"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
10/10/2016 at 18:00 • Filed to: Gunlopnik
5
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"Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
10/10/2016 at 18:00 • Filed to: Gunlopnik | 5
| 19 |
For those of you unaware (probably most of you), I am less than a week from getting married. It’s a lot crazier than it sounds.
Saturday was the first day of my bachelor party festivities. I didn’t really want a party due to the stupid things they do at them, like get very drunk, write on the person of honor with sharpies, go watch strippers, etc.
My fiancé’s bridal party and some friends threw one for her on the same day and a little over a month ago she asked her father (my future father-in-law, or “FFIL”) to throw one for me at the same time. I was nervous, but knew they wouldn’t do anything too horrible if he was setting it up.
This part was a surprise (the second day was golfing). I was zip-tied, blindfolded, and driven somewhere. When we got there, we met up with my friends/coworkers and they questioned whether they should release me... I said I could get out of it on my own, so they let me. I grabbed my pocket knife, flipped it open, cut the zip ties, and removed the blindfold.
(Never leave home without it.)
Where I was standing, I couldn’t see any signs or quite tell what was going on. All I knew were the people there and that we were outside a big concrete and cinder block building. After my eyes focused and I looked a little more around, I realized we were at a gun shop and range. Nice.
My FFIL had brought my guns that he has been keeping for me (because I don’t feel comfortable keeping them where we are living now). We got to use any of their extensive collection of guns for the cost of ammo and a couple bays on the rifle part of the member range. There was quite the selection and we were there around the time they opened, so everything was on the walls and in the cases.
Our first group were two different AR15 variants, an FN PS90, and my choice of a 1911. The first ones I got to try that weren’t mine were my FFIL’s friend’s Springfield Armory XD and XD-S, both of which had neat safety systems and were quite accurate. The next was a Kimber 1911, with which I’m pretty familiar. I still feel the 1911 is the pinnacle of automatic pistols in nearly every respect, but I can’t bring myself to buy a decent one.
But it looked cooler, because there are about a million ways you can mod one of these...
After some pistol shooting with my FFIL and his friend, I went to the other bay and tried out the super weird PS90. I can’t say anything bad about it, aside from the fact the magazine/release kept eating my beard. The want is strong, it’s too bad the rounds are so expensive as is the gun itself.
This is exactly what happens when you allow a bunch of engineers to do whatever they want to fill your requirements. Also, the powder in those FNH rounds smells really weird and put out a lot of smoke, making it a very unique thing to shoot.
Of the three AR15s we fired, it became painfully apparent that longer barrels are better. The best one was the M&P 15 with a scope...
Yeah, it was good. A lot better than the Bushmaster I owned or the one my coworker brought.
Since we bought a whole bunch of rounds of 5.7mm, I traded out the short-barrel AR for a Five-seveN pistol. As far as wider-handled polymer frame guns go, I liked it. Very accurate, very easy to hold, very low recoil (but oddly loud), etc. If I were to find fault with it, it would be that the magazine is pointlessly-large, which makes the handle bigger than it could be. A 10-12 round variant with a matching shrunk down version of the handle would probably be even better. I really like that it’s all cleanly enclosed like a double-action, but with an internal hammer so it shoots like a single-action. Nice little gun.
I don’t get what all the fuss is about, aside from it being pretty easy to shoot and the ludicrously large magazine. I am completely baffled by the obsession over the trigger guard, too..
I traded that in for another rifle. It ended up being my favorite even though it was a total pile of crap, super dangerous, and on paper it should suck in comparison to the ARs. The thing didn’t have a real safety, just a stamped piece of steel with a notch cut into it that held the bolt open, or flip it up with the bolt closed to keep it from chambering a cartridge. Flaming garbage. It even had iron sights, so it was at a huge disadvantage compared to all these guns with sweet optical and dot sights. I thought the ARs would easily beat it, but it wasn’t even close...
That’s right, the AK47 made me look like I knew what I was doing. With this thing (with iron sights, no less!), I could fire groups that made the other guys dislike me. In fact, the groups even surprised me. Every time I’d fire and hit the same hole, I’d think “yeah, it just landed somewhere way off”, but then we’d bring it back and it was obvious that it went through the same hole. It was ludicrous. No wonder we keep losing to those wily commies.
