Now that Ruger has made their Gunsight Scout with a Synthetic Stock, which has shaved a pound off the gun, I’m finding it difficult to make excuses in not getting one. I got notification from a distributor that they have some. *sigh*
The problem was that I was wanting to get another lever action first. Now that choice has been made into a question again, and that irritates me.
See… this is the problem with working in the Gun Industry. One must be very jaded or one doesn’t bring home any paycheck to pay the bills. One muse shield yourself by being unimpressed with New and Shiny. One must be picky and snobbish about firearms that one could buy.
When I first got to Jacksonville, I had to sell my .45-70… because money was tight with paying a Mortgage and Rent and Moving Expenses and setting up a new house with things like Utilities and Toilet Paper and Food. I’ve not purchased a gun since. And that’s really getting under my skin.
And as you guys know – I’ve been jonesing for a revolver. A 4″ GP-100. But I’d take a different revolver… like a 686 SSR or TRR8. And I’ve been really wanting a Mossberg 464 SPX, because it’s so Borderlands crazy.
Now, here’s my fear. I dip into that well of Gun Buying and I may not be able to stop myself… I might bing… and that’s not cool. Think of this like an Alcoholic that works at the liquor store that wants to sample a couple things. One must be cautious.
And then there is the new Synthetic Scout – just like I had wanted from Ruger since the Scout first came out.
*sigh*
Category Archives: Weapons
I must be getting older…
I no longer particularly care for most MSR’s. I am only rarely impressed any automatic pistols. Dan Wesson, SIG, Beretta being the ones that gain most of my attention… and guns I never would have liked before, I’m really digging on now.
My top 3 handguns I’d buy are all revolvers… and all of them are Ruger. Sure, I’d love a S&W 686 SSR, but I think I’d rather spend my money on a 4″ GP100 and use the money left over for a trigger job. Or ammo.
When I see a rifle I first look at the grain in the wood rather than the action to see if it will take a high capacity box magazine. I’m more interested in the refinements rather than in the modularity and ability to attach not necessarily necessary plastic parts.
Older cartridges hold more sway to me than the new. .300 Blackout? I’d rather have a .30-30.
So this is what growing old feels like.
What I am most interested in is accuracy. Volume of fire is not important to me. I’ve always prefered the bigger hammer approach. You get that easier from Revolvers, You get power and accuracy without having to get Mods or Custom work.
I also prefer Heavy for Caliber loads. Pretty much across the board now, In rifles of all types and in all handguns. I’ll always pick the heaviest of the options.
When you can connect a heavy load with accuracy… That’s shooting.
The Military Handgun again…
This has been going around the Gun Media circles for awhile now… “The Army Wants a New Pistol” or whatever variation on that theme. The most recent version has Detonics as the shoe in for the contract, in an article designed as nothing more than advertising for Detonic’s pistol “THAT YOU CAN BUY NOW!”
Come on… it’s not even clever. It’s disappointing that Detonics would stoop this low. This is like as low as calling your single shot .308 Derringer pistol a “Pocket Sniper”. NO ONE BELIEVES YOU. Did the guy from EAA’s Advertising do this?
Here’s the facts. The Army has only a couple years ago signed a whole new contract for more M9 pistols. They recently signed another new contract to G-Code for holsters for these new M9 pistols. Here’s a shocker for the initiated… these new holsters are for the M9A1. So for those in Eugene Oregon, is it maybe possible that the replacement for the M9 just might be the M9A1?
Think about it.
The New Rugers
I hate to say it, but I’m becoming a Ruger fan. This is something that 5 years ago I would never have said. In fact, 5 years ago I was busting Ruger’s chops regularly.
But Ruger has been trudging along, improving what they do, and making new things that I am liking… as a result my overall opinion of Ruger has been turned 180 degrees. While other gun manufacturers are slipping on quality control, Ruger is improving. While other manufacturers are making guns cheaper and acting like they are making improvements – Ruger is actually making improvements without cutting corners.
Ruger’s Revolvers are now setting the standard. Their SR series pistols are just flat out damn good. And their economically minded “E” series is probably the best Bang for the Budget Buck next to a Surplus Makarov… if you can find Surplus Maks anymore.
I could see myself buying one of their new LC9S pistols, or an SR9C, or an SR45…. or… or… I gotta say, Ruger is making some fine firearms.
Oh – don’t be so shocked.
