Funny thing about that, is that she never needs 4wd for any reasons around here, except for the 1" of snow we get every 2 years. They MAY be trading it in soon though, to get a mini-van style. My father in law's health isn't too hot (from multiple strokes), and he will likely have to go ahead and get a lift/electric scooter chair pretty soon. The only outside places he can handle are ones that require VERY little walking, like visiting our house, or to a store that has electric weheelchairs (ie..WallyWorld). He's a great guy, it's sad to see what a stroke does to you especially since it's usually irreversible damage that's done when you go through one unless you have a VERY minor one.
The part about the bum back, it was my 2nd surgery, and do NOT want to have to go back under the knife, ESPECIALLY considering that if I go through this again fusion will likely be the doctors choice I don't want to get to that. I'm only 30, WAY too young to have to think about having a fusion operation. It's kinda nice to an extent, wife is having to take out trash, cook dinner, mow lawn... I do actually miss taking care of the lawn though, I kinda enjoy seeing how good the yard looks when I get done even though I spend 3 hours doing it. Not sure if I'll be back to lawn duties this year or not. Going back to the neurosurgeon on Sept 10th so I guess we'll see how I'm doing then. Haven't worked since Aug 5th, so that's gonna be the biggest thing to get used to again I guess. Good news though, I used up my last day of vacation on Aug 6th when I went into the ER, BUT my office extended my vacation time until my short term disabilty kicks in after 30 days. WOO HOO!!! Of course, when the bills start rolling in after spending two days in ER, saw four doctors within same week, and finally had surgery on a weekend. Hopefully I'll get back to getting out of the house, and get my wife to approve my .357 purchase before we get slammed with bills! One can only hope. At least if I DO get the .357 I already have plenty of ammo. I did some counting tonight from the 'ammo stash' I have, and I counted about 500 rounds of .357 and over 800 rounds of .38sp. I think I've got around 200 rounds of .41M and about 250 rounds of .44M. Even if I don't get the .357 I can still do some shooting without too much expense, but if I DO I will REALLY be able to get back into it quickly.
Larry
Enjoy your stay here with us and come back often
Charlie
"It's the stuff dreams are made of Angel"NRA Certified Firearms InstructorMember: GOA, RKBA, NJSPBA, NJ area rep for the 2ndAMPD. njretcop@copmail.com