fm2176 Posted July 6 Author Report Share Posted July 6 6 hours ago, Eric - TIA said: Thanks for the info. What shotgun is that in the picture? When I look up the ones you mentioned above, it just shows full size shotguns That's the Winchester 1300 Defender. Most have full wooden or synthetic stocks, and I'm not sure if they were ever shipped in the configuration, but those were popular in the '90s (my brother had an identical one). The Side Saddle on mine is a TacStar, and I think the grips are as well. Mossberg offers the 500 Cruiser, which has a rear pistol grip (it's the only pistol grip firearm we sell) and used to include pistol grips with all of the 500/590 home defense shotguns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 How is the Mossberg? What do they run? WWould you recommend the Winchester or the Mossberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted July 8 Author Report Share Posted July 8 The Mossberg 500 Tactical JIC Cruiser Shotgun | Bass Pro Shops runs $480. So far as I know, Winchester doesn't make any pistol grip firearms these days. Their Super X-Pump (SXP) is under $400, I have this one: Winchester SXP Woodland Hybrid Defender Pump-Action Shotgun | Bass Pro Shops. I would probably recommend a Mossberg 500 or 590 over an SXP, due to them being made in the US (as opposed to Turkey) and still being family owned, while Winchester is part of the Belgian Herstal Group. The SXP is a decent design (evolving from the classic Model 12 through the 1200 and 1300), though, and the 1200 was considered a close second to the Remington 870 in popularity years ago. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted July 9 Report Share Posted July 9 Thanks, I like the USA and family owned idea. Yes, both look great. I am leaning towards the 500 as I like the grip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted July 16 Author Report Share Posted July 16 After I buy the M&P-15, I've got to switch over to fire and theft protection. I bought a decently sized (33-gun, I think) gun safe back around 2000, moving it across the South during the first half of my military career, before putting it in storage after being burglarized of many of my tools just before deploying to Afghanistan (the safe did its job, though I have no doubt it would have been taken as well if I were gone another day or two). The keypad went out at some point, and by the time I decided to retrieve my guns in 2016, I had to breach that "safe". Let's just say that homeowner grade safes are deterrents at best, and mostly useful for their fire protection qualities. Despite the Georgia summer heat inside of a steel storage unit, I got into the safe in less than an hour, with probably 10 minutes of actual work, using only a DeWalt breaker bar, 24" prybar, and 4 lb. engineer hammer. The seemingly extremely protective vault doors on the four Army Arms Rooms I ran or assisted in were only rated at around 10 minutes of protection against forcible entry (explosives or torches). One of my walk-in closets is now a gun room, with plans to cover the interior with fire retardant gypsum board and either hiding the entrance or putting a reinforced entry door on it. I've been thinking recently, though, on what safes I want to place in it. Originally, I was thinking about a couple of large (60-gun) safes, but now I'm debating simply waiting for the holiday sales and buying four or five smaller (20-30 gun) safes. I will be lag bolting them to the concrete slab, so overall weight isn't as important. That 550-pound safe I moved numerous times by myself probably contributed to my hernias, so lighter is better if I need to relocate them. In other news, our used gun department has made a few decent buys over the past couple of weeks, so when I go in later, I might see if anything catches my eye. We bought a few vintage revolvers, including a couple of Colts and a S&W Model 36, along with some absolutely terrible guns like a Rock Island AK47/22, which looks like it was made by a five-year-old apprentice in the Khyber Pass region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted July 16 Report Share Posted July 16 Not going to lie and I have said this before. Between your cookouts and firearms, I have to come over sometime and hangout. Your place would be awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted July 30 Author Report Share Posted July 30 So, I finally got the M&P-15 yesterday. Our system was acting up, so a coworker had to call in and I got a Delay. Something told me it would go through the same day, though, and when I got back from my break, I was told that NICS (the FBI's background check service) had called and would be calling back. Sure enough, I got a Proceed for my newest carbine. I paid $775 total, getting two 30-round and one 40-round PMAGs to go along with the 40-round ProMag that came with the gun, along with 140 rounds of Winchester M855 Green Tip ammo. The gun has single-point sling, Picatinny rail system (given the four-digit serial number, I'm fairly certain it's an early production that definitely predates M-LOK), Radian Raptor charging handle, MBUS sights, and of course the EOTech optic. I'll mount one of my Sure-Fire weapons lights on it before long, and it'll complement the Ruger AR-556 MPR as a JIC (just in case--what Mossberg pitches its 500 Cruiser as these days) gun. In the coming months, I think I'm going to get a Ruger SFAR in 7.62mm and maybe a Wise Arms WA-15B in .300 AAC Blackout. Speaking of which, I have a Wise Arms bag for the M&P-15; they've sent a few guns in soft cases with damaged zippers, so I repaired one instead of tossing it like we usually do. We got some vintage revolvers in almost a month ago, which I'm considering doing some research on and possibly