Category: Gratuitous Gun Pics

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Browning Buck Mark (.22 LR)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

As I get older, I have to face the fact that my eyesight — never good, now terrible — is at this stage of my life, totally shit.  What that means is if I want to continue to enjoy shooting, I shall have to change how I shoot, to whit:  no more iron sights (sob) and instead, resort to one of these so-called “red dot” things, such as seen on this little cutie at Collectors:

Here’s the thing.  I have always thought that Browning prices their products just a leetle too high, asking a premium that is not really justified… except for their Buckmark .22 pistols, which are not only astoundingly accurate, but have, easily, the best trigger of any .22 pistol — and perhaps the best trigger of any handgun, period.  Is that worth a premium price?  You’d better believe it.

So at well over $800 for the above — that’s the gun, the Vortex red dot and Collector’s premium, this would take a big gulp and a re-ordering of a few of life’s other offerings (e.g. food) to get this one into Ye Olde Musket Cabinette.

Other than the red dot thing — which looks like a carbuncle on a pretty girl’s face, but which I have most reluctantly accepted as a necessity — everything about this gun is beautiful:  the rosewood grips, the heavy brushed-stainless steel barrel, just the look of the thing, all cry out:  “Kim, I need a new home!”

And if I had the cash, it would be mine.  I’ve owned several Buck Marks in my time — all either given away or sold because poverty — and I miss them badly.  As it is, I’m going to have to sell one of the other guns in my safe to get this one.

I mean it.

Shotguns, Dead Bodies And Such

Gratuitous Gun Pics, Gun/Ammo Tests

This is going to be a long, rambling post (unlike my usually concise, single-topic pieces) but hey, it’s the weekend:  why not ramble all over the place, even if it does take you well over an hour to get through, if you follow all the links?  So mote it be.

Several Readers have sent me links to all sorts of fascinating stuff recently, and most especially on the topic of shotguns — all of which have been most gratefully accepted.

We already looked at the most-recent entry (re-entry?) of Weatherby into the side-by-side shotgun market in a Gratuitous Gun Pic post.  A comment by Reader Ray is quite appropriate:

“Now they just need to eradicate the ‘Weatherby’ billboard and the exposed colored chokes.”

Colored chokes (which I also abhor because fugly) are nevertheless useful to those who are constantly changing their chokes according to the conditions in which they are shooting (high birds, skeet or whatever).  I understand this, but frankly I am not one of those shooters, in that I prefer a consistent choke type so I can make adjustments on the fly, so to speak.  Your mileage may vary, and that’s fine because when I do any shotgunning at all, it’s sporting clays and I make no claims of expertise in the other types.

As for the Weatherby “billboard”, that’s another point I agree with.  Compare and contrast the following:

…with:

…or:

…where one can almost hear the murmurs of Messrs. Purdey and Holland:  “There’s no need to SHOUT, dear boy, if you’re making a quality gun.”  Point made.

Still on the topic of “Turkish” shotguns, Longtime Friend and Reader John C. sends me this article, talking about CZ’s Hammer Coach shotgun:

Okay, I am seriously considering this little 20″-barreled beauty as a future home defense option.

“But Kim,” I hear you say, “I thought you said that your AK suits all your home defense needs?”

And indeed I have said that before.  However, I am starting to revise my opinion on the matter (“and not a moment too soon, ya old fart”) because in the very same email, John C. added a link to this wonderfully-funny but yet very informative medical take on the effects of a shotgun blast to the human anatomy.  (It also features those raucous Zoomer kids at Garand Thumb, for double the hilarity.)

As to why a double-barreled hammer shotgun (two rounds) over a pump action (five rounds), I have two reasons for my choice.

The first is that one of the benefits of exposed hammers in a shotgun is that you know immediately whether the gun is ready to fire — no safety catch necessary — and while the cocking action is slow, it’s as quick as a well-practiced pump-action throw, especially if you cock both hammers simultaneously.  That second shot happens as quickly as you can move your finger from one trigger to the other, which is not only quicker, but less disruptive to your aiming hold than shoveling the pump back and forth.

The second reason is that after watching the effect of buckshot on the human torso and Doctor Raynor’s excellent analysis thereof, I fail to see why I would need more than two shots to solve the problem (assuming that there aren’t more than two targets, so to speak — but if so, I’d be reaching for the AK anyway because then there’s a crowd dynamic to the whole situation).

