Bighanded

wow...ya'll got some nice machines!! my honda came out of the garage for the first time in 2 weeks...been down with the shingles...go figure...zombie pockyclypse at hand, and I get the shingles...jeesh..anyway...several of the boys came over saturday for some gun range fun...this is one of my son-in-laws...he loves my old blue 300..so despite other machines on hand, including a big ol golf cart, he always grabs the keys to Blue and then strapped his cases to it as the excuse to run out back to our shoot location...always good to see the bike get run and loved by the next generation anyway...so I just smile when he comes over cause i know he's gonna be grabbin that particular key.

nicce work...almost makes me want to learn how to weld. what I really wish I had was a ATV front mount brush mower...most everything OEM and affordable seem to be pull-behind....most times I need to enter with the blades first..ie like you would with a DR walk-behind.

yep...in my daily commuter car, it's always on the moment I crank up...it's my best legal defense against lane jumpers who think that half a car length in front of me means they can deliberately NOT signal and just shove their way in...without the camera proof, I'd wind up being accused of a rear-end for following too closely.

that's a whole can o worms I best leave closed...cause the mindset of the guy in the pic on the left....good luck hippeeee

yep...original Epihones (before Gibson bought the name) were excellent guitars and bring some $ for collectors. once Gibson grabbed the name , they relegated it to being mostly gibson copies made in Malaysia via the Samick plant that also made many other brands in the same plant. so guys that might not know, may have assumed you had a later model Epi and they weren't far off as to used value, but if it was a real deal, then , sorry that it's been lost to you. As one of the larger collectors of vintage amps of certain brands in the country (I literaly led a national group of collectors and knew the original company owner, etc..) I tended to find deals, swap n trade, and get good deals over the years, so by the time the gun for amp trade came my way, I was happy with the values of both items...but I did know what I had, what I had in it, what it should sell for, and how interested I was in owning the gun instead of the amp..so it was a decent trade. But I've seen many folks through the years..or spouses, really loose out....my wife and kids know my amp collection hobby, have attended guitar shows, etc with me so they know the value of what is in my warehouse..so if I pass away unexpectedly, the wife will be able to pull some decent $ and call on several good friends in the collector group to help her get fair price for stuff and move it more quickly than an ebay thing. As I approach retirement I'll continue to thin my collections out anyway...enough out there to buy a newer travel trailer and hit the road in better comfort than our old 26footer provides today. I probably need to getr serious about selling my old 1979 honda CT90 too while it is still in great shape...but everytime I pull it out for a short rride, I remember how fun it is.

yeah... you had me curious so I took a quick peek..and man...I guess they werre trying to hit the entry market and squeeze some of the Taurus biz out or something what a shame..no.. a crime that your pop came home with this deal... very sorry. I like the term "backhoe" with regards to the trigger ...that's funny.

gawd I hate to hear about things like this. I know folks tend to want to unload old- school sometimes...dump a bolt or lever in favor of a hi-cap pistol, that sort of thing. my old guns all came via my Dad..so they will never leave the family, even if they don't get used these days. about once every couple years I pull one of his out just to enjoy shooting it... remembering as a kid him taking me pheasant/rabbit hunting or to the moose lodge turkey shoot and me running his old Winchester model 12 16ga..it's a good feeling to pull that thing out on occassion and toss some through it. good memories not to be forgotten....that old gun likely wouldn't bring enough $ to make a good dinner/movie date night happen these days, but it's important to me.

oh my gooodness!!!!! how horrible...the boat?!!!?!! years back... Sandy Hook gun panic buy and market shortage time frame...I was fine on firearms and ammo, but a guy wanted one of my vintage amps really bad and I wasn't really in the mood to sell it...he found my secret weakness and offered to trade "some guns" for some guitar amps. we wound up settling on me letting him have one smaller amp that I had $250 in...worth about $450 on the market, for an old 1943 Remmington Rand 1911 that he had been able to secure as a result of his time as a Sgt in the Corps you are likely right on the Axis budget line version...they can be a good value for the price but they are in the budget market fer sure. I'm not familiar either with the Smitty Sigma model...but it looks to be a $200 offering? ouch.

good to know...thanks....I'll let my buds know, one of them dislikes his 320 to the point where he's trying to sell it.

