COBrien

I did find the Retrograde, both the 500 and the 590. From what I've been able to figure, the 500 Retro is going to be about the same money as the 870 HHD. One extra round in the 870 edges it out a bit for me. Also, while doing some more looking for a patrol shotgun for the wife, I remembered Remington has a specific, separate LE/MIL website. "Hey, SWMBO is LE... Let's check it out." The 870 DM is not available as a "P" model yet (don't know if it ever will be...), so I think she's off the idea of an 870 DM for a bit. Because she wants the same quality shotgun as what she's been carrying on duty. Of course, I had to check out their other "P" models. And... 870P BS (Bead Sight) 6+1 Walnut. A seller on GunBroker has 4 listed at $399, just $15ish more than what my local gun pusher wants for the 870HHD. From what I've been able to glean online, the "P" series has several reliability upgrades over the commercially-available version, including heavier action springs, a metal trigger group, and parkerizing (which, frankly, while I like the look, parkerizing by itself doesn't move the needle for me). So... ? 🤣

It's funny you say that... She was texting me last night while she was on duty, letting me know some sh¡tbirds (technical LE term of art) moved in around the corner from us, to lock up the gun safes before I went to bed, make sure the camera system was set to "nighttime mode," and to keep my nightstand lockbox (w/ XD .45) unlocked and "at the ready," because it was just a matter of time before they figured out where she lived (a car with a light bar and reflective P O L I C E emblazoned on it is kinda hard to miss...). My response was, "Okay, will do. Is this a good time to mention I've been seriously considering a 'real' home defense shotgun, not just my fun little Mossberg .410 I bought an 18" barrel for?" She asked what I was looking at and what it'd cost. Hehe... I really dig that. Never really been into Ithacas, but after I fondled a Stevens bottom-eject pump many, many years ago, I've thought it was a neat concept. That's still about twice the price of the 870. Hell, I could pick up my wood-stocked HD scattergun and an 870 DM "MagPul special" for her for that kind of money. Also, since her issued shotgun has been an 870 since she started 11 years ago, I'd just as soon stick with what she knows and is comfortable with in the event she needs to use it.

Now that she's back in patrol from CID, the wife has decided she'd like to have a personally-owned shotgun to go with her personally-owned (and built...) rifle. So I've been shopping. She prefers Remington 870s. Personally, I'm a fan of the Mossberg pump guns. She wants an 870 DM. I, personally, would prefer to give that platform another year or two to prove itself, but Momma gets what Momma wants. While browsing for her shotgun, I think I stumbled upon my next firearms purchase... The Remington 870 Hardwood Home Defense (81197). 18.5" barrel, 6+1. I've been trying to figure out how to modify a Mossberg 500 to accomplish the same goal, but it seems (from my limited -- nonexistent -- knowledge of modifying shotguns and a quick thought about how my 500 in .410 comes apart) it's impossible to extend the magazine tube on a 500. A 590? Sure. But buying a 590 is going to cost me a substantial amount more than the $385(ish) that the 870 HHD would.

I stumbled upon this over at RimfireCentral... Link to original: https://winchester.com/support/customers/X17HMR1-Recall PRODUCT WARNING AND RECALL NOTICE WINCHESTER® Super-X 17 HMR 20 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point Olin Winchester, LLC is recalling two (2) lots of 17 HMR 20 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point Rimfire rifle ammunition. Symbol: X17HMR1 Lot Numbers (last four characters): NB51 and NB61 Winchester has determined the above lots of 17 HMR ammunition may contain no powder charges. Ammunition with no powder charges may result in a bullet remaining in the barrel (i.e., a bullet-in-bore obstruction). Firing a subsequent bullet into the bore obstruction could cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable and subjecting the shooter and bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury. DO NOT USE WINCHESTER® 17 HMR 20 GRAIN JHP SYMBOL X17HMR1 THAT HAS A LOT NUMBER ENDING IN NB51 or NB61. The ammunition Lot Number is stamped on the top of the 1000-round case and the outside of the 50-round plastic box as indicated here. To determine if your ammunition is subject to this notice, review the Symbol and Lot Number. If it is Symbol X17HMR1 and the last four characters of the Lot Number are NB51 or NB61, immediately discontinue use and contact Winchester toll-free at 844-653-8358 for free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition. This notice applies only to Symbol X17HMR1 with Lot Numbers ending in NB51 and NB61. Other Symbols or Lot Numbers are not subject to this recall. If you have any questions concerning this 17 HMR rimfire rifle ammunition recall please call toll-free 844-653-8358, write to Winchester (600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 Attn: X17HMR1 Recall), or visit our website at www.winchester.com. We apologize for this inconvenience. WINCHESTER September 12, 2019

...and it’s a damn shame, because their idea is brilliant. But the execution is apparently piss-poor...

