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Gun Thread: WW Birthday Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving hell did it get to be Weasel Woman's Birthday? Please join me in wishing her many happy returns of the day! I may be scarce in the comments tonight as we enjoy the pizza* I have generously agreed to pay for tonite. Or Chinese. I mean, we really like pizza but we had it last week, so maybe we should get chinese tonite so we don't have pizza twice in a row. But the last time we ordered chinese it took them a full 35 minutes to deliver which is obviously a problem, so maybe we should get pizza after all. Except the really good pizza place doesn't deliver so that means we have to get into the car and drive all the way to the bottom of the hill to pick it up. Why, I ask you, why would WW cause me so many problems? It's like she's trying to be difficult!

*up to three toppings. Valid one day only. May not be combined with any other offer. Void where prohibited

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

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Fundamentals
When you go to the range, do you have a plan? If I have said it once, I have said it 472 times. Have a damn plan when you go to the range. Even if you're going to the range for funsies and ogling the range babes, you should have a plan to realize some sort of training benefit, because the range babes almost certainly think you're a creepy old pervert so your efforts there are definitely wasted.

Here's the AMU guy with some drills

Please have a plan when you go to the range, kay?

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Guns of the Horde

First up, our pal CBD shares his very nice H&K USP!

My bedside pistol for a very long time has been a plain-jane H&K USP in .40 S&W. It is a double action-single action pistol, but the first shot double action is long and clunky and very heavy. And the reset is also not the smoothest and shortest. So why have it as a primary self-defense pistol? Because it has never had a failure-to-fire. Ever. Not once in a few thousand rounds! And it fits my hand really nicely!

But now that my home state (NJ) has moved from fanatical Maoist to merely heavy-handed socialist when it comes to the 2nd Amendment, I figure I should consider it as carry piece. But not with that trigger! So off to Gray Guns it went for their "Reduced Reset Carry Perfection Package," and after an eight-week wait, a chat with their customer service folks about some additional parts (ouch!) and a very large charge to my credit card, it's back on my bed-stand!

They smoothed and reduced the double-action pull, and the reset now rivals that of my more modern striker-fired pistols. Even better, they eliminated the slight barrel play that the USP design suffers, and did some other magic on the action, so it feels like a new and better pistol.

I am not a super-ninja-special-forces warrior, so when I carry I want a safety (or an empty chamber, but that's a discussion for another day). A 1911 (.45ACP of course!) cocked and locked is my idea of a good time. And the USP actually gives me the option of that, or simply a heavy double-action pull followed by a normal single action. So off to the range to see how the double-action feels for the first shot.

And boy oh boy! I like it! Those four above the bulls eye are the four double-action rounds at 15 yards. The others are the rest of the magazines fired single action. Why the double actions are high is a question I will have to answer at the range with some more work, but I am very pleased with the results. The pistol feels far less clunky, and it feels like I can get back on target more quickly with the reduced reset. And it is absolutely more accurate.

I am not sure that I would carry this pistol cocked and locked, because the safety throw is long and heavy, unlike the crisp snap of my 1911 safety. But as a double-action-single-action pistol? Absolutely. The difference between the first and second shot is tolerable at self-defense distances, and the reliability of the pistol is something not to be minimized. Being able to count on your equipment in stressful situations is a very important thing!

Whoa! Nice shooting there, hombre!! It looks like somebody has their sock tension just about perfecto! Thanks CBD and congratulations!

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Mystery Casing

Aliens?

One of our pals sent in the above photo of a 9mm casing for identification. Anyone know what caused this unusual pattern? Hmmm? Any of you smarty-pantses out there?

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1887 Fagnus
I had to use this if for no other reason than the name of the firearm, alone. Restoration videos have become very popular and some have been criticized for faking the subject of the restoration. What do you think?

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Range Safety
Here is a little Gun Basics 101 bonus on range safety.

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A Book With Pictures! The Standard Catalog of Firearms

How long has it been since you took a look at the value of some of your firearms? I was shocked, I tell you, Shocked when I recently looked up some of mine. The 2024 Standard Catalog of Firearms (34th ed.) is available from the usual places. You can save a few bucks by ordering from Amazon, but I like supporting places like Gun Tests.

Read it and send a review to the Book Thread!

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While you're at the Gun Tests website clicking away and ordering stuff, why not consider a subscription? It's $20/yr for the digital version and you get a butt-load of unbiased reviews and tons of other great content for the price.

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How an 'X' Works

We all enjoy the animated videos on how stuff like ballpoint pens and revolvers and the Space Shuttle work. They're educational and fun! Here's another one to make you smarter.

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Musical Interlude
Here is 10 hours of crickets and frogs.

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Gun Basics 101
New video from the She Equips Herself gal! This week's video is on carrying at church. Plus, SEH Gal has a sister!

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Cigar of the Week

This week our pal Diogenes scores again with this excellent review of the Macanudo Inspirado White

Apparently, I was able to fool Santa again and was rewarded with a new grab-bag of optional cigars under the tree. Not one to waste time, I picked one at random and it was the Macanudo Inspirado White. Man, did I do good!

Here is what the Macanudo folks say about it: Offers subtle expertise. Beautiful and mellow, yet complex and flavorful. Creamy, with hints of spice. This award-winning blend results from over 50 years of excellence driving evolution in all of the best ways. Adorned with a golden Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper aged for six years. The Inspirado White offers approachability without sacrificing excitement in a consistent blend that never fails to impress.

Yeah... blah... blah... blah. Pure marketing, and I have no idea what that last sentence even means, but I gotta say, this was a great cigar to start the year. Smooth, easy to light, comfortable to hold, and a really great aroma. The initial taste is a bit spicy with cinnamon. It has an easy draw, plus an even burn through the first third. As mentioned in the past, I evaluate cigars through the thirds; first, second and third. Typically, a cigar is best in the middle third with the last really bringing on the flavor and flaws if they are there. Not so with the Inspirado White. Excellent all the way through. I'm buying more of these. Mine was a 5X50 Robusto and they run about $6 a stick so they don't break the bank.

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Excellent, Diogenes! Thank you very much!

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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.

Cigarsinternational.com
Cigarpage.com
Famous-smoke.com
Cigarsdaily.com
Neptunecigar.com
Smallbatchcigar.com
Bobalu Cigar Company
Cigarbid.com

A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid

Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!

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Ammo Link-O-Rama
I'm really very seriously not kidding around anymore. Buy Ammo
AmmoSeek - online ammo search tool
GunBot - online ammo search tool
SG Ammo
Palmetto State Armory
Georgia Arms
AmmoMan
Target Sports USA
Bud's Gun Shop
American Elite Ammo NEW!

***Mail Bag***

This week's mailbag entry is from our pal Blake. Love it, great one!

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Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?