An Ode To Beretta’s Tip-up Guns

By

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February 6, 2024

I never thought there would be a year when the old tip-up-style barrels would be making such waves. It’s the end of 2023, and we’ve seen a rise in the number of tip-up guns. Beretta released a few new models, or at least a few new SKUs involving different finishes and the new covert series. Girsan released some copies of the old Cheetah models in .380 with tip-up barrels. My favorite was Langdon Tactical making good on an April Fool’s joke of creating an optics-ready 3032 Tomcat.

Sadly, in the midst of all this good news, there was some bad news. Even though Beretta threw some force behind the Tip-Up guns, they’ve decided to discontinue the series. They announced that 2023 would be the last year of the tip-up guns. Why? Well, to be fair, they are outclassed by the modern era of pocket pistols. Plus, the modern world of concealed carry pistols is dominated by micro-compacts.

I’m a fan of the tip-up guns. I own four of them. I have two Tomcats, a Bobcat and a Minx. While I love the guns, and I’d love to see the idea explored and perfected, it’s admittedly a tough sale.

The History of the Tip-Up Guns

Beretta has a long history of producing micro-sized handguns, starting in the early 1900s. Guns like the M1915 would inspire their creation, and the M1934 and M1935 established the small gun design of the Beretta. In 1952, Beretta produced the first Tip-Up design, the Beretta 950, which came in .25 ACP and .22 Short. The .25 ACP was known as the Jetfire, and the .22 Short was called the Minx.

These little pistols were aimed at being concealable and pocket-sized. The tip-up barrel design offered a few advantages. If you’ve ever handled one of these little guns, the slides are incredibly small and tough to operate with your hands. Allow your hands to get a little sweaty, and operating these slides becomes pretty tough.

The barrel pops up and makes the chamber easy to access. A user could manually load a round in the chamber without ever operating the slide. The tip-up design necessitates a blowback action and eliminates the ability to mount an extractor. The cases are ejected purely by blowback operation.

The 950 series were single-action, hammer fire guns. The original had no safety, but later, a 950BS model integrated a frame-mounted safety into the design. While they predated the 92 series, most people will be familiar with the open slide and exposed barrel design that screams Beretta. The 950BS was produced until 2003.

The New Generation of Tip-Up Guns

The Beretta Cheetah series could be seen as an advancement of the Beretta Tip-ups. They are blowback-operated guns chambered in .32 ACP and .380 ACP. There are several models of the 80 series, and the model 86 featured the tip-up barrel design. It was only available in .380 ACP.

In 1984, Beretta introduced the 21A, which would known as the Bobcat. The Bobcat is a little different than the 950 series. It’s a DA/SA gun and chambers the .22LR cartridge. It maintains the overall design of the 950 in terms of tip-up barrel and general operation.

In 1996, Beretta upped the ante to the .32 ACP with the Beretta 3032, aka the Tomcat. This might be the most effective and prominent of the tip-up guns and the only one I’d carry for self-defense. Like the 21A, it used a DA/SA design, a safety, and a tip-up barrel design.

Thoughts On The Tip-Up Guns

I adore the tip-up guns, and I like shooting them. They are neat and certainly novel. I own several of them for a reason. Still, if you asked me, should I get the Beretta 21A or 3032 before they are fully out of production? I would pause and have to ask questions. If it’s for collecting and owning a neat pistol before it’s gone? Sure.

If you ask me, should I buy a tip-up gun for self-defense? I’d say no. What about for plinking? No, not unless you don’t mind being a little frustrated. Of the four I own, my favorite is the Minx in .22 Short. The .22 Short is a blast to shoot, downright cute, and surprisingly reliable.

The 21A is one of the most maintenance-heavy, ammo-picky, and use-picky guns I’ve ever owned. Ammo pickiness is a pretty normal affair with .22LR pistols, but this one is really picky. It’s Velocitors or Punch, or nothing. Even then, it doesn’t always run reliably. If your hand is too high, it gets a bit of slide bite, which interrupts the function of the pistol. If you hold the gun too tight, it affects the function of the pistol. When the fun fails to extract, it requires a good two minutes to fix.

There were some weird ones along the way (Invaluable)

The 3032 is much more reliable. However, it does have some nasty slide bite to it. It will cut you across the hand nicely. Oh, and it’s ammo-picky, but in a different way. If you use ammo that exceeds 129 foot-pounds (IE, the good stuff), you can crack the frame. Plus, the recoil is surprisingly sharp.

Not For Everyone

The Tip-up guns aren’t for everyone. At least know what you are getting into if you get into one. They are novel and neat, especially if you appreciate micro-sized DA/SA guns like I do. I’m not surprised they are on the way out, but I’m sad to see them go. Now, I just need to get my slide sent to Langdon to attach an optic.

Fix-It Sticks Are A Lifesaver

By

P.E. Fitch

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February 6, 2024

At some point last autumn, I found myself inundated with all manner of riflescopes, mounts and reflex sights. Some I bought for personal use and others were things I was/am reviewing. It got to a point where mounting and installing these things across various rifles and handguns with the supplied Torx wrenches wasn’t cutting it any more. Not only because using small little wrenches can be cumbersome, but also because there is no way to properly gauge how much torque a mounting screw receives from a tiny hand wrench. So I found myself rummaging through the aisles of one of the local big box outdoors store next to the shelf with all the scope rings and mounts and I decided to take a chance on the most basic general purpose Fix-It Sticks optics mounting tool kit.

