I doubt anyone makes a gun-specific "tactical" holster for a plinker. And if I recall correctly, you have a dot sight on your P22, which pretty much eliminates all the thigh holsters I'm aware of. If you take the dot sight off, you might find one of the Uncle Mike's (or other nylon generic fit) "tactical" holsters that will work with it.

Having used a Blackhawk thigh holster here in Afghanistan for a time, I have a pretty low opinion of them for anything but very brief periods of wear. They are okay if you're wearing bulky, hard body armor and can't use anything else, and you're not walking a lot. Using one while stalking small game all day will very likely be no better than a decent belt holster, while being simultaneously less comfortable and more expensive - and definitely sillier looking.

I got rid of the red dot sight. My main concern for using a dot sight was inconsistency at different ranges when sighted at a particular range (like 10 yards). They sights all sat up extremely high from the barrel, so I did some basic trig and figured that with the ATN Ultra Sight, if the sight was zeroed at 10 yards, a mere 5 yard difference (5 yards or 15 yards) would change the point of impact 60-70mm, which is a huge difference. With the iron sights, it was only 3-4mm of difference, and when you're hunting squirrels that aren't but a few inches in height to begin with, the difference was pretty significant. So I sold the weaver rail and TPII sight on ebay, and I'm sending the ATN Ultra Sight back to opticsplanet for a refund. I want the leg holster for when I get an AR-15 and go hunting with that so I can keep the P22 ready to go. Already have a FIST holster on the way for my P99c, which will go with me as well.

I see. What will you be hunting with the AR that requires two pistols as backup?

As I mentioned, thigh holsters are fairly uncomfortable for long-term wear, at least in my experience.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

I see. What will you be hunting with the AR that requires two pistols as backup?

Clearly he's hunting those mutant beavers down by the nuclear plant. Better safe than sorry with those suckers!

Originally Posted by Snowman

Clearly he's hunting those mutant beavers down by the nuclear plant. Better safe than sorry with those suckers!

I thought they were giant squid that could live out of water...silly me.

Well, my thought was the AR-15 for deer/elk, suppressed P22 for squirrel/rabbit, and the P99c for self-defense if I ever come across a mutant beaver or a pissed off wolf. But from what I've heard over the last couple of days, is it illegal in KY to carry rimfire ammunition and rimfire firearms while hunting deer/elk, and the general thought is it's illegal to hunt with a suppressed firearm. So with the AR-15 in hand, the P99c will be in its holster and the P22 will be at home. And with the P22 in hand, the P99c will be in its holster and the AR-15 will be at home. I did some online reading about suppressed firearms and I read somewhere that since their use wasn't banned from sport shooting, it was too much of a hassle to ban it from hunting and try to enforce it. I'm gonna call the KY fish & wildlife in the morning and ask. If worse comes to worse and I can't hunt with a suppressor, I won't be purchasing one, and I can put that money toward an AR-15.

Errrrrrr....what caliber do you intend to choose in an AR for hunting elk? And why in the world wouldn't the AR be sufficient for defense? A rifle that will kill an elk will certainly put down just about any aggressor, whether it walks on two legs or four. Given a choice between fighting with an AR or a pistol, only a fool would choose the pistol.

Are you going to suppress the AR, also? That would seem to make a heck of a lot more sense than suppressing a .22, which is quiet compared to a centerfire rifle. We have some suppressed M4s over here, and they work pretty well. Haven't seen any elk here, though.

Never know when you might get hit from behind and aiming the rifle isn't a possibility. Not sure what size ammo I'll be using...I haven't done a whole lot of reading on the topic since it'll be awhile before I get it. I also plan to have the AR-15 for recreational shooting, so I'm not gonna go out and buy a .308 for the sole purpose of hunting.

As far as the suppressor goes, I'd rather have a suppressed handgun that I'll shoot many times in a day's hunting versus a suppressed rifle that I might get two shots out of if I'm lucky enough to sight an animal that requires a shot or more. Plus, I would not use subsonic bullets in a rifle due to the decreased power/accuracy.

What would you recommend on bullet diameter for both recreational shooting and deer/elk hunting? Keep in mind I don't plan on becoming a serious elk hunter, I just want something that could take one down if I decide to come across one. I'm not going for power, but velocity and accuracy. I'm a very selective fisherman, and I plan to take that attitude with me into hunting. Selective hunting, going one-on-one with prey, and only taking head shots. Not gonna romp into the woods and squeeze rounds off at every animal I could legally bag and try to mow it down with a superwide bullet. One shot stops into the head.

Never know when you might get hit from behind and aiming the rifle isn't a possibility.

Thanks for info on ambushes. I don't know anything about that. Lots of guys in my battalion have been ambushed. I don't know any of them that would give up their M4 for a puny little pistol.

I certainly hope you take some hunter education before going afield. You don't sound like you've done much, if anything, in the way of big game hunting. I do not know if .223 is legal for elk in any state, but I do know it is not terribly humane on such a big animal. It is marginal for deer, never mind elk.

In other threads you say you are a poor rifle shot. How do you plan on making head shots on game if you can't shoot a rifle well?

if I decide to come across one

Heh heh heh. You slay me. That camo snowboarding outfit must work great.

Anyway, this has gone completely off topic.

Did the online portion of the hunter's ed, just gotta wait 'til the end of the month to take the range portion. No I have never done any big game hunting. But I imagine any rifle round traveling at 2,000+fps would humanely take a deer or elk if well placed on the head.

