Moondoggie

My local gun dealer has one....I'm interested in it. Same rationale as my .41 Mag, I'm attracted to unusual guns/calibers. I've got an SKS, and actually like the way it shoots...well worth the $69 I paid for it before the ban. I'm a retired Marine, and therefore fairly familiar with AR's, but never wanted to actually own one. 223 is NOT my favorite caliber, I had a 700 BDL Varmit years ago but traded it off when I left prairie dog country. The 7.62 X 39 uses regular AR mags, just a couple of less rds per mag. Since I've started shooting pistol, now I'm beginning to think about 3 gun sometime in the future. Got this safe full of guns, I ought to use some of them! Is an AR in this caliber a viable platform to start building a rifle for IPSC? Hey, at least the ammo is cheap!

Yepper, I think I remember having a fleeting thought that 6 mags of 16 might not be enuf for that darned star!

Shot my first field course today with the Capital City Practical Shooters in Topeka. What a great bunch of folks! Also a great bunch of shooters. I was squaded with a bunch of guys that can really shoot and move. Boy howdy, did I stink! Arrived at a position consisting of 2 poppers and the Texas Star with a fresh mag. 3 rds for the 2 poppers, and 4 rds for 3 plates on the star. Shot til slide lock at the last 2 itty bitty moving plates, reloaded and prolly shot another 8 rds b4 I hit those last 2. AAARRRRRGGGHHH! Talk about being aware of multiple things going on inside brain simultaneously. Concentrating harder and harder on sight picture and trigger, incredulous and frustrated by repeated misses, sensing about to run dry, feeling slide lock instantly, good reload, concentrating more on tgts, thinking how ridiculous this is, processing a little helpful advice from the RO about shooting them when they stop (He was prolly wondering to himself if I was gonna have to shoot all day at these 2 plates.) wondering if just throwing pistol at tgt might be a good idea. Finally hit the elusive suckers!!! WOWSERS! 82 seconds for a 29 rd stage. Otherwise, it was a good day at the range. Gun ran fine, didn't get DQ'd, met some really fine folks. Can't wait til next time!

John, you can go to Fiorella's Jack Stack website and order any of their BBQ meats. I think they vacum pack it for shipment. I ordered 2 4# live Lobsters by FedEx last month for Julie's birthday...they made the trip just fine. Arrived alive, but didn't stay that way for long

Yes siree, Rhino...I've got a small coffee can full of oil with all of my moon/half-moon clips in long term (15 yrs) storage. They work OK in my 25-2, not so well in the 625...prolly would need to get the cylinder cut so they'll fit better. The 25-2 has TT/TH (and 6" vs 5" on the 625), so the 625 would be a much better choice for her to shoot.

Wife and I went to The Bullet Hole in KC yesterday for the CZ promo and for me to shoot the Mill Creek Practical Shooters Friday nite indoor match. I joined USPSA this week, and had my gun and gear ready to go. Been out to practice 3 times in the past 2 weeks. First we stopped at Fiorella's Jack Stack (primo) BBQ place on Metcalf for a feast. We both shot the 7 rds provided in the CZ 9mm to compete for the thighest group...I think I might have a chance at the prize. I had 3 rds in one keyhole. Next we went downstairs (after purchasing some reloading supplies) for the match. Great bunch of folks! I helped with setup, and Julie and I shagged brass for almost every shooter. I really only had two goals for my first match...don't get DQ'd and for goodness sake don't shoot a "No Shoot"! That worked-out OK. Reloads on the move went surprisingly well...no problems there. Game Plan? What game plan??? Even with 26 years in the Marines and 2 years as a reserve police officer behind me I found shooting the stages pretty stressful. On each stage I FTE'd a steel plate.....just moved right past the position. At least on the 2nd stage I remembered b4 I finished shooting that I had screwed-up, so I consider that a minor improvement. My shot placement was very OK, on one close paper tgt shot through a port I keyholed 2 A's in the head above a no shoot. I also shot 2 mikes on one paper tgt that was very hard to bring the gun to bear on. I think I'll shoot with earplugs and wear muffs off the line from now on...the position I shot the two mikes on required you to have your head up against the range wall (with both feet in a box) in order to see around L side of a barricade to shoot to the right. The muffs got in the way. The guy who RO'd me on both stages gave me quite a few great pointers afterwards. I had a great time! On the 2 hour drive back home, Julie sarted talking about trying this out but her only major drawback is that she absolutely hates semi-autos (also, she's left-handed). She didn't realize that there's a revolver class. No problem, since we have a 25-2 and a 625-2! (The 625 is her favorite handgun, stays in her nitestand drawer.) We also have 1K rds of 45 Auto Rim and speedloaders. Now for some lefty gear! I apologize for posting a book, but I wanted to share some points about my first adventure. Many thanks to those here who share their knowledge and experience. It made my first attempt far more successful than it otherwise would have been. Randy

Could I PM one of you guys with some questions so that I don't hijack the thread?

I'd like to ask a question from the uninformed-but-struggling-to-catch-up section; Since I live only 200 mi from Barry, and I have time available starting on Wed, what do you folks think would be the best time to show up just to observe? I'd also like the chance to meet as many of you as possible. As a novice shooter, is it appropriate for me to even consider shooting (production) at this match? My gun runs fine, and I've been practicing. When I describe myself as a novice, I mean in the context of this sport....I'm a retired Marine (also served as a reserve police officer) with a lot of shooting experience behind me.

Thanks for the reply, David! Just ordered 3 pre-ban mags. The adventure continues..... Now for perfect practice! (As best I can.) Thanks again! Randy

Actually, I've shot in two IPSC events, one in '90 and one in 2000, plus one Cowboy match a couple of years ago. Now that my wife and I have the empty nest thing going, and I'm retired from the military and plan to live in one place the rest of my days I finally have the time and resources to pursue sport shooting more seriously. I have a stock 4506, and like it alot, but I recently purchased a NIB P-16.40 with 3 hi cap mags. The P-16 functions well, but I'm sure I'll be having some work done on it at some point (the trigger is nothing to write home about!). I also have a suitable belt, holster, and mag holders.......(I also reload.) So, here are my questions; 1. Are 3 mags enough to shoot a match? 2. Once the AWB sunsets (hopefully) next month, where is the best place to get more mags? (Thinking of sticking with factory stuff initially.) 3. Having read here about trashing factory basepads by dropping them on hard surfaces, would it be practical/allowable to cushion the bases with something like the soft side of velcro? (When I broke-down the mags for cleaning, I was surprised by the basepads...."that's all there is to them?") I've read-in here about tubes, springs, followers, basepads, etc; and figure I'll talk to shooters at events to get a better idea of which way to go. There are 2 events early in Sep locally, so in the meantime I'll be practicing both live and dry fire. BTW, this site is the greatest thing since canned 7Up and sliced bread! Many thanks to Brian and all of you who are willing to share your knowledge and experience! Randy