I remain terribly jaded about new guns and I feel like I get more and more guarded the more new and more improved something claims to be. However there are two new rifles out that have raised my critical eyebrow.
#2. The Beretta ARX100.
This is the third choice to the SCAR or ACR question. This is the Dodge to the Ford vs Chevy debate. It brings to the table some new concepts, while keeping within the confines of the tradition auto-rifle layout that is familiar to most American Shooters. But it does so with a wicked truly modular approach reminiscent of H&K.
#1. The IWI TAVOR (TAR-21)
This rifle is special. In my opinion it’s the best new developed combat purposed arm since the AK-47. It’s the promise of the Bullpup Rifle Concept, finally fulfilled. And it’s been the one rifle that I’ve been wanting for over a decade now. Now that it’s out and people have been trying it out – it’s not disappointed. It really is that good. It gets the #1 Position for a many of reasons. First, it’s a Bullpup. Which means you don’t have to SBR it to make it short and maneuverable for CQB or Vehicle purposes. You don’t have to get it as a pistol and put on an Arm Brace to skirt the $200 Tax Stamp and months and months of waiting for the Approval to come back. You can cross most state lines with it (Just stay away from New England) without having to ask permission or document notification or other red tape BS. It gives you rifle length ballistics instead of SBR ballistics. This is a huge advantage with 5.56mm. And unlike most Bullpups, you can fire it off the left or rifle shoulder, or convert it to left or rifle as you wish. Best yet… It’s not Vapor Ware. I can go to two local shops and find one available. And when I do eventually get one – I’m getting one, just a matter of timing – I’ll be able to trust it with confidence. The Israelis have engineered this rifle extremely well… because it had to be. While it’s still quite new in the history of small arms, it’s been proven constantly in conflicts since it’s come out. You can buy it in different flavors… one, like the IDF’s version (but semi-auto of course) and the others with all full length Picatinny rail on top for all your Optics mounting needs. Black or Tan, and with 16″ or 18″ barrels. I think I’d take a black, 16″, flat-top version.
Before I go on – let me but this out there. Marlin lever action rifles are my favorite Lever Action Rifles. More over, they are my favorite rifles that are not auto-loading. Of all the Manual Loading Rifles, Marlins are my first choice. I can’t help but to love the Marlins. But Marlin has some issues going on and they need some serious help. Many people have lost faith in the Brand. And it’s understandable. So here’s my plan…
If Remington were to hire me to be the Brand Manager for Marlin, I’d have a list of changes to make.
First off, everyone that is charge of Quality Control that’s been there since 2007… Those guys are fired or demoted to push broom control. All the current executives since 2007 would all be fired as well. What they have done to the Marlin Brand is unforgivable.
They brought out the X7 series of rifles. Cheap Bolt Action rifles, which on the surface is just fine. But this isn’t keeping in with the Marlin Brand; the Marlin Image. Marlin should be a recognizable brand like Jeep is. But the X7 is like Jeep building a cheap little Sports Car. Sure it’s rather interesting, but it’s not keeping with the Brand. That makes it wrong. I know a couple guys that quite like their X7 rifles. Bully for them. But I’d most likely kill the line. Marlin is owned by Remington and Remington already has cheap bolt actions, so there is no need come compete within the company family. Of course, Marlin’s not had to have a Recall on these that I am aware of or remember, so I don’t know for sure… I’d have to look at the numbers. What do know though, is that I hate the X7. The stock feels cheap and flimsy and I just hate it. I’d perhaps ask Hogue to make a strong OEM stock for it, or look at a Laminate Wood option. This will of course raise the cost – but it would be a huge improvement. So I’d either have other stocks or I’d kill the line. Simple as that on the X7. Done.
The XLR series of rifles… Marlin’s longer range lever guns. You can get them in .308MX, .338MX, or .30-30. There is a note on the web page that says it’s also coming (in 2007) in .35 Remington. But I’ve yet to see that. I’d also like to see a .45-70 and .444 Marlin versions as well. These need the 24/7 rail, like what comes on the 1895 SBL. This rail should be on the XLR’s since everyone who buys them puts a scope on them. The longer 24/7 scope rail would allow more and better scope options for the rifle. It only makes sense to include it.
