Mega Rad Gun Thread

[Club Sandwich]

extended USGI style magazine

that's an old 70's era Colt 40 round magazine. i've used them a couple times to play with, and they work, but they're quite unwieldly and often have bolt hold open problems.

 

[Falcos_Commisar]

nitrided barrels (nitrocarburizing treatments that have many trade names) is not a "plating" process. it is a surface treatment that penetrates and diffuses into the upper few microns (yes, microns) of barrel steel using a variety of variations on chemical salt baths and other processes. it is arguably better than traditional chrome plating in most ways other than actual literal debris in the bore.

For a rifle that can be shooting military surplus ammo, give me chrome every day of the week. Call me old fashioned but I just like it.

I know about the nitrited "Filthy 14" from BCM, I just like chrome more...

For a handgun, nitrited is A OK.

For external parts, nitrited is awesome as is level 2 and 3 anodizing.

 

[Dean Pentel]

Really with revolvers (and lever actions) they just aren't broken. You may have less rounds, but there's just so much less to fuck up with. They'll kill just as well as they did 100 years ago

A lever action rifle is fairly mechanically complex. This doesn't mean one should avoid them as they've proven they work and they've killed a lot of people and animals throughout history. I think if one is interested in accepting 'mechanically simpler and less rounds' a bolt-action rifle is the way to go.

Well drugs change the game entirely. You just need quantity like a 17-20 round 9mm, critical hits to stuff like the heart or head if you have a 5 round revolver like me, or just to get out of there. For normal cases however, power matters less.

You're not wrong but it's not quite that broad. Drugs can lessen or even negate a pain-related or psychological stop from being shot. Still, even the most potent drug cocktail one can survive will do nothing against physiological disruptions such as rapid blood loss, skeletal/joint destruction, or CNS disruptions. I bet we all know this but I bring it up to reinforce the idea that it's time well spent to learn human anatomy so one understands what are good targets to aim for and how they'll shift position as people move in relation to you. One need not get super autistic about it.

Quick story for you regarding snubbies: about two years ago a guy is brought into the O.R. requiring trauma surgery. The story from the cop accompanying him was that he tried to carjack someone and that person had a .38 snubbie on him. He had 5 .38 bullets in his body: 1 in the testicles, 3 in the lower abdomen, and 1 in his inner thigh not far from his scrotum. It appears that there was a physical confrontation as the man who was shot tried to forcibly take the other person's jewelry or something as they exited their car. In the ensuing scuffle that person simply jammed the revolver against his attacker's body and emptied it.

So while I think it's a great idea to carry as much gun as you can, a snubbie can stop a fight just fine assuming one is willing and capable.

 

[3D2A]

In the ensuing scuffle that person simply jammed the revolver against his attacker's body and emptied it.

Damn shame the baddie lived another day. I guess that’s proof if you’re not carrying 50ae you’re risking your life on a daily basis.

 

[Seafarer]

Civilian Lee-Enfields in India:


M60 Machine Gun with shiny belt cover from frequent use in the Philippines:


VSS Vintorez inspired AR build in .300 Blackout:


MGV-176 Yugoslavian copy of American 180 .22lr submachine gun:


1965 CIA report on Soviet AKM rifle:


Soviet LAD belt-fed 7.62x25 submachine gun:


Stockless pistol grip M14 confiscated in The Philippines (ouch!):

 

[MrJokerRager]

Are Gold BCGs a meme or good?

 

[Falcos_Commisar]

So while I think it's a great idea to carry as much gun as you can, a snubbie can stop a fight just fine assuming one is willing and capable

Which is one reason why I got my brand new Model 60 yesterday

 

[Fried-Rice12]

I think if one is interested in accepting 'mechanically simpler and less rounds' a bolt-action rifle is the way to go.

Hold it right there.
The Mauser rifles had a modified variant with a 20 round magazine.
And most modern magazine fed bolt action rifles can hold just as many.

 

[T-800]

Are Gold BCGs a meme or good?

You talking like Ti coated BCG or actual gold? I have a silver coated one and it seems slicker and is easier to clean. YMMV.

