u/Spyrothedragon9972

I went to my usual places to look for a Goretex rain jacket and I'm seeing everything but Goretex.

Outdoor Research has gone for some stretchy membrane that's supposed to be more breathable but I'm seeing a lot of accounts of it being not very waterproof. Apparently it may just be a rebranded membrane from another manufacturer.

Patagonia made their own H2NO which seems to have good reviews but apparently it's crinkly. Good price though.

Arc'teryx seems to use Goretex ePE, which some people say is totally fine and even more waterproof, while others say it's not as durable (face fabric aside), and not as waterproof.

Columbia has that membrane on the outside thing. I don't know a lot about that. I think it sounds like a good way to damage it.

Do these products actually hold up to the hard use standard that Goretex is famous for? Potentially many hours, if not days of rain, and the durability to last a long time. I know the DWR treatments they use now don't last as long.

What's the "tier list", so to speak?

I've had an Arc'teryx Stingray with Goretex. That never failed me.

I've had my Marine Corps Goretex. That also never failed me, but it was bulky and heavy.

And I have an OR Foray 2 that has Goretex Paclite, which has also been fine.

I've never tried any of these new non-Goretex membranes.

HELOS BTR GEN2 2-12x42 AHMR2 FFP IR MIL

I've been shopping around for a scope for my first AR-10 build. I think I've managed to narrow it down to these two? I'm absolutely open to suggestions as I'm way over my depth here. Have I ended up with a good choice here?

I was solicited by a Sea World vacation experience staff member for a free pair of replacement tickets because it thunderstormed the day we went. In that process they entered us into some kind of reward raffle system. One of us won.

It entails going to a supposed 2 hour long tour and at the end they'll give us some kind of voucher for a 7 or 8 day (I can't remember the exact length), stay at any Wyndham in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and I think Brazil or something and I can bring 7 or 8 guests with me. Everyone has to pay for their own transportation to whichever Wyndham location I choose, and everyone needs to pay for their own food. But the hotel ("Villa" style lodging) is "free". All I had to pay was the tax, which was $75 and SeaWorld would pay the $2,700 some odd dollar for the pre-tax cost of the hotel. It seems fishy but I said why the hell not.

The gentleman I spoke to basically said there was no catch. I'm still very dubious. What's the deal here? Did I really win a "free" hotel stay? Or are they gonna pull some weird tactic on us at some point during the tour or during said vacation?

I just bought my first AR-10 and like always I'm having trouble choosing a magnified optic. My .308 bolt action has a fixed power SWFA SS 12X42 with a mil quad reticle. I find the fixed power annoying but I like the mil quad reticle.

My AR-15 has a Vortex Venom 1-6x24 SFP with a BDC reticle. I'm fine with SFP for my AR but I definitely don't want that on my AR-10 and I'm pretty sure I don't want a BDC or MOA reticle.

I've been looking around at Labor Day sales and I'm only seeing SFP or non-mrad reticles. I'd like to spend $500 or less. But I can be convinced to spend more. Whatever I buy I may get two of them to replace the fixed 12x on my bolt action as well.

The $400 Primary Arms SLx Compact 4-16X44mm FFP seems like a decent choice.

I'll just be blasting paper. But I may take them hunting in the future.

I've been thinking about picking up my first Walther and the PDP seemed like a good starting point, with it being their new pistol that has seen some adoption by police and military. But I've recently been seeing complaints of high recoil compared to the competition, due to its high bore axis, massive slide, and low weight.

I've held one several times (never fired) and it fit my hand okay, the trigger was fantastic, and it was very light especially for it's relatively large size, despite the big ass slide.

But the M&P 9 M2.0 4.25" is all those things too, with a lower bore axis and higher weight (despite being a smaller pistol than the 4.5" PDP). I'm starting to second guess whether the PDP is worth adding to my collection.

I've been thinking about picking up my first Walther and the PDP seemed like a good starting point, with it being their new pistol that has seen some adoption by police and military. But I've recently been seeing complaints of high recoil compared to the competition, due to its high bore axis, massive slide, and low weight.

I've held one several times (never fired) and it fit my hand okay, the trigger was fantastic, and it was very light especially for it's relatively large size, despite the big ass slide.

But the M&P 9 M2.0 4.25" is all those things too, with a lower bore axis and higher weight (despite being a smaller pistol than the 4.5" PDP). I'm starting to second guess whether the PDP is worth adding to my collection.

I've narrowed my options down to these three.

I managed to eliminate the P365X (my favorite ergonomically, but it's a Sig), the XMacro (fantastic design, but it's too big, and it's a Sig), Hellcat Pro (great design, I liked the trigger but the grip is too blocky like a Glock), and M&P9 Compact 3.6" (too big).

So I'm left with the Shield Plus, CC9, and 43X MOS.

I think the grip on the CC9 is just a hair too short and the shape isn't as comfortable as the P365X. The grip is fine with the 12 round mag but teetering on too small with the 10.