That brings us to the 1895 SBL. This is one of my favorite guns. The only problem is that it’s Stainless. Or I should say, that it’s ONLY in Stainless. There should be the option for one in Blue. Don’t you think?
Since Marlin doesn’t make one, I made one. This was the 1895GBL. But the GBL doesn’t come with that 24/7 Rail like the SBL has. This is an oversight that. I’m not all about railing up all the guns – but this rail for the 1895’s just makes too much sense. You can then use what ever scope up want and mount it where you like. These SBL and GBL rifles should also be available in .444 Marlin and .35 Remington. Again, it only makes sense to offer these guns in more calibers. Not everyone wants .45-70.
Marlin used to offer a 16″ version… And I shot one.
This was my GBL with the 24/7 Rail. It was fantastic.
I called it a “Guide Gun”, which is wrong… It had another name but I forget. But it was factory direct like that. That option needs to come back.
I would like to see an even bigger version of the Guide Gun. In .50 Caliber. The best .50 round that could work is the .500 S&W Magnum. This would require some resizing of the action – Something you are not wanting to do, but it needs to be done. Slightly larger and a lot stronger. Every option in the 1895 line should be available here. Including SBL’s and GBL’s. The guns would chamber both the .500 S&W Magnum and the .460 Magnum. Right now people who want one bad enough are shelling out over 2400 bucks to have one custom made – This is money Marlin could be making. If some company no one ever heard of is doing this – Marlin could be doing it too. Excuses are too late. This is why I had all the prior execs fired. Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Do it. Just Fricken Make It Happen, you lazy, slackwits. People will buy it. Because for 9 years people were constantly asking for it. So what if it would costs 1400 bucks per rifle – People would buy it.
This brings us to the 336 family. Again, the 24/7 Rail and Big Loop combo should be offered. There should also be a 16″ Barreled version. Before, there was a 16, in the 336Y model, which I can’t find anymore. The 20″ barrel is fine, but some people like them to be shorter. Basically I want the same options in the 1895 line as in the 336 line. .30-30, .308MX, .338MX, and .35 Remington should all have homes in all versions of the 336.
The Cowboy series has 2 guns. One in .30-30, and one in .45-70. Where are the other calibers? And why is the .30-30 so short? Where’s the long barreled option? It needs to 26″. The .45-70 option is a bit disappointing. Where is the classic tang mounted aperture sight? The Cowboy Gun needs a stepped up version for the Cowboy Action competitions. Those guys take their shooting seriously and to attract them in greater numbers, let’s do a 30″ barreled version, with Brass buttplate and end caps. A “Quigley” variant, if you will.
The 39A is a Classic. But it’s long and heavy and from spending 9 years behind a gun counter, selling these to young fathers for their young boys and girls… It’s a bit too heavy. Shortening the barrel down to 16 inches and offering it with a lighter weight synthetic stock as an option would really help that. So a light and short youth version is required. The 39Y. And since some guys like me like Carbines, a 39C, with a 16″ barrel. Now, let’s also offer a Stainless Steel version of the A and C guns, and call them simply the AS and CS.
The 39 series also needs to have a Magnum version. Call it the 49 series, with all the options as in the 39. .22 Magnum and .17HMR. Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Henry, Winchester, and Browning made them. Henry still does. And let’s do a special edition 49 Cowboy. Because that would just be amazing.
The 1894 line. First off… There needs to be the SBL version that was in the 2011 Catalog but never really made. It’s time to make it. Also, like as I said with the 336 line, the 1894 Line needs to have all calibers available in all versions. Where is the .45 Colt option? Over there in the Cowboy version. That’s it? What jackoff said that it can only be in the Cowboy? He better have his desk cleared off. .38/.357, .44 Mag/Special, .45 Colt/Casull.
I want this, in blued steel and walnut.
(Forgive my sloppy PhotoChop) Legacy, Rossi and Henry are doing Mare’s Legs. Where is Marlin’s? 12 to 13 inches. Also, as a factory option, offer the Mare’s Leg with a full sized rifle stock for the guys that want to turn them into a Short Barreled Rifle. Hell, we’d just throw the stock in the box with it. We’d have to come up with a different name… Bounty Hunter and Mare’s Leg are both taken. Maybe call it the “Outlaw”, or “Rustler”. And of course, make it available in all caliber options. Top it with that 24/7 Rail and a Red Dot, I’d call mine the Borderland Pistol, or the Jacob Pistol. Stainless and Grey or Blued and Laminate Brown Wood.
