Awesome! When i was still in school i made a composite longbow for my leaving cert woodwork project (I think thats your A levels). The draw weight wasnt much but it could put a bodkin arrow clean through a wooden pallet. fun times.
I'm really wanting to get a crossbow, do you or anyone else like them? Seems like a lot of fun!
One more thing I feel like a lot of people say that they think guns are culturally normal here, I feel they are to an extent but also that half the population are not.
I didn't get into guns until recently and did not grow up around them.
I was going to comment on that too. I've only seen maybe 2 guns that weren't on a police officer and they were owned by close family. It's not like the people posting in this thread carry these around and show them off to everyone because we're in 'Merica. They're only displayed on their beds/floors for photos and afterwards I would assume they get locked up.
It's worth mentioning that the belts of ammo in my pics are inert, just for the pics
I feel like a lot of people say that they think guns are culturally normal here
I would say it depends on where and how you grew up, it's definitely regional. There are a number of states where many things are restricted, and then you take a look at others and 'open carry' is the very much acceptable.
Any responsible gun owner has a safe or safe room where these things are kept. This, of course, doesn't include something I would keep on hand and loaded. If an intruder broke into my house, I wouldn't really reach for an M1-Garand.
So here's our 3 rifles (usual "on the bed" layout :poly121:).
Had them out today to do a laser boresighting for the scopes.
Started out with our .22lr 'plinker', dad had picked this one up for my sister a number of years back, but I've probably gotten more use out of it. It's a Marlin 60 with a Marlin scope. The scope we'd found laying around while cleaning up my dad's office, and decided to put it on this guy.
Next up I did my British .303 Sporterized. Something my dad's had for years (was his dad's before him) that he's given to me. I'd just put a scope rail and the Redfield Revenge scope on it a few weeks ago.
Finally my dad's .243 Winchester. Another one he's had for a long time, asked me to boresight his gun as well since it'd been firing down and off to the side last time it'd been to the range.
We've also got a 12 gauge pump shotgun (mine, from dad/grandad) and a 12 gauge auto shotgun (dad's, from granddad) which has a fiberglass barrel among other advanced-for-its-time features. We've got a 20 gauge pump that my dad picked up for my sister a few years back that he and I have gotten most use out of. We used the shotguns for clay shooting often at the range up in the hills near us.
Finally, on the "soon to come list"...
I've got a Browning Buck Mark .22lr pistol I bought for myself about a week ago that I can pick up first week of May. First gun purchase for myself, and had to take (and ace) California's Handgun Safety Certificate test to be able to buy it. We've got a bucketload of 22lr ammo and I've wanted a pistol of some form for a while, so this all came together well enough.
Beside it, you see the beginnings of an AR build. I got in on a group buy on 80% lowers with some friends a few months back and it finally showed up. After some reading and asking around, I'll likely be going with a long-barreled 5.56 / .223 setup so I can do small game / distance target shooting on the cheap.
I'm really wanting to get a crossbow, do you or anyone else like them? Seems like a lot of fun!
I dont know. Maybe I am a sissy but after shooting it like three times I am tired of cocking it. The bolts always get embedded really deep into the target which makes them a pain to get out and destroys it in the process. I liked shooting them before I got one tho! The effect faded quickly once I had my own.
I think my sis has a smaller bow. I used to shoot bows a lot in Boy Scouts so I haven't been too big on a need for them since then. Also, our rifles and shotguns are used for hunting as well as target shooting, and I'm none too keen on bow hunting (except for bow fishing, which is an interesting thing).
I've been thinking of picking up a rifle/pistol just to do some target practice and such, I'm glad some polycounters are on the same page. Nice pieces fellas!
I'm not too fond of Marlin's, they have a habit of jamming if fired too quickly.
Never mind 'firing too quickly', this thing was refusing to eject just about every other round when I had it at the range about a week ago! We need to clean and service all of our guns, so I'm hoping that'll clear some of it up, but damn it was annoying. :poly117:
I've been thinking of picking up a rifle/pistol just to do some target practice and such, I'm glad some polycounters are on the same page. Nice pieces fellas!
Can't go wrong with a .22lr pistol or rifle. Little to no kick, dirt cheap rounds, and pretty much every range has a rimfire setup. About the only limitation you might have is some ranges don't allow rimfire rounds on their longer ranges. With the pistols, a Ruger 22/45 or something like the Browning BuckMark I'm getting are a solid choice. Besides the grip design that made me go for the Browning, the other big issue I saw with the Ruger is that the 'mark iii' that's for sale now has a lot of "safety" features that most folks are deeming unnecessary and, in some respects (like servicing your gun) more dangerous. I would've gone for the harder to find mk ii if I was still going for a Ruger, just to get around those headaches.
