Author: Kim du Toit

It’s a perennial discussion point on this here back porch of mine:

“I want a carbine-type companion piece to my handgun.”

Well, here’s one I had not heard of until recently and nor, it would seem, had the venerable Hitchock45:  the TNW Aero Survival Rifle.  (Ignore that silly MSRP;  here it is at BassPro, hardly the cheapest retailer on the planet.)

I have to say, I really like the look of this little darling;  it’s like a grown-up AR-7 Survival Rifle (.22 LR).

It also takes Glock magazines for the caliber of your preference — did I mention that you can pick your favorite chambering among 9mm, .357SIG, .40S&W, 10mm and (my choice, of course) .45ACP?  I’d buy a few Glock 21 mags — 13-rounders, of course, just to piss off the GFW Brigade –and yes, I’d prefer that the Aero took 1911 mags, but only because then I wouldn’t have to buy more of them.  But at about $20 per mag, I could do the Glocks easily.

The Aero does not have iron sights, which is another minor irritant, but I can see why:  a front sight on the barrel could cause packing- or unpacking hassles.  Okay, then:  I’d top the Aero with one of these Springfield red-dot scopes.

Your choice may differ — heading upmarket towards Holosun, Trijicon or Leupold — but I’d be happy with the less inexpensive choice.  Also, size is important because the Aero disassembles into a teeny lil’ packaway thing which would easily fit into a light backpack;  and the Springfield Hex is, from all reports I’ve read, extremely rugged and can handle the .45’s recoil with ease.

By the way, when you watch Hitchcock’s video, and you should, please note the difficulty he has with some of the Glock mags — but he resolves the issue in the same video:  load the mag firmly with the bolt closed, and all will be well.

If you are sensing from my tone that I want one of these little beauties very badly, you would be correct;  and the Aero and accessories are going onto Santa’s list as we speak.