What's in your arsenal??

[Point Break]

Symptoms are increasing 🫣

I’m conflicted. I’ve always thought it was a beautiful piece……even when I had no interest in ever owning an handgun. The Glock meets my home defense needs…..as remote as the possibility is………so I have no reason to buy this thing. I can afford it so that’s not the issue. The question is…….why? Because I like it? What will I do with it……….sigh……

 

[Charlie Foxtrot]

"...Because I like it..."

There can be no better justification.

However... a revolver is an excellent training tool. Shooting it in double action will teach you a trigger press that will directly improve your Glock shooting. If you like the gun, you'll want to shoot it, getting you to the range more often to preserve the perishable shooting skills.

Plus... You like it.

 

[boomer]

The Colt Python is a great gun, and one of the top .357 double action revolvers out there. Some say the smaller frame S&W Model 19 .357 Combat Magnum is the best for a carry .357 double action revolver, but the heavy frame of the Colt Python, is a larger frame better built gun - I give the nod to the Colt Python, for over 200lb big men.

 

[Pertinacious Tom]

I’m conflicted. I’ve always thought it was a beautiful piece……even when I had no interest in ever owning an handgun. The Glock meets my home defense needs…..as remote as the possibility is………so I have no reason to buy this thing. I can afford it so that’s not the issue. The question is…….why? Because I like it? What will I do with it……….sigh……

I hope and expect you'll never actually need the Glock for personal defense. Almost none of us do. "Because I like it" is the reason I have some double digit number of boats. There's really no other reason for me to own a 30-30 lever action gun, but I do. What do I do with it? Take it out of the safe occasionally and blast a soda can, then experience the joy of the lever action ejecting and reloading. Shot one pig with it a long time ago. If another really stupid one shows up in daylight and waits around while I get the gun from the safe, I'll do that again, but so far they all seem smart.

 

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Hey PB, a bit of unsolicited advice: You might want to consider a Ruger Pistol Caliber Carbine in 40 S&W for your home defense:

https://www.omahaoutdoors.com/ruger-pc-carbine-40-s-w-16-1-tb-fl-10-rd/

It's a pretty handy carbine, and this variant shoots the 40 S&W, as I believe your Glock does. It can also use the same Glock magazines as the Glock 40's do. (G22, G23, G27...) I've got this firearm in 9mm, and I consider it outstanding in its role for use in the house. This variant has a 10 round mag and a threaded barrel. I far as I know, it is Cali legal - but, please check.

If interested, you'll probably want to act very soon: it looks like Ruger dropped all of their .40 offering as of the start of this year. You should still be able to find them online, and have one shipped to your FFL. Omaha Outdoors was just one of the first I happened upon. Not a bad price though...

 

[veni vidi vici]

Hey PB, a bit of unsolicited advice: You might want to consider a Ruger Pistol Caliber Carbine in 40 S&W for your home defense: https://www.omahaoutdoors.com/ruger-pc-carbine-40-s-w-16-1-tb-fl-10-rd/

It's a pretty handy carbine, and this variant shoots the 40 S&W, as I believe your Glock does. It can also use the same Glock magazines as the Glock 40s do. I've got this firearm in 9mm, and I consider it outstanding in its role as a firearm for use in the house.

If interested, you may want to act soon: it looks like Ruger dropped all of their 40 offering as of the first of the year. You should be able to find them online, and have them shipped to your FFL.

PB … I am more than maxed, all recently since the Summer of Love
I would however consider a functional antique’ish that featured craftsmanship and engraving just to marvel at the beauty , design and machining.

 

[kgs113]

Just added an M1 Garand to the safe...Jan 1955. All Springfield parts. Shooter not a safe queen. Looking forward to range day!

 

[Liquid]

This fall I went to watch 600 yard match at my gun club. There was a shooter with a M1 Garand with a to his elbow cast on his support hand and he still hit the target!

 

[veni vidi vici]

This fall I went to watch 600 yard match at my gun club. There was a shooter with a M1 Garand with a to his elbow cast on his support hand and he still hit the target!

Iron sights?

 

[Point Break]

Just added an M1 Garand to the safe...Jan 1955. All Springfield parts. Shooter not a safe queen. Looking forward to range day!

Watch your thumb……never mind how I know….

 

[Liquid]

Iron sights?

yuppa!

The Garand and a Ruger PR 308 were the only recognizable guns on the line.

Everything else looked very custom and very $$$.

 

[veni vidi vici]

yuppa!

The Garand and a Ruger PR 308 were the only recognizable guns on the line.

Everything else looked very custom and very $$$.

With a good eyes and comfort with a M1 with iron sights is deadly as many other hunting type rifles are. Optics just make it easier, distance shooting is fun.

 

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Watch your thumb……never mind how I know….

M-1 Garand. Bustin' thumbs for 85 years.

 

[Point Break]

M-1 Garand. Bustin' thumbs for 85 years.

Got mine….

 

[Charlie Foxtrot]

Got mine….

I'm still a Garand virgin. I'm very careful and I've been trained. An old war horse showed me the way to load the Garand using the side of your hand. He guaranteed the rifle wouldn't bite using that method.

