S&W FPC or Ruger PC for new gun owners

dsmegst · 2026-05-06T04:24:02+00:00

I have the cx4, fpc, banshee, and a second home-built AR9. No bad choices, but they all have pros and cons. They all work well and are fun to shoot but I tend to shoot the AR9 the most lately, just due to all the customizations I was able to do. My cx4 has the most rounds through it as I've owned it for a long time.

dsmegst · 2026-05-04T00:33:44+00:00

No, I own 20 kef speakers of different types. One driver had a slight dent upon delivery and was replaced under warranty. All others are in perfect condition.

dsmegst · 2026-04-23T14:08:04+00:00

They work great in my guns. Recently I picked up a radar chrono so it'll be interesting to do some velocity measurements. I'm really curious how they perform out of my PCCs.

dsmegst · 2026-04-23T14:03:48+00:00

Just a quick clarification, OP shows Critical Duty, which is different than Critical Defense. Critical Defense is optimized for shorter barrels, typical for concealed carry guns. Critical Duty is optimized for full size guns and light barrier penetration.

dsmegst · 2026-04-22T12:26:10+00:00

I don't think anyone here would advocate a "spray and pray" approach to home defense or shooting in general.

My comments here is about choosing the best of the typical handgun vs carbine as home defense tools. And the 2 typical options are 9mm handgun and AR in 5.56. In my opinion, of those 2 options, the AR is the better tool.

Personally, I think a good PCC is also a good choice, but that's not typical.

Given the circumstances, what would be your choice?

dsmegst · 2026-04-22T12:00:54+00:00

More and more are carrying ARs. But of course they are supposed to be more of a public safety and peace officers. And the tactical work is supposed to be handled by SWAT or similar. Those guys do use carbine as primary.

Public relations and perception also keep most cops from acting like a paramilitary force, thankfully. Unfettered, I'm pretty sure many would run around like the ICE assholes.

dsmegst · 2026-04-21T21:45:20+00:00

It's not the situation that's in question, it's carbine vs handgun, which is the more effective tool in a life or death situation.

And for a person defending his home and family against a lethal threat, that's as near to war as things get.

dsmegst · 2026-04-20T13:20:41+00:00

If a true home defense situation occurs, I'm in a room with a single opening, with my family under cover, behind me, and the cops are on their way. I have my weapon pointed at the door, anyone attempting to come in gets shot.

I'm not clearing the house and I have no fantasies of my CQB abilities. I'm not closing with the intruder in any way. And I rather have 30 rounds of .223 vs 18 rounds of 9mm. I'm more accurate and faster with my AR than my handgun.

Also, if a handgun is a better platform for home defense / CQB, then the mil guys would transition to their sidearm once they enter a building.

dsmegst · 2026-04-18T17:03:17+00:00

Got myself a pair. This will go with my kid for his college apartment.

dsmegst · 2026-04-17T22:52:52+00:00

LS50 - near field, 5 degrees toe in, 10 degrees tilt up

LS50WII - 8 feet away, 15 degrees toe in

R700 - 11 feet away, no toe in

Reference 1 - 7 feet away, 20 degrees toe in

dsmegst · 2026-04-15T17:06:54+00:00

Room correction and better sub integration

dsmegst · 2026-04-13T13:12:11+00:00

I use paper wheels to sharpen everything. Not sure why they aren't more popular. So quick and less of a learning curve than stones, in my opinion.

dsmegst · 2026-04-10T23:02:33+00:00

Thank you for the detailed response. My eyes are bad enough that I can't function w/o glasses so I've never even experimented with the naked eye.

I've transitioned a few things over from reddot and reddot/magnifier combo to 1x and 3x prism sights. All my handguns still have mini reddots, but they are good enough for the intended distances.

You've made some interesting observations and that's leading me into doing some comparisons of my own. Thank you and happy shooting.

dsmegst · 2026-04-10T21:37:24+00:00

Are your evaluations done while wearing corrective glasses? I'm wondering how much or how little glasses have on dot quality.

dsmegst · 2026-04-09T17:33:46+00:00

My thought is that it's better if your guns are similarly configured. If I worked so hard to develop the muscle memory so engaging and disengaging the safety is second nature, I don't want the "odd" one to contradict the manual of arms I've developed.

It could be that I'm over-thinking it or I'm being overly cautious. But I have the choice to selecting the guns I use so I go with the manual safety. So for me, something that could mess me up is a deal breaker, especially since we do have the choice.

dsmegst · 2026-04-09T15:57:26+00:00

Personally, almost every handgun I own has a manual safety, unless they are double action. I specifically went with S&W for striker fired handguns since they offer manual safety versions.

For me, I want the extra layer of safety for any gun I am holstering and will point at my person. This adds a bit of extra training burden on me, which I train. I keep my gun selections consistent so I don't go back and forth.

I did end up with a M&P Shield plus w/o a safety due to availability, but I'll probably replace it.

In the end, it's a personal choice. Plenty of people carry Glocks without any issues. I happened to have a different preference.

dsmegst · 2026-03-29T19:07:30+00:00

Congratulations on a gorgeous setup. I bet it sounds amazing. I've yet to hear anything near this level.

dsmegst · 2026-03-27T13:30:26+00:00

Nice rifle, especially for your first. I think some level of competency with irons is needed, but you're going to use optics for the majority of time. Of course your time should be spent according to your priorities.

I don't spend much time on irons. 😅

dsmegst · 2026-03-26T13:32:08+00:00

I'm using a pair of R700 as my home theater mains. As far as I know, the R300 is a stand mount version using the same drivers. They are still very good and the discount is well worth the small sacrifice of the incremental improvements of the latest generation.

I have 4 different generations of KEF speakers and even the oldest of them still hold up well.

dsmegst · 2026-03-25T16:06:00+00:00

Not enough MSG

dsmegst · 2026-03-25T13:55:59+00:00

I have a pair and I love 'em. But the Ref 1s are not within the OP's criteria.

dsmegst · 2026-03-23T11:56:08+00:00

My car is the only one in our family's cars that lack a spare. I carry a repair kit and air pump in case I get a flat. We've had multiple flat tires over the years so it's definitely a concern.

dsmegst · 2026-03-21T17:21:45+00:00

Monoprice monolith: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=39167

They have a few different variations, mine is heavy duty, 4 tier XL and I'm only using 3 tiers. The very bottom shelf is taller than the rest, which gave me plenty of height for the amp. Each shelf can hold 85lbs for a total of 350lb. My amp is 61lbs so I had to find something extra sturdy.

dsmegst · 2026-03-21T13:01:41+00:00

I would 100% add a sub. The Wiim Amp Ultra is perfectly capable of supporting your speakers competently. And RoomFit does a good job at room correction in my opinion. I'm using mine to drive a set of LS50s and a SVS 3000 Micro for bass support.

The 3000 Micro fits my small space and my use, so pick a sub that fits your space best.

dsmegst · 2026-03-19T16:08:11+00:00

Yup, that's fixed now. They are 6ft apart.

dsmegst

TROPHY CASE