Reddit mentions: The best shooting products

A rifle: I personally suggest the Classic Army KM10, but the KM12, Delta 10/12, EC1/2, and ISSC MK22 are exactly the same internally. G&G Combat Machines, like a G&G CM18 are also very nice and popular starter guns.

Extra mags: My personal favorite are G&P High RPS. They're pretty tight in most guns but are well priced, look nice, and feed well. They fit well in Combat Machines, but I've never tested with Classic Army. Some others that fit in Combat Machines, and probably Classic Army, are Ares Ameobas and PTS EPMs. For mid-caps you'll need a speedloader. For high caps, it's not needed.

Battery: I'd suggest a 7.4v Lipo or 9.6v nimh. If you're going Lipo, buy from Hobbyking. They sell decent batteries for cheap. I'm not sure the exact dimensions of the stock each uses, but this 7.4v 2000mah 15-25c would probably fit in both and run them fine. It has a huge capacity so it'll last a while. For a charger, the Imax B6 will do everything you need it to (Charge, discharge, some other stuff) and the price isn't bad. I'd also suggest a Voltage checker for Lipos. The Classic Armys will come with a 9.6v nimh and a shitty charger. For those, just get a new smart charger. The G&Gs have a battery bundle that'll give you a 9.6v nimh and smart charger.

Head protection: For eyepro, I love Pyramex. Pyramex I-force are my personal favorite, and the V2G-XP are very good as well. They're also rebranded by Valken and are known as Valken Zulus and Sierras. The One Tigris mesh mask is by far the best lower face protection I've used. Hard cover where you need it (teeth, nose, lips) and still covers your cheeks. It's also very comfy and lets you get good cheek weld, so you can see down your sights easily. I also wear a hat and Howard Leight impact sports

Gloves: Hand shots hurt. A lot. Some nice gloves like Mechanix M-pacts are a god-send in game.

chest rig: If you want to carry extra mags, the Condor Rapid Assualt is a nice and cheap way to carry them. 6 M4 mag pouches and a lot of MOLLE to attach other pouches. It's also super adjustable and can fit almost every body type.

BBs: I almost exclusively use Elite Force .28g Bio. They're just the best BBs I've used and aren't crazy expensive. You'll have to find a weight that's best for you (Maybe buy a sample pack?) but .28s are generally best in stock guns.

Camo isn't that important, but I love my LBX Combat Uniform. The shirt uses a thin-ish material in the chest and back which is great if you're using a plate carrier or chest rig, while the arms, and pants, are made of a thick material that really takes away the sting of BBs, but still leaves enough that you can feel hits. I also like having an outfit specifically for airsoft. The pants also fit knee pad inserts. All that being said, jeans and a hoodie are perfectly fine.

Congratulations!

• Personally I would recommend either a Remington 700 over the 783. There's nothing wrong with the 783, but the 700's fit, finish as well as the overall quality is just superior and I'm a firm believer in the "buy once, cry once" philosophy, especially with firearms. If you buy the 783, my bet is that as you get a little more serious about shooting, you'll end up buying a 700.
  
  
• With all that said, if you're not hell bent on buying a Remington, I personally would go with a Tikka T3 (there are many, many models). Overall it's about the same as a Remington 700 in terms of quality, but the bolt action is just silky smooth and the trigger pull is wonderful. I'm biased because I'm a bit of a Tikka fan, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
  
  
• In regards to the .308 calibre, again I'm a bit biased because my rifle is in .308 but regardless, I think .308 is the way to go. It's easily found, and comes in a variety of weight from (approximately) 120gr to 200gr so you have a choice of choosing a lighter bullet for smaller game or a heavier bullet for larger game.
  
  
• To pass the time while your PAL/RPAL is being processed, I strongly suggest buying high quality safety equipment You don't have to break the bank, but don't skimp. Apart from that I'd say buy a good soft case, and later down the road you can buy a hard case (my personal favourite is the Pelican 1750). Here's a little list....
  
  
• Ear protection: Howard Leight Impact Sport and Howard Leight earplugs (Personally I use both-- you only get one pair of ears!)
  
  
• Eye protection: Smith Aegis Arc (DS Tactical is a great company to deal with)
  
  
• Hard case: Pelican 1750 (Production Case is a nice Canadian company with prices way better than anywhere else and great customer service)
  
  
• Bipod: Harris Engineering (widely considered the best bang for your buck product-- I use the 9-13 inch because I'm a bit taller, but most people like the 6-9)
  
  
• Soft case: Cabela's drag bag-- great product at a great price.
  
  
  
• Torque wrench: VERY important in my opinion, as I see way too many people over-torquing their gear (i.e. scope mount screws) and messing things up. Wheeler Torque Wrench-- this is what I use. It's reasonably priced and I use it all the time when I'm working on my rifle. I know plenty of people say they're not necessary, but they'll save you from major headaches in the future.
  
  
• Bonus: When you buy your scope, DO THIS to level it. I've tried all kinds of methods, but this by far the best (assuming your rifle is levelled first). It's so simple, but so effective.
  
  
  Anyway, I hope this helps. I'll check back in a little bit (studying for finals right now) if I think of anything else.
  

There's a perfectly serviceable FAQ here which SHOULD answer the mail here, but for some reason, despite the frequency of newbie posts, no one on the mod team has increased the font size of that link on the sidebar SO PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY SEE IT AND READ IT (Seriously mods, get with it). I'll make a "Teal Deer" version even though I oughta know better by now.

1. I don't see any reloading manuals on that list. Buy at least two reloading manuals and read them. Did you read them? Yes? Good. Read them again. Did you do that? Good. Read them again. Did you do that? LiarGood. You still sure about this? Yes? Ok, now you may go buy your equipment. Notice how you bought and studied some manuals and then went to buy stuff? Ok, just checking.
   
   In addition to the manuals there's some good Youtube videos out there you can watch to see what the books are trying to explain, but realize some people have better habits than others. Some guys do some pretty trick shit, but that's for advanced users only; fun to watch, but not necessarily a "try this at home" type of thing.
   
   
2. If you're doing this for the money, most return on investment will be with the "uncommon" calibers, .30 carbine paid off my Lee Challenger setup after 700ish rounds. If you want to make pet hunting loads for each of your rifles you'll save dollars per round off premium .308 and .30-06 too. Conversely, it's hard to make a return on 9mm until you've bought components in bulk. Bulk in this case is defined as a couple thousand projectiles and multiple 8-pound cannisters of powder. Here's a good source for price comparison if you need some hard numbers to convince your wife to let you spend save money on this new wallet draining endeavor.
   
   
3. Opinions will vary wildly, but if you're dead set on starting but really aren't sure if you'll stick with it, get a quality single stage press. Scour your favorite for-sale-by-owner websites for used tools, and keep an eye out for deals on Amazon. If you don't stick with the hobby, a quality single stage will be easiest to get most of your money back on when you sell it on ebay or RapelistCraigslist. If you like it, a quality single stage will always come in handy when you make special pet loads for accuracy, even if you upgrade to a progressive some day.
   
   If you're plan to load for bulk, which I'm guessing is your case because you're looking to do 9mm, a turret/progressive press hybrid like the Lee Classic Turret Press, where you can take the indexing rod out and use it as a single stage if need be, might be a much better choice for you. You can start out learning in single stage mode and add the indexing rod later. Single stage and 9mm is TEDIOUS (Ask me how I know...I own a Challenger like the one you have listed) Opinions on progressive presses vary, and merely by mentioning the Lee I fully expect to receive at least a half dozen unsolicited opinions replies on the matter. A progressive is pretty much mandatory if your primary purpose is to chase savings by loading pistol calibers or .223 in bulk.
   
   Here's my recommended list of stuff; I recommend NOT buying the Challenger KIT, because most of the stuff you'll want to upgrade later or will find you'll never use it. Take the money you're saving by not buying the kit and get the turret press I mentioned above instead. You'll spend a little bit more on certain items by going a la carte because there are a few places where not skimping gets you way more value. Buy the dies from whoever you want, quality level is up to you. For plinking purposes, and even most special tuned loads, Lee is just fine.
   
   Buy the press and one or two calibers of dies, then buy a good digital scale, a good chamfer and deburring tool (not that shitty Lee abomination. Seriously, fuck that thing. Your hands will thank you), a cutter (plus associated gauge and shell holder for a drill), a powder funnel, a puller for when you inevitably dick it up, and a nice set of calipers and you're off to a solid start for under $350.
   
   We could also get WAY into tumblers and the benefits of wet vs dry, but I'll leave some leftovers for others to talk about.

I'm just going to use this space to write a potential post and then copypasta it to the mods, see if they wanna use it.

Hello! This is sk8s's guide to the holidays!

You're probably here looking for gift ideas for the gun enthusiast in your life. Now, each individual person is unique and preferences, but here's a little launching pad to get you started.

Here is a list of stocking stuffers for the shooting enthusiast in your life, in no particular order.

• Ammo - Can't shoot a gun if you don't have ammo for it. Know what caliber (size) of ammo to get. If it's a handgun or a rifle, most guns won't be terribly picky about what brand it is. Depending on the caliber, the prices can vary greatly. A box of practice 9mm (50 rounds) will be in the $10-15 range, whereas a box of practice .45 ACP (50 rounds) will cost about $20-$25. Whether it's bulk practice ammo or a box of match grade ammo, it will be enjoyed immensely.
  
  
• Eye and ear protection - I have a pair of these in my bag as a loaner pair (and I use them frequently if I forget my nice pair). Lucky Gunner has a fairly comprehensive guide for eyepro. As for hearing protection, Gunnit recommends the Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic earmuffs. I have them, I love them. A pack of regular foam earplugs is great as well for doubling up at an indoor range.
  
  
• Targets - Gotta have something to shoot at. A pack of paper targets makes a great, cheap stocking stuffer. I like the Shoot-n-see targets for when I'm shooting with friends, and these for when I'm trying to shoot the best I can. However, there can be something quite satisfying about hearing the ring of a bullet hitting steel. If the person has a .22LR, this is an incredibly fun target. My buddy and I have shot well over 2000 rounds at his, and it's just as fun every time. For a centerfire handgun or rifle, check out MOA targets for some great steel targets.
  
  
• Range bag - gotta take all the crap to the range in style! The most recommended range bag here is the Midway USA compact competition range bag. My favorite bag that I've seen (and will probably buy soon) is the GPS Range Bag, but that's because I'm anal about organizing my crap.
  
  
• Range membership - Range fees can be very expensive. A range pass or membership allows the shooter in your life to go whenever they want!
  
  
• Concealed weapons permit class - Has someone in your life been in a situation where they wished they had a gun to protect them? Is someone looking to have gun to prevent that situation from happening? Pay for them to go get their concealed weapons permit. They may or may not carry, but if the state allows it, it is never a bad idea to have such a permit. You know, just in case.
  
  Now, these are all just some generic questions and are not intended to be a one-size-fits-all solution (though I'm of the opinion that nobody will turn down ammo). Feel free to comment if you have any questions and we can help you out! Happy holidays!
  

Definitely do able sub $1k, but don't cheap out either. Buy stuff you'll actually wear. Bulky gear you leave at home does you no good in a slide. Here's an example of a potential rundown of gear (some I own, some I don't. This isn't an endorsement, unless stated. It's just giving you an idea). All new prices, so with sales and checking deals at your local shops it could be less. Some stuff like helmets I say ALWAYS buy new. Other things like jackets are okay lightly used (and I do mean lightly, don't buy someone's gear they've worn for the last 20 years. Sun and age can make it less protective).

Helmets

• HJC CL-17 - $125 Link
  
  
• Bell Qualifier - $110 Link
  
  
• Icon Alliance - $150 Link
  
  Make sure you go into a store and try it on. Wear it for a few minutes. Here's a good guide on fit for helmets. DOT rated at a minimum. SNELL suggested. Some people say the SNELL rating is overkill and causes the helmet to be too rigid being worse in a crash. I've never given it a second thought. I own the HJC helmet. One thing I will say with pretty much any budget helmet is it will be louder. In town I don't think that's a problem but on the highway, especially for longer rides you'll want to get ear plugs. I suggest these. They're cheap enough, comfortable, and come with a nice carrying case.
  
  Jackets
  
  Regardless what you buy, again go into the store and try them on. They should fit snugly. In the $150-250 range should get you a good jacket with shoulder and elbow armor. Back armor is sometimes sold separately. When it is, D30 is my go to. I bought the Klim CE level 2 - $50 armor but there is also the Icon CE level 1 - $25 version. How expensive the jacket is isn't the determining factor for if it includes a back protector either. And one's that don't usually include a foam filler. Don't let that fool you, it's not meant to protect you in a slide.
  
  
• Icon Overlord - $150 Link Back protector included
  
  
• REV'IT! Eclipse - $180 Link Back protector extra
  
  
• Firstgear Mesh Tex - $180 Link Back protector extra
  
  Pants
  
  A lot of this will depend on the weather and the dress code at work. If its more strict (business casual - no jeans) spend the money on the Rev'it. They are absolutely amazing, and the first pants I've found that have flexible knee armor I can actually comfortably walk around in and sit at my desk with.
  
  
• REV'IT! Alpha RF Chinos - $200 Link
  
  
• AGV Sport Alloy Riding Jeans - $130 Link
  
  
  Gloves
  
  Can't forget gloves. I've found this is not a place to cheap out on. I have yet to find a sub $50 glove that is comfortable AND that I trust would protect me in a slide.
  
  
• Icon Pursuit - $75 Link
  
  
• REV'IT! Striker 2 - $90 Link
  
  
• REV'IT! Fly 2 - $90 Link
  
  Boots
  
  A lot of this comes down to personal preference and fit, but I really like the TCX boots.
  
  
• TCX X-Square - $100 Link
  
  
• Speed and Strength Black 9 - $100 Link
  
  
  
  Total
  
  So for in the area of $565 to $800 you have all the gear you need to get started. Also Revzilla has a rebates program so chances are you'd be able to save some money if you split it into two purchases.
  
  Hope this helps!

Most people will probably recommend an AR-15, a 12-guage pump shotgun, or a 9mm pistol; but I've actually been moving away from those types of guns after I started to learn more about how much permanent damage firearms do to your hearing. If you ever shoot an AR-15 or a shotgun indoors without hearing protection, you'll probably rupture your eardrums and hear an annoying ringing sound for the rest of your life. So, I'd prefer to avoid that if possible. That's why I recently bought a 9mm carbine (a 9mm rifle with a shoulder stock and a 16-inch barrel) as my new primary home defense weapon. Yeah, you lose out on some terminal performance (killing power), but 30-ish rounds of 147-grain 9mm Federal HST should be enough to deal with 99.999% of home invaders.

An AR-15 chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO will create about 167 decibels (anything above 140 decibels will permanently damage your hearing); a rifle chambered in .308 Winchester will create 170+ decibels; a 9mm pistol with a 4-inch barrel will create about 160 decibels; a 9mm carbine with a 10-inch barrel will create about 156 decibels; and a 9mm carbine with a 16-inch barrel will create about 152 decibels. I haven't been able to find reliable information about how many decibels a 12-gauge shotgun creates, but it's probably in the 160s.

152 decibels still isn't hearing safe; but the difference between 152 decibels and 167 decibels is huge since sound doubles in strength every 3 decibels. 152 decibels will still hurt your ears and cause permanent hearing damage if you hear it repeatedly; but it won't completely destroy your ears like a 5.56x45mm rifle or a 12-gauge shotgun will.

And the reason why I went with a 9mm carbine over a 9mm pistol is because carbines are much easier to aim, you get much quicker followup shots, you get a little bit more bullet velocity (and thus foot-pounds of energy and terminal performance), and there's still a large sound difference between 152 decibels and 160 decibels.

As to which specific 9mm carbines I recommend, I'll give you 3 different options to choose from.

The cheapest option: The Kel-Tec Sub-2000 Gen 2 ($500-ish but hard to find). I'm personally not a fan of Kel-Tec quality standards and aesthetics, but the Kel-Tec Sub-2000 is one of the few firearms that Kel-Tec makes that the vast majority of people in the gun community agrees is a good gun. I'd get the version that accepts Glock magazines and stick a 33-round Glock magazine in it. Glock magazines are widely regarded as being the best magazines in the world; and the 33 rounders that they make are widely regarded as being reliable.

The mid-tier option: The CMMG Mk9LE ($900-ish). From the research that I did on AR-15s chambered in 9mm, the ones made by CMMG are highly regarded as being reliable. I recommend using the 32-round Uzi magazines from IWI. Based on your criteria, this would be my top recommendation for you.

The high-tier option: The KRISS Vector GEN II CRB ($1,300-ish). This is the option that I personally went with. I chose it because it's reliable and because it looks amazing.

I also want to go out of my way to rule out a popular option: The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 Carbine. The "pistol" version is wildly popular; but I've personally seen way too many horror stories about all-polymer magazines stretching and breaking their own feed lips after being stored loaded for a long period of time (which is what you'd be doing with a home defense weapon). So, until CZ upgrades their polymer magazines with steel-reinforced feed lips (like Glock does), I'd personally stay away from their products that use those types of magazines.

And I know that you said that you didn't want to add accessories, but a light is a mandatory accessory on a home defense firearm in my opinion (so that you can positively identify your target before you shoot and therefore hopefully avoid accidentally shooting a loved one). The Streamlight ProTac 2 and the INFORCE WMLx would be my top 2 recommended lights for long guns.