That being the case, switch up to a 5.56 / .223 rifle, another 'dirt cheap / common' round. As I mentioned above I'm working on building a 5.56 / .223 rifle and what I've been reading is rather encouraging. I'm going towards a much longer barrel (24") and folks are saying they're doing 5-600 yd target shooting with that kind of setup.
Can't go wrong with a .22lr pistol or rifle. Little to no kick, dirt cheap rounds, and pretty much every range has a rimfire setup. About the only limitation you might have is some ranges don't allow rimfire rounds on their longer ranges. With the pistols, a Ruger 22/45 or something like the Browning BuckMark I'm getting are a solid choice. Besides the grip design that made me go for the Browning, the other big issue I saw with the Ruger is that the 'mark iii' that's for sale now has a lot of "safety" features that most folks are deeming unnecessary and, in some respects (like servicing your gun) more dangerous. I would've gone for the harder to find mk ii if I was still going for a Ruger, just to get around those headaches.
That being the case, switch up to a 5.56 / .223 rifle, another 'dirt cheap / common' round. As I mentioned above I'm working on building a 5.56 / .223 rifle and what I've been reading is rather encouraging. I'm going towards a much longer barrel (24") and folks are saying they're doing 5-600 yd target shooting with that kind of setup.
Man I can shoot outside my house cause there is so much space. It's awesome. Do you live in the city or something?
Also you make it sound like you can even FIND 22 ammo. Where do you live?
I have to say i don't agree with some of the things said in this thread..
From basic google searches i found out that out of 307 million people living in the US, there are 300 million firearms between them..that number is insane!
say that the 300 million guns are in the hands of 300 million people (1 gun per person), if 99.99% ARE responsible..thats still 300,000 people that are not responsible (please correct me if my maths is wrong).
I just kinda think you can still have the pleasure of collecting something you are passionate in but without the risk of killing someone or being killed yourself.
I guess with the current laws, that is not possible?
@Jonathan - There a bunch of regulations and processes to go through to be allowed to do that, and I don't want to pay the tax! It has since been sold as well. The only thing I have from these old pics is the AR and the black grip 45.
I havn't been out in a while because ammo is so pricey, a month ago a box of 9mm was $20 and that was on a good day. ARs are still only going for $1000 in some places so that's not too bad. I def recommend target shooting an AR-15 to anyone who is curious as to why so many people enjoy the sport.
Man I can shoot outside my house cause there is so much space. It's awesome. Do you live in the city or something?
Also you make it sound like you can even FIND 22 ammo. Where do you live?
Yup, Silicon valley suburbia, though right up against the foothills so it's a nice and green area. Our backyard's long enough that I could do a 65yd range on it, but would definitely go to jail for doing so. The area's gotten so built up (and gun shy due to immigration and politics) that you have to be careful how you handle yourself as a gun owner. It's not NYC bad, and honestly you should be behaving anyways as a gun owner, but it's not like our neighboring states by a long shot.
I'm going to assume you had a typo there, cause .22 ammo is common as mud. It's stuff like .303 and .243 caliber ammo our two hunting rifles use that are really hard to find and can be pricey. It's a big reason for why the gun I'm building is going to be 5.56/.223, cost and availability are far more reasonable.
Except that things have/are being banned. Also political pls go.
are there any new (2013) bans being implemented that i am not aware of that prevents you from buying similar type of the guns that you already own or grandfathered in ?
to clarify, i wasnt saying that there were no ban list ever rather was talking about new laws that have been passed this year or about to pass. from what i know the feinstein list has been dropped.
to be fair, i thought the comment above was an invitation to political discussion since it was about bans and what not.
are there any new (2013) bans being implemented that i am not aware of that prevents you from buying similar type of the guns that you already own or grandfathered in ?
to clarify, i wasnt saying that there were no ban list ever rather was talking about new laws that have been passed this year or about to pass. from what i know the feinstein list has been dropped.
Can any of you guys take some closer shots, of things like the barrels and clip releasing stuff, insertion point for clips?
I've seen lots of great images from places like 4chan's /k/ board but it's so hard to find references with actual mechanics, and even in military museums here it's not possible to actually touch them.
Can any of you guys take some closer shots, of things like the barrels and clip releasing stuff, insertion point for clips?