Of course, I’d like to have a Purdey hammer gun, just for aesthetic reasons:

…but the barrels are too long and the old gun too expensive.  And for a more modern take, let’s not even talk about the exquisite Famars Abbiatico offering, for the same two reasons:

I seem to have wandered way off the original topic of this post — if there ever was one to begin with — but I did warn you earlier.

All similarly-meandering comments are welcome, of course, because it’s the weekend.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Weatherby Orion Side-By-Side (20ga)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Sent to me by the eagle-eyed Gun Professor is this welcome news:

Of course, they’re not just offered in 20ga.:

Weatherby has had a sort-of on-again-off-again history with their side-by-sides, having had them made variously in Spain, then in Italy, and now, according to the Professor (who contacted them) they’ll be made by Tiblis in Turkey.

Street price for these guns is likely to be slightly under a grand, which will make them competitive with CZ’s offerings — which are also made in Turkey.

As one who has seen the ancient and venerable side-by-side shotguns fall from favor over the past couple decades, all this is good news.  To quote some non-professorial gun guy:

“Shotgun barrels need to be side by side like a man and his dog, and not over and under like a man and his mistress.”

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Beretta Mod 74/101 (.22 LR)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Seen at Steve Barnett’s:

No, that’s not an accidental double-post;  the first is a Model 74 (retail:  $850), while the second is a Model 101 ($1,250 because, I suspect, of its scarcity).  I suspect that the only real difference is mechanical, because other than a different stock design, I can see no apparent difference between the two.

Here’s the thing:  according to what I can see, the Models 71 through 75 are essentially the same pistol, differing only in barrel length (2″ or 6″), and all seem to have been confusing named and sold under the name “Jaguar”, regardless of model.  The Model 101?  Who knows.

At least all take the same hard-to find-and-therefore-expensive magazine — and those prices are for aftermarket mags;  original Beretta mags for these guns are made of ultra-unobtanium, and if you can find one, will typically run to three figures.

Ask me how I know this.

You see, I’ve owned not one but two of these beautiful pistols (both with the 6″ barrel):  one back in Seffrica which I inherited from my mother and had to leave behind when I emigrated, and the second here in Murka when I found one at a gun show and paid way too much for it.  Because did I already mention that it’s beautiful?

And here’s the other problem:  my mom’s gun was a peach.  I could drop bullets in the same hole all day (and I often did), and the action felt like ball-bearings on silk.  The Murkin one was awful:  it rattled around when firing, the mag was also loose, and I couldn’t hit a paint can at 10 yards with it.  Also, when I found an aftermarket mag, it was worse than the “original” mag.

So in the end, I sold it or traded it, I forget which, because I was totally disenchanted with the gun’s performance, especially when compared to my first one’s.

But I have to say that if I had the $$$, I’d buy one of the above in a heartbeat, not because of its quality — who knows, maybe my Murkin gun was just an anomaly — but because, as I may have said before, the 71/72/73/74/75/101 is achingly, breathtakingly beautiful.  Those flowing lines, that perfect rake on the grip… oh stop me while I can still speak.

And yes, that swooping Art Deco trigger-guard is hopelessly unfashionable nowadays.  People need and want a squared-off monstrosity like this:

…so that they can find adequate purchase for a two-handed grip.

I prefer to think that the Jaguar is not a two-handed pistol — I mean, it’s a .22, FFS — and when I see it, I think more of the shooter assuming a classical duelist’s pose with it:

And yes, it’s a romantic, out-of-date attitude.

Guilty as charged.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: TNW Aero Survival Rifle

Gratuitous Gun Pics

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.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: S&W M&P22 Magnum (.22 WMR)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Longtime Reader Mike S. sends me this missive:

“Knowing your fondness for the .22 Mag cartridge…”

[whimper]

And the Outlaw almost likes it too, mostly because of a couple of feeding issues (something I noticed with the Kelt-Tec model as well, but the Kel-Tec was terrible — multiple FTF in a single magazine).

Still…

Can you say:  “Kids’ Joint Birthday Present For The Father Figure”?

Want.  WANT.