I just wish I knew the history of the shotgun as related to my family. All I really know is that my grandfather had it when he passed away. I had never seen it before then. My grandmother gave it to me.
Unfortunately, we don't (and probably won't) have any grandkids. At least we have a few pseudo-grandkids in our immediate neighborhood who are fun to be with.
One additional consideration you might want to think about, BD, is the chambering of the rifle you choose. If you buy a rifle chambered for .223 Remington, you should NEVER use any military surplus 5.56x45 ammo in it. The military ammo is designed to be used in a 5.56 chamber which has a...
(Note: With regard to posted reloading data - mistakes, typos, etc. happen. Always check any poster's powder charge amount with a reputable reloading manual from Speer, Hornady, Sierra, Lyman, etc. before duplicating to ensure it is within safe limits. We highly recommend that you begin with the...
You should be able to get a very serviceable AR chambered for 5.56x45 (1:9 twist) for right around $1000 new.
Of course, you may want to modify the rifle and/or add things to it and the total could easily come up to the $2000 or so I have in mine (which includes special tools that I bought...
BD - you could do well with an AR-15. Here's my lightweight version, minus a few minor changes made after the photo session:
These things are a ball to shoot and to work on. I also handload almost all the ammunition I shoot through it.
I must say that I'm constantly learning and improving too. That applies, of course, to many things including my reloading skills, gunsmithing, woodworking, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, mechanics, computing, and a host of other things that I do.
BD - have you considered casting bullets for the .45? That can significantly reduce the cost of shooting and accuracy can still be quite good. I haven't shot my Gold Cup for some time, but when I was shooting it a lot, I was using a 230gr Keith style semi-wadcutter bullet that I'd cast using...
I checked the owner's manuals for both the SR9c and the Glock 19 and neither have any instructions for removal of the striker for cleaning. Are any of y'all finding instructions from the respective factories for the average (non-gunsmith) user/owner to do this sort of detailed disassembly and...
Re: load data for 380 and 9mm
BD - precisely what bullet did you use for your load? Simply stating "round nose" does not provide enough information. This can make a HUGE difference to people wanting to use your load data.
Please let us know the Hornady part number for the bullet as well as...
The blanks could also be sold or donated to the local American Legion or VFW to use in their Springfield 03s or Garand M1s for things like Veteran's Day salutes.
MANY years ago, my grandfather taught me to raise the grain on walnut projects with a damp rag and then wet sand the whiskers off. One can achieve the best finish on walnut that way.
He had purchased a semi-load of walnut from a mill and made furniture from the pile for quite a few years...