As to which bullets that I'd recommend, I already mentioned them: 147-grain 9mm Federal HST (standard pressure). The 124-grain 9mm Federal HST (standard pressure) is also extremely good. I wouldn't hesitate buying and using either of them for home defense. This website will help you find them in stock.

I also highly recommend this accessory in order to make loading your pistol magazines much, much easier.

As to bullet overpenetration, all major rounds will zip right through several of the kinds of walls that you'd find in a typical home. The only "safe" option is birdshot (used in shotguns), but birdshot doesn't penetrate deep enough into the human body (you want 12 to 18 inches of penetration according to FBI tests) to reliably stop a home invader (and therefore birdshot obviously shouldn't be an option for home defense in my opinion). Don't listen to the people that will tell you that the 5.56x45mm NATO round is safer to use because it tends to tumble and fragment when it hits a wall. It will still penetrate through several walls. You just have to be careful about how you angle your shots. That's really your only way to avoid hitting innocent people.

And if you're not as worried as I am about permanently damaging your own hearing while defending your home, then the Smith & Wesson M&P15 SPORT II would be my top rifle recommendation (I recommend pairing it up with 30-round magazines from Lancer); the Mossberg 500 series of shotguns would be my top shotgun recommendation; and the full-size Smith & Wesson M&P9 would be my top pistol recommendation. And I'd pair them up with this electronic hearing protection if I was you.

As to ammo recommendations for the 3 options that I listed above, I recommend Hornady 75-grain BTHP T2 TAP (8126N) or Hornady 5.56 NATO 75-grain BTHP Superformance Match (the .223 version that Hornady makes is also fine); this Managed-Recoil 8-pellet 00 buckshot from Remington (it patterns very tightly); and the 147-grain 9mm Federal HST that I already mentioned above, twice.

And if you go with a pistol, then I recommend the Streamlight TLR-1 as a mandatory accessory.

As to lubricant, you can't really go wrong with Break-Free CLP.

So this review on Amazon is what my buying guide will consist of. My apologies for formatting, I am on mobile.

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I'm new to reloading, but I shoot a lot so instead of doing what every beginner should and buy a single stage press I saved up a little and got the AP press due to the fact I knew I would use it a lot. But after it came I quickly realized it was far more technical than I expected. I found out there were a lot of parts I still needed and a lot more money that still needed to be spent. I was fine with it bet I knew I would have to save up for a little bit to get it all. But after about 100 hours of reloading YouTube videos and four months I was able to actually start reloading. Wishing I had a guide right off the bat to tell me what I need and why I ended up making one for any other new beginner. So here it is.


Disclaimer: Do not follow my advice blindly, do your research on each piece of equipment. The prices I have stated are not set in stone, they were what I spent. I would advise you to shop around to get the best deals
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What you still need:

--Hornady Lock N Load Auto-Progressive Reloading Press
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PD01NS/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$462.64
Notes: Does not have to be this press

--Hornady Lock N Load Ap & Projector Shell Plate
http://www.hornady.com/store/Choose-Shell-Plate-by-Number/
$41.33
Notes: Each shell plate is for a different caliber, when you buy make sure you get the correct plate for the caliber you are reloading. Here is the guide http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/shell_holder.pdf

--Hornady Shell Holder
http://www.hornady.com/store/Choose-Shell-Holder-by-Number/
$5.00
Notes: Each shell holder is for a different caliber, when you buy make sure you get the correct holder for the caliber you are reloading. Although RCBS makes a similar looking holder, it will NOT fit in the Hornady setup. Here is the guide http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/shell_holder.pdf

--Reloading Dies
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PD6PO2/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$43.89
Notes: All reloading dies from all companies are universal to each other's presses. So you don't have to stick to Hornadys dies (I do because I like them)

--Digital Scale
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BDOHNA/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$29.14
Notes: Digital scales are a little more expensive bet worth it for the time you save

--Digital Caliper
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002JFMIO/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$10.60
Notes: Digital calipers are convenient for speed but if money is tight you can go traditional

--Hornady One Shot Gun Cleaner & Dry Lube
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Shot-Cleaner-DynaGlide-Aerosol/dp/B000LC9YM2/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375560230&sr=1-1&keywords=hornady+gun+cleaner
$13.28
Notes: Used when you put the press together and clean all the parts

--Hornady One Shot Spray Case Lube
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Shot-Spray-DynaGlide-Aerosol/dp/B0001NA29U/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375560743&sr=1-1&keywords=hornady+case+lube
$13.44
Notes: This or any case lube is an absolute need or your rounds will get stuck in the die. This one is cool because you don't have to wipe it off after you deprime and resize so if you have an AP bench like mine you can just keep going.

--Case Trimmer
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-50140-Camlock-Case-Trimmer/dp/B000PD6QJ6/ref=sr_1_7?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375561942&sr=1-7&keywords=case+trimmer
$88.99
Notes: This will trim the case down to size. Needed because after firing the case expands

--Cartridge Reloading Guide
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Edition-Handbook-Cartridge-Reloading/dp/B00A95QWGM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375563579&sr=8-2&keywords=Reloading+guide
$39.80
Notes: Tells you the specifics of each round. There is a different manual for each projectile. So if you use Hornady bullets you will use their guide, RCBS you you'd use theirs, etc.
----------------------------------------------------
What you need to clean the brass:

--Case Tumbler
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Case-Tumbler-110-Volt/dp/B000PD1XE4/ref=sr_1_17?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375559938&sr=1-17&keywords=media+tumbler
$83.58
Used to remove the carbon from the rounds. I advise not to deprime before use because the media will get stuck in the primer hole.

--Tumbling Media
http://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Arsenal-287178-Brass-Cleaning/dp/B001GX8DS6/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375561385&sr=1-4&keywords=tumbling+media
$20.10
The corn cob media is a little more fine grain and less likely to get stuck

--Metal Polish
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-9993-Case-Polish/dp/B002L9D8VQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375561809&sr=1-1&keywords=hornady+metal+polish
$14.17
You would put this in the tumbler with the rounds to give them a nice polish
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What I would recommend:

--Bullet Puller
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001B7ZB4Q/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$17.15
Used when you mess up a round, it pulls the projectile out

--Primer Turning Plate
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OPL80Q/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$17.56
used to make sure the primers are set the right way before you put them in the primer tube

--Universal Ammo Reloading Tray
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-1536-480040-Universal-Loading/dp/B000GU8WU4/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1375559333&sr=8-3-fkmr2&keywords=universal+ammo+reloading+tray
$11.38
Used to hold your rounds for inspection, and helps with precision loading powder

--Case Prep Tool
http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Universal-Case-Prep-Accessory/dp/B0034LAVUG/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375562159&sr=1-2&keywords=case+prep+tool
$55.79
This is used after depriming and trimming to make sure all the holes are clean and free of debris

--Stuck Case Remover
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Y6ZJQ6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$18.99
Used in case you get a round stuck in the die

--Hornady Micrometer Rifle Lock N Load Powder Measure
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O1WOJ2/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$27.99
Used to better measure out the powder in the Hornady Powder Drop for rifle calibers

--Hornady Micrometer Pistol Lock N Load Powder Measure
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OPR300/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$39.89
Used to better measure out the powder in the Hornady Powder Drop for pistol calibers

--Powder Cop
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003D6ZLXE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$30.57
Used to make sure you don't put more powder in than you should

--Hornady Lock N Load Die Bushing 10 Pack
http://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Lock-Load-Bushing-Pack/dp/B00162OLTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375563887&sr=8-1&keywords=Hornady+AP+die+bushing
$42.22
Would recommend if you are reloading multiple calibers, it makes change over much faster.
---------------------------------------------------

What you need for precision loading:

--Hornady Lock N Load Ammo Concentricity Gauge
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KZ3NNK/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$99.99
Only needed for precision reloading

--Powder Funnel
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PD1XI0/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$5.78
Used for more of an exact measurement

--Hornady Microjust Seating Stem
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GU9VU4/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$24.99
Used to get an exact seating depth with the projectile
-----------------------------
I hope this helps! I will be making some tutorial videos soon and will post a link here.

If you can time it right and catch the 795 on sale, you can save a decent bit of money. I hadn't seen them on sale, so I bought my fiancee a 795 and spent about $175 on it. I recently got the tech sights for both her rifle and mine. For an appleseed event, you'll want two ten round magazines. Since they are hard to find in a brick and mortar location and I was going to be paying shipping anyway, I ordered two 10 rounders in addition to the one the rifle came with.

Costs as follows:
Rifle: $175
Tech Sights $ 69
2x Mags $ 28
GI Sling $ 10
Swivels $ 12

Total $294

That total does not include shipping charges, nor does it include any further equipment costs such as:

• Eye protection (I splurged and got my lady the Smith Ageis Arc because I like her eyes and it looks like they rated very well for the price in The Lucky Gunner Eye Pro Breakdown. Fortunately, I have some older glasses that offer sufficient protection but I will be buying myself some newer eye protection before we do our appleseed event at the end of the month.),
  
• Ear protection (you'll want to double up and get plugs of some sort and muffs, especially if you're shooting at an indoor range at times. I got us the Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic muffs which are pretty highly recommended) or,
  
• Ammo (if you can find 22lr at a reasonable price)
  
  You can go less expensive on the ear an eye protection. The first few times I took my lady shooting, we had good ear plugs and less expensive eye protection (at an outdoor range) and I saved up for a while to get the better stuff.
  
  I feel like it was worth it to get the extra stuff and rifle so that we can attend the appleseed event together. Much of the value in it, I think, comes from all the range time you get. If One of us were to go without the other then try to teach the other, it would probably take significantly longer to teach the second person unless you later dedicated an entire weekend to shooting. I think it's better to knock it out in on weekend, rather than spread out over weeks or months. You two can develop together as shooters.
  
  As I've been educating my fiancee and guiding her into being comfortable with guns, this is something I've given a good bit of thought to, and something I had and have been saving for for a few months. Buying shooting gear can be a large-ish initial outlay, but the headphones, eye protection, and firearms acquired are something that will serve us well for many years to come, so that is something to bear in mind as you weight the options, buy initial gear, and possibly later acquire replacement gear of higher quality.
  
  

•Jennings JSVG-20 Compact Digital Jewelry Scale.

If you can, save for an RCBS chargemaster

•RCBS Uniflow Powder Measure

Again - get a chargemaster


•Reloading Manual is this manual relevant to reloading for M1 Garand?

Your link doesn't take me anywhere for the manual - I like Nosler and Hornady manuals. I do not like the Barnes manual. I do like the Barnes bullets which is the only reason I have the manual


•RCBS 90200 Hand Priming Tool

I prefer Lyman's hand priming too. I like Lee's better than RCBS's but the Lyman works best for me


•RCBS Fold-Up Hex Key Set do I really need this?

You will need an allen wrench set but you can get one at an auto parts store or hardware store. I like the ones that have the ball end to allow you to use at an angle


•RCBS Universal Case Loading Block

Get two


•RCBS Case Lube Kit, lube, pad & brushes

I like Hornady Unique case lube in the tub but it's all I've ever used. It doesn't take much and one tub lasts forever.


•RCBS Powder Funnel, .22-.50 Caliber

Yes - get this


•[Lyman Case Prep Multi Tool](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MCMCYE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_h71FAbFPYHG1N

I don't care for this tool. Lyman makes individual tools called primer pocket uniformer (used after every firing) and flash hole cleaner (only needs to be used once)


•RCBS .30-06 Springfield SB T/C Die Set

Yup - Die set box tells you which shell holder you need - I like this


•RCBS 9203 #3 Shell Holder got this right?

Yup


•EAGems Digital Caliper, in SAE/Metric, 6 inch/150mm. Again, would like digital, opinions on accuracy?

Whatever caliper you can find at a reasonable price - digital is much quicker for me to read


•RCBS 9440 Bullet Puller without Collet

I have a cheap one from Cabelas that came with three different collets


•[RCBS 30/7.35 Bullet Puller Collet] - see above


•Frankford Arsenal Quick-n-EZ Case Tumbler

I have a friend that bought three different ones as they all shook themselves apart - I bought a Dillon with a lifetime warranty


•Frankford Arsenal Quick-n-EZ Case Tumbler
•Frankford Arsenal 887335 Arsenal Brass Polish. 8 Oz. - I've had good luck with fiberglass boat polish poured right in to the walnut shell media

Good luck and have fun

>Do I need to get ear protection for a .22? If so, any suggestions?

Yes! .22 still produces noise loud enough to damage hearing, especially long term use. [These] ( http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-01526-Electronic-Earmuff/dp/B001T7QJ9O) are a great value for the money.

>What eye protection is the best? (What do y'all use/what's your favorite pair of goggles)?

Nothing fancy, as long as it's rated for shooting.

>How long should I wait before getting a scope?

Until you have a need for one. If you get into longer range shooting and you can't see the targets naturally.

>Should I store it vertically? (Corner of a closet)?This is my first gun, so I don't have a safe, would under my bed work? (I did get a case for it)

Vertically is fine, though you should find a way to lock it up. If you can't afford a safe right now look for a cabinet you can lock and bolt to the wall. It won't stop a determined thief, but it'll deter curious house guests, children, and smash and grabs.

>Can I plink in my backyard? (Harris county, Texas)(I'm pretty sure this one is a no, thought I'd ask anyway)

I don't know your local laws, but unless you have several acres and a solid backstop it's not safe regardless of whether it's forbidden or not.

>I'm a first generation gun owner in my family, I'd like to be responsible with firearms, if I missed anything important, please say, I'd love to hear suggestions on how I can be responsible with guns.

Look in to Appleseed shoots. They're an excellent way to improve your marksmanship.

>I don't know if it matters but I got 1 box of CCI .22lr and the Ruger BX-25 with it.

Your 10/22 will love CCIs. Other brands work, too, but CCI is usually consistent.

So for reference, I have a Nikon Buckmaster 4.5-14x40 and it's been a fine scope. I've also used someone else's Nikon P-223 scope and it was good too, so you probably wouldn't go far wrong with either of the ones you linked. But, adjustable parallax is something I probably wouldn't get a scope without anymore, especially for .22 where the range can vary from across the room distance to 100+ yards. The key words to look for in the scope specs are "adjustable parallax", "adjustable objective" (AO, when the parallax adjustment is done by twisting a ring around the objective lens at the front), or "side-focus" (when the parallax adjustment is on a turret on the side of the scope).

If you want to stick with Nikon, it looks like they're making an inexpensive adjustable parallax scope now. The tech specs on that site say it adjusts down to 50 yards, but the mark on the adjustment ring in the picture says 10, and Amazon also says 10 yards minimum, which is good for .22.

On the lower end of the budget, I also have a number of inexpensive Leapers/UTG/Centerpoint scopes (3-9x40, 3-9x35, 1.5-4x32, and a couple others) and have actually been really impressed with them for the money. Their main market seems to be air rifles, which many people take less seriously, but air rifle scopes have to be very rugged, and typically can adjust their parallax to much closer than scopes meant for rifles. And the prices are pretty damn good for the features. This UTG 3-9x32 has almost 2000 reviews and still 4.5 stars on Amazon, is very compact, comes with a sunshade, caps, and QD scope rings (I just got a set of UTG QD rings for another scope and they seem OK so far, .22 isn't very demanding), adjusts down to 3 yards, and is under $80. Amazing what they're doing in China these days. There are a number of similar models from other brands with various features and zoom ranges, probably all made in the same factory in China. I'm not sure if any of them are notably better quality than any others, I mostly stick with UTG for my cheap scopes because I have experience with them now.

One I saw just now is this Bushnell 2-7x32, and looks like it might be a good alternative.

On the higher end of the budget scale, Vortex has a 4-12x50 and a 4-12x40 that are adjustable. That's also more magnification though.

The Smith & Wesson M&P9 is the best overall pistol currently available in my opinion. It had zero gun-caused malfunctions in a 2010 ATF test. And yet it's still very reasonably priced at around $450. This website will help you shop for them online (if you order it online, you'll need to find a local FFL dealer for them to deliver it to and pay a transfer fee). Any Federal HST cartridge should perform well in it. Since that ammo is hard to find, this website will help you find it in stock online (and yes, ordering ammo over the internet and getting it shipped directly to your home is perfectly legal). Here's my favorite inside the waistband holster. And here's my favorite outside the waistband holster. I recommend buying this hearing protection and this hearing protection (yes, you should wear both at the same time. And yes, you'll still be able to hear everything perfectly fine if you put the volume on maximum). Here's the safety glasses that I recommend. And here's the lubrication that I recommend.

Open carry is legal in Virginia. You don't need a permit. You do need a permit to carry concealed.