I've seen lots of great images from places like 4chan's /k/ board but it's so hard to find references with actual mechanics, and even in military museums here it's not possible to actually touch them.
>clips.
Sure.
What else do you want? And from what rifles?
From basic google searches i found out that out of 307 million people living in the US, there are 300 million firearms between them..that number is insane!
say that the 300 million guns are in the hands of 300 million people (1 gun per person), if 99.99% ARE responsible..thats still 300,000 people that are not responsible (please correct me if my maths is wrong).
34% of people in the United States own guns, and I'm sure a majority of them are for hunting/sport rather than handguns for defense.
34% of people in the United States own guns, and I'm sure a majority of them are for hunting/sport rather than handguns for defense.
Yearly hunting license sales aren't even 25% of documented US civilian firearms ownership.
Remember, before 1968, there was no 4473 form at time of sale to an individual, or any federal requirement for firearms manufacturers to serial number their production. Many did for company record keeping but many did not. And those firearms didn't just magically stop working after a few years.
It has also always been, and to this day remains legal, for an individual to make their own firearm as long as it is not intended for sale for profit, and not a title 2 weapon (NFA firearm like a machine gun or short-barreled rifle).
There are literally millions of perfectly functional firearms, some very modern, in circulation nationwide without a single page of paperwork. I honestly think the 300 million figure that's bandied around is way too low.
34% of people in the United States own guns, and I'm sure a majority of them are for hunting/sport rather than handguns for defense.
I honestly live near big citys but out in the country and know only a few people who have guns.
But lets keep this to gun talk, not statics and opinion on how guns are bad.. (not saying you were saying that)
Thanks.
I'll see about getting some better photos of our guns this week.
Just ordered the first part (besides the 80% lower) for my AR build... An all carbon fiber free floating handguard. I'm going the "featureless" route with my build so I don't have to put up with the"bullet button", and using that as an excuse to go somewhat out there with the design. Already looking for a good local pinstriping shop.
pretty scary to see all that from an european point of view... ah.. America..
And why is that? Seriously.
I know a number of Europeans who are either just flat out anti-gun "because", or just don't want to understand the idea of a hobby. Are you indoctrinated into that train of thought, or are you like so many gun haters over here who are that way because they've never set foot outside of a city?
I'm genuinely curious, as I would imagine more folks in Europe are more well traveled than most Americans, in no small part due to you having so many different countries right next door to one another (something I'm a little jealous of).
I know a number of Europeans who are either just flat out anti-gun "because", or just don't want to understand the idea of a hobby. Are you indoctrinated into that train of thought, or are you like so many gun haters over here who are that way because they've never set foot outside of a city?
I'm genuinely curious, as I would imagine more folks in Europe are more well traveled than most Americans, in no small part due to you having so many different countries right next door to one another (something I'm a little jealous of).
My wife and I watched a show on BBC called Luther, which is about a cop in the UK. I was so confused why none of the cops had guns for the longest time. Luther would go into houses where there were obviously dangerous individuals and I was like "WHERE IS YOUR GUN DUDE!!" I then found out that police usually don't carry firearms over there unless in special circumstances. The thought of it baffles me lol :poly142:
I know a number of Europeans who are either just flat out anti-gun "because", or just don't want to understand the idea of a hobby. Are you indoctrinated into that train of thought, or are you like so many gun haters over here who are that way because they've never set foot outside of a city?
I guess it's just that most of us Europeans have almost never seen or used a real gun.
I'm fine with people collecting guns because they think of it as a hobby, I'm pretty sure firing a gun at targets is pretty fun.
I'm a lot less fine with people owning a gun for their "safety" because it means the reason they own a gun is that they are afraid and the purpose of the gun is to shoot at someone someday (auto defense or not, willingly or not).
And I tend to think that that second category counts a lot more people and is far more dangerous.
Replies
I'm really wanting to get a crossbow, do you or anyone else like them? Seems like a lot of fun!
I was going to comment on that too. I've only seen maybe 2 guns that weren't on a police officer and they were owned by close family. It's not like the people posting in this thread carry these around and show them off to everyone because we're in 'Merica. They're only displayed on their beds/floors for photos and afterwards I would assume they get locked up.
Oops to late..
Nice guns man. I own I pistol and shotgun, would love to fire the ones you linked.
Texas brah checking in!
Post pics man!
I would say it depends on where and how you grew up, it's definitely regional. There are a number of states where many things are restricted, and then you take a look at others and 'open carry' is the very much acceptable.
Any responsible gun owner has a safe or safe room where these things are kept. This, of course, doesn't include something I would keep on hand and loaded. If an intruder broke into my house, I wouldn't really reach for an M1-Garand.
