Time to buy a gun ... again

[mike c]

Mike, Did you try that .357 yet after getting it back from the shop? I would be curious to know just what they actually did to it.

yes i did. they never explained what they did, they just said the gunsmith(this is word for word) "saw something and adjusted it"

i sprayed 14 bullets through it in quick succession to keep the heat building up and it didn't get stuck anymore. of course my shots were all over the place and in one of the shots managed to blow air to my face through the ports (good thing i have protective glasses), gun was strong enough to displace in my hand and i wonder why revolvers don't have that thing above the grip that rests on the base of the thumb and pointer finger.

[Vracer111]

for home defense ...

how accurate does one have to be in terms of grouping and distance to be effective?

when you say grouping, we're talking diameter right and not radius to bullseye?

right now i'm still practicing at the 20ft line

Whatever grouping it takes to not miss the target while firing as quickly as you can to neutralize the threat is the goal. If there are any IDPA type/style classes or training where you are it would be a good thing and show you what you need to work on and how different target shooting is from tactical/defensive shooting where you have non-threat targets to not shoot while trying to draw, fire, and move as quickly as possible.

[jeffsg4mac]

yes i did. they never explained what they did, they just said the gunsmith(this is word for word) "saw something and adjusted it"

i sprayed 14 bullets through it in quick succession to keep the heat building up and it didn't get stuck anymore. of course my shots were all over the place and in one of the shots managed to blow air to my face through the ports (good thing i have protective glasses), gun was strong enough to displace in my hand and i wonder why revolvers don't have that thing above the grip that rests on the base of the thumb and pointer finger.

Good glad it is fixed. Rare that anything like that happens with a taurus.

Eh, recoil on a 357 is nothing. Wait till you shoot full power .454 loads in single action. Now were talking fun

[picture_shooter]

.380 is what I carry when needed. compact, light and if I ever need to hot fire, it will be dependable doing so.

However, I may purchase a glock in the near future as my primary carry and give the .380 to my wife.

[GlocksRock]

.380 is what I carry when needed. compact, light and if I ever need to hot fire, it will be dependable doing so.

However, I may purchase a glock in the near future as my primary carry and give the .380 to my wife.

You should get a glock, I love all of mine. Just got a new smith and wesson M&P 9, can't wait to go shoot it. I've shot my friends M&P and it's very nice, can't wait to get my night sights on it too. If you want something really small and good for concealed carry, check out the new Kimber Solo, it's not out yet, but I got to handle one at my local shop since they got one in early, it's pretty sweet.

[itschris]

You should get a glock, I love all of mine. Just got a new smith and wesson M&P 9, can't wait to go shoot it. I've shot my friends M&P and it's very nice, can't wait to get my night sights on it too. If you want something really small and good for concealed carry, check out the new Kimber Solo, it's not out yet, but I got to handle one at my local shop since they got one in early, it's pretty sweet.

As a Glock guy, you might even shiver at the suggestion, but the new Springfield XD compacts are really really nice. They run in a subcompact mode for carry, but have the extension mag that creates a continuous actual full sized grip which I like for home defense. My XD is my home defense gun now and I'm back to carrying a Lightweight Commander 1911.

LIke you, I think the M&P 9... all the calibers... are just outstanding guns. I don't know why I've never owned. I've shot them quite a bit with friends, and I always think to myself "what a great gun" but never got one for myself.

I'll differ with you on the Kimber though. I think until they solve their quality control problems once and for all, they're simply off the list for anything but a range recreation gun. Not but several months ago one of my shooting buddies on the sherrif tactical squad finally gave up on this Kimber. He had sent it back and resent it. Got a new one and still had issues, most notably first feed failures. He tried all different mags and what not, and would have at least 1 malfunction every 100 rounds... even after break-in. That's just unacceptable for any serious use gun.

I know there are people who love their Kimbers and the value is hard to deny, but I just don't knwo what the deal is with them. Despite their brutal reputation among the internet crowd, they've never seemed to shake the stigma with consistent quality offerings. I never believed all the rumors until both my brother in law nad my friend both had issues within the past 3 years. While others have zero problems, I just don't know that I want to invest in that.

[jeffsg4mac]

I never believed all the rumors until both my brother in law nad my friend both had issues within the past 3 years. While others have zero problems, I just don't know that I want to invest in that.

I am going to have to agree with you. While I love the 1911 style, the Kimber I had, a colt and a springfield all had issues with feeding. My Glocks would take anything including low powered target loads.

[GlocksRock]

I have an older Kimber, and it's been flawless, but then again I don't shoot it that often since 9mm is so much cheaper than .45, but I have no complaints about it, it's just a basic no frills Classic Custom Kimber 1911, but it's the most accurate pistol I own, and I love it. It's not the Series II, the ones that use MIM parts and have had problems, but not sure I'd get a newer Kimber 1911, but I do love the finish on the Eclipse models. I'd probably get a Springfield 1911 if I were to get another one. The Kimber solo is a tiny 9mm, not a 1911, it's nice but it's not cheap either... not sure when they are coming out though.

[itschris]

I've had great luck with all my 1911's over the years. I bought my first one, a Springfield Armory 20 years ago when I was 20 yrs old. That was when ISPC shooting compensated 45's and 38 Supers was the big thing.

Pretty much every 1911 I've had has been a top tier semi-custom like Les Bear, Ed Brown, Nighthawk, etc or a full custom frame up neck to nuts. They've been flawless, but it's also cost me a lot. I'm looking to build another lightweight commander or comparable. They're actually hard to come by. Springfield makes the Champion size, but has yet to make the exact one I want. I like the SA Operator a lot but I don't want the light rail on it. I'd have to spend some additonal money on it, but it'd be a good base gun to start out with.

I'm still thinking of just building another one from the ground up... but cost-wise, to have compentent smith do everything I want puts me right back into Wilson Combat territory.

As you guys know, it's not a cheap hobby. There's still a ton of stuff I want to do with my AR's. That's a whole other money pit... just like home theater and audio.

[mike c]

what do you guys think about a polymer revolver?

unlike polymer SA's (which are only polymer on the lower portion), these are metal wrapped in polymer ... i wonder how the heat affects the polymer around the barrel?