 

[Vecr]

You talking like Ti coated BCG or actual gold? I have a silver coated one and it seems slicker and is easier to clean. YMMV.

Will gold be better than chrome is any useful way? Corrosion maybe, but the very low hardness of gold can't be good at all for lifespan.

 

[T-800]

Will gold be better than chrome is any useful way? Corrosion maybe, but the very low hardness of gold can't be good at all for lifespan.

Im pretty sure the gold ones are just some sort of titanium nitride coating, not actual gold. Same as the one I have.

 

[Romulus augustulus]

Are Gold BCGs a meme or good?

I had a TiN BCG in my LMT. was easy to wipe off but i don't know if that was worth the extra $ i spent on it.

Your great-granddaddies shot shells:
I just finished another 25rd box of full brass 12 gauge shells. Each case is entirely made of brass, with a balloon head base and uses a large pistol or large rifle primer. Shotgun shells were constructed like this commercially from around 1851 (in pinfire form) until the early 1940s when the war required the brass to be used elsewhere. By WW2 brass had already fallen out of paper shells which hit the market in the late 1880s. Today the common plastic hull were invented in the 1960s. These all brass shells are still available from boutique case makers but the most affordable source Mag-Tech of Brazil who offer these shells in all the common gauges.

If you've ever loaded a muzzleloader you can load these shells easily using black powder and some hand tools (no press required!). Hand priming tools meant to be used with these brass cases are still readily available on ebay for great prices, I paid $10 for mine.

After priming I drop in the desired powder charge. In this case 2 drams of FFG Schuetzen blackpowder (A good brand, from germany) using this vintage powder and shot measuring scoop i also got on ebay.

the scoop is graduated in shot sizes on one side and drams of powder on the other so it can be used for both. these kinds of scoops are still available new because they are used in muzzle loading shotguns but why pay the 30-40 dollars for new when you can buy used for 1/4 of that?

After the powder charge i place a nitro card over the powder and compress with a wooding loading rod I made from a dowel reduced to ~.700. Then a lubricated cushion wad is placed on top of that. Shot comes next, 1oz #7 1/2 Bird shot. very mild loads for close game. one more wad on top of the shot and then another white nitro card with the load written on it for identification. The last step is crimping the top of the case to keep the shot column secure. I use a RCBS die made for this. CH tool & die also sells dies for crimping brass cases. one loaded, crimped and finished shell:

They are pretty cool and fun to shoot. Its easy to see why they fell out of favor though. My box of brass shells weighs a full 3lbs 7oz while a box of federal dove 2 3/4 weighs only 2lbs 6oz, with a more powerful charge and shot payload (FED: 3 dram 1 1/8oz BRASS: 2 dram 1oz)

 

[ChampFantana]

A lever action rifle is fairly mechanically complex. This doesn't mean one should avoid them as they've proven they work and they've killed a lot of people and animals throughout history. I think if one is interested in accepting 'mechanically simpler and less rounds' a bolt-action rifle is the way to go.

I respect Bolt Action aficionados, but they just can't match the Wild West mystique of a good Lever-Action Rifle. Hell, I have better as a sidearm, but my SAA clone is probably my favorite revolver. I musta watched too many Clint and John Wayne westerns growing up.

Can automatic shotguns be tuned to run those Aquila min-shells reliably?

 

[MrJokerRager]

You talking like Ti coated BCG or actual gold? I have a silver coated one and it seems slicker and is easier to clean. YMMV.

I guess it's this Tin stuff.

 

[WhatInTheActualFuck]

Hold it right there.
The Mauser rifles had a modified variant with a 20 round magazine.
And most modern magazine fed bolt action rifles can hold just as many.

For shits and giggles, I've stuck a Magpul D60 on my Ruger American Ranch.

 

[Club Sandwich]

Can automatic shotguns be tuned to run those Aquila min-shells reliably?

i have a Benelli M2 that i've managed to get to run the Aguila mini shells fairly well, but it required a modified lifter that i cut and bent a finger from the bottom left hand side, to stop the shell from coming rearward too far. additionally i use a slightly shortened light action spring (designed for dove loads) and added a silicon buffer stop at the end to shorten the bolt's travel to a bit farther than the where the modified finger is in the lifter that provides ejection. after a great deal of fiddling it works, but the shotgun with these parts is effectively mini-shell only and isn't any better than a dove gun or 20ga other than capacity. not worth it to offer the service at my shop anyway. the Winchester 1300 and clones can run the mini shells pretty well without any modifications and once you get the rhythm going you can bang them out pretty fast.

