Quick Gun Reviews Vol. 1

I'm attempting something new with this post. I'm going to go down a short list of four or five guns that I have experience with and will just give a brief summary of my thoughts.

It's all about pistols this week! Here we go:

• Beretta 96A1 - I like the gun as a whole. The heavier weight offsets the snappy 40 caliber round. Made by Beretta so you know that the fit and finish are of very high quality. Not completely sure if the grip was any larger to accommodate the larger round, but it would be something to look at if I were thinking about purchasing it. Great alternative to the 92fs if you want something a little more potent but want to keep that legendary design.

• H&K 45c - Great ergonomics and shooting feel. This weapon takes a 45 ACP and makes it feel like a heavy 9mm. Great accuracy and comes with night sights. The downside is the price. With tax included, you'll be paying over $1,000 for a new one (ballpark $1,200) and sadly, you just don't get enough for your money. The gun is polymer, which is perfectly fine, but it feels especially cheap and clunky. I noticed that when pulling back the hammer felt like handling a toy. I'm unable to put my finger on what it is that makes it feel this way, but when a friend let me look at his, the question that kept going through my head was: "You paid how much for this?" Overall, its a great pistol that can be easily replaced by another that's $500 cheaper. 

• Glock 22 Gen 2 - Anyone reading my posts will know that I'm not a GLOCK fan, but I try to be as non-biased as possible when doing gun reviews. For a while, my family owned a Gen 2 Glock 22 so my comments will be on that particular pistol. No such thing as ergonomics with this pistol. It felt like crap in the hand and the .40 S&W round made it feel even worse when shooting. Unlike all the "Glockoholics" out there, I actually thought the trigger was pretty good. Being a Gen 2, there weren't too many features. No rail, night sights, grip modifications, aesthetics, etc. I often take this pistol and think, "how did this catch on?" But then I remember, that it works and it's cheap. Police approved! 

• Taurus Judge - How can you not like the concept? A revolver that can shoot .45 Colt AND .410 shotshells - count me in! I am not a revolver marksman, so my accuracy with the piece wasn't great when shooting the .45 Colt, but you don't need to be Bob Munden when shooting the .410. It was a blast. Overall, the gun felt very solid and good in the hand. The guy that let me shoot his had owned it for quite some time and didn't have any major complaints. He said that he might look to get some better sights installed, but overall he is very happy with his purchase. Size is a factor. The piece is rather large and would be difficult to use for a concealed-carry piece. 

• Glock 30s Gen 4 - A close friend of mine picked up one of these and I finally got a chance to shoot it. I think the 4th generation Glock feels much better than the previous ones, there are still a couple things I would change, but overall it's a solid design. The .45 ACP was very snappy in the compact frame (as to be expected with any concealable piece). This wouldn't bother me if the baseplate pinky extension on the magazine didn't keep pinching me with every shot. Other than that, accuracy was good and it ran without any hiccup. Definitely worth considering if you are looking for a concealable piece that will leave a big hole in it's target.

That's all I've got for now! I'd like to do many more of these quickie reviews once I get some range time with other weapons. In the future I'll add some variety to the type of weapons - recently I've had a lot of exposure with pistols. If you have a gun that you would like some more information on, please leave me a comment and I'll be happy to tell you what I can. 

Mosin-Nagant 91/30

This weapon is a beast. Yeah, yeah it's cheap, but in this circumstance, "cheap" doesn't mean "poorly made." Some would argue that being made in the midst of the second world war, this gun was crudely made. Well you know what? They're right. The Mosin does have some rough edges. The finish isn't fantastic, there are hammer marks all down the receiver, and many of them have been repaired using other rifles so it may not fit together as nicely as your brand-new Remington 700. But this gun will run. The Mosin-Nagant is a tank of a rifle that will outlive it's 3 owners. The reason that it's so tough is because of it consists of only a few parts. The bolt, the stock, the built-in magazine, and the barrel.

Not many guns age as well as the Mosin-Nagant. The reason that many are around today is because after the war, all of the surplus rifles were stored and preserved in a jelly-like substance called cosmoline. The boxes of rifles were then shipped to the U.S. due to growing demand. You can actually pick up one of these surplus rifles for less than $200. And the ammo to go with it is also cheap. So this makes the Mosin a prime candidate for those just wanting a rifle to go to the range with.

The model 91/30 was built for a soldier. What I mean by that is, this gun requires a strong individual to operate. The 7.62x54r cartridge is powerful and can leave a nasty bruise on your shoulder if you don't handle it properly. The gun itself is large and heavy. Operating the bolt can also be a challenge, especially when it's used for the first time since the war ended. The iron sights are basic and can be adjusted for shots over 100 yards. Operating the safety (yeah, they all have one. Look it up) is just not worth doing because of the amount of effort required. Firing this weapon will definitely put hair on your chest. And the good part about it is... you can waste ammo without burning a hole in your wallet! As stated before, the ammo for this gun is relatively inexpensive for what you get. You're basically getting a rifle that fires a round similar to the size of a 30-06, but at a fraction of the cost. The box magazine is built-in to the gun and can hold 5 rounds and can be unloaded without cycling the bold by opening the latch on the magazine base plate.