I've never been much of a fan of any of the poly-tupperware pistols of the past decade...the long trigger pullls/resets I guess are more noticable to an old 1911 guy who is used to a crisp trigger with very short reset. But it is what you are used to.. I've been shouldered-up with excellent shooters/LEO who out perform me with their M&Ps so I certainly don't knock anyway's choice..just glad good folks are armed, trained, and capable and leave it at that. my wife likes her M&P 9mm compact, she shoots well with it and the gun is certainly more accurate than I am capable of being with it. without a doubt though, the older Sigs..ie P2009 and the 226...have enabled me to shoot tighter groups on those style platforms (DA/SA) trigger systems...not as good as my 1911s when running drills, but certainly nice to have the higher capacity.. I think the old Sig model 2009 was the first time I had gotten into a double stack mag that gave me 14 rds in hand and a very good shooting gun, even though that slow motion decocker messes with your head (grin). When I first tried the new striker fired platform, it was on a friends Sig P320 and I was not impressed. trigger felt gritty, squishy, just not good in general.and that was after hundreds of rounds.. I tried a new one at the local store..it felt even worse. So I was surprised when I got my hands on their M17..which I assumed was basically the same assembly..but it's much better..and I have a couple guys that own 320s and they both immediately notice how much better the m17 trigger feels. As a 1911 guy I'm not unhappy with the M17 trigger at all..short reset, good smooth pull. now... I've talked triggers just to make the point that it can make such a different in a persons ability to get on target consistently, then add to that what I've said in the past about 40cal...at least for me, i find that the 40cal recoil, snappy as it is, tends to magnify all my bad trigger habits..if I'm pushing, etc.. it'll show up on paper all the more when I run 40s vs 9s or 45. so I'm saying this to gently suggest that it might not be your gun so much as the gun fit to the shooter that's causing accuracy issues.. a small shorty like the shield, little palm swell gap fill on the hand grip, lotta recoil from a 40 in that size package etc...I'd cut yourself and the gun a bit of slack when it comes to being able to group at 10-15yds on that platform.

sweet!! the ultimate pocket/purse gun fer sure.

yep.. I've always said that my old duty smith would try to eat rocks if I fed it to it...it's not the most accurate pistol by far, but it sure is reliable and that's what the departments wanted from smith back in the day...as long as you could put em in center of mass , and multiple different holes is real life...not 1 MOA, but minute of man accuracy...as long as it went bang everytime you pulled the trigger. and I'll take part of the blame as well...that is my only 40cal platform, and every bad trigger habit I have seems to be magnified by the strong/snappy recoil of 40cal... I just do better with that big thud of slow ol 45acp. in fact the only reason I even got into 9mm for myself was I wanted to have at least one pistol that had capacity to it...and I'd be edging into politics to state why I felt I wanted to buy a higher capacity pistol..when I had never felt my entire life that I needed it...but when folks started telling us that we shouldn't be allowed to have em...well.. I went shopping. The extend family unit had long settled into 9mm.. my wife has an M&P compact which has an extended to 17rds, one of my daughters has the same gun, my son and 3 soninlaws all shoot 9mm in various platforms...everything from H&K to the new lil Sig 365 to Smith stuff.. so there seems to always be 9mm around. I got into the M17 after doing some homework and have been pleased with it..one of the better strikerfired triggers.. I like the gun as a pistol..not a carry gun, it's a full size duty sidearm for sure, but it was intended to live in the grab n go "battle bag" for that day that likely will never come (he says in the midst of global pandemic...LOL) it was me doing homework about it that came across the youttubes of the Flux system and it woke me up to the value of the new modular design concept that our Army wanted...when guys on youtube like Honest Outlaw did his review..yeah.. I was sold..and I took some time to email and actually call and make friends with the guys at Flux..and they made it happen for me so that Santa could put it under my christmas tree...lots of folks are still waiting on theirs....I already had the Delta optics and the Streamlight, so it was easy to make the package complete. I have owned a music concert company for 16 years so late night loadouts, etc, we all carry...but cargo shorts, and a tucked in polo logo shirt can make it really hard to "dress" around a larger carry gun..so my Always gun has long been my 1989 colt Mustang 380..it lives in a Desantis zipper pouch that is little larger than a cell phone PDA size..it doesn't scream "gun" and I've hung out back stage nose to nose with many an LEO during our concerts and they never take a second glance at it...again it's basically a 1911 functional platform in terms of it's manual of arms. when its' date nigth with the wife and dinner and a movie are on tap, then I dress up with my kimber ultra..that puts me back into 45acp but keeps me in a 3inch platform still.. I have made myself run the LEO qual with this shorty...the theory is..qual with what you carry..so instead of the long sight radius of a duty gun, you have to make it happen with your shorty...and I consistenly come in top 80-85% on score with it...less so with the lil mustang, but that's not a gun I want to engage in a street fight at 40feet anyway. I'm probably saying too much here...I need to lurk back over to a gun forum and focus on my hondas here..sorry...but it is an area I really enjoy...appreciate ya'll...

