I have nothing against the following items; I just don't understand them.
- Pistol caliber carbines with short barrels. Okay, why? Why on earth would you take a perfectly valid PCC and then pay extra money in the form of the ATF stamp to SBR it when you could, oh, buy the freakin' pistol?
- Folding stock kits for SKSs. SRSLY. Get an AK. Even now they're back under $500; you're gonna drop $300 for the SKS and $150 for the stock, so for $50 savings you miss out on the detachable mag?
- Assault rifle pistols. I'm sorry, this has GOT to be the dumbest thing on the market. The AR-15 is a little more understandable, although I've got to wonder what kind of accuracy loss is endured from a 9" barrel. The AK-47 pistols make ZERO sense IMHO.
- Obscure pistol calibers. I mean, really... .45 GAP? .32 Guardian? Even .357 Sig - slightly more powerful than .40 S&W, three times as hard to find and twice the price. The whole idea of having a handgun is that you have something portable you can carry with you for protection - when the ammo for a range session costs nearly as much as another pistol, how often are you going to practice with it? And when you can't find .45 ACP on the shelves, what's the likelihood of finding .50 Heffalump or .45 SOMPC*
- Belt-fed semi-automatic rifles. Yeah, I know, in 99% of the cases it's someone who'd really like to have the full auto version but can't afford the ten$ of thou$and$ they cost. I'm sympathetic in this regard. Kinda like the folks that buy the semi-auto Mac-10s. $300 it's a fun plinker. $3K for the fun switch and it's just too damned expensive. You've got to admit, though, a belt-fed rifle with a semi-auto receiver is a lot like a Ferarri with a three speed automatic transmission...
- Rifle caliber handguns. I'm the guy that has the Snubbie from Hell™, and even I can't see the appeal in a .308 Winchester handgun. What's the point? Unless you're training for an Iron Man competition, I fail to see why someone would volunteer for premature carpal tunnel syndrome...
- Accessory rails on pistols. Really. Look, I can grok the whole "having a light on your home defense gun". Sure, there are applications where having a hand free(r) is a good thing. But that's the thing - if you've got a pistol, you've already got a hand free. That hand can operate a separate flashlight at a tiny fraction of the cost of a rail-mounted unit. As far as mounting a laser, please - you're going to drop that kind of cake on a gun with a rail and then skimp on the aiming system? Mall ninja, please.
- Drum magazines on semi-automatic rifles. This one perplexes me to no end. If you don't have the fun switch, why on G-d's Green Earth would you drop $100 and up for a 75 round drum when you can spend $30 for three 30 round magazines? It makes no financial sense whatsoever. Heck, even in FA mode, you put 75 - 100 rounds through an AK and the handguard's gonna burst into flames...
- Fake suppressors. I really don't understand the point of a fake can. "Look at me! I'm too cheap for the real thing!" I mean, you're not fooling anyone, especially when you pull the bang switch and are rewarded with a full volume report. Spend the $200. Get the stamp. Get the real thing. Save your hearing.
- $100+ flashlights as part of daily gear. My $10 warehouse special is only half as bright, sure, but if it falls out of my pocket when I reach for change for the vending machine I'm not going to miss it. I just don't get spending that kind of money on what is, for all intents and purposes, a disposable item. Pocketknives too - I tend to lose a pocketknife about once a year or two - I can't see spending more than $30-$40 on a decent EDC knife, yet there are folks out there dropping $200+...
*Some Other Manufacturer's Proprietary Cartridge.
Once again, to reiterate: I don't want any of these items banned. I don't think they shouldn't exist, or be permitted, or require any special permits/licenses/taxes/etc. They're just not my particular cup 'o' tea as a general rule, and what floats my boat might just make others scratch their heads in amazement as well. These are the things that I just don't get, whether because I'm not HSLD enough or because I live behind the Red Curtain in the Volksrepublik...
What gunnie things don't you get?
That is all.
23 comments:
I found one upside to obscure pistol calibers during the run on ammunition- while all the 9mm and .45 ACP I wanted to buy was sold out, .357 Sig and .41 Magnum were relatively unaffected. The "beans, bullets, and band-aids" crowd insists on buying a caliber that's universally available, but it turns out in real life it was also the first to dry up.
Sorry Jay, you're full of crap on the pistol with a rail mounted flashlight.
