Buying a new gun is...

[Eyesa Horg]

Congratulations on the 555! Holy crap on the fees . 

[Rip Snorter]

Not that I would live there, but I don't care to own or carry a cell phone.  Guess I'd be SOL.  I did have to use one of those kiosks a few years ago, didn't care for it at all.  If we are fortunate, that all may be gone.  

[bgavin]

Yep, I forgot the thumb print.
The 11% additional tax started up after I bought my last gun.
My sheet reflected my experience at that time.
It is even worse now.

 

[bgavin]

8 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Not that I would live there, but I don't care to own or carry a cell phone.  Guess I'd be SOL.  I did have to use one of those kiosks a few years ago, didn't care for it at all.  If we are fortunate, that all may be gone.  

I cannot login to my broker or bank without a cell phone.
2FA (two form authentication) is the norm now, due to all the crime and fraud.

 

[Rip Snorter]

35 minutes ago, bgavin said:

I cannot login to my broker or bank without a cell phone.
2FA (two form authentication) is the norm now, due to all the crime and fraud.

 

Linda Ronstadt - ♫ Poor, Poor Pitiful Me - once a wonderful State.  Maybe again, the Lord willing.

[Blackwater 53393]

2 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Linda Ronstadt - ♫ Poor, Poor Pitiful Me - once a wonderful State.  Maybe again, the Lord willing.

Not so long as Goobernor Nuisance and his ilk are in control!! 🙄😡

[Pat Riot]

@Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

That’s a nice looking shotgun. Congrats! Nice and light in 28 failure should be fun. 
 

I am assuming the one you bought is this one: https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/shotguns/savage-arms-stevens-555-compact-black-semi-gloss-28-gauge-2-34in-over-under-shotgun-24in/p/1477463

[J-BAR #18287]

1 hour ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

Well, Pat, I ended up with the Stevens 555 28 gauge.  I looked for the "Enhanced" version, but ended up with the standard - at 1¢ under seven hundred bucks.  Seems the "E" model was not practical to acquire locally without busting the thousand-dollar ceiling.  Ah well... I'll live with the matte finish and extractors.  Plain and simple, just like me.  As much as I'd like a Browning or Beretta, for the limited use it'll see it should be just fine.  

 

Some folks talk about buying a box of ammo, then finding a gun to go with it ~ I actually have had a 28 ga MEC loader sitting here for a bunch o' months now. 

 

Oh... and on his list, @bgavin  left out the thumbprint requirement and the additional 11% BS california punishment tax.  Total fees and taxes - DROS, sales tax, DROS, BS fee, Firearms Safety Act fee, and Safety and Enforcement fee - adds a total of 20% to the cost of a firearm here.  Now, if you "import" a gun from another state via a local FFL holder (dealer), you might add up to another hundred bucks.

 

https://www.gundogmag.com/editorial/stevens-model-555-28-gauge-review/175319

 

  

 

       

Dontcha get tired of the abuse?

 

 I mean, it's not like you would have to spend 3 months on a windjammer to get outta there.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 21 by J-BAR #18287

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

1 hour ago, Pat Riot said:

@Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

That’s a nice looking shotgun. Congrats! Nice and light in 28 failure should be fun. 
 

I am assuming the one you bought is this one: https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/shotguns/savage-arms-stevens-555-compact-black-semi-gloss-28-gauge-2-34in-over-under-shotgun-24in/p/1477463

 

Almost! 

 

I chose the matte finish... won't feel as bad when it gets a scratch.  

 

The only one I could actually see in the flesh and touch was a 20 gauge; it did not feel like a cheap shotgun at all.  If this one works out it might get a big brother.  

 

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/shotguns/savage-arms-stevens-555-matte-blackoiled-turkish-walnut-28-gauge-2-34in-over-and-under-action-shotgun-26in/p/1477456

 

                   

[Pat Riot]

5 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Almost! 

 

I chose the matte finish... won't feel as bad when it gets a scratch.  

I darn near got myself a Savage 555 in 12 gauge for turkey hunting. Instead I actually won a Franchi Affinity 3 12 gauge at a thing they have here called a “Gun Bash”. It’s an event where you buy tickets for $25-$35 and they make drawings every 15 or 30 minutes for guns, ammo, cash, etc. usually the money goes to a charity or a town purchase of a fire truck or ambulance. Gun Bashes usually go for several hours and there are other raffles put on during the main event. It’s a fun time even though I really don’t know anyone here. 
 

Mine is an Affinity 3 matte walnut sporter. It does not kick like a mule. It’s a pleasure to shoot. 

 

I look forward to your range report once you finally receive your 28 gauge. 

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

1 hour ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

Dontcha get tired of the abuse?

 

 I mean, it's not like you would have to spend 3 months on a windjammer to get outta there.

 

 

 

 

 

I absolutely do, and you're absolutely correct.

 

But, like many, I have compelling reasons for still being here, b'sides being an OOF - "Official Old Fart:"  

 

First, family.  That's the strongest anchor of all for most. 

 

Second, real estate - I could sell my home for a tidy profit, but buying a replacement in another state at today's iterest rates is an unpleasant challenge at best (my current rate is two point sumpin' percent ). 

