Anyone play with weapons other than fencing weapons?

[Inquartata]

It would be cruel to nominate anyone.

[PretAllez]

Bombardiers are very interesting machines, very fast on frozen lakes and fields. They were used as school buses, police cars, and ambulances in Canada in addition to a host of civilian uses. They had limited capability in rough terrain.

Snow Tracs were developed in Sweden and were quickly adopted by many several military forces, including the USA by the USAF, but most prominently the Royal Commandos from the UK. Mine is obviously painted in civilian guise. Its lots of fun. When I imported it from England I brought it over as "farm machinery" so I can drive it on the roads as long as I follow the farm equipment/tractor road laws. Snow Tracs are light enough that they were transportable by helicopter to remote mountain regions for military patrols. They are capable of easily climbing slopes that are difficult to hike and they seat 7 people when outfitted with the full cabin (like mine). The cabins come off pretty easily and the units can be reconfigured to allow for open top, pick-up bed, etc. Weapons modules, rescue configurations and ambulance bodies can be configured.

A sexy video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvGySJQkph4

Then you'd be interested in one of these babies.... (scroll to the bottom)
http://www.arctictracks.com/forsale.html

Although I would recommend conversion to rubber track:
see:http://www.soucy-track.com/en/entreprise/entreprise.asp

[melensdad]

A sexy video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvGySJQkph4

Then you'd be interested in one of these babies.... (scroll to the bottom)
http://www.arctictracks.com/forsale.html

Although I would recommend conversion to rubber track:
see:http://www.soucy-track.com/en/entreprise/entreprise.asp

The BV202 actually replaced the use of Snow Tracs after several years for some uses, but the Snow Trac was used as late as the "Falklands War" by the UK (there is actually a shipload of Snow Tracs and other military equipment on the bottom of the Atlantic when a Royal Navy ship sank) and then the BV206 later replaced the use of the BV202.

I've got a few friends with both BV202s and BV206 machines as well as many other brands. (both ex-military and civilian models)

Next I'd like to pick up a Pinzgauer or a Volvo C303 Neither are tracked, but both are awesome little vehicles.

[PretAllez]

Ah, don't get me started on tracks versus wheels (dem's fightin words!!)

[melensdad]

Ah, don't get me started on tracks versus wheels (dem's fightin words!!)

Tracks are GOOD. Wheels are BAD. But every once in a while wheels can be fun, but they will never become TRACKS.

[PretAllez]

Thank the Lord ... someone who speaks sense!
(You can NOT imagine how hard it is to explain nominal ground pressure to some people...)

[melensdad]

Thank the Lord ... someone who speaks sense!
(You can NOT imagine how hard it is to explain nominal ground pressure to some people...)

Well we live on a small farm so I'm familiar with soil compaction issues from high pressure tires so I get the concept!

The tracks on my unit impart about 1# of pressure, it literally floats on snow and runs across sand with ease, and can transit boggy muddy land that will even snare my tractors.

[erooMynohtnA]

I've been a shooter for 20+ years, rifle building was a hobby that turned to a semi-profession for me and have built dozens of AR15 rifles from tactical military "entry" guns to long range sniper/target types. Many of the guns I've built are very colorful, breaking the mold of traditional guns. Pink, Yellow, Blue, Purple and Green are some of my favorite gun colors. Oddly enough when I put a bright pink AR15 next to an all black AR15 lots of "anti-gun" folks comment on the evils of the black gun but many actually gush on how cute the pink gun is . . . despite the fact that the parts are fully interchangeable.

Would you like to post some pictures? I'd definitely like to see some of that stuff.

I'm also curious to know if you do any wildcatting.

[melensdad]

Would you like to post some pictures? I'd definitely like to see some of that stuff.

I'm also curious to know if you do any wildcatting.

No I don't wildcat but I have a gunsmith friend who has developed several interesting wildcats specifically to comply with hunting laws that restrict long cartridges. He developed a 358 caliber based on the WSSM case, as well as a 458 and a 50 variant for Indiana hunters. The cases are shortened to legal length for Indiana hunting, then blown open. He just gave me some aluminum 458 100 grain hollowpoints that I will be loading up this spring. I load ammo and develop loads but limit my loading to commercial brass. The 100 grain aluminum bullets should reach 3000+ feet per second, should be great short range rounds, might be excellent personal defense or QCB rounds, but only if we can keep down the muzzle flash. The bullet developer was getting 10' flames out of a test barrel, clearly not what we'd want for QCB use. Still if the flash can be managed then this would be a great round for use INSIDE buildings as the lightweight soft aluminum round would not penetrate hard surfaces (walls) to the same degree as a copper or copper/lead bullet.

