Is ammunition becoming more available?

[Darrell KSR]

And arrived this afternoon.

I give them credit for eventually honoring all of their orders, at the original prices. Took forever, of course.

[VirginiaCat]

Not sure if all of you get the emails from PSA but they have some good deals lately. Seems some of the Ammo shortage has abated and they also have some good prices on firearms. I just picked up the PSA 9mm Dagger with 10 clips for $399. Have wanted a 2nd pistol to keep at my condo.

[suncat05]

I am really not in the market for another 9mm, but I am kind of interested in this PSA Dagger. And I like the fact that it accepts most Glock accessories. As far as the ammunition is concerned, I'm concentrating on feeding the rifle these days, as I want to keep any bad guys way, way away from being anywhere close to me or mine. If you have to resort to using the handgun, they're already too close to you.

I have made up my mind though that I am going to purchase one more handgun. I do not yet have a .45 ACP, but I have made up my mind that my next handgun purchase is going to be a Rock Island Armory ,45 ACP, preferably a Commander style clone.

[VirginiaCat]

I am really not in the market for another 9mm, but I am kind of interested in this PSA Dagger. And I like the fact that it accepts most Glock accessories. As far as the ammunition is concerned, I'm concentrating on feeding the rifle these days, as I want to keep any bad guys way, way away from being anywhere close to me or mine. If you have to resort to using the handgun, they're already too close to you.

I have made up my mind though that I am going to purchase one more handgun. I do not yet have a .45 ACP, but I have made up my mind that my next handgun purchase is going to be a Rock Island Armory ,45 ACP, preferably a Commander style clone.

I grabbed 5 mags for my AR as well. Five 30 round mags with 200 rounds of .223 for $150.

I think any deal done on gun control will be around Mag size so figured I would grab some.

[dan_bgblue]

I figure if I take my time and put range training to work for me, my scoped, with open sight mount, Marlin, lever action, 30-30 will create a lot of havoc. Properly placed rounds will keep the vampires from walking away. Matter of fact is, they will not crawl away either. It also makes enough racket to scare the he!! out of the survivors. I have thought about getting an AR or something similar, but if I did, I know I would get out my tool kit and make it a spray and pray weapon. Can't afford to keep loading those 30 round mags and shooting holes in the sky.

VirginiaCat, do the folks at Palmetto State have the Dagger ready to ship, or are they still building them, to order and the buyer having to wait a few weeks for them to ship?

Thanks

[VirginiaCat]

I figure if I take my time and put range training to work for me, my scoped, with open sight mount, Marlin, lever action, 30-30 will create a lot of havoc. Properly placed rounds will keep the vampires from walking away. Matter of fact is, they will not crawl away either. It also makes enough racket to scare the he!! out of the survivors. I have thought about getting an AR or something similar, but if I did, I know I would get out my tool kit and make it a spray and pray weapon. Can't afford to keep loading those 30 round mags and shooting holes in the sky.

VirginiaCat, do the folks at Palmetto State have the Dagger ready to ship, or are they still building them, to order and the buyer having to wait a few weeks for them to ship?

Thanks

Dan, I assume ready. When I looked a few months back I got an out of stock message. Did not this morning and they are advertising the heck out of them.

[dan_bgblue]

I hope you have good luck and as for the advertising, they were pumping out adds on it 6 months before they shipped the first production model.

[Darrell KSR]

I picked up a Glock 19, Gen 3 yesterday, with Glock hearing protection earmuffs and Glock shooting glasses for $499 at Academy Sports yesterday. The range kit range up at $50, but it was free with the purchase.

I went there to look at the G 17, Gen 5 which was on sale for $549 and also included the free range kit/hearing protection/shooting glasses for free. I just couldn't do it when I held it, thought about occasional carry, then looked at the G19 Gen 3, which is very similar to the G 36 I already own, use and carry, and opted for it. It's almost a wash, because the Gen 5 (G 19 also sold for $549) comes with an extra magazine (3) rather than 2 that the Gen 3 comes with. Still, I preferred the finger grooves (they just fit me well), which is unusual, I know.

Academy's supply of ammunition was ok. They had several different options for 9mm target brass, all around $0.40 per round, $20 a box of 50. They had several options for self-defense rounds, all around $1-1.25 per round. I didn't look that hard at other ammo, but they had..."some." Shelves were neither bare nor full.

Was an enjoyable purchase. There were 3 of us-- a Jefferson County deputy, another customer, and me, and we were all sharing thoughts as I looked at several different options. The young man selling was not a Glock fan -- he said, "they're like Apple. Yeah, they work, but they're overblown and the marketing pumps it up too much." Still, for a guy like me, I want it to, well, work. No frills. No thoughts, just pull the trigger and it goes bang.

The deputy was a big Glock fan. He carries it, of course, had a G 17 with him, and said he had several off duty Glocks. So it was fun to hear them talk.

The other customer had several higher capacity handguns, and was looking for a small, more concealable weapon. There were some that he looked at, but he kept coming back to having 6, 7 or 10 rounds wasn't enough. I think he was trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole.

