Posted on Saturday, September 19, 2020 - 07:21 pm:
Yeah, and a scented candle clears smoke smell...but I still don't want you smoking in my house. I follow the house rules.
My range doesn't want you crossing the firing line for any reason - policing brass included. Semiautos will ping brass all over the place, so they do their own mass-cleanup at the end of the day, after they close.
I prefer to own the house and make my own rules. If I want to go down range or cross the line, we have procedures in place. My range is not allowed to steal a man's brass. Of course we can shoot past 600 yards too. When asked if I mind if someone smokes, I ask if they mind if I pee on their carpet. Different ranges, different rules. Doesn't make them right.
I am trying to get my reloading stock back up. I keep brass from .454 Casull, .460 Rowland, .45 LC. I need to stock up on .223, 5.56, 9mm, and .45 ACP brass.
I have a standard Bushmaster XM-15 with a scope. I thought I might add offset iron sights. The rear mount is no problem, but I have been told that the front sight most likely won't hold zero on my handguard, even if I could find an adapter that wouldn't touch the gas tube. Any suggestions?
Posted on Saturday, September 26, 2020 - 05:13 pm:
I suggest that while you are taking it apart, you consider going to a free float handguard. A simple one with slots of your choice, or just plain knurled aluminum ( used on the Bushmaster Varminter ) would give you a shot at better mechanical accuracy for minimal cost & effort. ( carbon fiber is a bit more expensive, but won't get hot in the sun & weighs near nothing )
That said, In the Tradition of Boaty McBoatface, I present....
Apparently when I wasn't looking, Hi-Point has tightened up QC, and has been making heavy, clunky, but reliable and cheap firearms for years. Blowback guns have to have heavy bolts/slides & springs to function, and other than Submachine guns, almost all military & police agencies went to some form of delayed blowback or locked breach system for handguns and carbines over a century ago.
That it's still a viable defensive weapon is arguable. Better than a cap & ball revolver or a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COP_.357_Derringer for sure, but not in the same "class" as a Glock or S&W. Still, with a little break in and lube.... There's Always Time For Lube.
Technically the AR system uses a piston (the bolt) to delay unlocking and kick the bolt carrier back, along with the excess pressure in the gas key. So in gun geek terms it's not just Direct Impingement.
Posted on Saturday, September 26, 2020 - 10:56 pm:
I'm happy with it. I rented one pre-covid, and it shoots VERY much like my EDC. So closely, in fact, that at the time it was my reason NOT to buy one. It was SO similar...I couldn't justify the money, just for the capacity gain.
Now....?
Yeah. Things are batshit-crazy in this country now, and if it hits the fan...capacity will matter.
And, when I visited the LGS last weekend (looking for a 1911, actually)...they HAD one. In stock. Ready to go.
Picked it up today (7 day wait in MD). I had 200 rds of brass with me because I wanted to take it right to the range, but it was D-R-Y. Zero lube, assembly or otherwise. So....brought it home, did a clean/lube, and loaded some Wolf 115 gr steel case (I use steel at home because it's what I could find for a decent price, and it lets me save brass for the range where they have a no-steel rule).
First mag was slow, checking the sighting. It was good for windage, but I was putting the front dot in the wrong spot in the rear U, and hitting about 2" high at 7 yards. Once I figured that out, I loaded the second mag and simply dumped it to see how it ate. It did fine - fed fine, ejected fine, good grouping. The only mistake was mine - my grip was off and my strong hand thumb hit the mag release halfway through. My pinky curls under the baseplate, and held it in place so I could finish the dump with no issues even though I could feel the mag being "loose" in there. I didn't want to shoot much more tonight - I like my neighbors and I try not to piss them off - so I called it a night at that point.
Brought it in, stripped it, cleaned it, lubed it, reassembled it. Cleared my EDC and started comparing - the Hellcat is smaller. It's lighter - even fully loaded at 13+1. And as such, it carries significantly more than my single-stack EDC. It needs more rounds run through it; I want to find a laser and a holster for it; I may add tritium rear dots (instead of the factory U) to compliment the factory tritium front dot; and then...I think it'll take the position of EDC. I'm very pleased.
