So I am curious how many PFers own firearms here.

[cronxeh]

So I am curious how many PFers own firearms here. What kind of guns do you own? What do you have on your wishlist? How often do you go on a range or hunting and practice?

 

[airborne18]

I don't get out to the range much, but I will be competeing in some Trap Shooting events next year with the diasbled veterans.

I have---- Winchester 30-30, AK-47, SKS, Remington Shotgun( autoloader ). 357 King Cobra, 1911 45 , Walther PPK, Generic 380, and 9mm Auto. A few hunting rifles.

I would love a H-Bar or HK 91. And a non-military 45 auto. ( I carry the 45, so I would like something a bit tighter than the military version ).

 

[airborne18]

I do not actually hunt. All I ever do is shoot targets. I used to target shoot at least once a month. But I moved to Delaware and there are not any public ranges, they are all memberhsip only. And my disabilities got worst and I don't get out much.

Though now that I have military priveleges back I can use the range on Dover AFB, so I will try to go more.

 

[Cyrus]

I just went to the range today with my AR-15. I also rented and shot a target ruger 0.22. What a fun gun! And bullets are so cheap!

[PLAIN]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs108.snc4/35783_922507076318_5736845_50261931_6485967_n.jpg

I've done a few mods. I'll put an aimpoint red dot sight later on, too expensive now.

This is the ruger

[PLAIN]http://smcfirearms.com/gunbroker/20100312_Ruger_MarkIII_Target/Ruger_MkIII_Target-1.jpg

Really, really fun. Get this gun, I really want one!

I also have a Glock 19 (9mm), below.

[PLAIN]http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs569.snc3/31082_906536770938_5736845_49553760_3023084_n.jpg

 

[Pengwuino]

What is that, a water bottle on the end of that thing?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What is that, a water bottle on the end of that thing?

That's known as a pengwuin sight.

 

[Pythagorean]

Walther G22 (no idea what I'd use it for)
22/20 gauge (for grouse... 22 for one, flip to shotgun for the flock trying to get away)
Ruger .270 (for bigger game)

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

In my younger days I had a Schylling 299.
http://www.shopatron.com/products/moredetail/part_number=WPG/329.0.1.1.9297.0.0.0.0?tp=spec"

 

[turbo]

I used to have a large collection of Winchester lever-action rifles and carbines, but I sold them to buy camera gear. Now I hunt deer with a Ruger Model 1 (.45-70) single-shot or one of two Winchester carbines (.30-30), and hunt birds with an old Ithaca 16 ga double-barrel. For plinking, I have a Browning .22 semi-auto, and a Ruger single action revolver with cylinders for .22 and .22 magnum. For home defense, a Mauser P38 in 9mm and a Glock model 20 in 10mm auto.

 

[loseyourname]

My girlfriend gets to fire this in a couple weeks:

[PLAIN]http://www.militarypictures.info/d/271-3/M198_155mm.jpg

I'm only a little jealous.

 

[airborne18]

I used to have a large collection of Winchester lever-action rifles and carbines, but I sold them to buy camera gear. Now I hunt deer with a Ruger Model 1 (.45-70) single-shot or one of two Winchester carbines (.30-30), and hunt birds with an old Ithaca 16 ga double-barrel. For plinking, I have a Browning .22 semi-auto, and a Ruger single action revolver with cylinders for .22 and .22 magnum. For home defense, a Mauser P38 in 9mm and a Glock model 20 in 10mm auto.

I love the lever actions. I only have one that I bought at an estate sale and it is my favorite. It is in okay condition. I wish I had known you when you were getting rid of them.

 

[jackmell]

I like guns too but I was raised on them. Got a few.

I'd like to shoot a 50 caliber some but don't have access to one.

 

[turbo]

I love the lever actions. I only have one that I bought at an estate sale and it is my favorite. It is in okay condition. I wish I had known you when you were getting rid of them.

