are we really safe,

[Cassandra]

I did try clay shooting but they tasted crap. 

[Cassandra]

I loved my shooting days! Always loaded my own ammo.

I developed my own 12 bore, spreader cartridges, for clay shooting. I was much more successful, with pistols. Loved bowling pin competitions!

Was a certificated Range Officer, for the final 6 years.....

What pistols did you fire? A few of the members at the local club use the long barrel target guns and are fascinating to watch (so accurate).

Apart from the 'Derringer' I have a .38 Makarov, a Colt 38 snub nose revolver and a Winchester M373 magnum rifle. All apart from the Makarov came with the manifest of the property here.

The Winchester is the classic 'underlever' action and I can only really use it on a support chassis at the club.

My preferred choice is the Makarov (Baikal IJ-70) with a minimal kick back it allows me one armed to achieve the best accuracy and the 8 cartridge clip magazine is easy to both refresh and reload.

[Michael Rolls]

Didn't realise that you could get Makarov ammo. When it was the standard USSR sidearm it was noted for the fact that its 9x18mm (Euro designation) ammo was different from normal 9x19 Parabellum, so captured ammo couldn't be used in NATO pistols and SMGs - hardly a vote of confidence in one's own troops!
Just thought - there was a Makarov in 380 ACP  - presumably that is what you have? I'd forgotten that one.
Mike

[Wandering Walter]

I did try clay shooting but they tasted crap. 

[Wandering Walter]

My preferred handgun would be a Glock light and stopping power and more rounds than a revolver,

[Michael Rolls]

for home defence, as opposed to Hollywood shoot-outs, there is a mass of evidence accumulated by the FBI that home defence situations - homeowner v intruder - occur with 12 feet or so and seldom see more than two or three rounds discharged. Immaterial here, of course, because if an armed intruded does break into your house - he will be armed, 99% of homeowners won't be, and even if you have and use a legally owned shotgun, it's a clumsy weapon up close and leaving it around loaded and easy to get to, unless you live alone, is highly dangerous to the innocent.
From safe, to hand, to first shot, the safest, quickest weapon (again FBI data) is a double action only revolver.
Mike

[klondike]

leaving it around loaded and easy to get to, unless you live alone, is highly dangerous to the innocent.

Pretty sure it's illegal too. I think they are supposed to be kept in a gun cabinet separate from the ammunition.

On the handgun front there is a lot less to go wrong with a revolver.

[Michael Rolls]

Pretty sure it's illegal too. I think they are supposed to be kept in a gun cabinet separate from the ammunition.

On the handgun front there is a lot less to go wrong with a revolver.

Never owned a shotgun, but when I had a rifle and revolver, the rifle's bolt had to be stored separately, as did the ammunition. Didn't have a gun safe - probably mandatory these days - but the police came round at least once a year and were happy with my security arrangements.
At the time we - first wife and self - lived in an area with a bit of a history of mental patients leaving their accommodation and making a nuisance of themselves, including a number of break-ins and assaults (must emphasise  that a lot of patients went walk about, only a tiny minority did anything they shouldn't - but it only takes one) so at night the pistol was loaded and in the bedside cabinet. Thankfully, never needed.
I mentioned an armed intruder - that doesn't mean only a firearm. A screwdriver in determined hands is a lethal weapon, and in a break-in situation you are totally on your own.
Mike

[klondike]

Don't know for sure about shotguns but for an FAC it has to be a locked cabinet securely fixed to the wall. A big copper comes round every so often and tries to yank it off. Ammo separate. Don't know about bolts but not all rifles have one anyway.

They have been lax on inspections here recently and are issuing computer based only renewals which means you are legal but have no updated paper certificate which presents a problem getting more ammunition. I imagine that will get sorted somehow.

[Wandering Walter]

I have a hidden gun cabinet for my shotguns cartridges are also hidden separately, local Firearms Officer retired Police is very happy with my security.

