Category Archives: Weapons
The worst gun ever
We often hear about people talking about a gun they don’t like and they will proudly proclaim it to be “The Worst Gun Ever.” I’ve heard this a lot this last while… and it’s become irritating. No, Sir. That is not the worst gun ever. By comparison that gun you dislike, the Micro Eagle, The High Point, the Taurus… whatever Taurus you have… Is a Marvel of Engineering and Manufacturing when you consider the gun that truly was The Worst Gun Ever.
The Chauchat was designed by a Frenchman who looked at other guns and took ideas from several other guns… then put them all together with the aide of economical French manufacturing. Individual concepts of the design worked, before they were combined. Like Mustard and Chocolate… great with other things, but not together. That was the heart of the Chauchat. And then take those things and make them as poorly as possible.
This gun used any excuse to Jam. Like a critically lazy teenager, you couldn’t do anything to make it run. The gun used a long recoil action, open magazines, and poor ergonomics. In WWI Trench Warfare, this was completely the wrong approach for… anything. If it got dirty, it would stop working. If it got too hot, it would stop working. And when it did get too hot… and by hot I mean slightly warmer than a couple magazines worth, the bolt wouldn’t go forward to chamber a round. You had to let it cool off for 10 minutes. Nothing better than a Malf that takes 10 minutes to clear. Even when it did run, for those brief moments of effort, the gun was notoriously inaccurate. It patterned like a shotgun, but not where you wanted the shots to go. So yeah, the gun was completely useless. The French, knowing the gun was crap, didn’t like to use them themselves. So they pawned them off on other countries, including Americans who went to fight in WW First. The Americans tried to chamber it for .30-06, and that somehow only made matters worse. Oh, and recoil would make the gun shake its self to death and it would come apart if the parts didn’t just break apart. Yeah, it was that bad.
Bad quality of materials, bad manufacturing, and a bad design… That was the Chauchat. The Worst Gun In The World.
The French should stick to Fashion Designs.
Okay… no… they shouldn’t do that either.
Another happy moment
Check this out guys. In the last pistol class, we had a young lady attend who trained as hard as she could running a Walther that didn’t want to run. She did her everloving best and got through the course. Today, Dad got her a nice present… a new SIG. Niki was so excited she was giggling constantly and doing that “Pee-Pee Dance”. The genuine delight was wonderful, radiant, and infectious… she had other customers grinning too.
Nothing better than a New Gun! That’s some awesome Pro-Level parenting, Dad. Good job!
Beretta Nano or SIG P290?
We finally got in a couple of the little Beretta Nano’s. A very slim single stack 9mm. It’s a striker fired gun, much like the S&W Shield. For the same price, between the two, the Shield is easily the better gun.
The Nano looks nifty at first. Cool looking lines. Unfortunately it feels kind of awkward in the hand. The trigger pull isn’t bad… it’s no Sigma, but it’s not good. I’ll call it average. But the way the gun points and feels… it’s just… not there. It’s like the Italians designed it for looks to fit within a very small box, not to be an actual firearm for a human to use. Italians are great at designing for looks first and foremost. The only Italians that design for actual performance is Ducati… unfortunately they don’t make guns.
So the gun closest to the Nano, the Shield… Shield wins. Another Striker Fired single stack is the Walther PPS. Unfortunately Walther continues to struggle for relevance in the market, and I am no fan of the PPS. Like the Nano, just because you can make it that small – doesn’t mean you should. Yet it can be done right. SIG is very close to the same size as the Nano. And for the love of all that is good and holy in the world… I think the Germans made a better looking machine than the Italians. Cleaner lines, and it looks like there are no forgotten parts on the gun.
This SIG P290 as pictured does have a higher price tag, but it is coming with Tritium Night Sights and a Laser Module…. two features I rather like on a defensive pistol. I firmly believe that night sights are not optional on a defensive handguns – they are mandatory. SIG has great night sights. The Nano… not so much. The Laser is a bonus. The actions of the two guns show a greater disparity of quality. The SIG is much smoother than the Beretta, it’s like the difference between a night with a Hot Octoberfest Beer Maiden… and the Nano’s Prison Rape by your Cell Mate at San Quentin. Which one would you want to spend quality time with?