As before, the Scorpion EVO3A1's a truly epic gun; you should definitely read the website ASG put together for it which explains what's so special about it. I put together a quick list for a friend who was thinking about getting one a while back; here's what was on it:

Status | Product | Cost | Comment
---|---|----|----
Mandatory | ASG CZ Scorpion EVO3A1 | $400 | Perfectly suited for both CQB and field play, this is one of the best AEGs in the world at present.
Optional | ASG Speed Trigger | $30 | Some don't like the plastic trigger supplied with the gun. This CNC-machined-from-billet alternative is tougher and has a shorter pull.
Optional | ASG Steel Spring Guide | $20 | The gun now comes with a steel spring-guide as standard,
Optional | ASG Mainspring (M90/M120) | $15 | ASG offer two strengths of spring for the EVO3A1. One (likely M120, equating to ~400FPS) will be supplied with the gun; you may want to buy the other (M95, equating to ~330FPS) so you're able to play at most common site limits. The spring can be changed in a few seconds with just an Allen key. The EVO3A1 is also compatible with regular AEG springs as long as they are not shorter than the factory ones (this can cause premature engagement).
Mandatory | ASG 75rd Midcap Magazine (x3) | $60 | Three plus the one supplied with the gun for a combat load of four. If you want, you can pick up another three for a total of seven.
Mandatory | Turnigy Nano-Tech 11.1V (3S) 25~50C LiPo Battery (x3) | TBA | The gun has a built-in FCU with MOSFETs, and is designed (and should be) to run on 11.1V LiPo batteries. Although ASG make a slightly larger battery they're more than twice the price and have an inferior Coulomb rating. You'll only need two batteries for a day's play, but for $11 each you may as well pick up a spare.
Mandatory | Turnigy E3 Compact 2S/3S LiPo Balance Charger | $13 | This is a simple balance charger. It won't do clever things like charge to storage voltage, or fast-charge, or discharge, and it will only charge 2S/3S LiPos - but it is very cheap and simple to operate.
Mandatory | Turnigy DLUX LiPo Balancer/Tester | $12 | This balances the individual cells of the battery (preventing one from dropping below the 3.0V minimum) and will tell you the remaining capacity of the entire battery and the voltages of the individual cells (likewise).
| Total: | $553 |

I also included a short list of accessories for how I would personally accessorise the gun - this isn't necessarily the best way to do it and your choices are very much up to you:

Status | Product | Cost | Comment
---|---|----|----
Optional | Xcortech X3300W Advanced BB Control System | $125 | A truly amazing system that incorporates round counter, tracer and chronograph functionality. It will tell you how many rounds are left in the magazine, which is especially useful with the Scorpion's relatively low-capacity mid-caps. Watch it in action here.
Optional | ASG 18-14mm Thread Adapter | $17 | Required to fit most airsoft suppressors (including the X3300W) to the EVO3A1.
Optional | Bushnell TRS-25 | $75 | The best budget red-dot scope on the market and very well-suited to the compact EVO3A1. The TRS-25 Hi-Rise ($90) comes with a tall mount (there are better-looking options available) which will allow you to get a good sight picture even with a poor cheek weld owing to lower-face protection, and will also allow you to mount the X3300W's command/display unit on the top rail without obscuring the sight picture.
Optional | Element M300AA | $40 | A clone of the SureFire M300 Mini Scout Light, modified to use AA (rather than CR123A) batteries.
Optional | Element Tape Switch | $20 | A clone of the SureFire SR-07 rail-mounted tape switch - lets you put the switch where your thumb is, on the other side of the gun to the flashlight.
Optional | MagPul Rail Light Mount (Right) | $30 | Mounts the flashlight up and out of your way, and fits in with the XTMs. Minus the crappy optic, substituting the crap flashlight for the M300AA, and plus the X3300W and rail panels it would look a bit like this.
Optional | MagPul XTM Enhanced Rail Panels | $8 | Protects the rails and makes the gun more comfortable to hold.
Optional | MagPul XTM Hand Stop Kit | $20 | Protects the rails and makes the gun more comfortable to hold.
Optional | ASG Scorpion EVO3A1 Soft Carry Case | $40 | Usually neglected by airsofters, and usually to their cost, this is suitable for travel and storage.

You'd need to add 4x AAA batteries (for the tracer/chronograph unit), 3x AA batteries (for the command/display unit and for the flashlight), polycarbonate lens protectors for the flashlight and the RDS, and you'd be done.

Frankford Arsenal powder trickler. Compact, nice heavy base for stability, even flow. I also have an RCBS trickler and hate it. It's not as stable and the dispensing arm thingy is a weird two piece design that never seem to flow well for me.
GemPro 250 digital scale. Do not waste your money on cheaper options. I don't have experience with the chargemaster type of scale. I like to do things manually.
Redding Imperial Sizing Die Wax. Best stuff there is. Works amazingly well. I also keep a lanolin/alcohol spray lube around for doing large batch work, but Imperial Sizing Wax does a better job.
Hornady Bullet Comparator set. You don't mention what cartridges you're reloading. THIS KIT DOES NOT INCLUDE 6.5mm. There's a 14 insert kit that includes more, or you can buy just the few inserts you need.
Frankford Arsenal bullet puller. I buy what's cheap. These don't last forever. All the hammering eventually cracks the plastic. I've tried several brands and they all break eventually. I usually keep two on hand.


So that covers what you already know you need. Here are some more recommendations.

Hornady 9th Edition. I use this more than all my other manuals combined. I shoot a lot of Hornady bullets, though. If you already have a favorite bullet brand, you should buy that brand's manual.

Lyman Shooters Check Weights. I use these every single time I reload. I like knowing that my scale isn't lying to me. Digital scales can be finicky sometimes! These are worth every penny.

Hornady Headspace Comparator set. This is a lot like the bullet comparator set, except that it measure to the shoulder of the case instead of the ogive of the bullet. If you're planning on monitoring the amount you're bumping your shoulders during resizing, this is what you need.

Lyman Case Prep Multi-Tool. The chamfer tool that came with your kit will do the job, but this Lyman multi tool is my preferred method. It also comes with primer pocket scrapers that will be useful, and primer pocket reamers you should throw away and never use.

RCBS Uniflow Powder Baffle. This will help your uniflow powder measure throw more consistent charges.

RCBS Advanced Powder Measure Stand. If you're going to do a permanent installation of your powder measure on your bench, you will want this stand. Its price is absurd, but it's a great stand.

RCBS Universal case loading block. Your kit came with one, but you need at least one more.

What is your plan for cleaning brass? Wet tumbling with steel pins is the way to go. I have the Frankford Arsenal unit. It's huge and noisy. If I had it to do over I would purchase the dual drum tumbler from Harbor Freight and buy steel pins from Amazon.

Redding dies don't come with shellholders. Did you remember to get one?

What is your plan for case trimming? You don't mention what you're reloading. The cheapest option, which is actually my preferred method, is the Lee case length gauge and shellholders with their cutter and lock studs.

There are some additional case prep tools, but they would depend on what you're doing. If you are dealing with brass that has military crimps, you'll need tools to deal with that. There are primer pocket brushes, primer pocket uniformers, flash hole deburring tools, and a million other little things.

That's all that's coming to mind right now. I'm sure I missed some stuff.

I recently got my NC CCW and a Glock 19 with a vedder light tuck. I’ve been to the range to practice a few times but the ear pro they have for rent tends to be a hit or miss. As a result i’m looking to buy my own EarPro but and caught between the decision between Pro For Sho’s passive ear protection and Howard Leight’s Impact Sports electronic ear protection. If this would be better for /r/guns let me know.

Here’s a quick of comparison of each:

Pro For Sho
Price: $18
NRR: 34dB
Weight: less than half a pound

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Sho-34dB-Shooting-Protection/dp/B01FPWTJBI


Howard Leight Impact Sport
Price: $35
NRR: 22
Weight: slightly under a pound

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Amplification-Electronic-R-01526/dp/B001T7QJ9O


The Pro For Sho is lighter, about half the cost, and has a way higher NRR. I usually double up with foam ear plugs which would help make up for the Howard Leight’s lower NRR. The NRR difference isn’t the biggest concern, however, my existing opinion is that more is better. Indoor gun ranges can get loud. That being said if for whatever reason I forgot or ran out of foam earplugs I’d feel comfortable with the Pro For Shos but not the Howard Leights.

The biggest differentiator then would be the price and the electronic element of the Howards. Is the benefit offered by the electronic component really worth twice as much money and significantly less NRR? At a range the only time I’d really need to hear is when taking instruction in a class or talking with friends but if I’m by myself doing my own practice which is most of the time I feel like I wouldn’t need it. Yelling also works to account for higher NRR.

Another argument I’ve thought of is situational awareness being hindered by the passives; but the ranges in my area are all indoor with one or more rangemasters.

My biggest question to the community here is how worth it is the electronic hearing aid of the Howard Leights? I know that to some of you the price difference might be negligible but for me it matters.

On an unrelated note I stumbled across these: https://www.range365.com/sightline-replacement-pads-for-howard-leight-impact-sport-earmuffs

They look like a solid upgrade to the Howard pads. If I went with Howards I might get these later down the road when I have a bit more money to spend.


Thanks for taking the time to read through my long post!

Electronic hearing protection will not only amplify your surroundings so that you can hear your game better but it'll prevent hearing damage.

Howard Leights are great, you can get gel cups for them for more comfort and better sealing. The HL's often dip below $40, but even at $50 they're a great buy.

I personally use MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X's and 3M ComtacIII's depending on the occasion. They're both pretty great. The MSA's amplify a little more than the ComtacIII's, but they cut off all volume during gunfire. The ComtacIII's don't amplify as much, but have slightly better directional awareness and are perfect for communicating during gunfire since they reduce the volume instead of completely shutting it off.

I just installed the GunVault SV500 on the desk in my bedroom. Ideally I'd have something more secure but as an apartment dweller/renter this setup works for my impermanent living situation. It was pretty easy to install and program and since it screws into the side of the desk I felt like it was more secure than some other pistol safe locked with a cable to the bed. It fits my glock 19 perfectly, though the foam inside would allow for many different handgun sizes. I do wish there was a space for an extra magazine but overall I am very satisfied with my limited experience.

I currently use the Peltor Sport Tactical 100 ($50) which does have a very basic compression circuit. At least from my personal experience, the noise suppression performance in that model is better and the sound more natural than the Howard Leight Impact Sports, though both pale in comparison to my employer-provided MSA Sordins.

If I was in the market for a new set, I'd probably be looking at:

• 3M Peltor Sport Tactical 300 ($100) - These have a far more sophisticated compression circuit than the 100s;
  
  
• 3M Peltor Sport Tactical 500 ($120) - Effectively the same thing as the 300s but adds Bluetooth capability. While Bluetooth is useless to me at the range, I also use frequently use my earpro for air travel including long international flights, so one less cable in my way would be nice for those situations.
  
  
• MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X ($260) - Newer version of my work-provided set, these do everything quite well but don't have Bluetooth.
  
  Of course, any set of Peltors I might buy would also get 3M camelback gel pads installed, which adds another $40. The difference in comfort with those pads is amazing; with the standard soft plastic pads the Peltors get uncomfortable for me after an hour or two, but with the gel pads I'm fine wearing them for the duration of 10+ hour international flights. The MSA Sordins come with similar gel pads installed, but overall they're $100 more than the Peltor 500 + gel pads.
  
  So yeah, if I were buying today, I would most likely spring for the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 + camelback gel pads for a total of $160. If Bluetooth is not useful for you, you could save $20 by dropping down to the Peltor Sport Tactical 300.
  
  Even just the $50 Peltor 100s should be a significant improvement over the Howard Leight Impact Sports or Peltor RangeGuards.

Bit late but I didn't see this full face 3m linked. I've had this for quite a while now with varying beard lengths, down to the middle of my chest, half way down my neck, and just short. It does suck a lot with a full beard (and it leaves a pretty hilarious outline imprint). It probably also doesn't 100% work because the hair leaves more air gaps than the rubber/skin contact would.

However, I'm often also extremely lazy about getting eye pro, ear pro, lung pro on every time. So being able to toss this thing on with these is really handy. I thankfully haven't had anything kick back into my face but it is generally nice to have all a lot of the dust and crap also filtered out pretty well from your eyes too (it isn't perfect but it's better than glasses or nothing).

The cartridges are also really easy to replace. They're also really confusing as to what filters you actually need to be using. Some are rated for dust, dust + fumes, dust + fumes + ebola, dust + fumes + ebola + nuclear fallout. I've also been admittedly a bit lazy about the filters as well. I'll typically replace them when I notice the flow is starting to get really bad, which also seems to fog up the mask a bit.

My only real gripe with it is that static / aerosol over spray (whatever, basically anything) can cause crap to cling to the mask. So I'll go to start working on something only to discover I need to go track down some windex and a clean rag. Not a huge deal. I just grabbed a rag and tossed it in a ziplock and put it on a shelf next to a small bottle of glass cleaner stuff.

And for the ear pro stuff, those are seriously amazing. I use them for shooting and have always loved them. One day I thought "huh, I wonder what a table saw sounds like while wearing these". Turns out pretty not bad. I normally end up just turning them on super low with earbuds in and they're comfy.

This totally will be accurate enough (I don't have this particular model) but it weighs each load so you can see what you're charging before you actually do - but can potentially slow you down as it weighs each load while dispensing (still worth it though and faster than a balance scale)

Also if you're looking for tips - if you're shooting 9mm use a 147gr bullet if you can or at least anything heavier than 115gr, the recoil will be more "back and towards you" rather than upwards - x-treme bullets are pretty great and one of the more inexpensive options but if you can find pulled bullets (not necessarily ideal but good enough for practice at least) they will be even cheaper - ammoseek has parameters you can set for reloading supplies. You'll also need a hand priming tool (wait for a sale, it does come down in price) - or a table top version, and a press of some kind (don't be afraid to look for used to save money, I'm rocking an RCBS thats older than I am but works great and am currently doing 4000 556 loads through it. - also consider what kind of brass you're going to be reloading, if its military crimped you're going to need either a primer pocket swagger or a cutter to chamfer the primer pocket. There are also case prep machines that are electric and have these tools as well as others especially if you're going to be doing a lot of rifle rounds. Buy a reloading manual thats encompassing, you can check used bookstores - you can also find load data online but that can be hit or miss.

You'll find you won't save any money but will be able to shoot more for the same amount - more bang for your buck.

> But what else should I get her? Ammo, sure. How much ammo is enough to practice for a bit? I really have no idea.

For ammo you'll want two varieties: defensive ammo and training ammo. Quality defensive ammo usually comes in a 25-round box, priced around $15-$20. You'll probably want 2 boxes of this, one to practice with and another to keep loaded in the actual/ready magazine for defensive use. There's about a dozen excellent brands on the market, I like Critical Defense by Hornady, but all contemporary 9mm defensive ammo is pretty good.

For training ammo you can buy it online. Just look at gunbot.net and sort by price. There's 3 general types and they'll all work fine: steel case, reloaded/remanufactured, and bulk. You just gotta keep an eye out on the internet regularly and find whatever deal looks good - be aware of hidden fees in shipping rates. Generally ordering ammo online is cheaper than the store, but check with your local gun store as they might sell cheap stuff. There's some puritans out there who claim issues with different types of training ammo, especially steel case - this is because they're confused and think that modern steel case 9mm is corrosive like old WW2 bulk steel case ammo was corrosive. TulAmmo and BrownBear and Wolf should all run mostly fine in your wife's Glock.

Quantity is going to vary - but you certainly can't have too much. At least 200 rounds for the first outing is good. Have her start with the cheap ammo, then before the day is over switch to the defensive loads and fire a magazine or two - this is mostly to ensure if functions in her pistol, there's not a huge difference in how it handles.

If she goes to a class the instructor will recommend or sell the ammo.

> Does it require a case or anything? A cleaning kit?

Generally a "case" for a pistol is the holster. Your gun store will sell some cheap types of holsters, and just start her with a really cheap one. When she moves to concealed carry she'll probably upgrade to one that fits her preferences of how she wants to carry and where to carry.

For cleaning you'll just need a bore brush for cleaning the barrel and a general cleaner/lubricant. Your gun store will sell some, I'd recommend Break Free CLP; it's an all-in-one spray. You actually don't really need to clean Glocks until after ~500 rounds, that's when you'll have malfunctions due to a dirty gun.

> What else is absolutely essential to buy with this gun?

Hearing protection. These Howard Leight ear muffs are extremely popular - they'll work fine for training purposes - they also amplify quiet sounds, so if there is a thump in the night you can throw these on and hear someone breathing in the next room. I've never seen someone disappointed in these ear muffs. If she's spending a long day at the range she'll also want inner-ear plugs as well.

Dear OP, since it seems you are honestly curious for discussion, I will provide a thorough and honest breakdown as to why Jim's presentation on gun control can be considered, at best, low-blow hyperbole and satire that is not constructive in the discussion of gun control in the USA.

0:00~1:30 - Jim states government mandates on guns have worked in Australia and acknowledges some general cultural differences in the US. Jim dismisses high profile shootings that have happened in Australia post mandate (granted it is not nearly as bad as what happens in the USA)

Pt.1, 1:30-5:00 - Jim states the only argument for having a gun is that one likes guns, that they increase risk of domestic tragedy, and are not a viable solution for home protection. In examining the possible (and very unique) benefits of having a gun, it's more than just simply "I like guns" (and I promise I will elaborate on that later). In regards to suicide, the USA is not a statistical leader; countries with stricter controls such as France, Japan and S.Korea have higher suicide rates. In regards to responsible storage, there are solutions that lock guns away from curious children while allowing quick access should they be required.

Pt.1, 5:00~6:45 - Jim mocks the suggestion that armed staff at schools could reduce the damage from school shooters, describing staff as lacking qualification or incentive. Some school districts have regular police officers to be security at schools, often carrying their duty weapons while fulfilling their regular duties.