I like the Hellcat...probably better than the rivals...although the Glock 43X is nice as well...and is pretty size efficient with Shield Arms 15rd magazines.
That said, I'm still sticking with what I've got.
I've been with my full size, steel, fully hand assembled by the owner 1911 in 45ACP all day. I will say, if I were forced to use a handgun offensively, it would be my pick despite much more modern options.
The next thing for me will be a rifle for the girlfriend's kiddos. I'm thinking something like the AR-7 below.
I was actually looking for a 1911 when I went in last weekend - they'd had a few in stock the week before that, and I'd been hankering for one. Loved the Hellcat when it was first released but given its popularity it was about the last thing I thought would be in the case when I went in - especially these days.
So....zero 1911s when I went in last week (they did have a decent RIA when I picked up though), but the Hellcat was just sitting there in the Compact case. I'd already shot one and knew I liked it and knew I was familiar with it, so...I grabbed it. Love the capacity, love the ergos (I hate the grip angle on anything Glock - whose hands do those things actually FIT??), and I know the mechanicals very well since it's the kissing cousin of my XD-s.
There was a guy at the range who claimed he couldn't zero his optic equipped Hellcat OSP. I was volunteered to try it out. I was clover leafing shots at ten yards without much trying at the upper 3rd of the bullseye. As is most often the case, twas not the gun. As impressive as that little gun was with optic, I still like staring at a black front sight blade.
quote:
Rick, Make sure you stock a spare firing pin for the AR-7. I found that to be the week link on them.
I'm going to be getting one of the Henry versions. It doesn't seem to be a problem with those. It seems that if they're good out of the box, they tend to stay that way.
I had an Armalite AR-7 overstamped Charter Arms. Aluminum barrel with steel lining. Floats.
Traded it, foolishly, for a Stevens 20 ga./.22 over/under. After a few months, the guy I traded with complains it was doubling! I checked & yep, irregular 2-3 found bursts! Removed the side plate and the entire thing was packed with unburnt powder, jamming the disconnector. I can't believe it worked at all, much less as a machine gun. A good cleaning and like new.
The Henry version is a bit heavier but it's a simple, solid design and very under rated.
I'd get another if I see one in a store. The only real downside is you can't store it in it's stock with a scope mounted.
I have succeeded in making my Hellcat impossible to find a holster for, by adding an O-light green laser / tac light combo. I just ordered 3 sheets of 7x12" kydex, I should be able to get two shells (attempts, anyway) out of each sheet...I figure by the sixth, I should have something usable?
My understanding is, heat the kydex in the oven until pliable, then overlay the pistol and press to form. I plan to place the pistol in a half-depth cutout, so I can have the proper flared portions to attach to my existing holster backers. I'll also put a filler of some sort into the ejection port so the kydex doesn't indent there, and cause drag while drawing...
Like I said, by the sixth try I might have something usable
The only real downside is you can't store it in it's stock with a scope mounted.
The one I intend to put together will have a barrel shroud, conspicuously protruding pistol grip, collapsible shoulder stock, and a shoulder thingy that goes up. Still easily transportable when broken down, perfect for training children of smaller stature...and has most of the attributes necessary for the maximum triggering of so called liberals.
Rick, sounds fun. I've long regretted trading my AR-7. Especially now as it was a rare version. ( Original Armalite with Charter Arms over stamped. Don't know the number produced like that, but it was a short time )
I never had issues with zero, it ran like a Timex. When you open the side plate & it's a solid mass of compressed partially burned powder, & it just kept working? The only reason it got opened was he asked my to look at it, 'cause it was doubling. "Crunch, pop,pop. Crunch, pop. Crunch, pop. Crunch, pop,pop." With black grit raining on your hand.
Sure, it's simple blowback and single stack and has about 7 moving parts, but it runs. ( fair enough, I did clean it regularly, and he put over 2000 rounds through without cleaning, lube, or anything. )
Gotta get another.. They made a pistol version, too. The SBR ( hypothetical, since NFA...) combination looked weird. Like a French Submachine gun, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAS-38