mine was sold as a 'pistol brace' albeit Flux did not apply for, nor do they have "a letter".. I think there's only one manufacturer with one particular platform that does actually have a letter for their PDW model. Flux offers two formats..one they readily acknowledge as an SBR and sell it as such, the other, is a brace and it really comes down to the design of the end of the extension arm..the 'brace' is crafted /shaped in such a way that it implies a forearm wraparound..their SBR is more substantial in side, straight, and obviously meant to be shouldered...the rest of the platform kinda dances with the whole SBR characteristics..ie, the "not a foreend" grip...which like some other manufacturers is just there as a spare mag holder and is not straight up n down , like you would see for an add--on to an AR15pistol type platform. then length of the extendable stock, etc..there are a number of elements that comprise the Feds decision on SBR...and just to avoid confusion from an LEO who might want to detain and hold until ATF can clarify, i simply made a choice that this unit never leaves my property..just keeps things simpler...if we ever get to that zombie-pocyclypse..then it'll be good to have, but as I'm not in the professional protection biz, there's not a real reason to carry it...if I can't solve a personal defense situation on the street with my 7rds of 45 in a compact 1911, then it means I'm having a real bad day anyway.

yeah Jeep...see, if I was talking just of my experience with my old Duty S&W 4006..then I'd say the same thing..the big heavey boat anchor will cycle everything..and I mean it will even cycle CCI snake shot..try that with most semi-autos..not gonna happen...so I was very surprised and perplexed when my kimber and springfield ultras were having problems...but tighter tolerance guns, short frame, heavier springs, etc...the wally world stuff just doesn't work in them..yes it runs fine in my full size 1911 springer, etc...so I'm just sharing what i found to be the case across my particular guns...if it works in yours..that's great..and good to know that folks know what their particular firearm can or can't eat reliably.

I'm not that familiar with the Berettas... have never owned one..I'd be curious if they put the heavier springs in it..the military tends to run hefty springs in the Sigs...and they use 124gr +P basically ...civilian models not so much, but your older "Pre-M9" might just be a hefty. anyway.. I'm surprised you are still finding 9mm in Walmart? I thought they stopped selling it and other pistol and 223 stuff? I haven't looked.. I usually got better deals elsewhere anyway. For a long while I was able to get our area Cabellas to price match Palmetto State armory..so when they'd have PSA sales, I'd head to Cabellas..many many boxes bought that way over the years..on occassion I'd go ahead and get good deals direct from PSA..ie back in January, just before this virus stuff blew up, PSA had thei CCI factory 9mm 115 brass, 1000 rds for $169 with free shipping and CCI also had rebates...that same "deal" today is $310, no free shipping, no rebates..and that's when you can find it in stock...so I'm really really happpy to have done my shopping during calm markets over the past couple years. The blazer brass in 115 and 124 runs good for me, as does the Federal in both weights. I also got some of the Sig brand M17 124 +P as that's the actual matchup to my Sig.. but I honestly don't think the zombies are gonna care which round I poke their eyes out with...long as it reliably goes bang each time I pull the trigger.. I'm happy.

yep...they aint' cheap...and they have really been slow out the gate on fulfillment...but it is such a comtemporary product...it's the first to truly leverage the modular design of these current Sig stiker fire module pistols. The holster works well, albeit that much rig with 40rds on your belt...needs a solid duty belt... I have a thick 5.11 belt and it rides well on there..and when I say 'ride' I mean I take it out on my property when I'm on my Fourtrax...it sits really well..and I have the Safarieland quick detach system. I scored this thing in time for Christmas last year and there's about 900 rds through it with the help of family/friends who just grin the minute they get hands on it. there'd be that much through it again, but with the virus mode, I'm a bit hybernated on my range fun right now with only about 3,500 rds of 9mm on hand for it...9mm hasn't been my main pistol platform over the years (I'm a 45 guy), so it used to be that I'd keep 600-800 rds of 9 on hand for my wife's M&P but when i got into the Sig I had to ramp up..and fortunately I had managed to get it up to at least that 4k level beffore this panic hit.