For a house gun, that's one less thing I have to grab in the sleep induced confusion. Fighting with a pistol with both hands is a bajillion times easier and more efficient than with one hand. Having the pistol with light in one hand leaves the other hand free for important stuff like opening doors, dragging or carrying people or kids to safety, calling 911, etc.
It's a huge advantage, and I wouldn't be without it if I had any choice at all.
Now, on a carry gun, I'm less convinced. Blade-Tech makes some holsters that will accommodate a pistol with an attached light, but they look bulky as hell and the retention doesn't look that good. And if you carry the gun without the light attached intending to clamp on the light when you need it, that's dumb as hell. I mean, what are you going to do when you have to reholster? (A local PD carried their guns like this for a while).
Anyway, rail mounted flashlights are probably not necessary on a CCW gun, but damn near mandatory for an around the house shooter.
I'm with you on the $100 boutique flashlights, though. I'd much rather have a bunch of semi-disposable $15 Walmart LED Brinkmanns scattered around the house, car and jacket pockets than a single high end Surefire.
Me? I don't get pistol bayonets. Though they DO make for fabulous bloggershoot video :)
Oops -- apparently my brother is still logged in. This would be Lissa speaking. :)
I solved my .357 Sig problem by buying 5000 rounds off the bat. Even at that, I am considering the .40 barrel.
I have a rail mounted light on my G34 and have the can on there most of the time. The Boy has declared it "so cool".
Gonna side with pdb on the flashlight-equipped house gun. HUGE plus IMNHO.
I'm also gonna disagree slightly on the expensive flashlights and knives for everyday carry.
I consider them tools; tools that may save my life someday. Auto mechanics know that 40 piece chinese socket set for $10 is gonna fail and bust your knuckles the first time you really NEED it. That's why they spend hundred (thousands) on overpriced but high quality tools like Snap-on. You wouldn't buy a cheap "disposable" carry gun, would you? What are you more likely to use on a daily basis? A pocket knife, a flashlight, or a handgun? Cheap knives break, and don't hold an edge. Cheap flashlights have cheap switches, cheap or no seals, and no vibration protection. I also don't consider my knife or my flashlight as disposable. I've been carrying the same surefire E2D for years. The finish is mostly worn off, but I use it every day, and it still works every time. Same with my kershaw knife (more midpriced then high). I've been carrying this one for about 5yrs. My previous knife (which I still have) I carried for over 20years. I'd rather spend $100 on a quality tool that will last me 20 years, then keep replacing a $5 tool every year or more.
Well, mopar, you're more organized that I am.
I lose (or give away) knives and flashlights too frequently to worry about how long they'll last. Someone asks if I have a knife they can borrow, I don't have to worry about handing over a $150 Benchmark; I hand 'em my $20 Gerber.
Believe me, I understand buying quality items, I do. It's just that after losing far too many pairs of Ray-Bans, I stick with Wal-Mart's $10 sunglasses...
And as for the light with the house PISTOL, well, we'll have to agree to disagree.
There's a 4 D-cell maglight that's the first thing I grab when things go bump in the night. That's plenty of light, and it makes a dandy bludgeon...
How in the hell do you get a proper two handed grip on a pistol or rifle and hold a 4D cell Maglite at the same time? You must have seriously big hands!
Frequent reader, 1st time commenter.
Good list of opinions backed up with why you feel that way. To each his own, really, but I agree with most of these. I admit I do have some stupid-crazy expensive flashlights. But, more often than not they stay at home and the cheaper ones get the daily use.
I'd rather have the AK pistol over the AR one. Seriously, if 5.56 has wounding issues out of an 11.5in or 14in barrel, whats it gonna be like out of a 9in or shorter one? The bullet out of the AK may not be going any faster, but at least it's a good bit heavier.
I still think they are both stupid though.
Buying a lightweight .223 rifle and then loading it down with a float tube, rail system, light, foregrip, 3 or 5 point sling, laser, scope, etc. so that if you piled all the attachments on the scale they would weigh more than the rifle.
Look, if young fit Marines want to carry as little as possible, what makes anyone think that a 22 lb. AR-15 is a good idea?