No offense taken. I haven’t posted about Gibbz problems before, but now that you mention it, I do seem to remember someone (maybe you?) mentioning previous problems, either in this thread or in the “anybody know anything about these?” thread I started. I didn’t check out those threads, but I figured surely they’ve got their problems worked out by now. Fawk. I actually called Gibbz this afternoon to ask WTAF could be the problem. They blamed Criterion and NLA (“that’s a pretty new BCG to the market, maybe they haven’t quite ironed it out yet”), then said, “If you hit a wall, send it to us and we’ll see if we can figure it out.” No, thanks. I’m having Mike headspace me a bolt. I figure it can’t hurt to know it’s been hand-selected by CBI. I’ll try ‘er out — by hand — with live rounds. If she won’t work, I’ll try various combinations of NLA, FA, and DPMS carriers and bolts to see if I can find something that’ll check out. If still no dice, the Gibbz upper will go in a parts box for “one of these days” when I have the time and patience to dick with it. Then I’ll bite the bullet and pick up a Fulton upper on sale. I’d love a FA side-charger, but that’ll require another $175 for a carrier. So it’ll be a standard upper, and I’ll throw the NLA carrier, FA bolt, and my TacOps Sniper in it.

I heard back from Mike at Criterion Barrels today... He says the NLA bolt I have is "within tolerance," not way tight, but within tolerance. He says he can go ahead and select a Fulton bolt if I'd like, but he can't promise it will improve functionality or accuracy over what I have. He also said the NLA bolt closed on a GO gauge, and would not close on a NOGO gauge. I asked him how that could be, when it wouldn't close on my Forster GO gauge or a live round. He didn't know, other than to say that, in his experience, left-side charging upper receivers tend to have reliability and accuracy issues. He also said my receiver isn't DPMS-spec, in the truest sense of that phrase. I'm at a loss here. My headspace gauges are telling me there's a problem. My range experience is telling me there's a problem. CBI says there's no problem but, if there is, it's with the receiver itself. I've just about resigned myself to having Mike fit a Fulton bolt, ditching the Gibbz upper in favor of a Fulton "standard" DPMS-spec upper, and calling it a day. But dammit, I hate to do that. I've got $350 in that upper. And I won't offload it on anyone if I suspect it's got issues.

No problem. So long as the quote is all there every time it’s used...

True. I never said a GO gauge was the only way to get it done. But I have a tool specifically for that purpose. I’m a tool queer, and I freely admit it.

Headspacing is a very real concern with large-frame AR-pattern rifles. Even using quality parts from reputable manufacturers, you can have an issue. I'm extremely fortunate that my "CSASS" rifle (Gibbz upper, Criterion barrel, Next Level BCG) didn't blow up in my face the first time I took it out. Chambered a round (or so I thought, from behind the rifle), dropped the hammer, and got a "click." Had to mortar the unfired cartridge out. I could swear I checked the headspace after I completed the build, but apparently I didn't. If I had, I would have known there was an issue. After checking the headspace, where the rifle wouldn't go into battery on a GO gauge, I sent the upper to Criterion to have a bolt fitted for it. I'd highly recommend having a full set of Forster headspace gauges (GO, NOGO, and Field), or at least GO and NOGO, for large-frame ARs. In my case, if I'd only had a NOGO and Field gauge, I still wouldn't have discovered the issue I had. Because, well, the bolt isn't supposed to close on either of those gauges. But it is supposed to close on a GO gauge.

Agreed.

Hell, they don't have a warning -- they have exactly the opposite. I'd be hard pressed not to demand a full refund on the completed lower, and a return and refund on the untouched lower...

That's bad juju. I understand them not accepting returns on a milled 80% lower -- it's now a firearm, and many 80% sellers aren't FFLs. That's kind of why they're selling 80%s...