We live the world now where KEL-TEC completely ROCKED a SHOT SHOW – no one saw that happening. So something like Ruger deciding to take making weapons seriously shouldn’t be a stunning event. But there it is.
Don’t get me started on the two 4″ GP100 revolvers we have at Blackstone. The Want is too high to tolerate for much longer.
The Beretta Pico is most interesting.
Designed to be as narrow and flat as possible and still feel “Hey, that’s not bad” in the hand. I have to admit that I dig it. They have a soft shooting feel and are shockingly accurate for a pocket .380.
These are good little guns.
The 9E, VP9, and the Pico.
Two new guns came in that in not handled before. The Ruger 9E and the Beretta Pico.
The Ruger is an impressive pistol for the money. Its so close to the SR9 that In wondering why one would opt for SR9, with it’s hundred dollar premium. The 9E has all the same features and the same trigger. Great gun for the money. This isn’t like a Smith and Wesson SD9, which is a tangibly lesser gun to the M&P. This is just what it looks like… an SR “light” model.
Ruger is doing it right,
The Pico is an interesting little unit. Its not for everyone. It’s a very tiny little pistol. Small in a “Wow” this is small kind of way. Even though it’s unusually small, You can feel that its quality. Its probably the best made little pocket sized 380 out there. The trigger is very good for a DAO type trigger I like it, I could see myself packing one. Deep Concealment use…
with the new . 380 ammunition out there now, my hesitations about the cartridge has lessened.
My only hang up about the Pico is the magazine release. It’s too tiny. Not easily used, But then again, this isn’t one to be doing tactical reloads with. How it stands the test of time will be interesting.
The disappointment was the HK VP9 pistol. I liked everything about it, but one small detail. Imagine a new BMW M5… with a razor blade in the steering wheel. See, in the HK, the trigger guard has a channel on the inside bottom. I’ve not seen or heard anyone else mention that. But it’s there. On the pistols I’ve looked at, these channels have rather sharp edges that my trigger finger seems to find. This causes irritation and distraction when there should be none. HK Acolytes will of course say “I’m doing it wrong.” BMW M5 with Razor wheel – “Oh, your holding the steering wheel wrong.” No… Because it shouldn’t matter how I hold it. It shouldn’t be there. In the HK that channel shouldn’t be there to begin with. So a pistol that could be a 10 out of 10, is only a 8. There are other small things that detract as well… but that’s for another time.
More on these pistols in due time.
Tactical Lever Action Shotgun?
I don’t know what it is, but some questions have been coming in from multiple folks asking about the viability of a Lever Action Shotgun for Tactical use. This answer is a straight up no. Reason being, is that the Lever Action Shotgun loses the advantage of flexibility that the normal shotguns have, or the ability to top off on the go like a normal lever action rifle. So instead of being the best of both worlds, it’s the worst of both worlds.
Sure, Terminator 2 made it look cool with the firing from a motorcycle and spin cocking it… But that’s about where the cool factor comes to an abrupt end.
The reloading is second to none when it comes to being slow and awkward.
The reliability is questionable in every Winchester and Win-Clone I’ve seen. But even if you had one that ran as reliable as the Sun Rise – it’s still limited with a very short mag tube that you can’t extend, and reloading is about as clumsy as mechanically possible.
Even one as practiced as Master Quinn has a time of running these things.
A Shotgun has it’s advantage in being Situationally Flexible. You take that away from it – it’s handicapped drastically.
A Lever has it’s advantage in being light and easy to handle, narrow in profile, and easy to top off on the go. Take those things away from it, and it’s handicapped.
I see no point in these Lever Action Shotguns other than as a Novelty or a Historic Curio Reproduction.
The use of one in a Tactical Situation would be a mistake unless this was the only weapon you had or that it was a stop gap weapon until you could get to a better weapon.
Granted 12 gauge is devastating and 4 or 5 shots from it is formidable… but this is like planning on using a 2 shot Derringer as a defensive weapon. There are better options out there. In every metric there are better options.
That being said. They are still freaking cool and fun… so outside of the Tactical Use spectrum – they are just fine.
Quick Update – There is a Marlin Lever Action in .410… It was produced for a time, dropped, brought back briefly and dropped again. So examples are out there. They are rare and hard to find. I’ve only seen 2 in person. They are cool and could be viable as a Tactical Lever Action Shotgun. But they are only in .410 and that’s also a handicap. But it’s better than harsh language, so there’s that.