At the time of my purchase, I wasn’t terribly familiar with Fix-It Sticks or their products other than hearing about them in passing. Although this set was not the cheapest option on those shelves, I took a chance on it solely based on the kit’s form factor. The entirety of this basic tool set fits in small carrying case I can best describe as being slightly wider and taller than the typical smartphone. At most, the width of the tool kit is maybe twice or three times as wide as that contemporary phone. This kit is extremely portable and easy to stow in any range kit or case when going shooting. The basic Fix-It Sticks set that I purchased includes the Fix-It Sticks All-In-One Torque Driver, a three-way T-handle with 1/4 inch hex sockets, a 1/2 inch socket with 1/4 inch adapter and fifteen different 1/4 inch tool bits. Among the included bits are both Torx and Allen with sizes relevant to most gun owners.

Fix-It Sticks Rifle & Optics Toolkit With All-In-One Torque Driver Overview

After buying it and taking the kit home, I had no idea what to expect and was even somewhat skeptical of the most crucial element in the tool kit, the Fix-It Sticks All-In-One Torque driver itself. This was the first time I saw any torquing tool that didn’t look like a ratchet with a twisting handle where one has to pre-set the torque setting by twisting to the right spot. The All-In-One doesn’t work that way, however and in fact works quite seamlessly because the unit itself has all of its torque values starting at 0 inch pounds all the way to 65 inch pounds (more than enough for general purpose torquing of mounts, bases, screws and rings) marked along intervals on the upper part. The uppermost part of this torque driver has a 1/4 inch hex adapter while the lowermost part which accepts 1/4 inch bits and spins semi-independently from the main part of the torque driver. The premise of the tool is fairly simple and to use it, one only needs to drive all fasteners until they’re snug. Once snug, one simply turns and twists the driver with the T-handle until the desired level of torque is applied. The bottom part that holds the bit that indicates the current torque when the proper amount of tension is applied to the tool. When the driver is “resting” with no tension whatsoever, this marking returns to and rests at 0. I find it to be a very smooth way of torquing things and I appreciate that I never have to preset the tool to my desired torque setting. Instead one only has to keep twisting until the indicator lines up with the amount of torque they require.

The three-way T-handle is nice too because all three ends accept any 1/4 inch bit or 1/4 inch adapter, and the All-In-One torque driver can be used on either short side or the long side depending on how much leverage is needed to tighten something properly. The fifteen different included tool bits consist of [Torx] T10, T15, T20, T25; [Hex] 3/32″, 5/64″, 1/8″, 5/32″, 3/16″, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, P1 (Phillips), Slotted 5mm (Flathead). They show every indication of being of high quality and first glance look a little nicer than your typical 1/4 inch bits found in most hardware store tool sets. I mostly use the T10 and T15s with my applications, and they provide a snug fit and purchase when inserted to the screw’s cavity. The entire tool kit is stored in an organized plastic chassis that makes space for every bit and part. The outer nylon and zippered pouch that I previously described as being twice or three times wider than the typical phone also provides some extra space so you can throw in other bits or wrenches or miscallaneous items. Personally, I keep extra screws for pistol dots, the Holosun tool and the little 3/32″ wrench used for Leupold Mk 5 HD turrets.

Fix-It Sticks Rifle & Optics Toolkit With All-In-One Torque Driver Feedback

While I’m very grateful that Fix-It Sticks offers this basic tool kit that makes my life easier, this particular set is not the end-all be-all. It’s a general purpose kit and such should be considered a jack-of-all trades-master-of-some. My only real concern using it thus far is when it comes to mounting Holosun optics to pistols (direct experience with the HS507COMP and the regular HS407/507 that also share the Trijicon RMR footprint). The diameter of the torque driver is somewhat wide, so I had to use an extended bit holder in order to be able to line up the bit straightly over either T10 screw. This is due to the top edge of the protective lens hood on these Holosun units sitting fairly close to either screw hole. Besides this challenge with Holosun dots, I’ve not had any other issues mounting other optics or bases. Even so, it’s unrealistic for a general purpose kit to magically worth with every single permutation of guns, mounts and their optics. If I had any feedback for Fix-It Sticks, it would be to also include a bit-holding extension, if anything due to the popularity of RMR footprint based open-emitter Holosun products on the market today.

The Takeaway

After using my set of Fix-It Sticks on a nearly weekly basis to replace, install and switch around optics and their mounts, I’ve realized how indispensable this tool kit is. And not just for me but to the modern shooter in general. Although this kit costs more than similar products, the fit and finish of the kit is apparent and it’s very hard to beat its hyper portability and the way it’s organized. It solves a lot of headaches and certainly helps me out as a reviewer that handles guns and optics on a frequent basis. I’m glad I took a chance on it.

STYLISH & STRAPPED: How to Carry Concealed In Dapper, Stylish, Business Attire

By

The Suited Shootist

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February 5, 2024

Back when I launched The Suited Shootist blog I was working in a job that had a specific dress code. I was regularly wearing slacks, jackets, and tucked in shirts. Even now that I no longer have those professional requirements, I still regularly go placed where dressing like this is either appropriate or expected.

As you’d imagine, it can be challenging to conceal the type of handgun that most of us would prefer to have for defense (compact, double stack, semi auto).