I got to hold an AR-15 the other day...definitely something I'd like to take the time and money to learn to shoot well. It has a pistol grip on it. I just can't shoot something without a pistol grip, my wrists simply don't like being leaned forward very much, and shooting something without a fairly squared off grip is extremely uncomfortable, which would explain why I've never been able to shoot one in the past. Plus I was like 11 years old in boy scouts. They didn't teach us not to yank the trigger.

The snowboarding camo is the shiznit, just admit it Mike. Only problem with it is it's not exactly quiet. Bombproof Burton gear tends to make some noise when it's moved. Sure is warm and toasty on a cold day, and plenty of zip vents for the armpits and crotch in case I'm feelin' a little too hot. And you can't even begin to bash on the Oakley stuff 'cause I know you guys use the A-Frames and M-Frames, which are my choice of eyewear for goggles and shades.

Headshots on elk?! Come on now. At the rate you seem to be picking up guns you might as well get some kind of hunting rifle - it doesn't have to cost you very much. Then you can humanely kill the animals instead of shooting their noses off.

As for the Oakleys, I just got a pair of polarized A-wire for Christmas and they are schweet.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

Did the online portion of the hunter's ed, just gotta wait 'til the end of the month to take the range portion. No I have never done any big game hunting. But I imagine any rifle round traveling at 2,000+fps would humanely take a deer or elk if well placed on the head.

You have a lot to learn about hunting. .223 is a great for varmints, marginal on deer, and unsuitable for elk. Real life, especially in the game fields, seldom goes according to a perfect plan (or fantasy). I'll just leave it at that.

It has a pistol grip on it. I just can't shoot something without a pistol grip, my wrists simply don't like being leaned forward very much

Huh. Okay. Ever shot a gun with a thumbhole stock? Anyway, I have never heard of this "problem," and honestly I suspect you are just wanting to rationalize owning a "badass" AR. Not necessary. Go buy one if you want one. Just don't fool yourself into thinking a high-velocity .22 is appropriate and humane for large game.

And you can't even begin to bash on the Oakley stuff 'cause I know you guys use the A-Frames and M-Frames, which are my choice of eyewear for goggles and shades.

Oakleys are okay and work fine. They are hard to get through the supply system, though, so most guys here use Revision Sawfly, ESS, or cheapo UVEX. I managed to score a pair of Oakley M-frames a couple months ago, but I already have ESS and Uvex specs. I traded the Oakleys to a gear queer so he would take my guard shift.

I have bad wrists Mike. I'll just that one at that. Not to mention I've suffered numerous stress fractures in both thumbs and countless wrist sprains through football, snowboarding, and MMA. If it's not comfortable, I can't shoot it. And no, I don't really consider an AR-15 that badass of a gun. I just really like the layout, the feel, and available parts. If I did want a badass hunting rifle, I'd buy a .308.

Trading Oakleys for UVEX? That guard shift must've sucked a fat one.

I haven't gotten into the polarized...yet. The iridium lenses have always done the job fine for me but I've heard more and more about them and it's tempting. I'm ordering a new pair of A-Frames sometime soon with the Asian fit, which is something Oakley just started doing to accommodate a narrower nose bridge and squarer face. Pretty tight.

Originally Posted by drummin man 627

What makes you think that?

What caliber options can you do with an AR-15 besides .223?

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

What caliber options can you do with an AR-15 besides .223?

.308, .458, and 9mm come to mind. There may be others.

Originally Posted by Todd

.308, .458, and 9mm come to mind. There may be others.

I did some research last night, the AR-10 comes in a .308 and Bushmaster has a .270 (6.8mm) version.

An AR10 in .308 and an AR15 aren't quite the same thing. You can get 6.8mm SPC in a true AR15-pattern rifle. Todd suggested a .458, which will put down an elk with some authority, at least at closer ranges. There is also a short .50 caliber floating around for the AR.

Any of these will kill an elk, if you are wedded to a clunky AR for hunting.

I didn't trade the Oakleys for UVEX. I already had UVEX and ESS, making the Oakleys redundant. I guess they look cool and all, but I hardly care what I look like in my battle rattle. The UVEX and ESS have been working fine for thirteen months, since I am not a gear queer and don't need "thermonuclear protection."

Don’t worry, though. I am sure SEAL officers don’t pull guard or ECP duty.

Originally Posted by Mike Barham

Don’t worry, though. I am sure SEAL officers don’t pull guard or ECP duty.

Good, 'cause I am not giving up my Oakleys. Hahaha.

Any recommendations on where to look for the bigger caliber ARs? I don't want the AR-15 for the .223, I want it because of how easy it is to customize. I'm not one of those people who buys ANYTHING and leaves it stock. I like customization. .458 would be nice for sure. I'm guessing these are true AR-15 setups? The AR-10 definitely looked different than the AR-15.

Originally Posted by fivehourfrenzy

Good, 'cause I am not giving up my Oakleys. Hahaha.

Any recommendations on where to look for the bigger caliber ARs? I don't want the AR-15 for the .223, I want it because of how easy it is to customize. I'm not one of those people who buys ANYTHING and leaves it stock. I like customization. .458 would be nice for sure. I'm guessing these are true AR-15 setups? The AR-10 definitely looked different than the AR-15.

I know Rock River makes a .458. I'm sure there are others as well.

http://www.rockriverarms.com/item-de...TOKEN=91657814

http://alexanderarms.com/

Yeah I think I'm gonna say forget the suppressor for my P22 and save up for a .458 or .308. Thanks guys.