Category: The Gun Thing

I probably need to explain the title of this post to my Murkin Readers, because in the non-Murkin Anglosphere, the word “nous” is not pronounced like the French “noo”, nor does it mean “we”.

In the English sense, “nous” is pronounced like “house”, and it means common sense, or knowledge of the way things are — as in “show some nous” when someone is acting inappropriately, or “a little bit of nous would have gone a long way in preventing that unpleasantness”.

So having condescended, let me now explain what “range nous” means.

There are some gun ranges where you are pretty much allowed to spend all the time you want in your lane — most notably in outdoor ranges run by good ol’ boys, or ranges dedicated to time-swallowing activities such as sighting in a new scope, testing various kinds of ammo, or breaking in a new rifle.  These ranges are to be treasured for what they are:  a rare and vanishing resource for us gun-lovers.

Most ranges — and I speak specifically of urban or suburban indoor ranges — have set time limits for a range session, such as 30 or 45 minutes.  If you are going to shoot off a reasonable number of rounds or shoot a couple-three different guns, therefore, time is at a premium.

Which is why I get mildly irritated — and it happens often — when some young guy — it’s always a young guy — arrives at his lane, puts up his target, and then sets about filling the twenty or so 17-round mags for his Glock — it’s almost always a Glock or similar — and then gets surprised when his range time expires before he’s had a chance to shoot off all those mags.  It also happens, although less frequently, with guys clutching their AR-15 poodleshooters and thirty-round magazines.

FFS, guys:  load up your mags at home before you get to the range and aren’t in essence paying for time that should be spent shooting instead of maintenance.

Me, I put up my target, pop the safety and start shooting, mere seconds after the target has stopped shaking.  If I’m going to be paying someone for me to shoot my guns, I’m damn well going to be shooting.  Before I even walk out the door, the spare mags / speedloaders are full and ready for action.

It’s called “nous”, and while it is regrettably missing in so many parts of my life, at the range I haz it (as the kids say nowadays.

I’m thinking of replacing the barrel on my Springfield 1911 — or at least getting a backup — because it has occurred to me that after 30,000 or so rounds fired through it, it may be a prudent move.

My problem is that I don’t have the foggiest clue which barrel would be the best.  (And yes, I know that I might need a gunsmith’s services to “tweak” it into a proper fit, that’s no big deal.)

What I do know is that the more expensive barrels are often not worth the extra money, in that they’re not necessarily that much better than a plain-Jane model.  And for obvious reasons, cost is important because I’m not going to be participating in IPSC or IDPA competitions anyway.  I do insist on reliability, however, for obvious reasons.

Or should I just contact Springfield for a replacement?

All experiences in this endeavor will be welcome.

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Update:  just about everyone has recommended an OEM barrel (i.e. Springfield, in this case), so it’s thither I shall be going.
Thankee, everyone.

And then there’s this development:

The Henry SPD HUSH Series is a bold evolution in lever-action rifle design, purpose-built to be run suppressed. Developed by the Henry Special Products Division—our new R&D initiative focused on forward-thinking innovation—this inaugural release reimagines what a lever gun can be in modern hunting and shooting applications. Offered in five time-tested calibers—.45 Colt, .357 Magnum/.38 Spl, .44 Magnum/.44 Spl, .30-30 Win, and .45-70 Gov’t—the HUSH Series strikes the perfect balance of traditional feel and modern performance.

Lever actions already offer excellent balance and speed, with the added suppressor-friendly benefit of a closed action during firing. Our HUSH Series takes this a step further. Every component forward of the receiver is optimized to minimize weight, keeping the rifle’s natural center of gravity intact—even when a suppressor is mounted. The result is a no-compromise suppressor host that retains the instinctive handling and quick follow-up shot capability that lever guns are known for.

So far, so good.  Then we see what this new paragon of balance and innovation looks like:

As Reader Mike S. (who sent me the link, thankee) says:

Just give me a threaded muzzle and leave the blue steel and walnut alone!

Can’t much argue with that.  But that wouldn’t make the SPD HUSH more popular with the Tacticool Set, would it?  And that means no additional rifle sales.

Still, I can’t fault Henry for doing this kind of thing — from a marketing perspective.  But let me tell you:  if they start discontinuing any of their existing models in favor of this new flavor-of-the-month, they deserve everything they get.

You see Henry already makes a wood ‘n steel that’s ready for a suppressor:

…but Alert Readers will notice that it’s for their rimfire models only.

So why not just extend that concept to the Big Boy and Side Lever models, I ask?

(They don’t have to do that to the Original Henry rifles, of course — I don’t think anyone would support that.)

Some things just shouldn’t be tinkered with.

Every time someone says this about guns, I grit my teeth.  I know it’s usually said to placate some foaming gun-grabber, I see why someone might say that, but…

It isn’t just a fucking tool.

Oh sure, it has its uses in terms of household maintenance, e.g. removing goblin filth (okay, violent burglars), squirrels that infest your attic and so on.

But nobody does this to a screwdriver:

…or this to a ratchet set:

…and certainly not this to an anvil:

To take it even further, nobody field-strips, cleans and oils their impact drill after each use.

The nearest gun that I would describe as a “tool” would be something fugly and/or utilitarian, like this:

…or this:

But you’re never going to take a hammer and drive 500 nails into a 2×4 just for fun, although you would absolutely do something similar with one of these:

So don’t give me that “tool” nonsense.  Tools are used, but a gun can be loved.

Even if it hasn’t been engraved with anything more than its maker’s name or model.

Beautiful, innit?