The seller was a big Walther fan. Said it was his favorite company. He about had a stroke when I told him I sold my Walther Creed. He told me it had been discontinued, and would be a great one to own. I told him I sold it for almost a $200 profit, and if you count the free range kit I got, I basically paid $249 for the new Glock 19 (that's what I paid for the Walther Creed).

[CitizenBBN]

If he wants capacity and concealment, turn to the Sig P365X. The one I got my GF is 12+1 and the thing is still tiny. It's unbelievable how they got a double stack that small. They have a 10+1 as well that's a tad smaller.

I really may go that way as well. My J-frame S&W I love, and it's a 357, but only 5 rounds. Of course it's loud and 357 is a persuasive round for impact but also for noise, but still 5 rounds versus 12 or 13.

I haven't fed any self defense 9mm through the Sig but reports are it's very reliable. Right now it's too expensive to shoot that much through it lol.

[suncat05]

Glock's are, and always have been very basic, functional and reliable. I have never thought anything besides that of them, but I didn't like that Euro grip angle on the first 4 generations of them. It just isn't "point & shoot" ergonomic enough for my taste. That said, I was reared up on the 1911, and the S&W Model 10, so I guess my introduction is as about as "old school" as you can get.

I am still a Sig Sauer guy though, and I guess I always will be. Personal preference. But there's nothing wrong with a Glock. I absolutely love my Gen 5 Model 45. Very, very nice handgun.

[kingcat]

My FIL Bill had quite a gun collection and our very large family were handed down probably thirty five or forty different ones. All the Grandkids got a very nice keepsake. Donna and I got a couple including a nice nine I’ll post later.

This is the other..

marlin.jpg

I do have a question if anyone knows the answer. My serial # has the letters AB and then four digits and I cant track that down for the year to save my life. Normally there would be a single letter, the date (subtracted from 100) and four digits. Anyway, I love the little thing.

[kingcat]

My FIL Bill had quite a gun collection and our very large family were handed down probably thirty five or forty different ones. All the Grandkids got a very nice keepsake. Donna and I got a couple including a nice nine I’ll post later.

This is the other..

marlin.jpg

I do have a question if anyone knows the answer. My serial # has the letters AB and then four digits and I cant track that down for the year to save my life. Normally there would be a single letter, then the date code (subtracted from 100) and then four digits.

Anyway, I love the little thing. Especially the great man who owned it.

[Darrell KSR]

I do have a question if anyone knows the answer. My serial # has the letters AB and then four digits and I cant track that down for the year to save my life. Normally there would be a single letter, then the date code (subtracted from 100) and then four digits.

1966?

https://www.gunvaluesboard.com/marli...ture-1664.html

[CitizenBBN]

Beat me to it D. that's about the most accurate list for Marlins. I maintain a list of links for serial dating of lots of manufacturers, that's the one I use for Marlin.

Some makers publish theirs, and some are really secretive for some reason. Colt will look up the history on a gun for you, the date, etc. and send you a letter, but they charge for it. So there are sites out there that cobble that data together themselves from third party sources.

[kingcat]

Thank you guys bewy, bewy much!

[VirginiaCat]

VirginiaCat, do the folks at Palmetto State have the Dagger ready to ship, or are they still building them, to order and the buyer having to wait a few weeks for them to ship?

Thanks

Dan, I finally picked mine up yesterday. It was in my local dealer on May 27 (2 days after I left for Europe for 18 nights). So not a bad turnaround. I had to delay in picking it up as I got pickpocketed in Barcelona and lost my Drivers license. Had to wait for VA to reissue.

The Dagger is smaller than my Springfield XD9 but also feels lighter. No problems with my larger hands though. The Rack is smother than the XD9 but I think the trigger might be a bit heaver.

For $399 with the extra magazines I think it was a steal.

[VirginiaCat]

Ok guys, I need some education...

I need to (ok, want to) grab some more 9mm rounds now that I need to stock my MB condo too.

lets talk grains.

1st, I assume more grains mean more power. So, with 9mm should I assume and use a 115 grain is better for target practice and a 124 or 147 would be what I load for defense?

[CitizenBBN]

Actually not really.

"Grains" is not the powder load, which many people think. It is the weight of the bullet. I'd say most causal gun owners think it is the amount of powder and thus the power of the round.

The powder is basically the same unless you are loading yourself or using "wildcat" rounds, non-stock ammo.

So the question is what weight of the actual lead bullet is best for a given caliber and use?

Lighter rounds have some benefits, so do heavier rounds.

Let's narrow down to just 9mm since that's what you need.

Lighter 9mm will go farther b/c they are lighter and have more energy behind them for the weight. They are thus more accurate at longer distances than heavy rounds.

BUT, they have less mass, and are thus less accurate for example in high winds at short range. Heavier rounds tend to be more accurate at short distances due to their mass and thus overall stability. Since 9mm pistols are used primarily at very close range, heavier tends to be more accurate, though most defensive encounters are at 21 feet or less and at that range both are basically as accurate as you need to be. Not much difference unless you are under certain conditions.