Almost all mine were earlier than 1935 or so, and many were bona fide antiques. I had a couple of .38-55 rifles (one with a half-magazine) and both were tack-drivers. I had a model '92 carbine with a half-magazine - it was in really nice condition and was a bit on the odd side because the serial number started with "11" and both of the "1's" were upside down. Monday-morning production, perhaps. I kept a couple of the '94 carbines because they are so compact and easy to lug in the woods. My favorite deer-rifle is the Ruger .45-70 with a Redfield 1-4X scope. I keep it dialed down to 1X - a little extra light-gathering at the end of the day is a good thing - magnification in deep woods is not always handy.

 

[WhoWee]

A few years ago, I helped a friend remodel his Washington D.C. area home. It dated from the late 1600's - 1700's. In the basement area, we found a fake wall partition and 9 long rifles and a (much older and heavier) musket. They are now displayed at his house in a custom designed cabinet.

I also have several WWII era Walthers, a Kalashnikov designed (pre-AK) rifle, and a 7mm Browning bolt action. Other than that, a few pump action shot guns, a 22 over/under, several straight 22's, and a 30.06 with a scope.

 

[cronxeh]

My wishlist is simple: Beretta Px4 Storm F, M4A1, and M110

Edit: and what is the deal with you people owning 22 cal weapons here?? I mean you buy guns so you could either hunt for aliens or stop a bizon charging through your apartment, not duck hunting. You get crossbow with titanium bolts for that

 

[Ivan Seeking]

We have some .22 pistols and a rifle, a .380, and several 12 gauges. One of the shotguns is a German made single-shot, bolt-action, made I think in 1895, that belonged to my grandfather.

I've been planning to pick up something like Cyrus got - the AR-15, and maybe a Glock as well. I was just waiting for the prices to drop after the Obama panic.

 

[Danger]

My guns were confiscated and melted down, due to a civilian complaint. This has come up in a couple of previous threads, so I won't bother repeating it.
The ones that I owned were a Llama "Especial" (limited edition of the Model XV) .22 auto—my first; my dad helped me buy it when I was 16. It could count to 10 faster than I could, but good luck trying to get any two slugs within a foot of each other. My overall favourite, due to its beauty of manufacture, was a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum single action revolver. It wasn't even vaguely practical as a combat weapon, but I could drive nails at 100 metres with it. My "back-up" (boot gun) was an FN27 7.65mm auto (.32ACP) Czech army officer's pistol. What I didn't like was that I had to keep the chamber empty because the safety was a joke. I am also not a fan of small calibres, but I had a bit of an edge in that I was using overloaded (red primer) steel-jackets. Accuracy was everything with those, because they just don't expand. Despite the low power, they would consistently go straight through a 25cm diameter fence post without either expanding or slowing down. Good for getting at someone in a car.
I loved my Mossberg 500 field-grade 12-gauge pump. Unfortunately, I lent it to a friend for protection against an abusive husband. He took it away from her, sawed it down, and sold it. He expired soon after, and my sole regret is that it wasn't by my hand.
I had 2 Enfield .303's, one of which I cut down to 18" (legal limit here), recrowned, and fitted with an Aimpoint sight.
My carry gun, in everyday life, was a Llama IX .45, which is almost an exact copy of the 1911 Colt but with more accuracy and a couple of extra safeties. It resided in a homemade inside-the-waistband holster on the right side of my back, and I seriously felt naked if I left home without it. (Extra magazine in my pocket, of course, and a box of ammo within reach in my car.)
As for dream guns... the list is endless. For carry, either a Firestar or Colt Defender in .45ACP. Ruger Speed Six or Security Six in .357 magnum for the boot. (I hate double-action revolvers, but those are pretty nice and pack a respectable punch in a small package.)
The Spaz is an ugly and somewhat unwieldy excuse for a shotgun, but I like the fact that it's a semi-automatic with a pump to use in case of a misfire.
I love the styling of the Winchester 94 series lever action rifles, even though I think that the Marlin gear-sector action is superior.
A mini-Uzi could come in handy in some situations, as could a Barrett 95 in .50BMG calibre.
For flat-out down-and-dirty, I'd opt for the American 180 full-auto .22LR calibre with the 177-round drum magazine, laser sight, and suppressor. Nothing says "I mean it" quite as well as having 3,500 rounds per minute of lead silently coming out of nowhere.

