Real Guns

[a6m5]

@Xavier2342 @Michael88 Very, very good info, and I learned quite a bit there, but 1) It's still ways out before I start looking & 2) I haven't given up on semi-autos. My first choice is probably another AR-10. I just need one geared more to shoot long distance & has current support & information on the net(My Bushmaster was old & company was pretty much gone).

I've always liked bolt-actions, but first bolt gun I'll buy most likely would be a rimfire. I like those things a lot.

 

[Xavier2342]

I was waiting for someone to do this review.





Can't forget the obligatory mud test 🤔

 

[Xavier2342]

One of the things I struggled with in the past was trying to find the best zero distance for my Vortex Viper red dot sight. In the owner's manual Vortex recommends 25 yards (~22.86 meters). Instead I chose a 10 yard (~9.14 meters) zero because majority of the targets my friends and I have engaged with our pistols in competition were 10 yards away. With that being said, I came across this video earlier today that goes over what the best distance is for zeroing a pistol red dot sight. I hope this is helpful...

 

[Michael88]

Today I solved a mystery, I am both proud of myself and super disappointed in my equipment.



A couple months ago I bought an expensive RCBS mechanic beam scale to replace my old LEE beam scale, this scale I use to measure the powder charges for reloading. Its made of a plastic frame, a metal beam and a plastic pan for the powder. It has two magnets to dampen its movement and it sits on a perfectly level surface on a glass plate. There is no wind and no temperature swings.

Every time I started a new reloading session my scale was not zeroed for unknown reasons, I had to re-zero it every single time even though nothing had changed since the last reloading session. A total mystery, makes no sense. Also re-zeroing the scale is very hard, every now and then it would show a lot more weight despite everything being the same.

Today I zeroed the scale once again, then when I was finished I spotted some dirt on the powder pan, took it off, rubbed it clean with my shirt and put it back on the scale. The scale suddenly bottomed out. Then I realized the issue. I put the powder pan on my metal vice and waited a couple minutes. put the pan back on the scale beam and it was back to almost zero.
Turns out touching the synthetic pan, rubbing it and having powder slide around in it gives it an electric charge, it travels down the metal beam and messes with the dampening magnets.

The design of the scale is really poorly thought out, if they had used an aluminum pan the scale would work as designed. But that what happens if you cut corners and use plastic for everything.

Needless to say that I will return the scale since its not only useless, its also very dangerous.

CSI reloading bench.

 

[Michael88]

Shot my Glock with my Vortex on it some more, tried precision for once. 20 shots at 11yds, the hit at 5 and 11 o clock were my fault, just messed up the trigger pull. Its amazing how accurate a pistol becomes once you install a dot on it. The yellow square is 2x2 inches.

 

[Obelisk]

Today has been a surprising day.

My dad received a Ruger SR9c as a gift from my uncle, so we headed out to a gun shop to get hollow points.

Aaaaaand I ended up buying a Stephens 320 Security chambered for 20 gauge as well as 15 slugs (3x boxes) and No.5 shot. We're going to visit the store again at a later date so I can pick up a pistol, but for now we have what we need.

For a pistol, I was thinking a Ruger LCP in 38 or 9mm (9mm would make more sense). Other than that, yup.

Does anyone know if an SR9c and an LCP can both handle +P rounds? The ones my dad got are rated somewhere near 2050 fps iirc.

 

[Michael88]

Does anyone know if an SR9c and an LCP can both handle +P rounds? The ones my dad got are rated somewhere near 2050 fps iirc.

2050 fps? That cant be right, velocity of the 9x19 is around 1050-1300 fps, 2050 is the beginning of rifle round velocities.

Most modern handguns chambered in 9x19 can also handle most commercial +p ammunition. Just don't forget that +p isn't really a rating, it just means it has more pressure than the cartridge is officially rated for, which means it could only have 10psi more or theoretically 5000 more (and blow it up, lol), it does not matter. So if you want to go with +p ammo get it from a big company like Remington or Hornady etc. I don't recommend buying +p ammo from some super exotic manufacturer nobody ever heard of before.


Also I want to receive a pistol as gift too. I always have to buy them myself and that sucks!

 

[Brett]

Today has been a surprising day.

My dad received a Ruger SR9c as a gift from my uncle, so we headed out to a gun shop to get hollow points.

Aaaaaand I ended up buying a Stephens 320 Security chambered for 20 gauge as well as 15 slugs (3x boxes) and No.5 shot. We're going to visit the store again at a later date so I can pick up a pistol, but for now we have what we need.