In fairness, it doesn't seem Walmart wants to create a "gun-free zone" in their stores. They just want to create a "don't ask, don't tell" atmosphere. "We don't have a problem with you carrying in our stores, but don't advertise it because it makes people nervous."

@98Z5V Lockers are definitely on the list. Well, I say “lockers,” but what I’m really looking into is the Detroit TrueTrac — helical LS — at least in the front, maybe also our back. Rear may get an Aussie. But, with the rear being a D44, options are pretty much limitless. Honestly, just getting the thing to the point that it’s not a mechanical center of uranus will be my first priority. Then... Mods.

I mean, it’s got a D30 up front, and I’m just planning 2.5ish inches of lift and 31s. It’s gonna be “my wife’s toy,” so it won’t get beat on. But still...

So, I got curious today. Numrich is now selling the 41-B w/o bayonet lug for... $79.95 41-B w/ bayonet lug... $99.95 Just in case anyone's still interested in these and didn't snag one from mrraley. https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1436750B (Click 'View All Items' to see all the A.R.M.S. sights they have -- and all on sale!)

Well damn, @98Z5V, I didn't know you were into Jeeps... I'm currently trying to weasel my way into a '74 CJ5, AMC 304, 4-speed. Dealer-installed steel hardtop (will be the first thing to get sold off...). Needs a little of everything, I'm afraid. A buddy owns it and has been threatening to sell it to me for a decade now. I hate that it's a mid-year CJ5, because most of the aftermarket sh¡t that's out there is for '76-up. It'll be a resto-mod type project, trying to keep aftermarket stuff period-correct, while making it a respectable rig at the same time. 4-wheel discs are high on my list, though a front D44 swap and YJ spring conversion are up there, too. The AMC engine is staying, though it may get a 360 or 401 if I can find one reasonably priced, and with an oil pump that's not completely FUBARed...

I should have thrown these in with my other post, above. These are the signs Walmart will begin distributing to their stores "in the coming weeks." Note the comment about "selling-through" .300 BO, 7.62x39, and .224 Valkyrie. They won't be restocking those calibers (as well as .223/5.56), once they've sold everything they have already committed to purchasing.

I don't disagree -- I just presented the original press release, as it was published on Walmart's website. Doug McMillan obviously didn't want to call attention to that particular point...

Now that that's been shared, here's the reality: Walmart gives not one teeninsy sh¡t about firearms owners who will boycott their stores after these policy changes. It will not affect their bottom line. At. All. The presser clearly states they expect to go from 20% of the market in ammunition sales to 6-7% in the next couple of years. But that's not where they're making their money -- nor are firearms sales. Their money comes from groceries and all the other miscellaneous crap they sell. Truth be told, as much as I'd love to stop shopping at Walmart altogether (for oh, so many reasons, not the least of which is their illegal and immoral labor practices...), the retail landscape in the town we live in simply won't allow for it. We have a couple of mom-and-pop grocery stores, a handful of clothing stores, and 2 or 3 hardware stores which are actually pretty well-stocked. But that's it. Further, our monthly budget (since I bought the wife her new Durango) won't allow us to buy groceries anywhere else. Nobody can beat Walmart's prices and, due to their market share and demands upon suppliers, there's no sense in trying -- more on that later, if anyone's interested.

