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Seeking advice on that first handgun or next weapon purchase? Ask AW!

Mighty fine 1911, to be sure. Good shooting, durability, subdued but still refined...That's the way to go IMO.

Were those standard size magazines, or drum-like for the Norinco?
 
gaijin6423 said:
Mighty fine 1911, to be sure. Good shooting, durability, subdued but still refined...That's the way to go IMO.

Were those standard size magazines, or drum-like for the Norinco?
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Standard 10-round .308 magazines -- basically look like an M1A/M-14 magazine. Too bad they are not interchangeable ...
 
The Mini-14...The rifle that never really was. I'm a fan of both Garands and M-14/M1As, which the Mini-14 action is based on, but the rifle was somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of the AR type platform. I never did get a chance to mess one all that much, so my knowledge is purely academic. But I would be willing to bet that you could find a quality AR for similar or cheaper prices, and I doubt that there are more plentiful accessory and magazine options for other than an AR-15. It all depends on what you want to do with it, and how far down the rabbit hole you want to go.
 
jazzdude said:
Any thoughts on the Ruger Mini-14? This would be my first rifle, primarily for punching holes in paper.
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I owned a Mini-14 and a Mini-30 (sold them both during the 'gun scare' for a nice profit). They are excellent, reliable, and depending on where you buy yours, affordable. One can be had for around 650-850, depending on the style you like, options, etc. . . If you want a new one, I would recommend checking THIS out. Great price on a great rifle.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'll have to go try out an AR-15 next time I get a chance. I've shot the the mini 14 a few times, and that had been a pretty good experience, but my only experience with the AR-15 (type gun) is, well, the M-16 with the blank firing adaptor in ROTC (all the pain of cleaning, with none of the fun).
 
You can build an AR pretty cheap if you shop around. I built a rifle with pretty good parts for $550 last fall. Those were all new parts, too. I currently have two complete lowers sitting around waiting for some uppers to go on them. A very cheap option is a Plumcrazy polymer lower. I have one, but have not had the chance to shoot it yet. You get a complete lower (with buttstock and buffer tube, spring, and buffer) for $112+FFL transfer from Upstate Armory Group right now (only place I could find them in stock for cheap). Then just find a cheap quality (not an oxymoron) upper to go on it and you can have a sub-$500 rifle.

My honest opinion (take it for what it's worth as I haven't fired it) of the Plumcrazy lower is not that high. It looks like they could have done some finishing work on it to make it look a little cleaner, especially around the trigger and the trigger guard. Also, the trigger guard isn't removeable at all, it's just one big chunk of polymer.
 
$112 for a stripped lower of dubious quality? LMT lowers were going for $90 a few months ago. (They only had two left by the time I escaped the estrogen laced prison of my house and got to the gun show, so i bought them.) Here, in backwater, NC, land of Del Ton Industries perversion. Sure, prices can be regional, and the lower is what some consider a low stress component. But in many ways, you get what you pay for. Or rather, you can buy a brand new, if basic, AR pattern rifle, true to MIL-SPEC, for about $900. Buying cheap doesn't necessarily mean buying shit.

But money's always an issue, I know. If you're looking for a safe/range queen, or something to build with less worry about screwing anything up, then I can see it. I guess. You can always swap parts later.

Maybe I'm just of the 'buy quality, buy once' kind of mindset.
 
@AllAmerican:

My girlfriend just bought a XD9. She had no previous gun experience other than a few rounds from her brother's .45 that scared her a couple of years ago. She's had it for less than a month and has already put 450 rounds downrange with it and is enjoying it. I've only shot about 30 rounds through it, so don't have much time with it, but it felt good. A little small for my hand, but that's not the gun's fault.

I've only held a Sig 250 once but never shot. I am eyeing a 229 before I PCS. I always enjoy shooting the 228s "at work" and plugging away with my 1911 (my only handgun) every trip to the range is getting a little expensive.

Gaijin, the 228 (and the Navy issued 226 I shot back in the '90's when they first got them) are a tad smallish for my hand (for trigger pull). Would putting a Hogue on a 229 move the trigger finger out "just enough" do you think?
 
My 229 is small. So small that--I think I mentioned this here before--that some fellow competitors were impressed at how well it shot. Still, I don't have the most bearclawish of hands, and it fits well for me. I think you're one of the few people I've heard say that a Sig is too small for their hands, actually. Usually I overhear people complaining about the exact opposite, myself included. I can shoot the he'll out of my 220, but I don't compete with it or really carry it anymore, because the ergonomics are just not there. But it was one he'll of a deal.

I guess the bottom line is that it might help. Is it worth the cash to try it out? If you're in the market for a 229, though, I recommend the SAS. It will cost more, but the trigger is well beyond factory Sig, it has a nice slide melt on it, and standard sig lites.
 
I guess I should make sure we're talking apples and apples. From what I've read, the 229 is the civilian equivelent to the 228 (w/ some small metal changes), correct? So they're both the 4"-ish barrel. I think the "problem" I have with my hands is the trigger pull. The trigger goes so far back when in SA that it's a little longer than "optimum" for my finger. I guess I need to go handle one for more than 48 rounds at a time.

And thanks for making my purchase options more pricey. You're a real "help."
 
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