Wouldn't mind seeing a few more pics
Had them out today to do a laser boresighting for the scopes.
Started out with our .22lr 'plinker', dad had picked this one up for my sister a number of years back, but I've probably gotten more use out of it. It's a Marlin 60 with a Marlin scope. The scope we'd found laying around while cleaning up my dad's office, and decided to put it on this guy.
Next up I did my British .303 Sporterized. Something my dad's had for years (was his dad's before him) that he's given to me. I'd just put a scope rail and the Redfield Revenge scope on it a few weeks ago.
Finally my dad's .243 Winchester. Another one he's had for a long time, asked me to boresight his gun as well since it'd been firing down and off to the side last time it'd been to the range.
We've also got a 12 gauge pump shotgun (mine, from dad/grandad) and a 12 gauge auto shotgun (dad's, from granddad) which has a fiberglass barrel among other advanced-for-its-time features. We've got a 20 gauge pump that my dad picked up for my sister a few years back that he and I have gotten most use out of. We used the shotguns for clay shooting often at the range up in the hills near us.
Finally, on the "soon to come list"...
I've got a Browning Buck Mark .22lr pistol I bought for myself about a week ago that I can pick up first week of May. First gun purchase for myself, and had to take (and ace) California's Handgun Safety Certificate test to be able to buy it. We've got a bucketload of 22lr ammo and I've wanted a pistol of some form for a while, so this all came together well enough.
Beside it, you see the beginnings of an AR build. I got in on a group buy on 80% lowers with some friends a few months back and it finally showed up. After some reading and asking around, I'll likely be going with a long-barreled 5.56 / .223 setup so I can do small game / distance target shooting on the cheap.
I dont know. Maybe I am a sissy but after shooting it like three times I am tired of cocking it. The bolts always get embedded really deep into the target which makes them a pain to get out and destroys it in the process. I liked shooting them before I got one tho! The effect faded quickly once I had my own.
ahem.. since we have a gun thread, anyone in the mood to post some cool close-ups?
I'm not too fond of Marlin's, they have a habit of jamming if fired too quickly.
Never mind 'firing too quickly', this thing was refusing to eject just about every other round when I had it at the range about a week ago! We need to clean and service all of our guns, so I'm hoping that'll clear some of it up, but damn it was annoying. :poly117:
Can't go wrong with a .22lr pistol or rifle. Little to no kick, dirt cheap rounds, and pretty much every range has a rimfire setup. About the only limitation you might have is some ranges don't allow rimfire rounds on their longer ranges. With the pistols, a Ruger 22/45 or something like the Browning BuckMark I'm getting are a solid choice. Besides the grip design that made me go for the Browning, the other big issue I saw with the Ruger is that the 'mark iii' that's for sale now has a lot of "safety" features that most folks are deeming unnecessary and, in some respects (like servicing your gun) more dangerous. I would've gone for the harder to find mk ii if I was still going for a Ruger, just to get around those headaches.
That being the case, switch up to a 5.56 / .223 rifle, another 'dirt cheap / common' round. As I mentioned above I'm working on building a 5.56 / .223 rifle and what I've been reading is rather encouraging. I'm going towards a much longer barrel (24") and folks are saying they're doing 5-600 yd target shooting with that kind of setup.
Man I can shoot outside my house cause there is so much space. It's awesome. Do you live in the city or something?
Also you make it sound like you can even FIND 22 ammo. Where do you live?
From basic google searches i found out that out of 307 million people living in the US, there are 300 million firearms between them..that number is insane!
say that the 300 million guns are in the hands of 300 million people (1 gun per person), if 99.99% ARE responsible..thats still 300,000 people that are not responsible (please correct me if my maths is wrong).
I just kinda think you can still have the pleasure of collecting something you are passionate in but without the risk of killing someone or being killed yourself.
I guess with the current laws, that is not possible?
I would rather own a bow
/joke
Yes your math is wrong because you just said "if 99.99% ARE responsible". Complete guess work = bad math.
Yup, Silicon valley suburbia, though right up against the foothills so it's a nice and green area. Our backyard's long enough that I could do a 65yd range on it, but would definitely go to jail for doing so. The area's gotten so built up (and gun shy due to immigration and politics) that you have to be careful how you handle yourself as a gun owner. It's not NYC bad, and honestly you should be behaving anyways as a gun owner, but it's not like our neighboring states by a long shot.