For a pistol, I was thinking a Ruger LCP in 38 or 9mm (9mm would make more sense). Other than that, yup.

Does anyone know if an SR9c and an LCP can both handle +P rounds? The ones my dad got are rated somewhere near 2050 fps iirc.

The SR9c manual says NATO, U.S., SAAMI, or CIP spec ammo is not known to beyond the design limits of the pistol. NATO is generally the same pressure as +P, so it should be fine.

The LCP, LCP II, and LCP Max all say to not use +P. The LC9 can take +P.

I have shot a LCP in 380 and other similar sized pistols several times. It was never a fun experience. The things are just too small to get any kind of grip on them. The trigger guard tended to recoil into my trigger finger. I think the smallest I would go is the Glock 42; I have also shot a 42 several times and it was a much better experience than the LCP. However, I would get a 43, 43x, or 48 instead of the 42.

 

[Obelisk]

I believe I got my names mixed up. I was referring to the Ruger revolver.

The things are just too small to get any kind of grip on them.

Noticed that with the ruger, actually. My pinky is just hanging out on its own if I hold one, but I like how light and small it is.

2050 fps? That cant be right, velocity of the 9x19 is around 1050-1300 fps, 2050 is the beginning of rifle round velocities.

Looked at the box. It's Liberty Ammunition "Civil Defense" 9mm. Rated at 50 grains @ 2040 FPS...

 

[Brett]

I believe I got my names mixed up. I was referring to the Ruger revolver.

LCR? From the manual, it is not clear if it is rated for 9mm +P.

Noticed that with the ruger, actually. My pinky is just hanging out on its own if I hold one, but I like how light and small it is.

My biggest problem with LCP sized pistols is they are meant for carrying. I do not feel comfortable carrying something I would not practice with often and the LCP is not something I would practice with often.

Looked at the box. It's Liberty Ammunition "Civil Defense" 9mm. Rated at 50 grains @ 2040 FPS...
View attachment 1113591

50 Grains is really light for 9mm. No wonder they can get the velocity that high.

 

[Xavier2342]

@Obelisk I never really paid close attention to +P ammo ballistics. But it would be interesting to see what kind of muzzle velocity this ammo would produce when shot out of a 16" barrel PCC.

 

[unit-one]

Stay away from counterfeit ammo. =)
Man, you can see the hammer bounce back when the casing stamps the cap in slo-mo. Crazy.

 

[Michael88]

While I agree that it was totally the ammunitions fault that the gun blew up I have to say the SEVERITY of the accident is the guns fault. When you design any machine you usually design it in a way that it does as little damage to the operator as possible when it completely fails. You usually design it so that the weakest link that will give up first is as far away from the operator as possible, and not pointed at the operator but in a safe direction.

For example the Mauser k98k bolt action rifle, this action was tested with up to 150000+ PSI and they did not get the action to fail, the locking lugs were set back and the action froze, but what really ended the test was that the barrel blew up. When the barrel blows up the pressure and force is not directly projected into the shooters face. Yes, it will cause damage to the hands but that's still far better than to the head, chest or face.

And that's not hindsight. When I first saw Scott shooting the Serbu 50 many many years ago, when he shot a concrete atlas stone to pieces I cringed at the design and literally said out loud that I would never shoot a gun with such action. Until that day I didn't even know that there was a gun manufacturer building rifles with a freaking screw cap, I found that really puzzling.

 

[Obelisk]

There's been several firearms that use proper locking bolts (Ross rifle comes to mind) where a mechanical failure like that could cause nasty injuries. I wouldn't necessarily blame the severity of the incident on the screw cap, as I'm certain this same type of criticism wrt some kind of unusual design trait would get thrown around if a different rifle exploded under similar circumstances and with similar consequences.
Screw cap this, bolt screw backwards that, AK bolt design this, gas piston that.

I'm not absolving anyone of blame or trying to criticize anyone, but the fact that this new RN-50 ate all 12 of those obviously hot rounds without significant damage and only failed with the 190,000+ PSI round should be a testament to how sturdy the design itself is.

 

[Michael88]

I'm not absolving anyone of blame or trying to criticize anyone, but the fact that this new RN-50 ate all 12 of those obviously hot rounds without significant damage and only failed with the 190,000+ PSI round should be a testament to how sturdy the design itself is.

But thats not the point, it absolutely is sturdy no question about it, its simply badly designed. In case something DOES happen that overcomes the sturdiness it will cause severe injuries to the shooter. That's just unacceptable. Freak accidents do happen.
In a nutshell, a gun needs to be designed to blow up SAFELY.

