Nice stuff there Chris....
I'm lovin my
Para 18-9 1911 same as the ones they used in Hitman.
I think they replaced it with a change in look
http://www.para-usa.com/new/product_pistol.php?id=10
I dig the 18 round clip....
Also thrilled with my
H&K P30.... great ergos, accurate, totally dig the clip eject, accurate and lightweight - just felt right in my hands.... Not too big...
The ex woman went with the H&K 45, fun machine but just never felt as good in my hands as the P30...
I'm not as heavy into guns and modding stuff like Chris's but, I can't complain with the stuff I have... I would like to acquire a nice piece like his AR...
What model is that AR Chris...? Did you do all the work on it - mods.... ?
Thanks for the compliments. Your stuff isn't exactly shabby either. The 1911in the pic was built because I wanted to have one gun that was exactly what I wanted... zero comprimises. Problem is... you pay for it. But the truth is you can 85% there with any number of top quality semi-custom builds. $1,500 or so gets can get you a fantastic semi custom in a 1911. The thing is, with a 1911, there are so many options and once you get into them, you start to look at how to make it better. My XD is almost stock with the exception of the one piece replacement guide rod. I took one look at the two piece setup it came with and it was the first thing I replaced. I have a complete trigger replacement in it and a fattened mag release. I have a match grade barrel in it now but it's not ported like the original. I'm okay with that though. I'm just old school and came into the sport back in the early 90's when compensators were all the rage... so I have a tendancy to stick with what I know. I also have a threaded barrel for a Gemtech can.
That AR in the pic is my Smith & Wesson M&P I think. I did everything on that myself. The only thing you need to worry about with AR's are the tiny springs that have a tendancy to shoot across a room and never be found again. I like using Magpul ASAP sling plates in the rear and the first one I installed took me almost two hours until I figured out the little tricks you need but it's not something someone with some patience and a little know-how can't do. The charging handle was a drop in. The trigger assembly... essentially a drop in. The Magpul CTR stock... drop in. The upgraded buffer system... drop in. Rails for true free float come in two basic variaties... one that breaks at the delta ring. So typically with a flattop receiver like I have (i.e. no with the traditional carry handle) you'll have the rail, 3/4 inch or so gap for the delta ring, then the rails in 7, 10, or 12 inch length. I personally don't like that setup. I like the one continuous top rail like on my rifles. Some require you to cut the Delta ring, others have some fangled way around it. For rails... I really do like what Troy has to offer. Also for BUIS, Troy is tops as well. Magpul offers a lot of nice stuff in those areas, but their sights and rails just seem a bit too plastic-y to me. I've seen rifles that are all "Magpulled Out" and just seem to look more like toys to me. It's only a visual thing mind you and certainly my opinion is not shared by others. I have a Magpul CTR stock. To me there are few better options for a CQB rifle. I have Magpul pistol grip only because it provides different backstrap options for big hands. I have a Magpul Enhnaced Trigger guard... I don't know what it does, but I though it just looked better than the straight trigger guard. I guess if you shoot in winter it's supposed to give more room for gloved hands. Not an issue in FL. Beyond that Magpul offers all kinds of stuff to stick on your gun, but I don't care for much of that kind of stuff. I like it simple and clean. A lot of guys put covers on their rails. I actually prefer the bite of the rail... it helps me feel locked in with my grip. You'll notice on the pics of my 1911 that I have some serious checkering. When Bob Cogan built that gun for me we talked at length about the checkering and I purposely kept it pretty sharp. Usually they file it down quite a bit, but I like to have the points dig in a bit.
let's see what else... The BCG.. bolt carrier group is one from Young. It's not chromed but coated or something. It's just a lot easier to clean. I keep the one the came with my rifle as a spare in the pocket of the Magpul MIAD pistol grip. There was nothing wrong with the original bolt mind you, i just wanted a spare. In fact, the M&P bolt group was really nice. Staked properly unlike some of I've seen recently from Rock River Arms and DPMS which weren't even staked at all.
other than that you just have optics and there's more to choose fromt there than you can shake a stick at. You'll never go wrong with an Aimpoint Red Dot though. A lot of folks like Eotech, but I figured if the military decided against them and stopped using them and issue Aimpoint as standard... that should tell you something. There's a lot of new 1x-4x scopes out now which are really nice. I still haven't quite found the perfect once yet... well I have.. but it's $2,200 so I still consider that a no. There's alos ACOGs from Trijicon.. great stuff also used by the military. We can talk all day about optics.
The equipment I have is for fun, but ultimately it's for protecting my family in the worst case scenario so I don't have any weapon with any accessory that's not 100% battleproof. There's a lot of cool stuff out there for handguns and especially AR's designed to make things easier, cooler, faster, whatever... but which may not perform under hardened circumstance. That's the stuff I leave off my guns. For instance, there maybe a cool green laser that looks like a military Insight PEQ-2 that's awsome for lighting up the cat in the living room, but it won't stand up to 500 rounds or being bumped around and dropped like it would if you had to bug out. We're always just a natural disaster away from chaos. The entire country doesn't have to fall apart. Just your town does.
Like audio and video equipment... you get what you pay for. And besides... do you really want to rely on the bargain purchase to save your life? I'll just note that there are some good knockoffs for optics like the Aimpoint. Vortex and Primary Arms make great optics for a reasonable price. Better than a lot of the cheap stuff you see, just not quite as good as Aimpoint. Oddly enough about 2 or 3 weeks ago a buddy of my friend came out shooting with us with a brand new $150 Eotech knockoff and killed it after about 200 rounds.
Anyway, if you have any questions, let me know. I'll answer what I can and If anything, I can at least probably give you a good indication of why I chose, like or dislike the things I do and you can bump that up against your personal situation and determine if it's relevant. I hate reinventing the wheel so I'm happy to help.
