looking sweet steve

fixed :stirthepot:








































































j/k nice shotgun
:roflpuke2:

I used to reload for hunting weapons....44 mag and 30.06, but those were low volume. You can knock of about 50% of the cost if you reload. But currently, I'll go through 1000 rounds of .223 or 9mm in a weekend course. I have a pistol course in August that specs 1200 rounds and a three-day carbine course in October where 1700 rounds of .223 or 5.56 are required. At those volumes, the reloading ends up becoming a hobby in itself and requires big $$ and lots of time to turn out that many shells. Some people really enjoy reloading and set up some very sophisticated reloading shops, but it's not for me.

that looks good man!

That's wild! One of these days I am going to sign up for some classes... they seem like good fun and a great way to hone your skills.

Consider getting the Magpul Dynamics DVD series as a good place to start. Their courses are truly excellent. You would especially like their Dynamic Shotgun videos, but their "Art of the Dynamic Handgun" is great, as are their Tactical Carbine videos. Magpul Dynamics | Products . Travis Haley and Chris Costa are pretty much the rock stars of the tactical shooting world these days. There are a lot of Magpul Dynamics clips on YouTube. Worth looking at. I haven't done the MD shotgun course...I just have a lowly Mossy 500 that I use in local three-gun competition, strictly a rube, but it looks interesting.

The pistol course I'm doing is with Louis Awerbuck (Yavapai Firearms) and the carbine course is with Jeff Gonzales...Combative Carbine II (did CC I last October). Jeff's a Navy SEAL, it's an intense three day course. In CC II, it's pretty much head shots only. We're fortunate here that local law enforcement is very proactive on advanced firearms training, and they bring these types of courses every year and open them to civilians. They are truly a blast.

Thanks for the recommendation, I will check those videos out!

I just placed an order for the reflex sight that Goldy recommended. I have already spent the price of the shotgun in modifications and haven't even shot it yet. Cars, guns, cigars, watches and liquor... why can't I like inexpensive things? :bowrofl:

I definitely need to get some cheap slugs and buckshot so I can have fun with this thing at the range. Next on the list... an AR-15.

Any recommendations under $1,000?

my friend if you are ever in the Orange County area let me know. We will get along just fine

Stay away from DPMS, Bushmaster, CMMG, Olympic...too many corners cut and too high a tendency to fail when pushed.

The best brands are Colt, Noveske, LMT, Daniel Defense, Bravo Company, but those will exceed your $1000. As a starting point, the minimum I'd recommend going is a Smith & Wesson M&P carbine. That is a pretty good rifle.

I base that recommendation on 15 years of SWAT training, as well as many, many carbine courses over the years. I see the weapons that fail when they're run hard.

Word :tup:

Thanks, Mac. I'll keep that in mind. I'm not ready to buy one anytime soon so I may be willing to spend a bit more when the time comes.

Not trying to be personal or insulting, just wanting to contribute. There are many people that know way more than I do. I would agree with the advice to stay away from Olympic Ar-15's. Not familiar with CMMG. I have had several DPMS and a few Bushmasters in my time, and they were all flawless with thousands of rounds. Not a single problem. The DPMS LAR-308 has a BIG following for their accuracy and build Quality. Which I own 2 of. Granted this is not out combat shooting, but shooting for fun with friends and family. In a combat situation, that reliability may change. But for fun and sub $1000 firearms you will be more than good to go.
The last one I bought I purchased a piece at a time and built it for just under $610.00. Free floating 16" barrel, Aero Precision upper and lower, M-16 bolt. Very pleased in its performance and accuracy. Only put around 800 rounds thru it so far. The Aero Precision stuff is good mil-spec quality. Fit and finish were impressive. If I remember correctly Spikes Tactical as well as other well known names have their uppers and lowers manufactured by Aero Precision.
Not many specialized tools needed and lots of free info on the net how to do it safely and correctly. Brownell's has a complete on-line video how to build your AR-15 from parts.

This is cool, check it out!
Bushmaster -The World of Bushmaster - "The Anatomy of a Bushmaster"

Just to throw another opinion into the ring. If I had the time/money/inclination/need to build out another AR-15 for myself today, I'd probably stick to Noveske and/or LMT for the core stuff (receivers, barrel, etc), and flesh it out with Magpul accessories (stock, grip, etc).

Im a fan of the Colt LE6940. Just my opinion.... I used it when being trained for SWAT tactics (Worked a security company where thats what we did. SO I wasn't city SWAT but I was trained by those guys)

Especially at $1300, the Colt 6940 is a great weapon. I have all Noveskes, one of which also has a monolithic upper (VIS). It adds some weight, but is noticeably more rigid. That 6940 would be my first AR if I were doing it again. I would never recommend building an AR as a first rifle...it makes far more sense to buy the complete rifle with warranty etc, shoot it, find out what you like and don't like and how you'd change it, then build your second rifle to address those issues. The variation in parts for building is absolutely dizzying. Unless you know the landscape or have a best buddy who's an AR armorer, I can guarantee frustration.

Buying firearms is an interesting process. Lots of different ways to go. User one-off anecdotes aside, I stand by my view that the bottom-tier weapons like DPMS and Bushmaster are not good value. I say that having seen those kinds of rifles in action...DPMS headquarters is about 60 miles from here in St. Cloud and I shoot at their range a few times a year, including their annual Omega:Outbreak Zombie three-gun. Guys show up with their bottom-tier rifles all tricked out, and halfway into the shoot they start getting bolt carrier failures, failures to extract, failures to eject, magazine problems, trigger issues, etc. I've seen that same thing at 1000-round carbine courses and on police ranges (there are a few police agencies around here that have some DPMS rifles because of that compy's proximity, their aggressive low bidding process and because usually department weapon procurement is made by bean counters rather than shooters. If we're talking about a range toy for a couple of hundred rounds a year and showing off to my "Army rifle" to my buddies at the range, that's one thing, but just as I would be more likely to buy a Milwaukee or DeWalt drill instead of a cheap knockoff from Harbor Freight, that would never be the route that I'd take. Obviously, I'm biased based on my observations and experience, but when it comes to weapons, especially given the abuse I heap on them, I would much rather buy professional-grade.