Master List 4

Getting simpler over time. Had a half dozen of so on Master List #2.  Fewer on #3

In order of desire...

1.  A .45ACP rifle with a big honking suppressor.  DeLisle repro
2. I kinda jones for S&W Model 65 with a 3 inch barrel?  K Frame, "the perfect carry revolver".
3. A .308 rifle good for hunting, with glass.  A tikka?  
4. S&W Model 625.

And I am just sorta spitballing now.  If I happened in to my favorite gun store and Tom said, "Hey, we just got this in" and it was one of the above?  Credit card snap.  I can't think of anything else that would do that.  Not in the sub $3000 range.  

---

I'd buy a $10,000 gun, but I'd have to think on it.  I just can't think of a gun that price I would want.  Working BARs go for much more.

Am I weird for wanting a relatively low magnification fixed power scope for a hunting rifle.  4x can get you pretty close to the action for any venison.  And sniping bad guys...  Hell 500 yards is pretty far and Marines routinely quality at that range over iron sights.  A 4X ACOG is pricy, but all decent scopes are pricey.  Kinda weird hunting with a bolt action and ACOG combo.  But why not?

Though it is not like I am going to go rifle hunting anytime in my future.  No, wait, you never know.  A hunting trip could fall in my lap, some season, somehow.  "I'll drive you to my buddy's lodge in West Virginia, we'll hunt and then cigars and bourbon.  The stands are a easy stroll from the warm comfy beds."

Master List 3

Getting simpler over time.  Had a half dozen of so on Master List #2.

1. Do something with the extra 1911 frame I have.
2. A .308 rifle good for hunting, with glass.
3. A .45ACP rifle with a big honking suppressor.
4. Maybe a plastic 9mm modern service pistol...?  S&W/Sig/Whatevs.

And none of those blows my skirt up with a case of the wants.  Clearly I am not a collector-collector.

Maybe I need a gun specifically for training.

MASTER List 2

Modified again...



For now, in no particular order (but probably in order of priority):

1. Custom single stack Commander length 9mm 1911.   Just cuz.  And Sam has an extra frame already...  And I have a barrel and slide....  This is crazy talk!
2. DeLisle style new made bolt action rifle, left handed. .45
3. S&W M&P 2.0 or Sig P320.  Full size.  With a light rail obviously.  House pistol.  9mm prolly.
4. .22TCM/9mm single stack Armscor 1911.
5. CMP vintage Colt 1911.  
6. Hudson H9
7. A Browning BLR in .308

And in there, somewhere, is this stainless steel Caspian frame I gotta turn into something.  Commander .45?  That's a thought.

NEW Master List.

I have an old one I started 10 year ago.  It's still somewhat valid.  Things like ".22 revolver" used to be on there.  And ".357 lever action rifle."  They aren't anymore because I got those.  And there isn't really a priority anymore.  Everything now is 'just because it'd be neat.'

1. .22TCM/9mm single stack Armscor 1911.
2. CMP vintage Colt 1911.
3. S&W Model 19.  No lock.  Earlier model?  Like a dash 3?  Or the Stainless version 66-3.  Condition is important, naturally.  Full length extractor rod with the shorted barrel do-able.  So, 2 and half inches, I guess.  I'd have to hammer down the details.
4. Custom single stack Commander length 9mm 1911.   Just cuz.
5. DeLisle style new made bolt action rifle, left handed.
6. S&W M&P 2.0 or Sig P320.  Full size.  With a light rail obviously.  House pistol.  9mm prolly.

Or bag it all and just get the .22 TCM full size with a light rail and the custom Commander with no light rail.  Then call it a day, forever!  Depends on the mood.

Huh.  Pistol heavy.  I must be getting old.  I wonder what I'd be like if I lived next door to a nice rifle range...

I may get any one of those on the list soon or never. 

~* Master List *~

Here is where I will keep the master lists. Please ignore, this is for me and my reference. I'm trying to organize and centralize my thoughts to make them more concrete. Stuff will move around, get added to, and subtracted from, on this list.

PRIMARY means, "I'm gonna git this. Prolly soon." SECONDARY is, "It's of interest, but may be a while, if ever." TERTIARY is, "Would be cool to pick up if the price was right, but probably not."


PRIMARY

1. Nuthin...
2. ...
3. I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle! 
4. More 1911s?  Lots of cheap ones and bare frames so I can bork them all up with gun butchery and try to learn something.  I guess I have 2 of these already.
5. S&W M&P .45ACP.  Two.  One and a spare.

