The firearm thread

[Swoop]

The issue I have is that I don't get a particularly clear sight picture with the iron sights on the SKS.

Righto, here we are...
NC Star 4x30.

Plus the Tasco PDP.

[Wolf]

Righto, here we are...
NC Star 4x30.

Cheers for that. Is that the original cover that it's mounted to?

[Swoop]

Cheers for that. Is that the original cover that it's mounted to?

No. I bought the replacement cover with the rail attached.

[Hitcher]

Mrs H went gun shopping in Rapid City, South Dakota...

[sAsLEX]

Mrs H went gun shopping in Rapid City, South Dakota...

Finger always outside the trigger guard.......


I love Gun stores in the states. Went to one in Vegas larger than your average red shed is here.

[Hitcher]

They're certainly not cheap. The Big Mother is a Smith & Wesson 460XVR which, with the scope, was pushing US$2,000. Mr Shopkeeper said it was for "hunting".

The two 38s, also S&Ws, are "ladies guns". The lefthand one was titanium with a polymer barrel, and a fraction of the weight of the stainless. Both had laser-pointer sighting. Woo hoo! I think that the stainless was about US$800 and the titanium one close to $1,200, but the memory is getting a bit loose on that.

This shop had a full range of S&Ws -- including "collectables", and a full range of Glocks and Sig Sauers.

[jrandom]

They're certainly not cheap. The Big Mother is a Smith & Wesson 460XVR which, with the scope, was pushing US$2,000. Mr Shopkeeper said it was for "hunting".

No, really, it is.

They have a lot of restricted hunting seasons over there, presumably due to most game animals' habitats being turned into parking lots.

For large swathes of time and space throughout the USA, you can only hunt with pistols, or with muzzle-loading weapons, or with bows, etc. Hence 'hunting pistols' becoming a whole separate market segment.

The lefthand one was titanium with a polymer barrel, and a fraction of the weight of the stainless.

Yow. Imagine the snap on that thing.

[Wolf]

Mrs H went gun shopping in Rapid City, South Dakota...

It's the diabolical smile that's got me worried. Dude, your missus is scary!

And the fingers on the triggers...

[Wolf]

Finger always outside the trigger guard.......

As Chris and I kept repeating to Taliesin.

[ManDownUnder]

ok - tikka T3 270WSM needs pairing to a Weaver 3.5-10 x 50

I like the look of the dednutz mounting rails... but what others are out there.

Also - They come in short medium and high - I'd prefer medium (which suits most 50mm objectives) but if I have/opt to go for the high one - much disadvantage considering the zero will likey be 150 - 200m?

I think not personally.. but open to comment before I part with cash

[NOWOOL]

As a US ex-pat firearms are part of my life. I love shooting, repairing and designing guns. For me firearms are a tool. Along with that I consider them a tool for self-defence (something NZ has yet to catch up on). I'm surprised every time a journalist is shocked at someone protecting their own life or property by deadly means. History shows if you don't accept 'use of deadly force' you end up subject to the whims of criminals. I guess that's why society in this country is now at the hands of the criminal.

If you shoot someone blame it on being on crack at the time and you'll get community service!

[ManDownUnder]

I'm surprised every time a journalist is shocked at someone protecting their own life or property by deadly means.

Protection the life of me and mine with deadly mean I can justify. Protecting property (a tv, a bike or.. something else?) is something I struggle with and disagree.

What property did you have in mind - are we talking especially valuable property? Real property (i.e.a house or land) or something else?

History shows if you don't accept 'use of deadly force' you end up subject to the whims of criminals. I guess that's why society in this country is now at the hands of the criminal.

I think you're describing the initial steps of an arms race. Wile we do need the right to defend ourselves (and certainly more than we're allowed to in NZ) I think to promote the use of deadly force on such a simple premise is foolhardy.

The right to own and use a gun must be accompanied by the skill to use it and the accountability of using it. No matter who it is (Police, Civvy or anyone in between) they betten have a bloody good reason to take the life of another.

"He was taking my TV" ain't even CLOSE. "I was under the strong impression I/person xyz was about to die" is ok

[NOWOOL]

'Property' is included in US law for two reasons. the first being protection of theft of property over $1500 dollars. Without a definition or valuation on property the term property could also apply to another person's life or injury or rape. The termination of allowing property was introduced at a time in history when the loss of property or a slave, worker, horse, etc could become a life or death situation for the person wronged. Also, just because someone breaks into your house to commit a burglary does not mean just because they want your TV doesn't mean they won't kill any witnesses (which happens all to often). many murders happen during the course of robberies. Interestingly, NZ never had a bank robbery until the year the death sentenced was abolished.

As far as your concern that it "would lead to an arms race", up until modern times it was the law of the land and didn't add to murders or crimes. In fact, NZ has a much higher crime and murder rate than other countries that allow firearms for self defence. The murder rate in NZ is 9 times that per capita than in the US.

[ManDownUnder]

As far as your concern that it "would lead to an arms race", up until modern times it was the law of the land and didn't add to murders or crimes. In fact, NZ has a much higher crime and murder rate than other countries that allow firearms for self defence. The murder rate in NZ is 9 times that per capita than in the US.

• http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cr...ers-per-capita
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...by_murder_rate

Please - continue. I'm fascinated.

[Hitcher]

As a US ex-pat firearms are part of my life. I love shooting, repairing and designing guns. For me firearms are a tool. Along with that I consider them a tool for self-defence (something NZ has yet to catch up on). I'm surprised every time a journalist is shocked at someone protecting their own life or property by deadly means. History shows if you don't accept 'use of deadly force' you end up subject to the whims of criminals. I guess that's why society in this country is now at the hands of the criminal.

If you shoot someone blame it on being on crack at the time and you'll get community service!

As a US ex-pat I'm prepared to forgive you for your blinkered and reactionary approach. Firearms are not a "tool". They are a means of killing things, either for recreational purposes or with malice aforethough. It is the USA that needs to catch up with the rest of the developed world on this matter, not the converse. Protecting one's life (and even worse, property) with deadly force is a matter for the Courts to deal with, and should not be mandated to people to dispense as and when they see fit. History does not show that eschewing deadly force leads to rampant crime and moral decay, just has history shows that Iraq was not involved in 9/11 nor did it have weapons of mass destruction. New Zealand is no more in the "hands of criminals" than is the US of A, in fact arguably less so.

People who live here need to respect our laws and values. If they hanker for the right to gun down whomsoever they wish at the flimsiest of excuses, then they should move to a jurisdiction that encourages such practices.