ZenMastaT
11-23-2007, 05:43 AM
I dedicate the spirit of this thread to Clinotus and sza, who have inspired new found levels of jealousy in me through their 460 brotherhood.
For those of you who may somehow not already possess this information, I inherited a fairly large sum of money in January 2007. For reference, prior to this inheritance I owned the following, in order of purchase:
1) Remington 870 Express 12ga (Purchased Mar. 2005 for the outstanding sum of $340)
2) 1921 Mosin Nagant M91/30 (Purchased Apr 2005 for the princely sum of $79 from Big 5)
3) Yugo SKS M59 purchased on sale from Turner's in Jun of 2005 for $179 on sale.
4) Ruger 10/22 Carbine, purchased on impulse alongside the SKS for the stupid price of $199.
5) Mauser Kar98k, purchased from Krausewerk for $230 in Aug of 2005.
6) Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I*, purchased simultaneously from the same place as the above for $250.
7) K31 purchased as a favor to a friend for $100 sometime in Nov-Dec of 2005.
2006 was a quiet year for me. I was embroiled in school and a certain treacherous video game and paid little heed to guns.
8) Ruger MkII Target, my first pistol purchased on my birthday in Jun of 2006 for the outrageous sum of $400.
9) Sig Sauer P226 W.German, purchased on a whim for a steal from a fellow goon in Aug 2006 for $400 as well.
So. 9 guns going into 2007, actually 8 since I sold the K31 a few months after buying it for the same price. I also bought a Mosin M44 for $45 and sold it a couple weeks later to a friend so that doesn't count. And so the madness began!
Gun A - Springfield Armory 1911A1 Loaded .45ACP in Black Stainless.
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=457&g2_serialNumber=2
I bought this gun in January, within 5 days of inheriting the money. I'd had my eye on it for awhile and had always loved 1911s since the day I burst forth from the womb. I had thought it utterly unattainable but suddenly, hey, easily affordable. Looking back, I should have noticed the oddly heavy trigger and picked a different model off the shelf, and the Black Stainless is a little ostentatious but it's a straight shooter and with a little work, might become the truly awesome gun that a 1911 is supposed to be. It cost $815 on the price tag.
Gun B - M1 Garand .30-06
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=453&g2_serialNumber=2
I actually bought this the day before the 1911 but picked it up the day after thanks to CA so it comes second. I had the Russian, German and British rifles of WWII covered and at the time the rumor mill was churning out constant predictions that the CMP would run out of Garands within the month. The price tag on this thing, $600, made it a pretty easy call since the rifle appeared to be in great shape. It can shoot relatively straight if the rear sight isn't self adjusting and I'm not being a faggot too. Got this from the previously mentioned Krausewerk as well in the closing days of January.
Gun C - Remington 700 SPS Tactical .308 Win
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1364&g2_serialNumber=1
In February of 2007 I was struck by the realization that, while I liked having rifles around, WWII ones especially, shooting with iron sights was pretty dull, I was pretty bad at it, and I had very little experience with scopes. And so I embarked on a mission to remedy that, unfortunately with almost no personal knowledge. I tapped the forums for info and came up with some useful stuff - primarily from Miso-Beno. I bought the SPS Tactical, one of the first to hit the market, for $650. Scope and rings came out to about $60 and the Nikon Buckmaster that adorns it in this photo ran me $250. The gun itself was a gunbroker auction, brand new, and all the accessories (including the $90 Harris Bipod) came from Bud's. I got a sling and some butler creek flip-up covers later but who cares about that.
Anyway the rifle shoots alright. If I'm being honest I'll admit I'm a pretty bad rifle shot. I saw someone else shoot it sub-MOA so I know it can be done, but with the price of .308 and the fact that I have semi-auto guns that shoot it, I don't shoot this rifle hardly enough to claim proficiency with it yet. If I had to do it all over again I definitely would have gone with an LTR, since that is just a better gun for a measely few hundred bucks more, but oh well.