The internals on all the Levers I’ve seen have been HIDEOUS. I’ve had to disassemble every Marlin I’ve ever owned and hand finished and polished the internals as best as I could. Every time. Why? This should be done on every gun before it leaves the factory. Reason? Because the Marlin name is on every rifle that leaves the factory. I’ve had gouges and burrs on Internal Operating parts. On the levers. Ive had bolt’s so rough I thought they were threaded. The inside areas of these 1895’s, 336’s, and 39’s have all been drastically unfinished. It’s as if you were digging the metal out like you were carving a canoe out of a log. It’s tragic. It’s a failure. It needs to be addressed. For the love of all that is holy – Can’t you jackwagon’s just deburr the inside of the loading ports? I’ve cut myself on them more than once.
And where is a Centerfire Takedown Lever Action? Taylors and Wild West Guns can make them – Where’s Marlin’s Take Down? The 39A takes down… Come on now, let’s get with the program.
What do you say Remington? Pay me 200 grand a year and give me a bull horn and a Chainsaw… I’ll have people lining up to buy Marlins.
Also known as a Volley Gun. There was one on display at the NRA Convention last weekend that has attracted much attention.
We’ve been seeing photos of this gun popping up all over the place. It’s a cool gun. It fires all seven barrels at the same time. Like a shotgun, but more effective since each Ball was fired at much higher velocity than the shotguns of the time. You can read some more about this gun here.
Many have said that these guns would be cumbersome.
That is not so.
The Nock Gun was fairly short. And while not a light weight, was certainly not too heavy to be cumbersome.
The series of films “Sharpe’s Rifles” feature a Sargent that uses one to good and dramatic effect, dropping several foes in one grand blast.
You can watch the movies here… There are 14 films, Rifles is the fist.
The 1911. It’s a fantastic shooting platform. I had gotten away from it for some years and now I’m back to it for the time being. As an instructor I’ve made many observations on the guns and the shooters and I think I’ve come up with some conclusions.
1. The 1911 demands loyalty. You can’t cheat on it and have it be faithful back to you. If you are going to carry a 1911, you need to marry it. Here’s why… In most every class I’ve taught that had a 1911 shooter in it, I’ll catch a guy draw his weapon, push out from the high compressed position, and then crush his trigger to no effect because he forgot to sweep the safety off. Most of the guys that do that, do so because their other guns are not 1911’s. They are Glocks or XD’s or M&P’s or something altogether not 1911’s. Don’t cheat on the 1911. Because that’s going to lead some issues.
2. Don’t go shorter than 4 inches. 1911’s that are shorter than a “Commander” start to give up reliability. You give up other things as well to the point that you are detracting from the fantastic qualities that make the 1911 the 1911 in the first place. The long sight radius, the accuracy, the pointability… These things make a 1911 what it is. Chopping them down to 3 inches… you’ve ruined it. You no longer have the pointing, the accuracy, the very things we love the 1911 for. And I’ve never seen a compact 1911 of any sort complete one of my handgun courses without turning into a hot mess of problems. The Commander is 4.25 inches. Many 1911 makers are doing a 4″ version, and they seem to be running just about as well as any good full sized 5″ “Government” model. Shorter than 4, it’s effecting the geometry and the timing and it’s just not worth the risk in reliability for the perception of greater concealment.
3. The 1911 needs to be well lubricated. Some guys like oil, some grease, and others a combo of both in different places. However you like it – that’s fine. As long as you oil it. Most every 1911 I’ve seen with issues that wasn’t shorter than 4″, was a pistol that was bone dry. Just like an AR-15, it can be hot, and dirty… but it can’t be dry. The 1911 likes to be wet.
4. The 1911 is a traditional type of pistol so it needs a traditional type of holsters – leather. Good leather. Most 1911’s are north of $1,000 dollars, so don’t even think about it letting it ride in a cheap rig. And remember what I said about marrying the 1911? That means showing it the respect that it deserves… let it ride in something nice. Let it know you care. Here’s the other reason… The 1911 is not for the Duffers. It’s a pistol for the experts. It’s for the experienced shooters. It should show some miles on it. Let it get some holster wear, let that holster break in… And you do that by #5…
5. You Must Train with it. Practice your draw. Practice your re-holstering. Practice getting that one thing that the 1911 excels at – that fast and precise first round heavy hit. All gunfights have one thing in common. That first shot. Make it count.
