New Ruger Gunsite Scout in my hands, plus some goodies!

Just got my new rifle in today. Fell in love at first sight and decided I had to have one. Sold off my Savage 10FP LE .308 to fund this purchase, let's see if the decision was the right one. Here's my little preview for those that care to read through my wall of text.

'Dat stock... ooh baby!
The GSR has a nice laminate stock in subdued black and gray tones, and aggressive checkering where you'd expect it. The rifle barrel and action is a matte blue finish, with the bolt and bolt handle in a natural stainless. The bolt hangs up a little while manipulating it at the rearmost position, but I've read that it will smooth out with use. A bit of Tetra grease and some time on the couch should help a bit. Wow, that sounds a bit kinky, LOL!

Sightseeing
The GSR comes equipped with iron sights, the front is a protected post with two "wings" and the rear is what looks to be a variation of the Mini-14 peep sight. The peep has a moderate aperture size, probably somewher between the long and short range/low-light apetures you'd find on the current M16/M4 rifles. Perhaps some day I'll get out my caliper and measure the aperture inside diameter.

Bangswitch boogie
The trigger isn't too bad out of the box, but it could use a bit of attention to smooth it out a bit. I noticed some creep and takeup, but the break was decent enough. Some dryfiring will likely help here as well. Before I go crazy on that, I will acquire some snap caps to avoid causing undue strain on the firing pin.

All your (optics) base are belong to us
The most notable feature of the rifle is the forward-located optics mounting point. The base is a picatinny-style, and works well with my chosen Aimpoint Comp M4s red dot. I will suggest that anyone looking to mount a red dot go with the lowest solution possible, and you should give up any hope of being able to cowitness with the irons while using optics of any sort. I purchased an Aimpoint 3x magnifier and TwistMount from Botach Tactical for a great price, which showed up on Wednesday.  After mounting it I discovered that the whole thing is just too far forward to be at the proper eye relief to use the magnifier.  What a pity.  I'm thinking I may get the XS Sights picatinny mount and install it so I can try again with the Aimpoint setup.  It'd be a crying shame if I had to ditch the whole setup, you know?

MAGnificent, just what I needed
Immediately after purchasing the GSR, I ordered two Alpha Industries .308 Type 2 magazines to go with it. These magazines are doublestack with a single feed lip system, designed to reduce overall length. If my hand-scale is properly calibrated, I'd say they're a bit lighter than the stock mag as well. The Type 2's are also lacking the inner liner to give you a bit more leeway in loading your .308's long, which may give me more options in determining the most accurate handload for this rifle.

Just one problem with these Alpha Industries mags: They don't work as advertised! They state on their website that these mags should work without modification to the magazine or firearm. Well, they don't. The folding, springloaded ejector mated to the receiver binds on the magazine feed lips at the very rear. Worst part is if you try to force it, it will keep the ejector in the down position which will cause a FTE. No friggin' bueno. I've got a request for support in with the company as of the 18th of this month and I'll keep everyone updated on how they handle the situation.  No contact from them as of yet, so it's looking like I'll have to call them and hold their feet to the fire.  That's unfortunate.

Anywho, here's a pic of the GSR with the Alpha Industries .308 Type 2 magazine and the Aimpoint setup without spacers:

I like it, what about you?  Got a Ching Sling in black leather coming in shortly, will post when it comes in!

Shifting my inventory

So I've sold the Savage 10FP LE and Beretta 92FS Compact Type-M, and I've got buyers lined up for the AR15 and XDm-9.  After thinking about it, I decided I had picked up too many firearms and have decided to pare them back to the bare minimums.

The survivors of the great purge of '11?  My trusty XD45 Compact, the Mrs's S&W Model 60 Pro, the Remington 870 with Knoxx stock, and some .22LRs for cheap practice (Ruger 10/22 and 22/45, and the Savage Mark II bolt action rifle).

I went out to shop for a Ruger M77 Mark II Gunsite Scout Rifle in the local area and happened across just one of them.  It was overpriced, and I offered a fair sum in cash on the spot for it, but the store owner wasn't biting.  I said my thanks and moved along.

It's not the first time I've been put off by obscene prices (and that's coming from a guy that understands mark-ups are necessary in the retail world), so I'll be doing my shopping online or at the local gun show from here on out.  Local stores would rather do low volume on high margins, and that's fine.  I'm not going to be bent over and taken for a ride, though.  Not in this economy.  I tried to do my part to support local stores, but they have to be reasonable as well.

