Category: The Gun Thing

Not just the guns, but all the stuff that goes with them

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Parker VH 410 (.410)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Okay, here’s one last look at a .410 shotgun at Steve Barnett’s: an old but very lovely Parker:

The price of this piece is on a par with that of most Parkers made in this era:  spendy, but not excessively so.  I have fired many Parker shotguns of all sizes and gauge, and have to agree with everyone else who’s ever fired one, that they’re reliable, quality and rugged guns which are well worth the investment.

Certainly, if I had the funds I would strongly consider snatching up the above because a.) side-by-side barrels and b.) double trigger.  (The rounded pistol grip is a negative, but not a huge one in this case.)

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Marlin Model 90 O/U (20ga)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Following on from our earlier discussion on .410 shotguns, I went a-browsing for more of said things, and found not one but two Marlin Model 90s at Barnett’s:

Okay, this is by no means a “fine” shotgun, but I have to tell you, I kinda like its sleek look and light weight.

And once again, I am astonished by yet another example of a Marlin gun I’d never heard of.

But for those put off by the nosebleed prices of the “fine” .410 guns and are looking for an acceptable entry-level one either for themself or for a kid / grandkid, this might be a good place to start.

That said, I know nothing about the Model 90 — for all I know, Marlin stopped making them not because of low demand, but because they were utter crap.  Somehow, though, I doubt that.

The .410: A Discussion

The Gun Thing

While browsing through Steve Barnett’s foul and tempting website recently, I came across this exquisite little beauty:

…and it triggered, so to speak, this train of thought.

I have to admit that I’ve never understood the appeal of the .410 shotgun cartridge, other than the fact that it’s not a punisher like the 12ga. (For those who are unfamiliar with shotgun cartridges, here’s a good summary.)  Some pics, to illustrate what I’m talking about:

I know that many excellent shotgunners of my acquaintance (like Mr. Free Market) just love the little thing — Mr. FM actually calls .410 shooters “showoffs” because shooting clays with a .410 is akin to shooting at them with a .22LR* — and there is no argument that on terrestrial targets (e.g. rats and snakes) the .410 is absolute murder.  So as a “recreational” cartridge, I can see its appeal.

I have heard people say that the .410 is a fine “starter” cartridge for youngins, to get them into the swing of shotgunning without the recoil owies.

However, while the .410 is less of a shoulder-smasher than the 12ga, it nevertheless imparts recoil similar to that of a .30-30 rifle cartridge, so it’s no feather.

Please understand that this little discourse does not constitute a hit job on the .410 — anything but — but I have never seen much reason for its use other than as a recreational cartridge, like the .177 pellet.

And I am more than willing to be persuaded otherwise, by people who love the thing.

Of course, there is an alternative use for the .410, that of self-defense in a handgun like the Taurus Judge:


…which as an added bonus, can also chamber the wonderful .45 Colt/.45 Long Colt cartridge (for the purposes of this exercise, the .410 and .45 Colt are dimensionally interchangeable). Here’s a video of the Taurus Judge (executive summary:  meh).

Likewise there are “field” options like the Magnum Research BFR, similarly chambered:


…but even with the added muzzle velocity of the longer barrel, I can see little advantage to carrying such a piece out in the wilderness.  So, no.

But as a sporting or birdshooting cartridge out of a shotgun?  I call on my Readers for their input.  Because that Beretta S687 is simply crying out for a good home…

*I should add that Mr. FM’s favorite backyard activity at Free Market Towers is shooting crows with a .410 or .177 pellet gun.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Ithaca Mod 37 Featherlight (20ga)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

I’ve always liked the Ithaca Featherlight shotguns:  handy, reliable and easy to shoot, they’re just more fun than their heavier Police Riot guns — not that the latter are terrible, of course, as their thousands of users will attest.  Anyway, this one just came in to Steve Barnett’s emporium, and it’s a sweetie (right-click to embiggen):

…and of course, this line will have prettier wood than the Riot guns:

Exquisite.  I could see lots of happy-happy joy-joy bird-hunting with this one in my hands.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Marlin 983S (.22 WMR)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Fresh from my diatribe against Marlin Rifles comes this customized and scoped example of their stainless-barreled Model 983, as seen at Collectors:

Aesthetically speaking, I don’t see the need for the heavy rubber recoil pad (on a rifle chambered in .22 Magnum?), but other than that, it’s very nice — and the recoil pad is removable.

I bet that’s a one-hole shooter, all day and every day of the week.  Yeah, it’s a lot of money for a Marlin, but that’s just another reason to hate them for stopping production:  they’ve driven up the prices through scarcity.

Of course, if you forego the customization, Marlin 983 rifles typically run for less than half the above, if you can find one.

All that said, I prefer my earlier Model 882 SV:

…which really is a one-hole shooter, as anyone who’s shot it will attest.

Never Mind All That Heritage Nonsense

The Gun Thing

We’ve all seen how brands like Bud Light fucked up their consumer franchise by stupid marketing.

Image what we’d be saying if, say a decade ago, Bud Light had simply stopped making and selling their beer.  “Throwing away the market” would have been a common refrain.

So what does one say when confronted by this:

What bullshit is this?  For decades, multiple decades, Marlin pretty much owned the rimfire rifle market — at one time, more Marlin Model 60s had been sold all over the world than any other gun model, period.  The 795 was also popular — I’ve owned two, myself, and the only reason I don’t still own them is that they ended up being (much-treasured) birthday gifts for the young son and daughter of a good friend.  (Now in their mid-twenties — hi, Robin and Jimmy! — they still own them and plink with them all the time.)

Hey, Marlin:  fuck you.  Fuck you for “stopping production” of your rimfire rifles.  Fuck you for trashing your proud heritage, and fuck you for giving us less choice in the market.

And for all those people who will say, “Oh, people stopped buying them;  what do you expect?” I say again, with equal vehemence, bullshit.  If people stop buying a product, it’s either because it’s shit — flimsy, unreliable, too expensive etc. — or because… [wait for it] …the company stopped marketing the product.

We know that product quality was never a problem for Marlin’s rimfire rifles — any of them, despite the rifles being inexpensive — so it’s not that.  But I don’t recall seeing an ad or promotion for the Model 60 in… actually, I don’t remember ever seeing an ad or promotion for the Model 60, and until recently I was a voracious reader of almost all the gun magazines.  And when I bought my Model 60 back in the mid-1980s, it was very definitely either the #1 or #2-selling rimfire rifle on the market at the time.

And there’s nothing worse than reading “…is perfect for target practice and small game”  and then, having created the setup, to read:  “oh but too bad, we don’t make it anymore;  sucks to be you.”

Marlin had a good name and a brilliant set of products, and they pissed it all away.

It’s just shameful.  There’s no other word for it.