The Great ONSC Gun Thread

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I've got an old colt 32 semi, but it doesnt fit my hand well. I may look to see if grips are available. Its very compact, i think 7 or 8, single stack.

That may be my first choice to play with, since ive got it on hand.

Thanks for the input guys, it is greatly appreciated.
 
For concealed carry, I will echo Bill's sentiments with regard to the Ruger LCP .380. I have one and like it a lot. Mine has the Crimson Trace trigger guard laser which I like as well. The LC9 is only slightly larger and heavier than the LCP. 9mm rounds are cheaper to buy than .380 so that may be a deciding factor if you are trying to decide between the two. Overall, both are solid and reliable pistols for deep concealment. If you are a revolver kind of guy, the LCR is a good one as well as the M+P Bodyguard 38 with the Crimson Trace. I got a M+P Bodyguard 38 for Christmas but have not had a chance to shoot it yet. They say it's pretty snappy.

If you just want a fun pistol for camping and plinking, get yourself a Browning Buckmark or a Ruger Mark iv. They are both .22LR pistols. Everybody should own one of those. Both are super accurate and well made. They are full size pistols (think 1911 that shoots .22) I have a Buckmark and it is my favorite handgun of all time. Cheap to run. I have put thousands of rounds through mine. It is a winner for sure.
 
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@stevezero Keep in mind that many people, so I'm told, have a larger gun for home and a smaller gun for carry. Often these are 2 variants of the same, or similar, gun. You're not worried about size or weight (both are beneficial) at your bedside and a laser or light won't be a detriment. The occasional-user will benefit from a carry gun as similar to the bedside gun as possible. Grip, trigger, operation, etc will all be the same between the two, so practice and muscle memory are consolidated. Plus I've just enabled you to buy more stuff.

Don't rule out a revolver, especially if you don't want a light/laser and don't want to spend as much time and money at the range on practice and finding the best ammo (meaning it feeds 100% of the time after 10+ magazines worth, through each magazine). Biggest benefit to a revolver is that you can just pull the trigger again to advance a new round (in the event of a misfire). You'd likely have to Tap Rack Bang a pistol. Look it up. You also can't forget to rack the slide or take off the safety on a revolver.

For pistols and revolvers (there is a difference between the two), modern ammunition has made huge advances in the last 3-4 years. This is not only why the .380ACP is suddenly a serious defensive caliber, it's also why the 9mm has pretty much eaten away at .40S&W sales. The proof is in the terminal results, not the recoil. Bigger/heavier/longer barreled gun is still the way to go, but some of that is dependent on your physical limitations and desire to train.

Really think about your need and desire to carry. Best thing you can do is to buy a house gun first. Train with that. Then take what you've learned and apply it to a smaller carry gun. The larger gun is still there as a house gun if you're happy with it. Starting with a smaller handgun will only teach you that you made a bad choice on the compromise your first time. You don't want to think about a compromise at 4am when you wake from a deep slumber in pitch black to the sound of glass breaking. Also consider that effectively "carrying" in a car means either a shoulder holster or somewhere off your body.
 
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I've got a j frame .38 revolver that currently serves bedside duty. also have a nice 870 express tactical for house duty. the j frame is small enough to conceal, carries a bit of punch. cant use +p in it, so im limited to hornady home defense loads. I'm open to revolvers, and like the ruger with the integrated crimson trace laser in 357. that gives 357, 38, and 38 +p options.

@roadstr6 ive got a ruger mk1 to plink with. So I totally understand the process of finding ammo that it likes, otherwise fighting jams, ftf, fte, etc.
 
Ditto for me on revolvers. Simple cures Murphy. My two regular carry choices are a short Ruger SP101 or my Kimber Ultra CDP. Usually the Ruger. Jeri's bedside and carry is an S&P Airweight snubbie in 38 with a laser, mine is a full size 1911 so there is training cross-over.
As always the main home defense arms are various shotguns, 870 Tac first choice. 410 snakecharmer for light work.
I carry the Ruger loaded with good 38+P ammo 357 is rank over-kill but I like the full underbarrel for balance and quicker sight re-acquire. [But man is the muzzle blast a sight to see that 2" with magnums loaded. Especially at night. And the thunder OMG say hello hearing aids if you have to shoot one without ears inside]
Re ammo advances agree 380 is as good as old school 38 special and 9 is pushing 40. Problem is the frames get over-powered and hard for me to shoot fast. A major improvement in design makes the Beretta Storm 40 shoot like service 9. Worth a look for heavy carry-lots of rounds compact size and it really shoots amazingly gentler than previous 40s I've had and handled. And 40 is my round of choice until 45, and loads twice as many or more in the bargain.
I traded mine off because that much firepower is excessive for my current needs but for my money you can't beat a 40 for all-around punch, especially now that Beretta has tamed the kick.
All that said a pocket rocker and a 60 kilo bandog is my current mobile security system.
 