The SIG is much better feeling in the hand, and it has a slide release that is not in the way, obrusive, or awkward in anyway. It is there, and it works. Like it should. You don’t have to think about it. The Nano’s complete lack of it… What is this? A Magnum Research Micro Eagle? Come on. Kahr hangs a squared off mailbox off the side of their guns – but at least they have them. The Nano is trying to be slick by leaving the lever off. I’d rather have the mailbox, thank you. Beretta needs to look at the SIG to see how it’s done. Also, the SIG’s texture is superior. You can grip it and it’s not abrasive… it’s just… grippier. And it doesn’t snag clothes. Just like it should. The Nano… not so much. Oh, it’s snag free. But it’s also gripless. Gripless, Pointless… The SIG P290 just makes the Nano seem a cheaper, sadder thing. It’s a good thing it’s cheaper. It will appeal to those without the means to appreciate better. Like a Hi-Point. In fact, the Nano looks like shrunken an flattened Hi-Point. The SIG, looks like freaking SIG. A weapon you can trust. It feels like a weapon you can trust. And they actually shoot very well on top of it all! I’m sure the Nano shoots just fine… but do you really want to?
Crusader Weaponry’s Tactical 870 Shotgun
Crusader Weaponry has been in the Shotgun business for awhile now. This is what we are doing for our customers who demand the absolute best. We worked on this configuration with leading members of the US military elite. This gun is now being offered to the American Gun Owner. I am very pleased with these guns, and they are one of my favorite weapons that Crusader offers. They are not just affordable, but also shockingly effective. If you can only buy one gun, buy one of these 870’s. The Shotgun offers a flexible weapon system that is simple to use, rugged, and reliable… and you can engage targets as small as Humming Birds, and as large as a Brontosaurus at ranges out to 200 Yards.
Features include a tuned action with our Slipstream treatment. Rifle sights for greater precision with slugs over the popular ghost ring option. Improved spring and follower. Tac Star Side Saddle for flexibility.
This gun is of course already spoken for. He’s going to be well pleased with it! We are offering these shotgun for only 795 USD. If you want one of your own, or have any questions about it, contact Joe at Crusader Weaponry.
SIG smashed out another home run pistol
You guys know I’ve drank the Glock Cool-aide. I freely admit it. But I also remain an unabashed fan of the handguns from SIG SAUER. I just like them. Especially when SIG is coming out with very good ideas like the new P938.
Not much bigger than the P238, the little .380 automatic… the new P938 is essentially the same thing just scaled up slightly to fire the 9mm cartridge.
One of the guns that I’ve always wanted was a Colt Pocket 9. Colt gave the American Public the middle finger and my desire to pursue the Pocket 9 was squelched, but not totally killed in action. This kind of reminds me of that little Colt.
Really the only guns in the SIG’s class are the Kimber Solo, the Springfield EMP and SIG’s own P290. I’m not talking about the Kahr’s or the Walther or even the Shield… I’m talking about the Higher Class options here. The 938 just feels like it’s a step above to me. I think it’s a lot nicer than an EMP… again, that’s just me and I am not going to cut down on the EMP. I know it’s a great little pistol. I just like the 938 a lot more for reasons I can’t quantify for you. Same reason I like “Pralines and Cream” better than “Butter Pecan”. I can’t explain why… I love me some Butter Pecan. It’s one of my very favorites, but given the option between the two, I’ll take the Pralines and Cream every time. I don’t even know what the hell a Praline is.
Back to the SIG, the new 938 trumps the 290 hard. Lower bore axis, slimmer profile… just nicer. I know I tend to favor Single Action triggers or triggers that feel and work like Single Actions, so admittedly I am biased to the 938 over the 290. But taking the trigger out of the equation, the 938 is dimensionally smaller, which gives it an edge in concealment without sacrificing any ability for the gun to be a good shooter. So really the choice is between the 938 and the Solo.
The P290 just seems too chunky by comparison to the slender newcomer.