Press release from Walmart's website (emphasis in original): McMillon to Associates: Our Next Steps in Response to the Tragedies in El Paso and Southaven Dear Associates, A month ago, in El Paso, Texas, a gunman with an assault-style rifle launched a hate-filled attack in our store, shooting 48 people resulting in the loss of 22 innocent lives. Just a few days prior, two of our associates were killed by another associate in our store in Southaven, Mississippi. And hours after the shooting in El Paso, our country experienced another mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. This weekend brought tragedy to Midland and Odessa, Texas. In Southaven and El Paso, our associates responded to anger and hate with courage and self-sacrifice. Our immediate priorities were supporting our associates and the impacted families and cooperating with law enforcement. In parallel, we have been focused on store safety and security. We’ve also been listening to a lot of people inside and outside our company as we think about the role we can play in helping to make the country safer. It’s clear to us that the status quo is unacceptable. After visiting El Paso on Aug. 6, I mentioned that we would be thoughtful and deliberate in our responses. We’re ready to share our next steps. We’ve been giving a lot of thought to our sale of firearms and ammunition. We’ve previously made decisions to stop selling handguns or military-style rifles such as the AR-15, to raise the age limit to purchase a firearm or ammunition to 21, to require a “green light” on a background check while federal law only requires the absence of a “red light,” to videotape the point of sale for firearms and to only allow certain trained associates to sell firearms. Today, we’re sharing the decisions we’ve made that go further: After selling through our current inventory commitments, we will discontinue sales of short-barrel rifle ammunition such as the .223 caliber and 5.56 caliber that, while commonly used in some hunting rifles, can also be used in large capacity clips on military-style weapons; We will sell through and discontinue handgun ammunition; and We will discontinue handgun sales in Alaska, marking our complete exit from handguns. We know these decisions will inconvenience some of our customers, and we hope they will understand. As a company, we experienced two horrific events in one week, and we will never be the same. Our remaining assortment will be even more focused on the needs of hunting and sport shooting enthusiasts. It will include long barrel deer rifles and shotguns, much of the ammunition they require, as well as hunting and sporting accessories and apparel. We believe these actions will reduce our market share of ammunition from around 20% to a range of approximately 6 to 9%. We believe it will likely drift toward the lower end of that range, over time, given the combination of these changes. As it relates to safety in our stores, there have been multiple incidents since El Paso where individuals attempting to make a statement and test our response have entered our stores carrying weapons in a way that frightened or concerned our associates and customers. We have also had well-intentioned customers acting lawfully that have inadvertently caused a store to be evacuated and local law enforcement to be called to respond. These incidents are concerning and we would like to avoid them, so we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores or Sam’s Clubs in states where “open carry” is permitted – unless they are authorized law enforcement officers. We believe the opportunity for someone to misinterpret a situation, even in open carry states, could lead to tragic results. We hope that everyone will understand the circumstances that led to this new policy and will respect the concerns of their fellow shoppers and our associates. As it relates to concealed carry by customers with permits, there is no change to our policy or approach. This morning, we briefed your leadership team on how to communicate this change in policy to customers when needed, and they will be sharing that with you very soon. We will treat law-abiding customers with respect, and we will have a very non-confrontational approach. Our priority is your safety. We will be providing new signage to help communicate this policy in the coming weeks. As an additional step, we commit we will work alongside other retailers to make the overall industry safer, including sharing our best practices. For example, we are exploring ways to share the technical specifications and compliance controls for our proprietary firearms sales technology platform. This system navigates the tens of millions of possible combinations of federal, state and local laws, regulations and licensing requirements that come into effect based on where the firearm is being sold and who is purchasing it. We hope that providing this information, free of charge, will help more retailers sell firearms in a responsible, compliant manner. Finally, we encourage our nation’s leaders to move forward and strengthen background checks and to remove weapons from those who have been determined to pose an imminent danger. We do not sell military-style rifles, and we believe the reauthorization of the Assault Weapons ban should be debated to determine its effectiveness. We must also do more, as a country, to understand the root causes that lead to this type of violent behavior. Today, I’m sending letters to the White House and the Congressional leadership that call for action on these common sense measures. As we’ve seen before, these horrific events occur and then the spotlight fades. We should not allow that to happen. Congress and the administration should act. Given our decades of experience selling firearms, we are also offering to serve as a resource in the national debate on responsible gun sales. We have a long heritage as a company of serving responsible hunters and sportsmen and women, and we’re going to continue doing so. Our founder, Sam Walton, was an avid outdoorsman who had a passion for quail hunting, and we’re headquartered in a state known for its duck hunting and deer hunting. My family raised bird dogs when I was growing up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and I’m a gun owner myself. We understand that heritage, our deeply rooted place in America and our influence as the world’s largest retailer. And we understand the responsibility that comes with it. We want what’s best for our customers, our associates and our communities. In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again. The status quo is unacceptable. Doug Sept. 3, 2019 PDF of original attached. Walmart Press Release re Firearms and Ammo.pdf

...when did they go up? Last I checked, they were running $55 + shipping...

Got ‘er all boxed up and sent off this afternoon. Should reach CBI Saturday. Maybe by next weekend I’ll have my upper back!

NASCAR has to do something to stay relevant. When's the last time anything NASCAR-related was in the headlines?