 

Third is plain ol' stubborness - I am that rarest of creatures, a last-century native.  I cannot stand the thought of being driven out by a mob of snivelers (I can think of more appropriate terms for 'em, but don't want to get banned from the universe).  

 

Back in the year 2000 I read an article that stated that only one out of every eleven adults (at that time) in this state was a native.  And, for what it's worth, I live in a relatively conservative part of the state - a lot of the D's are disgusted.  Unfortunately, though, being D's, most will still vote D no matter what.  If the devil hisself popped up on a ballot with a D next to his name they'd vote for him.  

 

Mind you, I know a lot of fine folks who are D's... but they don't run the outfit.  And it's amazing how many of 'em flat out state that they ignore most of the states gun laws - of which there are over a hundred.  

 

                       

 

[J-BAR #18287]

Sometimes you win by not fighting.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

13 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

I darn near got myself a Savage 555 in 12 gauge for turkey hunting. Instead I actually won a Franchi Affinity 3 12 gauge at a thing they have here called a “Gun Bash”. It’s an event where you buy tickets for $25-$35 and they make drawings every 15 or 30 minutes for guns, ammo, cash, etc. usually the money goes to a charity or a town purchase of a fire truck or ambulance. Gun Bashes usually go for several hours and there are other raffles put on during the main event. It’s a fun time even though I really don’t know anyone here. 
 

Mine is an Affinity 3 matte walnut sporter. It does not kick like a mule. It’s a pleasure to shoot. 

 

I look forward to your range report once you finally receive your 28 gauge. 

 

I've been a fan of Italian shotguns for over fifty years ~ and yours is reeeally cool!  My main go-to for birds (feathered and clay) is a Beretta Al-2 that I bought in '71 or '72.  I think I mentioned passing my Franchi O/U on to my son.  Very good gun, and it suits him well.

[Pat Riot]

7 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

First, family.  That's the strongest anchor of all for most. 

 

Second, real estate - I could sell my home for a tidy profit, but buying a replacement in another state at today's iterest rates is an unpleasant challenge at best (my current rate is two point sumpin' percent ). 

 

Third is plain ol' stubborness - I am that rarest of creatures, a last-century native.  I cannot stand the thought of being driven out by a mob of snivelers (I can think of more appropriate terms for 'em, but don't want to get banned from the universe).  

Family & Stubbornness; two of the main reasons many Californians cannot or will not leave CA.

My daughter, son-in-law and grandson keep talking about leaving California, but they just won’t. They all 3 grew up in CA. They talked of moving to Michigan where my son-in-law’s employer is headquartered. They talked of moving there when my grandson was talking about joining the Navy or the Air Force. Then he decided to become a firefighter and because my grandson is in community college taking a courses in fire sciences my daughter and son-in-law have decided to wait until my grandson is out of college and has a job. 
I understand why they won’t leave. It is their decision and their lives. I just hope they don’t live to regret not leaving. 

[Doc Shapiro]

We didn't give our kids a choice.  Son moved out a few years ago (I think he was 19 or 20).  We told the daughter we were going and she had to find an apartment.  She's 21, finishing up college.  She's got a place with her boyfriend (we really like him). 

 

We're thrilled with this new town.  Stress levels are way down.  None of the suburbia noise.  Everyone is really nice.  We downsized on the house, though it cost what we sold the last one at.  Side benefit, I've lost over 20 pounds.  Likely due to the extra exercise from shoveling snow. 

[J.D. Daily]

For CA pards who have had to pay the 11% excise tax on guns, parts & ammo purchases.  The CARPA, SAF, FPC, NRA and 2 named plaintiffs have sued the state in Superior Court of San Diego County on 1st & 2nd Amendment grounds.  SCOTUS in numerous cases has declared special taxes applied to the exercise of a constitutional right are unconstitutional wo/significant justification.  Also since the tax implicates the 2nd Amendment text NYSRPA v. Bruen applies;  the state's burden is to prove that the tax has historical analogs from the ratification of the BOR's, 1791.  The plaintiffs don't have to prove the tax implicates the text of the 2nd Amendment because Heller v. DC answered that in the affirmative for handguns.  None of the judicial BS that semi-automatic rifles & shotguns that are fed from a detachable magazines are not "Arms" per the definition of Arms in 1791.  

 

P.S. For pards who aren't CA residents the CRPA, SAF, GOA, GOF + others sued the LA Cnty Sheriff and the state AG in the CA's central federal district court challenging CA ban on non-residents bearing arms (concealed carrying).  The judge issued a preliminary injunction that orders the CA DoJ to notify by Nov 18th 2024 all jurisdictions in CA who issue CC licenses to accept and process applications for CCWL from non residents who comply with the same requirements as instate applicants.  The order applies to the members of the plaintiff organizations.  CA requires 16 hours training from sheriff approved trainers, in person interview, fees and depending on issuing agency, sheriff or police dept. there are more expensive hoops to jump through.

