Some thoughts, opinions and conclusions

[5knives]

Well thought out and Sage advice from Mr. Bastable, as expected from him, and very much along the lines of my thinking.

I have to get her out to do some shooting, and find out whaich guns she can handle well, she's quite petite, and small hands with past Carpal Tunnel Surgery, the blinfness is not a concern as she's no longer totally blind, and we're talking pure Self defense in her case.

Places to shoot here, no problem, but I'm supposed to go really easy until the Doc says I'm really over this pnuemonia crap. Snub 357 with 38 Spec. ammo I think she can handle, I bought her a Uberti SA in 45 Colt a while back and I believe she can handle that as peacemaker grips fit everyone. Just need the right combination of size, weight, recoil and effectiveness for her, then something in the same caliber for me, trying to stay in common chamberings.

Ah well everyone needs a hobby, looks like puzzling our situation out might be mine for a while.

Regards,
...

[Hunter07]

5knives..... Pack up all your guns and a box or two of ammo for each in the 'family truckster' , then tell MaryAnn (my mother's name btw), that you're taking her to the range and it's 'her day' to play with everything.

Bring along a trusted friend that you know she would listen to, then while at the range/gravel pit, sit back and let the friend 'teach' her how to shoot each firearm. The reason I say let your friend do the teaching is, most wives/girlfriends get intimidated when their significant other tries to 'teach' them something.

You know that she can shoot, so just kick back, reload mags and maybe change out targets between live fire blocks.

In other words, let her do it 'her way', not yours. What works for you, may not work for her.

[5knives]

Most excellent advice Hunter07!
If our situation werte only a little bit different I could follow it to the letter and rest easy.

In this specific instance, she's so sensitive to her disabilities, and her ability to fake "everything's okay" she would NEVER admit a little thing like pain let alone discpmfort , to anyone, but I know what tp look foe most of the time.

She's one of those Country girls from "up North' (Independance, WI.) who won't admit problems or weakness, let alone pain.

Example, she's currently wearing a very pricey and specialized brace on her left arm & jand, because she has a badly sprained wrist and damaged tendons, found out about it from her 2 weeks ago and got her to her Doctor. She'd been ignoring the pain since a fall SEVEN WEEKS ago, that she 'forgot' to tell me about.

Usually I can spot problems faster than that.

But she does trust me, especially about firearms and such, and the little bit of basic instruction I gave her before she got hurt in '97 she still remembers and follows today.

So it appears I'll have to be the teacher.

But your advice is excellent, IMO!

Regards,
...

[Pogo]

Originally Posted by 500grains

I find just the opposite probably because I grew up shooting a SxS.

Everyone should use whatever they feel most comfortable with.

But SxS have all but disappeared on skeet and trap ranges. And I've never seen one on a sporting clays range.

But.......... I'd still love to own a Pigeon Grade Winchester Model 21 Shotgun.


This one isn't a Pigeon Grade, but I'd like to own it. You can pick it up for 25 grand. http://www.bishopsfineguns.com/3136.html

[aviator]

Well, a little "pain or discomfort" as you stated means nothing when defending your life...adrenaline will take care of the pain, trust me on that. But whatever she uses has to be good enough to get the job done in one or two shots.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...... I am not a collector and the tools I own I have obtained throughout the years for one reason or another, sometimes because of a price I could not refuse, others for a specific purpose, but I do not own a shotgun and I do not own black powder eating tools, I believe a shotgun is good for hunting birds or monkeys on trees, for personal daily usage a heavy piece of lead .44, .45 should be as adequate as a shotgun at short to medium range, specially after getting my cataracts removed, anything beyond that, I will rely on the mil.specs tools I have. .22's I don't have either, I let the cats eat the rats around here.

[5knives]

About SxS for trap and skeet, JMHO but I've always felt that O/U and single barrels while capable of more precise shooting were slower to get on target than a SxS, that big broad breech just acts like a super highway to the bead. But with most of my sporting SG use being bunnies and waterfowl I'm in no position to state that as fact.

Aviator presents a valid viewpoint for his location and use.

Reason I started this thread was to get such alternate viewpoints from as many folks as possible.

Like many here I ended up with a large collection, some I needed, some I thought I needed, some I thought I might need ... someday, some I considered an investment and some I just wanted. Not very well planned or thought out.

Down to somewhere around 50 pieces and I no longer enjoy cleaning guns all that much, so some serious thought and adjustment is called for.

Regards,
...

[Pogo]

My Browning single barrel, single shot trap gun has a real wide ventilated rib for a sighting plane. The barrel is 34" long and has choke inserts.