I guess I'll need to become a YouTube certified expert on the Ruger ar556. my neighbor decided he wanted to part with it. bought it new within the last couple years, two extra 30 round magaclipazines to go with the factory 30, 100 rounds of ammo, hard case, and cleaning kit. has never been fired, don't even think it's had a magaclipazine inserted. but he did load 90 rounds into them, and still has to find the last 10.

Is there any kinda paperwork that has to be done on a transaction like this?

Since the Thread is useless without pics...

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New build I'm almost finished with.

Looks like every other black rifle build from the outside, very unassuming...

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Til you get to the business end...
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.458 socom. Standard 5.56 on the right for reference

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Not quite ready for a test fire, but getting close.
 
@stevezero, this is going to be a hot topic so what I type here will probably get me flamed
Bottom line to carry or house gun: use what you're comfortable with and most importantly what you've trained with. If you're not going to train you shouldn't even have a gun for defensive purposes.

My opinion:
Revolvers went out about the time of Dirty Harry. With the reliability of glocks/springfields/SIGs there is no reason to sacrifice capacity for a "percieved" reliability of a revolver. It's like bringing a knife to a gun fight. DOJ crime statistics put the average number of home invaders at 4. So if you want to roll with your 6 shot wheel gun that's fine. Just don't miss a single head shot.

If I could only own one gun it would be the Glock 19. Small enough to carry, big enough to get you out of a serious fire fight. Lots and lots of aftermarket support, and it goes bang! every time you pull the trigger. Get yourself a fingerprint safe for the bed side and you're good to go in the house. I find it's easiest to carry the 19 with my body shape/size using IWB appendix carry. It conceals under most tshirts and button ups. Check out T-Rex arms for their holsters, the side car is what I use.
If you like the 19 you can go up or down to the model 17 or 43 and effectively have the same gun operationally just in a different size, which someone above mentioned the benefits of this.

I also carry a Springfield armory XDS in .45 for the days when I need to conceal something smaller based on clothing choices. I carry this at the 3 o'clock position IWB.

As far as caliber is concerned; with the advances in ammunition unless you shoot .45 better than 9mm, you should go with 9mm. Capacity is undervalued in the GI JOE world of internet generals. Size and weight also becomes an issue when you're carrying with regards to your belts and your pants. And if .380 were even in this conversation the military/police would use it, but because it shouldn't even be in this discussion completely ignore this as a possible choice unless you absolutely need a pocket pistol as a last resort. (If you're wearing a suit downtown all day this might be your only/best option).

There are a lot of really great youtube resources for gun reviews, 9mm vs .45, carry styles out there. Do some research and go try out lots of guns before you buy one. Once you get over the fact that the barrel is pointed at your crotch instead of your hip appendix carry is pretty good, and you can access it from the driver seat.

Again, if I could only own one gun it would be the Glock 19, but try the Springfield Armory XDM 9mm if you like the grip angle of a 1911 as they're the same. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.
 
Great input, Chris. Thats yet another cool thing about this club, there are a bunch of folks with 1st hand knowledge on the important topics ;)
 
Heather wanted a new carry piece and Kimber is what she wants. So we went out and she bought this for herself Micro 9

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So we get her new purchase all squared away and she says " now pick out one for yourself". She has promised she'd buy me a Kimber one day for years now. Today was the day.
Pro Carry II Stainless.

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Salesman said these were the first his and hers Kimbers he has ever sold.
 
Pulled out the old case today and just wiped everything down and made sure everything still functions. Hoping to get out this week or the next and run a few rounds through them.


M1a .30cal can’t wait to get this thing out last time we it was shot was with my grandfather about 8 years ago.
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1940ish Ward Western Field 14m .22 cal this was my other grandfathers cool story I think they had bought this back in the early 40s to hunt squirrels and rabbits for food for the family or so I’m told anyways. But this has not been fired since .... well nobody knows lol
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