Remington was once known as Big Green. They were huge and they were moving. Winchester had dropped the Model 70 and Savage wasn’t even an option… Brownings and Sakos were for the rich and famous. The Model 700 was dominant as the bolt action for the Every Day Man. The only shotgun worth having was the 870 for serious field use. Remington rifles were known for accuracy and quality. The shotgun for rugged durability. There was no question about this. These were Remington’s halcyon days.
Now we’ve had yet another recall on Remington 700 and 7 triggers. Remington only original pistol design the 51 was brought back and it’s looking like a major flop. Remington’s acquisition of Marlin has been regarded as a death knell for Marlin as a brand as the quality control of those storied lever action rifles has fallen through the floor. The ACR rifle which was the great promise of freeing us all from the doldrums of AR-15’ness has fallen flat on it’s face from a lack of the Barrel Conversions as promised to change lengths and calibers. We were supposed to have had them a long time ago, and here we are in 2014 and we still don’t have what what promised. You know, the whole major selling point of the ACR other than “it’s not an AR-15”. I’ve even seen and heard other guys talk about the Remington 1911 in tones of disappointment and regret. Even Remington brand ammunition is pretty much my least favorite ammo out there. In fact, I’d rather shoot steel cased Wolf stuff through my guns. A common theme in the remarks about any Remington product is “I’ll never buy another Remington again”.
It would seem that Remington is caught in a Huey Tuck of unfortunate failures, and doesn’t have the altitude to pull out of it. What can Remington do to prevent the impending doom of crashing through the tree tops?
First off, Remington needs to concentrate on quality control. Every gun that goes out there door needs to be individually inspected by a Gun Smith, not just a packaging clerk in the shipping department. And that needs it’s own QC there too. The actions, triggers, extraction and ejection, everything. If it’s not perfect – don’t just ship the bloody thing!
Second. There is no valid reason that there are not a plethora of barrel kit options for the ACR platform. None. Zero. Any reason you think you have, is just as excuse. Get them out there and get it out at a decent price. Have barrel options for 12 to 20 inches in all applicable calibers. Just do it. You have a whole mess of people waiting for those and a whole lot of other people that would be buying the ACR if they were actually available. ACR Barrel Kits are now Vaporware on the same level as the fabled Glock Carbine.
Thirdly. Just drop the R51 pistol. Continual production and sales of this lemon is putting Remington at risk. A gun that can fire out of battery is a gun that is waiting to Frag its owner and cause serious bodily harm. That’s a mountain of liability that you do not need right now. Someone is going to get hurt and they are going to go after you tooth and nail for producing this thing. And with all the videos on YouTube showing that this is a known and documented issue – you guys are already in trouble on this. It’s just a matter of time before someone files. It should be recalled and discontinued. Or recall it and do a radical redesign. I’m sure there are people at Remington that know how to make the R51 work. You need to listen to them. And fire whoever is keeping them quiet.
Fourth. Get rid of the Corporate Yes-Men and start telling people in the upstairs offices “No”. Because not all the ideas have been good ones. Like the 887 Shotgun. That’s a terrible gun. It’s no improvement over the 870, and it feels cheap and wrong. What’s the advantage? No, don’t answer that, I don’t need to hear the propaganda. That was just a bad idea.
Fifth. Marlin. You guys really stomped all over the Marlin name. The quality control has been the worst I’ve ever seen. In the production and in the Warranty department. Absolutely the worse. Quality Control there was an absolute joke. We had new guns come in that we couldn’t even get the actions to cycle and we would have returns come back from warranty service missing parts in areas that were unrelated to what they were sent in for. I don’t know how they managed to fail so hard. Who is working in the Marlin department? Chimps? I know things have gotten better. But that’s a low hurdle to mark down as an achievement. When Rossi is making a better Lever Action – that’s just sad.
Take a look at Taylor’s and Wild West Guns and look at how they are making some guns that people are wanting… How come you do not have anything like that? Where is your take down? What year is this now? Where are your winged and adjustable aperture sights?
I don’t know guys… Can Remington be redeemed? Or have they fallen too far now?