The Sig M17 comes with factory 21 rd mags..you can see it in it's orginal Milspec format in the first picture. I have "a number" of extra mags for it. the second picture is the unit loaded into the Flux MP17 PDW chasis. as the video demonstrates, the tuch a lever on the side of the gun and the stock ejects into brace position. but compressed, this thing fits perfectly into my small size laptop bag with room to spare.

just a measely bit of work on my part, but my old 1979 CT90 had been sitting in the garage since back around Christmas.. rear tire tube leak at the stem, so couldn't patch and kept meaning to order new tubes...anyway..always seemed to be something else to do with my free time..finally this week I ordered and received a couple tubes...dang if I didn't pinch one putting it on..but got it right the second time...was a good time to clean brake, adjust chain tension etc....and then....would it start after sitting for 3 months?....battery still strong...3 kicks...varrrooooom! enjoyed cruising the deserted back country roads and a bit of trail time out back on my property...I really missed riding that woefully underpowered little japanese wonder machine!

good deal.. I'm a big fan of PDW platforms now that I've gotten into one..quick, fast, accurate...enabler!

I can only share my personal experience from a number of years back.. I had long used what we call "wally World white box" in my older 3rd gen S&W 40cal and also in my lil Colt mustang 380...while I noted the ammo was dirty, I didn't have any/many failures. but when I tried to use white box in my compact 1911 carry guns..quality guns..springfield ultra and kimber ultra models..it turned both of them into jammomatics..the guns run 100% with blazer, federal, independance, etc..but try to feed them the wallyworld winchester and they'd fail 1 in 4 rounds or worse... local gun shop smith advised me that he sees this alot with that...tighter guns can be less tolerant..anyway.. I simply stepped away from that brand/source years ago and never looked back.

it is amazing...it is an enabler.. I've had a couple of my buds who are former LEO and Marines and are expert pistol guys.. they embarras me on the dot torture targets etc...and at 30-45 feet out they are faster, tighter. then I put lesser shooters, like my wife and one of my adult children on the same range/target with their favorite pistols...full size 9mm smith for one, a compact m&P9 for the other..and they are shooting 4-8inch groups at best... i hand them this platform..trigger, grip, everything unfamiliar and they are keyholing instantly ...granted there's a Delta Point on top to help too, but still...the platform just simply works.

There's a budget M&P15 sport2 that shares the several thousand rds of 5.56 on hand with my mini14.. oother than hogue grip upgrade and a light, I've left it stock, including the trigger..it was my trunk gun back couple years ago when I had to commute to the city for work at the bank and we were having the nightly riots over a police shooting incident. the Armalite (AR10) is for work from 300yrds out.. my long range instructor has me inside of 4inches at 400yds (inside of 6inches at 500yds) prone on the mat off hand (well, off elbow) with this short barrelled platform..and that's good nuff for the social work I had wanted to train for...and that's with Federal's std 147gr milspec stuff. CQB 12ga includes one hanging on the back of the headboard, one that rides in the scabbard on the dirt bike front fork or over my shoulder when I'm out on the fourtrax. my always Carry is an old 1989 Colt mustang 380...I had started carrying it when I was doing the concert biz...needed something that could live in a belt pouch since my normal dress was cargo shorts and a tucked polo shirt with my logo...no where to hide a larger gun and I didn't want something in my pocket..needed a secure carry and the Nemisis zipper pouch really looks like a PDA for a phone or something..it doesn't scream "gun". for dressup date night, there's a nice Kimber ultra 3inch 1911 in 45acp of course that hides well for dinner and movie dates. a springfield ultra 1911 lives in my gethome bag in the commuter car...I had gotten it used off an LEO friend (lots of friends and several family LEO through the generations)..it was definitely not a safe queen, and it came to me cheap so I'm good with it living in the bag. still have the old S&W 4006 duty pistol...talk about a boat anchor..gawd that gun is heavy... LEO only under old Clinton era ban so I've still got those evil 11rd capactiy mags marked "LEO only" on them...civilian mags were 10rds...go figure...1 whole bullet! (grin) what else..oh yeah..zombie shotgun...auto loader mossberg 930... had to really modify that thing to get it reliable..but it is..and when the shoulder is in the mood to toss 50 or so buck n slug..yeah..it's a lot of fun there's other stuff here, but most important, my Dad's guns...old model 12 16ga, winchester lever 30.30 and a couple Ruger Mark1 target plinkers that still see a lot of use. the wife has her own ruger 10/22, a compact 9mm and a colt 380 govt model. I forgot to mention my ruger 10/22 takedown...fun little thing to take on camp trips. as for ammo panic...well, the floor in the closet really saggs...so I guess I'm good and we'll leave it at that. (grin)

