Agreed. My instinct tell me that up to a 1/4 of those sales were from the AR/AK type variety, though it would be nice to see an official stat or study.

As promised, here are the comparison pics. The first is a bottom view (L to R) of a SIG P220, Beretta M9, HK USP9, FN FNX-45, S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman w/4" bbl. These were lined up by muzzle. Out of the semi-autos the Beretta is the longest.

The next is a side view. The FNX-45 with the 15 round mag is the tallest, with the USP9 and the Beretta being the shortest.

Here is a slide thickness comparison with the USP9. The FNX-45 is wider, but not by much.

The last few pics are a comparison with the M&P9. As you can see the FNX-45 is the larger handgun overall.

I chose these specific handguns, because they are full size duty/service handguns so they fall into the same category as the FNX-45. Realize that a USP9 (and the 40) are smaller than the USP 45 variant, so that may have been a more appropriate comparison since the FNX-45 is a .45 ACP handgun. The only handgun chambered in the same caliber is the P220. For a comparison with the 1911, it has a similar length and height as the Beretta, but would be the thinnest out of the above handguns. Sorry for the somewhat blurry photos.

Edited July 9, 201312 yr by Timbonez

Good comparisons. The FNX is not that much bigger than the others and to get the fistful of .45 looks worth it. But for a CCW would be a trick.

Nice S&W Patrolman six-gun! That needs a report as well to ensure the old school stuff doesn't disappear with the polymer generation.

Thanks, Brick. I can do a write-up on the S&W. I have a soft spot for wheelguns, as I have somewhere around 15 of them. Most are S&W with the rest being 2 Rugers, a Webley Mk VI, a Nagant, and an unnamed one (I'd have to look it up) that my father gave me. I actually have 2 Highway Patrolman revolvers. The one pictured above and another with a 6" barrel. I also have a Model 27.

I'd be interested in your thoughts regarding S&W 357 vs the Ruger. Leaning toward the Ruger for my next buy, but on the fence.

The 2 Rugers that I own are an LCR in .38 Special and a blued Wiley Clapp GP100 in .357 Magnum. The only S&W revolvers that I have bought NIB are a 325 Thunder Ranch and a reproduction Model of 1917... both in .45 ACP. All of my other S&W revolvers are older J-, K-, and N-frames in .22lr, .38 Special, and .357 Magnum.

I really like the LCR because it fits easily in a pocket holster, and I carry it either as a backup to whatever my primary CCW. I will carry it as my primary CCW if I am wearing lighter clothing. The GP100 is a mid- to large framed revolver akin to S&W's L-framed .357s. The Ruger is a cast framed gun, but it will be built like a tank. They are typically going to be very durable, but will be somewhat less refined than a S&W.

For .357 Magnum, I personally prefer the N-framed Smith & Wesson (27 and 28). The large frames are very durable. S&W currently makes the Model 27 and they have a bunch of L-Framed .357s. Some of them are performance center guns, which get a little more TLC than the standard production guns. There are also some Pro Series guns that sit between the production and performance center guns in terms of attention to detail. Of course, you could go old school and get an older S&W K-, L-, or N-frame.

What are you looking to do with the revolver?

Bug-a-Salt. For those days that you got the "urge", but can't make it to the range / field.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYAAy8Q_smU

Thanks, Brick. I can do a write-up on the S&W. I have a soft spot for wheelguns, as I have somewhere around 15 of them. Most are S&W with the rest being 2 Rugers, a Webley Mk VI, a Nagant, and an unnamed one (I'd have to look it up) that my father gave me. I actually have 2 Highway Patrolman revolvers. The one pictured above and another with a 6" barrel. I also have a Model 27.

T-bonez

Remind me, is your Webley in .455 or .45? If the former, where do you find ammo for it?

Cheers! M2

Don't know about ARs specifically, but there were 2.7 million MORE NICS checks Jan-June 2013 than Jan-June 2012. Over half of that increase was in January and February alone. I never saw a shortage of 700s and shotguns, so safe money says most of that increase was AR buyers.

https://www.fbi.gov/a...tals-070213.pdf

SWHC/RGR stocks = $$$

It's in .455 Webley. To be honest I haven't shot it in a while, but Midway USA, Sportsman's Guide, and Ammunition to Go sell .455 ammo made by Fiocchi. They're all out of stock right now, though.

It's in .455 Webley. To be honest I haven't shot it in a while, but Midway USA, Sportsman's Guide, and Ammunition to Go sell .455 ammo made by Fiocchi. They're all out of stock right now, though.

Nice, I've got one as well (probably 95%+) and other than finding four containers of .455 at Cabela's several years ago, I haven't seen any but I haven't really looked either...

I really like the LCR because it fits easily in a pocket holster, and I carry it either as a backup to whatever my primary CCW. I will carry it as my primary CCW if I am wearing lighter clothing. The GP100 is a mid- to large framed revolver akin to S&W's L-framed .357s. The Ruger is a cast framed gun, but it will be built like a tank. They are typically going to be very durable, but will be somewhat less refined than a S&W.

S&W has the M&P 340, made from their fancy lightweight material. Bear to shoot .357 through, but controllable for your average shooter. I'm a huge fan. The R8 listed there is awesome as well, not so much a CCW option though. More a Han Solo option.

