*Where* do I get all this stuff?!

I

IanR

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Mississauga, Ontario
Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of purchasing my first rifle (cz 453 .22lr) and I'm having a heck of a time finding good/the best price on the little things that I *think* I'll need to get up and running in this hobby.

I've spent the last week looking through the catalogs of all of the site sponsors, but there seems to be very little overlap between them, making price comparisons difficult, and I simply don't have the experience with multiple brands of the same product to know which is a good buy, and which is money wasted. So if you have experience purchasing anything on the following list, could you post a quick note about where you got it, how you like it, and approximate price?

Thanks!

Scope
3-9x40 seems to be about the range I'm looking for, from what I've read, opinions welcome! Found:
Leapers Accushot $100
NcStar $90
Leupold $320 (VX-I)

Scope rings, I haven't even looked for, when which scope I need, I'll add rings then.

Harris Bipod 6-9" swivel - couldn't locate

Pelican Case 1720 - I want a tough, waterproof rifle case, that isn't *obviously* a rifle case. Found this on Pelican's website (I like their product) but couldn't locate it, or anything similar.

Cleaning products.
Dewey rod. Didn't see it. Found Hope's Boresnake for $25.99, not sure if that'll cut it.
CLP - found it in ONE catalog. I assume that everyone has a bottle behind the counter, but just fails to mention it online? Hard to believe, it'd be that hard to find.

As a complete newb I'm not sure what else I need to be able to walk into a range, and start shooting (other than permission :O) I have hearing protectors from work, and I wear prescription glasses, other safety requirements?

I'd also like to get a 9mm pistol, sooner rather than later, but with the purchase of all the stuff up top, funds will be limited. I am strongly leaning towards a Norinco NP-34, as it costs about half as much as the US made Sig. But I'm curious what Norinco's reputation is here. I can see from the photos available, that the pistol's fit and finish can generously be described as 'rough' but are they mechanically sound? Will low quality components blow up in my hands? Do I worry too much? :OD

Thanks for any help and advice!

~ Ian
 
Ian,

Welcome aboard!

From my perspective, after many years of buying stuff gun related, here's some advice.

Buy the best you can afford. If you cheap out, you'll end up buying the better one in the end, and having to replace it down the road with the more expensive one anyhow.

So, for optics, buy the Leupold. Bite the bullet, and get the good scope.

Rings and base, buy Leupold as well. Good starting point.

Grab a bore-snake, it'll do most of your requirements.

Do a search on the NP-34. MARSTAR (the main seller of them in Canada) has a 100% warranty, and when the slide rail cracked on mine after about 2000 rounds, they replaced mine with no problems. Buying a NP-34 will get you the gun at about 1/2 the price of a real Sig, but there are other affordable 9mm options on the market as well. I run a Glock 17 now, and am very pleased with it's performance.

YMMV, but that's my advice. Buy once, Buy good.

NS
 
NavyShooter said:
Ian,

Buy the best you can afford. If you cheap out, you'll end up buying the better one in the end, and having to replace it down the road with the more expensive one anyhow.
Click to expand...

Agreed, with a couple qualifications: if you read the forums for .22lr, you'll find that they rarely need cleaning, and then a boresnake is overkill. I use a pull-through made of (brass) rabbit wire with cloth patches every 500 to 1,000 shots for my match quality barrel. Available for cheap at any hardware store.

For a 9mm, the most important thing for me was: does it fit my hand? Then safety, then quality. Can't advise any more because it's a matter of taste.
Try lots of them first.
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

Sounds like my best bet is to shell out for the scope now, and save my pennies for a pistol later.

Does anyone know where I can find a Harris (or equivalent quality) bipod?

~ Ian
 
Also take a drive out to LeBaron in Mississauga they are extremely helpful there, I find it better then BassPro at Vaughan Mills, They are mostly to much in a rush from the crowd to really help you, but thats my experince. For the pelican case check out rnicolls on dixie, if they dont have it I know they can order them in aswell as LeBaron
 
Though a .22 rifle is not as rough on a scope as a centrefire rifle, the Leapers and NC Star scopes are of variable quality and don't do justice to a CZ. I have been eyeing the Nikon Pro-Staff scopes (made in the Phillipines and reputedly well made) for about $200 for a 3x9 scope. Bushnell 3200s and above are also decent, but usually anything under $200 is almost always made in China and of variable quality and durability.

There are occasionally good deals for 9mm pistols to be had. I picked up the Yugoslavian M57 (Russian TT33 Tokarev) in 9mm a few years ago from Marstar for $230 shipped to my door. Currently, there's some Walther P1 and P38 pistols at Marstar for $225 and $250 respectively. They are post war, alloy framed guns issued to the German army and police respectively, and I just ordered a P1 the other day. For new pistols, the Norinco 1911 pistol in 9mm would be free of the risks inherent in their Sig clones (unfortunately I probably wouldn't shoot 2000 rounds in one before the 1 year warranty expired), and goes for about $325-350.

I noticed that Canada Ammo is bringing in some Chinese 9mm Tokarev pistols in the new year for $99, but I would not recommend it if it means your spending less on a quality scope or other accessories for your CZ or another pistol. The Chinese Tokarevs in the original 7.62x25 usually go for about $200, but I fear that these will come with the "improved" plastic grips and safety that makes them look downright goofy. Otherwise I'd have pre-ordered one by now.

Cheers,

Frank
 
You guys rock!

I work down the street from Lebaron Mississauga, so I'll have a wander in on Friday or Saturday - I hadn't checked them before as I've heard that they tend to be on the high end price-wise.

I am definitely going to spend a bit more on the scope, and wait on getting a pistol - as much to save money, as I can't quite make up my mind which I want the most! :O) Is it wrong to want them all? I'm going to have to try out any I can get my hands on at the range, and narrow the list down some.

~ Ian
 
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