Even if you can conceal it effectively, access is generally slowed because you’re having to clear a tucked in cover garment. So I’ve started playing with options that, while might not be quite as ballistically effective, are more accessible and can be brought to bear faster. Here’s the overall breakdown:

– Pistol: KelTec P32

– Holster: Ramora Pocket Holster mounted to a MDTS Pocket Shield made by Raven Concealment

– Pepper Spray: POM Industries

– Flashlight: Modlite Systems PHL-V2 18350 configuration with an RCS pocket clip

– Tourniquet: Tactical Medical Solutions SOF-T Wide

– Shirt & Jacket: Canali (through Poshmark for about 20 cents on the dollar)

– Pants: Dockers

How Bond Got the PPK

By

Travis Pike

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February 5, 2024

James Bond is forever intertwined with Walther. To this day, Walther firearms occupy the Bond films. The most popular is the Walther PPK. However, that hasn’t stopped the P5 and P99 from occupying Bond’s hands. How did a British secret agent end up with a German handgun? Maybe it’s because the British arms industry sucks? Or perhaps it was because Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, was willing to take some advice.

Bond’s First Gun – A Spaghetti Blaster

Bond’s first gun can be traced back to Ian Fleming’s service in the Naval Intelligence Division. Fleming’s own service was fairly interesting, and it’s easy to see why he was capable of creating such a memorable character. Ian Fleming carried a Beretta 418 during his service and described Bond’s first gun as very flat .25 Beretta. It’s described as having the grip panels removed, and the barrel is threaded for a suppressor.

Ian Fleming didn’t have a ton of firearm experience, so it makes sense that he just inserted the gun he knew into his novels. James Bond was a covert agent, and the Beretta would be small and concealable. It served as his gun of choice for the first five novels. It was in Dr. No that Bond was issued the Walther PPK.

How the PPK Came To Be

A fan of the Bond books named George Boothroyd wrote Ian Fleming a number of letters and criticized the use of the Beretta. He called it a lady’s gun. The .25 ACP is a bit anemic and is notoriously a poor penetrator. Boothroyd initially advised Fleming that Bond should carry a revolver, but Fleming insisted on a semi-auto.

The two men settled on a Walther PPK in 7.65 Browning, aka the .32 ACP. It bears mentioning that in the Dr. No novel, Bond gets both a Walther and S&W Centennial. In the film, Dr. No Bond is only issued the PPK, which gets name-dropped in the film.

The Walther PPK fits well with James Bond. The PPK is sleek and slim, and it has a stylish look to it that certainly lends itself well to the James Bond style and motif. It became a prominent part of the Bond character and has remained cemented in Bond’s legacy.

Introducing Geoffrey Boothroyd

Geoffrey Boothroyd is often referred to as a fan or maybe a firearm enthusiast. His knowledge is often undersold, and in reality, Geoffrey Boothroyd was a true firearms expert. He wrote several firearms reference manuals. His first book was published in 1961, and his final book was published in 2004.

The man knew his stuff. Beyond the Walther PPK, Boothroyd often advised Fleming on weapons in general. From bad guy’s guys to how suppressors work. Ian Fleming created a character named Major Boothroyd, who is described as a firearms expert. Major Boothroyd is the proper name for Bond’s armorer, who goes by the code name Q.

Forever Intertwined

Bond and the PPK have become forever intertwined. The PPK is as much a part of Bond’s lore as a shaken martini. It’s interesting to think it was because some gun nut was mildly annoyed enough to write a letter to Ian Fleming to complain. These days, we just do that on the internet, which is probably why Extraction 2 features 0 Condor plate carriers. At least Boothroyd eventually got to become Q, and I’m just some guy still ranting on the internet.

Gunday Brunch 135: The Taurus 327 Defender TORO

By

Keith Finch

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February 4, 2024

As the gang recovers from SHOT Show, let’s take a look at the newest offering from Taurus USA, the Taurus 327 Defender TORO. This is a 327 Federal Magnum, 6 shot revolver built on the Taurus small frame

EVERY DAY CARRY IN NORMAL STREET CLOTHES: It’s possible to carry effectively and still dress well

By

The Suited Shootist

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February 3, 2024

This week I’m starting a new series, going through my actual carry setups in various levels attire. I wanted to touch on this for a couple of reasons:

1) The folks out there in the style & fashion space that try to address concealed carry give “tips” and “advice that, while well intentioned, don’t actually hold up to the realities of a defensive confrontation.

2) Many folks in the “tactical” space either just dismiss it with “dress around the gun” cringe or don’t see any value/importance on dressing well, so the thinking is so gear centric as to be limiting to those with actual dress codes or other wardrobe requirements. I’m starting off with what’s closest to my actual everyday reality.

This is one of my more casual go-to options, and I’m still able to carry all the necessary tools. Here’s the overall breakdown:

– Sunglasses: @persol 714s

– Pistol: @glockinc 19 with a @taudevgroup Striker Control Device and a @swampfoxoptics Liberty MRO

– Holster: @darkstargear Orion with Dark Wing, Muzzle Pad and @discreetcarryconcepts MOD2.1 clips

– Pepper Spray: @pompepperspray

– Sap: @bostonleather1928 Midget

– Flashlight: @modlitesystems PLH-V2 18350 configuration with a @ravenconcealment pocket clip

– Knife: @shivworks Clinch Pick in a @keepers_concealment Clipper sheath (discontinued)

– Wallet: @grip6 with optional finger ring

– IFAK: @atlasgroupnw Ankle IFAK with @tadmed_solutions SOF-T Wide & @official_quikclot hemostatic gauze

– Polo: @calvinklein Liquid Touch slim fit polo

– Pants: @duluthtradingcompany slim fit 5-pocket firehose pants

– Belt: @slidebelt

Colt’s Bear Guns – The Kodiak and Grizzly

By

Travis Pike

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February 3, 2024

Colt’s revolvers are absolutely legendary. The Colt Sing Action Army is the stereotypical cowboy gun, even if it wasn’t the most sold revolver of the era. Guns like the Python both conquer branding and the revolver market. The various Snake guns are some of Colt’s most popular revolvers. The snake family was made up of seven guns total, some rarer than others. While the snake guns are fairly famous, have you ever heard of the Colt Bear guns?

