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Click here to see Dan's Gun List! (It's the list of every gun he remembers ever shooting (now up to 86 individual guns of 75 kinds!)...and it's at the bottom of this page.)
NEW ENTRIES
The Nine-Millimeter Pistol
Dan has been longing for a 9mm handgun for quite a while, and he especially wanted a Beretta 92-series pistol, because he shot the military version (the M-9) several times in the Air Force (qualifying expert every time...), and really enjoyed it. The only trouble was that they're expensive...
Finally, I got this one in May 2015 for a very good price. It's a Beretta 92S, built between 1978 and 1980, and used by an Italian police agency, and then turned in and sold as surplus. I bought it from Classic Firearms, a great source for offbeat used guns. When it arrived it was missing probably about a third of its bluing from the slide...but that was quickly and easily restored with some cold-bluing solution I had.
I've already had it out shooting, and it's a terrific gun! It functions perfectly, shoots very accurately to point of aim, and overall, gives the impression of having spent most of its life in and out of a police holster, and not fired very much. I highly recommend these surplus 92S's if you're in the market for a good-quality range gun...it'll never win a beauty contest, but that's not the kind of contests I use my guns for...
As I post this, we've shot about 540 rounds through it, as of Fall 2018.
Gaye shooting the "new" Beretta.
I would note, just by the way, that a gun from 1978 is not very old in the Beretta scheme of things...they have been a firearms manufacturer since 1526! (Not a typo -- yes, almost 500 years.) Hey, that reminds me of a story...the only known surviving firearm that crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower is an Italian-made single-shot wheel-lock carbine. It's now at the National Rifle Association's National Firearms Museum, and there's actually some evidence that this Mayflower Gun - MAY have been manufactured by Beretta!
Dan's first target with his "new" Beretta. From about 20 feet away, it chewed up a section of target only a couple of inches wide! (Standing, freehand.)
The Shotgun
This is Dan's first shotgun; it was a semi-impulse purchase from the used rack of one of our local gun shops. It's a 12-gauge, break-action single-shot with a 28" barrel. It's Brazilian; made by Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC), probably in the mid-1980s. Dan got a good deal on it used, but it looks and acts like new - it locks up tight, has a good crisp trigger, and it shoots great! Recently, Dan got a .410 insert for it, that lets it shoot .410 shotgun ammo, thus seriously reducing the recoil from the 12-gauge. That makes it a lot more fun for Gaye and others!
The wood of the stock is very nice...and it even has some decorative scrollwork stamped into the receiver.
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Dan shooting his shotgun for the first time, in Feb 2013
(Photo from a video by Gaye.)
This is what a target looks like after ONE SHOT with the shotgun (using a type of shell that has ~ 390 small pellets in it) at about 30 feet.
The Revolver
This is Dan's revolver. It's a Ruger GP-100, with a 6" barrel, and it shoots .357 Magnum and .38 Special cartridges (which are the same diameter).
Dan had been wanting one of these for a long time. He found out that the rest of the family (Gaye, Anne, and Allen) all like revolvers; so this is a great way to involve everyone even more, and we've had a great time shooting it!
It's a superb handgun: large and heavy, accurate, great trigger, very rugged and sturdy, with an excellent reputation...with about 1,600 rounds through it (as of Fall 2018) it's nicely broken in, and shooting well! We expect to enjoy it for a very long time.
Dan's brother Robin shooting the Ruger revolver at an outdoor range
near Asheville, North Carolina.
The Forty-Five Pistol
This is Dan's Hi-Point JHP, and is the first (and only) gun he's ever owned in the classic .45 ACP caliber. (ACP stands for Automatic Colt Pistol.)
He got it at a gun show in mid-2012. Dan had been diligently researching this type of pistol for a long time and knew what he wanted. Allen wanted it too (he had been looking forward to shooting a .45 caliber). Gaye commented that she liked guns "with the big hole in the front!"
