GUN STUFF

[zach (Slag)]

Holy S!  3 pin punches, a maple cutting board and a nail set destroyed trying to get the tapered pins out of the front sight on my AR.  Eventually drove the thing over to my local gun smith and handed it over in defeat. 

Is it a S&W M&P?  A friend had to use a shop press to get some out for a customer. 

[rgramjet]

were you using brass punches by any chance?

Did you heat them?

My guess is the mag-oxide coating was applied after assembly and glued them in place somewhat.

There's no way a brass punch could have held up to the kind of mojo I was hitting the things with.  Hardened starter punch, deformed. Pin punches broke.  Nail set, broke.  My wife is pissed because there is an fsb imprint on a nice cutting board.  Tacticool ain't easy sometimes!

I thought about heat but thought sheer brute force would do it.....alas.

The pins matched the rest of the coating perfectly so I think you are correct.

It's a Stag Arms upper.

[ducatiz]

There's no way a brass punch could have held up to the kind of mojo I was hitting the things with.  Hardened starter punch, deformed. Pin punches broke.  Nail set, broke.  My wife is pissed because there is an fsb imprint on a nice cutting board.  Tacticool ain't easy sometimes!

I thought about heat but thought sheer brute force would do it.....alas.

The pins matched the rest of the coating perfectly so I think you are correct.

It's a Stag Arms upper.

Some of those pins are heat set.  The part is warmed up and then a cold pin driven in.  That combined with the coating means they don't come out easily.  I've had one do the same thing, I ended up drilling a pilot in the middle with a tiny bit.  This relieved enough pressure on the outside so that it collapsed some and came out.  It took work.

[fastwin]

Some things shouldn't be so damn hard. Whether it's guns, scooters, fishing or life. Tip: get the wifely unit a new cutting board. New cutting board = bonus kitchen points!

[ducpainter]

I can't find any oal data on the 60 grain Hornady and I don't have any on the shelf.  I have the 60 grain partitions and part boxes of every other 224 bullet imaginable but no Hornady hollowpoints.

FYI...got an answer from someone that had some... .807

[dropstharockalot]

Finally took the plunge... NIB Kahr CW9, $380 from the local store guys who were ultra-patient with my n00b questions.  After the amount of time they spent with me, I couldn't go internet auction site just to undercut them by fifteen bucks.  With the ITWB holster and rounds I was out the door for around $430.  I've also got keyed lockboxes on the way for the cars, desk, and nightstand, so that was about another hundo.  I also need a cleaning kit, but that's incidental.

No pics yet, but I'm guessing most er'ryone here has seen the Kahrs.  Hopefully I can find some range time this weekend.

Does anyone have new weapon break-in knowledge to share?

[ducatiz]

Finally took the plunge... NIB Kahr CW9, $380 from the local store guys who were ultra-patient with my n00b questions.  After the amount of time they spent with me, I couldn't go internet auction site just to undercut them by fifteen bucks.  With the ITWB holster and rounds I was out the door for around $430.  I've also got keyed lockboxes on the way for the cars, desk, and nightstand, so that was about another hundo.  I also need a cleaning kit, but that's incidental.

Kahr recommends shooting the gun a lot to break it in, but I haven't found that to be vital.  if you can run thru a box with no jam or stovepipes then it's ready to go.  I have the same gun and I love it.  I also have the older E9 which used to be their "economical" version of their K9 steel frame 9.  They cut some corners with the CW9 but I think those corners were fine to cut -- the polygonal barrel isn't necessary in that type of gun, you lose 0.001% of accuracy and the cuts on the slide are fine with me with the roll marked logo instead of a laser cut one.  It's the gun they should have made in the first place and that price is excellent, you got a deal.

[WarrenJ]

I shot a few rounds out of one of mine, stripped it and found a number of small plastic burrs on some of the parts.  I carefully removed them and the gun ran flawlessly from then on.  The other ones I had worked great right out of the box.  Burn at least 250 rounds through it before being at all concerned if it hiccups. 

Do a fair amount of dry firing to get used to that trigger.  Pick an aiming point and keep the front sight on the target all the way through the trigger stroke.  If your sights are wavering on the target, the bullet is going to waver worse.  Practice with a purpose.

You have a great pistol - don't get discouraged if your accuracy isn't were you think it needs to be right away.  Shooting small, light handguns takes a bit more dedicated practice to master.  Spend your resources on ammunition, instruction and practice time, not on additional gadgets.  A good holster you are comfortable with, some extra mags, maybe a mag pouch, a small high quality flashlight and a positive mental attitude and you should be good to go!

[fastwin]

Congrats! Great advice in the last two posts. I have nothing more to offer. Have fun with it!

[dropstharockalot]

Thx all.

Formal instruction looks like it is on hold until summer when the local Conservation Club opens back up... the indoor ranges around here don't offer anything.  I've gotten in touch with a local certified instructor, but our schedules don't match up until spring.

In the interim, I'm browsing YouTube for instructional vids... I'm also very open to reading more about shooting basics/form/techniques, CC practices, safety etc if anyone wants to recommend titles.

Thanks again.

[ducatiz]

Thx all.

Formal instruction looks like it is on hold until summer when the local Conservation Club opens back up... the indoor ranges around here don't offer anything.  I've gotten in touch with a local certified instructor, but our schedules don't match up until spring.

In the interim, I'm browsing YouTube for instructional vids... I'm also very open to reading more about shooting basics/form/techniques, CC practices, safety etc if anyone wants to recommend titles.

Thanks again.

pick up some snap caps and practice dry firing, Elvis style.

You can practice your grip, sighting and trigger that way.

[cokey]

Watch all of hickok45 vids on youtube..  a lot of good info plus fun..
Scootch00 channel is also good. Plus in the related vid section you'll find more..

[fastwin]

On line goodies are everywhere. Just start with a google search for "thunder ranch videos". Clint Smith is a great no bullshit instructor and he offers some DVDs on concealed carry, defensive handgun, etc.

http://www.thunderranchinc.com/store.html

All the DVDs in the world can never make up for live fire instruction from a good, qualified instructor... but you already know that! Save up your money and do some research on who teaches in your area. Lots of good instructors don't have a permanent, fixed location range... like Louis Awerbuck/Yavapai Firearms Academy.

http://www.yfainc.com/

I have been lucky that Awerbuck has come through the Dallas/Ft. Worth many times in the past but I also have had to travel to his and other instructor's schools. Yeah, it costs some coin but it was always worth it!

[Pip]

Picked up an Accu-Match Stainless Steel Match grade barrel in .400 CorBon for my 5" SA 1911GI... Can't wait to shoot it.

[WarrenJ]

The 400 Corbon is a pretty neat cartridge.  As long as you stay with the lighter 10mm bullets, you can meet 10mm performance without beating up your gun.  I did a lot of ballistic testing and bullet expansion testing with bullets in that range and the Speer 155 Golddot really performed exceptionally well.  Great accuracy and tremendous terminal performance without coming apart.