The Colt Bear Guns

I recently dived deep into the Colt Viper and the Colt Boa and learned about the rarest models of the Snake guns, which led down a rabbit hole of weird Colt revolvers. All roads lead to Rome, and when it comes to rare Colt Revolvers, all threads lead to the Colt Bear guns. The Colt bear guns are two revolvers known as the Grizzly and Kodiak.

Both guns are extremely rare, but not necessarily because they couldn’t have been successful. Colt only produced very small numbers of the Kodiak and Grizzly, and they were limited-run guns. They made 2,000 Kodiaks, and a mere five hundred Grizzly revolvers were produced. Colt produced these revolvers in the early 1990s, and they seemingly disappeared from the great gun consciousness but haunt the dreams of Colt collectors.

They are distantly related to the Colt snake guns but were different enough to warrant their bear monikers.

The Kodiak

The Kodiak isn’t as rare as the Grizzly. To be fair, Colt really tried to pimp that Python look on revolvers. The Kodiak made a bit more sense for the Bear name. Bigger is better, and the Kodiak used the Anaconda design. In fact, it was more or less just an Anaconda with Magna-Porting. The Kodiak also featured a sleek and smooth unfluted cylinder.

The Kodiak came first and premiered in 1993. It was designed to be a special run of the Anacondas. The Kodiak featured a six-inch barrel and held six rounds. Ultimately, outside of a few features, it was a fairly standard anaconda. Even so, it’s highly desirable and very collectible.

The Grizzly

The rare Colt Grizzly was the .357 Magnum Bear gun. The Grizzly has some Python vibes to it, but it isn’t really Python. The Grizzly utilizes a Python barrel that is mated to a Colt King Cobra frame. The Colt King Cobra did not use the famed Python leaf hammer spring and E/I frame-type mechanics. It used the coiled spring design of the Colt Trooper and the Mk. III and Mk. V series revolvers.

The Grizzly featured a six-round round unfluted cylinder. I love the look of an unfluted cylinder, and the Grizzly wears it well. The six-inch barrels were Magnaported to reduce muzzle rise, and Magna-porting was quite popular in the 1990s. The Python barrel on the Viper frame is interesting and was likely a smooth-shooting revolver with the porting.

The Grizzly is a bit like the Boa and was essentially Colt selling a cheaper revolver at higher than Python prices for the rarity. I don’t hate them for it. They understood their branding and the Python’s success.

The Roar of the Bear

Colt has been slowly bringing the Snake guns back. People seem to really like them and appreciate them. For guys like me, it’s the only chance I’ll probably have to own a Snake gun. The real question is whether Colt will bring the Bear guns back. It seems doubtful, but it would be interesting to see them make some kind of return to the world of Colt revolvers.

Biden’s UBC Scheme

By

Keith Finch

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February 2, 2024

230922162918-01-joe-biden-gun-safety-092223 — President Joe Biden speaks as Rep. Maxwell Frost and Vice President Kamala Harris listen during a Rose Garden event on gun safety at the White House on September 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. Image via CNN

President Joe Biden, who recently called the family of one of the US Service members killed in a suicide drone strike and claimed his son was killed in Iraq (Beau died of brain cancer), has his administration looking at requiring Universal Background Checks through the very broad and likely to fail interpretation of being ‘engaged in the business of’ selling firearms.

Here is the short version. If you buy any gun and later decide to sell it for any reason you become ‘engaged in the business of selling firearms’. Under this interpretation you are now a professional salesperson of anything you choose to sell at any time that is your private property and therein lies the absurdity of the overreach. But the Biden Admin appears to be trying the old ‘but guns…’ defense of their plan and using his groundbreaking BSCA act to claim all gun transfers that are a ‘sale’ are required to go through a check.

The hilarious part here is that there exists an easy loophole, one that adds to the irony in that it was pioneered by marijuana. The requirement would likely only stand for sales, not gifts. So if you just so happened to buy a ballcap from someone for $1,100 and they gave you a BCM AR-15 as a thank you gift for buying the ball cap that would not be the sale of a firearm. Expensive ball cap, but who am I to tell you what to do with your money or what people can give as a gift?

In short, the Biden administration can get bent on this idea the same way portions laws and policies nationwide are getting the gavel when they stray outside the lanes of actual crime and actual consequence.

Keep an eye on this one folks, but I think this rule will error code and crash like that self driving Tesla did the other day.

PDW’s – They’re just good

By

Keith Finch

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February 2, 2024

Jack, Caleb, and myself have spoken on Gunday Brunch about why PCC PDWs, and the MP5 as the poster child, are still a viable option. Under certain circumstances they are actually the most desirable option given certain performance requirements.

Josh and Henry over at 9-Hole (Subscribe, I do) go through a range talk where the reiterate the data we chatted about on Gunday. The 9mm (or most pistol calibers) PDW offers significant ease of function and performance gains for most users over handguns. We are not kidding whenever we reiterate that handguns are hard to shoot, and usually the smaller the handgun the harder it is to shoot.

PDW types, especially the MP5, are among the most pleasant firearms to learn to shoot. The MP5 was the platform I first learned outside the military. It was an excellent exposure and solidified my opinion on the validity of PCC PDW into the roles.

