More Stuff

So I've said I was on a tear buying guns. No particular reason other than it hit my fancy AND I hadn't bought a gun for over a year (wife). But I've given away a couple guns - to my daughter in Dallas, and to a friend who loved my 1911's (I gave him an Essex frame with a stainless Series 80 slide - otherwise totally straight).

So I buy the 19X, and I buy the 320, and I go out and find (finally) a 239 which I proceed to sink money and time into. Nice gun, but still. I bought the .357 Sig barrel, an SRT kit, and I bought a ton of magazines that Sig was selling, cheaper than originally ($29.95 each). So I'm set.

THEN I see the P229 on SigTalk for a decent price. It is a revamped gun from Sig (red box). That means all the pins have been replaced in the slide and everything has been checked. I buy it. I figure that way I can keep the 228 slide on my old 229 and put the .357 Sig barrel into this. Not so fast. THIS gun takes the .357 Sig-1 barrel (later version). So I guess I will need to buy another barrel from Sig. Probably have to fit that too. And I'll have to buy an SRT kit. Now I have 2 229's - one plain dust cover, the other with the rail (so, of course, it won't fit in my Mitch Rosen holster).

So I'm at my favorite gun store, talking to Eddie, and I spot a P220. Turns out to be a West German 220 with very little wear. But it's too expensive (I think). I end up buying one (still West German) from GunBroker for the right price ($75 less than the one in the store, on consignment). It, too, seems to have had very little wear. It is also DA/SA, like in the store. There was one that was SAO but it had been used a lot and wasn't all that much less.

So as the 220 is in transit, Palmetto State comes out with a terriffic price on a SOCOM. I like SOCOM'S. I have an accurized M14, with a rear lug welded on, so I have no real use for the regular M14. But this! I have to buy that.

So going to FL for a short vacation, having barriatric surgery, I end up picking up both last week.

I like them.

The SOCOM comes in a soft case with velcro straps to hold it in place and pockets for magazines. Plus there's a Springfield promotion for a free scope mount and two magazines. It comes with a 5-round mag, which is a bit hard to insert because it doesn't have the leverage of the 20-rounders. Then, of course, Palmetto State has a one-day sale of M1A mags with free shipping if you buy 3 - which I did. Cost me $100 (-).

So there's all my new stuff. I am not going to screw with the 220 other than look for grips. It has Hogue's and I don't like them. Have to find some nice G10's. And I have to get that SOCOM to the range!

Nice!

I blew my fun budget for 2019 by Jan 3rd: $4k of gun and scope - However, in my defense, it's verrah nice!  

So, I'm left with building a 300 BLK pistol out of kibbles and bits laying around the guncave. It'll be my truck/trunk gun - designed mainly for urban SHTF/ Get Outta Dodge scenarios.

I'm finding myself sliding slowly but inexorably into Dev's SIGophant sphere.  I'm really liking the P320 and after playing with one at the Friends of NRA Dinner, I REALLY want need the SIG 365. As much as I like my G-43, 7 or 8 rounds in the standard carry configuration doesn't cut it. The SIG's 10/12 is mo bettah.  

Dev - what part of Floriduh are you visiting?  If you're in the Space Coast, you damn well better stop by!

Tell the truth, I don't know. We flew into Ft. Myers then drove an hour to our friends' home. Very nice place. We spent 5 days there, mostly lying about the pool or a few excursions here and there. Nice dinner at some place whose name I don't remember. There's a place called Lemon Bay nearby. ?Anything you've heard of.

Magazines from Springfield came - disappointment. They're 5 rounders. No scope mount either. I suppose I shouldn't complain about free stuff. I did buy 3 mags from a sale on Palmetto Armory for $100. Not a bad price.

You were on the West Coast - We're East Coasters, just south of Canaveral.

So I wrote a note of complaint about their promotion via e-mail to Springfield. They sent an e-mail back to call them and talk. I just did. I explained I live in a zip code that covers two counties, Lake and the dreaded Cook. It's Cook that won't allow them to ship 20 rnd mags. They are looking into it and when they ascertain the county IS Lake, they will send me the 20-rnd mags

Sweet!

Meanwhile the scope mount will come by separate shipping. I look forward to that.

BTW, I get into this kind of pickle often. I refuse to buy anything from Cheaper Than Dirt because they won't look for the different counties and just consider my zip to be all Cook. BASTID'S!

All the stuff from Springfield has arrived.

