Pr,
Been trying to make sense of the LFG stuff. But this - this I can understand. My personal pistol of choice is a .45 1911 Colt. I am a wimpy guy. A short, slightly built old guy. I find the .45 to be so much an extension of my hands. It just points right. You won't find a better pistol design or caliber anywhere. The ergonomics are excellent. It is just a joy to shoot. I might not recommend it for ladies due to size/recoil. There is a 9mm out that is a sized down copy of the 1911 which may have the same handling characteristics as the full size and might be worth checking out. Can't remember the manufacturer. I also like some of the Ruger auto pistols (P-85 I think, tho' that may be an older model #.) Once used the P-85 to shoot out a quarter dollar sized star from 21 feet. I'm lusting over the 50 cal. And I know it's LGF.

A short, slightly built old guy. I find the .45 to be so much an extension of my hands. It just points right. You won't find a better pistol design or caliber anywhere. The ergonomics are excellent.

OK, the ergonomics of my 1911 are another beef I have. The magazine well is a hard-metal single stack, which makes clearing type 1 malfunctions (tap,rack,flip), more painful. I also find that I can't rack the slide to the rear as easily and painlessly as I can with a Glock.

I do admire the simplicity and longevity of the design though. Maybe I just need to make some mods to my gun, specifically on the handle guards and the slide.

I basically bought a 1911 because almost all of the fire-arms instructors own one. It doesn't hold as much ammo as a double-stack, but if you haven't solved your problem in 7+1, oh boy.

Ah, firearms, my sport. I lettered in NCAA small-bore in college, and am a certified NRA safety/marksmanship instructor.

I have an old .45 1911 Auto Ordinance. Needs some work. Looking to trade up to a higher quality model. As far as personal protection goes, it is hard to beat the .45 ACP.

One rifle that should be in the top ten is the .30-06 Springfield. This round/rifle has killed more enemies of the U.S. than any other. Winchester Model 70 is my prefered platform.

I also really like my Remington 700 VS in 22-250 with 6-24 x 44 1/8 dot silhouette scope. Rhe most accurate non-target-quality rifle I ever fired, when using my select hanloads. I may someday find a Sendero in .308, but for now my .30-06 Winchester does what I need.

Larry,

They .30-06 is definitely the best round out there, but I like .223 because of the low recoil and the fact that you can shoot it all day and still hit. This is kind of my point about 9mm, it's less powerful, but it's a lot more important to hit.

Considering the SEALs are still packing the AR-15, (or the Mark 12), and they can have whatever they want, that speaks volumes to me.

I like FAL type rifles, M14s, and obviously the M1, but for killing enemies, the AR-15 with a good scope seems to be the best way to put them down. Am I wrong?

PR,
(but if you haven't solved your problem in 7+1, oh boy.) I figure if I'm ever in that situation and 7+1 won't do it, I'm pretty much screwed anyway. Larger capacity definitely has its point. I guess I could get a 50 rd snail drum for the .45. Can you ever have enough ammo? On another point, I prefer a pistol with an exposed hammer, so I don't like the Glock tho' thousands swear by them. I also don't like the Glock trigger safety. That's just me. No argument if someone else says Glocks rule.
As far as guns/calibers, I try to stick with current military calibers in whatever style/package suits (except for the .45, tho' some current military guys are carrying .45's or so I've heard.) I figure that way I can probably always get ammo. The .223 is an excellent round. I also like the low recoil for quicker 2nd (30th?) shots. The 30.06 is just a bear on the ole shoulder, but definitely a good all around choice. You can get light thru heavy bullets for just about any need. So my hunting/carry stuff revolves around .308, 9mm, .223, 12 gauge. In addition to lusting over a .50 Barrett, I also lust for a .308 M1 Garand (rechambered from 30.06.)

In addition to lusting over a .50 Barrett, I also lust for a .308 M1 Garand (rechambered from 30.06.)

.50 Barrett? I want one just to have, of course. Nothing like being able to penetrate an engine block for no good reason. Didn't Barrett just come out with a 25 mm model? I heard they're expensive to shoot though.

Yes, .223 is an excellent round. No doubt. And the AR versions are light and easy when humping a pack long distance.

As far as the best single rifle with a scope, depends on the situation. Bolt action .308 is the preferred sniper rifle, while any kind of light automatic rifle is better for straight out ground assault. One advantage of the lighter .223 rounds is that they are also quite accurate in the hands of a trained marksman.

Lawrence,
It is not a .308 bolt action sniper rifle. It's a deer hunting rifle.

Sam, yes, the correct NATO round is the 7.62×51mm. The difference betwee 7.62x51 and 308 Winchester is the .308 produces 12,000 psi more pressure and is 0.013 inches shorter.

Both the M40 Marine and M24 Army sniper rifles are based on the Remington 700, but with better quality barrels, stocks, and triggers. And chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge instead of .308.

The M40 uses the short action as found in .308 calibre. While the M24 uses the long action such as found in .30-06. The M40 can be configured to use other short length cartridges, while the M24 can be configured for short and long cartridges.

Both the M40 Marine and M24 Army sniper rifles are based on the Remington 700, but with better quality barrels, stocks, and triggers. And chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge instead of .308.

Isn't .308 and 7.62x51 almost the same?

Ah, I see what Sam meant. Yes. Sam is very correct.

And no, the 7.62x51 is not exactly the same as the .308. It started out as .308 but then NATO had to tweak it so it was different enough that you can't safely mix and match the ammo betwee a NATO rifle and a civilian rifle.

The difference betwee 7.62x51 and 308 Winchester is the .308 produces 12,000 psi more pressure and is 0.013 inches shorter.

No! NO! Arrrghh. Lawrence don't tell me that 7.62x51 is different from .308. It will blow all my plans to have civilian guns with military calibers. Seriously, I have never heard this. Don't doubt it, just have never heard it. I'll have to get out the calipers and scour the loading manuals. Sorry I probably should have put /sarc after my comment. I am impressed with your NCAA smallbore letter though.

The difference betwee 7.62x51 and 308 Winchester is the .308 produces 12,000 psi more pressure and is 0.013 inches shorter.

Sam, 7.62x51 and .308 are the same caliber. The difference is in the casing and the load of gun powder. The differences are enough that you risk damaging respective chambers. Someone with the right handloading dies could easily shorten a 7.62x51 casing into a .308 casing, but it is hard to stretch an .308 into a 7.62x51.

Walt, generally, the more PSI the more muzzle velocity and distance. But accuracy has more to do with powder load barrel length and twist. I believe either round is equally accurate.

.038 approx. 62,000 psi

7.62x51 approx. 50,000 psi

The real difference between the .308 and the 7.62 NATO is in the headspace of the round in the relation to the guns chamber. The 7.62 NATO round has a thicker wall and are NOT intended to be reloaded. Reloaded 7.62 NATO will not fit in a .308 chambered barrel in most cases. Because the headspace is not exactly the same doesnt mean the rounds are not interchangeable in most weapons but is certainly NOT recommended as both the round and the barrel will eventually fail. It is said that your .308 round can safely be fired in a 7.62 NATO chambered weapon on modern design, but not vise versa. Classic 7.62 NATO chambered weapons such as the M1 or M14 should never fire a .308 as the .308 has higher chamber pressures because its thinner walls allows for more powder than a 7.62 NATO casing.

My ,02 cents at any rate they are NOT the same.