Gun people: Tell me about the M18

[unixknight]

3 minutes ago, Grunt said:

Finding good ammo can be tough.  I just use wad cutters for putting holes in paper.  Have you ever considered casting your own?  Trying different things until you find what works?  I use different loads for different firearms.  Some just seem to like different things.

I have thought about it, but first I'd need to have something to fire it with.  I sold off my collection many years ago during some financial trouble and I haven't really made it a priority to get new ones now that things are better.

I've also been toying with the idea of getting an 80% and building my own M1911 just for the technical challenge of it, now that I have my own house and a dedicated workshop in the basement.  I dunno though.  That kind of work isn't something I have much experience with and those things can be an expensive learning experience. 

[unixknight]

1 minute ago, LadyGunnar said:

Oh Kimber. They are so beautiful!!  

Expensive, too... sadly.  Otherwise I'd have a stainless steel Kimber M1911-A1 with wood grips by now.

Edited March 7, 2019 by unixknight

[Guest Godless]

If I ever talk my wife into letting me buy a gun, it'll be a 1911.

[LadyGunnar]

47 minutes ago, unixknight said:

Expensive, too... sadly.  Otherwise I'd have a stainless steel Kimber M1911-A1 with wood grips by now.

I would have a teal one and maybe a mother of pearl one too. My husband laughed at me when we were shopping for my carry gun. I would stare at the kimbers. I got a basic black 9 mm. It does all that I need and it's fun to shoot.

[LadyGunnar]

8 minutes ago, Godless said:

If I ever talk my wife into letting me buy a gun, it'll be a 1911.

My husband wants a 1911. It's the next one on his gun list after a hunting rifle.

[mirkwood]

24 minutes ago, Godless said:

If I ever talk my wife into letting me buy a gun, it'll be a 1911.

I just bought another AR15 and a suppressor.  I also got the go ahead to build 2-3 AR15's this summer.

[Vort]

15 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

I also got the go ahead to build 2-3 AR15's this summer.

How? Milling? 3D printing? Buy separate parts and screw them together?

[unixknight]

46 minutes ago, Vort said:

How? Milling? 3D printing? Buy separate parts and screw them together?

Everything is putting the parts you want on the core of the rifle, which is the lower receiver in the case of an AR-15.  When you go to do the background check, that's the part that has all the paperwork.  Every other component is freely available without all the red tape.

The lower receiver can either be complete (has the trigger mechanism already installed), incomplete (just the hunk of metal that is milled and drilled and ready for the parts to be installed) or an 80% lower, which is essentially a  hunk of metal that's mostly complete, but it's impossible to install trigger parts or slide a magazine in.  The advantage here is that they require no paperwork to purchase, but you have to be able to finish it yourself, which means buying the equipment and having some skills.

About 20 years ago I built an AR-15 starting form a bare lower and installed everything myself.  Bought the other parts gradually since I oculdn't afford to drop $1200 all at once.  It was a pretty sweet rifle when it was done, but alas, I sold it too.

[Traveler]

3 hours ago, mirkwood said:

Her videos are a hoot.

It is also proof that the use and care of firearms needs to be part of what ought to be taught (required education for competent citizens) before someone claims to be educated.

 

The Traveler

[mirkwood]

3 hours ago, Vort said:

How? Milling? 3D printing? Buy separate parts and screw them together?

Buying this:  https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-16-freedom-5-56-nato-1-7-midlength-nitride-odg-freedom-rifle-kit-5165449753.html

 

and then a stripped lower receiver:

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ar-15-lower-safe-fire-1728.html

 

[mrmarklin]

The p320 is a modular striker fired pistol. 

If you don’t know what that means, go buy a Ruger  Single Six, and learn about shooting. 

 

IMO Sig-Sauer make the best firearms out of the box.   I have several, including a P210, generally considered the best military firearm ever made. 

 

Glocks are very good in their market niche. 

 

Of of course if one is really serious about shooting pistols, Korth is the only way to go!😳

[Colirio]

I have carried a Sig Sauer chambered in 9mm for several years now. 

 

And by "carried" I mean, of course, tightened my belt so it doesn't pull my pants down. (Most Sigs before the P320 are quite robust and heavy.) 

