Real shooters thread

Hope will find here a real gun owner. I bought my first weapon (CZ Shadow 2) and choosing a handgun safe. I'd appreciate if you share your thoughts on this handgun or your thoughts on what would be great else to try, and also I'm choosing a handgun safe (fond research here), if you use something decent, let me know.

Several of my friends who previously shot the original Shadow in IPSC Production have upgraded to the Shadow 2, and they all seem to be pretty pleased with it. The only real weak spot is the slide stop pin, which breaks on all CZ75s and derivatives (Tanfoglio etc) after a few thousand rounds.

Not much of a handgun guy.

I built 4 AR-15s last year. Not sure how I got away with that with the wife.

I did them all in "Alternative Calibers". 6.8 SPC for the first one. 6.5 Grendel next. Then a .450 Bushmaster and finally a .224 Valkyrie.

The 6.5 and 6.5 are decently accurate. I did 1.5" at 200 yds with the Grendel.

The Bushmaster is extremely accurate and I can easily get 1" at 100 yds with a dot sight.

The Valkyrie is slower to get going, but I'm getting tighter groups each time I go out, so progress, I guess.

I load my own ammo for all of these. I even just cranked out 100 rds of .303 British for my WWII No 4 Enfield.

Closest I have is a standard CZ-75B. I've had no problems with it, been a very reliable target and defense gun for the past 12+ years. God only knows how many thousands of rounds I've put through it in that time. Haven't replaced any parts on it, still works great. I did rent a Shadow 2 a couple months ago and it's a nice shooter. Compared to the standard, it has a nicer trigger and sights but less comfortable grip due to the cheese grater back strap. It's also wildly inappropriate as a defensive gun. Pure breed competition gun that one.

For other firearms, it really depends on what interests you. I generally recommend getting some 22LR's though. They are fun in of themselves, and there are plenty of 22LR competitions for both pistol and rifle. They are also vastly cheaper to shoot even if the guns aren't any cheaper. $15 at walmart will get you a box of 500 22LR. That same $15 will get you a 100 round box of 9mm off the internet or just a 50 round box at a local store. Dump 1000+ rounds of ammo down range per month and that cost difference adds up to some serious money in a hurry. And if you are in any way serious, you will be shooting that volume or more.

For some specifics, I think a 9mm carbine might go well with your Shadow 2 for competition use. I have a Ruger PC Carbine, it's a pretty nice shooter with rock solid reliability. Easy to clean too thanks to it being a takedown rifle. The CZ Scorpion Evo is an equally good option. For a rifle caliber pairing, the ever popular AR-15 is a prime choice. They are about as unique and exciting as your mom's minivan but are reliable can be fairly accurate. They are lego guns these days so you can make one whatever you want it to be in a wide range of calibers. Most 2 and 3 gun competition guys run these and they are generally considered the best home defense gun, or at least in the top 3.

As for 22's, my favorite 22LR rifle is the Browning T-Bolt. It's stupidly accurate, has a silky smooth action and is a straight pull bolt action, which is more than a little exotic. It has really nice magazines and build quality too. Only problem is the Browning price tag, but you do get what you pay for. A cheaper but almost as fun option is the CZ-455 and 457. They are well made traditional bolt actions and come in a wide variety of flavors. I have the training rifle with it's super long sight radius and old school (party like it's 1899!) military style sights. Great for a back to basics rifle. Sticks out at the range too in the sea of black plastic guns. There is also the Ruger 10/22. It's cheap and it works, that's about all I have to say about it. Mine rarely leaves the closet.

For 22LR handguns, you might want to consider the CZ-75 Cadet for the obvious reasons. For a pure 22 handgun, you can't go wrong with the Ruger Mk.IV or S&W Victory. Walther and Beretta have some options for replica guns too. I had a P22 for a while and it worked great but I recommend staying away from the 22LR PPK (real PPK is great).