I'm going to assume you had a typo there, cause .22 ammo is common as mud. It's stuff like .303 and .243 caliber ammo our two hunting rifles use that are really hard to find and can be pricey. It's a big reason for why the gun I'm building is going to be 5.56/.223, cost and availability are far more reasonable.
seriously... guns
pff
What if some children get their hands on it!
We'll surely be overrun by violent arts and crafts! We have to ban it now!
Is that even legal?
nothing is banned or will be banned for years to come.
so just relax, have fun and keep feeding the war machines.
Except that things have/are being banned. Also political pls go.
lol apologies.
to be fair, i thought the comment above was an invitation to political discussion since it was about bans and what not.
are there any new (2013) bans being implemented that i am not aware of that prevents you from buying similar type of the guns that you already own or grandfathered in ?
to clarify, i wasnt saying that there were no ban list ever rather was talking about new laws that have been passed this year or about to pass. from what i know the feinstein list has been dropped.
The bill was dropped but other states like California are really going into banning anything, you already need to do all sorts of stupid shit to your rifle to make it legal. I don't know the details. But they want a bullet button, whatever that is, and are moving to ban leadcore ammo, so like, most ammo. Then http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/gun-maker-leave-conn-gun-control-legislation-article-1.1313001
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/04/us/connecticut-gun-law-overhaul
There are some states who are doing the opposite such as Kansas.
I would give more of an opinion on the matter but I really don't want to bring politics into this thread.
I've seen lots of great images from places like 4chan's /k/ board but it's so hard to find references with actual mechanics, and even in military museums here it's not possible to actually touch them.
>clips.
Sure.
What else do you want? And from what rifles?
34% of people in the United States own guns, and I'm sure a majority of them are for hunting/sport rather than handguns for defense.
Normal map looks a bit wonky on this. Can you post your flats?
:P
I think you're mistaken, it's clearly photoshopped!
Yearly hunting license sales aren't even 25% of documented US civilian firearms ownership.
Remember, before 1968, there was no 4473 form at time of sale to an individual, or any federal requirement for firearms manufacturers to serial number their production. Many did for company record keeping but many did not. And those firearms didn't just magically stop working after a few years.
It has also always been, and to this day remains legal, for an individual to make their own firearm as long as it is not intended for sale for profit, and not a title 2 weapon (NFA firearm like a machine gun or short-barreled rifle).
There are literally millions of perfectly functional firearms, some very modern, in circulation nationwide without a single page of paperwork. I honestly think the 300 million figure that's bandied around is way too low.
I honestly live near big citys but out in the country and know only a few people who have guns.
But lets keep this to gun talk, not statics and opinion on how guns are bad.. (not saying you were saying that)
Thanks.
Just ordered the first part (besides the 80% lower) for my AR build... An all carbon fiber free floating handguard. I'm going the "featureless" route with my build so I don't have to put up with the"bullet button", and using that as an excuse to go somewhat out there with the design. Already looking for a good local pinstriping shop.
And why is that? Seriously.
I know a number of Europeans who are either just flat out anti-gun "because", or just don't want to understand the idea of a hobby. Are you indoctrinated into that train of thought, or are you like so many gun haters over here who are that way because they've never set foot outside of a city?
I'm genuinely curious, as I would imagine more folks in Europe are more well traveled than most Americans, in no small part due to you having so many different countries right next door to one another (something I'm a little jealous of).
I dunno, once you get out of the major cities and into rural areas, there's quite a bit of gun ownership on farms.
My Dad has a Winchester Model 1894 Coach Carbine which is pretty cool (been in the family since the thing was first released too!)
Considering everything from the ants on up in that country is out to kill you, I'd think being unarmed would be a big risk! :poly142:
I'm terrified of spiders to an insane degree. I think I'd want a tank personally just to go around there.
My wife and I watched a show on BBC called Luther, which is about a cop in the UK. I was so confused why none of the cops had guns for the longest time. Luther would go into houses where there were obviously dangerous individuals and I was like "WHERE IS YOUR GUN DUDE!!" I then found out that police usually don't carry firearms over there unless in special circumstances. The thought of it baffles me lol :poly142:
I guess it's just that most of us Europeans have almost never seen or used a real gun.
I'm fine with people collecting guns because they think of it as a hobby, I'm pretty sure firing a gun at targets is pretty fun.
I'm a lot less fine with people owning a gun for their "safety" because it means the reason they own a gun is that they are afraid and the purpose of the gun is to shoot at someone someday (auto defense or not, willingly or not).
And I tend to think that that second category counts a lot more people and is far more dangerous.