Almost makes me want to start my own store... Almost. ;)

So the hunt is on for a GSR of my own.  The rifle balanced well, was lightweight and the trigger was decent enough to not require an aftermarket replacement.  I basically fell in love, but I wasn't going to pay the asking price.  I can wait.

Abandoned blog? Nah, just busy with life.

Hey everyone,

No, I haven't given up on the site.  Truth is I've been too busy with life to do anything related to firearms.  No new acquisitions have been made, nor have I gotten rid of anything.  I have been contemplating trading the Savage 10FPLE off for the Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle, though.

I've taken the XDm-9 out to the range a couple of times and fired about 50 rounds through it, and I'm just not as in love with it as I am with my XD-45 Compact.  Of course I've been shooting the compact a lot longer, and I've got more rounds downrange with it, so I'm pretty biased.  I'm sure I haven't given the XDm enough time for us to "get along", but I ask myself if it's a pistol I really need especially now that my free time is at an all time low, and I doubt I'll be able to get into IDPA competition in any capacity.

I may sell it to help finance a vacation the Mrs and I have planned, who knows.  I really want to get back into shooting as often as I'd like to stay sharp, but time and money are two difficult barriers to overcome right now.

Ah well, time to get back to planning my reloading bench.  Nope, that's not done yet, either! *sigh*

I haven't died. Not yet, anyway. ;)

Well, the good news is a good place to start.  The Mrs and I closed on our house yesterday (yay!) so now we're busy turning it into a livable space (boo?).  The good news is that I can finally start reloading!  Well, once we're completely moved in and I set up my workspace, that is.

Finally done!  Wait, no - still need a sling.

There's been a lot of acquisitions lately.  Let's see.  The AR finally has the YHM smooth midlength quad rail installed.  It was a fantastic addition, and the rifle balances really well with it installed.  Big thanks go out to my buddy Alex of Dreadnaught Industries for the work!  Speaking of Alex, he also hooked me up with a new Aimpoint CompM4S red dot, which replaced the Primary Arms CompM4 clone which was sitting on the AR for about a month.  Never had the opportunity to shoot the PA red dot, but it felt solid and was nice and bright.  I'm sure I would have enjoyed it if I didn't decide on the Aimpoint instead.
I was able to take the Beretta 92FS Compact Type-M out a few times, and put 100 rounds downrange with it.  It's an absolutely fantastic, beautiful and slick firearm.  Handles just like its big brother, just in a smaller, more easily managed package.  First 5 rounds I shot out of it, I cleaned the Texas Star that Alex installed at his private range.  Did I mention that it was the first time I'd ever attempted to shoot the Texas Star?  Wish I got video, the students at that CHL class couldn't believe I was able to hit 5/5 on something no one else was able to hit on a reliable basis.  It was as addicting as crack, and I want to go back for more!

Oh yes, the Beretta. Sorry.  Honestly, aside from it being a hard to find pistol and the "cool factor" of it being a single stack, I feel I could be better served by a full sized 92FS.  This firearm is just too nice for me to shoot on a constant basis, and I'd feel really guilty if I did.  So, I'm going to trade it off.  Not sure what I want, but I think it's time for me to get another nice 1911.  I'm still contemplating a fullsize Rock Island G.I. 9mm for a project gun, or a Springfield Armory Loaded model.  Talk about both ends of the spectrum when it comes to features, huh?

The 'ol uglystick, Savage Mark II.

Lately I've been on the hunt for a new training rifle to take a bit of the sting out of the cost of ammo.  After a bit of hunting around on Texas Gun Trader, I found a used Savage Mark II .22LR bolt action.  Perfect!  She isn't pretty, but she was cheap.  $175, including the cheapie BSA 3-9x32 scope with Butler Creek lens covers.

I've been hunting around for a solution to the horrid (and please keep in mind I'm not a trigger snob!) stock trigger.  There's a shimming trick that's pretty popular on Rimfire Central that I may try.  However, reports of bumpfires are being made after modding the triggergroup in this manner.  A safer way of improving the trigger appears to be the Rifle Basix SAV-R sear, which is user adjustible from aaprox 10oz to 1.5lbs, and has an overtravel adjustment.  There are many happy users with both trigger job methods, so I figure I'll start with the cheap triggerjob (shimming), and if I'm unhappy with it I'll move up to the Rifle Basix kit.  I'm not too particularly worried about the bumpfire issue, since this is going to be a benchrest range toy.

Delicious OD Green goodness!