Next is terminal ballistics, or what the round does when it hits the target. Basically the bad guy. You'd think lighter rounds would penetrate more as they are going faster, but they don't. They have less mass, and thus their energy is lost quicker. Heavier rounds tend to go farther into a human target.

Also if they are hollow points, they will thus expand better b/c of more time in contact.

Some think though that "shock" is better with a lighter round, as it is going faster ( about 1,200 fps v. 900 fps) and that tissue shock is part of the stopping power of the bullet.

All of this is highly debated fwiw. Esp. the shock value versus force of impact on a target. It's like starting a political discussion or a debate about Cal and recruiting, lol.

Long story short, both will do the job. I tend to prefer 124g. 147g IMO is too big for the 9mm round. BUt I wouldn't think twice about shooting 115g if that's what I had.

Remember the difference there is 9 grains. There are 15.43 grains in a single gram, so this is literally less than 1 gram difference in bullet weight.

So in a way it's sophistry. The difference of slightly more than half of one gram in bullet weight, to give some perspective.

[suncat05]

I agree with CBBN. I prefer the 124 grain bullets too, although I do have some Hornady 135 grain Critical Duty in the Glock Mod 45. After Hornady I am very partial to the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain rounds.

[VirginiaCat]

Thanks guys. So I am one of those mis-informed that has thought grains meant the load my entire life. What it really means is ballistic weight.

the 124/135 seems a good compromise. For me, a handgun is going to be emergency within 30 feet so the heavier load make sense but the compromise will be where I land.

Now to go find 100 rounds under $.40 per round. PSA has a 115 grain for $.38.....

[Darrell KSR]

Caveat emptor; I don't know anything about this manufacturer--maybe CBBN or Suncat can chime in.

PSA has a daily deal for $0.30 a round for 115 grain 9mm brass by Venatum. They call it a Fourth of July sale, so maybe it will be longer than a day, I dunno.

Here's the link.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/four...tum9mm115.html

In checking around, it looks like there are other places you can get this for $0.30 a round as well.

PSA also has PMC for $0.32 a round on their daily deal. I'm familiar with them, but again, I'm not an expert, but that's what I would get.

[CitizenBBN]

Thanks guys. So I am one of those mis-informed that has thought grains meant the load my entire life. What it really means is ballistic weight.

the 124/135 seems a good compromise. For me, a handgun is going to be emergency within 30 feet so the heavier load make sense but the compromise will be where I land.

Now to go find 100 rounds under $.40 per round. PSA has a 115 grain for $.38.....

I would say an outright majority of gun owners probably think of grains as a powder load. Even some guys who will pontificate about such things and don't know, lol. Honestly it is confusing b/c you also measure powder loads in grains. So when you load rounds you have the grains of powder used, and the grain weight of the bullet, and there is some correlation in some loading.

So it's not entirely incorrect depending on the caliber and round and loading that is done. But when a manufacturer advertises a "grain" they mean the bullet weight, even though the powder is also in grains.

That's not to mention "wildcat" or non-standard loads or rounds.

It's an extremely common misconception. Unless someone has loaded ammo I'd say the majority think of it as powder load.

[bigsky]

Definitely thought it was bullet weight. And knew powder in grains too.

Speaking of reloading, magnum rifle primers are scarce here. You all too?

[VirginiaCat]

I ended up getting Ten 100 round boxes of 124 Grain 9MM through PSA. They were prices at $31.99 each and with tax and shipping my all in cost for 1000 rounds was just under $.35 per round. Not too bad.

[VirginiaCat]

I know some of you were considering the PSA Dagger 9mm.

They have it back in stock and at $299

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...black-dlc.html

[dan_bgblue]

Have you shot yours enough yet to offer a good/bad critique?

[Darrell KSR]

If I had extra money, this is one I'd consider in the 9mm, higher capacity range.

SIG Knocks It Out of the Park with the New P365 X-Macro Comp – Full Review/

I bought the Walther Creed 9mm for $249 on a crazy special, then sold it a few years later almost doubling my money, and then used the proceeds to buy the Glock 19 for $499. I like that for reliability, but a Sig in 17+1 in CCW size? Yes, please.

[CitizenBBN]

If I had extra money, this is one I'd consider in the 9mm, higher capacity range.

SIG Knocks It Out of the Park with the New P365 X-Macro Comp – Full Review/

I bought the Walther Creed 9mm for $249 on a crazy special, then sold it a few years later almost doubling my money, and then used the proceeds to buy the Glock 19 for $499. I like that for reliability, but a Sig in 17+1 in CCW size? Yes, please.

I have the Sig P365X. Love it. Great gun.

[blueboss]

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...istol-bag.html

Anybody familiar with the linked. I didn’t go very far back in the thread…being lazy.

I just saw it for $409


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[VirginiaCat]

Have you shot yours enough yet to offer a good/bad critique?

Dan, I have not. In fact, I have not had it out yet. I have limited options to go to shoot here in the Socialist State of Northern VA....