Right before it nipped his hand.

 

[Point Break]

I'm still a Garand virgin. I'm very careful and I've been trained. An old war horse showed me the way to load the Garand using the side of your hand. He guaranteed the rifle wouldn't bite using that method.

Right before it nipped his hand.

Speed is the key……and it doesn’t always work…..and it hurts…..a lot.

In boot camp during the conversion from the 14 to the 16 in country because of a “shortage” we had M1’s to qualify with on the range. Ouch.

 

[boomer]

Speed is the key……and it doesn’t always work…..and it hurts…..a lot.

In boot camp during the conversion from the 14 to the 16 in country because of a “shortage” we had M1’s to qualify with on the range. Ouch.

In at about the same time, I recall the M1 as a training piece in boot, but at the off base Navy San Diego training rifle range we used a smaller Cartridge, it could have very well been the .30 cal of the M1. In the Seabees at Point Mugu and at Camp Pendelton's Expeditionary Forces Training we trained and qualified with the M16. Once in Battalion, the Battalion Commander made the choice, our Battalion Commander in NMCB 5 chose the M14, while most Battalions were using the M16.

The reason our Battalion Commander chose the M14, was he felt it was more reliable in the wet muddy conditions encountered in Vietnam and a story from five years earlier at Con Thien, about Seabees UT1 Lloyd O.B. O'Banion & SW 2 Stephen Fenes- the most highly decorated Seabees at that time, not named Marvin Shields - who helped defend a Special Forces Camp at Con Thien, and saved them when being overrun with M14s and an M60. The Special Forces Green Berets with these Seabees have said, O'Banion with his M60 mowing the NVA down, deserved the Medal of Honor, for saving them from the NVA. UT 1 O'Bannion was particularly noted for his aggressive employment of an M-60 machine gun and contributed significantly to the enemy's defeat and destruction.

The Seabee Detail's actions on 8 May 1967 received a letter of Appreciation from Captain Craig Chamberlain, commander of Special Forces Det A-110. The letter had 5 endorsements. and states that two of the Seabees contributed significantly to the repulse of the overwhelming NVA force. It's probably unfair to single out just two names from the detachment, but their actions typified those of the entire detachment. "The Con Thien camp was hit by 600 mortar and rocket rounds which was followed by a ground assault by two reinforced North Vietnamese Battalion s. The 5 hour long assault was successfully repelled by- Seabee, Marine and Special Forces personnel. Ten men from NMCB-4 including the Officer-in-Charge of the detail were wounded in action.· Three NMCB-4 personnel distinguished themselves in battle as they provided the turning point of the attack." Read the logbook notes in the NMCB Danang, RVN Deployment Completion Report PDF below.

A detachment of Seabees from NMCB 4 was assigned the task of building underground bunkers, defensive positions, and galley and storage facilities for a United States Army Special Forces unit at Con Thien, RVN. Con Thien was located approximately two kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). At first, the Seabees conducted their construction work on a nearly normal daily routine and were able to complete the initial portion of their projects without harassment. On May 8, 1967 however, Con Thien came under attack by an estimated two reinforced North Vietnamese Army battalions. The enemy fired an estimated 600 to 1,000 rounds of mortar at the camp. The assault on the camp was successfully repelled by Seabee, Marine, and Special Forces personnel. After the attack, the Seabees returned to their construction work, but the camp continued to be harassed by enemy mortar and small artillery fire. From the time of the first attack to the time the entire detachment of 25 Seabees was evacuated on May 13, eleven of the Seabees had been wounded. The construction work for the Special Forces camp was later completed by another detachment of Seabees from the same battalion.

UT 1 O'Banion and SW 3 Fenes deployed with MCB4 on April 8,1967 to De Nang, Vietnam. This was Battalion 4’s second of four Vietnam deployments. In addition to constructing the Da Nang Air Base, Fenes worked on the duct work for the base bowling alley. UT 1 O'Banion was to help construct the Da Nang water supply.

UT 1 O'Banion and SW 3 Fenes were a part of a small detachment of Seabees sent out to build a camp at Hill 158, nicknamed “Freedom Hill,” in Con Thien for the US Army Special Forces Detachment A-110 (Mobile Strike Force). O'Banion's job was to build a a water system for the camp. Fenes job was to construct and maintain the drilling rig used to create a water well that would supply fresh, potable water.

Despite translating to “Hill of Angels” in Vietnamese, Con Thien was hell on earth. Con Thien was the northernmost U.S. outpost nearly two miles away from the Demilitarized Zone. The North Vietnamese fired an average of 105 mortar shells every day at the US encampment. Utilitiesman 1st Class Lloyd O Banion was awarded a Silver Star for his actions during the second phase/wave of an attack at Con Thien, RVN. One of their main targets was the water well drilling rig SWF3 Fenes was working on.

In the pre-dawn hours of May 8,1967 at 0200, the North Vietnamese Army battered the American troops with 2,000 mortar rounds for 15 minutes under the dark of night without any moonlight. A numerically superior group of North Vietnamese then infiltrated the defensive positions at Hill 158 blowing past the Civilian Irregular Defense Group and wiping out an entire Marine platoon in the process.