I also picked up a new Springfield Armory XDm-9 with the 4.5" barrel in OD Green.  It's a classy looking pistol, and goes great with my custom AR with Magpul OD Green furniture.  Why'd I get it?  Well, for $509 out the door, brand new, how could I resist?  Also, this is a pistol that I can shoot the snot out of and not feel guilty about, unlike the Beretta.  I'll likely use this pistol for IDPA once I get the time to join up and participate on a regular basis.  I haven't yet shot this pistol, even though it's been in my hands for almost a month now, but a full range report will be forthcoming when I get the time.


So, there you have it.  A bit of a backlog (and that's not everything!), but I'm relatively caught up.  Shoot me an email or post up a comment and let me know what's on your mind.  It's always a pleasure talking with like-minded individuals.

Amazing how life gets in the way, isn't it?

Sorry for my lengthy absence.  Things are rather hectic with work and the new home being constructed.  I also have a new addition to the family of firearms in the house, and I'll break the news when I have time to post up a proper introduction.  Of course, I also owe everyone quite a few new reviews as well.  There's four of them on the burner now, and I'll be releasing them in due time.  Patience!

The AR gets a new accessory

I haven't posted on the blog about my AR15, so I should give a quick rundown on it.  It's a Dreadnaught Industries lower with a Spike's Tactical LE midlength DI upper, 16" 1/7" twist 5.56 NATO barrel, Spike's Nickel Boron BCG and Battle Trigger FCG, Magpul MIAD, UBR and BAD have all been installed.  BUIS duties are handled by a GG&G 1005 sight (soon to be swapped out for a Magpul unit).  I've also purchased a YHM smooth midlength freefloat forearm, which is what this update is about.  I know you're thinking "Blah Blah Blah, Jon!  Make with the pics!"  Fine!

The rifle's been assembled and ready to go since May of '10, but the FF forearm hasn't yet been installed.  Instead of spending the money on the necessary upper receiver vise block and barrel wrench for a one-time install, I decided to farm out the work to a local shop.  $65 and a few days later, I should have the AR back in my hands early next week.  I'm looking forward to seeing all the major parts installed on the rifle, and then I can move forward with my plans to obtain some optics for it.

Not sure which way I'm going to go, but I'll probably get a Primary Arms micro red dot sight and their 3x magnifier on a FTS mount.  Going for a lower 1/3 cowitness.  If not the micro red dot, I'll probably get their new M4 red dot.  I like the fact it can run 1,000 hours on a standard AA battery, though it is a bit bigger and much heavier than the micro sight.  Oh well, I've got time to ponder it.

Oh yes, and the Beretta 92FS Compact Type-M should be in my hands tomorrow.  Let's hope USPS doesn't botch the delivery to my local FFL tomorrow, or I'll have to wait until Tuesday to pick it up.  Blah.

The Mrs has great taste in pistols! Also, I just won my 92FS Compact Type M!

Hey everyone.  Well, last night's range session went well.  The Mrs and I stopped off for some ammo before getting out to the Bullethole and completing the transfer of the new Model 60 Pro.  After a bit of writer's cramp from the paperwork and watching $50 evacuate from my wallet in a jiffy, the pistol was in our hands.  Err, actually it was in HER hands, LOL.  She fell in love with it instantly and I couldn't get out to the line fast enough for her.  Here's some pics of it after we put 60 rounds downrange and cleaned it:

  

While she shot the M60, I did some proficiency drills with the XD-45 compact.  The pic says it all, click it to get the details.

I have to admit, the little M60 has a sharp report and it made me a bit jumpy.  The DA trigger pull on it is strangely stiff, I need to get a trigger pull gage on it to tell you exactly what it is.  I do know it stacks quite a bit towards the end.  The XD was boring, as always.  That gun always feeds, fires and extracts.  Every.  Time.  But, boring is good in a defensive pistol.  I would like to fix the horrendous reset on the trigger, and an aftermarket trigger kit would be just the ticket to accomplish that.  I'll look into funding a Powder River or Springer Precision kit later.

Ah yes, news on the Beretta 92FS Compact Type-M front!  I found a seller on GunBroker who put his almost brand new Type-M up for sale.  Me, being the impatient type I am, sent him an email asking if he'd take $680 shipped, to which he accepted.  I'll be getting the USPS money order for him tomorrow morning and shipping it that same day, along with a copy of our correspondence and my FFL's info.

Wish me luck, if everything is as he says it is and I'm not getting scammed, I'm getting a beautiful Type-M shortly!  Pics below: