Dear Savage

I really love my Savage 93R17 rifle.  It’s accuracy is staggering. Easily on par with .17 caliber rifles costing twice as much.
Unfortunately you guys have the worst magazines out there. The mag its self is kinda sad, and the way it locks on the rifle is just stupid.  Sharp edges, finicky feeding, and slow to use.
Please do something about that.

Remington made it interesting.

Remington has brought out their Versa Max in a Tactical version.  It has their breaching choke, extended feed tube, a small section of rail up front to mount a light, and a rail over the top of receiver for an optic, oversized bolt release… all fine and good.

But Remington has once again proven that they just don’t really get what tactical really is.  They have some guys working on the 870 that know Tactical, and that’s about where they stay.  Because they just got it wrong.

They took the Versa Max, which is a gun that can shoot all 3 sizes of Shot Shells, and neutered it so it can’t shoot the 3 1/2″ shells. This was the whole point of the Versa Max, and they ruined it.   Then they are keeping it as long as Punt Gun.  The 8+1 capacity is nice, but good grief this is a long gun… In WWII Germans shot down Spitfires with these things.  “Ja das ist das 88mm Waffe für den Abschuss Flugzeuge.”

So it’s not a real tactical gun for anything… but what makes it interesting is that this is almost ideally made for something.  3 Gun.  This has all the features suited for the growing sport, and it’s going to have a very reasonable price… So for you guys looking into getting into 3 Gun and you want a Semi Auto, I think Remington has the gun for you.

For me and what I’d want, I’d want the barrel cut down to 18″, ghost ring sights, and a pistol grip with an adjustable stock that isn’t an AR stock.  Maybe next month, Remington?  Oh, and maybe, if it would help – let it keep the 3 1/2″ shells just for fun.

 

Guns Magazine from 1956

Take a good look at this… Guns Magazine from 1956 with an interesting article speculating that the Shotgun would be the Army’s weapon of the future.

They make some good points about the utlitity, but the Shotgun has only remained in a more niche roll.  It saw some use in Vietnam and is still used occasionally by the Marines in door to door type operations.  Weapon of the future?  Not so much.

Back then they said we’d have flying cars too.   Huh… Now wouldn’t that be a fun combination?

 

It’s only Feb 2nd.

Today was a great day… Here we are in the second day of the second month in North Eastern Utah… Dead of Winter.  Snow is usually measured in Feet…

And today I rode my motorcycle, got my first Prairie Dog Kill of the year, and had a Pelican Burger.  Awesome Day.

The ride was just a couple miles at the most… from where my Bike was parked to the Shop where it’s getting a new chain and tire and some general servicing.  The rear tire is completely bald and squared off from all the miles I put on it last year… starting out with a brand spanking new set of tires.   That’s a lot of miles.  I hope to put on a lot more this year.

While at Beers Harley Davidson, I took a look at some of the bikes for sale.  The Honda Fury is still there.  Give me a million bucks and my first Splurge Purchase would be that.  But there was a Harley there that caught my eye too.  One I’ve never seen before but is evidently old hat to a lot of people… The XR1200X.  It’s a classic Harley, but set up as a Standard and not a Cruiser or Touring bike.  But it has something the other Harley’s don’t.  Lean Angle.  I don’t know why… I can’t explain it… But I really really like that bike.  To the point that I want one.  It’s about the same price as the Honda Fury, or close enough so that price doesn’t matter.  But it looks like the XR1200X would be a better Daily Driver.

The Prairie Dog kill was fun.  Fenris and I just kinda rolled around one of our desert areas.  He got the first one of the year.  Then the next two.  Then I finally got one myself.  About a 60 yard thump with my Savage 93R17, Killswitch.  I would have had more, but the magazine self destructed.  The feedlips decided to go in two different directions.  This turned Killswitch into one of the worlds most awkward single shot rifle.   I need a new magazine, and I need to put it on paper and get it fine tuned adjusted again.

The Pelican Lake Cafe remains awesome.  I had an Ouray Burger there… which is two thin patties stuffed with onions and cheese… filling the burger full of flavor.  It was very good.

All in all… a very satisfying day.  And it’s only Feb 2nd.  This is shaping up to be a great year.

Springfield’s XD .45 Tactical

The other day I was shooting with The Fellas, and my buddy gave me a loaded magazine and an empty pistol.  The XD Tactical in .45.  He had stippled the gun the same way I did my Glock… and I have to say that it really improved the feel.  I also have to say that the pistol shot extremely well and was uncannily accurate.  This was the old XD model, not a newer M class.  But in the .45 guns, there’s not a lot of difference.  Same Mags, same cold hammer forged barrels… the M triggers are nicer, and of course, the outside cosmetics.  But I don’t like the way the M’s feel slippery in my hands.  Some texturing work fixes that real easy.
Now, I respect the XD’s and know they are all very good guns… but I’m not particularly fond of them.  This one though… I like it.  The XDM’s I think are a bit better and I like them more.  If anyone out there are thinking of getting an M model… it is a good buy.  Especially the long barreled versions if you are looking for an accurate, easy gun to shoot, with a lot of capacity.
While I’m not going to line up to buy one… if any of The Horde does, it would be a good choice.