This one, like the Ruger above, is a large and heavy handgun...which does help tame the recoil somewhat...plus, Dan reloads a weaker than normal load in .45 caliber, which reduces recoil even further...even Gaye says the gun is comfortable, now! We've put over 1,560 rounds through this gun (as of Fall 2018).
Hey, for those of you who may be in the market for a sturdy, reliable, inexpensive, American-made handgun, you can't go wrong with these Hi-Points. They make pistols like this – and carbines, like mine discussed farther down this page – in 9mm, .40 cal., and .45 cal. Just sayin'...
Dan shooting his Hi-Point .45 pistol at Eagle Gun Range.
(Photo from a video by Gaye.)
Gaye shooting the .45 pistol at Eagle Gun Range.
The Old Russian Rifle
Here's one of our three historic World War II guns - Dan's 1943 Soviet Mosin-Nagant Model 1891/30 rifle!
Here in this photo, though, it's been updated with a new stock (a present from Gaye and her mom – thanks, Beverly) and a muzzle brake (another present, from Beverly – thanks again!).
I like the new look...and it's more comfortable to shoot, and doesn't recoil quite as badly!
I still have the original stock, that I had stripped to bare wood (Arctic birch) and re-varnished. This photo shows off the refinished wood, plus a scope and a Pachmayr Decelerator butt pad, as of two years ago.
The Mosin-Nagant was the Russian/Soviet main battle rifle from 1891 through WWII. This one (Dan's 50th birthday present from Gaye) is Soviet Army surplus, manufactured in 1943 at the Izhevsk armory. They're not particularly rare; millions of them were made, and they're now being sold off from military storage. This one is nothing special from a collector's point of view – which is fine, because Dan bought it to shoot it!
This rifle is 48 inches long, with a 29" barrel, weighs about 9 pounds, and shoots a large cartridge, the 7.62mm x 54R (roughly equivalent to a .30-06 Springfield). Thus, it's a handful, in all respects.
Dan bought some Russian surplus military ammo to go with it – vacuum sealed in 1978, in a tin of 440 rounds. The tin looked like this:
And then when he opened it (Allen helped with the giant Russian can opener), here's what he found, after opening the first of the small paper packages.
They all looked like new, and all functioned 100% perfectly. We shot all of the first tin – 440 rounds – as of Aug 2013! (We won't run out any time soon...Dan bought 2 more tins – 880 more rounds – of Bulgarian surplus ammo (from 1971) that we've started on – but there are still 750 left.)
Dan, in February of 2015, with the Mosin in the new stock..
Allen enjoying the old rifle at the range, February 2012.
Anne having fun with the Mosin rifle, too, May 2012. Of all our guns,
she now says it's her favorite!
The Old Revolver
In this photo is a historic revolver, given to Dan by his father. It was a war trophy that he brought home from Europe in World War II. It appears to be, as nearly as Dan has been able to figure out, a German or Belgian copy of a British Webley RIC model revolver (RIC stands for Royal Irish Constabulary). To our knowledge, it had not been fired in 67 years!
It has no markings of any kind on it, except for a couple of small German proof marks. It's in very good condition, actually...everything functions fine (for the most part), and there's no corrosion or cracks or other damage. It fires the .38 Short Colt cartridge, which is nearly obsolete...but Remington still makes them, so we have been shooting it occasionally! The gun is pathetically inaccurate, but at least we get a sense of military – and family – history when we fire it!
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Allen enjoying the old revolver at the range in Feb 2012, while Dad watches.
(Photo from a video by Gaye.)
The Old Japanese Pistol
Hey, if you're enjoying the WWII-era history theme going on with these last two guns, how about this?
We inherited (from Gaye's father) this old Japanese pistol (so now we've covered all the major theaters of WWII...). It's a Nambu Type 14 semi-automatic pistol, that uses an obsolete 8mm cartridge. At the moment it's completely inoperable, and Dan doesn't plan to make it serviceable again...but he did make it cosmetically complete for display. He found a source for replacement external metal parts, and just bought some wooden grip panels at a gun show. He re-blued it, too. Here's a photo:
Pretty impressive, huh?