SECONDARY

1. ?
2. .45 Carbine,  DeLisle custom repro? That would be my one suppressed item.  I lean toward a no-compromise DeLisle reproduction custom job. First I need to find a lefty donor rifle.
   
   

TERTIARY

1.  Blaser 93? Remington 700 model 84229.  Sniper type scoped rifle.
   
   
2. Double Barrel 12 gauge. An "Over the Door" gun. Cheap. External hammers preferable.  Maybe 2.
3. I like the Smith and Wesson R8.  8 rounds of .357, a light rail, tritium sights, moon clips.  Heckuva revolver.

4. Springfield M6.
   Or combo gun equivalent.
   
5. Chiappa Rhino...  Dunno, it just appeals.
   

6. A revolver that shoots .45 ACP like the S&W 625, Model 22, or a vintage Colt 1917.
7. .17 rifle of some kind
8. Something in .45-70. That sounds fun. Quigley Down Under, mate. Or, if I have an AR, the .458 upper... A Thumper of sorts.
9. Krag Jorgensen .30-40 Why? To have the issue rifles of the US military. With this, the AR above, and the .45-70 below, I'll have the lineage from 1870 to the present.
10. Sprinfield 1873 .45-70 Trapdoor

Getting beyond the Secondary tier may take a while. For one, my safe will be full. The Primary is in order of desire, but maybe not order of future acquisition, though I am trying to tweak it so it MIGHT be close to desired order of acquisition. A lot depends on budgeting. A VERY good deal (or free) on any list item cannot be accounted for, timing wise. Ideally, gifts of the cheaper guns would be great, but less doable. The Tertiary are all "Huh, that'd be nice" but I could go my entire life, maybe, not getting any and never having too big a pang of desire.

Ammo Types

I've discussed before how I like to keep ammo inventory simple. I don't want a lot of different calibers to keep track of and on hand. For instance, to have a .32, 32 Magnum, .25, .38, .41, .44, .45ACP, .45LC... while FUN, is a bit much. For me.

(I apply this ease of use simplicity to other things in my life. I have 2 sock drawers. One black, one white. And I only buy one brand of socks of each color. Makes it easy to just grab 2 socks from one drawer in the dark and having it all work out fine in the light of day. Never send me brown or blue socks!)

So, I have:

Four things that shoot .22 LR. 2 pistols 2 rifles

Two things that shoot .308.

Three things that shoot .38/.357. 2 pistols 1 rifle.


But, I need more things that shoot the OTHER calibers. The Orphans.

I only have the one that shoots .45ACP. I need to correct this one day. I sorta want a .45 Camp Carbine. Commonality of caliber AND commonality of magazine. What I'll probably end up getting is another 1911. Officer size, or Commander.

I only have the one Sig that shoots .40. Chances are this will remain that way. If that gun breaks I'd switch to the .45. This is an orphan caliber that will stay that way by design. It's only for full size CCW carry with nothing to hang on clothes. One day I may eschew it's Double Action and graduate to a proper 1911 for full time carry. And maybe even get rid of the .40.

Another 12 gauge would be nice. That will be a relatively inexpensive, and butt simple, 12 gauge, someday.

The .380 is another orphan caliber. I only have the one Pocket Hammerless to shoot it. I'd like to get second Colt, some time. I've even bid on them in auctions. No luck just yet. This is the one I am closest to finding a buddy for, removing it from the orphan list. Again... no big hurry.

I have the orphan .30-06 Springfield 03. There is only 20 or so rounds around for it. That's ok. And I'm not actively seeking another .30-06. No room in the safe if I found one.

So, it'd be nice to get spares of both the .380, and the .45, maybe a .45 carbine, and another 12 gauge. Fine. Something to consider for the List.

And just forget about all that other stuff... Like ARs.

But I'm done buying guns. For the most part. Really. For a while. I might miss next year's buy-a-gun day. Just sayin.

Back from the FUN Show!

Ok, ammo is MUCH cheaper at the Fun Show compared to my local gun store. And I went a little overboard...