I seldom shot doubles. In fact the last time I went trap shooting was two years ago. Whenever I shot doubles I used my Remington 870 with a 32" barrel and a full trap choke.

This is the most expensive gun I own...

[Moon]

Hmmmmm.

If I had to make some serious choices, here's what I'd boil it down to:

.22LR Rifle: Marlin 39A, as it came from the factory (the older, the better as long as it has the micro-groove barrel). If, for whatever fucked-up reason, that wasn't available, a Marlin Model 60. I've got the parts I would need to repair it, most likely.

Handgun: EAA Witness Match in .38 Super. With a proper reload and a 125gr slug, .357Mag velocities are easily reached. The magazine holds 18 rounds, and I have three of them. That's over a box of .357Mag firepower in three magazines. If anything more than that were needed and I don't have a rifle, I'm screwed anyway. Did I mention that it's probably the most accurate semi-auto I've ever owned ?? That helps

Shotgun: Remington 870 in 12-gauge, 18" barrel, with a replacement barrel for food-gathering purposes. I do own fancier shotguns than a dirt-common 870, and I still selected it

Rifle: This one took more thought than the other two. Rifles are kinda my "thing". Weatherby ?? Spectacular rifle, no question about it. Not the right animal for the question presented, though. FAL ?? Pass. Single-shot .22-Hornet ?? I ain't got one. If I REALLY had to pick one, I'd have to sleep on it, with two major choices. One would be the ol' M1A, and the other would be a thick-barreled Remington 700VS in .22-250 Rem. The Remington will out-shoot the M1A in its sleep, it's not even close. The only qualm that I have about the Remington is that it HAS TO HAVE a scope. If something goes wrong with the glass, mounts, or rings, or the fasteners holding all that shit together, it turns the supreme killing machine of Hopkins county into a jack-handle.

[5knives]

Interesting choices Moon, those 38 Supers are real sleepers and the EAA witnesses have long been a bargain. 38 Super is still a very big deal in countries banning citizens from owning military caliber arms. And is highly regarded south of the border.

The older M39 Marlin's are always a great pick for a .22, not so much the current crop of new mfg, lawyers been gnawing on them.

Regards,
...

[Moon]

I take some crap from time to time over that .38 Super. Mostly along the lines of ".38 Super ?? Why ?? Isn't that a rare cartridge ??" (of course, this is ridiculous). And "your loads are too hot, you'll blow the gun up" (this is also rubbish, and usually comes from neophytes. The platform will handle the pressures, it just needs a heavier recoil spring to keep from beating the frame to pieces). And my personal favorite: "You're a queer, why don't you use a .45acp ??" (Well, if you weren't such a doofus, you'd know that the 124gr .357Mag load is regarded as probably the best self-defense offering ever created. That's what this reload was modeled after, just in a semi-auto).

Bah.

The 39A in question is an old 1961 model, according to the serial-letter under the tang. It doesn't have all that lawyer faggotry mucking it up. Trigger is nice and light, no safety, magazine holds 19 rounds. Not the most accurate .22 I own by a long-shot, but it is the one I would select.

[10 Bears]

My 39-A is a 1935 model.

Great little .22, if you remember to use a FULL bead when shooting.

[Pogo]

I used to have a Marlin 39a Mountie. It was made in the 1950s. I wish I had kept that little rifle.

[Rew]

Well I'm not selling anything. When I get steady on my feet again, I'm hoping to add a few. (death tax these you assholes) Girls can sell them or keep them, their option.
But in relation to the subject. .22 6" revolver, light game and last ditch defense. .223, for a bit lager game and self defense, besides I have a few and lots of ammo. EAA Witness x2 in 10mm, they fit my tanker holster and I got lots of ammo. 30-06 Savage 110, accurate to a fault and I think I could take a wild rhino from the zoo with it and my AP loads. 12 ga Win 1300 for whatever.

[Moon]

Originally Posted by Pogo

I used to have a Marlin 39a Mountie. It was made in the 1950s. I wish I had kept that little rifle.

The Mountie is a neat little rifle. Little-known Marlin 39-series fact: There was actually more than one Marlin 39-series carbine. One was the 39M (the Mountie), and the 39A Carbine (I've only seen one of these in the flesh. It looked like it had been stored in a dead carcass for about six months. Damn shame).

[10 Bears]

Mine was on a wall, in a 2nd hand store when there was a fire.
No fire in the gun room but plenty of acid from all the smoke.
It is "In the White" now, or rather, bits and pieces of rust etc.
Never had the heart to trade it off.
Was offered some decent dollars though, a time or two.