And that's all there is to it!

Don't let all of this talk convince you that all Mosins are equal. There are a few things to look out for when purchasing a Mosin.

• First off, you need to decide which model you want. There are MANY different variants to chose from. But for this article, I will talk about the main infantry rifle for the Russian soldiers - the full-size model 91/30.
• Second, decide what year gun you wish to purchase. This is important because most of the time, the year determines the fit and finish of the gun. My personal Mosin-Nagant was produced in 1943 which was in the heat of Russia's involvement in the war. Therefore my rifle is pretty battle worn. If you purchase a gun a couple years before the war, your rifle may have a different shaped (higher quality) receiver along with better fit and finish.
• Next is the place of origin. Many collectors will swear that a Mosin made in _____ country will perform better than the ones made in _____ country. Honestly, I feel that this is just a preference. Sure, there might be some differences between the guns, but they are mostly the same rifle.
• Something that many people don't think about when buying a Mosin-Nagant is the barrel wear. A gun that has been fired often and not cleaned properly will have pitting in the barrel. The powder used in the 1940s was corrosive unlike the powder used today. Be sure to use a light to inspect a barrel before you buy. Also, many of the guns during the war were used so much that the rifling was shot out of the barrel. To correct this, they used a drilling tool to re-cut some of the rifling to the business-end of the barrel. This is called "counterbore." While this did improve the accuracy of a gun that had the rifling shot out, this method is crude and still did not give the gun 100% accuracy. Ideally, you want to look for a Mosin that hasn't been counterbored AND still retains it's rifling. These will be the most accurate. This is what sold me on the one that I currently own.
• When you buy your gun, make sure you ask the gun dealer if it comes with "everything." He/she should know what you are talking about. Most Mosin-Nagant rifles are shipped with a sling, a bayonet, a cleaning rod (attached to the gun), and an oil can(s) with pouch.
• All of these rifles will probably be drenched with cosmoline. This is normal, but will take several hours to completely remove from the firearm. When you shoot it, more of the cosmoline will seep out of the the gun's seams due to the liquid heating up. This is perfectly normal. Just be sure you bring a couple of shop towels to the range to clean up the mess.
• Last, be wary of the store in which you purchase the rifle. These can be purchased online and shipped to your local FFL dealer. This is risky because you cannot inspect the gun beforehand.

After you've familiarized yourself with the gun you wish to purchase, the only thing you have left to do is decide what type of wood and color you want.

Open-Carry Smartasses

I am pro open-carry. That being said, I believe that you should open carry because you have a reason to, not just because you desire attention. Let me explain...

I hear incidents all over the news about these open carry groups causing a fuss because a group of 12 people got together and decided to go to a farmer's market with M4s and AKs strapped to their backs. While what they are doing is perfectly legal (unless they have a felony charge), their only reason for doing this is to get a reaction from the people around them. Of course police are called. Many people don't know that you CAN walk around with rifles strapped to you. Once the they arrive, the police do exactly what they're supposed to - ask questions. Rarely are the police in these situations excessively forceful or angry. But once the officers are within talking distance of the carriers, then the organization's real purpose of open carrying begins to show.

They will stand there with a video camera and question the police officer's every word.

"Why do you need to see my ID?"
"Are you detaining me?"
"What felony have I committed?"
"Do you suspect me of being a felon?"
"Are you aware of this law?"
"What trouble am I causing?"

The list goes on and on...

THESE people, are the open-carry smartasses. Don't you dare try to test their political knowledge on the subject of open carry, because they can recite the laws and paragraph numbers in their sleep. They are born to troll the police.

It upsets me when I hear good comments about these people. These people aren't "protecting themselves" or their rights by recording these actions. They know damn well that they are likely to be stopped and only want to make some unfortunate police officer look like a fool on YouTube. Yes - I agree that more police officers should be informed of the open carry laws in their state, but that's no reason to cause public hysteria by walking down a neighborhood street dressed in black with tactical gear and an AK-47.

On the other hand, I do believe in open carry if you know are entering a dangerous environment. Whether it's a bad neighborhood or a dense forest, having easy access to protection is important. Open carrying also comes with the need for responsibility. Not only should you know the Ten Commandments of Gun Safety, you should live them every day. When open carrying, you should dress and act like the responsible gun owner you are and be aware of where you go. You can't just walk in to a school or bank with an open firearm and expect people to go about their normal business. That's absurd.

Do me a favor, if you see or hear someone talking about open carrying their AR-15 around the town "just because they can," maybe ask them if they have a good reason. If not, smack them on the back of the head, call them an asshole, and tell them to do something productive with their time.