M often brings cool things when he comes to visit. After our session, he thinks he just might mod this into his carry gun. Because M also likes cool carry guns that not everybody else carries.I can relate to that. I'm pretty sure that was a large part of why I carried, at various times, a 10mm Glock and one of those funky Teutonic staple guns, and I know it was why I carried a TZ-75 in .41 Action Express. I mean, does that scream gun hipster, or what? "Do you know what caliber my CCW is? Well, it's really obscure; you've probably never heard of it anyway." I'd have carried my Mateba .357 if I could have found a holster.
And there's nothing more unique than a custom carry pistol that you had built from a bare frame.
So it was odd to realize that I'd done a 180 on carry guns. The only reason I'm carrying an M&P9 now is because I couldn't find a generic gun. Seriously, if I could have found a white gun that just said "GUN" on the side in black letters, came in 9mm, and didn't have a single line or curve on it for "styling" or "aesthetics" or "brand identity", I'd have been on that thing like white on rice.
I don't want t-shirts or an owners club or a web forum for fans; I don't want keychains or a shooting league or an official brand historian; I just want the thing to shoot.
A resounding Amen.
ReplyDeleteStranger
You're no fun.
ReplyDelete.41 AE. Wow. Now I know of three folks who carried one.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I can never and probably won't ever be able to explain my early 1980s fascination with the M1935A in 7.65 MAS. For some reason that one just really tickled my fancy. If I could find one today...ooh boy...
But for carry, yep, the gun version of the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit just about does it now.
Hate to ask, but what's a "funky teutonic staple gun"? B-)
ReplyDeleteWhat TJ said.
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:39,
ReplyDeleteHK P7M8.
Ah the P7M8...know a bud who (used to) tote one. Said it was deadly accurate, but due to being unable to locate a spare (one is none after all) for near a grand once counting spare "pez dispensers" in even a reasonable amount, he parted with it.
ReplyDeleteI smell a marketing opportunity for a "GUN" company, maybe have smaller models labeled "CARRY GUN" or something.
I've been carrying a pretty damn generic XD most of the time; it's sure as hell not a Tejas "Bar-B-Que Gun", but it does shoot well.
ReplyDeleteIf I could find me a wide-grip (M13) Kraut staple gun, I'd probably be carrying it pretty often. Like 'em, wish I'da bought one when I had the chance...
a generic gun
ReplyDeleteOverheard in the Gun Shop:
Tam: I'd like one of those new Platos, please.
FNG: Um...Shadow or Form?
T: Form.
FNG: Uh...I don't see it in the case...could you point it out?
T: Not really, no.
FNG: Dang...we've got a lot of Shadow models...
T: I know, but what I want is a Form.
FNG: In what caliber?
T: Yes.
FNG: ...boss, could I get some help here?
I can see both sides. On the one hand, I love the M&P9 compact. It works, it's reliable, it's boring - if (G-d forbid) it ever had to go into evidence, I wouldn't lose a minute of sleep over it, I'd just pick up a new one.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, there's something about carrying the only hammerless L-frame Smith .38 Special ever made...
Tam, that is exactly why I carry a Glock. Most reporters and screen writers even seem to think Glock is just a slang term for a gun.
ReplyDeleteIt is dead nuts simple to operate, it looks like a black brick and it shoots just about every time.
What more can you want?
Depending upon how far from home I'll be, I tote either an SP-101 in .357 with a speed-strip reload (close-to-home) or an FN Hi-Power in 9mm and two spare mags (longer trips).
ReplyDeleteNeither has any sentimental value and both are damn near generic sidearms. Both are silid-functioning and sufficiently potent.
Jon
Err... That should read "...solid-functioning...". Duh.
ReplyDeleteJOn
I think a thread with the reasoning behind the choice of each caliber is in order here. "I use the 500 AE because nothing has more stopping power" "I use the NAA 22 because nothing is more concealable" and all the justifications in between. "The 41 mag has a flatter trajectory for those long shots" and "The 380 Government fits my hands nicely" (My personal favorite)
ReplyDeleteBalloon Goes Up: A decent trigger.
ReplyDeleteI don't want t-shirts or an owners club or a web forum for fans; I don't want keychains or a shooting league or an official brand historian; I just want the thing to shoot.
ReplyDeleteWell, yeah.
But if I can get something that shoots AND a t-shirt, why not?
Smith and Wesson Sigma. Gray flannel that runs for less $.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, the Sigmas do not run well.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by the "funky teutonic staple gun". Then I held one in my hand.
ReplyDeleteFortunately it didn't cost me $750 (used, in 1980s dollars) to satisfy my curiosity.
Incidentally, Noah D's response shows that he obviously grokked what I said in fullness. ;)
ReplyDeleteBuddy of mine had a Sigma... briefly. Back in the "ban" years...two 10 shot, shoulda been 15 or 16 shots. .40 Caliber. Trigger pull like dragging an elephant through a keyhole. And it was frikkin expensive too! At the time at least it was. At the end of the ban you could get a 9mm for under 200 bucks, about what 2 magazines in normal flavor would run then.
ReplyDeleteSecret Code: heldyth hersithi. Weren't they in Lord of the Rings?