I’ve a rather short list of handguns that are of interest to me, at the moment. Perhaps the fascination will pass on these, but the Want Factor has been quite high all year so far.
1. The Walther PPQ M2 5″.
The P99 I reviewed for Concealed Carry Magazine really impressed me, overall. But a couple things that irritated me to one degree or another on the P99 was removed or fixed in the PPQ. Namely the mag release and the decocker button on the top of the slide. The PPQ retains everything good about the P99, just cleaned up. Like a Subaru WRX without the Spoiler and Hood Nostril. Talking to some other guys about the PPQ, such as Jon Hodoway from Nighthawk Custom Training… it’s quietly becoming a favorite in the class of Polyframed Striker Fired pistols.
2. The SIG M11-A1.
This is basically a reintroduction of the very excellent SIG P228… Which is what SIG is now calling the 229… but the 229 has rails. Don’t try to figure it out – it’s SIG and they just do things like that. But it takes nothing away from the M11A1… Which is an excellent pistol and one that’s been on my mind more and more lately. Slightly shorter than the full sized 226, the M11A1 comes home to that “Just Right” size for me. For EDC work both Open or Concealed, this gun can get it done. And has been getting it done under the 228 tag for a long time. I had a 228 that I used as a backup gun for some time and it was quiet excellent. I did have some problems with the trigger return spring, but that was an easy fix and it never troubled me again. I miss that gun. This is it’s resurrection.
3. The Ruger Super Blackhawk, 4 5/8″, .44 Magnum.
Nothing quite says “You’re Doomed” like thumbcocking back the hammer on an accurate and powerful single action revolver. I’m more fond of the western style revolvers than I am the more “modern” double action types. There’s something about the classic heritage of the breed that is both fascinating and just… I don’t know how to say it… “The way it should be”. Especially when dealing with full potency magnum loads. The only thing I’d do to this gun would be to get a Gold Bead front sight put in. That’s it. The reason I picked this over the Vaquero… the sights… the magnum frame… and a grip that fits my hand better. The Vaquero felt too small to me. Nice, but too small. That and with the Blackhawks I can really place my shots. For me, that’s a requirement with a gun with only a few rounds in it. The shorter barrel looks properly handsome as well. If I was in a rural area again where Open Carry didn’t even cause folks to look twice – That’s what I’d be packing most of the time I think. (Along with a Truck Gun in the same caliber… Such as a Rossi 92 20″)
Before I roll forward with Armchair Quarterbacking Detonics, I want the readers here to know my long history with the Combat Master, and my affections for it. I wrote two articles about the Combat Master for Concealed Carry Magazine. Both articles were rather glowing of the guns overall. You can read them both here. The second article has photos here.
“This is like Scarlett Johanson winning an Ultimate Fighter Championship.”
I considered Jerry Ahern a friend. We had many great conversations about Detonics and about the Combat Master. When Jerry passed away, I was greatly saddened. But what saddened me the most was the new iteration of Detonics and the all new version of the Combat Master.
One of the things we had talked about was the use of a regular dovetailed front sight with Tritium and moving the rear sight back to the normal 1911 position and using a regular Commander style hammer and a Beavertail. Make it more like a regular 1911 that people are familiar with instead of having the Combat Master occupy the Uncanny Valley. We had even discussed me buying one in this configuration from Detonics USA, and Jerry had said “Don’t worry about it, George. We’ll send you a prototype.” This was being discussed while I was writing the second Combat Master review. But before I could return the review pistol to Detonics, the company had closed its doors and Jerry was removed from his office. And what we had discussed went with him.
Some time after that all happened, Detonics had reopened. And they did come out with a new version of the Combat Master…. and this happened:
They did indeed use a regular sized front sight post… and they moved the rear sight back to where they normally go. And then they did that. I don’t even know what that is. No one else did either as this version of the Combat Master was killed off almost as fast as it had come out. Here is where it failed again. It’s still not like a 1911… It’s still almost familiar but wrong – dead nuts in the center of the Uncanny Valley zip code. Right where people look at it from a distance and say “hey, look at that” and then they get close enough to really see it and they are repelled. Instinct dictates the initial attraction and the subsequent revulsion. Because it’s not what they are familiar with it. A hexagon barrel with the front sight mounted to it is just fine… On a Webley. But on a 1911 pistol of any sort?