Got a coupla cans of pistol ammo. Yeah. Cans. As in hundreds of loose cartridges. I'm ok for range ammo for a while. Oh, and a battle pack of South African 7.62x51 followed me home, too. I've always had good luck with that. You know. For plinking. And a very nice lensatic compass. If it's real, and it seems to be, it's a NATO quality land nav compass that retails north of $150. It was $25

I looked at M1 Carbines, but saw none worth getting at less than $800. If I have to pay that I might as well buy a Mini-14 for my lightweight carbine and shoot ammo that is easier to find. I'd pay a lot LESS than that for a Mini-14, actually. A decent M1 Carbine is gonna have to be around $300 to tempt me, at this point.

Now I'm gonna go rethink my Master List...

But now I have plenty of ammo for range time throughout the next year, and enough for an intense training session.

Oh, and I'd re-organized the 'gun room.'

BAG Day

BAG Day stands for Buy A Gun Day. Everybody buys a gun on BAG day. It's the 15th of April so you can remember the government your tax dollars support, and maybe have a refund to help fund it, or at least know what your budget is if you have to cut a check this time of year. And despite my swearing up and down I was through with Marlin...

I bought a Marlin. ~sigh~

Isn't that pretty? Decent walnut figure. I'm a sucker for walnut.

It's the 1894c I said I was gonna put on hold because I was disappointed with Marlin's latest offerings, quality wise. This is a well cared for used one. It was either this or 3 times the money for the M1A on the top of my list. So this does better things to my wallet, and the M1A can wait till January 2009.

I don't have it yet, as it has to be shipped to my FFL dealer first, but it's on the way. I have a tracking number and everything.

Here's a plus, it was made before 1984, so there is better manufacturing quality, and more importantly, the loathed crossbolt safety is absent. And that was my preference already.

Corky got his Mosquito .22 for HIS BAG day:

Chuckles got a Browning Buckmark for his. But no scope on it like this one:

Frozen got a couple. An SKS, and an M44 Mosin. Here's the Mosin. Inexpensive Russian bolt action firing 7.62x54. He's happy.

MBtGe got a VERY expensive shotgun. Merkel over and under. He wanted a 'pretty' gun. Pretty pricy at $8 grand! He had to sneak it into the house because he used a pile of money no one knows about. Don't tell his missus...

All these BAG guns are from my influence, sparking interest in Frozen, Chuckles, and Corky. MBtGE got ME interested in shooting, but got HIM interested in pretty guns. I still can't believe he went that route, but, I'm not gonna criticise him, certainly. His wife may well kill me as well as him when she learns, sadly, so if I stop posting suddenly for a few months it means I got dead. At her hands. So Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Don't snitch on him.

Long or Short MBR

This purchase is a year away or so, but I am still going over in my mind which I prefer.

Do I want to get a long or short main battle rifle. I'm referring to the M1A.

It comes in several barrel lengths, but my thoughts are on the regular full-length, and the short 18" length. They both have plusses and minuses. But lets just list the plusses that they have an advantage in.

Long: more accurate, not as ear-splitting loud (short M1As are supposedly EXTRA loud.)



Short: handier indoors and in an out of vehicles, more appropriate for Red-Dot style optics on top.





And ignore the stock differences. I'm not a fan of the SOCOM fore-rail system, as it is very front heavy. If I were going to mount a scope of some sort forward of the receiver I'd much prefer the same get-up I have with the Garand and go with simple scout rail.

I have a long rifle that is accurate and can be made more so (the biggest deficit is my shooting skill) and I will get a bolt action for 2 long and accurate rifles. So this make me lean short for the M1A. But I can't carry 2 rifles at a time, and if I had to select only one as I was running out the door to evade the Zombies I'd want the best all round. So the long M1A. But come on... do I need the 500 yard plus if the poop hits the fan? So back to short M1A. Now how often will I find myself inside needing to maneuver around with a rifle? I mean really? Wouldn't a shotgun or handgun be better for indoor stuff? I'm not going to need a carbine length rifle. I won't be a part of some rifle squad going house to house anytime soon, even in the direst emergencies. And if I was, house to house is offensive operation, and I would be settling into defensive ambuscades and then scooting along, in dire cases. So we're back to the advantages long M1A barrels offer.