As for some photos, here you go:

This is an AR15 chambered in 458 Socom I just finished for deer hunting in Indiana. A standard magazine will hold 4 rounds of the fat 458 Socom round and should be an effective deer round out to about 225 to 250 yards. The 458 Socom round is more accurate than the traditional shotgun slugs so it can be used to farther ranges and should make for more humane 1 shot kills at all ranges.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75...s/P1080215.jpg

Here are some of the colored guns:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75...guns/1-1-1.jpg

Some other colored guns, these using all plastic lower receivers instead of traditional aluminum receivers:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75.../guns/1-19.jpg

This is a 1000 yard gun, chambered in 6.5 Grendel, custom trigger install, laser rangefinding scope, capable of hitting a tennis ball size target at 600+ yards.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75...long-range.jpg

Here are some various 458 bullets with a 7.62x39 Russian shown for size comparison. L to R = loaded 7.62x39, loaded 320gr SP in a 458 Socom, 720gr lead flat nose/gas checked 458 bullet, 230 grain solid copper bullet, 100 grain hollowpoint aluminum bulllet.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75.../guns/1-22.jpg

[Mergs]

Used to play quite a bit with 105mm, 50 cal, 40mm, 9mm, 7.62mm, 5.56mm and 45 cal. I could also, upon occasion, go to 155mm and 208mm.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

How spendy was the Grendel, by the time you got it built?

[melensdad]

How spendy was the Grendel, by the time you got it built?

Well I have several Grendels, each was expensive but each is top of the line. The yellow/black gun in one of the photos is Grendel, that uses a Sabre Defense upper, custom barrel, custom brake, quad rail over an Alexander Arms lower, AA Tactical Trigger, Cav Arms yellow furniture. Probably about $1600 in that gun, and definitely the lowest cost Grendel I have. The long range Grendel shown in one of the other photos is probably about $1800. That one uses mostly AA parts with some upgrade to the Timney Trigger system, MagPul PRS stock, CCA modular target grip. I've got another also built over an AA lower but with a custom stainless target barrel, aluminum free float tube, custom trigger, etc.

The 6.5 Grendel is my favorite round to shoot. Very little more recoil than the 5.56 but capable of surpassing the 7.62 NATO at long range, remains supersonic out to 1000 to 1200 yards (depending on weight/load) and can be both an excellent target gun and an excellent hunting rifle. I've not gone big game hunting with a Grendel (yet) but there are some documented 400+ yard 1 shot Elk kills with the bullets passing through both shoulders and dropping the Elk where it stood. Others report similar results on huge feral hogs and other game. I can shoot several hundred yards in my back yard over the bean field and have yet to hit the limits of this round's capabilities, its just an excellent all around cartridge. I tried the 6.8SPC and was exceedingly disappointed, it simply does not compare to the 6.5 Grendel, largely because of the ballistic coefficient of the round. But there are modest price guns that can be built for the Grendel, with many makers now building components.

[Inquartata]

Used to play quite a bit with 105mm, 50 cal, 40mm, 9mm, 7.62mm, 5.56mm and 45 cal. I could also, upon occasion, go to 155mm and 208mm.

Size queen.

[Mergs]

It's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it!

[markmullen]

I used to shoot competitively ending up in the Great Britain Junior Team representing my country in air rifle (standing), prone rimfire (.22LR) and three positional (40 shots each prone, standing and kneeling). I loved it but didn't have time when I started working to carry on and be competitive internationally.

[Mergs]

Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way of having fun?!

[Emfuser]

I have a basic M4gery (for non-gunnies: AR-15 modeled after a US military M4 carbine) that I shoot every now and then. I have a Saiga AK-47 clone that's fun to shoot, but needs a muzzle brake. Just sold a WASR-2 (5.45mm) in favor of finding a higher quality 5.45 shooter.

I'm also building an AR-10 type rifle (DPMS) to shoot 6.5 Creedmoor, though I'll likely have to move to find a rifle range where I can really take advantage of it. I'm looking forward to shooting some of those nice long, high bc rounds out past 1000 yards.

I also have a few odd .22s and a S&W M&P in .40 S&W.

Strangely enough, the shooting environment in SC isn't that great. I don't practice nearly enough.

[PeterGustafsson]

Hi!


Last spring I happened to find out that my younger son has some shooting talent. Now I take him to the shooting range of the local rifle club, where he during the summer trained with calibre .22 long at 50 range, and since outdoor shooting got too cold, has being shooting air rifle at 10 m range. His PB for 20 rounds is 192, and he has shot a bunch of 49-ers on the 5-target paper. Not so bad for a 9-yearold rookie.


Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson