Category: The Gun Thing

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.”

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.

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.