Beretta Vertec
I don’t have a Vertec… But I do have a Blue Gun of the Beretta Vertec. The weight is completely wrong, but the shape is right on. I like it. In fact, I think I’d really like to get a Vertec. Unfortunately Beretta has long discontinued it.
This was a big mistake. Not as big as discontinuing the 90-Two instead of just re-naming it. Maybe bigger than the killing off the Cheetahs. Word is that Beretta is bringing back the Cheetah. The least of these three sins. Beretta, BRING BACK THE OTHER TWO!
Bring back the 90-TWO. Bring Back The Vertec. Just do it.
A couple Pistol Observations.
The Ruger LC9S: I’ve mentioned this pistol before. Said I’d like to take a look at one. Well, i’ve done that now. I’ve looked. Held. Fired. And my opinion on it is now complete.
I like it.
The trigger is not a great trigger as far as the world of triggers go… But compared to other guns in the LC9’s class, it’s a fantastic trigger. Compared to the old regular LC9’s trigger, this is a godsend. This new trigger changes the gun dramatically. All the sudden this gun is now a very serious weapon. You can hit with it. You can actually aim at your target and have a reasonable expectation of connecting bullet to bullseye. That was not something you could really expect with the old LC9. This new LC9S is what the Glock 42 should have been. This gun is now on THE LIST. I could by this one. And I just might.
The DB FS Nine: I’m not going to say that I don’t like it because it’s terribly ugly. I think it’s disgusting looking… But so is an XDM, but I can live with an XDM. It looks like a kid drew a pistol and Diamondback milled it out of plastic and regret. But I know some of you guys out there are thinking “I like the looks”. That’s good. Good for you. Honey Boo Boo’s Mom has a Boyfriend because of guys like you… Where was I? No… The reason I don’t like DBFSNINE(!&@$T!(@$Y Okay, I hate the name too. For the LOVE of all that is holy – can people please use a shred of creativity when it comes to naming a main product line? You forgot that it’s not just Full Sized – as compared to the DB9, but also Double Stacked… So according to your naming ritual, you should have called it the DB FSDS NINE 9mm… Or add a threaded barrel and it would be the DBFSDSTBNINEOMGIHATEYOUPEOPLE. Come on. It’s like DB went out of their way to make me not like this gun. Okay… The top reason I hate the gun is the trigger pull. And that it makes me go all Louis Black over here. You have a pistol that looks like it could be a good shooter here. Six and a Quarter inches of Sight Radius here. Four and three quarters worth of barrel. And then you give it a trigger like CZ 100 with a sneezing fit. Come on!
Diamondback, clean the gun up, give it a good trigger, and give it better name. Like “F9”. The DB F9. Done. Simple. Clean. I’ll give you credit… At least you didn’t do what FN did with the “Five-seveN”. Gah! That still makes my left eyelid twitch. And don’t even get me started on Beretta’s 90-TWO! I actually had words with the guys at the Beretta booth at SHOT over that wretched mistake. This gun has POTENTIAL…. I’d love to see that potential realized.
Four interesting guns, as discussed on AAR.
Fast gun segment on Armed American Radio. I picked 4 of the more interesting Concealed Carry Gun Options.
Ruger LC9S, a Striker fired version of the LC9 we are all familiar with. Much better trigger pull – to the point it means this slim ccw gun becomes a very serious option. Even for me.
Ruger has another really good CCW option, the LCRx. This is like the now familiar LCR revolver, but this one has a standard style exposed hammer, which means you can thumb-cock the action for a more accurate shot. I like that. At only 13.5 ounces, you might think they are snappy – but with that nice rubber grip, it’s a pussycat to shoot.
Springfield XDS 4.0 This is the same gun as the XDS we all know and love, but with a longer 4 inch barrel. A little better velocity because of that longer barrel, but the big advantage is the longer sight radius which makes it easier to shoot more accurately with.
Browning 1911 .380. This gun was just recently announced. It’s the 1911 .22 that’s been out for awhile, but rechambered for .380 auto. What they did was they took a 1911 and scaled it down to only 85% size. So it looks and functions just like the classic JMB design, but small. Taking a gun that’s just too cool, and making it a viable defensive options. Especially if you have tiny hands. Or you just want something different. Probably wont be available until March of 2015, but that’s just a guess. I’ll be looking for this at SHOT SHOW right off the bat.