At the gun shop I work at, we are a house divided on the new SIG… Some of us prefer the SIG P938. And by Some I mean just me. Everyone else like the Solo better. Oh well. The SOLO is very smooth and sleek. But it’s too much of a good thing and I don’t feel like I can get a solid hold on it. It doesn’t point for me either. The 938 points very well for being so small, and I can get a good grip on it, even with my hamfists.
To me it comes down to that trigger pull. The SIG’s trigger is a Single Action that kept getting better the more we played with it, with the SOLO is a Double Action Only affair… While the SOLO’s trigger is nice, I find the SIG’s to be superior. Some will argue that accuracy with a Defensive Weapon such as these is a secondary concern… and they are right. But this doesn’t mean we have to disregard accuracy altogether. I am quite sure that in a defensive pistol accuracy remains quite important. Making that First Round Hit through a Vital is important. But, that’s just my opinion.
I’d love a SIG P938 and I just might have to get one, one of these days… and by one of these days I mean “as soon as possible.”
UPDATE: Thanks for the Hat Tip, SIG. *High Five*
FNH SCAR 17
I finally got my hands on a FNH SCAR 17, or SCAR Heavy as it’s also called. Retailing for 2899.99, it’s not a cheap rifle… it’s not the most expensive one out there, but is it worth the asking price?
It’s a “Nice” rifle. But it’s not almost 3 Grand worth of nice. It’s freaking Injection Molded Plastic with some Stamped parts and a Mediocre Barrel… with Proprietary Expensive Magazines. If it has anything about it that is an actual tangible advantage to other 7.62mm Weapons – is that the SCAR is a very lightweight gun for it’s size…. because it’s plastic. Since when did plastic become worth as much as Titanium? Is it the notoriety of SOCOM affiliation? No, really, is it? Because there is another FNH .308 semi auto rifles that are also used by SOCOM in even more limited secret squirrel numbers… The FNH FNAR. More accurate. Less money. And in my opinion a better rifle… but that’s another topic.
I like the SCAR 17 though. It’s cool and different, and would make for a great mountain assault rifle. If I was asked to patrol the mountains on foot with a small team, the SCAR 17 might be a great option for that. But this gun isn’t worth almost 3 Large… Not even close. This is an 800 Dollar gun with 2000 Dollars worth of Gee Wizz. The trigger sucks, the sights suck, the action is about as smooth as an out of the box WASR-10, and the reported accuracy is average for a DPMS Carbine. Not something I’d personally spend my money on…. not that much money. I’d rather have Joe at Crusader Weaponry build me a custom SR-25 rifle, light weight, 16″ barrel, with accuracy like a laser pointer. But that’s just me. Now, if FNH was more reasonable on the price… say 1499.99, that would be a much better price level and I could get behind the SCAR.
There is one more thing about the SCAR 17 though. It’s rare and exclusive, giving it an air of superiority based on that fact alone. Like early iPod or iPhone adopters, they could be snobbish about it… but now everyone has iPods and iPhones and it’s cooler now to own a Droid phone. (argue that in another thread I’ll start in a moment) That isn’t going to happen anytime soon with the SCAR 17. It’s going to always remain a rare find and highly sought after.
You know what… screw it… if I had a spare wad of cash and already had a Crusader Broadsword – I’d freaking have a SCAR 17 in a heartbeat. Wouldn’t even have to think about it. I’d have Joe trick it out, sure, but I’d still get one in an instant. Who am I kidding? Why? Because it really is freaking cool. It’s sexy looking and it’s full of potential violence… and that is just what I want to send my money on – Sex and Violence. Ultimately, all true red-blooded American Males do to.
More Gratuitous Gun Porn
The Price tag on this one is incorrect… it’s 100 bucks more than the tag shows in the picture. Sorry.
S&W and Shotgunning
Over on Facebook, Jerry Miculek posted about a young lady getting her new JM Signature Mossberg 930. This sparked much though. Jerry is a great guy and I have had the pleasure of meeting him and talking with him at a SHOT Show “Media Range Day”. He is a Gentlemen to be sure, and one of the very best shooters in the world. He’s putting his stamp on a Mossy 930 should be more than enough to squelch all the Mossberg Haters out there. Mossberg makes some very good, solid, and reliable shotguns. They also make some real stupid crap as well… More on that later.
Fine Firearms