These often have the shortest learning curve to highest efficacy on target in the most users. This ease of use and increased control can be applied to other high quality small PCCs like the Scorpion, MPX, EPC, and Rat Dog. It overall takes less training and less recurring training to maintain a high degree of capability with a PDW PCC.

While we should strive to keep training and continue to take training that promotes thinking efficiently while running a gun, we don’t always get to balance that time with the rest of life in the ratio we would prefer. Because we might have a true limit on the training time, picking a home defense option that remains easily effective in hand for us is not a small consideration or to be dismissed as too easy an option. PCC divisions of the shooting sports are way easier to hit GM rank in than traditional handguns and that should be illustrative that we take PCC PDW type guns seriously as the objectively easier options to operate.

A PDW with 50 rounds of 124+P JHPs that the user can accurately place anywhere at will and at speed at distances inside 25 yards > a compact handgun with 12-17 rounds where distances beyond 10 yards become a challenge and induce a greater miss probability.

Now that is, of course, the pure ease of use efficacy equation. Carryability is still and forever will be in favor of small handguns. But we don’t live in worlds where carried is our only option all the time, the circumstances of our lives vary greatly and what we can manage within them is worth putting detailed thought and planning into instead of selecting one option for all situations on about one sentence worth of critical analysis.

The Colt Boa – The Forgotten Snake Gun

By

Travis Pike

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February 2, 2024

Colt’s Snake Guns are mostly defined by the Python. Amongst the brilliance of the Snake Guns, the Python has always been the standout revolver. Colt made a total of seven snake guns. The Colt snake revolvers are all prized by collectors, but some are a bit more rare than others. The Python tends to be the Marsha of Colt snake guns, but it’s far from the rarest. In fact, the rarest of the snake guns is a little gun known as the Boa.

I’m not sure why Colt picked the various names for their snake guns. Anaconda makes sense because it’s the .44 Magnum variant. Other than that, it’s almost random. The name Boa makes a little sense, especially when you compare it to the Python. It’s easy to see why it’s named the Boa when compared to the Python. To adequately explain why the name makes sense, we have to dive deep into the elusive and rare Colt Boa.

So What’s the Boa

The Colt Boa is a six-shot, double-action, .357 Magnum revolver. Which is basically the same descriptor as the Python, but hold on. Colt always priced the Pythons high. It was their flagship revolver, their premium grade option. It was priced out of the hands of most people and certainly outside of the world of law enforcement.

Colt made the Trooper models for law enforcement. Around the time of the Boa Colt had the Trooper MK V. The Trooper MK V chased those law enforcement contracts. Colt wanted to offer a lower-price snake gun that could be a defensive or duty gun. It couldn’t be too plain, so they decided to cross-breed the Trooper MK V with the Colt Python.

Colt used the Trooper MK V action and frame. This meant it was a mass-produced action that utilized a coil spring and machined parts. The Python used a hand-tuned and fitted action that more or less stuck to Colt’s 1890 design. It required extensive hand fitting and hand polishing. The Trooper was quicker and easier to put together and, therefore, cheaper.

To give it the Snake Gun edge and to relate it to the Python, Colt gave it the full lug barrel and the famed vent ribbing. The Boa also got the famed, rich, blued finish that was used on the Python.

Naming the Boa the Boa makes sense in relation to the Python. There isn’t a big difference between Pythons and Boas in nature. Pythons have an additional bone in their head and a few extra teeth.

Why Is It So Rare?

Colt originally designed the gun to be a catalog item but apparently changed their mind. Instead, they limited the run to a mere 1200 units. They were all sold through a single distributor. Colt produced 600 models of guns with 4-inch barrels and 600 models with 6-inch barrels. The guns were snatched up quickly as they were known to be collector’s items right off the jump.

Colt sold the guns with felt-lined wood boxes to really complete the rarity package. Serials start with BOA0001 and go to BOA1200. Out of curiosity, I looked up some online auctions. A Colt Boa went for an insane $41,125 dollars at the Rock Island Auction.

The Weirdly Awesome M1923 Thompson

By

Travis Pike

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February 1, 2024

royal Danish museum.jpeg — (Royal Danish Museum)

One of America’s most famous firearms is the Thompson SMG. The weapon was used by gangsters and cops as well as soldiers and Marines. It starred in numerous films, and men like Machine Gun Kelly obtained their names from their use of the weapon. Its distinct profile and design put it up there with the AK and AR in terms of fame. Most people may not recognize the differences between the M1921, the M1928, and later military variants. However, I’m willing to bet most gun guys and gals have no recollection of the M1923 Thompson Heavy Submachine Gun.

The M1923 Thompson – The Heavy SMG

The term heavy submachine gun isn’t one we hear. Sure, a heavy machine gun typically refers to a gun that has to be fired from a tripod or vehicle and weighs in excess of 100 pounds. The ten-pound Thompson SMG already seems pretty heavy. The heavy portion more or less refers to the gun’s purpose and caliber rather than the weapon’s weight. Although, it was likely pretty freaking heavy.

Thompson made a bunch of weird variants in a few odd calibers. The M1923 Thompson stands out due to its intended purpose. Thompson wanted to compete with the M1918 BAR and offered the US Army a squad support support weapon using the Thompson SMG design. It bears mentioning that the M1923 was not an official name by any means.

It’s one assigned by collectors and enthusiasts mainly because the M1923 was never a normal catalog item, and it was created in 1923. Models have been stamped with 21LB markings. 21 refers to the original M1921 and LB for long barrel. As one would imagine, the .45 ACP round couldn’t compete with the power, range, and punch of the .30-06.

