Hey guys,
I have been lurking here for a while and have just gotten around to joining.
You guys have a wealth of knowledge and freely share it with anyone that has a question, I find this encouraging and commendable.
Anyway, glad to be here and don't let me stop you from doing what you seem to do best.

Jimmy

Hi Jimmy & welcome!
These guys are indeed great about sharing what they know & have a world of practical experience behind them.
Are you new to handgun hunting r just new here?

Well, I am not really new to handgun hunting as I killed my first deer with a handgun in 1990. However, I have not hunted alot in the last 15yrs for various reasons that I considered to be of greater importance than hunting, namely family. Even though I have not been hunting much at all, I laid my rifles down way back then and they have been snug in the safe and when I have gone afield I have had a handgun in tow. And,even though my hunting has been limited, my interest hasn't waned and I have continued to collect hunting handguns to include single action and double action revolvers in .44mag and .454, Contenders and 2 XP100's, Savage Striker and reloading equipment for them and I am in the process of starting to cast bullets. This is and has always been an addiction since back then, I have just not pursued it with the vigor that I would have liked. Now that I have more time to devote to the sport and a 16yr old son to bring along, I am back in the game with an attitude.

Welcome to the forum. You picked the right place. I'm new here myself. Folks on here are always giving great advice.

Jimmy, welcome aboard. Enjoy the son as much as you can. As soon as he discovers girls, you have probably lost your hunting pardner for a few years. They seem to think girls are more important than hunting at some point.

Looks like you have the bases pretty much covered on equipment. Casting is another part that is neat also.

I have been a little surprised at the number of handgun hunters on this site who shoot factory ammo. In my little world almost everyone I know reloads. I guess reloding and casting takes up more time than some busy folks have in our modern rat race.

I am sure you will learn a lot on this site, I know that I have.

Welcome to the forum, Jimmy! We welcome your input!

WOW, nice collection of shortguns! I think you will fit right in! LOL

We have started calling this sight “handgun hunters anonymous,” so... welcome to the addiction.

Ps, We like eye candy! It helps us with our addiction!!

Duane

WELCOME jwarren!!!!

hope u all the luck with your return to handguning. and hunting with your son.

Thanks for the welcome fellows. I'll have more questions than input as my experience in the field is not the equal of most of yours. I have been kind of active in shooting practical pistol type matches over the intervening years so that has at least kept me shooting some. I have been a student of guns all of my life even though my knowledge of them probably belies that fact.I am from a family that did not discourage guns and shooting but it was not encouraged either, so I really know of only one place that my love of guns could have come from. I am 50yrs old and remember lying awake at night in my room from the time I was about 12yrs old reading all of the great gun writers and hunting magazines, being taken away by those powerful and influential words. I could not wait to get the latest issues so that I could immerse myself in this addiction yet again.

Heck, now that I think of it...Rancid Crabtree may have been one of my neighbors. (this comment will be lost on some of you)

Anyway, enough of that....

I do appreciate the welcome and I look forward to entering treatment at this most appropriate portal. I feel like the mission statement is such that migration into the mainstream is imminent.

Rancid Crabtree is still alive and well,so is Jugs Johnson, Skeeters friend.An article by Skeeter led to my first Ruger .45 colt.Welcome to the site lots of good people and information here.What caliber are the xps and striker ?My xp is in .221 fireball and striker in .308

One of the xp's was .221 and I had it punched out to .223 and the other is 7BR. The Striker is .22mag.....sort of a proficiency maintainer for the xp's, deadly on tree rats and has been known to pop a yote out to 75yds with a clean head shot.