I guess it's this Tin stuff.

TiN (titanium nickel) is generally a brown color, but when applied thinly can be golden in color. it is intended to be a very hard, slick, and corrosion resistant coating that competes with more traditional chrome and the alternate NiB (nickel boron) coating. the problem is that these are often easy to apply sloppily and often the additional hardness is an un-needed additional wear inside the carrier, along the carrier's guide rails, and when interacting with the barrel extension can introduce unwanted wear as well on the often softer barrel steel. P6 tool steel (Carpenter 15 bolts and 8620 carriers are designed with wear resistance and durability in mind with the least susceptibility to brittleness or peening or work hardening. people that get froggy with mystery meat alloys for these components can lead to damaged carriers or barrel extensions (4140 or 4150) or both.

in the end, unless you have an enhanced need to have a very hard, slick, corrosion resistant bolt carrier, for example you're using it regularly around salt water spray or shooting cheap corrosive ammo, it's probably not needed - especially if you aren't pairing the carrier with a treated barrel assembly (4150 CMV that's been Melonite QPQ'd for example).

 

[DocAwe]

I have both Nickel Boron & Titanium Nitride BCGs.
Both are super slick and the crud just seems to wipe off of them.
I want to say the Nickel will stain if you don't clean it right away but it only seems to affect the looks.
It's been a while since I've gone shooting so I don't remember exactly.

 

[BallsMcLongDong]

not worth it to offer the service at my shop anyway.

Knew you had a shop, somehow. How'd you break into it? My dream is to gunsmith for a living. Thought about SDI, but institutes of higher learning always seem to be sheisty. Thought about word of mouth, but not sure entirely what goes into doing it as a career. I fixed more than more share for friends or as favors, but eventually would like to do it to pay bills, not just have fun.
In another lifetime, I coulda made it as a clockmaker, a gunsmith or a cobbler. Those times are gone, I'm afraid.

 

[S.C.U.D.]

Really with revolvers (and lever actions) they just aren't broken. You may have less rounds, but there's just so much less to fuck up with. They'll kill just as well as they did 100 years ago

They're also more user-friendly to those who are inexperienced with guns. The manual of arms, specifically how to ensure the gun is unloaded, is so much simpler than a semiauto, it gives normies much more peace of mind. A lot of people think guns can just "go off" and with a revolver where you can simply push a button to render the gun obviously safe, that gives inexperienced people a big relief. I've taken non-gun people out shooting, or even just to the gun show, and they approach revolvers much less tense than semiautos.

I've also seen similar behavior with tip-up barrel designs too, you can just push a button and you know the gun's status.

 

[Club Sandwich]

Knew you had a shop, somehow. How'd you break into it?

a lot of first hand experience in the military and years of becoming someone people could trust to do stuff with their weapons, then a background in the needed technical skills (collegiate level machining, mechanical design, industrial product design and drafting courses, et c), a short few years doing professional armory work as a reserve deputy for my county's sheriff's office after i got tired of dealing with bailiff and jail duties, then opening my own place when enough people wanted custom work done on personal firearms that i could do so, especially when i had the prior experience in things like battle rattle, duty gear, and was a consistent presence at various shooting events and clubs.

my name got swapped around a lot i guess, and it helps that i was familiar in some buildings as an armorer already, so selling my services as a local shop was straight forward. some years back i decided to go to various armorer courses from manufacturers and get certified and stayed on top of that, including offering service center work, depot and armorer services for agencies that prefer a current or prior service person do their work for them, et c. i also don't go into a lot of retail customer stuff outside of very select projects, so by focusing on a narrow selection of services and makes/models, i can specialize a bit more and optimize my logistics chain and COGS among other costs. gotta tell you, the margins are pretty low outside of either gear, accessories, or bespoke work like shotgun fitting services.