Lastly, I decided to trade out the 1911, since nobody else was that interested in it and we had a lot of .45 remaining. Looking through the case, the options were limited, with only a few other autos. I ended up getting a common video game standby - the H&K USP 45. I was rather disappointed in it - it spite of the light weight, it seemed pretty inaccurate, and it was really hard to grip well due to the massive magazine. I’ve never been fond of the Beretta 92's grip size that can accommodate 12 rounds of .40, so I don’t know why anyone would think accommodating 12 rounds of .45 would be a good idea.
You are dead to me, USP45. I expected so much more and you just couldn’t deliver.
Next, we shot some of my guns, most of which are not all that interesting. Then my FFIL broke out some of his (he has really curious taste in guns and pays dearly for it in the cost of oddball ammo) and let us shoot his 1950s-built Ruger Single Six with the .22WMR cylinder... I have never liked revolvers due to poor weight balance, but this gun was something else. It was probably the most accurate handgun we shot all day.
What can I say? I love accuracy and this little gun was really accurate!
I couldn’t have asked for a better choice for my party. Glad to know that I do have people that understand what I like. It was great getting a chance to get to know my coworkers outside work and FFIL better, too. He and I are planning to go shooting once a month from now on, since he never had a son that was interested (and my dad never was, either) and we both enjoy it.
As a funny aside, I’ve noticed that there’s a lot of crossover between a number of mechanical hobbies. A more than passing interest in cars seems to bind them all together, too, so I’m sure some of you will find this at least mildly interesting.
Tristan
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 18:14 |
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I got to spend some quality time with a Kimber 1911 a couple weeks ago... my god ruled so hard... It felt so perfect in my hand.
I also fell in love with the Walther PPQ that day, and the $500-ish price tag of the Walther versus the I-don’t-wanna-ask price tag of the Kimber I think I might buy a PPQ soon.
$kaycog
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 18:15 |
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It sounds like you had a bang-up time at your bachelor party. You’re going to have a cool FIL. Best wishes!
crowmolly
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 18:15 |
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Sounds like an awesome time!
The FiveseveN is kind of a strange beast. Ammo was very expensive when I shot it last but it was very accurate. Small pumpkin-shaped fireballs out the muzzle were cool too.
Regarding the USP, I think hand size has a lot to do with it. I’ve shot a few H&K .45s and was best with the Mark 23. But I have bigger hands.
Any full auto or only semi?
XJDano
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 18:28 |
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Sounds like an awesome party / get together. Mine was kind of lame. I won’t bore you on that.
Enjoy marriage. Everyone bashes it, and it does get hard every now & again. But life is better with a partner you can trust & talk to.
Make sure she is comfortable with farting in your presence, keep it real.
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Tristan
10/10/2016 at 18:56 |
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I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a bad 1911... The problem really is the price - a good one is so expensive that I can’t justify buying it.
Retrospectively, I should have tried more 22LR and 9mm ones, considering they’re much more cost-effective practice rounds. My next one will probably be a high-quality 22LR bolt-action rifle (probably a CZ 452 UL).
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> crowmolly
10/10/2016 at 19:05 |
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Only semi. I’m not sure they had anything auto to loan and I don’t think I would have wanted to see the ammo bill for that, anyway.
Yeah, the ammo is still expensive. It was 80 cents a round... Definitely not something I’d want to feed with any frequency. There’s a reason I stick to common sizes like .22LR, 9mm, and 5.56mm for my personal guns.
I do have hands on the smaller side for a man, so that probably didn’t help. It just seemed impossibly big, even compared to other guns with pretty large ones... I’m sure it’s decent in the right hands, even if they’re much larger than mine.
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> $kaycog
10/10/2016 at 19:06 |
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Seriously. I get along with my FFIL far better than I ever have my own father...
Thank you.
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$kaycog
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 19:10 |
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That happens sometimes.
CaptDale - is secretly British
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 19:16 |
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Sounds like a lot of fun
Manny05x
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 19:59 |
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Dude this is my situation I actually call him dad.
Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 20:08 |
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Glad you’ve got a loaded FFIL and had a bachelor party packed with heat. It is a fitting event for you to holster your single life. Oppo is happy to bite the bullet and listen to you shooting the bull.