And to compromise to a mid length barrel is just absorbing the negatives of the long and the short into one gun, so let's not do that. But I am liking this stock from Troy Industries and sold through Fulton Armory:






I'd have to see and feel one in person, but the weight looks better distributed. It accounts for iron sights and gives you plenty of options for add-on optics. The barrel is "lowered" in the stock more and with the pistol grip and an added vertical fore-grip you are more in line with 21st Century infantry dogma where the Marine keeps his elbows in like a boxer's stance and the butt high on his shoulder so his head is upright. The old style shooting has your trigger elbow way out to the side and your head hunched down. Elbow out and hunched is harder to maneuver in tight spaces and see all you need to see with the advantage red-dot scopes offer. This is an M1A fully modernized. (and, heh, look, it has the mid length barrel in this example. hat trick.)

Assume whichever barrel length I choose, I will choose an identical stock types either way. Either the new-fangled, like above, or classic walnut.

I'm leaning short barrel. That way, I'd have a blot action .308 someday, with a 9x scope, the Garand with it's 2.5x scope, and the M1A with red-dot and no magnification. But my preferences have been known to change. I'd like to HEAR one. See if it really IS that sort of extra-loud.

Mini-14 Luv

Ok, I've decided after seeing Sailor Curt's disassembly of the M1 Carbine (eggspecially the linked footage)that I need a certain Carbine. But not like YOU think. I've promoted the Mini-14 on my MASTER list to more of a major covet than it held. In other words, it's now above the cutoff line on the Secondary list.

Why? Well watching Sailor Curt's gunsmithing on the venerable M1 Carbine showed me, from experience watching MBtGE disassemble HIS Mini-14, that the works are very similar. So, again, why get a Mini-14 instead of a venerable military surplus rifle that appeals to my sense of history? The biggest reason is the ammo. Both M1 and Mini-14 fire anemic cartridges. But sometimes you need anemic cartridges for a specific job (zombies, poodles, heavy-duty plinking, so have if you have no other ammo available). The Mini-14 wins this selection because of the ubiquitous availability of the ammo. If the M1, made in 1943, fired the .223 round I'd be all over it. Someday I'm going to get a .223, I realized, and there is no getting out of it.

Secondarily, I bet I can pick up a used Mini-14 pretty cheap. Cheaper than an M1 Carbine. And brand new they aren't that expensive either. And they have been accurizing the new ones a bit, so that is good. The are handy and work like the M1. Yay.

But seeing the guts of the M1 is what pushed me over this edge. IF i get a .223

The List recap

Ok, I going over The List in my head, after this recent spate of acquisitions:

1. M1A, and leaning toward the Fulton Armory Super Scout, with mags and accoutrement, over $2000+ (ouch).



2. .45 ACP, leaning Mil-Spec Springfield, $700



3. Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless, $500-$900



4. Bolt Action .308 or .30-06 with 9x scope, together, $1200-$3000. Or $500. Hard to tell. Perhaps a Remington 700 series, left handed, tack-driver.



5. A Marlin Lever action like the 1894C, chambered in .357/.38.



6. .22 semi-auto with a suppressor, like the Ruger MkIII, $900+, and that's after all the Class 3 rigamarole.



7. Longer Shotgun, perhaps a double barrel, $200 (this one maybe covered by a longer barrel for my Remington Model 11, and the Sears 20 gauge)



8. Bolt Action .22, free (covered by the recent Mossberg pick up)



9. .22 Revolver , $250



10. Ruger 10/22, $250

And that is pretty much in the order of desire, if not the actual order of future acquisition. If I got a new job next week, I'd hit that pocket hammerless in the #3 spot because I know where a nice one is. And the #2 spot is probably an April 15th purchase for Buy-a-Gun day. The M1A at the top is slow to acquire because of sheer cost and the fact the Garand I have needs tuning and fills its role. #4 may take a while because of extreme indecision and the decision to compromise at a minimum.

Golly, that's a lot of money when you write it down.

Notice the list has blended the primo's with the tertiary selections. I lucked out and got some recent pick-ups that fill the cheap-gun spots. The .22 pistols got short shifted, didn't they. Not really... See the next post.

But do I NEED them? Well, gun enthusiasts will understand the need. Very enthusiastic gun enthusiasts (gun nuts, bless 'em) will think I am short changing myself but not adding 20, 50, 80 more models to the list. Non enthusiast however... yes, for them I have all I need. A rifle to hunt with and exercise my rights, a 12 gauge for defense, hunting, and exercise my rights, a major caliber handgun for defense and exercise my rights, and a .22 for practice and hunting small game. And to exercise m... you get the point. For the gun banning types, I only need... zero. Well I am too far gone for that, now, aren't I?