[WOLFY]

I sometimes miss CA … then I see posts like this and I’m all 

I ♥️ TEXAS

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

On 2/19/2025 at 6:59 AM, Eyesa Horg said:

But yet we aren't being infringed on a Constitutional right! We now have a 72 hour cooling off period . I wasn't hot in the first place! 

Still way better than the western side of our great country.

"Cooling of period"!

 

Like I'm going to spend a grand or so to buy a gun so I can shoot someone right away.  That's one of the stupidest, of a myriad of stupid thing that have come up to infringe on our rights, I have ever heard.  

 

If I want someone dead (or just hurt badly), I have a house and work shop full of "deadly weapons".

[Elkhorn Ernie]

On 2/19/2025 at 1:34 PM, ORNERY OAF said:

Working in a shop, have you ever had to decipher a 4473 by guessing what it says cause someone writes like a drunk 2 year old with a crayon. Not always bad. Duel edge sword.

Yes, I have encountered this situation while working at a gun shop. If it is real bad, we will make a copy of the drivers license to keep with the 4473, and use to do the back ground check on the computer. We always verify the information on the form with the customer if we can not read what they scribbled on the form.

[KatfishKid]

On 2/20/2025 at 10:01 PM, Pat Riot said:

I darn near got myself a Savage 555 in 12 gauge for turkey hunting. Instead I actually won a Franchi Affinity 3 12 gauge at a thing they have here called a “Gun Bash”. It’s an event where you buy tickets for $25-$35 and they make drawings every 15 or 30 minutes for guns, ammo, cash, etc. usually the money goes to a charity or a town purchase of a fire truck or ambulance. Gun Bashes usually go for several hours and there are other raffles put on during the main event. It’s a fun time even though I really don’t know anyone here. 
 

Mine is an Affinity 3 matte walnut sporter. It does not kick like a mule. It’s a pleasure to shoot. 

 

I look forward to your range report once you finally receive your 28 gauge. 

That's funny. I purchased a Savage 12ga bolt gun for turkey hunting and about a week later I won a Franchi Affinity I like the Franchi a lot more than I did the savage. I shoot 3.5" TSS loads and shooting them through the Affinity they feel like shooting standard bird loads. 

[Pat Riot]

1 hour ago, KatfishKid said:

That's funny. I purchased a Savage 12ga bolt gun for turkey hunting and about a week later I won a Franchi Affinity I like the Franchi a lot more than I did the savage. I shoot 3.5" TSS loads and shooting them through the Affinity they feel like shooting standard bird loads. 

That’s pretty cool. Nice coincidence. 
Mine has a 3” Chamber. I like that even 3” feels like a Winchester Low Recoil Target load in the Franchi. I’ve only used it for one Turkey season in April ‘23 and at a Turkey Shoot a few months ago. Back issues have been keeping me out of the woods, unfortunately. The hunting areas here are a bit hilly. Climbing uphill is okay. Getting back down is the fun tricky part. 

 

[KatfishKid]

36 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

That’s pretty cool. Nice coincidence. 
Mine has a 3” Chamber. I like that even 3” feels like a Winchester Low Recoil Target load in the Franchi. I’ve only used it for one Turkey season in April ‘23 and at a Turkey Shoot a few months ago. Back issues have been keeping me out of the woods, unfortunately. The hunting areas here are a bit hilly. Climbing uphill is okay. Getting back down is the fun tricky part. 

 

I would think it'd be the opposite. You can't roll up a hill, but you can certainly roll down a hill! I always thought we had some big hills here in Southern Indiana until I went turkey and hog hunting in Eastern TN a couple of years ago. Now those were hills, I wont complain about ours anymore. 🤣

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

On 2/19/2025 at 5:13 PM, ORNERY OAF said:

Not forget a lot but where it says COUNTY, I've seen a ton of "U.S.A"....lol

When they first added county a few years ago, it caused real problems here in Massachusetts and the rest of New England.   People were leaving the space blank because they not only didn't know what county they lived in, they didn't even know that counties existed.   ATF got mad when they realized it was happening. 

To this day, many people still don't know.   About the only relevance they have in most people's lives is a "severe weather alert for Middlesex County till 11 PM" warning on the TV or radio.   Usually followed by someone in the room saying, "Is that us?"

 

Edited March 8 by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

[Eyesa Horg]

I don't recall ever not knowing what County I lived in, except possibly when I was a child .

[Sedalia Dave]

Louisiana doesn't have counties, it has parishes 

[Rip Snorter]

Parish the thought! Code Napoleon as well if I recall correctly.

[Blackwater 53393]

Buying a gun is ADDICTIVE!!

[Lobster221]

On 2/19/2025 at 8:15 AM, watab kid said:

makes me cross off that as a next place to move ...........along with a lot of other things , im not sayin where i am is any better - it aint but we dont have these stupid gun laws yet 

Stupid gun laws are stupid irritating. 

[watab kid]

9 hours ago, Lobster221 said:

Stupid gun laws are stupid irritating. 

yrs they are , 

[Lobster221]

On 3/10/2025 at 1:36 AM, watab kid said:

yrs they are , 

No doubt.

[watab kid]

6 hours ago, Lobster221 said:

No doubt.

and there is too many of them ,