Category Archives: Weapons

Weapons

Remington R1, another look.

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I’ve taken a closer look at the Remington R1 1911 pistol.  Six of them, actually.  When they first came out, my impression was favorable.  I liked them.  And I wanted to still like them.  For 699 they seemed to be a great deal.  And for some, meaning Remington Fanboys, they still are.

Closer examination of the R1 reveals a shortcoming I didn’t expect from Remington.  When I stripped them down and looked closely at the internals, I didn’t like what I saw.  The internal machining was sub-par.  A 450 dollar ATI has better machining.  A Taurus has better machining inside. Though for 699, you do get to beat your chest about “American Made”… right alongside Charter Arms, Auto Ordinance, and Hi-Point.  Great.

The good news is that Para USA is now making guns in the USA.  So if you want a Remington R1… Buy a Para USA Wild Bunch.

Crusader, Weapons

What is so great about Slipstream?

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I get this question a lot.  If you have read Crusader Weaponry’s page, you know it’s a double edged sword against Friction.   The base carrier oil is a fully synthetic oil that is in and of its self, outstanding and can go toe to toe against any other synthetic gun oil.  That’s just straight up good stuff.  But we want something better… So we went outside of the Gun Industry.  We found a type of nano-particle that does everything we want, and more.  No one else is using it, because it’s prohibitively expensive.  They look for cheaper materials so they can make profit.  We don’t make Slipstream to make Profit… we only make about a buck off each bottle.  I’m not even kidding.  We make it because we want the best lubricant possible.  Dealers don’t like Slipstream… because of the low profit margins on it.  They can make more money selling lesser lubricants because they don’t care about Coefficients of Friction and Reliability – they are there to make money.

Continue reading What is so great about Slipstream? →

Weapons

Marlin Firearms

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I’ve mentioned the issues I’ve seen with rifles from Marlin, say the last 2 years.  Sloppy fits, poor assembly, bad fitting parts/stocks, and wood on the butt stock that looked like it came from a different species of tree than the fore end.  Just not a gun I’d recommend to anyone.

Well, last couple of months we’ve been getting in new Marlins.  And I’m very pleased to say that each one has been better than I’ve ever seen from Marlin before.  The quality is there.  These are the best guns ever to have the Marlin name.  The fit and finish are outstanding.

Weapons

Remington’s Versa Max

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I am a huge Remington 870 fan/fanatic.  I will not apologize for that.  Most of my shotguns are 870 Tacticals in some form or another.  It’s a weapon that goes from concept to finished product execution, very well.  No, it’s not perfect.  But it’s very good.  Almost excellent in fact.

Yet take that same gun and simply make it Semi-Auto… as in the 1100… and the gun somehow loses something.  The 1187 is a bit better… but still.  It’s just not right.  When we have other Automatics out on the market, the Self-Loading Remingtons just fall short.  I don’t know anyone who actually has a Benelli Super Black Eagle II and says “Naw, I like my 1100 better.”  That guy is just not there… or he is being dishonest with himself.

Now let’s look at Remington’s latest and greatest… the Versa Max.  It’s a good shotgun.  It’s gas system is fairly clever.  At if it had come out 10 years ago, it would have been crowned Best in Class.   Unfortunately Benelli came out with their Vinci and Super Vinci, and Browning has their Maxus.  Compared to the Maxus, the Versa Max is like a 73 year old Jane Fonda.  Appealing to a few, but well past it’s prime for someone who just isn’t that popular or worthy of praise.  Okay, that’s harsh.  But true.  The Versa Max feels too heavy.  It also feels slow.  And the stock?  I tell you what, I’d rather have an 1187 than a Versa Max just because of the stock.  It looks and feels cheap.  Yet the Versa Max isn’t a cheap gun.  It’s priced in league with the Maxus, which cycles fast, handles fast, and feels good in the hand.  You would have to be a complete nutter, or an ex-pro-footballer with a sponsorship to handle a Browning Maxus and say “No, I’d rather have that brand new 10 year old Remington gun.”  Seriously, unless you are Remington Freak… and every gun company has their bevets… just buy the 1100 and you’ll not miss a thing and pay only half the price for an overweight semi-auto 12 gauge.

Crusader, Weapons

Crusader Sterling with Optics Mount

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This is one of our Crusader Sterling Carbines. Mine, actually. Caliber is 9mm. This is a semi auto version of the classic Sterling SMG used by Brit Commandos in hostile actions after WWII. The Crusader version has perminant lubrication treatment, and is built with careful parts selection and refitting and finishing of those parts, making these the smoothest Sterlings I’ve ever handled.
We have an Optics Mount now, standard Picatinny, to mount pretty much any optic you want. In this video is a Bushnell Trophy T that we just put on there for testing. It’s a more solid mounting than what is typically put on a .300 RUM hunting rifle, so it’s going to stand up to pretty much anything a 9mm Buzz Gun can dish out. These mounts will be available with futur Sterling orders as a cost added option, or as a stand alone product to order.
This unit, being a prototype, is left in the raw and unfinished. Standard orders will ship flat black. If you order yours with a Sterling finished in another color, it will be duracoated or cerakoted in that color.
The shot group at the end of the clip shows a 25 yard group with bulk reloaded ammo.
For more information contact Joe via the web form at CrusaderWeaponry.com
WeTheArmed.com

Weapons

I was interested in getting a Chiappa Rhino

17 Comments

Let me say this again… I was interested in getting a Chiappa Rhino revolver with the 4″ barrel.

But not anymore.  They really turned me off.  Its not that I care a wit about the RFID scare or if it’s a concern or not… that’s not the point.  The tone they took on the issue is insulting to anyone that has a concern.  It’s much like those that questioned the President’s birth certificate and just calling them “Birthers”.  Slinging an insult instead of addressing a legitimate concern.  I’ll have to pass on a new Chiappa. This is too bad… because it’s a rather neat gun.  But I can live without it.

Maybe a used one… eventually.  But I wouldn’t give them any of my money now.

Weapons

More thoughts on the Tactical Lever Action

22 Comments

I’ve had many questions about why I picked the Rossi M92 over other rifles such as the Legacy Puma, the Marlin options, or Henry, or Uberti… etc.  My selection of the Rossi example is by no means disparaging the others.  They are all quite good Arms and if you have one, then it’s going to serve you well.  Before I made my choice, I studied the Level Action platform very carefully, to include going through history books and talking to old cowboys (we still actually have those around here) and talking to new cowboys – The Cowboy Action Shooters. (We have a lot more of those around here) What I didn’t do was search internet gun forums past 3 minutes… because most of those were “Well, I use this so this is the best… no, I’ve not even seen any others, but this is the best because I have it.”

I selected the 92 design because of two things.

Continue reading More thoughts on the Tactical Lever Action →

Weapons

Rossi M92

15 Comments

Got it.

Let me tell you, guys.  I had a day from hell.  Today just flat out sucked every which way… So I had to change the karma.   Nothing works better than doing the New Gun Thing.  .44 Mag is more money than .357 Mag, but I can reload pretty affordably.  I like this gun.  I’m happy with it.  Hmm… the rest of the day sucked too… but every time some bullshit happened, I just thought, “I have a .44 Mag 92”, and that made me feel much better.