Detonics needs to bring back the Combat Master because that’s WHAT DETONICS IS. But they need to forget that strange polygonal barrel and make it more like a traditional 1911.
The scalloping of the ejection port on the older Combat Masters is both elegant and beautiful. That’s a nice touch that should come back. The Rear Sight should be in the normal 1911 position. But not a Novak ramp style. Something more like an ICE Claw rear sight. And give it a small Beavertail. For better accuracy, reliability, and ballistic punch, lengthen the barrel a bit.
The other problem with the Combat Master is the Magazine. They are shorter than the standard Officer’s model, which means you are Single Sourced for them. Lengthen the frame just a touch so that you can use regular Officer’s Magazines. The result is you will have a gun that fits people’s hands better and they can get a bunch of spare mags without having to sell a car to do it.
I’d even take this a step further and use a GI Guid rod and Bushing. Take a look at the Nighthawk T3. You know what, Detonics? There is a waiting list for those things. And those guns cost double your discontinued Combat Master. Do you see the difference here? You probably don’t. The difference is your gun was not just different – it was strange. While the T3 was a compact 1911 DONE WELL. That’s the difference. And that’s why people were waiting to pay double dollars for something that the Combat Master was competing with.
The 1911 should always feel like it’s familiar. You should never have to break out a Manual or look up a How To video on YouTube. The 1911 should be a 1911. Like Apple Pie and Baseball, it should be Classic and it should be reminding their owners of heroic days past… and it should be inspiring in its accuracy and reliability for future adventures. It it doesn’t do that, you’ve failed. I can’t explain this any better. If it’s not clear to you, well… Good luck.
The MTX pistol looks interesting. But you said a 3.5″ and a 5″ version will be available in 2013. Nothing looks worse than saying you are coming out with something and then you don’t. Unless it’s a double stacked 1911 with a 3.5″ barrel. Just don’t do that. It sounds good at first but is never a good thing once it’s in the hand. Just drop that, and concentrate on getting that 5″ version done… and maybe even do a 6″. Do a 10mm version in 6″ because that would be awesome and something that is just not available outside of STI. A 6″ 10mm MTX would have me drooling.
Bring back the Range Master and the Street Master. Make the Range Master a 5″ traditional 1911 with adjustable sights and the Street Master a 4.25″ with fixed sights. Make them like the originals, but better. Give them Match barrels and triggers and make them as accurate and as reliable as any other high end 1911, but do it at a competitive price. Look at Dan Wesson’s 1911’s. They are absolutely excellent. Do some extra touches that need to be done… Polish the rails and the locking lugs. Polish the trigger parts so the trigger feel is absolute perfection. And forget the gimmicks. The only options should be polished blue or stainless. The grips should be stunning woods with torques head screws so it looks clean. Double Diamonds. Traditional. Traditional done to Perfection. Make the guns live up to their names. It should make the person feel like he really and truly is holding something special and wonderful in their hands when they pick one up. Nothing about it should make one raise an eyebrow.
Caliber options for all guns should be 9mm, 10mm and .45 Auto.
If at this point, you can’t do a good traditional 1911, Detonics should be allowed to die with dignity. But for some people, the name still holds currency and we want it to succeed. You just need a man with some vision to take charge and make the name great again. You need another Jerry Ahern.
I’m available for contract negotiations at any time. 😉
The Beretta 90-Two. Beretta’s best and worst in one single package. Let me explain why.
On one hand, it’s absolutely the best. The best handgun Beretta has ever made. It has all the latest features and updated good looks that really take it into the next century. I love the swept lines and new contours in the frame on the safety levers.
On the other hand, it has the worst name they could have given the pistol. I had people come to me at the gun counter and say “I want a Beretta ninety two.” Yes, I have that right here. “No, a ninety two.” You get my point. It’s name was made of confusion. Had they called in a 2092 or something, it would have worked. Colt and STI did similar things for the “1911” and it worked. Worked just fine, without being cute. In fact, it was more descriptive and accurate if a name. People knew what you were talking about.
The internal buffer and the dovetailed sights are both features of the 92A1… and that’s great. But the 92A1 doesn’t have the fresh new look.
I’ve been wanting one of these more and more this year. For no specific reason.