 

[FrancisZ]

Seriously folks? No gun show tickets jokes yet?

http://www.wweticket.net/images/wwe-superstars/HulkHoganPicture.jpgNot to rain on anyone's parade. Technologically, I've always wanted to build a magneto-ballistic gun, like this...[URL]http://hackedgadgets.com/wp-content/_coil_gun__2.jpg[/URL]...but I don't actually own a firearm. Personally, I would only be too afraid of accidentally shooting myself. What can I say: that old episode of Gimme a Break when Nell Carter gets shot in the foot by Joe Lawrence really scared the hell out of me as a child. My grandfather was a cop too; and my brother is now also. He's got a sig sauer I think.

They don't allow cops to use the old-fashioned standard revolver on duty anymore (you can keep one personally, off duty).[URL]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Nagant-holstered.jpg[/URL]My grandfather had a snub nose revolver (but I'm not sure if he had that while on the beat).

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Not to rain on anyone's parade. Technologically, I've always been wanted to build a magneto-ballistic gun, like this...

Some buddies and I made a rail gun once, but the capacitor bank was almost as large as a tabletop... and something like 1500 volts!

 

[WhoWee]

I stayed with a cousin one summer (we were about 5-6 years old). His teenage neighbor told us he had invented a really cool "Ice Gun" and wanted to test it's range. He talked us into measuring out a grid and armed us with umbrellas to deflect incomming ice as needed.

His design included a 4" pipe (roughly 6' long) capped on one end and filled with about 1/2 gallon of gasoline. Once fueled, he inserted a string (fuse) and dumped about 20 pounds of ice down the pipe. Fortunately, when he asked to borrow his father's lighter - his father responded with "why?".

Needless to say, we never found out the range of the "ice flow". I was grounded upon returning to home.

 

[airborne18]

Some buddies and I made a rail gun once, but the capacitor bank was almost as large as a tabletop... and something like 1500 volts!

Do you have any images of it? I would love to see it.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Do you have any images of it? I would love to see it.

No. I think the one guy did take some photos, but I never got any copies.

We did one thing that was pretty cool [not my idea]. One of the challenges in making a rail gun is the need for a very fast, high-current switch. They actually make one-time switches for applications like this, but they are expensive and have limits. We ended up using a 25KV spark - a very small current - to initiate an arc, which then established a conductive path for the current from the 1.5KV capacitor bank. It worked pretty well.

 

[jackmell]

Not to rain on anyone's parade. Technologically, I've always wanted to build a magneto-ballistic gun, like this...

I don't think that gun could accelerate a projectile very fast. The wires are too small and I doubt you could push more than a handful of amps through it before they melted. Would be an interesting physics project. Gonna' trip some breakers though.

 

[Danger]

Personally, I would only be too afraid of accidentally shooting myself. What can I say: that old episode of Gimme a Break when Nell Carter gets shot in the foot by Joe Lawrence really scared the hell out of me as a child.

It is a very good thing to be afraid of guns, particularly the business end thereof, if you aren't familiar with them. I never saw the show that you referred to, but it's obvious from your description that the characters involved were being portrayed as idiots.
There are a few simple rules, which you must obey if you are to possesses a firearm.
1) Treat every weapon, even a toy, as if it were loaded.
2) Never point a gun toward anything that you don't intend to shoot.
3) Take lessons, or at least read a lot about gun-handling. Ignorance gets people killed.
4) Aim, don't point. Hip-shooting is okay if there are no options, but it's a lot better to take the time and draw a bead on the target. (Draw fast, shoot slow.)
5) Keep your finger outside of the trigger guard until you are ready to fire.
6) Remember to take the safety off before attempting to fire. (You would be amazed at how many people have died because of overlooking that.)
7) If you ever feel it necessary to draw your weapon toward someone, make damned sure that you are willing to kill him and live with the consequences. Shooting to wound is an option only to snipers in something like a SWAT response to a hostage situation. You don't have that luxury in the field. Any hesitation will result in you being killed instead.
Dichotomy here: I love (and design) weapons, but I'm a pacifist. If you can ever figure that out for me, I'd be happy to hear the analysis. (Other than the obvious "application of force at a distance".)