Pt.1, 6:45~7:15 Jim reels it all back saying not everyone agrees with him, but this is just a stand-up routine, so don't get all wound up. Well, thanks Jim! It's not like gun control supporters are going to take you seriously and share this link on social media to make their case, compelling me to write a serious response to your admittedly not so serious comedy routine. But you do take this seriously, as the ratings for this video are disabled, and you delete any comments containing thoughtful and honest disagreement.

Pt.1, 7:15-7:45 Jim addresses those who disagree with him, saying they're upset because he has "good points." No you don't, you dishonest hyperbolic gaslighter. If good comedy is about making light about the hard truths of life, please do better with your facts next time.

Pt.2, 0:00~2:15 - Jim is right that the first amendment protects him as he criticizes other amendments, and that they are not sacred as they are amendments, after all. So, here's what it takes to change the constitution, specifically in regards to repealing the 2nd as other amendments have in the past. Easy!

Pt.2, 2:15~3:00 - Slavery strawman. Slavery is antithetical to the ideals of human rights and freedom. Firearms have unique qualities in promoting freedom (again, will get into that, I promise).

Pt.2, 3:00~4:00 - Jim says it's the negligent 1% that screws up what responsible people should be allowed to do. Generally, that is the case. Gun control in the USA, for the most part, has been expanding for the past 100 years, most of it failing due generally to a lack of enforcement.

Pt.2, 4:00~5:00 - Unfunny and unproductive sidestep into Descartes foundational philosophy; moving on.

Pt.2, 5:00~6:15 - Jim says guns are too easy to buy (and that they can be delivered, which is mostly false). Jim jokes at the idea of a black market, saying crazy people won't have as much access to them. This may be true, but like with the prohibition, this incentivizes organized crime. And with enough guns to arm every human in the USA, manufacturing capabilities such as machining and 3D printing, all of which has a better shelf life than moonshine, a black market is a very real possibility.
Muzzle loaded guns can be shipped through the mail

Pt.2, 6:15~7:50 Jim makes fun of the idea that a militia can resist a government force that is technologically superior. Funny enough, this is used as an argument for why either a) the power of the federal government be limited (legally and militaristically) or b) that militias should be allowed to own more than just rifles. Vietnam and Iraq prove that guerrilla militias can exhaust the US military. If the government does become tyrannical, they would need to break significant red tape to deploy the full capabilities of the US military on the homeland (see the Posse Comitatus Act, restricting such deployment). Militias would likely be lead by veterans to fight against what remains of the US military that can be deployed and has not defected over unconstitutional orders. A tyrannical government that would break through this red tape would effectively become delegitimized, fragmenting the US into civil war. As terrifying as this sounds, the 2nd Amendment helps ensure that an emerging dictatorship cannot easily exploit the resources and people of the union. The better armed a populous, the more expensive and exhausting it will be to keep them under the boot.

And before I go, I'd like to cash in on some identity politics because it often seems to be all the rage with those who support gun control. I'm a 2nd Gen immigrant to the USA, and my parents were refugees escaping a tyrannical regime. Their generation had to take up arms to buy time to escape. Those who were not so lucky were imprisoned, forced into labor and worked to death, buried in mass graves. I find it tragically ironic that gun control advocates are quite often the same people who would call Trump the 2nd Hitler, because if that is the case, then get ready to be the 2nd Warsaw Ghetto uprising. I understand there's a preference to more peaceful measures in making a more perfect union, and we should keep it that way. But if limited only to free expression and protest, change might not happen at all. Just ask the thousands of students who participated in the 1989 Tienanmen square protests. Oh wait, you can't.

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time. If not, hey, I'll save this the next time someone shares this unproductive rambling from Jim as if it carried sound wisdom. **edit: formatting

Welcome to one of the most expensive hobbies you'll ever get into. It's addictive. I recommend selling blood and semen. Mixed. Doesn't have to be your own. I'll answer your questions numerically.

1. When you go to pick up the gun you'll have to do a few things. Show ID to prove it belongs to you as well as fill out the 4473. The 4473 is the paperwork required for the NICS background check. It's easy to fill out and if you have ANY doubts or questions while filling it out, ASK QUESTIONS. Most gun stores would rather you ask questions than screw up the paperwork and have to use another copy. Hell, tell them it's your first time. Most places will help you.
   
   
2. The gun, if it's brand new (and sometimes used), will come in a box. You don't need a case for it. Depending on your state, they might require you to bring a lock, but more than likely, it'll come with one. Some states do not allow the factory lock because they're garbage and the state law is dumb. For most long guns though, you typically won't need it to take it home.
   
   
3. You can absolutely find low recoil slugs. There are other options, but that's just an example. Fiocchi does make good ammo.
   
   
4. If you're going to an indoor range, I HIGHLY recommend you double up on hearing protection. That means foam plugs properly seated into your ear canal AND over ear muffs. It's good to invest in a good set of electronic ones like these. They allow you to hear but when there's an audible noise above a threshold, they will muffle it. When putting in your foam plugs, make sure you roll them in your fingers then push them INTO your ear canal. Too many people just push them into their ear while they're puffed up and that does not create the seal required to protect your hearing.
   
   E. If you go to the range, do not be afraid to ask a range safety officer for tips or to help you. MOST RSO's are knowledgeable. Most.
   
   
5. You also want eye protection. Regular reading or sun glasses DO NOT COUNT. You want glasses rated for impact. If indoor, you don't want darkened lenses. I suggest regular ol' clear lenses. Affordable option.
   
   
6. ALWAYS obey the 4 rules of gun safety.

It does add up quick but it will stabilize. I'm very new to this myself and after getting little things like a kinetic bullet puller you eventually get all the things you need. By the way, I don't bother with the collets that came with it, I just use the appropriate shell plate for the cartridge.

I'm loading three cartridges now (.270 Win, .223 and .45 ACP) and now only need primers, powder and projectiles to reload. To start loading a new cartridge, I'd also need dies, shell plates (if I don't already have it in a kit), and the three Ps.


Other things on my wish list are a powered case prep station (my hands wear out when dealing with crimped primers) and I see why higher end presses have a handle bar instead of the palm ball.

Anyway, sorry to ramble there, it sure feels good to make your first hand load, and feels even better to shoot. Congrats!

After about 25 years of not owning anything except a bolt-action rifle and a breach-loading shotgun, I jumped into the AR-15 world nearly two years ago, and now I'm well-and-truly hooked. I'm still a huge nub, so don't take my advice too seriously.

There's a lot to learn just in one platform. But, don't let that keep you from getting both an AR and an AK.

Learning AKs feels overwhelming for completely different reasons than ARs. That said, I am always impressed with how well my AK performs, and how comfortable it is to shoot.

If you haven't already, head over to /r/ak47 and check out the buyer's guide so you don't make a big mistake early on. The oft recommended WASR 10 is considered the best starter AK for the money. Lurk /r/gundeals for a shot at getting one on sale; they've been seen for less than $550 recently which is better than they were pre-election.

I do have to caution you: Accessories and customization for an AK is a completely different game than ARs. You might find that your "cheap plinker" rifle ends up costing you more to trick out, resulting in the same net cost-of-ownership as an AR shooting slightly more expensive ammo. If you end up happy with a stock AK, though, it's a great investment, and a welcome break from sending .22 cal downrange.

All that said, I think if you're picking a semi-auto purely on the basis of budget and having fun hitting targets, this is what I would highly recommend (after wasting a lot of money on stuff I didn't like):

• Rifle: Ruger SR556 or S&W M&P 15
  
• Optic: Bushnell TRS-25 RDS (skip the rear flip-up sight)
  
• Magazines: 10 Magpul Gen M2 PMAGs
  
• Sling: Little Creek Trading Stupid Simple Sling
  
• Supplies: 4oz bottle of G96 CLP, old toothbrush, paper towels
  
• Targets: stapler, staples, paper plates, and a Sharpie
  
• Safety: Glasses and Muffs
  
• Ammo: 1000 rounds of .223 Wolf Polyformance
  
  This is all you need. Just have fun. You'll quickly discover what you like/dislike, and be more informed about upgrades and accessories.
  
  Edit: Fixed a link.

first of all

Secondly, I assume you mean this one, the lee cast iron turret is a great press and it will work for most applications, If you need to do things not involving the turret (like decapping of w/e) you can just pull the index rod out(it just pops out when you take the dies out) and it won't spin anymore.

For tumbler I can say wet tumbling is best but not feasable for everyone and walnut tumbling works fine. The frankfort arsenal kit is good choice.

Lee dies and hand trimmers are cheap and work good too. I wouldn't worry about a trimmer for 40 or 9 but get one for sure for 223 and 30-06. cutter + Insert

there's some more basics like decent case lube and components themselves but it's a step in the right direction.

EDIT
***
additional recommended things would be a kinetic bullet puller, digital scale, and calipers.

If you're planning on spending more than $150 just save your money and save up for a premium optic like an Aimpoint, EOTech, Leupold, or Trijicon. If you're looking in the 100-150 range, Holosun makes a great solar/battery powered red dot that holds zero well and has a 30-50k hour battery life(when it's actually in battery mode). If you're looking for a more traditional optic, Bushnell and Nikon have good 1-4x optics. If you're looking for more magnification a Leupold
is within your reach. Vortex has strong offerings in both red dots and traditional optics if you're willing to spend a just bit more. If you're looking in the 50-150 range I'd look into a TRS-25 or Primary Arms for a red dot. For a traditional scope i'd stick with a fixed power optic like this Bushnell, you're going to be hard pressed to find a decent magnified optic with good glass in this price range, fixed power scopes are simpler in construction and offer at least better durability but i'd consider sticking to a non magnified optic under the $100 range. If you're trying to spend even less than $50 there is apparently a very well made $20 Fieldsport which is worth a search on youtube. I wouldn't consider anything magnified under $50 but this is a good range for a cool carry handle with elevation adjustment and retro look. Shooting irons can be more fun than using optics sometimes.

I'm also a new shooter for about a year now. I try to go at least once a month to the nearest outdoor place for rifle and hand guns shooting. So far, many of the other replies have done a great job so i'll just chime in with my recommendation for the ears protection. Right now, i'm using these 3M Peltor Combat ARms Earplugs. They're working well for me ever since I got them as a gift from a friend. I bought 3 more just so I have backups. I have one on me at all time, one in my range bag, and one in my car. Before that, I also use the Howard Leight R-01526. The Howard Leight earmuff are also great for its price. However, I don't like it for long session because of my big head that get squished too tightly if they're on for 20min or longer. It also gets in the way when i'm aiming down the iron sights. Other than comfort wise, the Howard's are fantastic in its operational purposed. If you can, try them both then decide which system works better for you. I have them both and most prefer the 3M more because it's has less profile while in use.

I would recommend upgrading to a nice digital scale, it will make things easier.

Maybe get a few of these if you haven't yet thought about how you're going to store your loaded ammo.

I have that same tumbler, works great. I would also suggest a separator for afterwords. Some brass polish is nice too.

I think that kit comes with a hand trimmer, but I would recommend a larger one, your hands will thank you.

I went with a Lyman kit for my starter set, and while it's a lot more expensive than yours, I've been very pleased with it.

When you start doing 223 you'll also want a case length trimmer. This one works pretty well for me.

This seems like a good deal to get the majority of what someone would need right off the bat to start reloading (but it doesnt come with a case trimmer....there are cheaper models out there) even so though you'll probably start to upgrade parts very quickly (if not immediately) from a better hand prep tool that would also allow you to remove military crimps as well as chamfur and deburr (and then maybe eventually to a prep centerif you start reloading a lot)

And so on, so it really depends if someone is going to jump in with both feet it may be cheaper for them to buy the parts seperately but if youre just looking to do a little casually or try it out this sounds totally worth it. It is addictive and personally im halfway through case prepping 4000 556 cases which isnt the easiest on a single stage press but will save me several hundred dollars over purchasing from the factory (as well as the ability to tune loads for each rifle)

There are reloading deals out there for materials, but press kits like this will save some people money but cost others 'more' (as they will probably upgrade certain things) still great to get into

> I can't really recommend any cheap walkie talkies, but i can help with some of your other questions. The helmet rails are called ARC rails, and some things you may want for a helmet setup are any push to talk button with kenwood style pins for the baofeng, a set of hearing amplifiers/ comm headset like howard leight impact sports, and any 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to connect the ptt to the howard leights so enemies can't hear your comms blaring out of the radio.

Thanks that helps a lot. I'm wondering though even without a license is anybody really going to care / would it even be a problem just using it for games every other weekend? Not like I'm gonna get a knock on the door from the cops about something like this am I? Won't other people in the games be using the same setup?

These helm attachments + Headset = yes? And just any radio really for example = all good to go?

Everyone can recommend you a bunch of items. How much are you wanting to spend?

He probably has hearing protection but if he just has buds, get some howard leight pros for $30. Also there are some generic bore snakes on amazon.

Howard Leights

.45 Pistol Boresnake

Shotgun Boresnake

and Midway has a really nice bag for a good price. They make different variations too if you want to look around.

That's all about $100 but it's a nice bag, ear protection, and some useful cleaning stuff but he'll still need patches and a cleaning kit. The shotgun would honestly be fine with just the bore snake especially if it's a pump at least for the time being unless he shoots a lot. Get something more pistol specific to keep that running nicely.

I am definitely considering this cheap Simmons .22 mag scope, but I'm wondering if it's worth spending a little more for something like a Nikon Prostaff for almost three times as much.

Hadn't seen the RAR in wood. They look super nice, but the durability of a plastic stock is definitely a bonus. Not so much the flex you mentioned... The Savage B22 could also be interesting in a very similair price range.

If I'm going to work, I roll up my hi-vis vest and stuff it into my helmet with my gloves and put it in a locker at work. Out in public, I lock my helmet to my passenger peg with a pistol bore lock. Forgot what video I watched that someone used it, but it's been a life changer not having to carry a helmet around or leaving it unsecured on the bike. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJ2Z322/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_YW2BzbK65F9WK

Also, I'd recommend some earplugs if you don't want to listen to music or if you're making a short trip somewhere. These are what I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V2SS9G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pV2BzbM5W9MEA

If you do want to listen to music, a pair of Shure 215's are great if you don't want a communicator. They're considered monitors, so they have passive noise canceling and foam eartips to block outside noise. Plus they sound amazing, so when you're not on the bike, you have some quality headphones to listen to music with. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PNZFZ8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_602BzbPVGC44Q

Those three things have made riding and commuting more enjoyable. And, they all fit in a small 5.11 pouch I have attached to my battery cover. Hope all this helps.

>This is excellent, thoughtful and rational response.

I'm glad I was able to find the right words. Plenty of the people who own guns are rational people who put a great deal of thought into their decisions, and don't take owning a deadly weapon lightly. The next time you hear someone making sweeping generalisations about gun-owners, I hope you'll remember that a great deal of us are actually rational individuals.

>I would personally add into the mix a cost benefit ratio - how can I keep the gun secure while having it accessible enough for there to be any point in having it. (The under-bed gun safe struck me as particularly brilliant.) I probably didn't have to say that aloud to you, but I wanted the observation next to what you said.

I think that depends, partially, on the person, and the situation. If you live by yourself, then as long as you lock your doors/windows, I don't think there is particular need to lock up your home defense gun. Same if you live with your significant other, and trust them to handle it responsibly. (If you think that your significant other would shoot you, or themselves, if they had access to a gun, then I think you have bigger issues to worry about than home defense.) In these cases, people might just buy a holster, and bolt it to the back of their nightstand, or just keep it in the nightstand drawer. Those planning to use a long-gun (rifle or shotgun) for home defense might just keep it under the bed.

If you live with roommates, or have children in the home, then there are a lot of quick-access safe options. Here is one example, which could be bolted to the back of the nightstand, or the side of a desk. There are many more quick access safes that can be bolted to a drawer. These safes aren't perfect, but they'll keep your kid from getting the gun.

I've actually seen some under-bed safes, and they are pretty cool. And don't forget, the quick-access safe only needs to be large enough to hold the gun (or guns, if you want to arm yourself and your wife/husband/life partner) you plan on using for home defense. You can always have a big, refrigerator sized safe elsewhere in the house where you keep your other guns.

It's definitely a good observation to make. Some people are in situations where a gun would need to be secured against people who need to be in the home. In those cases, you need to include the cost of adequately securing the gun in your cost-benefit analysis. Even so, as long as you only need to prevent children from accessing it, you're only looking at around $100 of additional cost.

And for that $400 (+ $100, if it needs to be secured) the gun does offer something that other security measures can't. A great lock, a solid door, and shatter-resistant glass can all slow down someone that means you harm, but a gun can actually stop them. But there are responsibilities that come with owning a gun, and so each person needs to assess whether or not they're responsible enough to benefit from owning one. There are some people that would be better off owning one, and some people that wouldn't.

Palmetto has free shipping right now. This means they may have raised some prices on certain things so check the price histories over the last few months if possible. The absolute cheapest way is to build yourself. As in buying all of the parts, not just a complete upper and complete lower. Sometimes this can be pretty negligible, though. The way to ultimately build it cheaper by buying piece by piece would be to do it over time, where you opportunistically look for the best deals. I tried to piece together one for you below. It is cheaper than a ptac and blackhawk! build from palmetto, but not by more than 30-50$. But you have more options, can spread out the cost, and you will know the system and how it works much better.