Here’s the other gun I’m wanting. The 92FS Compact. I have no real justification for it. It’s only a little bit smaller than the standard 92FS. A little shorter in barrel and slide, a little shorter in the grip frame. So it’s really not so “Compact”. It’s more of a 92 “Commander” in that it takes the gun that feels rather large and turns it into a gun that feels “Just right”. I can’t describe it any better than that. It just felt oh so very “right” when I drooled on one at the last gun show I went to in Utah. I passed it up, but the gun has been on my mind ever since and as of late as been doing laps like a motorcyclist in one of those round steel cages.
Both of these guns are very high in Want Factor for me. I want them bad. But I can resist buying them because of rational reasons. But rationality can only go so far.
Now, if Beretta made a 90-TWO Compact. I’d just have to throw my hands up and surrender to the Beretta Trident and do something very foolish to quickly raise the money to buy one immediately. Because that’s what I really want. I don’t think I could take living in a world that has that and me not having one.
I am quite tempted to get an AR-15 Pistol and but a “Arm Brace” on it. Because I love SBR’s but hate the red tape that goes will them. Here’s the thing though, and the reason I am hesitant about this… The ATF has changed it’s mind in the past about things and there is no reason that they couldn’t change their mind on this. This “Brace” thing looks too much like a stock, even if it isn’t. For some reason.
Because I look at these things… and the first thing that comes to mind is “Stock”. It just does. It has the profile of a stock and you can shoulder it like a stock, so realistically, what’s the difference? I’m afraid at some point in the future, the ATF is going to change their mind on these and all the sudden you are going have an illegal SBR on your hands. Or even worse, you can be well within the guide lines and yet some local Officer Captain America is going to see it and declare it to be an SBR and arrest you and confiscate the “pistol”. Because Cops in general, do not have the best track record of knowing all the ins and outs of Gun Laws. We would think that they do, and a lot of them really do… but some don’t. MAC talks about being That Guy, well, there is always That Cop. And you don’t want to be that guy that meets That Cop. Especially considering that these things could be legally reversed overnight.
What we need to do is just get rid of the Barrel Length restrictions on rifles and shotguns. Just do away with those line items in the NFA. And well, if we are doing away with those, let’s just toss out the NFA altogether because it’s a package of regulations that only serve to create infringements and stumbling blocks for things you can still get if you are willing to jump through the hoops. So they effectively do nothing but piss us off.
So I’m going to avoid a potential ATF trap with these Braces.
I’m done. I’m not going to do it any more. I’m not going to carry a tiny mouse gun anymore. That’s over. As a main carry gun, of course. Maybe as a backup piece, or a hold out. But no more as my main carry gun. It’s time to go big.
Why do we carry at all? Think about this for a minute, or more. And think about the possible scenarios that might require you to actually have to use your concealed carry gun. In any of these scenarios, does it play out that you would be better off in those situations with a smaller gun? Or did you, like me, come to the conclusion that you would rather have as much gun as you can?
You have a CFP, or more commonly a CCW Permit. Most States do not require you to carry a specific gun. You have the option to change it up. If you have the option, why not go big when you can? Let me tell you, it doesn’t matter to the Anti-Gun Biggots what gun you carry. They have never said “Oh, its okay, he only has a .380.” In fact, they have tried specifically to ban small guns because they are more concealable. Remember they made a run against Saturday Night Specials? They don’t care. That being the case, f you are going to get wet, you might as well go swimming. Should you have to use your weapon, and you end up in a court of Law, they will make no distinctions regarding the size or type. Or if you are in a store and lift your arm up to reach a top shelf item and someone sees the grip of your pistol. They call the cops no matter what it is and when The Bronze approaches you they don’t make any distinction either. You are either legal to carry, or you are not. Size does not matter.
The last several months I’ve been packing bigger guns. Mostly full sized duty pistols. Government Model 1911’s, Railed Commander 1911’s, Beretta 92FS and full sized Storms, Glock 22’s. The smallest gun I’ve carried is a Glock 23. None of these are Mouse Guns or Pocket Pistols. Each on let’s you know you have a “fist full of Iron”. Or advanced polymer as the case may be. As I write this, on my hip right now is a Springfield 1911 .45 and there is a great deal of satisfaction in having it on me.