 

[Gokul43201]

I don't think that gun could accelerate a projectile very fast. The wires are too small and I doubt you could push more than a handful of amps through it before they melted. Would be an interesting physics project. Gonna' trip some breakers though.

Looks like it's about 20 gauge wire¹, that's close to 10 milli-Ohms/ft. Let's say there's at least 50 turns of wire, with a loop diameter of 1/2", making the length around 10 ft. This brings the resistance to a nice round 100 milli-Ohms (reasonably ignoring any skin effect), and the mass of the copper used is roughly 13 grams. With a specific heat of 0.385J/g-K, that's a heat capacity of about 5 J/K (the length of wire actually doesn't matter within this approximation).

How long does the current need to flow for? Let's go with 1 second. At 3 A of current, the Joule heat generated is about 1 J. If you assume all of this heat is contained within the copper and none of it is dissipated out (this puts an upper bound on the temperature, since some of the heat is certain to be lost over these time scales), it raises the temperature by only a fraction of a degree. At 30 A, the maximum temperature rise is about 20K. So it looks like you can force quite a few amps through the wire, so long as you keep it in short bursts.

If you want to play with different numbers (or make sure I didn't make a mistake with them), the physics is contained in this equation (using standard symbols):

$$I^2Rt=mC\Delta T$$

If the resistance R and the mass m, are written as functions of wire length, $R=\rho_R l~,~~m=\rho_m l$, then you have:

$$\Delta T = t \cdot (I^2 \rho_R) / (\rho_m C)$$

1. http://www.interfacebus.com/awg-wire-sizes.html

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Looks like it's about 20 gauge wire¹, that's close to 10 milli-Ohms/ft. Let's say there's at least 50 turns of wire, with a loop diameter of 1/2", making the length around 10 ft. This brings the resistance to a nice round 100 milli-Ohms (reasonably ignoring any skin effect), and the mass of the copper used is roughly 13 grams. With a specific heat of 0.385J/g-K, that's a heat capacity of about 5 J/K.

How long does the current need to flow for? Let's go with 1 second. At 3 A of current, the Joule heat generated is about 1 J. If you assume all of this heat is contained within the copper and none of it is dissipated out (this puts an upper bound on the temperature, since some of the heat is certain to be lost over these time scales), it raises the temperature by only a fraction of a degree. At 30 A, the maximum temperature rise is about 20K. So it looks like you can force quite a few amps through the wire, so long as you keep it in short bursts.

If you want to play with different numbers, the physics is contained in this equation:

[tex]I^2Rt=mC\DeltaT

1. http://www.interfacebus.com/awg-wire-sizes.html

I think inductance becomes the limiting factor in these types of configurations. With the rail gun, the ESR of the capacitors was a problem.

 

[Gokul43201]

I think inductance becomes the limiting factor in these types of configurations. With the rail gun, the ESR of the capacitors was a problem.

Ugh! I thought that might be smaller than direct Joule heat and/or limited mostly to the projectile. What material are rail gun bullets made of?

Edit: Oh wait, you're saying the capacitors will overheat? Hmm, that sounds possible. I didn't think the wire gauge was going to be the issue - which is what my argument above is for.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Ugh! I thought that might be smaller than direct Joule heat. Will update shortly ...

I don't know if it would be significant here or not, but when we were looking at various approaches, the inductance became problematic as a function of increasing energy, for some design concepts - mainly due to current lagging.

