Pistol-Caliber Carbines

My first exposure to the above type of gun was the Marlin Camp 45, a teeny, lightweight little thing that was so handy and easy to shoot — and it used 1911 .45 ACP mags withal — that I couldn’t understand why they weren’t as popular as .22 rifles.

Well, after the third breakage — I mean, parts that actually shattered upon extended use — showed me why the Camp 45s weren’t as popular as .22 rifles.  Nice concept:  total dud in execution.

There were others that came along — the Beretta CX-4 carbines were nice, and being Beretta were a lot better than the Camp 45 when it came to reliability.  Also kinda cool-looking.

I had one for a while, but traded it for something else at the range — as I recall, a Ruger Redhawk in .357 Mag — and to be honest, I didn’t miss the CX-4 that much.

However, this little thing from Ruger, the LC Carbine, has caught my eye recently, and I must confess to feeling a teeny lil’ tug at the old wallet.

Now the guys at TTAG seem to like it quite a bit, calling it a “real thumper”, and that appellation will always get my attention.  It has several features that do ditto:  it uses Glock double-stack mags (which are cheap and ubiquitous);  it looks easy to mount a decent tac-scope like an Aimpoint on the thing (and I happen to have a spare one or two in Ye Olde Gunne Sayfe);  and it has a threaded barrel for an eeeeevil silencer / suppressor / moderator (pick your preferred nomenclature).

We won’t discuss the ammo issue, of course.

And speaking of which, all the range tests I’ve seen for the LC have shown that it handles pretty much any kind (FMJ or HP), bullet-weight (185gr to 230gr) or strength (+P) with equal ease, and with excellent accuracy, as it should, with a barrel longer than a 1911’s.

I see that Bud’s is selling them for under $800, which is always a good indicator of “street price” vs. MSRP (over $1,000).

I might just sell one of my other guns for one of these.  Even though I’ll need to buy some Glock mags — yeah, guess why — and I’m debating whether to let the feds crawl up my ass just to “allow” me to get a frigging suppressor (don’t get me started), I might very well end up with one of these Rugers, under the “home defense / under-the-bed” rationale, so to speak.

Also, if anyone has any first-hand experience with the LC, please let me know.

All The Cool Kids

…are going to be looking at what’s new in the zoo for their 2025 handgun needs.

Boy, are we in trouble.

First off, I’m going to ignore anything chambered in 9mm, whether Parabellum or Short (.380 ACP).  Why?  Because 9mm DA pistols are like men’s hairy assholes:  they’re fugly, and every man (except Your Humble Narrator) has one (the gun, I mean).  Additionally, I can’t tell the difference between them without a score card, save for the Springfield XD which is recognizable only because it’s been on the market for so long.

Then there’s this horrible thing from Century:

A handgun (yeah, right) in .308 Win/7.62×51Are you fucking kidding me?

Then, to add insult to injury is Ed Brown’s .45 ACP “Kobra Karry”

…which will doubtless find favor with the Kardashian coven because of that obsessive need to start every name with a “K”.  And only a Kardashian would be able to afford this 1911 variant anyway, at over $3,000.

And speaking of 1911s, try the new Wilson Combat Project 1 (in 9mm yet):

I’m going to go out on a limb and state that this may be the ugliest 1911 ever made… and it sells for a piddling $4,000.  Bill Wilson must have been on vacation when this blingy design was approved.  It’s cheaper than the Nighthawk Double Agent (also in 9mm) by a couple of grand:


…but then all 1911s are cheaper than the Nighthawk.

Fach.

Okay, I’ve slagged off these “new” guns enough.  Now for the question:

If your rich old Uncle Elmer offered to buy you any gun under $2,000 on this list, which one would you accept as a gift?  (I promise to make no comment or criticism of your choice because #FreeGun.)

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That’s A Lorra Lorra Rounds

From this article about newcomers to the shotgun market:

Mossberg | 590M Standoff

Specifications
Gauge: 12; 2¾-inch chamber
Magazine Capacity: 10 rounds
Barrel Length: 14.375 inches
Overall Length: 27 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 5 ounces
MSRP: $1,050

Apart from my distaste for the sawn-off buttstock, I have to say I think this might be a leeeeetle too much — because 10 rounds of 12ga ammo is going to ad more than a few ounces to the 6.5lbs of the gun.

Speaking for myself, if I had to pick one of the guns in the above article, I’d rather go with the

Heritage | Coachwhip

Specifications
Gauge: 12; 3-inch chambers
Capacity: 2 rounds
Barrel Length: 18.5 inches
Overall Length: 35.43 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 12 ounces
MSRP: $984.99

Yeah, it’s actually heavier than the Mossberg above — but that extra weight comes from the longer barrels — which is where it should be, to help with recoil and accuracy.  And it looks lovely, where as the mag-fed Mossberg… ’nuff said.
#DogsAss

And the rest of the guns listed… meh.

That said, if I were in the market for a self-defense pump shottie, it is and always will be the peerless Mossberg 590 Mariner:

Full stock, 20″ barrel, 8 rounds in the mag (same number as in my 1911, FYI), indestructible finish… pretty much all one might need, methinks.  One day I might sell one of my spare guns to buy this one.  If I had a spare gun to sell, that is.
#GunShortage

Feel free to argue in Comments, as always.

Welcome Wagon

Reader Mike S. writes and suggests a housewarming present:

“Every incoming Afrikaner should be given a Green Card and a rifle. Not a Mauser but a good American-made one. Maybe a Ruger American II. Either in .30-06 or 7×57 (for tradition’s sake).”

Well, if you’re expecting an argument from me against such an action, you haven’t been reading this website for very long.

When I read this, though, I thought that a Ruger “Ranch” model would be more appropriate, given the heritage of our newest (legal) arrivals:


…but in looking at the available chamberings (see link), I find them… unsatisfactory.  Certainly not the calibers that our Seffrican imports would be familiar with.

So yes, either .30-06 (American) or .308 Win (which every Seffrican rifleman is familiar with), and therefore either the Hawkeye Compact (.308)


… or the longer-barreled Hawkeye Hunter (.30-06 or .308)

Both are extremely tasty, and I’d take either one in a bushveld minute.

HOWEVER:

Let’s get creative, here, and consider giving them a rifle with which every Seffrican of a certain age is familiar:

Ho yuss… the FN-FAL / DSArms SA-58 — note the “SA” — or, to give the thing its Seffrican name, the R1, along with four spare magazines and a couple hundred rounds of 7.62x51mm.

This choice achieves two objectives:

  • gives our new “settlers” (heh heh) a means of self-defense, and
  • sets the anti-gun socialists’ collective hair on fire.

Anyone have a problem with this idea?


Afterthought:  also, a .22 rifle (e.g. the Ruger 10/22) and a thousand-odd rounds of ammo because it’s a household appliance and every home should have one.

Thoughts For The Upcoming Hallmark Holiday

…from the folks at Palmetto State Armory:

Tagline:  “Roses Are Nice. Rifles Are Better.”

My sentiments exactly.  Roses die, but a decent rifle is forever.

So for all you lucky guys out there whose wives enjoy shooting, here’s a thought (link in pic):

I’d have suggested one with rose-pink furniture, but PSA doesn’t sell them.