The two 20-rnd mags are just what you would expect. They along with the 3 I bought on Palmetto Armory on a 1-day sale are now my basic mags. I believe I have others - somewhere. Just not enough space to organize properly.

The scope mount came also. Not what I expected. What it is is a picatinny rail system to fit to the side of the receiver so the scope is centered. It’s a bit elaborate, but it looks like it would work - if I wanted to spend the time mounting it. I believe the SOCOM comes with a pic rail up forward, like a scout rifle, so I think I will just use that. May have to call the dreaded Midway and get a pair of scope mounts, one for the SOCOM and one for an AR. No money right now so that’s in the future.

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I just ordered a $4 buffer spring for my new AR pistol build. To avoid the $5 shipping charge, I bought another $63 of stuff I might need.  

I think they're gonna make me turn in me kilt.

That is HILARIOUS! You spent $63 to save $5. Good job, CF.

It gets better:  

Shortly afterward, PSA had a mind-blowing sale on an AR pistol kit, with all the lower "stuff" AND a SBA-3 pistol brace in GRAY, for much less than I could buy the brace by itself. With free shipping.

I now have TWO buffer springs.  <sigh>

Well, buffers DO wear out - if you shoot enough.

You know, you sound like we did on Okinawa - the more you spend, the more you save. Go broke saving money. Every Lt on Oki had at least a Canon SLR and generally some killer stereo system that you couldn’t turn up past “1” because it was too loud. Reel-to-reel tape deck - the whole nine yards.

Finished my first complete, ground-up build: A Honey Badger in 300 Black, built largely of Kibbles and Bits lying around the guncave. Hence the foliage green K2 MOE handgrip. Only the BA barrel and the handstop were not bought on sale.  

Wasn't nearly as hard as I feared. The only glitch was the BCG not going into battery. A very slight tweak to the gas block alignment exactly centered the tube and there were no further problems. The initial 20 round function test was perfect. Great fun!

It was a neat little build, and now that I've conquered my gun-plumbing anxiety... well, there's all those lowers in the safe.....  



Oh... "Finished" is a relative term. The build will likely grow an optic (bad eyes), prolly a 503G. And some sort of muzzle device is indicated, probably a linear comp.

Devereaux wrote:You know, you sound like we did on Okinawa - the more you spend, the more you save. Go broke saving money. Every Lt on Oki had at least a Canon SLR and generally some killer stereo system that you couldn’t turn up past “1” because it was too loud. Reel-to-reel tape deck - the whole nine yards.

Sounds like my wife and shoes... "They were on SALE! You want me to save money... so, I bought five pairs."

Nice piece. I particularly like the maga-zine.

Now you need a can. Those SBR's (well, technically you're a pistol) are mostly good for clearing urban dwellings, and a can in a closed room is a great boon.

Bought some normal Hogue's for the 220. Then I found a Crimson Trace grip for the 220 for $165. That's about $100 less than I've seen it anywhere else. So I bought that. Now it sports a neat laser grip and the laser trigger is on the side panel, falling naturally on the 3rd finger. Much better (i think) than the front strap triggers on my 1911's. But the laser is red; I prefer green but they didn't have a green one at all, much less for this kind of price.

Sent my 239 to The Sig Armorer. Very friendly guy. I had him do an action job and install a proprietary SRT mod. I like the results - mostly. It has a small glitch. The trigger doesn't reset correctly every time. He said to cut about .005 off the trigger bar where it meets the pin. But I don't really want to do that, so I'm going to get a new trigger bar spring from Sig. if that doesn't do the trick, it goes back to SA.

What I DO like is that the sear is solid steel, not a MIM part. I think that's a better idea. I may send my 226 for the same treatment.

Well....

Went to a LGP to inquire about a Sig 365 a friend was considering. He asked a lot of great questions - and I needed to look at the pistol to satisfy him -- and myself. While there, I saw they had a sale on the SIG rimfire suppressor.

Wunh....

Then, the owner, seeing a fat sucker, set the hook. I could get the 22LR suppressor for freeeeeee, if I bought a SIG Ti QD .30/.338 suppressor, which was also on sale.  

Well....

I'm now the proud preowner of two tax stamps. 6 more months to go. Apparently, the three week gubbermunt shutdown put the ATF six months behind. Seems legit.

?Have you heard about binary triggers for AR’s. I have seen one in action and it is darn near what one would want with a 3-round burst, only it’s 4 rounds and two trigger pulls. The trigger fires on the pull and on the let-go. ATF has ruled them legal with no stamp. I plan on getting one or two now, before some dork on the Left gets his shorts all atwist.