Unicorn Gun

I was browsing hither and yon on Teh Intarwebz, and happened upon these lovely creatures (sample below)

…when a random thought occurred to me:  does anyone make a pump shotgun with an exposed hammer anymore?

To be sure, there are some examples of the “coach gun” type with exposed hammer(s), e.g. the Rossi side-by-side:

…but I don’t think they make them anymore.  CZ does, of course:


…and very pretty the “Hammer Classic” is, too:

But at the moment I’m looking for a pump-action shotgun, not a side-by-side.  At the moment, anyway.  (When it comes time to get one of these, that CZ is a goner, even if it’s only available in 12ga.)

Here’s the thing.  I like exposed hammers on a shotgun.  I like to see when the gun is ready to go boom, and there’s no better indicator than a cocked hammer.  And in practiced hands, a manual cocking action isn’t that much slower than a semi-auto one, especially when you take the nannyish auto-safety feature into account.

But while the handgun world is replete with guns with hammers standing proud, shotguns seem to have “evolved” completely into the concealed hammer genre.

And they’re all sleek and stuff, but that’s not what I’m looking for.

And who the hell can afford to pay over three grand for an old 1897 Winchester trench gun anymore? (Norinco used to make knock-off copies of the Win 97, but they’re off the table because ugh Chinese government company.)

Incidentally, the top pic is of an affordable 1897, but it’s chambered for 16ga — not in itself a problem, unless you can’t afford / don’t want yet another caliber in Ye Olde Ammoe Locquer.

What I’m looking for, in other words, is a pump-action hammer-exposed shotgun.  In 20ga. [thud]

Anyone have any ideas?

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Threesome

Here’s something from Collectors which may seem to carry too high a price (even for them), but really isn’t:  3-Gun Set Belonging to Col. S.B. Sightler ($17,500).

Now I have no idea who the late Colonel Sightler is, or how much his personal collection may be valued by a collector.  What I do know is that the collection is as follows:

Parker DHE side-by-side 20ga shotgun:
(not the actual gun, but a representative sample thereof)

Underwood M1 Carbine:

And Winchester 62A pump-action .22 rifle:

Now here’s my point.  Each of the above guns is, by itself, supremely droolworthy.  And their average sale prices, individually, reflect that.  Depending on condition, a Parker DHE 20ga typically runs about $10,000-$14,000 (I’ve seen higher);  Underwood M1 carbines can fetch $1,500-$1,600;  and a Winchester 62A about $1,200-$1,500.

Adding that up, it comes to around sixteen grand for the three guns, if bought individually.  In that light, the $17,500 that Collectors is asking for the collection doesn’t seem that extreme — even allowing for their normal (inflated) markup.

And one last thing.  Given that these guns were owned by an ex-military man, I’m willing to bet that all three guns — even the little Winchester gallery gun — are in fine condition, which makes them a safe purchase.

If I were a collector and in the market for some decent guns, I’d be sorely tempted.  The provenance is just a bonus.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Walther PP (.32 ACP)

From Collectors comes this little peach:

Okay, here’s my take on this classic.

The Walther PP / PPK models are quite possibly the sexiest-looking pistols ever made*.  Those sleek lines and usually-faultless operation make for a tempting package — on the surface — and as James Bond’s gun, it works.

Unfortunately, Reality intrudes.  The .32 / .380 ACP (7.65mm / 9x17mm in Eurospeak) Browning cartridges are not serious self-defense options, and unfortunately I find that shooting the “more powerful” 9mm Parabellum (9x19mm) to be rather unpleasant in the small PP frame.  (My opinion;  yours may vary.)

One would think that it would be fun shooting the smaller .32 ACP cartridge in the PP (as it is with the Colt 1905, for example), but it isn’t — at least, not for someone with large or beefy hands such as mine.

The last time I fired a PP pistol, I became aware of some wetness in my grip, discovered that the sharp edges of the PP’s slide had made two razor-like cuts in the web of my hand, and I was bleeding like a stuck pig.  Painful, and a pain in the ass to clean up (which one has to do immediately, because blood does ugly things to a gun’s bluing).

My shooting companion — the owner of the PP — was a slender woman who had small ladylike hands, and who had therefore never been cut by the recoiling slide.  She loved shooting her little “purse gun”, as she called it, and was horrified that it had wounded me.

So as pretty and sexy as the Walther PP and PPK pistols are, there is a public health warning attached to them.

All that said:  I’d get the above pistol in a heartbeat, because it’s beautiful and sexy.  But I wouldn’t shoot it that much, unless wearing a shooting glove.


*with the possible exception of the Beretta 70-series .22 pistols.

Adding Reality

I am a HUGE fan of the guys at 9-Hole Reviews, but the FR-F1 / GIGN Loyoda show is the best by far.

Yes, Henry Chan is a brilliant distance shooter — I mean, clearing the entire course of fire out to 800 yards using only a single box of cheap inconsistent PPU ammo* and a horrible French 4x (#4 German post) scope is nothing short of miraculous.  And his analysis of the Loyoda engagement is also excellent.  All shooter-analysts should be that good.

Well done, guys — and keep them coming.

Black Friday Stuff

Wait, that didn’t work.  What didn’t I do?  Oh yes, add some whiteness:

That’s better.  The ammo is from AmmoMan, the handguns and long guns are at Palmetto State Armory.

And just in case you need a few more options, there are these from Outdoor Supplies:

…just in case anyone didn’t get their Ammo Day purchases done.


Reminder:  I get no kickbacks from anyone.

HOWEVER:  if some kind (and generous, and wealthy) soul from one of the above outlets does want to send me one of these for Christmas …

…the link is in the pic.  (I’ve wanted to own a CZ 75B — just like the one in the pic — forever.)

Kim’s Black Friday Half-Dozen – Rifles

Collectors Firearms is publicizing their Black Friday Sale, and I thought I’d shuffle over to the Curio & Relic (C&R) department to see which caught my fancy.  (Not that I can afford any of them, of course, but the 20% discounts being offered make these rifles at least reachable for anyone with a few hundred buck or so to spare.)  Links in description.

Mosin M44 Trunk Gun

Schmidt-Rubin K31 (with bayonet)

Lee-Enfield No.4 Mk1

Brno Mauser K98k

Remington ’03-A3

Venezuela Mauser K98k

And a bonus:  Schmidt-Rubin K11
…because its forged action just sounds better than the K31’s cast action.

Honorable mention:  Chilean Banner Mauser, which looks lovely but is still priced too high, even with the discount.

Anyway, they’re all worth a look.


All the pistols, with the possible exception of the Colt 1903, are too damn spendy.  Collectors only.