Lower 60$

lower parts kit 35$

Buffer tube/ stock assembly 27$. check around for Sportsmansguide coupons

Blem upper 41$ plus 10$ flat rate shipping. You could combine your magazine purchases from Cope's with the shipping on the upper.
like this 8$ GI mag or this deal for 10 pmags for 107$.

Bolt Carrier Group 80$

Gas Block 17$

Gas tube 13$

forward assist 16$. You may could find this for a few dollars cheaper elsewhere.

Ejection port assembly 9$

free float quadrail 22$ or regular m4 handguards 19$ but you would need this [9$ delta ring]. or the Magpul MOE handguard for 28$

(http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/dpms-ar-15-m16-delta-pack.aspx?a=369258) to go with it.

Bear Creek Barrel, 16" 70$ plus shipping.

Reliable red dot, TRS 25 for 80$ shipped.

and/or iron sights A2 front 18$

Rear sight 22$

So after FFL transfer on the lower (10-30$ depending on location) and shipping on everything you are looking at between 460$ with iron sights, quad rail, and a mag or around 550$ with a red dot and multiple mags.

Cheapest ammo. and at Sportsmansguide where you could ship it with some of the other stuff and potentially use some of their coupons.

you might want to pick one of these wrenches up at 18$ to do the installs.

I know you might only be beating Palmetto prices by around 50-100$, but if you really are on a budget that could make a difference. These prices aren't the very lowest I've ever seen, but they are some of the best I could find in about 5-10min of looking around. Plus, you get the added benefit of buying your rifle in parts, which could help with your budget limitations, and also, more importantly, you can be really familiar with your firearm and its components.

I have this micro safe. I like it cause the fast access, internal battery, holes on bottom for mounting and it comes with a half decent security tether. Of course some bolt cutters could probably cut it. But it is pretty nice.
http://www.amazon.com/Gunvault-MV500-STD-Microvault-Pistol-Safe/dp/B000TG9RCC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370903819&sr=8-1&keywords=micro+safe

But for your case I'd recommend
http://www.amazon.com/Gunvault-SpeedVault-SV500-gun-safe/dp/B006OGNLKA/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1370903880&sr=1-2

Fast access and you can bolt it to a stud. I just prefer the fast access for if I'm home during a burglary. There is not going to be a safe that is cheap and portable that is going to prevent a determined burglar So like other users said I'd secure the apartment better as well.

>so i just want to be able to not have to spend absorbent legal fees defending myself.

For sure, the best solution would be to change the storage requirement laws, like how the storage requirements in Washington DC were recently struck down by our supreme court because they prevented people from legally storing guns accessible for self defense.

I'm just talking about your options for now, without any change to the laws.

>unlock your safe

Is there a requirement of what type of safe? Can you use the rapid unlock handgun safes, like this?

>(mag must not be in the gun during storage)

Do they inspect your storage periodically, and do you have warning of when such inspections will occur? I can't see how that could possibly be enforced in the US with our right against unreasonable searches. If you have a warning of when the inspections will occur you could make sure you were complying with the storage requirement just for the inspections, and if you have to use the gun in necessary self defense just lie and say it was unloaded.

>of course both of those options take time which as you know is very precious in a home invasion

Indeed, which is precisely why I'm suggesting you should break the law and be prepared to lie about it because they will be unable to prove you broke the law. We have a strong spirit of civil disobedience in the USA, and we consider an unconstitutional law to not be a binding law at all, we often simply ignore laws we don't agree with and are prepared to defend ourselves in the court of law from the consequences later if necessary.

I use the MSA Sordin supreme pro-X with gel-cups, but they're a bit pricey. https://www.amazon.com/MSA-Sordin-Supreme-Pro-Electronic/dp/B00QV33ZRK

Others swear by something like these: https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-Amplification-Electronic-Earmuff-R-01902/dp/B007BGSI5U

Peltor got some as well: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Tactical-Sport-Earmuff/dp/B000Q04MRG

I like the Sordin because A) They're comfortable, B) the profile makes them not be too much in the way for a proper cheekweld, and C) I think they have pretty damn good sound compared to the Peltor that I tried (it's easier to distinguish sound direction I think).

My hands are 18.3cm. I use a claw grip gaming and a fingertip/claw grip in Windows. I use the Mionix Castor on SteelSeries 9HD and really like it. I've tried a lot of mice. I don't own a Deathadder, so I don't know what kind of latency the left and right clicks have. The Mionix Castor has a couple extra ms in left/right click latency. I got used to it and don't really have an issue with it, but other people don't like it. If you think this is going to be an issue, I recommend checking out the Zowie EC2-A. I haven't tried this mouse, but I know the dimensions and shape are just about perfect for our hand size and claw grip usage. It doesn't have that rubber side grip like the deathadder or Castor, but you can use this grip tape on the sides. I put this tape on the Roccat Kone Pure, SteelSeries Sensei, and G303 when I was testing them. It works perfectly.

What's your budget?

You can ever go wrong with ammo. A package of some good defense ammo like Federal HST or Speer Gold Dots makes a good stocking stuffer.

Since he'll need to go to the range for practice (I sure hope so), get a good pair of ear protection like the Howard Leights.


A cheap range bag to carry ammo, gun, and ear/eye protection is a good gift too. Walmart has them for cheap.


Upgrades like night sights from Trijicon would be good on a carry gun. A good holsters and a proper gun belt are essentials as well.

I use "3M Peltor X-Series Over-the-Head Earmuffs". They work great, they're comfy, and $30.

• When I shoot outdoors, I use the X4A (Chartreuse, 27dB).
  
• When I shoot indoors, I use the X5 (Black, 31dB) or X4A with 3M Classic Earplugs, medium size.
  
• When I'm working on turbine engines, I use the foamy ear plugs and/or MSA HPE Cap Mounted Earmuff. (In case you want a hard hat mounted option.)
  
  ​
  
  I've tried a bunch of different earpro options. The most important thing is that the muffs seal around your ears... as best they can while wearing safety glasses. I always wear a baseball cap and Smith & Wessson Magnum 3G safety glasses. (Hot .22 brass inside your glasses really sucks.) For ear plugs, most people like the long skinny kind that you roll and stuff into your ear canal. They really bother me, so the only ones I like are the 3M classics. I even had some custom ear plugs made and they did not work at all. (And it's only a matter of time before you lose them.) Also make sure to clean reusable plugs between uses.
  
  ​
  
  I'm not a fan of electronic ear muffs, especially Howard Leight Low Profile. The speakers inside the muffs stand on my ears and they don't seal for crap. One of my buddies was using these and had a terrible flinch. I gave him the X4's his flinch was gone. I haven't tried any of the mid-range electronic ear muffs. The high end MSA Sordins are very nice and pretty effective, but I haven't got around to picking some up yet. The only time you really want electronic muffs is when you're doing a shooting class, and you need to listen to the instructor. (Or for hunting, I suppose.) For general BS'ing during shooting or listening to the Range Safety Officer, I can hear just fine.
  
  ​
  
  Another point about PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), don't take it off! Leave your ear plugs in and your glasses on so you don't lose or damage them. Ear muffs are easy to take off during cease fires.

Sorry for the long wait but here it is

Right strap yourself in this is probably going to be long one. It will help if you have some electronics knowledge and soldering skills. But don't worry if you don't, most of this it very basic, but a bit fiddly.

Also to note this is going to be based around the Kenwood style connector, this is what you find on most BeoFeng radios. If your radio uses a different type then you'll have to do some reverse engineering to find the pin out of that, you may find getting a speaker mic that useful for this, as they normal have a PCB inside thats labelled.

​

Parts list:

- Howard Light Impact Sports

- Antlion modmic 4 without mute

- 3.5mm audio Aux cable (length dependent on your setup, also get one with rubber insulation rather than a braided sleeve,it will only give you more problems later on)

- Wire strain reliefs (the correct size for your Aux cable & Kenwood Cable, I belive that I use 4mm)

- Zip ties

- Belt spring clip + screws and nuts to mount (Just M3 pan head screws & nuts will do, the included poppers are crap)

- Momentary on button

- Small electronics box

- Speaker mic or anything that has a compatible connector for your radio (I used a BaoFeng speaker mic as the kenwood connector is used on my rectervis radios).

- Breadboard

- wire

​

This will come to about £100 so it's defiantly cheaper to go with a reproduction unit, but I had a lot of these parts already and its a fun project.

First take a set of Howard Lights and pop off the black plastic piece that holds the foam padding over the driver on the side that has the 3.5mm aux socket.

Next cut a notch in the main body for the mic to sit in and and not block the black plastic piece. cut the wire on the mic down to size so that would reach the 3.5mm Aux socket but so you could still move it about to make soldering easier .

Then strip the insulation to expose the wires on the mic, these are excessive thin and have a coating on them that you will need to strip. I advise that you practice on the off cut so that you get a feel for it a few times as you don't want to find your mic wire being too short.

On the Aux socket you'll have 3 wires attached to that, ground(black), left audio & right audio(red & white, I never bothered to figure out which was which) . Desolder one of the audio wires and solder it on to the other. This means that any audio from the Aux socket will play through both ears but will only be a mono signal, which for this will be fine for us as the audio from the radio is mono anyway,and this won't affect the sound pass through of the headset.

​

**you're going to need a multi meter for this bit**

If you didn't know already audio jacks are normal spilt in to 3 or 4 sections these are called TRS & TRRS respectively, we should be dealing with the 3 sections kind, they are spilt up in to the Sleeve(S), Ring(R ) & Tip(T), inventive right.

A Kenwood connector is made up of 2 TRS jacks 1 3.5mm & 1 2.5mm. Fortunately I've done the hard work of figuring out how the pins are wired:

​

||2.5mm|3.5mm|
|:-|:-|:-|
|T|Speaker||
|R||Mic|
|S|Ground|Push To Talk|

You will need to check how you've wired your Aux port to know what wires need to go were, just plug in your Aux cable and do a continuity check for the tip and ring and the sleeve will be ground. For me I had the Mic wired to the Ring and the Speaker wired to the Tip.

Here is what my wiring layout looked like.

You want to strip down the insulation on the Kenwood cable and reveal the wires and find out what colour wires are which. You also want to measure out how long you need to leave your 3.5mm Aux wire and not cut it down to size leaving enough slack for your head to move and enough length of wire to solder and strip back the insulation and test to find out which wires are linked to which.

Now once you have figure out what colour wires are which you want to cut down a section of breadboard to the right size, if your a bit of a novice with a soldering iron, you will probably want to cut a larger section as it will make things easier for you. Then just solder all the wires on to the correct place, just to note it doesn't matter which way round the push button is soldered on. and you'll end up with something that looks a bit like this

Now you can just zip tie the ends of the wires inside of the box to stop them from popping out and move the point of stress to the insulation of the wire rather than on the solder joints.

I would suggest doing a continuity test from jack to jack to ensure that nothing is shorting (wrong point to point) and that everything is connected to were it should be.

We should be good now to plug it all together and give it a test, it should all be working, you should be receiving audio in both ears of the head set, and when the push button is depressed you should be transmitting from the microphone.

Once your happy with that and only when, cover all your solder joints with a bit of hot glue to again stop anything from bouncing around and causing a short on it, in particular on the Aux port on the head set and the breadboard. we also want to fix the microphone in place with some hot glue and make sure the hole is filled so no water can get in. I also added some foam to the headset just it increase the noise deadening effect.

all done, you should have something that looks a bit like this also I have seen a video on youtube that shows you how to add rail mounts to them so you can mount them on a helmet which I haven't tried yet but will be soon hopefully

Full Album Of Reference Photos

The bottom line is, all of these safes are designed to keep honest people honest. A determined crook will be able to get your guns, no matter what you store them in.

Your best bet would be to get the best safe that you can afford, then figure out a way to make it invisible. Thieves won't try to break into your safe if they don't see it.

I have 2 handgun safes. One is this one. It's bolted to a heavy nightstand, 2 feet from my head while I sleep. There is only a gun in it while I'm asleep. Its whole job is to keep my gun out of my 2 year old daughter's hands while I sleep, yet give me pretty quick access if I need it.

My big safe is bolted into the concrete floor in my unfinished basement, hidden behind a false wall that I created from 2x4's and plywood. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it.

Did you notice the part where they have microphones that amplify all the sounds that aren't gunshots? Howard Leight makes a set like that, but they're fifty bucks. The set you linked aren't really comparable.

That said, the $50 HL set are pretty good. I'd recommend some foam ear plugs and cranking the amplification all the way up. You can hear people talk and feel pretty safe about your hearing.

On my backup gun I run this Pinty reflex sight. It's cheap and gets the job done. The adjustable brightness is a nice touch if you're playing in a dark/light environment.

On my main gun I run the Bushnell TRS-25. Definitely the best bang for your buck. Great construction and a super clear and sharp reticle.

I got flamed and downvoted when I tried posting this before, but I will try again.

I got the new Rhinoshield bumper and REALLY like it with the exception that it slips easily out of my hand when trying to pull it out of my pocket.


I found this grip tape on Amazon and applied a thin strip of it along the "grip spots" on the bumper and now it is perfect. You cannot even tell that it is not built into the bumper. They should add one with extra grip.


https://www.amazon.com/GT-5000-strips-phones-cameras-knives/dp/B00ATH0KEA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1487340777&sr=8-2&keywords=gt5000+grip+tape

I highly recommend these ear plugs.

They don't muffle sounds and only lower the volume once it gets to harmful volume levels. You can hear safe volumes about 90% as clearly as normal.

They're reusable and come with a case. They're very easy to put in. They fit great under a helmet. And they're inexpensive especially when compared to custom molded earplugs.

I wear them while riding and at music concerts. They work great.

For $200 I recommend this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AWB3DIM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

for $20 I recommend this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y3SZEJC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I own both, and so far both have been reliable, you'd think the $20 one would be a POS but it is surprisingly well built. And if you aim it at a mirror in dim light the red dot in the scope is almost impossible to see... meanwhile, the Votex one is very obvious, almost like you're pointing a laser towards someone, so for stealth the cheaper one is better. But for build quality and toughness I am guessing the Votex is superior.

Haven't used them with big guns, but the Howard Leight Impact Sports are pretty good.

Just got them, and in the past two times I've gone they're okay. I like doubling up with my in-ears in and the muffs overtop.

Just remember, your hearing isn't going to get any better, so going overkill on protection isn't a terrible thing.

Pictured

On the left is my first long gun, a Ruger American Rimfire model 8301. It has a Simmons 3-9x32 scope on an Evolution Scope Base. It currently has no other mods. I've considered dropping in the Timoney trigger, but I feel like this firearm is AOK in the current configuration. This was the second time I have fired the RAR with the scope on it. The first time was about a week ago where I shot it off of bags to get it zeroed in. Today, I shot standing/unsupported. That was a challenge. I loaded 5 rounds at a time. I learned that doing an upper body workout a few hours before going to the range can make a light firearm feel really heavy. I think I'm going to try using the higher comb cheek riser to see if I can get a more consistent cheek weld without having to contort my neck so much. My focus this range visit was shooting with both eyes open, and getting as consistent groups as I could. I fired 50 rounds of CCI Blazer. Now it makes sense to me why people shoot prone, use a monopod, or a bipod. Shooting off hand made me realize how much I move when firing. It was a great training experience that will carry over to how I shoot my other firearms.


On the right is my most recent long gun (I picked it up yesterday), a bone stock Ruger PC Carbine model 19101 (non-treaded barrel with 10 round magazine version). This was my first range visit with the PC Carbine. I was extremely excited to get some range time with this one. Prior to this, I had only fired: .22LR, 12 gauge, and .223 from long guns. The .223 was when I took a rifle course at Sig Sauer Academy (loaner MCX).

First Impressions of the PC Carbine

To me, it had all the fun of shooting a 10/22 with a bigger boom.

I was skeptical about trying to use ghost ring sights. I have horrible eye sight, and could not get a sight picture with Tech Sights on a 10/22 to save my life. However, these were really easy to use. I'm going to wait a while before trying it with a red dot sight.

Recoil was fine. It is a 9mm, so it was not bad by any stretch.

Trigger feels pretty good to me as far as break and pressure. If an aftermarket company releases a metal trigger (the actual trigger component), I'd strongly consider adding that.

The only thing that felt a bit odd was the magazine release. I'm going to add the Taccom one.

The surprising thing to me was that it would fit in a cheapie bag that I picked up for my shotgun. So, I'm not planning on picking up a specific bag for this firearm anytime soon.

I'm on the fence about magazines for this thing. Pmags for Glocks are pretty cost efficient compared to the cost of the Ruger SR9 mags. So, I have some research to do.

Eventually, I'll throw a picture of my three Rugers up on here.

Not pictured is my Ruger 10/22 Sporter model 1102. I have made some tweaks to it. So far, it has the Ruger BX Trigger, Volquartsen auto-bolt release, extractor, and then I just got in the Surestrike firing pin and bolt handle. It has the same scope that I put on the American Rimfire but on a Monstrum rail. I still need to zero in the scope for this one.

​

Not to hijack your guys convo, but I highly recommend a pair of these . Nice having something that's reusable (a pair last me about 5 months +/- depending on how much I ride) and they work great with a Sena to still let you hear your music while cancelling out wind and other non-essential outside noise

Others swear by disposables. The best option is really custom molded plugs to your ears, but I don't trust myself not eventually losing them enough to take that route

Whatever you go with, watch a quick video on how to properly insert ear plugs. It is astonishing how many people don't know how to put them in right!!

