Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Recoil, for once, was not "brisk but manageable".

The rise of the internet has seen the democratization of the gun review. Everyman is out there reviewing firearms, blissfully ignorant of decades of dull, tired cliches like "recoil was brisk but manageable" and "as long as the author did his part, the pistol was combat accurate."

Everywoman, too. Bereft of the usual cliches and writing to a varied audience that might not all have the Gunzine Decoder Book close to hand, she actually had to describe things in terms her readers would understand. I especially like this part:
In short, the pistol handles exactly how you imagined guns worked as a kid: you pull the trigger, there is a flash and a bang, and the muzzle rises a little. There is barely any kick to it, and follow-up shots are fast and easy.
That's brilliant!

I've voiced my crankily reactionary opinions on the PMR-30 before, but I'll say this: If one just has to have a plastic gun with a gas tank brim-lippin' full of hyperactive .22 pellets, one could spend a lot more money.

14 comments:

Stuart the Viking said...

Does .22 Mag out of a pistol REALLY have enough power to punch through a skull and then sufficiently disrupt brain tissue enough to take down a Zombie?

I'm just sayin...

s

Scott J said...

Better that that one of those infernal FN 5.7 things.

One of those showed up at an outlaw IDPA-ish match at a local indoor range a couple months back.

I was glad his turn to shoot didn't coincide with my turn to SO.

Mikael said...

Stuart: depends on range, and impact angle I would imagine. If it can duplicate the reason a lot of cold war assassins used .22(fire into skull behind ear, projectile bounces around inside the skull, for a swiss cheese effect), then it could be very effective. In other words, if it has enough punch to enter, but not quite enough to also exit.

Boat Guy said...

Thanks for linking to your earlier "soft snark". I've had an irrational curiousity about the PMR 30 but the old Jeff Cooper question "What is it for?" is applicable.
Thanks for talkin me off the ledge...

Cormac said...

It's for shootin' and havin' fun!

og said...

22's have recoil?

Al T. said...

Stuart, think so. .22LR from a rifle is about 1,250 fps as is (reportedly).22WMR from the Kel-Tec. From personal experience, .22LR in a rifle will get in a pigs head just fine, so the same bullet at the same velocity should do the same thing.

If it doesn't work out for you, run. :)

Tam said...

Og,

"22's have recoil?"

Yes.

og said...

Imagine that! I had no idea.

NotClauswitz said...

I lurve the cute little pop-up muzzle-flip that my old S&W single-shot .22 does!

Darrell said...

I'd buy the PMR 30, and/or its carbine cousin, if they ever became more than vaporware. I wanted a .22 wmr semi auto for years, ideally a BRNO ZKM 611. Couldn't find one, so I settled for an Automag II. What a POS. Then I did get the BRNO. It rocks, but 10 rd mags are hideously expensive. :( 30 rds of .22 mag would suit me just fine.

John said...

There is more than a gentle kiss of hydraulic OWIE, on the receiving end of a .22WRM. Ask woodchucks, and other feral varmits, f'r instance. Generally, an internal slosh factor, post-demise.

A well-designed and reliably mfg'd hi-cap WMR-Peestol, Senor, would serve out terminal kinetics nicely, for a good many folks. Especially so, I believe, for genteel home protection.

Those who aren't especially gun enthusiasts, but want something with light recoil [and lots and lots of bullets] may take to it, ONLY when wearing good earmuffs and plugs of course.

Biggest complaint among learners using the shorty-revolver versions, is the muzzle blast. But they all like the vaporized ripe fruit effect, when using the Marlin 62 on the 50-foot range.

Chust t'inkin' out loud here, Louie. I'm confident there are LOTS of variable milages out there, on this particular subject. May the WMR Force be with you.

Anonymous said...

Hey Tam!

There once was an Aussie-English former ships captain turned sci-fi author by the name of A (Arthur) Bertram Chandler. Don't know if you ever heard of him but in his novels about lost colonies with Commodore Grimes they often used a "needle gun" that was selective fire with very small sharp bullets that would defeat most armor.

Sounds a lot like the FN 5.7 or the PM30.

Ross said...

I like the idea of the PMR-30. What a shame that it's considered an assault weapon AND not "safe" enough for consumers here in the People's Republik of Marxachusetts.

But I'm not bitter or nothin'. Just clinging to what guns the Nanny Commonwealth WILL let me have.