So how big is the Fan Club for one of those Norinco Tokarov Clones in 7.62 or 9mm? I don't recall ever seeing a T-Shirt for them. Some of them even came with an Optional Safety. And they do Shoot. Not well, not easily, and not accurately, but they shoot. Those might be a Candidate under your Terms.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I owned one in 9mm for a few weeks, so I know it's Foibles. But I do admit, they make Hi-Points look attractive. And I had no Problem turning it in for a Mossy 500, but that's another story.
Ma'am, you need some self-respect!
ReplyDeleteGlock is not a gun. A glock is a consumer product.
Get an STI GP. It's a quality answer to the Glock.
Less felt recoil, rotary locking, DA/SA, less ugly, not a big brand.
Funny, that's how I feel abut cell phones. Just give me something that can actually make and receive calls without dropping them. I'll use something else for the entertainment.
ReplyDeleteGrayguns will turn my Sig P220 ST into a 10mm for a small-ish fee... It would be kewl if the toaster-parts all stayed together.
ReplyDeleteAnymore, I don't carry anything I'm not ready to cover in blood and throw in a locker for a year.
ReplyDelete"Anymore, I don't carry anything I'm not ready to cover in blood and throw in a locker for a year."
ReplyDeleteWho told you about my ex?
ouch, was that not my inside voice?
I'll bet either Ted Blocker, or the owner of Dragon Leather Works would be willing to take up the challenge of holstering that Mateba ...
ReplyDeleteTo completely misquote
ReplyDelete"Before I studied, a gun was just a gun. After I learned, there were many kinds of guns with cool attributes and looks. Now that I've understood, a gun is just a gun."
Tam: Do not try and shoot the gun. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
ReplyDeleteMe: What truth?
Tam: There is no gun.
Me: There is no gun?
Tam: Then you'll see, that it is not the gun that shoots, it is only yourself.
Seriously, if I could have found a white gun that just said "GUN" on the side in black letters, came in 9mm, and didn't have a single line or curve on it for "styling" or "aesthetics" or "brand identity", I'd have been on that thing like white on rice.
ReplyDeleteEasily achieved!
Hi-Point, white paint, stencil.
(You know you wanna do it just to take a picture of it. And a use Hi-Point should be basically free, right?)
DaddyBear gets it, too. :)
ReplyDeleteHi-Point is taking the principle much too far.
ReplyDeleteMuch.
WV=ectinsur tedionor. Really, a demon should appear when you say that, or something.
I 100% agree, but my main guns might not appear so.
ReplyDeleteS&W1911Sc. Its Light, Mass Legal, and I got it for a decent price. Also I've put more rounds down-range through an M1911 in some form or another than any other gun platform. (That includes BEFORE I owned a gun...but now that I has two of them, and want to try everybody's little variant of said platform, its now a self-fulfilling platform)
For my Pocket gun its a Kahr PM45...could be hipster-ish as its expensive, and uncommon. But its also the smallest, lightest, and easiest to use .45 Pocket gun, and I'm so invested in .45 Ammo, why adopt 9x19 which is just as good....but at this point I trust .45 ACP more than 9x19.
" don't want t-shirts or an owners club or a web forum for fans; I don't want keychains or a shooting league or an official brand historian; I just want the thing to shoot."
ReplyDeleteShe said, on her blog about guns...
kidding! sort of
What do you use, weapons-wise ?
ReplyDeleteHmm ?
Weapons.
l'm a... l'm a weapons man.
Weapons man.
Yeah.
Okay.
They tend to settle the argument. So what do you favour ?
Well, you know. lt's a toolbox. You put the tools in for the job.
i carried a russian Tokarev in .30 cal for many years until i got rid of all my combloc iron. tried carrying a Kimber for a while but i was scared i would drop it and scratch the finish so i sold it. so, it's either a Glock 23 or a stainless Smith J frame in a pocket holster depending on my clothes for the day.
ReplyDeletei'm kind of this way about hunting rifles now. i used to want a really nice custom rifle in pretty wood in an exotic caliber with a high dollar scope. for years i've used an old sporterized Mauser with Konus glass on top and keep the freezer full of deer and pig without my worrying about scratching up or rusting something nice.
code: Undaqual Dynander- a minor hill chieftain in Kafiristan who is distantly related to Alexander the Great.
Weer'd... don't make me go "I was into PM45's before they were cool"
ReplyDelete:p
As a group we keep saying "the gun is just a tool", well yes. And as long as the tool is sharper than the software, it is the software one should concentrate on.
And I'm saying this as someone that's fiddled with another used 1911.
You can get more out of $X by spending it on ammo than most other bits and bobbles.
Not that I'm against such things, there is some enjoyment factor.
Noah D and DaddyBear may grok it, but the thought of Tam on the customer side of the counter working over a newbie gives me a severe case of the giggles.
ReplyDeleteI'd almost pay money to see that.
I'm kinda hipster-ish about my snubnoses, but that's because unobtainium J-Frames with five shots of .357 just don't hike up my kilt. I like my .44 Special Taurus snubbie because if someone swipes it out of the glovebox of my truck at work, all they have is a paperweight worth ten years Federal. (I take the bullets in with me, and there's only one fun shop in town that still carries .44 Special) That's as practical as it gets, though. The others are pretty much for the "What is this, I don't even" value.
ReplyDeleteSo is it less gun hipster or more to just say "Heck, I already own this* and it works, so who cares?"
ReplyDelete*this = S&W 649 in my case, not that it really matters