Based on its markings, this particular pistol was built by the Toriimatsu Branch of Nagoya Arsenal in the year Showa 18 (i.e., 1943).
Gaye's father had spent a long time measuring and documenting the pistol in computer-aided design software, and we have his blueprints now, as well.
The Carbine
This is Dan's Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic carbine. It's been dressed up with a Hi-Point factory replacement stock, and currently wears a Tasco red-dot sight on top. Dan painted it desert tan. Why? Well, it was fun to do, and he likes how it looks this way.
Just for before-and-after comparison, here's how it used to look. (Same carbine, different stock.)
It was Dan's birthday present in February 2011. He bought it used (supposedly), though the gun shop said it came from a customer who often didn't shoot his guns much...and when Dan gave it its initial cleaning, there was no evidence it had ever been fired! As of Fall 2018 , however, we've shot nearly 2900 rounds through it!
Gaye and Dan enjoying the carbine in its replacement stock, Feb 2012.
The Twenty-Two Caliber Pistol
This is Dan's first gun...he bought it in November 2009. It's a Ruger Mark III Target .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. It has a 6-7/8 inch barrel, and has proven to be supremely accurate, reliable, and easy to shoot. As of Fall 2018, we have (with the help of quite a few friends) shot over 8,300 rounds through this gun, and it's still going strong!
In this photo, it's wearing a set of Hogue rubber grips, that make it much more comfortable to hold and shoot...and a new reflex red dot sight on top, for use in our speed steel competitions.
(It's interesting, by the way, to note the similarities between this design and the Japanese Nambu shown above...)
Dan got it because he's always enjoyed target shooting, and because Allen – and Anne – were then old enough, and interested enough, to learn the skills of using firearms effectively and safely. (Gaye encouraged the father-son-bonding aspect of it.) Now, of course, all of us – and many friends – have shot it. Dan picked out this model largely because he had used a similar one in a pistol class in college...in 1982! (Well, and the fact that it has a superb reputation for accuracy and reliability!)
The Not-A-Gun Collection
...toilet plunger! It maintains the tradition of Gaye giving Dan a "not-a-gun" present for Christmas (this one came on Christmas 2015... thanks, sweetheart...I think...)
This is a Christmas 2014 present from Gaye; a butane lighter, that's a fairly realistic shotgun!
This was a Christmas 2013 present from Gaye; it's a Browning, bolt-action...butane lighter!
Here it is next to my shoe, for scale.
(Hee hee...I couldn't resist putting these on this page, like the real guns, just because they are so realistic!)
4I PROMISE that all the other guns on this page are real!
And, yes, they DO all still fit in the gun safe (click to see the safe), (and all eight calibers of ammo are locked up, too! All 2,100 rounds of them...)
And, just for fun, as of Fall 2018, Dan has been blessed to have the opportunity to shoot these guns! (Over the last 44 years, since 1974, when my Dad first took me shooting at the age of 12...)
(Dan's own guns are in bold face.)
(the most recent additions to the list are in green font.)
- AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, Russian, 7.62x39mm (3 of them)
- AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle (various brands), .223 Rem./5.56mm (5 of them)
- Baikal single-shot shotgun, 12-gauge
- Benelli R-1 Big Game rifle, .30-06
- Beretta 92FS semi-automatic pistol, 9mm
- Beretta 92S semi-automatic pistol, 9mm
- Beretta 96FS semi-automatic pistol, .40 S&W
- Beretta M9 military semi-automatic pistol, 9mm
- Canik TP9 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm
- CBC Model SB single-shot shotgun, 12-gauge
- Century Arms JW-2000 double-barrel coach gun, 12-gauge
- Colt Cobra double-action revolver, .38 Special
- Colt M1911 semi-automatic pistol, .45 ACP (4 of them)
- Colt SMG fully automatic submachine gun, 9mm
- Dad's double-action revolver, .22 Short (in 1974)
- Leigh's Derringer, .38 Special
- Diamondback DB380 semi-automatic pistol, .380 ACP
- Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (full-size)
- Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (compact)
- Glock 21 semi-automatic pistol, .45 ACP
- Glock 26 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (subcompact)
- Glock 34 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (full-size, long barrel)
- GSG-5 semi-automatic rifle, .22LR (2 of them)
- Henry lever action rifle, .22LR
- Heritage Rough Rider single action revolver, .22 Magnum
- Hi-Point 995 semi-automatic carbine, 9mm
- Hi-Point C-9 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm
- Hi-Point JHP semi-automatic pistol, .45 ACP
- Lionheart LH9 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm
- M1 Carbine semi-automatic rifle, .30 Carbine
- M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, .30-06
- M16A1 military selective-fire rifle, 5.56mm
- Marlin 2000 bolt-action target rifle, .22LR
- Marlin 25 bolt-action rifle, .22LR
- Marlin 55 Goose Gun bolt action shotgun, 36" barrel, 12-gauge
- Marlin 60 semi-automatic rifle (tube-fed), .22LR
- Marlin 336 lever action rifle, .30-30 Winchester
- Mosin-Nagant military bolt-action rifle, 7.62x54Rmm (2 of them)
- Mossberg 590 pump shotgun, 12 gauge
- Remington 597 semi-automatic rifle, .22LR
- Remington 870 pump shotgun, 12-gauge
- Remington 870 pump shotgun, 20-gauge
- Ruger GP100 double-action revolver, 6" barrel, .357 Magnum/.38 Special
- Ruger GP100 double-action revolver, 4" barrel, .357 Magnum/.38 Special
- Ruger LCP semi-automatic pistol, .380 ACP
- Ruger Mark III 678 Target semi-automatic pistol, .22LR
- Ruger New Vaquero single-action revolver, .357 Magnum
- Ruger Redhawk double-action revolver, .44 Magnum
- Ruger Single Six single-action revolver, .22LR
- Ruger SP101 double-action revolver, .22LR
- Ruger Standard semi-automatic pistol, .22LR
- Ruger Super Redhawk double-action revolver, .44 Magnum
- Sig Sauer P238 semi-automatic pistol, .380 ACP (compact)
- Sig Sauer P320 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (full-size; same as U.S. military M17 pistol)
- SKS semi-automatic rifle (Russian), 7.62x39mm
- Smith & Wesson Model 10 double-action revolver, .38 Special
- Smith & Wesson Model 15 (U.S. Air Force) double-action revolver, .38 Special
- Smith & Wesson Model 638 double-action revolver, .38 Special
- Smith & Wesson Model 642 double-action revolver, .38 Special
- Smith & Wesson Night Guard double-action revolver, .38 Special
- Springfield Armory M1911 semi-automatic pistol, 9mm
- Springfield Armory XD(M) semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (full-size)
- Springfield Armory XD(M) 5.25" Competition Model semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (full-size, long barrel)
- Springfield Armory XD(S) semi-automatic pistol, 9mm (subcompact)
- Taurus 24/7, semi-automatic pistol, .40 S&W
- Taurus 85B double-action revolver, .38 Special
- Taurus Judge double-action revolver, .45 Long Colt
- Taurus TCP semi-automatic pistol, .380 ACP
- Thompson M1A1 fully automatic submachine gun, .45 ACP
- Uzi fully automatic submachine gun, 9mm
- Valor SM-11 semi-automatic pistol, .25 ACP
- Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol, .22LR
- Winchester Model 1894 lever action rifle, .30-30
- WWII German double-action revolver, .38 Short Colt
See our list of quotations about firearms and shooting by clicking here!