I don't really like Glock. But the thin 19 style frame is a great design and Glock finally making a 15 round magazine after years of begging (in typical annoying Glock fashion) makes this a compelling option. I think the grip is slightly too long. Probably too long as the CC9 is too short.

The shield plus is nice. I don't love it in my hands. It's weird, some of the triggers have this weird almost non-tactile double reset and others have a very nice single tactile reset. I don't know what that's about. The triggers don't seem consistent to me. But the ones I like I really like and the ones I don't are a deal breaker for me. It's funny how the larger capacity shield plus mags make it taller than the other guns on this list. Which makes the variety of magazine sizes less compelling to me.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences they'd like to share? I haven't shot any of these. My local ranges don't have all of these models available for rent.

I've narrowed my options down to these three.

I managed to eliminate the P365X (my favorite ergonomically, but it's a Sig), the XMacro (fantastic design, but it's too big, and it's a Sig), Hellcat Pro (great design, I liked the trigger but the grip is too blocky like a Glock), and M&P9 Compact 3.6" (too big).

So I'm left with the Shield Plus, CC9, and 43X MOS.

I think the grip on the CC9 is just a hair too short and the shape isn't as comfortable as the P365X. The grip is fine with the 12 round mag but teetering on too small with the 10.

I don't really like Glock. But the thin 19 style frame is a great design and Glock finally making a 15 round magazine after years of begging (in typical annoying Glock fashion) makes this a compelling option. I think the grip is slightly too long. Probably too long as the CC9 is too short.

The shield plus is nice. I don't love it in my hands. It's weird, some of the triggers have this weird almost non-tactile double reset and others have a very nice single tactile reset. I don't know what that's about. The triggers don't seem consistent to me. But the ones I like I really like and the ones I don't are a deal breaker for me. It's funny how the larger capacity shield plus mags make it taller than the other guns on this list. Which makes the variety of magazine sizes less compelling to me.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences they'd like to share? I haven't shot any of these. My local ranges don't have all of these models available for rent.

I've been wanting a Hi-Power in the collection. I don't really want a vintage one because I want to shoot it a lot, so I'm fine with a clone.

I own a Tisas 1911 (Stakeout), a 92FS, and a CZ 75 SP-01.

I paid $365 for my Tisas 1911. It just seemed like an unreal value. I am happy with that purchase. I paid $500 for my 92FS. And I paid $620 for my SP-01.

It seems like the Hi-Powers are generally more expensive. I see a Girsan P35 Match for $450 and a Tisas BR9 Sport for $650. But both of those guns have somewhat mixed reviews. As a matter of fact I don't know of any Hi-Power model where people seem happy across the board.

The Girsan has a lot of people singing its praise, but an equal amount of people saying that theirs has a poor finish and that parts literally flew off because they were loose (I'm recognizing this as preventable).

My conflict is this. I can buy a new CZ 75 B for $600. It at least looks like a Hi-Power (even though it isn't), is universally loved, and is still cheaper than a Turkish Hi-Power clone.

But then again I already own an SP-01, which is basically an improved CZ-75 (albeit heavier).

It's kind of making me not want a Hi-Power anymore. Since the Tisas Hi-Power equivalent of my 1911 Stakeout costs almost twice as much for some reason. What gives? Am I coming at this from a dumb direction?

Every online discussion I see there is never a consensus on where the current production models stand.

People don't like the current FN High Power because it has no parts interchangeability.

The old FN had the mag safety that most people don't like. I'm only mentioning this because a lot of people don't even like the "originals" because of this. So I see a lot of disagreement that even the originals are not the best option.

Opinions on Girsan are a total mixed bag.

The Springfield SA-35 should have been the one but apparently it had extractor issues (first 4000?) which should be long fixed by now. But has other issues like sharp edges and still has a poor finish? It is also mostly manufactured by Tisas and they also make a Hi-Power for less than Springfield.

Tisas. I've heard that the Springfield is nicer and that the Tisas did nothing to address the famous hammer bite issue.

Inglis. I think these are just rebranded Tisas? Correct me if I'm wrong.

FEG doesn't even make guns anymore.

So what's the deal. Why am I being led to believe that none of these are that great?

I'm just trying to see which ones are worth owning so I can add a Hi-Power to the collection.

I'm always seeing people posting great deals from these one off family owned gun stores. I don't really know where to look. Does anyone know where I can find the best price on a 92FS? I see $650 at Academy with a $100 prepaid gift card.

You know the "salute, chop, fingers on top" stuff? I'm taking a bunch of friends shooting for the first time and I think the visual aid could be helpful.

I used to live in Florida 20+ years ago. I have lived very far away ever since. I want to bring my girlfriend down to visit some of my family that still lives there. I want to show her the best of what Florida has to offer. Where should I bring her? We'll have about 2 weeks and we're driving down so we'll have a car. It's been so long since I've been there so I don't really know the state of things.