 

I want to like Glock. I really do. The Glock 19 is the Honda Civic of firearms. Reliable. Runs forever. Easy to get parts anywhere and everywhere. And just like a Honda Civic, it isn't comfortable to me at all. 

 

I'm actually in the market for a new handgun. And I have gone around and around for months (maybe years) now and can't seem to get settled on the matter. 

 

I love the Beretta M9A3. But it is simply too big to carry. It would be a $1,000 nightstand/woods gun. 

I like the feel of the Walther PPQ. However, so many reports of accuracy issues that I just can't settle it in my mind. 

The H&K VP9 is very similar to the Walther in how it feels, but again, seems like "issues" have been rampant. 

Sig Sauer quality control has taken a nosedive over the last 2 (?) years or so. Even some of their flagship P226's have had feeding and ejection issues.

Kimber makes guns that look like men's jewelry. I understand their old QC manager is now Sig's QC manager? If so, might be time to start looking at them again because Kimber's QC has been atrocious for the past decade. 

 

Any recommendations? I'd like to stay under $1,000. 

[Colirio]

On 3/6/2019 at 7:49 PM, Vort said:

I see the Air Force is switching to the M18 as its standard-issue sidearm. Anyone have any personal or otherwise not-well-known information about this firearm? I'm not really a gun guy, but if you speak in plain language and relatively small words, I'll probably be okay.

Sorry that I was hijacking your thread, Vort. 

 

I like the M17, which is the Army's Sig P320. (Which is the Airforce's M18.) The M17 feels large, though, compared to the compact version of the P320.  

 

Like most Sig's, it is VERY comfortable to hold. Just fits and feels right in the hand. 

 

The bore axis is really high. The bore axis is essentially how far above the hand that the barrel sits. Having a high bore axis isn't "bad", but does tend to create just a bit more flip in the recoil. (By contrast, a Glock typically has a very low bore axis.) 

 

I really like the flared magwell on the M17. This flared part where the magazine inserts into the handle makes it easier and possibly faster to change magazines. 

 

The M17 is too big to carry everyday as a civilian, IMO. If you plan to conceal it and carry it everyday, the Sig P320 compact is probably more versatile. 

 

While Sig Sauer's quality control has been hit and miss lately, I have no doubts that they are producing so many of these that they have probably gotten the bugs worked out by now. 

[Grunt]

12 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

The p320 is a modular striker fired pistol. 

If you don’t know what that means, go buy a Ruger  Single Six, and learn about shooting. 

 

IMO Sig-Sauer make the best firearms out of the box.   I have several, including a P210, generally considered the best military firearm ever made. 

 

Glocks are very good in their market niche. 

 

Of of course if one is really serious about shooting pistols, Korth is the only way to go!😳

I think the Sig P220 may be one of the best handguns I've ever carried.

[mrmarklin]

4 hours ago, Grunt said:

I think the Sig P220 may be one of the best handguns I've ever carried.

It's a great gun.  I also have the SIG P220 Sport as featured in the original movie REDS.  It is a competition gun, not carryable.

[Bad Karma]

On 3/7/2019 at 10:42 AM, NeuroTypical said:

Make sure you get a protection gun, not a murder gun.

 

Wow, that woman is as sharp as a sack of wet kittens!

[Vort]

1 hour ago, Bad Karma said:

Wow, that woman is as sharp as a sack of wet kittens!

Seriously, she's brilliant. Sharp as a tack.

[NeuroTypical]

Yep, what Vort said.  She's not a dumb blonde, she's an entertainer who portrays herself as a dumb blonde, who had a successful Youtube channel.  She probably made a little money at it, until YT changed their compensation formulas and the compensation for content like this dried up.  Lots of vids with 5-digit views.

[mirkwood]

She has a video where she responds to the hate mail.  Pretty funny.

[Colirio]

Huh. 

 

Well, looks like after really not finding a Glock that I've liked for decades now, turns out that I am apparently a Glock 19x guy. 

 

It was probably the furthest one down on the list, but there is no doubt about it. Fits like a glove. Love everything about it. Who'd have thunk it?