i had already gotten into an M17 when uncle sam got the bugs worked out and declared it the new platform (yes, along with plenty of political wrangling). but really, I was looking as much at it for it's 21rd capacity and the very nice striker fire trigger (much better than Sig's 320 series for some reason)... I'm an old 1911 guy, so I've never felt I needed more than the 8 rds (I do keep a fist full of McCormick 10rd extended mags for my 1911s)...but when the politicians kept saying I shouldn't be allowed to have more than 10rds...well, the Sig gave me a nicely made 21rd fitted mag (I don't care to have 30rd sticks hanging out of a glock etc) so anyway, when the Flux Defense boys came out with their PDW brace for M17 dropin...yeah...easy decision.

ok boys...let me go to my more current, and probably my most extreme platform to kick this thing off. here's the promotional youtube video ad from the company...they've had delays in getting product to market, but for the very few of us who have been able to get one... oh my!! Love it...incredible enabler.

I think there are a lot of good folks on this forum that think of their firearms, like their ATVs, as another tool.. We value our ability to be self reliant, we enjoy being able to get the job done.. whether it's a good chain saw day and hauling wood back in the truck, or the honda, tending to acerage and livestock, fencing, etc where our hondas are great enablers. Our firearms...yes, hunting, sport, self defense, and a line of caution against tyranny. well made tools have stood the test of time...I value my dad's old Lionel trains, I value my old 1960s Vintage guitar amplifiers and guitars, I value my old Hondas, and I value the family firearms. I've had to sit quietly and just nod my head as friends, co-workers, and even family have cried about not being able to find any ammo, or hour long lines at Cabellas where they hand you a buzzer like they do at the restaurants..and folks are all upset that they can't get a firearm at a time when they at least perceive they might need one to fend off home invadors or parking lot thieves who want to steal their toilet paper. The immediate family know that Pop is an old zombie prepper, so they take comfort in the knowledge that if their limited supply of beans or bullets runs low, they only have to call me. I value and enjoy my firearms as the tools and the sport they provide for me. I've also taken many many advanced courses as I felt an obligation to be the best I can be if I chose to carry deadly force. and i've recognized the value of being able to hunt and process if my freezer ever goes empty. and , yes, we have some political servants who have not learned their place of responsibility in our constitutional replublic, that continually threaten to remove guns, as well as our other freedoms. So, while I never felt like I "needed" an AR15 (AR10 is actually my preferred but have both platforms), probably the main reason I own them is cause I saw ol Dianne Frankenstein, or lil Mr. Hogg on TV telling me I should not be allowed to own them... btw...the latest AR15 is named after young David Hogg, and the big AR10 is named Dianne...just so I could remember why I even bothered to spend the money. prior to that, the only rifle platform I own that came close was my old ruger mini 14 ranch rifle..which spent the first 10-15yrs of it's life dealing with prairie dogs and armadillas in an effort to save livestock from damaged legs...the ruger still stands in the corner of the bedroom at the ready for the current coyote population here...they come in for the goose eggs this time of year. so there's the preface...I'll likely not be able to resist more detailed gun chat here shortly...cause I love talking about the various platforms and brands as much as the next man.