The advice I was given by him if you are very unlucky and a someone breaks in whilst you are in the house the chances of that are very low , you have two choices flight or flight if you wife and or kids are also in the house you also have two choice do as they say or fight if you can

If you are out and come home and a burglar is in the house stay outside get away dial 999, if you see the burglar or burglars leaving try and remember what they look like and if they leave in a vehicle.       

[Cassandra]

Didn't realise that you could get Makarov ammo. When it was the standard USSR sidearm it was noted for the fact that its 9x18mm (Euro designation) ammo was different from normal 9x19 Parabellum, so captured ammo couldn't be used in NATO pistols and SMGs - hardly a vote of confidence in one's own troops!
Just thought - there was a Makarov in 380 ACP  - presumably that is what you have? I'd forgotten that one.
Mike

Yes Mike it's the rarer version .38 caliber. It's very light and popular over here with Ladies as its both compact and easy to handle, plus being Russian very simple to clean and maintain as well as ultra reliable. They are also, perhaps strangely regarded for their 'safety first' approach in handling which was one of the reasons I was 'presented' with mine in the UK many years back by a 'sympathetic client' after my shooting. It was of course registered, but I surrendered it upon leaving, as importing it here was not worth the friction of merely buying one at the local gunstore. Plus the replacement is new, feels better and has a few enhancements I find ease my physical circumstance.

[Dayjo]

What pistols did you fire? A few of the members at the local club use the long barrel target guns.

My first pistol was a stainless, Ruger GP100, .357mag. Took me a couple of years to learn and develop technique, and ammunition. But I thoroughly enjoyed winning several bowling pin comps...

Next, added a .22 S&W, 622. Very light, 4" barrel. Good for plinking, and training beginners. Not good for 25yd targets.
Swapped it for a stainless .22 S&W 2206. We, just didn't get on.....

Sold the Ruger to a friend, and bought a S&W .44 mag. Better to zap the pins? No! Didn't work out as planned. Too much gun for my arthritic wrists....

My pal wouldn't sell the Ruger back to me. So, I bought a Glock 21, in .45acp. It had good potential, but I didn't have the time to develop it, before it was over and all handed in.....

In between times, I had a new/ old stock Webly in .38 S&W. Which I swapped for a wartime S&W, same calibre.

The main part of the hobby, for me, was rolling my own ammo. Trying to get the little pills, to reliably go where I thought I was pointing 'em.....

[Cassandra]

Fascinating, I find the Colt Snub nose .38 quite a handful (excuse the pun) and with my one wrist compromised by fibro myalgia like you said with arthritis I find it painful after a few shots. I get the best results with the new Makarov. Predictable and with a limited kick. There's one in the club thats a 9mm version and of course entirely different both to fire and listen too, a real crack.

The Winchester was very accurate in the hands of the 'Club' champion and on a stand I was impressed by it too. I suppose essentially an old gun, but still a pleasure to use and behold.

Making your own Ammo must be quite therapeutic I can imagine when it goes right! but very interesting to experiment with too, I would think?

[Dayjo]

Making your own Ammo must be quite therapeutic I can imagine when it goes right! but very interesting to experiment with too, I would think?

Experimenting with different loads/ bullet weights, was what I enjoyed.
Often, loading several hundred rounds at a time, to keep component consistency....

I started my loading hobby, on 12 bore, clay, cartridges. Installing a cross card in the plastic wad, gave 4 little segments of No 9 shot. Spreading, nicely!
I regularly smoked both clays with one cartridge, shooting driven pairs....

I forgot to mention, I had a S&W Mod 52. The ammunition was .38 wadcutter.
The 158gn bullet was seated fully into the case, above 2.4gn of Red Dot powder.
A very sweet. Very accurate shooter. Loved it! I wasn't going to allow it to be, ceremonially melted down.
So I had it deactivated, before the day....

[klondike]

Mike was bewailing the loss of his old Webley service revolver. I suggested he just got a CO2 version. I have one and it's great fun for plinking. Then he told me that even airguns need a licence in Scotland.