Here is a more modern picture of the rifle with the Leupold VX-III that now adorns it:
http://230grain.com/images/rsrh/R700.jpg
Gun D - Babies First AR15 aka 16" RRA Midlength 5.56
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1189&g2_serialNumber=2
AR15s are way awesome and radioactivelego had tried to pressure me into buying one in 2006 when it was still illegal enough to be cool to him but I had no money then. McMadCow jumped on the bandwagon pretty quick though and I finally got to shoot one thanks to him. One gun show later and I was hooked. I believe the date for this gun lies sometime in March though I know I put the paperwork down on some other guns first. Stag lower with LPK installed set me back $175, upper was $550 and then random other miscellaneous parts (like the goofy fake Aimpoint in that picture) brought the gun up to right about $950 all told.
And let me tell you (Fang) this gun has been awesome. One of the most impressive guns of all the ones I've bought this year and hands down my favorite rifle of all the rifles I own. It's light but not too light, it's reliable (though less so after 800+ rounds without being cleaned) and it's accurate to boot. Just a fun all around rifle to shoot and .223 is still relatively inexpensive. I love how the midlength rifle handles and by now I've probably spent more on it than any other gun.
Gun E - Yugo M70B1 AK47 Clone 7.62x39
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1355&g2_serialNumber=1
This gun came to me thanks to the efforts of the new defunct and much maligned Muldune. $430 out the door though it took him a month and a half to get it to me thanks to various cartoonish and comedic shipping inefficiencies. (Did I mention his name is like Skaad Virjolk or something preposterous) The only thing I have done with this gun is slap on a pistol grip, bullet button and sling. I have also shot it probably for a total of 200 rounds in its life, none of which have occurred in the last 6 months or so.
I like assault rifles, they look cool and are cool. The AK is a great world renowned reliable concept and I like the way it looks. I do NOT like the way it feels though nor do I like how it fires nor do I like its bland iron sights. I felt my collection would be incomplete without one so I got one, but I almost never shoot it. I've never tried to shoot it for accuracy so I have no idea how good it is. I can say I had trouble hitting a steel plate at 100 yards reliably which I normally have no trouble hitting. Still, it has never jammed (except for one sza-witnessed spectacular failure) and it seems quite robust, if poorly made. I kind of want an AK74 just to help complete my caliber lust but that's a long way off.
Gun F - H&K USPf 9mm
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1361&g2_serialNumber=1
Got this in April 2007 or thereabouts for $550, which included the surefire rail depicted above but not the TLR-1. I recognized the fact that, due to their ubiquity, polymer framed pistols must have some merit. After evaluating every possible polymer framed pistol that ever was and ever will be, I decided the USP was the best and bought it. Also it helped I found a good deal from a private seller locally.
My initial impressions were that it sucked ass compared to my P226, the grip dug uncomfortably into my hands and the trigger felt mushy for what is, out of the box, a $900 pistol. My opinion today is that it is the best pistol I own, though not my favorite. It has never experienced a failure of any kind in about 1-2,000 rounds (neither has the TLR-1 for that matter, and I never take it off the gun) and I am more accurate with it than I am with any of the pistols I currently own. I put some new sights on that still need to be tapped into place properly so it is temporarily inaccurate, but that's my fault. A USP Match trigger and a Hogue Hand-all addressed all my concerns.
Gun G (G for GUN) - S&W Model 28-2 .357
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1358&g2_serialNumber=1
This one is all Fang. His many threads and words of advice taught me something I already knew. Specifically, I needed a revolver like my lungs needed air and my eyes needed to blink or I would cry. A deal popped up locally again for $475 and so saved me from paying more than I wanted for a 686. I got my beefy blued .357 Magnum and proceeded to throw a never ending supply of .38spl down the barrel, chased by some weak ass .357 cowboy loads from the gun show.
In time the gun's immense size would wear on me and it would eventually go to a better home (though not before breaking the hammer spring, oddly enough) but while I had it, it served me well, proving the superiority of the single action S&W trigger above all comers.