Hope you’re all cocked and ready for the wedding. Be aware of the full-auto drama it can bring, as trigger-happy Hecklers can squabble over hollow-points. Enjoy the moments which will pass by at a rapid clip. Afterwards, spend some time to take cover and reload.
Looking forward to your next round of stories. Being the six-shooter that you are, I am sure you have scoped out the perfect partner in crime.
And crap, dat revolver barrel...
BJ
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/10/2016 at 21:00 |
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I’m not a huge gun fan, but I’ve been to the range a few times in the past. I’ve shot a few different handguns - mostly 9mm, .40 and .45. The most fun, though? A .38 Special. Loud without being obnoxious, light and easy to grip, and startling accurate at reasonable distances.
I’m pretty sure it was a 4" like this one.
I’m not interested in owning any guns, and not much interested in using them any more, but I do sometimes appreciate them from a mechanical and aesthetic standpoint. Sometimes, they’re strangely handsome and appealing to look at, despite the fact they’re designed to shoot and kill.
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BJ
> XJDano
10/10/2016 at 21:04 |
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Marriage is great.We had exactly zero expectations of what marriage should be - we’re honestly married for legal reasons as much as anything else - so it’s pretty hard fuck that up. My “wife” isn’t any different from my “girlfriend” and that’s how it should always be.
Today is our 7th anniversary. If my phone hadn’t reminded us yesterday, we’d have both forgotten.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> Tristan
10/10/2016 at 22:27 |
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You can actually get into a basic Kimber 1911 for fairly reasonable. I got a Custom II (I think) 1911 many years ago and it was somewhere around $700 if memory serves me correctly. Absolutely no bells or whistles, but it’s a solid nice shooting gun.
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> XJDano
10/11/2016 at 00:07 |
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It took her a year and a half, but she’s okay with it now.
Aside from that, I’ve seen the good and bad of marriage. Realistically, I can’t see anything changing except our taxes going down, living together, smooth inheritance, and having children. She didn’t care about getting married before having kids, but I didn’t want to deal with family negativity about it, so it’s as much for me (from the legal and social perspective) as for her (because she is a girl and had all these wedding dreams that we’re trying to fulfill). I know it’ll be great and not really any different from how it is now, aside from knowing that nobody can question our decisions at that point. I also have an actively bad relationship with my parents/siblings when it comes to them taking advantage of me, but now I have a solid excuse and she will always back me up on refusing to let them exploit us.
Thank you for your perspective on it, I appreciate it.
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
10/11/2016 at 00:37 |
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They’re definitely more expensive now, and I probably couldn’t justify it. We’ll see, though. It’s on my wish list.
StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/11/2016 at 08:04 |
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Sounds like a fun party. Went shooting for 3 of my friends bachelor parties, all very different. Went skeet shooting for one (good time), local range for another (shot a Desert Eagle, holy recoil. Also, the shells would bounce off the wall and land on the shooter, my friend got a nice hickey and one on the head). Lastly we went down to Texas and found an outdoor range. Fired all sorts of full auto guns, silenced pistols and the best thing ever, 50 cal sniper rifle! Man, that thing is LOUD! Great times though.
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You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/11/2016 at 09:07 |
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Keep an eye out for a used one. If a gun has been taken care of they will last forever.
Just got out last night to shoot a new AR-15 build for the first time. Looks like it will be a shooter, hopefully I get a chance to sight it in properly this weekend. Last night was just to break it in so I was shooting at only ten yards without a proper rest. It still looks pretty promising, the last ten rounds made one ragged hole.
The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!)
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
10/11/2016 at 10:32 |
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Glad you had a great time! Just as a heads up, 5.7x28mm is about the same price as .45ACP these days. Use Ammoseek or Gunbot to find the best prices - you can usually find it for less than $0.40/round before shipping.
As for 1911s, Rock Island makes a surprisingly decent 1911 for $500. The finish is cheap, and they’re loosely fitted, but they’re generally reliable and shoot well. My friend had one for a few years before going nuts and buying a Dan Wesson. If you can get up to $600-$700, Ruger’s SR1911 is nice and has a lot of modern features.