>>>>>>>>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/01/obama-administration-reverses-course-forbids-sale-antique-m-rifles/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Yep - those Garands with the high capacity clip... uh... ummm.... yeah.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I can see folks holding up the liquor store or hijacking a plane with a Garand... uh.. duhhh.. When they really want to be sneaky they'll haul out the 03A3 Springfield..
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Right up there with the assult weapons ban - ban weapons that look scary.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>My favorite:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_92
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>(or the Taurus PT92) It's a semi-automatic. I guess the administration will make those illegal as well? You still have to pull the trigger every time you fire. So what is considered a "high capacity" magazine? 15 rounds? 40 rounds? This is just ridiculous. Besides, when someone who cannot own a gun tries to apply for one, the types of guns most often denied are semiautomatic pistols with short barrels and of medium caliber, not the M1 carbine or garand....
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I've always been a fan of the old reliable Colt government model 1911. I have one that was originally my grandfathers' when he was in the service. I've updated it with a target trigger, sights, shock-buff, and a vented barrel. Parkerized it too. Very accurate and pretty slick looking too!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>My favorite rifle was an FN-LAR (I'll give Belgium credit for doing something right). I had one for years and it was so accurate we started to think it was haunted. I wound up selling it when I needed cash :(
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Of course then they were banned because they looked scary.
>>>>>
>>>>>Another vote for the elegance of the 1911. As automatics go, its a beauty.
>>>>>
>>>>>My favorite wheel gun - not for beauty - that would be the 1848 3rd model Dragoon of which I own only a shooting replica - is the Colt Python. I had one with custom grips ( I have *really* large hands and that is always a problem for me in web to fingertip length) in .357 mag I used for competition and carry and it just felt right.
>>>>
>>>>Are you into black powder shooting? I've been thinking about getting into it.
>>>
>>>I did rifles when I was a kid. My grandfather was born in the hills of WVa in 1885 and actually learned to shoot with a Hawken. He taught me right around the time of the Civil War centennial when i just couldn't get enough of that stuff. We had cousins in southern Ohio that still had old Springfields that were Union Army issue.
>>>
>>>Later I got into shooting repros from Centennial Arms and some of the Italian stuff. I have some repro Colts but the only one I've done any shooting with is the 3rd Model Dragoon. Heck of a thing and kicks like a Desert Eagle.
>>>
>>>I find them a little scary though. I don't even do reloads because I don't trust myself to pay attention the way you should. I can be pretty safe with a loaded weapon because I've been on ranges and carried and handled firearms all my life, but I don't like being around loose explosives <g>
>>>
>>>The the repro I have my eye on now is the long-barrel Sharps. I had an 1878 Colt hammer shotgun (actually the ttn repro) but sold it. That thing was a lot of fun and it just felt cool to handle. Very Tales of Wells Fargo <g>
>>
>>
>>I had a roommate back in college who had a black powder revolver (I don't remember what it was a replica of - dragoon style). That seemed to draw more attention than any smokeless gun at the range - mainly for the sound (only black powder can make the Ka..THUMP sound) and the smoke cloud. Very distinctive. He couldn't hit a barn at 50 yards with it, but it was still cool.
>>
>>I think I may go after a black powder rifle to see what I can do with it.
>
>A friend of mine whose been a black powder fan for a long time recently bought three nineteenth century black powder shotguns. The nicest of the bunch is an 18 bore (gauge in US?) - beautifully made and makes any repro look (and actually perform) like s**t

I've seen some really pretty old black powder shotguns. Seems like most old ones were double barrel (or maybe those were the only ones considered worth keeping over the century+).

I have one by the door in my home office, but it is a seriously sad example - someone chromed the barrels and did a nasty job at that. I think I paid $5 for it at a yard sale - probably more than it is worth. All it is good for is a conversation piece.