For those of you who may somehow not already possess this information, I inherited a fairly large sum of money in January 2007. For reference, prior to this inheritance I owned the following, in order of purchase:
1) Remington 870 Express 12ga (Purchased Mar. 2005 for the outstanding sum of $340)
2) 1921 Mosin Nagant M91/30 (Purchased Apr 2005 for the princely sum of $79 from Big 5)
3) Yugo SKS M59 purchased on sale from Turner's in Jun of 2005 for $179 on sale.
4) Ruger 10/22 Carbine, purchased on impulse alongside the SKS for the stupid price of $199.
5) Mauser Kar98k, purchased from Krausewerk for $230 in Aug of 2005.
6) Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk.I*, purchased simultaneously from the same place as the above for $250.
7) K31 purchased as a favor to a friend for $100 sometime in Nov-Dec of 2005.
2006 was a quiet year for me. I was embroiled in school and a certain treacherous video game and paid little heed to guns.
8) Ruger MkII Target, my first pistol purchased on my birthday in Jun of 2006 for the outrageous sum of $400.
9) Sig Sauer P226 W.German, purchased on a whim for a steal from a fellow goon in Aug 2006 for $400 as well.
So. 9 guns going into 2007, actually 8 since I sold the K31 a few months after buying it for the same price. I also bought a Mosin M44 for $45 and sold it a couple weeks later to a friend so that doesn't count. And so the madness began!
Gun A - Springfield Armory 1911A1 Loaded .45ACP in Black Stainless.
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=457&g2_serialNumber=2
I bought this gun in January, within 5 days of inheriting the money. I'd had my eye on it for awhile and had always loved 1911s since the day I burst forth from the womb. I had thought it utterly unattainable but suddenly, hey, easily affordable. Looking back, I should have noticed the oddly heavy trigger and picked a different model off the shelf, and the Black Stainless is a little ostentatious but it's a straight shooter and with a little work, might become the truly awesome gun that a 1911 is supposed to be. It cost $815 on the price tag.
Gun B - M1 Garand .30-06
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=453&g2_serialNumber=2
I actually bought this the day before the 1911 but picked it up the day after thanks to CA so it comes second. I had the Russian, German and British rifles of WWII covered and at the time the rumor mill was churning out constant predictions that the CMP would run out of Garands within the month. The price tag on this thing, $600, made it a pretty easy call since the rifle appeared to be in great shape. It can shoot relatively straight if the rear sight isn't self adjusting and I'm not being a faggot too. Got this from the previously mentioned Krausewerk as well in the closing days of January.
Gun C - Remington 700 SPS Tactical .308 Win
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1364&g2_serialNumber=1
In February of 2007 I was struck by the realization that, while I liked having rifles around, WWII ones especially, shooting with iron sights was pretty dull, I was pretty bad at it, and I had very little experience with scopes. And so I embarked on a mission to remedy that, unfortunately with almost no personal knowledge. I tapped the forums for info and came up with some useful stuff - primarily from Miso-Beno. I bought the SPS Tactical, one of the first to hit the market, for $650. Scope and rings came out to about $60 and the Nikon Buckmaster that adorns it in this photo ran me $250. The gun itself was a gunbroker auction, brand new, and all the accessories (including the $90 Harris Bipod) came from Bud's. I got a sling and some butler creek flip-up covers later but who cares about that.
Anyway the rifle shoots alright. If I'm being honest I'll admit I'm a pretty bad rifle shot. I saw someone else shoot it sub-MOA so I know it can be done, but with the price of .308 and the fact that I have semi-auto guns that shoot it, I don't shoot this rifle hardly enough to claim proficiency with it yet. If I had to do it all over again I definitely would have gone with an LTR, since that is just a better gun for a measely few hundred bucks more, but oh well.