They commenced firing upon the Seabees and Green Berets. Without any hesitation or thought for his own life, SWF3 Fenes grabbed an M-14 rifle and joined an M-60 machine gun team - composed of O'banion with the M-60, and two RVN irregulars with M-14s and also supplying ammo - to return fire while enemy bullets were flying past them from all angles. The RVN irregulars were getting skittish, and ready to run, but O'Banion warned them if they ran, the NVA would probably shoot them - and if they did run, they wouldn't have to worry about NVA shooting them, because O'Banion said, he'd shoot them himself if they ran - so the two RVN irregulars stuck around, supplied ammo, put down fire with their M-14s and lobbed grenades. Hearing cries of help from two Green Berets that were stuck at a nearby 50 caliber machine gun position, SWF 3 Fenes valiantly jumped up with his Battalion’s Corpsman and ran out to pull the Green Berets back to safety. One Green Beret took a bullet to his neck while the other had no injuries. Not only did they survive but UT 1 O'Banion's and SWF 3 Fenes’ aggressive and selfless actions helped defend the Seabee and Special Forces position at Con Thien all while remaining cool under fire.

The fighting continued as the sun rose up until the North Vietnamese retreated by 0900. O'Banion, Fenes and the two RVN irregulars had an estimated 145 North Vietnamese kills. For their heroic actions on that day, O'Banion was awarded the Silver Star & Fenes with Navy Commendation with Combat “V”. They lived up to the Seabee motto that day – They built and they fought.

When O'Banion and Fenes returned to Da Nang Air Base, the Corpsman determined that everyone had caught some shrapnel metal from the fight at Con Thien. Because there were so many Seabees involved in the fight, with at least five other Seebees involved in the firefight - with everyone sporting shapnel or other wounds, the Executive Officer did not want to award all of them Purple Hearts believing a big number of awardees would cause probelms. As a compromise, the CO placed four Purple Hearts on a table and it was first come, first serve for whoever wanted the medals. Believing he was just doing his job, O'Banion didn't picked up a Purple Heart, and he was knicked up more then most the rest. Nor did Fenes, though sporting nicks himself, pick up a Purple Heart. NMCB 4 handed out over 40 Purple Hearts overall for the whole battalion during that deployment.

O'Banion awards included the Silver Star, Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V", Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with 196th- Device. O'Bannion did three more deployments to Vietnam, with NMCBs 4, 1 and 10.

O'Banion was a scrapper, which was unusual in the Seabees, since the EOs Equipment Operators and CMs Construction Mechanics were usually considered the "Animals." When O'Banion got to Adak, after several more deployments to Vietnam, he was 2nd class, after getting busting from 1st Class for being to scrappy and getting in fights.

He took a room in the Bering Hill upper barracks with the EOs and CMs, made 1st Class again. After being up there three months and still not getting housing for his family, because he got
bumped back on the Housing waiting list, he got drunk and started fighting with EOs and CMs. He ended up putting a CM in a metal locker, then slide the locker to the back stairwell, and shoved it over. Down it went, and the CM got bruised up a bit, and as I recall broke a wrist. O'Banion got busted back to 2nd class, and finally got his wife and kids up there. I don't recall OB making 1st class again. He built a 22' George Calkins Bartender, and fished for Halibut, Cod and Salmon in the Aleutians. After doing 20 years and retiring, he moved to Kansas, then to Texas and then to Joplin, Missouri. I was going to visit him, but the big man died in October of 2000.

Prior to being honorably discharged in August 1967, Fenes earned the rank of Steelworker Second Class (Petty Officer Second Class/E-5). Stephen returned back home to Indiana and on October 1, 1967, he joined the Hammond Fire Department. Out of his 21 years serving in the HFD, he spent 17 years as an engineer driving fire trucks. Stephen won 1988 HFD Firefighter of the Year and earned a Fire Science Degree from the State of Indiana. He utilized his Steelworker skills doing welding work for the fire department.

Reflecting upon his time as a Seabee, Stephen has no regrets. His time in the Navy taught him a professional trade and gave him a cherished sense of camaraderie. He learned to always give your best shot, do what you have to do, always do the right thing, use your head when making decisions, and depend on one another. These lessons learned in the Navy transitioned towards his firefighting career and life.

His awards include the Bronze Star Medal with Cambat "V", Navy Commendation with "V", Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with 196th- Device.

MCB 4 Danang Deployment

 

[Proneshooter]

A friend lost the tip of a finger to a Garand shooting at Camp Perry. Loud ouch and plenty of blood and the line officer yelled pull him from the line and let him shoot on the alibi relay!

 

[veni vidi vici]

.

 

[sledracr]

Pistol Caliber Carbine ...

Not a Ruger, but i'm just about ready to go test/zero a new PCC build for this year's competition season.

F-1 skeletonized chassis, JP ultralight barrel, CF handguard and a new (?) aftermarket roller-delay buffer system that's supposed to be the tits. We'll see. It comes out to a bit more than a pound lighter than what I've been running (Have been playing the PCC game in USPSA matches for the last couple of years and have to say it's a blast.)

Can post pics later if anyone's interested...