Bigger guns make fewer compromises. They hold more rounds, are more reliable, more accurate, maybe more powerful, and are certainly more intimidating. The more intimidating the gun is, the more likely you won’t have to actually pull the trigger. The only disadvantage to them is the greater challenge of carrying it concealed. To carry a full sized gun concealed, you are going to have to take a bit more care in your holster and wardrobe selection.
Thankfully the good folks at Crossbreed Holsters can help us out. The Supertuck is available for many handguns, including the big 92FS. This holster allows for the big gun to be carried comfortably, inside the waistband, all day long. For me, that’s the advantage I need. Because I’ll wear a gun from the time I get out of bed until I give up on the day and go back to bed.
Normally I wear Pancake style rigs, wide, outside of the waistband holsters that help contour the shape of the gun to hide it, and pack more comfortably while wearing normal sized pants. I find this to be an advantage when riding a motorcycle. The downside to a pancake rig, is that the length of the gun makes it easier for the muzzle end to peak out from under your jacket or shirt.
This isn’t so much of a problem during most of the year. But during the peak of the summer, wearing jackets and sport coats becomes less than ideal. During these times, as much as possible, I’ll wear a Mechanics style shirt or a Bowling shirt. If one is less fashionable, or a huge fan of Weird Al, you can wear a Hawaiian style shirt. Anything that can be worn untucked, loose, and can cover up the whole gun. But this is me and I am not required to wear Business Casual. But even then, there are still ways to carry a full sized gun.
Not long ago I was talking about packing large handguns with a local Police Officer. I mentioned that I was packing a Beretta 92FS and he didn’t believe me. I was in the process of selling him a Beretta but he was balking on the purchase, thinking it was too big to be carried undercover. I was wearing an Under Armor polo shirt. You should have seen his eyes when I pulled my Beretta 92FS out, cleared it, and laid it on the counter. I can’t repeat what he said, but he was clearly surprised that I had it on me as he normally could tell if someone was packing or not. After that, it became a discussion regarding holsters instead of the gun. To end this story, he bought the gun and has enjoyed it ever since.
I live in a very rural area of Utah. My front yard is a farmer’s field. We get all sorts of wildlife here at “Ogre Ranch”. Some big, some small. One night I came home on my motorcycle, late and in the dark. I shut off my bike and jumped off. As I stepped around the big KTM Enduro, I saw a dark shadow and eye shine. Something was there in the shadows beside my house. I don’t remember drawing, or even making the decision to draw, but suddenly my gun was in my hands and that gun was in a ready position as I was squinting to try to identify what was over there in the shadows. At that moment, a full sized duty sidearm was very comforting. The only problem was that I didn’t have a light mounted on my weapon and my normal companion of the Surefire Aviator flashlight was with me but tucked safely in my backpack. Inaccessible and useless to me as this didn’t feel like a time when I could shrug my pack off and dig through it to find my light. Instead I was there, gun in hand, waiting until I could ID this thing as a threat or not. I could hear it breathing. I could see it’s eye-shine, and that was it. It really was a freaky moment. The moment ended though when my wife pulled up and her headlights illuminated what I was in a standoff with. It was a large Mule Deer Buck. I can chuckle about it now, but in that moment of looking into the unknown, had I been armed with something small and mousy, I’d probably have been a lot more uncomfortable with the situation.
This goes back to what the great Clint Smith has said. Guns are not supposed to be comfortable, they are supposed to be comforting. He is exactly right. I don’t recall ever being in a situation where I was comforted by packing a tiny little gun. I remember one time I needed something small and concealable where low profile was critical. A .25 Caliber Baby Browning the answer. I could stand there with my hands in my pockets and still be ready to draw that little pistol. I thought it was a perfect solution. Until I needed it. I reached into my pocket and grabbed the little gun, but didn’t draw it. Let me tell you, that pistol offered no comfort. In fact, I let it go and instead opted for the ASP Baton tucked inside the waistband. At least that felt solid. It felt like a weapon. The .25 felt like a squirt gun. In this situation, neither was required to be used, thankfully. But it impressed upon me that the small gun was useless. Harsh Language proved more potent. That was the last time I bothered with the .25. I think I remember that I traded it for a few boxes of ammo.
I’m not saying that only huge hand cannons are the way to go. I’m just saying you don’t have to limit yourself to tiny guns.
