Free For All Friday 9-19-2014: Conversions, Cleaning and Youths…arrrr
Ahoy! Well, today be Talk Like a Pirate Day. It’s one o’ me absolute favorite internet created holidays. Why? Because I get t’ annoy t’ heck out o’ me mateys and family. In other news, it looks like t’ NSSF be startin’ their promotion for SHOT Show 2015 and I’m as excited as can be! I’m used to t’ craziness at this point and can really enjoy t’ show. It’ll be interestin’ t’ see how it turns out this time. I’ve got some predictions for it already but that’s a different article. On t’ t’ questions ye scurvy dogs! Yaharr!
[What is the] cost versus application to convert a 1911 Colt from 9mm over to a 45acp? -Billy H.
While there are numerous decent .22LR conversions, moving to 9mm is an entirely different story. The problem with moving a 1911 from .45 to 9mm isn’t just a matter of swapping a barrel, magazine and possibly slide then calling it a day due to the different size requirements of the internals (like ramps and such). There are kits available, mind you, but the reviews I’ve seen on them are typically a bit dubious at best. I don’t want to sound like one of “those guys” but this is one of the cases where getting a 1911 that was built from the ground up to handle 9mm would be a better choice. There are quite a few good ones that run right about the same price or slightly more than your average conversion kit. Personally, all things being equal, I’d rather have the purpose built item than one where the functionality was shoe-horned in.
How soon after a range session would you recommend cleaning the guns? Is it best to do it right away? Or will the “I’ll get to it when I get to it” attitude make things more difficult? -Mike H.
I always jump on the cleaning as soon as I get home. I’ve talked about it before but that tendency is really just my borderline insane need to have shiny guns. I don’t like fingerprints on my gun. Dirty, nasty fingerprints. I think I’ll clean them again when I get home tonight. Sorry, Gollumed myself a bit there. That’s right, I’ve turned Gollum into a verb. Anyway, the best advice I can give on it is this: Make sure you clean and lube your guns before you would actually need to use them. I think that’s a good rule of thumb. Keep in mind that the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to clean.
I have a nephew (he’s like a son) who loves his bb gun and is always begging me to take him shooting. I’d like to take him to a range and have him try a small 22 rifle (with the proper safeties as always), but I don’t know if he is old enough. What’s your opinion on when to really bring your kids into the gun world? -JD
This is a sensitive subject to many. Personally, I’m all for removing the mystery and stigma of guns early on. The problem is, there’s not clear cut answer. I wish there was a hard guideline like “At exactly 2 minutes past their 8th birthday they are perfectly ready for the responsibility”. Actually, raising kids would be so much easier if we had those kinds of schedules for everything, wouldn’t it? Some big document that lists stuff like “At exactly 4 years, 6 hours and 27 minutes they will start using the toilet on their own.” Right now all we have is driving a car at 16 and getting thrown out of the house at 18 and possibly bailing them out of jail after their 21st birthday celebration.
But I digress. In this case, it really comes down to the point where you realistically feel the child is ready. I don’t have kids myself but I can use the annoying neighborhood kids who live around me as an example. One boy that lives nearby, about a year ago I wouldn’t have trusted him with a nerf gun, much less a live one. Now, in just over a year he has noticeably matured to the point that I think he could easily handle the responsibility now. His older sister, on the other hand, I would have been more than comfortable putting her on the range quite a few years ago as she has always been remarkably responsible and behaved for her age. The kid across the street who thinks it’s fun to run head first into walls and cars? I would never let him even hear the word “gun” in any context.
So it all comes down to your gut feeling. If you think the kid is ready, then by all means go for it. Be realistic, though. You’re starting him out with a .22LR rifle and that’s perfect. A .22LR gun is the absolute best gun to start any kid out with. Try and make it as fun as possible for them. You can even go so far as to make the safety rules and stuff a bit of a game. Good luck!
Thanks for the questions!
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