For shooting I recommend these two hear protection options. You don't need both but with both you cover pretty much every situation. From very loud, to a guest shooter to indoor and shooting prone with a rifle.

Over the ear with low level noise amplification | Howard Leight Impact Sport | $47.97 | Amazon

and

In the ear comfortable and cheap | SureFire EarPro EP6 | $13.99 Prime | Amazon

Although maybe not quiet BIFL they are pretty darn close. Both come very very highly rated. Both are loads better than the foam hearing protection.

>You need to come up with a decent (non UTG airsoft shit) rail set up too. Do you actually mount anything beside a VFG? Do you even use a scope?

As far as optics go, I have this BSA 4x30 scope which I have used off and on between my Saiga and my AR15. I also have this Eotech XPS2, and this Bushnell TRS-25 red dot came in the mail today. The Eotech mainly stays on my AR, but I am excited to try out the TRS-25 on my Saiga - I've heard these work well. The Soviet style side mount hasn't worked well for me (mainly because the mount I bought was a piece of crap), so I was looking for something I could mount further forward.

As far as UTG goes, I understand there is a lot of resentment towards their company - but it seems just like the same type of blind resentment people have against Sigmas and Taurus'... People hate on things they've never tried or owned. I'm not saying that's the case with you, but it is with a lot of people. Leaper's / UTG is most definitely not an airsoft exclusive company, the majority of their products are geared for hunting/real steel shooting (real steel/hunting scopes, mil-spec buffer tubes, charging handles, rifle furniture, things that wouldn't work on airsoft guns/only work on real firearms, etc...). Although Leaper's (UTG) makes Airsoft accessories and items, the Saiga 7.62 quadrail is made for real steel firearms. I'm not even sure if anyone out there even makes a Saiga 7.62 airsoft gun?

I just have to ask you: have you even tried the UTG quadrail? I can understand hating on a company cause they've been branded as airsoft only but... you should really give it a chance before you knock it. It's light, it's sturdy, and it stays put. What else could be asked for in a rail? It's so tight, it hasn't budged a fraction of a millimeter since I put it on 3 years ago.

>Several good companies make Ace style stocks and once you have an internal ace adapter in place, you can mount all sorts of stocks, for example, mount a Magpul CTR stock and have it fold to either side. You will just never be able to go back to a standard AK stock.

>Also, this company makes decent AK folding mechanisms, which don't require you to cut the "tang" and are still nice and low profile:

>http://www.bonesteelarms.com/Saiga_c7.htm

I would love a CTR stock and one of those AR stock adapters, those look awesome. Forgive me for being forward here, but I just can't see myself anytime soon dropping $200-$300 on a stock & adapter for a rifle that originally cost me $250. I would love to do it, if I had the funds though. You can clearly see I made / converted this rifle on a budget :D

I found your charging handle for almost $10 cheaper. You could cut the cost of the charging handle significantly by getting a one-handed one. I used the exact same lower build kit for my first AR. The lower build kit does not come with any tools. You're going to need some tools, such as a Castle Nut Wrench and a punch set

This is kind of optional, but you're going to need a spacer if you want to use iron sights (or else the iron sights will be blocked by the red dot sight. The spacer also helps a great deal is making it more comfortable, so your head isn't awkwardly tilted, obviously this will depend on your eye height.

Don't get discouraged if this seems confusing, if all else fails, watch an ar15 building tutorial and everything will be much clearer. Here's another tutorial. Good luck.

I just put a leapers utg bug buster on my rifle. Fantastic scope and more advanced features than you'd expect for less than a bill. Illuminated reticle is also a huge bonus if you use your rifle for dusk hunting of rodents. I can't see using a scope that's more expensive than the rifle. Check out some reviews and videos. I should mention I have a takedown and the length is just right to fit in my bag. I had a simmons before that was waaay to long. Also included are a set of decent qd rings. Imo best value for the money. Went out to shoot it this weekend and it zeroed flawlessly.

UTG 3-9X32 1" BugBuster Scope, AO, RGB Mil-dot, QD Rings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UGIMNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gjMoDb8JQ22M3

I have [these] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NAG4WX2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) they're great. They're infinitely more comfortable than the home depot specials (which I own many of). The great thing is you can actually understand an R/O at crowded indoor range.

Edit to Add: The Howard Leight's that everyone else is talking about in the thread are a great option as well.

If you want a good budget fixed magnification optic, I really like Primary Arms stuff - their prism scopes run around $250-300 and are tough as nails with clever BDC/ranging reticles and pretty good glass.

For budget red dots I like PA, Holosun and Vortex.

If you're just looking for a decent cheap RDS that'll get you shooting and hold zero, the Bushnell TRS-25 can be had for $50 or so and will serve just fine. Add a UTG riser (absolute cowitness / lower 1/3 cowitness) for under $10 and you're in business.

Always double up. Electronic muffs over earplugs.

Not only do you get better protection, but crank the muff volume up and you can hear basically normally and enjoy how funny everyone else sounds talking with earplugs in.

Howard Leight Impact Sports are only $36 at Amazon

Buy foam plugs in bulk they're less than $0.10 a pair.

You'd have to be a super mega cheapskate to blow your hearing over saving the cost of 1 box of ammo.

Palmetto State Armory is your friend. $400 you can have a functional rifle. http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-16-midlength-5-56-nato-1-7-nitride-moe-ept-rifle-kit-rear-mbus-516444983.html

As far as optics go, you have some options. I really like Primary Arms and Vortex. The PA 1-6x ACSS goes for $289 and is a fantastic scope for the money. Primary Arms 1-6X24mm SFP Riflescope with Patented ACSS 5.56 / 5.45 / .308 Reticle Gen III - PA1-6X24SFP-ACSS-5.56 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XD6G7K1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BfCLAbWJ9A62H

If you want a fixed 3x scope like an ACOG, PA also has you there. Primary Arms 3X Compact Rifle Scope - ACSS 7.62 X 39 / 300 BO Reticle PAC3X300BO https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XQ45FBT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2gCLAbRR8T49Z

Red dots are your fancy, Vortex is solid Vortex Optics StrikeFire 2 Red/Green Dot Sight with Cantilever Mount (SF-RG-501) and FREE Vortex Lens Pen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010OT8WAQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LmCLAbQJSN7PF

Want a cheaper red dot that’s still good? Bushnell Optics TRS-25 Hirise 1x 25mm Red Dot Riflescope with Riser Block, Matte Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ABP8YCA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_poCLAbC6DAVQ4

It’s actually a cheap Simmons from Amazon. It surprisingly nice and clear! It feels pretty sturdy as well. It’s an awesome scope for the price!

Find something that's heavy at the end, heavier than your rifle, and shoulder it a bunch of times just like you would your rifle. Do this for a few weeks and you'll increase your strength.

As to hearing protection, I recommend doubling up with equipment like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T7QJ9O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DH65RI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You'll still be able to hear perfectly without doing damage to your ears.

>Are the 250+ dollar ones worth it to a casual shooter?

I am not a casual shooter and they aren't even worth it to me.

Howard Leight Impact Pro is what I use most of the time.

If I'm at an indoor range then I'll double up using In Ear Plugs under my muffs.

The Howard Leights can make cheek welds a bit weird, generally, this doesn't affect me much but if I'm doing some bench shooting and I need to hold a great weld for a long time then I'll just use my in earplugs and forgo any muffs.

99% of the time though I use the muffs.

Also, if your muffs don't have gel cups - get some. They make a HUGE difference and are 500% worth the $30-50 you'll spend. Currently I'm using Noisefighter's Sightlines - these have a shelf cut for glasses. Very happy with them.

I started wearing [these] (http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-01526-Electronic-Earmuff/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417815860&sr=8-1&keywords=howard+leight+impact+sport) last year and love them.

They have volume control so I don't have to worry about being able to communicate with other hunters and they allow you to actually increase your hearing volume if necessary (can hear passing birds better with them on). As soon as you shoot, they limit the sound to 82 dB. Really a great option and they are not bulking. Added benefit is that they help keep your ears warm on cold days.

Honestly I would upgrade your red dot. For pretty cheap, you can get a bushnell TRS-25 with a riser (Like $60-$100) and those are really awesome for the money. Other than that, I am fond of the Magpul stuff for furniture, but there is a lot of good stuff out there. Any ideas of what you might want? Here’s a link to the red dot if you care:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ABP8YCA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1517979061&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bushnell%2Btrs-25&psc=1&th=1

I have a 10/22 paired with this cheap Simmons scope. I am very happy with the setup. It's clearly not a top of the line scope but after dialing it in it holds well and has served its purpose pretty well for me. Should be good enough for the kids.

i might get some flack for this, but i am extremely happy with the [utg 3-9x32] (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005UGIMNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TgFQDbGPDF4NF). the qd rings are great. a stick of loctite (blue stuff) will keep the threads from loosening. be gentle, vortex and leupold fanboys.

>Do I need to get ear protection for a .22? If so, any suggestions?

Yes absolutely. .22 will wreck your hearing. Howard Leight Impact Sports (and ear plugs underneath if you want) are awesome,snd worth every penny of $40. Plus unless you're out inda woods, you're likely going to have other people shooting near you.

>What eye protection is the best? (What do y'all use/what's your favorite pair of goggles)?

I wear $10 Remington's I bought at Cabelas. Just make sure the ear loop thing is flat so it slips under muffs without breaking the seal.

>How long should I wait before getting a scope?

Depends on preference and what you're doing with it. Scopes are not all that necessary on .22's if you have good iron sights like Tech Sights.

>Should I store it vertically? (Corner of a closet)?This is my first gun, so I don't have a safe, would under my bed work? (I did get a case for it)

Doesn't matter. Careful storing guns in cases, the foam can trap moisture and rust the gun over time.

>I'm a first generation gun owner in my family, I'd like to be responsible with firearms, if I missed anything important, please say, I'd love to hear suggestions on how I can be responsible with guns.

Haunt Wikiarms and Gunbot for cheap ammo, set a text alert if necessary.

Tech Sights, Uncle Mikes quick detach sling studs and swivels (you need the 1.25" set of swivels), USGI sling, 3 ten round mags.

Attend an Appleseed event to learn to shoot.

Good earmuffs will have 20-25dB reduction. Most handguns and shotguns go "bang" in the 160dB region, while 140dB is the general threshold for permanent damage. Note that you can stack hearing protection (wearing -22dB earmuffs over -25dB earplugs will be about -47dB reduction edit it's not additive, but it helps). For general indoor shooting sessions, a single set of -20dB ear pro should be sufficient, you can add more at your option.

The favorite recommendation around here is the Howard Leight Impact Sport. They're compact and slim, have excellent noise reduction, can amplify outside noise while blocking gunshots, and let you pipe in audio using a headphone jack. They're also like $50, which is great since most earmuffs this good cost $300+.

Honestly the shape of the GPW wasn't the best for me. I really like right hand sided ergonomic mice rather than ambidextrous ones. Is there not a wireless equivalent to the EC2-A? Just ordered some of this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ATH0KEA/
Is that good for mice? Thanks for your help

> https://www.amazon.com/Lee-Precision-Breech-Lock-Challenger/dp/B003ISVWC6

yes. i also got mine from amazon.

the parts that need improvement are discussed in the customer reviews near the bottom of the page. powder dispenser and scale are the items i remember getting lukewarm reviews. those parts are cheap to upgrade. so no worry.


you need dies for the caliber that you are reloading.

for some reason i have 2 sets of .223 dies. i know i purchased one, i'm not sure if the other came with the kit.

i purchased a 2" bench top cut off saw [$32]

a jig to cut my cases [$13] 300blk

a case length guage [$10] 300blk

ammo loading tray [$7]

dies [$39] for each caliber

digital caliper [$16]

frankford scale [$32]

frankford bullet puller [$16]

tumber kit [$75]

i spent a good month or so on /r/reloading before i actually purchased anything.

i asked questions and made a shopping list.

those guys are very helpful

research what you actually need for the caliber / bullet grain you want to reload before you buy anything.

double and triple check what powder you need as well. it could save your life.


i kinda over did it with supplies

haven't opened half the boxes yet.

No.

But if you want one that just works, the red only Fieldsport on Amazon is great at $20.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y3SZEJC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-gUdBbBPA0SJ9

Next step up but still budget would be a Bushnell TRS-25. Less glass tint, and all around better quality for $50.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00200E0HM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4hUdBbX0PJ5FY


Youll want this riser with either one.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TX2BD4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RiUdBbFKT6JE1

If you eventually want a quality real steel Optic, look for the Vortex Strikefire, Vortex Crossfire red dot, Vortex SPARC AR, or the Sig Romeo 5. All can be had for about 120 if you shop around. Vortex optics have fantastic warranties.

If you want some magnification, i eecommend the monstrum 3x prism sight. Let it be known though, that the sight adjustments work in reverse.

https://monstrumtactical.com/products/3x-ultra-compact-prism-scope-black?variant=6824042168366

At 500, you're looking at good selection of quality optics.

The aimpoint pro is like $450 and it's typical aimpoint quality.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/aimpoint-pro-patrol-rifle-optic-red-dot-riflescope-30mm.html


If you're looking to go cheaper anything that vortex makes as a dot is around $150-$250 and will serve you well with a lifetime warranty.

http://www.vortexoptics.com/category/red_dots

I just got a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 a month ago and its pretty solid. I can first hand recommend these optics.

https://www.amazon.com/Sig-Sauer-SOR52001-Romeo5-Compact/dp/B01C95I8N4

You may want to look into a turret style as it'll make things easier and faster. Like the Redding T7

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000VNO2QO/

Also you may want to get a Frankford Arsenal digital scale it's 1/3 the price and has better reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002BDOHNA/

I'd go with the Frankford Arsenal wet tumbler it's easier, holds more and the brass is cleaner. Also no dust.

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HTN4R6O/

Also get the Lyman kinetic bullet puller it's got a nice soft handle the collet puller is nice if you have a lot of them to do.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0037N6IXA/

And don't forget a case gauge for each caliber

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001QD9XQ2/

Look, best your gonna get for ear buds. Slick design where you can't even see them in your ears, optional cable if you want, optional plug on them either full 26db hearing protection or unplugged and it filters noise past 85db which is the form I use for shows. I'm on my third pair of these. Trust me, you will love them. Way better than the other posted here (tried those)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001V2SS9G/ref=mp_s_a_1_23?qid=1464727411&sr=8-23&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=Ear+plugs

I just bought this scope 4 weeks ago along with these rings. Great deal. 900+ reviews with 4.5 rating. I mounted it and it is truly a great scope.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KOSB34/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rings: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000V2DNG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rail: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CJ67E6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Total cost was like $60 on Amazon.

Taking an introductory gun safety/technique course like the NRA First Steps Pistol course would definitely be a huge help to you. Look for one in your area.

Answers to your questions:

1. There is no danger to simply loading the magazines. The rounds will not go off unless you put a loaded magazine in the gun, rack the slide, and pull the trigger. I do not recommend putting a loaded magazine in the gun until you are more familiar with gun safety and handling.
   
   
2. Having an unloaded gun/magazines in a case with the ammo stored separately is legally the "safest" way to transport a firearm to the range. Keeping everything empty and the ammo separate will avoid any potential hassle, though your local laws may allow you to transport a loaded mag/gun.
   
   
3. Keep everything cased until you're at your port. It's likely a rule at the range and if it isn't, it's just good safety practice.
   
   
4. I suggest you invest in quality eye protection that meets MIL-PRF-31013 standards for ballistic protection. Eye protection that meets this standard will do a MUCH better job of protecting your eyes than ANSI Z87/regular eyeglasses will. This test sums it up pretty well. The TLDR is that the commonly seen ANSI Z87+ standard that most inexpensive eye protection is tested to isn't very relevant to the kinds of projectiles and velocities shooters deal with, and will have a much greater chance of failing when you need it the most. I like the Smith Aegis Echo because they fit extremely well under my favorite earmuffs.
   
   
5. Observe the rules of gun safety at ALL times. Bring/buy at least twice as much ammo as you think you'll need. Have fun.

If you want an unmagnified optic, like a red dot, and have an astigmatism, you may wanna take a look at prism optics such as this vortex spitfire

I'm sure you can find it cheaper elsewhere, but it's a 1x optic with an etched reticle, as opposed to the projected red dot sights. I have an astigmatism and I just deal with the little bit of starburst on standard red dots, but the prism optic above may be a good choice for you.

If you want to test out a cheap red dot option to see if it's okay for you, I'd recommend the Bushnell trs-25 as it's one of the better low-cost red dots. And if you don't like it, just return it.

Since you're new to airsoft I suggest getting a cheaper red dot at first. This red dot is pretty good, only 20 bucks and has great reviews. For the height you should get a rail riser, like this.

Edit: also any normal red dot should fit on your rail system

Needed an AR to get into 3 gun. Built one. Most people these days say at the entry-level AR price point to just buy a Ruger AR-556 or a Smith & Wesson MP-15 Sport. And I honestly don't see why when build kits are so cheap. For around ~$500 you can get one of the aformentioned guns. With a factory warrenty and support. But with a A post front sight, milspec furniture, and mil-spec trigger. Basically a plain jane AR in every way.

Or you can put together something with MOE furniture, a 13.5 Mlok rail, a cheap red dot, back up ironsights, a stainless steel barrel, and a upgraded trigger.