ParatrooperJJ,
Now the rifle - shotgun in my case - makes sense to have the light attached. As for the pistol, the Maglite is to get to the first gun (handgun), which then gets to the second gun (don't get me started on the stupid MA locked storage requirements).
There's a $20 Brinkman LED flashlight that's bright-as-day inside the house and can be gripped alongside the pistol if needed. Or separately so as to not put the light (they're shooting at the lights...) near the gun (or my head).
anon,
Once again, my puzzlement has more to do with EDC arrangements and super-expensive flashlights; and I will readily admit to a bias since I lose or loan stuff so frequently...
RS,
I suppose. I just really don't see the point in either other than a "hey, look what I have"...
Which, as I mentioned, is more than enough reason to get one... :)
ASM826,
Ooooh, that's a good one. I get a chuckle out of the rooney'd out rail farms, with light, laser, pistol grip, bipod, etc. stuck to 'em. The whole idea is to have a light, maneuverable rifle, right?
Jay, I am generally so DISorganized it's not funny. Tools are organized, ammo is organized, not a whole lot else, heh. I guess one difference is I generally don't loan out tools. EDC items count as tools. I don't lose my knife because it's one of 3 places at all times. Clipped inside my strong side front pocket (or all the way in the pocket on the rare occasions I have to dress nice), in my hand, or on the table in the bedroom. Flashlight is in a belt holster on my weak side (unless I have to play "dress up", then it goes in the weak side front pocket), in my hand, or on the bedroom table. Now, I'll admit I *have* misplaced my knife a few times in my life, which is why there is a twin, brand new in the box at home, just in case.
Dang, and I was just starting to build an AR Pistol with detachable folding stock, a short barrel, chambered in .50 Beowulf, with a Surefire light and laser, night vision scope, a and drum magazine.
Seems like the perfect home defense gun :)
Just a note,my fake suppressor,ooop's,muzzle brake's DO reduce the sound a bit...not as much as a real one,but some.And reduce's the recoil.
Dean in az
Two to link together: I'd LOVE to have a short pistol carbine as a HD gun/plinker. Shoulder stocks are awesome for accuracy and control, and you don't need a full 16" to get most of the oomph out of a pistol round. That being said, I don't see the point in bothering with it for the NFA anal-probe and tax.
That being said, if I wanted to own a Mac-10 or MP5 or Grease Gun or other clone because i was a fan of the platform, and I wanted the shoulder stock, I'd opt for the fake suppressor because it looks far less stupid than a 16" barrel hanging out of a gun that was issued with a 6" BBL.
Not being a reloader or such,but wouldn't a pistol round in a long barrel reduce the velocity? I thought pistol round's were loaded with fast burning powder,and the long barrel with extra friction?
Anon, all depends on the load.
There's such a thing as "Optimal length" which is where the bullet will only accelerate while traveling down the rifling. and after that length the bullet will begin loosing speed from friction with the bore.
Not sure what these lengths are (Just tried to look it up but didn't have any quick answers) but I'd imagine 16" of barrel length is still enugh to gain velocity
On the NFA-registered SBR Pistol Caliber Carbines?
Just like the $300 MAC10 and belt fed semiauto MG42, it's often a way to have a classic gun without spending the cost of a used (or in some cases, new) automobile.
For the pistol carbine thing, I'd probably opt to just buy a JB custom(or similar) mare's leg. It's pistol classified, and you could make use of the stunted stock, without any NFA bullshit.
Having gone through the SBR process, buying and registering a car is more difficult. If you have a CCW, you've already submitted to the anal probe.
A 10" carbine in 9mm, although an SBR, will still have more velocity than a full sized service pistol, have a longer sight radius and be more stable.
Home defense pistols? I'm HOME: Home Defense Carbine!
Folding stock on an SKS. I have one on mine not for the tacticool look either. It's so it fits behind the seat of my truck better. Only other mods my SKS has is a neon green front sight, and a TAPCO fully adjustable rear sight. I do have a few extended mags, but I only use those when plinking with the kids. Otherwise it's the standard 10 round mag and stripper clips.
- 357 Sig, I've got to chime in on this one. The only caliber of handgun ammo I was always able to find during the shortage was .357 Sig.
- Belt fed semi-auto. Might be a purchase which someone has the intent of changing to fully auto were it to reach a point where ATF was no longer a concern. (ie: Zombiepocalypse)
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