 

[mugaliens]

Dichotomy here: I love (and design) weapons, but I'm a pacifist. If you can ever figure that out for me, I'd be happy to hear the analysis. (Other than the obvious "application of force at a distance".)

I don't know if I can analyze that. Believe it or not, I'm a pacifist as well. I hate war. I saw the Vietnam war tear families apart, and a couple of my friends' fathers never returned. It's one of the reasons I joined the military during the cold war. I figured if I did what I do best better than anyone else, it might prove to be an effecive deterrent, at least as much as one person can. Fortunately, most of the people with whom I served shared this sentiment.

I do not enjoy violent conflict, or conflict of any kind, for that matter. It tears me up inside. What I enjoy even less, however, is being a victim when I could have done something about it. Put simply, I'm a lover, not a fighter, but if cornered, I will fight. I suppose that might require some analysis as well, Danger. :)

In the meantime, in response to the OP, I have two firearms. The first is a CZ 85 B. It's a Czechoslovakian 17-shot 9mm semi-automatic, with spare 16-shot magazine, and I carry it with me at all times. It's known for its sturdiness and reliability. One can Depending on the situation, I sometimes OC, and sometimes CC, commensurate with all http://www.michie.com/colorado/lpext.dll/cocode/1/2dc8f/31d7c?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm&2.0#JD_t18art12".

My second firearm was a gift from a prominent individual who will remain nameless. It's a .44 caliber cap and ball, black powder revolver. It's a firing replica, but lol, it's not very accurate! It's fun to play around with on the range, but requires a 100% breakdown and about 2 hrs of cleaning when done to maintain it's mint status. By comparison I can clean my CZ in less than 20 minutes, although I give it a thorough, 1-hr cleaning once a year.

As for accuracy, my CZ is dead-on. I shot expert 20 years in a row in the military on three weapons systems. These days I hit the range four times a year. In addition, I work with two extremely knowledgeable professionals to keep current on the non-shooting skills.

 

[Danger]

Put simply, I'm a lover, not a fighter, but if cornered, I will fight. I suppose that might require some analysis as well, Danger. :)

I don't think that such is necessary; even the guys that I know who are disgusted at the thought of handguns say the same thing about their fists. My rule for scrapping is: walk away; run away; crawl away if necessary—if those options are denied, kill the bastard. Refusing to let go seals his fate. (That's first-person singular; it's a different story if I'm defending someone else.)

 

[Pythagorean]

I'm a pacifist too. I own guns to hunt with. I watched somebody run a fox over on purpose and not even stop to take the hide a couple days ago and it made me kind of sad to see something die for nothing, so I'm not by any means a sports hunter either.

A moose is enough meat for a whole winter; that's a lot of savings for me.
edit: not to mention healthier and tastier than angus beef.

 

[cronxeh]

I'm a pacifist too. I own guns to hunt with. I watched somebody run a fox over on purpose and not even stop to take the hide a couple days ago and it made me kind of sad to see something die for nothing, so I'm not by any means a sports hunter either.

A moose is enough meat for a whole winter; that's a lot of savings for me.
edit: not to mention healthier and tastier than angus beef.

Nothing dies for nothing. Every time some carcass shows up in the forest it feeds the entire forest. Every time some human shoots a moose, it only feeds his fat lazy bottom. You want to hunt a moose like a real man? Grab a survival knife and charge at him.

 

[Averagesupernova]

...Every time some human shoots a moose, it only feeds his fat lazy bottom. You want to hunt a moose like a real man? Grab a survival knife and charge at him.

Hmmmmm. Why the knife? The moose isn't carrying a weapon. You can't have it both ways.

 

[cronxeh]

Hmmmmm. Why the knife? The moose isn't carrying a weapon. You can't have it both ways.

He's got antlers

 

[Pythagorean]

You want to hunt a moose like a real man? Grab a survival knife and charge at him.

so real man = stupid man, or...?