PSA upper so far has functioned flawlessly in the first 100rds it took me to function test and zero the sights and red dot. Fit and finish on the upper is just fine. And it seems to be just as accurate or not more for an AR in this price range. The EPT trigger included with the kit is pretty nice. Its probably a little under the weight of a milspec trigger. But it has nearly no travel, and a very clean and crisp break, with a short reset.

Bushnell TRS- 25 is a nice little budget red dot. They were a nice budget optic when I first put one on my Amazon wishlist 4 years ago. They were going for $80-100 back then. Now that they seem to be going for $35-45 dollars regularly it feels like stealing.

BCM Foregrip is really cool. I like the stubby compact grip, functions as both a handstop and a traditional VFG.

The whole build weighs in at 6lbs 12.9 oz unloaded.

Personally, I think this is a much better value than buying a cheap off the shelf AR.

A few notes. Prices are subject to change. I happened to snatch up the red dot at its lowest price available, but they often show up for around $40 or so.

Second I also built this of an 80% reciever because boogaloo. This obviously doesn't include the price of tools and the jig. But I could have just as easily used a $40 Anderson lower. Minus FFL fees because those vary.

Thirdly, this is representivative of what the average joe can build today. I hate seeing "budget builds" that start with people saying they used a once in a life time coupon and just happened to have half the build laying around in their garage. This isn't a gun thing either, every hobby has people like this. Also everyone seems to always have a "buddy" that is capable of doing some normally really expensive or complicated task for basically free. Not everyone went to kindergarden with some guy who just happens to be able to resurface the face of a engine block on their own dime Jim!. /rant.

Fourthly, I painted the reciever with truck bed liner. Don't do this. It goes on super thick, takes forever to dry as evidence from my smudge marks, and fucks up all the tolerances in the gun. But it does fit the spirit of the build. And the battle worn look is kind of cool, if it only fit the rest of the rifle.





​

​

||||||
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|PSA Mlok Rifle Kit|$399.99|Palmetto State Armory|
|Raw Cerro Forge Lower Reciever|$37.95|Right to Bear|
|Magpul Pmag w/ coupon code|$7.99|Palmetto State Armory|

Base Rifle Price : $445.93

||||||
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|Bushnell TRS-25|$36.99|Amazon
|Leapers MT-RSX8S UTG .83 mount|$10.51|Amazon
|Mlok BCM Gunfighter VFG|$18.95|Bravo Company USA

Total : $512.38

Just checked the internals; the mod is certainly feasible. Imgur album with extra info for anyone interested.

I'll be using this grip tape from amazon, unless anyone has better suggestions.

The Scimitar really does feel amazing though. I'm also looking forward to it being slightly thinner to grip and even slightly lighter in addition to the extra sense of security of having a sturdy side grip to press on.

I like the Lyman manual for the sheer number of bullet styles and, in general quality of information. That's what I typically suggest a "new" reloader. Other than that, I suggest the manual for the bullet mfg that you see yourself shooting a bunch of. If you shoot speer, get the speer, hornady, get the hornady, etc.

As for a digital scale, they go from super cheap to sky's the limit. I got a Gempro250 some three years ago, prior to that, used a PACT. Both are good, but that damn Gempro is $50 more on Amazon than when I got mine (I paid $143 on April 23, 2015, hey forgot to have a birthday for it...). Brownells has the Gempro250 for $130ish, but with the code MDX that knocks $10 off the scale and free shipping to boot. The calibers you list don't seem to strike me as the precision type, so a $130 scale might be a bit excessive.

I've heard decent things about the Frankfort Arsenal Scale, seen a bunch of people use them, but I cannot personally vouch for the product. I have used a bunch of the Caldwell/Frankfort Arsenal/Battenfield products and have found all of them of good quality and value.

I recommend this red dot for a good, cheap optic. It's great for getting a taste of what a more expensive micro red dot will be like.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y3SZEJC

You will want to buy a riser for it as well. The whole setup will run you <$30 if you have amazon prime.

for the ear pro, get some electronic ones for the outer layer, and you can crank up the volume so you can still hear somewhat. I have these, and they're excellent

if the gun is in mint condition and you want to keep it that way, I'd say get a cheap hard case. I have some cheap ones and some expensive ones, and I'd say there's not much benefit to an expensive case unless you're protecting a delicate optic

as far as I know, any type of gun oil should be sufficient for any rifle.

I removed cosmo from my milsurps by soaking the metal bits in windex, but there are plenty of effective methods. I didn't bother with the wood though so can't help you there

tipton makes excellent cleaning products, I have their .30 cal carbon fiber rod and am satisfied

to avoid rusting during storage, give all the metal parts a light coat of oil before storage, and inspect it every week or two. I've been told that the foam in a hard case will attract moisture, so maybe store it outside the case

I use these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NAG4WX2/
I've had the Howard Leights as well. These are smaller and lower profile. I find them more comfortable, too. The electronics work great. I play CQB and Thunder B's are hella loud in there. This works great for that.
Use them for real guns and using my miter and table saws, too. 10/10 would buy again.

Well. Lets start on gear.

Gun - something basic to learn with.
Glock 17 - $499, lets call it $550 with transfer and shipping. These can also be gamed out with trigger kits and slides and barrels and titanium sex aides.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_43/products_id/13704/Glock+G17+G3+17%2B1+9mm+4.48%22

Mags - Going to want to get 4 extra of these to shoot production.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/930445055/glock-magazine-gen-4-glock-17-34-9mm-luger-polymer-black


Holster - No point in buying a holster twice.

Very good production holster. Can remove the drop for IDPA.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1387193018/blade-tech-doh-dropped-and-offset-belt-holster-glock-17-22-31-asr-loop-kydex-black

Mag Pouches - Basic but can be upgraded. 5 of these

http://www.copsplus.com/prodnum4116.php

Eye / Hearing Protection - Basic, wear earplugs + these when shooting indoors. The linked page has decent eye protection recommended at the bottom.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T7QJ9O/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687702&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001E8PPM0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1RVZCWMEQWMC71GH34YG

Belt/Clothing - Shoot what you have or buy what you will eventually want.

http://www.crspeed.co.za/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=SUPERHITORQUEBELT

(FOR IDPA, PICK ONE) http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=idpa+vest&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=40067038687&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13085732033880745886&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_1ckj1d00h9_b


Now, for where to start.

Find a local club google something along the lines of USPSA (city name). Or use the USPSA's tool.

http://www.uspsa.org/locate-uspsa-clubs.php

You didn't mention your shooting experience, but if you have never shot a pistol before don't go expecting to shoot your first time. Your going to need to learn to shoot safely and relatively accurately first. Your also going to want to spend some time dry firing (practicing with your pistol and gear with no ammo) before going to shoot a match. People at a match are very friendly with rookies and would be happy to help, buy you are expected to have a solid understanding of your pistol and be able to shoot somewhat accurately.

Like mentioned earlier, if you can find steel challenge in your area, start there. No movement and you can get some practice drawing and shooting under time constraints.

Once you get really good and start winning, do not expect any payoffs 0.001 percent of shooters can make a career out of this.

Respond to my post if you have any questions and I can try to answer.

+1 on the Peltor ComTac 3's.

If you have the money, i'd definitely recommend the ComTac's (no mic version).

My first pair of electronic ear pro were Howard Leights, and my second pair were MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X's.

Out of all of them, the Sordin's and ComTac's were the comfiest, they both had gel cups, so that was a major factor. Besides being super comfy, gel ear cups also do a much better job of sealing around your ears, and around the frame of your eye pro.

I'd say start out with a set of Howard Leight's, and if you shoot indoors, double up with some foam ear plugs under them. I never shoot indoors, so i usually don't double up, unless i know i'll be shooting a lot unsuppressed.

Oooh, have fun at your course! That sounds interesting! I only just figured out how to "copy and paste" in photoshop.

These earplug things because I can't study with lots of noise around

Less needed:

Han Solo Decal to scare off potential intruders

Cow Abduction Calendar - Because it's awesome

This book because I hope to do an after-degree in statistics and it seems useful

This movie because Halloween is coming!

Thanks for hosting this contest! <3

Ammo: I buy Federal white box FMJs for pistols and shit-tier Tula steel-cased for my AR-15. If you don't want to debase your rifle with the steel shit, American Frontier makes some cheap brass-cased ammo.

Gun safe: Here's a primer. I'm getting a cheap locking cabinet from Gander over the weekend - I just want something to keep my kids outta my guns, and the old 'hide it in a locked box on a high shelf' thing doesn't make me comfortable.

Extra mags: Yes. Buy from the pistol's manufacturer, or for AR-15s, I like PMags.

Reloader tool: Looking for like a magazine loader? They're good to have. I've never had a problem manually loading mags tho.

Range bag: yes. Bigger is better.

Holster: Safariland makes best-in-class holsters for all occasions.

Safety gear: I double up my hearing protection (muffs AND plugs). I use these for muffs, and whatever is cheap for plugs. I use my eye glasses as eye pro.

Also - you will want a soft bag for your pistol/rifle for transport to and from the range.

I have two 22LR rifles, one with a Simmons 3-9 rimfire scope for about $40, one with a Vortex Crossfire 2 3-9 for more like $120.

The simmons is sufficient, but the extra $100 does buy a significantly sharper view. So I guess it depends on what your wallet likes. I would point you to the nicer glass, especially if you're practicing distance/bullseye shooting.

FFP is really only important for helping you figure out how far or how big a target is. You don't need such a thing for rimfire shooting IMO.

Does it matter if the headset has an integrated microphone for radio broadcast? If not, here's my setup:

Baofeng UV-5R > Retevis PTT Shoulder Mic > 3.5mm Male-to-Male headphone cable (that comes with the headset) > Howard Leight Impact Sport headset

Audio goes into the headset (which is electronically amplified so you can hear perfectly fine while wearing them) and I use the PTT to talk to whoever. Works pretty well, just need to get myself a better antenna so I can get more range out of my radio. Lots of trees and hills at my field that limit my range.

Sure thing!

CZ P-07 (obviously) with 5 magazines

The Wilderness Frequent Flyer Belt 5-stitch 1-1/2" (looks a bit more casual than the usual instructor belt people wear, plus it's a bit cheaper)

Bladetech IDPA Competition Shooters Pack(Pretty good deal for a holster and mag pouch. I own a Bladetech Nano as well sometimes substitute that if I feel like practicing IWB. Most of Bladetech's products are available for CZ's, which is a nice change from other companies who tend to ignore them)

Howard Leight Impact Sport Electronic earpro(Almost everyone wears these, basically the standard)

Columbia Royce Peak Cargo Pants(Most comfortable pants I've ever owned. I use them for both work and shooting)

Casio W-214HC-4AVCF(You probably don't care, just being thorough!)

I'd recommend getting some spare magazines. Will make range sessions a lot more productive if you're not constantly stopping to reload your empty magazines.

Downside is Ruger is pretty proud of their SR series magazines, though you can often find the 2 packs on sale somewhere.

Also, get some good shooting glasses and hearing protection. Something with active hearing like the Howard Leight Impact Sports or something along those lines. It attenuates the noise of gunfire, but allows you to hear range commands and converse with instructors or other people on the range.

And you'll need a good range bag to carry the gun, ears, eyes, magazines, ammo, staple gun (for outdoor ranges that don't have retractable target holders) , gun wipes, UpLula magazine loader - trust me on this one, your thumbs will thank you.

I'd get the range bag first, at the very least, if money's a bit tight after the holiday spendathon. You can fill it with the other goodies later.

NRR of 22 is very low, IMHO.

For slightly more, here are NRR 30's:
Howard Leight R-01902 Impact Pro Electronic Shooting Earmuffs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BGSI5U/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_tVLJub19BQAXD

My go to is the Peltor Ultimate 10 - a $16 NRR 30 non-electronic muff. On the electronic side, I've been using Pro Ears with an NRR of 30 but I think I'm going to pick up the HL's above.

Maybe it is just my experience, but with 22's I have had to wear foams underneath.
Foams are cheap and easy to find at >NRR 30, so that is what I set as my baseline for muffs. I won't sacrifice my long term hearing (or what's left of it, what?) for convenience. I love Peltor, I just wish they would step up to 30 on the electronic side.

Seriously, it's a buyers market right now... Everything gun related is getting discounted. I'm no psychic, but I'd say it's likely to continue at least until we get up closer to the 2018 elections.

Acog's are great, but if you want to save a few bucks, I have a couple of these Sig Sauer Romeo5 sights and I really like them. Very solid... Motion activated, 40k hr battery, weather proof, $150'ish...
https://www.amazon.com/Sig-Sauer-SOR52001-Romeo5-Compact/dp/B01C95I8N4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493402755&sr=8-1&keywords=sig+romeo+5

This is what I use for my nightstand pistol Amazon - GunVault

Works great, can open it in the dark and no finicky fingerprint scanner (Though they have one with that option). Goes great in a drawer.

This would work good under the bed or on a closet shelf.

As far as what to use for a rifle... something like This under the bed or behind the headboard maybe?

I realize this is not the sight you are looking for but the Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 is awesome for a great price. I have shot a lot with this along with my Eotech. you will need a riser along with this sight.

I just bought this rifle as well as the bushnell trophy trs-25, a cheap but well reviewed optic. Figured it was good enough to start and the beauty of the mpr is that I can upgrade later

Edit: Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope, 1x25mm, Black https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00200E0HM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_eO0gDb6HGCDX9

Red dot from amazon https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00200E0HM/ref=olp_product_details/138-9863623-0009301?_encoding=UTF8&me=

This scope usually sells for around $149~$169 + taxes at most retailers in Canada.
You now save around 50% or more!

Currently you can get it on Amazon Canada for $99.89 + taxes (Free Shipping from amazon.ca / Prime eligible)

Then you get the $40 Trophy Bucks (Canadian) Mail-in Rebate!
"Through October 31, 2017, save $40 on any purchase of a Trophy or Trophy Xtreme product via mail-in rebate."

Getting this (awesome) Red Dot Sight for between $70 and $76 CAD after taxes (depending on province) is a phenomenal deal!

This Red Dot sight is for shotguns, rifles, handguns - and is not a cheapo air-soft model.

Enjoy!

I use these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NAG4WX2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Peltor Sport Tactical 100. They're really comfortable, have an auto-shutoff and active noise cancelling that can be adjusted for different levels of sensitivity, say if you're at an indoor range vs outdoor. I tested them for home defense by setting a youtube video to play in my living room while I was in a different part of the house. Picked up the sound just fine, like I wasn't even wearing them. I'd recommend 'em.

First layer of protection: ear plugs. I use these.

Second layer of protection: electronic ear muffs, either the Howard Leight Impact Sports or the 3M Peltor Sport Tactical. Both work fine and choice is determined by which fit your head better. I tried the Impact Sports and they wouldn't seal right around my ears so I got the Peltors instead and they're perfect.

Don't forget eye protection too...

Check out the UTG bug buster. It's $80 but I love it and it's amazing for the price.

>Seating Die:


Seating dies push the bullet down into the case and for pistol cases remove the belling done by the expanding die. Many seating dies can optionally apply a crimp, though some people dislike this because the bullet is still being pushed downward as the crimp is applied. Some seating dies come with multiple or reversible seating stems, this allow you to seat different profiled bullets(FMJ/Ball, Spitzer, VLD, etc) bullets without damaging them. 




>Crimp Die:


Crimping dies push the case mouth into the jacket/lead of the bullet. This helps secure the bullet from ‘walking’ out of the case under recoil. There are taper crimps, often used in semi-auto oriented rounds that start from the base of the bullet and slowly narrow as it moves upwards towards the bullet and roll crimps which fold the very edge of the case mouth inwards. Roll crimps are often used on revolver cartridges like 44mag or 38spl and rifle rounds. Taper crimps are used on things like 9mm. 



>Factory Crimp Die:


A Factory Crimp Die or FCD is kind of like a fail safe. If a bullet is slightly too large or that particular round didn’t get seated far enough a FCD will correct the mistake. It doesn’t make an unsafe round(say from a bad powder charge) safe to shoot, but it will help make sure all your rounds chamber. Since many people don’t like to seat and crimp on the same step, they use their FCD as their only crimp die. 




>Powder Check Die:


A powder check die has a small free floating ram in the middle that drops into the case. It provides an easy way to spot check powder levels based on how high it raises. Some powder check dies will lock the press when they detect an over/under charge. In practice the low powder volume and wide case can make powder check dies unreliable for pistol loads. If you do use a powder check die you shouldn’t let it lull you into a sense of false security, you should still be visually checking your charges. 





>Powder Throwers:


This isn’t a “die” so much, but many do fit directly onto your press. They dispense or ‘throw’ a specific charge of powder every time they are activated. Do to the nature of how they work how accurate they are depends on the type of powder you are using. Flake powders and long extruded powders measure with much more variation than ball or short stick powders. Throwers come in three flavors; Case activated, manual, and press activated. Press activated throwers dispense powder anytime the press ram is moved up. This is fine for a single stage press, but on a progressive press it is just a big mess waiting to happen. A manual powder thrower has a small handle you actuate anytime you want to dispense powder. These are great, as long as you don’t forget to pull the lever for every case. Case activated throwers only dispense powder when a case goes into them. These are great, especially on progressive presses. 




>Bullet Feeding Die:


Bullet feeding dies place a bullet into the belled/charged case. With a bullet feed die you don’t need to manually place a bullet for each round. While the dies themselves are 20-40 dollars they won’t always save you time without an automatic bullet feeder hopper which can cost several hundred dollars. Only useful on progressive presses.