buying, but I'm also looking at the Hellcat Pro bundle we've been getting. It's $599.99 and includes a Hellcat Pro pistol and the usual two magazines (17-rd and 15-rd), along with three additional mags (one 17-rd and two 15-rd) and a range bag. My discount would knock about $40 off. I mainly need to buy Springfield, FN, and SIG Sauer pistols to complete my personal desire to have some level of familiarization with what we sell. Maybe a centerfire Walther as well... I had a PPK/S years ago and bought my 16-year-old a P22 last year, but I don't know the PDP and CCP as well as I do other pistols. We have a lot of Kimbers, but between price and Kimber's expectations of a 500-round break-in period, I'm not overly concerned with buying one. Besides, most of their firearms are based on Browning's M1911 design, so they're fairly easy to demonstrate how to field strip and operate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted August 5 Report Share Posted August 5 Nice pick up. I may be wrong but $775 seems like a great deal. I thought they were more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted August 13 Author Report Share Posted August 13 On 8/5/2024 at 10:35 AM, Eric - TIA said: Nice pick up. I may be wrong but $775 seems like a great deal. I thought they were more than that. That was including the ammo and mags. A brand-new M&P-15 Sport 2 sells for $800 and a Sport 3 for $700. Mine is an older model but the newest version of the EOTech sells for around $550. All told, it was a pretty decent deal. A few days ago, I picked up a Beretta A300 Ultima. There's a sale, where with rebate the shotgun costs $624.99. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted September 13 Author Report Share Posted September 13 A Beretta 80X Cheetah and Winchester Wildcat came home with me a few weeks back. Then, out of pity for the gun display here, I bought a used Hi-Point .45 to keep my Hi-Point .40 company in the closet. Today I pick up my Ruger Security-380. We've had some good sales that, coupled with military and/or employee discount, make it hard to pass up on some of these. I think I need to slow down, though, since this will be the fifth gun I've gotten in the past month. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted October 7 Author Report Share Posted October 7 No new guns, but it's almost time to max out my CLUB cards buying a couple of safes while I still get the discount. I plan to stick with my current employer through Black Friday week, but I jumped the gun (no pun intended) a few weeks ago by applying for another job. The interview lasted 15 minutes and I got an offer the following day, so within a month or two, I'll probably be an armored truck courier/guard. I've been telling my coworkers that they can expect me to be leaving soon when I drop a few thousand on safes, and while that's been in a joking manner, it just makes sense. I can get two of the large Cabela's safes for $3300, effectively at BOGO pricing. So, it's been fun, but this will likely be one of the last posts I make on this thread. I may buy something for the new job, or I might use something I already own. I'll have a steadier schedule (Monday-Friday, rotating Saturdays) and a set start time, with the end time depending on the route and external conditions (overtime will be nice, supposedly it's 50+ hours a week). While I'll be taking over a $1/hr. pay cut, the overtime will make up for that, plus I've heard that there's a decent raise after the first year, when you're fully trained and certified. Anyway, I think my days of turning wrenches for a living ended in 2001, and my retail experience will be capped at two years. On to a new line of work to max out the 401k and prepare to fully retire in 15 years (hopefully). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric - TIA Posted October 8 Report Share Posted October 8 Congratulations. A safe is something that has been on my list for a long time. So you have to supply your own weapon for the job? Curious, do you have to quality on a range or anything for an armor truck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted Tuesday at 09:41 AM Author Report Share Posted Tuesday at 09:41 AM On 10/8/2024 at 8:16 AM, Eric - TIA said: Congratulations. A safe is something that has been on my list for a long time. So you have to supply your own weapon for the job? Curious, do you have to quality on a range or anything for an armor truck? Thanks! Yes, I'll have to provide my own handgun, but otherwise, everything should be company provided. Information is somewhat limited, but it's my understanding that I'll undergo a few days of company internal training and qualify with whatever I decide to carry (with annual requalification). All of the armored truck services are registered with the State Board of Private Security Examiners, so I'm fairly certain that I'll get a state-issued license (speaking of which, my private investigator exam results came back yesterday, so I've got to get to the state police HQ for fingerprints and submit the applications for that and my concealed carry permit). As for what I'll carry, it'll likely be the Glock 17 Gen5, or maybe the Glock 45. I shoot extremely well with my Beretta 92F, but I bought it from a now-deceased friend over 25 years ago, and the gun itself dates to 1988. What I've gathered online is that carry pistols take a beating, getting knock around in the truck and caught on the doors, so the Glock won't hurt as much if it gets gouged or scratched. There are a few other guns I own that might be on the approved list, and depending on how things go, I plan to buy an FN 509 variant next year to see how I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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