Instead, Thompson used a short-lived cartridge known as the .45 Remington-Thompson. This cartridge fired a 250-grain .45 caliber projectile at 1,450 feet per second. The standard .45 ACP moved at 835 feet per second. For comparison, the .45 Remington-Thompson moved with the same weight and speed as a .44 Magnum.

The Heavy SMG

The .45 Remington-Thompson was pretty impressive for an SMG. Imagine firing a full auto .44 Magnum. It would likely do well against thin vehicles and barriers. It certainly had more range than the .45 ACP. Still, even the power of a .44 Magnum isn’t quite up there with the .30-06 cartridge.

The M1923 Thompson was much smaller and lighter than the M1918. At 12.6 pounds, it was heavier than a standard Thomspon but lighter than the 19-pound M1918A1. The M1923 had a 14.5-inch barrel, and there was even an option for a bipod attachment. Models with vertical and horizontal foregrips existed. In fact, it was the first Thompson to have a horizontal foregrip.

Thompson marketed it as a squad support weapon, but no one bought into it. If you needed a BAR, then a hyped-up SMG wasn’t going to do the same work as a BAR. What the M1923 Thompson appeared to attempt was to bridge the gap between BAR and Thompson SMG. This is something that the assault rifle would finally do decades later.

The M1923 Thompson wasn’t an assault rifle but can be best viewed as a short detour toward their development, similar to the M1 Carbine. It wasn’t quite there, but the idea was already floating in the ether. Only five of these were ever made, and one actually found its way to a Rock Island Armory auction, where I learned about it.

The M1923 Thompson SMG wasn’t a success, but could you imagine holding onto a full-auto .44 Magnum? It would have been an interesting weapon, even if it wasn’t quite useful.

The ‘Friend Rifle’ Updated

By

Keith Finch

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February 1, 2024

I’ve written and we’ve spoken on topic of the ‘Friend Rifle’ before. The Friend Rifle or ‘Loaner’ is a concept I place high value on, nearly as much as being able to offer my hearth and home to a friend who needs a bed in town.

I want a friend who needs a rifle to have a rifle, a good one, ready to be used. In that mindset and after a few recent conversations I decided to make a change to the loaner as I had it previously.

“Keith, why would you revert to an ACOG?”

I’m glad you asked, hypothetical inquisitor. I often extoll the virtues of the LPVO. I believe it to be a superior optic system and with far greater capability than a dot or a fixed magnification sight. They come in many varieties with feature and data rich layouts for a shooter to use… and that makes them complicated.

Too complicated? No, but there is a learning curve. That learning curve is processing time that whoever I hand this rifle to will have to spend familiarizing themselves with it in order to utilize it. This rifle, the ‘Loaner’, is supposed to be ready to use. Hand off and go. Handing someone an LPVO equipped rifle would be like loaning them a manual transmission diesel vehicle, fine if they know what they’re doing but a lot more hinderance if they do not.

In an ideal world I would be handing this to a friend familiar with shooting and familiar with LPVOs. But a friend and I were having a discussion about his rifle at home and I very quickly realized an error in my earlier thought process. I should not hold any expectation that the person I hand the ‘Friend Rifle’ to has the experience to use an LPVO, even if they are an otherwise proficient shooter. The LPVO is useful, but it is complex enough to cause problems and be hinderance more than help to an LPVO inexperienced user.

Simplicity itself

The solution was simple, simplify the optic suite. Reduce the learning curve in so that I can hand this to a user and only worry about having them learn the controls on the rifle, not the controls and the complexity of optic’s mathematics. Even with common proficiently experienced AR-15 shooters, I am more likely to be near someone with experience on red dots and ACOGs than any of the myriad LPVOs now on market. LPVOs are new comparatively, at least for wide market acceptance.

The ACOG hasn’t changed in function much since 1987. The red dot hasn’t either, but the rifle is trying to balance simplicity with as full functionality as can be offered. The full capability and effective range of the rifle should be as available as feasible. That lead me back to the Trijicon ACOG, specifically the TA50 which is a newer offering.

The most popular and well known ACOG is the TA31, used widely in GWOT and evolved from the TA01 by adding the fiber optic illumination to the system. The specific reticles to match rounds and barrels made them widely standard issue. The US Marines had two, the RCOA4 and RCOM4, for their two service rifles and the US Army had the M150.

The 2nd generation of ACOGs improves on two of the principle weak points of the first, their size and their eye relief. The size reduction allows the LPVOs to do their thing distinctly separate and these smaller sights are not trying to compete in their functionality sandbox. Gen 2 ACOGs and other micro-prisms are their own niche, a combination of solid state reticle benefits with fixed magnification while being no (or minimally) larger and heavier than a red dot, also plenty bright.

Why the TA50?

‘Loaner’ was specifically chosen and built up for low maintenance and high functionality. The TA50 supports that.

The LWRCi M6IC-SPR is moderately weighted, has ambidextrous mirrored controls, I added a 2-stage trigger and Surefire muzzle and light. That 2-stage trigger is easily learned, the rifle can be suppressed with one of my cans, and the combination of accessories results in a quickly learned and capable package for nearly any use. The gas piston system will keep it cleaner and have it run a little longer and harder than a DI system can in a pinch. I can expect a lot out of Loaner, even if the rifle is neglected due to circumstances by the operator.

I needed the optic to match that grab-and-go durable capability. It needed to be intuitive to the user and able to take advantage of the range offered by the rifle.

The TA50 delivers that. In detail, it has stages of operability as a user goes through the learning curve. The horseshoe and dot are simple and intuitive and then more of the optic makes sense as you learn the layers of data.