>Case Feed:


Again this isn’t technically a die, but it attaches to your progressive press and places a new case into your shell plate automatically. These are specific to your press and usually cost several hundred dollars.


Many powder throwers can be given a PTX add on that will expand as well as charge the case. On a progressive or turret press this saves you a spot on your press and on a single stage it saves you from having to do a separate belling step. 





Shell Plates


Most die sets come with a shell holder of a matching caliber to keep the brass in the press. However if you are buying your dies piecemeal you’ll need to get a shell holder set. Progressive presses use “shell plates” which hold multiple rounds at a time. These can be proprietary and will need to be purchased separate from your dies. 




Lee shell holder set $27.99




Hornady LnL AP shell plate 9mm $24.64





Case Trimmer


When a round is fired the case is under such extreme pressure that the brass actually acts like a plastic. It expands outwards in all directions until the chamber stops it. In front of the round however there is nothing to stop the brass from flowing. Because of this the brass grows in length. After a few firings the brass may be too long to fit in the chamber of a gun again. To combat this after sizing your brass(which further alters its dimensions) you measure it. If it is too long you need to cut some of that excess off with a case trimmer until it is the proper size again. This is primarily only a concern for rifle brass.




Case trimmers can be free hand, manual, and motorized. Free hand allows you to remove brass, but requires you to check with a case gauge often to ovoid over trimming. Manual trimmers allow you to set a certain length to cut to and do all rounds to that length rotating a small lever by hand. Motorized trimmers allow you to set a length and very quickly trim a large amount of cases. Some manual trimmers can have drills attached to make them faster. Not all motorized trimmers can handle multiple calibers.




Lee Zip Trim $21.99 and Lee Cutting Ball $9.99



Lyman Universal Trimmer $82.99



World’s Finest Trimmer .223 $75.95





Chamfer/Deburr tools




Chamfering removes a bit of metal from the inside lip of the case so that bullets seat more smoothly. Deburring is removing a small amount from the outside edge of the case mouth to help remove any burrs or flakes caused by chamfering. You don’t need to do either on pistol rounds as the case is belled wide enough to accept the bullet without it. 


You can also chamfer primer pockets. This will make seating easier and in the case of crimped primer pockets it is required. 


Again, there are manual and motorized options available. Motorized is worth it for anything above small batches.




Lee Chamfer Tool $3.99




Lyman Case Prep Multi Tool $22.99




Hornady Case Prep Trio $99.99




Bullet Puller


In the process of setting up your dies you’re going to make some dummy rounds. No primer, no powder, just case a bullet to dial in your case bell, seating depth, and crimp. You can just throw these rounds away. . . or you can get a bullet puller and recover your components. There are kinetic bullet pullers that work well with heavier bullets(125gr+ in my experience) and collet bullets that attach to your press. 




Frankfort Arsenal Kinetic Bullet Puller $17.76




Hornady Cam-lock Bullet Puller $31.56






If the threat model is persistent intruder, then you might have an issue even with a safe that's not secured to the location.

If the thread model is "kids/guests", then any sort of lock box is going to be just fine.

As you say, a quick-access safe in discrete concealment might meet the best of both worlds. A GunVault Micro at 8.5" x 11" x 2.5" is going to need a pretty big "book" to conceal. The "Nano" line is only 8.2" x 6" x 1.8", a bit easier.

Also, there's plenty of in-plain-sight furniture (shelving, tables, &c.) along those lines.

I'm the same way. As a fellow budget optic enthusiast, I feel compelled to tell you that the Field Sport micro red dot is, by far, the best budget optic I've ever used. The dot is crisp and bright, with no noticeable parallax past 25 yards. There are youtube videos of people beating the shit out of them, submerging them in water, freezing them, and putting them in a toaster oven with melted cheese, all without failure or POI shift. It's honestly so good I can't justify spending the money on any more expensive red dots except for a real Aimpoint T1, and only because of the T1's incredible battery life.

Mine is a cheap amazon knock off, and I was originally going to avoid those, but a gun nut channel on youtube gave it glowing reviews so I dropped the few bucks on it.

I absolutely love it, both the sight and mount I got hold zero quite effectively, and it comes with all you need like variable brightness and zero controls.

It likely won't hold up to rigorous torture tests, but for what I use it for, WELL worth the money.

SureFire Sonic Defenders are my go-to ear plugs as an audio engineer and person who spends a lot of time in loud situations. They aren't your average foam plugs, which actually do muffle the sound a lot. These babies just turn everything down by almost 30db. And they're much more comfortable than some of the other brands I've tried; they're made of silicone so they're very flexible. They're also pretty stylish, and most of their models have color options for different skin tones (though not as much variety as I would like) Looking at their website, they're marketed towards people who hunt or spend a lot of time at the gun range, but they obviously will work in every loud setting. I'm seeing several of their models on Amazon for less than $20, which is great considering one pair will last you at least half a year if you don't let them get too caked up with wax.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V2SS9G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_42nXAbQ254YF5

> I suppose I should practice though

Yes, yes you should. It's good that they're in a safe since you've said you've got kids. You could perhaps look into one of the bedside safes that use biometrics for easier access, like a SpeedVault or a Hornady RapidSafe.

There's another one I can't find at the moment, but it mounts to any vertical surface, and pops the handgun up with the grip facing your hand, ready-to-grab.

You'll be fine with a decent rimfire scope. If you get serious about it you can invest later. I have two rimfire scopes, both around $40: a Simmons .22 Mag Fixed Power 4x32mm and a Simmons .22 Mag Variable POwer 3-9x32mm. They work fine for plinking with .22 and a friend of mine uses his for small game hunting.

More expensive scopes will work for .22, and are definitely nicer, but part of the expense is making them robust enough to withstand the recoil of much more powerful centerfire rounds.

if you want to build it - link there also upgraded versions with better stocks/pistol grips etc.

If you don't want to build it - link ps this looks like a pretty rocking build.

With that complete lower and this upper (note this one has a bcg and charging handle) you are at 550. That should save you enough cash to buy iron sights or a budget red dot like bushnell or primary arms. does that fit your budget?

I'm looking for a nicer pair of ear pro as a gift for my best man, I'll probably be looking to buy for cyber monday unless there is a solid deal beforehand. Looking for something in the 40-80 range, I'm considering these at the $45 range but would love to hear any thoughts.

I gotchu: Amazon link.

It's amazing value for the price. Good reviews. Works just fine on my plinkers. Make sure you get a cheap riser if you want any sort of co-witness.

Yes, you can buy a pair on amazon for like $35. being able to hear conversations next to you while remaining hearing-safe is a great safety feature. they block sound 100% of the time and have battery microphones that pick up sound so even if they dont have power they still protect you.

https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Amplification-Electronic-R-01526/dp/B001T7QJ9O

$32.

If you have issues with that or want to try out something else pick up one of these and a riser for it https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00Y3SZEJC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481656403&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=field+sport+micro+red+dot&dpPl=1&dpID=51iftipG28L&ref=plSrch

704 tactical did a review of it and i thought it was too good to be true so i ordered it and its surprisingly really good for what it is. If you ever want to get something more expensive but not break the bank, vortex, primary arms and holosun have great options

I second the electronic earmuff recommendation. I personally use this pair and have been very happy with it for about five years now. I always turn the "mic volume" knob all the way to max but also wear a pair of (properly seated) ear plugs underneath, which makes for a perfect amount of gunshot dampening while also letting me hear speech around me. I don't use the 3.5mm jack to listen to anything, but I imagine playing sounds from a phone would get OP the desired effect they're looking for. Earmuffs also shouldn't be a regulated product anywhere so OP could buy them at home and travel in and out of the states with them without hassle.

Is he a Vietnam veteran by chance? I knew an older guy who did something very similar to this, had undiagnosed PTSD from Vietnam and was convinved that one day charlie would be back to finish the job, hence a bolt action in the attic. Anyways, something like this is good for night stand or drawer use because it's quick and small enough to conceal such a place. Obviously someone could just walk away with the safe so you'd have to bolt/screw it to the stand to keep it secured.

Onto the discription! What this is is my grandfather's Winchester Model 290, which retailed for the very expensive price of $75 new in the 70's. I had shown an interest in firearms for years now, so on my 18th birthday my dad dug this out of the attic and said, "You get it working and we'll go shooting." Luckily there was a gun cleaning kit with it, also from the 1970s. I cleaned out the gun, and put 350 rounds of .22 through it with 2 minor feeding hiccups.

The range trip confirmed the barely adjustable plastic sights were indeed crap, as I had ascertained on the internet, and I ordered the cheap .22 scope with dovetail mounts for the gun. I don't expect it to be winning any accuracy awards and is going to be used as a plinker, so I didn't need a high budget, ultra clear scope. I ended up just going for the Simmons .22 mag It works. Nothing fancy.

I really just like how the rifle looks with a scope. It seems very natural and rounds out the look. I'll most likely go to zero it in the next few days.

Peltors/Liberators are absolutely top notch if you can snag an issued pair, but they are prohibitively expensive if you're to buy your own. Unless you need to interface with a radio just get a pair of Howard Leights off amazon (you can still use with a hand mic though), they are about $50 and fit under an ACH just fine. https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Amplification-Electronic-R-01526/dp/B001T7QJ9O/


Otherwise just run some cheapo foam earplugs, buy a 40 pack or whatever and change them out as needed.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/RCBS-reg-Rock-Chucker-Supreme-Master-Reloading-Kit/1324071.uts ($50 mail-in rebate on this)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N8JZL4?psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/RCBS-Small-Base-Die-223/dp/B000N8LIOQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1495571705&sr=1-1&keywords=rcbs+223+dies

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Electronic-Digital-Caliper/dp/B000GSLKIW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1495571775&sr=8-3&keywords=digital+calipers

https://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Reloading-Length-Headspace-Gauge/dp/B001RI7A66/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1495572110&sr=1-1&keywords=lyman+headspace+gauge

= $435, leaving $65 for your first round of components.

When your $50 rebate comes, I'd get this stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady-Lock-Load-Comparator-Inserts/dp/B000PD5VLA/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1495572018&sr=1-1&keywords=hornady+bullet+comparator

https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-836017-Quick-n-EZ-Impact-Bullet/dp/B001B7ZB4Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1495572088&sr=1-2&keywords=bullet+puller

• A load manual from your bullet manufacturer of choice. Since money is an issue, I'd start with Hornady and/or Sierra bullets which are on the affordable side of the spectrum and are good quality. Also, Hodgdon has a lot of free data for their powders (including IMR) on their website.
  
  This is basically my exact setup and I get great results from it.

what are the best passive noise cancelling over-ear headphones? I'm honestly considering getting these for being able to study and stuff in loud areas. I've tried on the Skullcandy crushers as well and they seem to do a good job of muffling outdoor sound although I know their sound quality isn't the best. My Audio Technicas just don't block out sound and I can't afford ~$300 Bose ANC headphones and I can't wear IEMs

This is the optic I have. It fits nice however I think I need to adjust my eye relief a bit. Over all I'm very happy with it and it fits in the original bag so I'm happy.

https://www.amazon.ca/UTG-SCP-M392AOLWQ-Compact-Picatinny-Sunshade/dp/B005UGIMNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485180203&sr=8-1&keywords=bugbuster

I realize you said you wanted something more compact, but if you change your mind the inexpensive 3-9x simmons rimfire scope works pretty well. Only thing I don't like is adjusting it (clicks / detents for the turrets aren't very strong, and it takes a bit of back and forth between windage/elevation adjustments to get it set right). Once sighted in it works great though and holds zero well. It's a set and forget setup, not really meant for adjusting elevation to suit target. I sighted mine for 100 yards and just hold over/under as needed for other ranges.

https://www.amazon.ca/UTG-SCP-M392AOLWQ-Compact-Picatinny-Sunshade/dp/B005UGIMNQ

My scope was on sale for $130. Its a pretty good scope. Has red/green illumination, quick connect mounts, comes in a nice compact package with instructional manual, batteries and with flip up blinds and a sun shade.

The foregrip was given to me by a friend. I know nothing about it.

5. I mean, maybe this doesn't carry weight with you, but I would say this is the clearest violation of your 2nd and 14th amendment rights and is a mirror image of poll taxes (see the 14th amendment and Harper v. Virginia State Board of Education) and/or current arguments about Voter ID laws (for reference, a state ID in Indiana, which requires gov't issued ID to vote, costs $13). Notably, debates about voter ID laws are ongoing, but many of the arguments against requiring ID are the same that I would make here: they constitute a burden to exercising your rights, particularly in a way that disparately impacts disenfranchised people.
   
   
   To combine 4 and 5 for a second, thinking about someone who has minimal extra budget and is looking to buy a handgun for themselves. Let's say they can only afford a Hi-Point C9. With an MSRP of $150, that is something that someone who has a limited income might be able to afford. Lets say, plus a box of 50 rounds of ammo for $20 so they can practice shooting? thats $170 to protect themselves and/or their family. Now, lets be clear, this is far from what I would recommend to someone who can afford to spend more money, but $170 is a fair amount of money to some people. Now lets say they have to pay the $25 fee, so we are up to $195. And they need to buy a quick access safe because they have kids around the house but need to actually be able to access the firearm in case of an emergency. So that's another $85. We are now at 280, instead of $175; nearly a 50% jump in cost for someone who is already scraping by. and that's assuming they are just buying a pistol. If they want to buy a rifle, which by every measure other than concealability is a better tool to defend yourself with (and which you would prefer in a home defense scenario), your cost would look more like this:
   Rifle Cabinet, non-quick access - $125
   HiPoint Carbine, again, hipoint not recommended, but the cheapest is MSRP of $315
   Admin fee, aka tax - $25
   Training Course, lets assume this concealed carry primer is comparable in scope/cost to what would be required by law? - $40
   Box of ammo - $20
   That nets us out to $520; $190 more than would be otherwise necessitated.
   
   
   Anyway, hopefully this was helpful. I want to say, I get that this comes from a perspective of someone who is staunchly pro-gun, but I would like to highlight that at least part of my journey of becoming pro-gun was because as I learned the technical, functional, and legal frameworks around firearms, I realized that much (90%) of the legislation being pushed would do little to impact gun violence, and actually importantly, suicide (raising awareness for mental health issues is one of the things I do when it comes to charity work).
   
   
   Happy to answer any further questions and/or continue the discussion; sorry again for the slow response-- as you can tell, lots to cover here :)

If you're wanting a good RDS for the money, the Vortex SPARC or Crossfire are always good and have a really good resale value. Those will run you about $250 though.

For the most part you get what you pay for, but I see a lot of people using a Sig Sauer Romeo5. It's an excellent RDS for the price (about $130).

The Romeo5 is on sale at Amazon right now: https://www.amazon.com/Sig-Sauer-SOR52001-Romeo5-Compact/dp/B01C95I8N4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=Sig+Sauer+SOR52001+Romeo5+1x20mm+Compact+2+Moa+Red+Dot+Sight%2C+Black&qid=1559135124&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I personally wouldn't recommend anything with an MSRP below $100.

Anything below being a professional fighter and it's very unlikely that anyone will beat up someone larger then themselves, if a 6'4" breaks into my home, the odds are that I cannot defend myself in any form of hand-to-hand combat, I'd get my ass kicked regardless of how good a fighter I am for my weight.

I agree that firearms should be stored safely, but that doesn't make them impossible to get to, here is a safe that only takes pressing a finger against a scanner and can hold a pistol and 1-2 magazines.

Also, again, the whole ability to defend myself from gross abuses of power is a pretty neat perk. In an ideal world, sure, nobody would need a weapon, but we don't live in a perfect world, we live in the one that we have and have to live with that reality, not our fantasy.

I snagged these on sale for under $40. One of the best hunting related purchases I've ever made. They have a pick up mic on both sides, so you can determine direction of sounds. The electronics actually work like a hearing aid. You could hear a mouse fart in the next room.

Most importantly, they are super low profile so they don't need with your cheekweld.

Amazon Link

Looking for a cheap scope/red dot sight for my psa freedom rifle with an A2 front sight. I'm not looking for quality, just something that's about $40 or so and decent. This and this have good rating on amazon, anyone know if they're actually decent?

This has good ratings too.

Do these look good? My friend had us use them, but we also added foam earplugs under them when firing his AR-15. Is that what you mean by foamies?


Do I need some kind of special brush or tool with the CLP cleaner? Thanks for all the help!

As a fellow flipper I'm going to recommend fucking around with some grip tape. Something like this. http://www.amazon.com/GT-5000-phones-cameras-knives-tools/dp/B00ATH0KEA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452065743&sr=8-3&keywords=grip+tape You can do a lot with a Zippo that has great grip in some places and a good slip on others. It's cheap enough to rip it off and try more in a different places.

http://www.amazon.com/UTG-3-9x32-Compact-Picatinny-Sunshade/dp/B005UGIMNQ


it's real steel, fits your budget and has a >80% positive reviews 5 star reviews, and working mildots. pretty much the best budget scope you can get.

I love the relatively inexpensive howard leight folding muffs. Me and three other guys I go to the range with all use them and its wonderful to be able to talk to each other and still protect our hearing.

<$50 and we have not had any problems after over a year of use
http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-01526-Electronic-Earmuff/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289789726&sr=8-1