Also, to cause an accident like the one that happened to Scott all you need to do is reload .50BMG cartridges and load the wrong powder, like grabbing pistol powder instead of rifle powder. That instantly turns the rifle into a pipe bomb, and if you have a lot of powders and you are not paying attention just once, for whatever reason, the gun is going to kaboom in your face. That's not such a freak accident, kabooming guns like that happens fairly often, that's why manufacturers design guns so they don't kill the shooter if they go boom. If you fill a .50BMG case with pistol powder you could make the Serbu TWICE as sturdy and it would still blow up. We're talking about 200k+ PSI pressures here.

 

[Obelisk]

But thats not the point, it absolutely is sturdy no question about it, its simply badly designed. In case something DOES happen that overcomes the sturdiness it will cause severe injuries to the shooter. That's just unacceptable. Freak accidents do happen.
In a nutshell, a gun needs to be designed to blow up SAFELY.

Also, to cause an accident like the one that happened to Scott all you need to do is reload .50BMG cartridges and load the wrong powder, like grabbing pistol powder instead of rifle powder. That instantly turns the rifle into a pipe bomb, and if you have a lot of powders and you are not paying attention just once, for whatever reason, the gun is going to kaboom in your face. That's not such a freak accident, kabooming guns like that happens fairly often, that's why manufacturers design guns so they don't kill the shooter if they go boom. If you fill a .50BMG case with pistol powder you could make the Serbu TWICE as sturdy and it would still blow up. We're talking about 200k+ PSI pressures here.

Alright, you've got a fair point there. I do admit that my familiarity with guns is a bit limited since I don't reload cartridges or do any of the dirty work on my gun(s) yet. Though, I suppose this kind of thing is a swiss cheese model more than any one single issue where it has to be a series of mistakes for a really serious boom like this to happen.

 

[Michael88]

Alright, you've got a fair point there. I do admit that my familiarity with guns is a bit limited since I don't reload cartridges or do any of the dirty work on my gun(s) yet. Though, I suppose this kind of thing is a swiss cheese model more than any one single issue where it has to be a series of mistakes for a really serious boom like this to happen.

It CAN be caused by a series of mistakes, but it can absolutely caused by simply using the wrong powder during reloading. Just one single mistake, one that can absolutely happen if you are careless.

Take a primed .50BMG shell, load it with the wrong powder - I would take shotgun flake powder because its the absolute fastest powder that exists-, fill the case, put a projectile in it and ta-daa - that would be a mankiller round in the wrong firearm. Trust me, that would create many many hundreds of thousands of PSI there, FAR worse than what happened to Scott.
And I just grabbed the wrong powder.

That's why I triple-check the powder when I'm reloading ammunition. Also before I reload I make sure all the powder containers are in the closet, the only powder container that is allowed to be outside the closet is the one I'm using for reloading right now. There is never two powder containers outside the closet, ever.

Plus, I absolutely never shoot ammunition that was reloaded by someone else. I only shoot my own reloads and ammunition straight from an unopened sealed box of commercially produced ammunition.
I don't let anyone else shoot my reloaded ammunition and I never sell my reloads.

 

[Obelisk]

I meant to ask this yesterday. For those who are keeping shotguns, do you store them with the action cycled/locked or do you leave them unlocked? I'm noticing that my 320's action is partially opening few inches while being stored. It's being kept vertically. I was wondering if it'd be better to rack it and leave it in that state or not.

 

[Xavier2342]

I meant to ask this yesterday. For those who are keeping shotguns, do you store them with the action cycled/locked or do you leave them unlocked? I'm noticing that my 320's action is partially opening few inches while being stored. It's being kept vertically. I was wondering if it'd be better to rack it and leave it in that state or not.

I don't think it really matters if the shotgun is being stored unloaded. In your case, you might want to get the action checked out if you're planning on storing your shotgun loaded.

 

[Michael88]

I meant to ask this yesterday. For those who are keeping shotguns, do you store them with the action cycled/locked or do you leave them unlocked? I'm noticing that my 320's action is partially opening few inches while being stored. It's being kept vertically. I was wondering if it'd be better to rack it and leave it in that state or not.

If the action is open (unlocked) the striker spring is compressed *, or if it has hammer, the hammer / mainspring. While compressing and de-compressing is the main factor of weakening springs, having them compressed for long periods of times also weaken springs.
I see no reason to keep the action open and potentially induce damage to the firing pin/hammer/main spring. All my guns are stored action closed and decocked, I don't know anyone who stores their guns with the action open and cocked.