An LPVO could cause confusion by having too much going on with magnification adjustments, brightness, and reticle complexity. Complexity will lock up a user, they’ll be overwhelmed with running the optic and either not shoot or not shoot effectively.

The TA50 is less likely to cause confusion, if the user reverts to the lowest level of understanding of ‘put circle dot on target’ it isn’t counterproductive. In addition the ACOG has nothing to touch, nothing needs adjusting on the TA50 once it is zeroed. No on/off. No brightness dial. No magnification erector control. I eliminate all of the active decisions that require an experienced user to make them effectively. You just look through it.

Speaking of that, look through and you’ll see this. This is specifically the TA50-C-400348.

At its most basic level of understanding, a user can intuitively infer they should put that dot on the target. If its under red, its dead. This point and shoot simplicity will take the user from 3 to about 200 yards with just a little corrective training for optical offset at close distances. Instructing the 300 yard hold and 400 yard hold from there is very simple, and we haven’t yet left the illuminated portion of the reticle. If the user is already familiar with optical/bore offset the learning curve is effectively zero from muzzle to 200 yards effective.

The user hasn’t had to touch, adjust, manipulate, or use any of their controls focused mental energy on the optic. It can all be used on the rifle. Simplified mental processes = shorter learning curve and better retention of information.

Despite the simplicity the user still has an optic that will let them have an advantage against targets at the further end of the rifle’s effective range, taking shots from improbable into the realm of reasonable. You have reference points in the scope out to 800 yards. You can make a strong guess on wind. With the 3x helping the eye the chances are far higher than a 2 MOA dot just hovering in space unaided. The 3x over red illumination is also not particularly jarring when using Bindon aiming/occluded eye shooting, so those close shots remain simple too.

Simplicity matters

In this use case, for this rifle, the simplicity of the system in use is a crucial factor. By the definition of it being loaned for use at need, training time is likely to be limited and need for competent function soonest is the priority. I could be loaning the rifle for a class, and that is great, but it could be for something far more serious and it needs to be ready for that standard of hand off.

This rifle, zeroed, can be handed to anyone. Setup requires properly configuring it, left or right handed, is simply moving the rear sling point to the appropriate side and checking the sizing of sling and stock position. The instructions on the optic start at “put the dot on the target”, then “here are your close distance hold overs”, and ends at the advanced level of “these are approximate 18-20″ shoulder widths at correspondingly long distances to estimate a range and give you a point of aim for the range,”

By removing the need (or any function at all) to dial in magnification or brightness, to not have to teach/learn a reticle that scales accurately at one magnification setting, to not teach/learn a more nuanced FFP reticle that gives the user a lot of data, and by giving the user one repeatable sight picture to look at that can be used comfortably across most of the rifles effective range, the TA50 does the one thing that friend probably needs when they are in need of this rifle.

It keeps their problem simpler.

Judge Benitez Declares CA Ammo Background Check Law Unconstitutional

By

P.E. Fitch

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January 31, 2024

Judge Benitez Rules CA AG Bonta Ammo Background Check Unconstitutional

On Tuesday January 30, 2024 Federal Judge Roger Benitez issued an injunction preventing the California Attorney General, Rob Bonta or any of his agents from enforcing the Golden State’s current unconstitutional ammunition purchasing restrictions.

Ammunition Legislation Background

Originally set forth in California’s 2016 Proposition 63, these ammunition buying restrictions changed how law abiding Californians could purchase ammunition when they took effect in 2019. In order to make this as simple as possible to understand, residents of the Golden State have had to not only apply for a special license to purchase ammunition, but purchase ammunition only through CA DOJ licensed vendors in face-to-face transactions. Besides that, each transaction includes its own background check, regardless of quantity. Furthermore, these laws banned California residents from purchasing ammunition from Internet or mail-order outlets as these are entities that the State Of California cannot obviously regulate. Ditto for California residents physically purchasing ammunition in another state and transporting it home. Suffice to say, over the past few years, the State Of California has been aggressively curtailing the ability of its residents to freely purchase ammunition as a gun-control scheme.

Rhode v. Bonta

Rhode v. Bonta is the court case in question from Benitez’ recent injunction, in which decorated Olympian shooter Kim Rhode is the lead plaintiff. According to the CRPA, the California Rifle And Pistol Association, Rhode v. Bonta has been challenging these draconian restrictions for nearly 8 years now. As with many other Second Amendment related cases around the country, the 2022 Supreme Court Bruen decision caused the 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals to “hand back” Rhode v. Bonta to Benitez’ lower court in order to be reevaluated in light of Bruen. As such, Judge Benitez immediately found that California’s excessive background checks are in direct violation of the Second Amendment. He also declared that California’s prohibition of its residences taking home lawfully purchased out-of-state ammunition violates the US Constitution’s Commerce Clause.

Bonta Judge Benitez California Ammunition Unconstitutional

AG Bonta Attempts To Stay Decision

In its modern history, the State Of California has never been friendly to the Second Amendment. It goes without saying that the powers that be aren’t happy about Judge Benitez’ injunction and immediately denounced it. It didn’t take long before the attorney general asked the court for a stay of the injunction which Benitez denied.

What It Means For California Gun Owners

Because Judge Benitez ruled the aforementioned California regulations unconstitutional, California gun owners would do well to stock up and take advantage of any online ammunition deals until a higher court either overrules Judge Benitez or says otherwise.

Please read this for a better detailed breakdown and explanation of Judge Benitez’ January 30th ruling.