Here is a more modern picture of the rifle with the Leupold VX-III that now adorns it:
http://230grain.com/images/rsrh/R700.jpg
Gun D - Babies First AR15 aka 16" RRA Midlength 5.56
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1189&g2_serialNumber=2
AR15s are way awesome and radioactivelego had tried to pressure me into buying one in 2006 when it was still illegal enough to be cool to him but I had no money then. McMadCow jumped on the bandwagon pretty quick though and I finally got to shoot one thanks to him. One gun show later and I was hooked. I believe the date for this gun lies sometime in March though I know I put the paperwork down on some other guns first. Stag lower with LPK installed set me back $175, upper was $550 and then random other miscellaneous parts (like the goofy fake Aimpoint in that picture) brought the gun up to right about $950 all told.
And let me tell you (Fang) this gun has been awesome. One of the most impressive guns of all the ones I've bought this year and hands down my favorite rifle of all the rifles I own. It's light but not too light, it's reliable (though less so after 800+ rounds without being cleaned) and it's accurate to boot. Just a fun all around rifle to shoot and .223 is still relatively inexpensive. I love how the midlength rifle handles and by now I've probably spent more on it than any other gun.
Gun E - Yugo M70B1 AK47 Clone 7.62x39
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1355&g2_serialNumber=1
This gun came to me thanks to the efforts of the new defunct and much maligned Muldune. $430 out the door though it took him a month and a half to get it to me thanks to various cartoonish and comedic shipping inefficiencies. (Did I mention his name is like Skaad Virjolk or something preposterous) The only thing I have done with this gun is slap on a pistol grip, bullet button and sling. I have also shot it probably for a total of 200 rounds in its life, none of which have occurred in the last 6 months or so.
I like assault rifles, they look cool and are cool. The AK is a great world renowned reliable concept and I like the way it looks. I do NOT like the way it feels though nor do I like how it fires nor do I like its bland iron sights. I felt my collection would be incomplete without one so I got one, but I almost never shoot it. I've never tried to shoot it for accuracy so I have no idea how good it is. I can say I had trouble hitting a steel plate at 100 yards reliably which I normally have no trouble hitting. Still, it has never jammed (except for one sza-witnessed spectacular failure) and it seems quite robust, if poorly made. I kind of want an AK74 just to help complete my caliber lust but that's a long way off.
Gun F - H&K USPf 9mm
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1361&g2_serialNumber=1
Got this in April 2007 or thereabouts for $550, which included the surefire rail depicted above but not the TLR-1. I recognized the fact that, due to their ubiquity, polymer framed pistols must have some merit. After evaluating every possible polymer framed pistol that ever was and ever will be, I decided the USP was the best and bought it. Also it helped I found a good deal from a private seller locally.
My initial impressions were that it sucked ass compared to my P226, the grip dug uncomfortably into my hands and the trigger felt mushy for what is, out of the box, a $900 pistol. My opinion today is that it is the best pistol I own, though not my favorite. It has never experienced a failure of any kind in about 1-2,000 rounds (neither has the TLR-1 for that matter, and I never take it off the gun) and I am more accurate with it than I am with any of the pistols I currently own. I put some new sights on that still need to be tapped into place properly so it is temporarily inaccurate, but that's my fault. A USP Match trigger and a Hogue Hand-all addressed all my concerns.
Gun G (G for GUN) - S&W Model 28-2 .357
http://www.guns-for-hire.com/tfrpics/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=1358&g2_serialNumber=1
This one is all Fang. His many threads and words of advice taught me something I already knew. Specifically, I needed a revolver like my lungs needed air and my eyes needed to blink or I would cry. A deal popped up locally again for $475 and so saved me from paying more than I wanted for a 686. I got my beefy blued .357 Magnum and proceeded to throw a never ending supply of .38spl down the barrel, chased by some weak ass .357 cowboy loads from the gun show.
In time the gun's immense size would wear on me and it would eventually go to a better home (though not before breaking the hammer spring, oddly enough) but while I had it, it served me well, proving the superiority of the single action S&W trigger above all comers.