Also storing them opened can allow dust and debris to enter the action/magazine and then when you need the gun, cause it to jam. Oil and years of dust is a bad combination, oil will eventually start to gum and mixed with lint and dust form a pretty sticky nasty substance.

* unless its a cock-on-closing action.

 

[Obelisk]

I honestly think the bolt is heavy enough that it's unlocking itself when it's not primed to fire. I'm going to look into it and check my owner's manual, then follow manufacturer recommendations.

thanks all!

 

[coryclifford]

I have a single shot Henry 12 gauge. Loaded but not cocked. The only safety is cocking the hammer. Guess that’s not really relevant though…

 

[Blood Eagle]

I keep my Maverick 88 tube loaded, chamber empty and slide tube locked into battery position but hammer not cocked. Just have to rack it to put one in the chamber.

 

[Michael88]

 

[Xavier2342]

I subscribed to this channel a while back. But for some reason I never received a notification for this video when it was uploaded. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy it.

Spoiler: Test Fire

 

[Obelisk]

It CAN be caused by a series of mistakes, but it can absolutely caused by simply using the wrong powder during reloading. Just one single mistake, one that can absolutely happen if you are careless.

Take a primed .50BMG shell, load it with the wrong powder - I would take shotgun flake powder because its the absolute fastest powder that exists-, fill the case, put a projectile in it and ta-daa - that would be a mankiller round in the wrong firearm. Trust me, that would create many many hundreds of thousands of PSI there, FAR worse than what happened to Scott.
And I just grabbed the wrong powder.

That's why I triple-check the powder when I'm reloading ammunition. Also before I reload I make sure all the powder containers are in the closet, the only powder container that is allowed to be outside the closet is the one I'm using for reloading right now. There is never two powder containers outside the closet, ever.

Plus, I absolutely never shoot ammunition that was reloaded by someone else. I only shoot my own reloads and ammunition straight from an unopened sealed box of commercially produced ammunition.
I don't let anyone else shoot my reloaded ammunition and I never sell my reloads.

Make of this what you will, but Kentucky Ballistics subjected a Barrett to the same load as the one in the RN-50 and it was a much more violent result.

 

[Xavier2342]

@Obelisk he is slowly becoming the Whistlin Diesel of guns. I wish I owned a Barrett M82A1 🙁.

 

[Brett]

The moral of the story with Kentucky Ballistics is to not shoot reloads that you did not reload yourself.

 

[Xavier2342]

Last month I decided to pull the trigger (no pun intended) and purchase a Safariland Vertical Universal Belt Loop (VUBL) to attach my Blue Alpha duty duty belt. I purchased the VUBL because I wanted something I could adjust to fit me better than the 3 belt ride height Safariland offers. From the research I've done, it seems like mid/duty height holster attachments is what most people currently use or recommend. I also wanted a leg strap but I could not find one on Safariland's website that was designed for the VUBL. After doing some additional research I found the Wilder Tactical QUBL/VUBL leg strap assembly which brings me to the reason why I am making this post.

I haven't been able to find any info online other than the product pictures and videos posted by Wilder Tactical. One of the customer reviews on their website mentioned that their leg strap assembly did not come with instructions for proper installlation. I assumed Wilder Tactical would have addressed this by posting something on their site or began to instructions with their product but they haven't. The only thing they mention in their website in terms of instructions is having to drill 7/32" drill bit to install the leg strap assembly. After looking through the pictures in their website, I was able to figure out how to properly install the leg assembly to the VUBL. I don't necessarily think this is a big deal, but I want to share this with you guys incase one of you is thinking about purchasing this item.

VUBL Front

VUBL Rear

Pay Close Attention To These Slots

Leg Strap Assembly Front

Leg Strap Assembly Rear

Pay Close Attention To These Tabs & Hole

With both items faced forward. Slide the leg strap assembly onto the VUBL until the front tabs on the leg strap assembly fit into the rear slots of the VUBL. After doing so, you might noticed that the leg strap assembly is not flush with the VUBL. Secondly, the hole on the leg strap assembly may not be properly aligned with the VUBL.

If this occurs, slid the leg strap assembly onto the VUBL (tabs remain inside of slots) until both items were flush. Using the hole on the leg strap assembly as a guide, drilled a hole with a 7/32" drill bit into the VUBL. Then secured the leg strap to the VUBL with the screw and washer that came with the leg strap assembly.

 

[Michael88]