Edited July 14, 201312 yr by Boxhead

SWHC/RGR stocks = $$$

Depends on when you got in on them. If you bought RGR in '11, you made a nice profit if you sold within the last year.

Edited July 14, 201312 yr by Hacker

Buds LE has the new S&W MP Shield in 9mm for $335. I have fired the .40 version, and while I do like it, I'm not a big fan of the manual safety, though I'm still considering getting it in 9mm or .40. Has anybody fired the Springfield XDS in 9mm? As much as I love S&W's, I'm drawn to the XDS.

https://www.budspolicesupply.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/14016

Ammo really starting to come down. It looks like Tulla and Wolf really cranked production, when combined with the end of the panic buying, .223 is under .40 and as low as .30 in some places. Hope it returns to Pre-Sandy hook prices.

Ammo really starting to come down. It looks like Tulla and Wolf really cranked production, when combined with the end of the panic buying, .223 is under .40 and as low as .30 in some places. Hope it returns to Pre-Sandy hook prices.

Buy cheap, stack deep!

A LGS here has cases of 500rds of MFS 62gr SP .223, (zinc plated steel casing) for $200 ($0.40/rd). (T3 outdoors near Moody AFB)

I was TDY abot 2 months ago, and while I was bored one day I stumbled upon a series of YouTube videos that a guy made showing how to strip the stock of a Mosin-Nagant and then refinish it with linseed oil. I never liked the shellac on my Mosin-Nagant, so I thought I would give it a try. Well I did so yesterday and I think it turned out ok. My particular Mosin-Nagant is a 1929 hex receiver that was originally a dragoon model, but then it was converted to the 91/30 standard that the Soviets pretty much used after 1930.

Here are the before pics:

Here are the pics after I stripped the shellac but before I oiled the stock:

Here is the finished product completely assembled:

This was very easy to do, and it only took a few hours of my time yesterday. Overall, I am pleased with the finished product. I could have done a little better job with some of the stripping and then applying the oil, but it looks good. If I end up with another Mosin-Nagant I may do this again.

How many coats of BLO did you put on?

I usually put 4 or 5 coats of a 50/50 BLO and mineral spirits mix, with a 30-minute post-application wipedown with a rag and 24 hours of drying between coats. I also reapply coats every couple years, which keeps the finish looking better and better over time. The more coats you can apply (with proper dry time between), the better the oil finish will look.

FWIW, if that's only one coat on that Mosin, I'd recommend slowly applying several more light coats, one every couple days with full drying in between.

I also occasionally use raw linseed oil (flax oil) depending on the stock and how the oil soaks in to it during the application process.

Edited July 19, 201312 yr by Hacker

I put 4 coats on the rifle. I microwaved the BLO for 45 seconds and used a paintbrush to apply each coat. After each coat was applied I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then a used white cotton rag to rub/wipe away the excess except for the last coat. I let the last coat sit overnight for approximately 15 hours. In retrospect I should have wiped the last coat after about 10 minutes too, because it left some spots a little too shiny for my tastes. I may apply a few more coats over the next few days, like you mentioned, to allow the oil time to dry in between coats. The pictures don't show it, but you can definitely tell a difference from when the stock was stripped and after I rubbed the oil into it.

My intention is to reapply the oil every few years as the rifle gets used.

Edited July 19, 201312 yr by Timbonez

So I just signed my continuation paperwork (I have that saved for cut and paste, I'm so relieved).

As they yay, I've got a job present, I was going to treat myself to a Ruger Mini-14, possibly a Mini-30 if I can find one.

I have a lot of AR buds who have nothing positive to say about the Rugers. I've only shot one once when I was in high school but I remember it being a great rifle.

I love the aesthetics and the classic styling of the wood on gun-metal blue, plus when I start to teach my kids to shoot bigger rounds I want iron sights without pistol grips.

Any thoughts on whether these are the modern reincarnation of the M1 (like they appear to be) or a pot metal piece of crap (like the AR guys are prone say)?

Edited July 19, 201312 yr by Catbox

I microwaved the BLO for 45 seconds and used a paintbrush to apply each coat.

FWIW, the mechanism that makes BLO a wood protectant is that it polymerizes and hardens as it dries. That polymerization is actually accelerated by heating it up -- if the microwave treatment was to increase its penetration into the wood, it is actually a little counterproductive.

Cutting the BLO with something like mineral spirits gets the overall mixture thinner, and will thus go deeper into the pores/grain on the initial applications. The mineral spirits will evaporate while the BLO can still flow, so it will smooth out into a light coat that fills deeper than just straight BLO will.

If anybody is interested in a Ruger LCP (who doesn't already have one), Lanbo's has them for $264 with reasonable shipping--about the best price I have ever seen.

https://lanbosarmory.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24_27_28&products_id=1271&referrer=CNWR_4191340829622

Hacker, thanks. I'm not a rocket surgeon so I was operating on "this seems like a good idea." I will be adding a few more coats over the next few days.

If anybody is interested in a Ruger LCP (who doesn't already have one), Lanbo's has them for $264 with reasonable shipping--about the best price I have ever seen.

https://lanbosarmory.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24_27_28&products_id=1271&referrer=CNWR_4191340829622

If they sell out, Vance's has it for $269 right now.

https://www.vanceoutdoors.com/products2.cfm/ID/44732/name/ruger-lcp-380acp-centerfire-pistol