The Tanker Models of the M1 Garand

By

Travis Pike

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January 31, 2024

Right off the bat, I’m kind of lying to you. There was never a Tanker model of the M1 Garand. The Tanker moniker for shorter, smaller Garand carbines is a misnomer and is used by commercial companies. The tankers in the M1 Garand era were already armed with guns like the M1 Carbine and M3 Submachine guns. They also had the main gun, coax .50 cal, and the rest of the freaking tank. Tankers didn’t need a short M1, but plenty of other troops did.

Most notably, the idea of a shortened M1 Garand was attached to paratroopers and for jungle warfare. If you’ve never held an M1 Garand, it might be tough to imagine how large and heavy a rifle it can be. The M1 Garand had a 24-inch barrel with an overall length of 43.5 inches. It weighed nearly ten pounds. Compared to a modern AR-15 carbine, it might as well have been a Kentucky-long rifle.

The M1 Garand was way ahead of its time, but World War 2 proved it needed to be trimmed down a bit. There were three efforts to produce a Garand Carbine. The most famous is the T26, but it was one of three rifles designed to provide a more compact Garand.

The M1 Garand Carbines

The M1 Carbine was great, and so were the M3 and the BAR, but they all had their flaws. The carbines didn’t offer the same range or penetration as the M1 Garand. They weren’t full-powered rifles and were compromised. The BAR was bigger and heavier than the M1 Garand. A shorter, lighter M1 Garand would be invaluable for paratroopers. Anyone who has watched Band of Brothers (or a YouTube video of Airborne training) realizes that jumps don’t always go as planned. Big weapons were tricky to tote when you’re jumping from a plane.

Across the world, the Pacific War raged on. The jungles of the island campaign were tight, close in, and brutal. The M1 Garand made jungle warfare tough, and the Pacific Warfare Board saw the same flaws with the M3 and M1 Carbine and thought a short M1 Garand was the answer. This led to three different prototypes of the M1 Garand.

The M1E5 Garand Carbine

The first Garand Carbine was the M1E5. The M1E5 was the most radical of the M1 Garand Carbines. John Garand and Springfield Armory went to work to produce a shorter, lighter, more paratrooper-friendly rifle. The resulting weapon was the M1E5 with an 18-inch barrel and an under-folding stock. The weapon was designated a carbine and used a specially made 18-inch barrel and not a shortened M1 Garand barrel.

The rifle has a shorter handguard and op-rod. The rifle was 37.5 inches long overall and weighed eight pounds and six ounces. The M1E5 was taken to Aberdeen Proving Grounds and tested. Testing found accuracy was on par with the standard M1 at 300 yards. Recoil, muzzle rise, and muzzle flash were declared excessive, and a pistol grip was suggested. A rather dinky one was added.

Further testing continued to show the rifle was unpleasant to fire, and its advantages did not make up for its disadvantages. The M1E5 was shelved to work on other, higher-priority projects.

The PWB Garand

While Springfield Armory may have shelved the concept, the Pacific Warfare Board still saw the value of a shorter M1 Garand. It’s entirely likely that the PWB didn’t even know that Springfield Armory had already experimented with a similar platform.

The M1 carbine wasn’t cutting it in the jungle, and the Garand was too damn big. Thus, they took the M1 Garand and trimmed six inches off its barrel length to create an 18-inch barrel. The PWB also had a vertical foregrip fit to likely deal with the lack of a long handguard. The Chief of the PWB ordered an Army ordnance unit to produce 150 Garand carbines. Unlike the M1E5, the PWB rifle participated in field testing in the Pacific.

The rifle was evaluated by infantrymen and platoon leaders. The idea was solid, but the grunts found the rifle unwieldy. In fact, they described it as “totally unsuitable for a combat weapon.” The muzzle flash was described as a flash bulb going off in the dark. The PWB Garand Carbine was sent to Springfield Armory. The armorers found the PWB rifle to be crude, as you’d imagine a well-used, modified in-the-war rifle would be.

The T26

The T26 was the Garand, best known as the Tanker Garand. The armorers at Springfield Armory developed this M1 Garand off of the PWB Rifle and called it the T26. The T26 used the same M1 stock and lacked a handguard or vertical grip entirely.

Testing showed that the T26 Garand Carbine resulted in a higher muzzle flash, blast, and recoil. It was also less reliable than the standard M1 Garand. Even with those issues, an order for 15,000 was placed for Paratroopers. However, it was canceled after Japan’s surrender.

Short and Sweet

The Tanker M1 Garands were never made for tankers. It’s funny how that name got attached to them. These rifles are just Garand Carbines and were designed for combat that benefited from shorter rifles. However, it doesn’t seem like a Garand carbine was meant to be, and we never saw any large-scale use. You can buy your own, but it’s a pretty penny to do so.

I LOVE BEING WRONG: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Failure

By

The Suited Shootist

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January 30, 2024

For many people “wrong” is one of the worst things they could be. It’s right up there “mean to puppies” or “rude to waitstaff”

Most of the time, being “right” is SO important, that it can cause people to blow right past an opportunity to actually achieve their desired outcome.

Think of that.

The irony that being so fixated on being “right” that it can actually cause you to lose.

Personally, I’ve found being wrong to prove amazingly beneficial! In every single instance where I discovered I was wrong about something, it opened the door for me to progress and improve.

Shooting, Jits, Relationships, you name it. Each time I was proven wrong was a net gain for me. Nobody foreclosed on my house. My wife didn’t leave me. The dogs didn’t run away. Nothing bad happened.

So give it a shot! Be open to the idea that you may be wrong. You might be surprised at what you gain!