In a way, this kind of ad is a classic Appeal to Authority, psychologically no different from the TV spot where the guy or gal in a white lab coat urges you to buy some useless dietary supplement, or the more direct one where “four out of five dentists recommend….” It’s saying, basically, “A shortcut to your carbine decision is to rely on the decision that guys like the one in the photo have already made.” To put it even more briefly, “Choose Colt. The Army did.”Awesome post and worth reading in its entirety.
(On a tangential note, a lot of points in there make a good bookend to the "Rule of Uncommonness".)
16 comments:
As I scroll down on your blog to read about the Whitney Wolverine and the S&W .41 Magnum, your chutzpah at linking to the Rule of Uncommonness has me smiling.
Dunno 'bout "uncommon" being an adverse comment. S&W .41 Mags have always been "uncommon". Same with Colt Deltas. I would consider both to be at the apex of their breeds.
I've been employed too long with various GuvMint entitites to be convinced by arguments that "The Army" or "X-Poice Dept" carries the "most common blast-o-matic" so I should do so as well. I've been issued some GREAT weapons and gear and some real crap too.
Were I going into combat today I'd just as soon be armed according to Army-issue of about 1958 - but I'd sure as hell want to be able to pick from todays clothes, night-vision, snivel gear and comms!
The real advances have all been in "accessories" like the ACOG, tritium sights and the rest. The launchers? Meh. USGI issue ammo? Unthrilling except for pretty good quality control.
mikee,
"As I scroll down on your blog to read about the Whitney Wolverine and the S&W .41 Magnum, your chutzpah at linking to the Rule of Uncommonness has me smiling."
There is absolutely no contradiction at all except to the simple-minded.
Rare Collector's Items are Collectible. (And S&W N-frames are hardly uncommon.)
Boat Guy,
"S&W .41 Mags have always been "uncommon". Same with Colt Deltas."
Anything a .41 can do, a .44 can do better (and with more versatility.) And, as much as I loved my Delta Elite, Glock 29, and S&W 610, I have to agree that the 10mm Auto has pretty much been thoroughly Overtaken By Events, outside of a very narrow window (ie, you absolutely need to worry about 2- and 4-legged threats and you need one gun to do the job with and it has to be a self-loading pistol.)
I would argue the .41 Magnum is 'unpopular' as opposed to 'uncommon'.
In absolute abstract terms, Tam is correct the .41 doesn't do a thing the .44 doesn't do better in terms of terminal ballistics.....except for the felt recoil and that is where there IS a difference.
If you are like Elmer was and only shoot 600 rounds of full magnum strength loads a year and .44 Special for the rest of the time, then the .44 Magnum is the better choice and the hands down popular option.
If however, you shoot more than that, you can do so with the .41 Magnum for decades without the problems documented with heavier recoiling handguns.
As for the WHY? Well, it goes back to old bullet technology and making things you're shooting at....STOP....doing what they were doing previously, like breathing...
All The Best,
Frank W. James
I disagree with the overly broad nature of the Rule of Uncommonness. The key isn’t IF a gun is uncommon, but WHY. Plenty of very good guns simply had bad market timing and they are now uncommon for that reason. On the flip side, plenty of crappy guns sell very well and are very common. The Hi-Point comes to mind.
"I disagree with the overly broad nature of the Rule of Uncommonness. The key isn’t IF a gun is uncommon, but WHY."
As is dissected at length in comments there and associated threads at the forum, it is a very general rule of thumb and not the Third Law Of Motion or Second Law Of Thermodynamics. I believe intelligent people can figure that out on their own.
On the other hand, if your first impulse is to defend your favoritest carry piece because you feel it (and, by extension, your honor) has been slighted, then maybe some introspection is in order. ;)
Ermmmm ... the Army chose the Trapdoor Carbine at Little Big Horn, and in Cuba.
And they put a magazine disconnect on the 03 Springfield in order to discourage profligate use of ammunition while in combat.
"And they put a magazine disconnect on the 03 Springfield in order to discourage profligate use of ammunition while in combat."
Those were real popular at the time, though. The Webley Mk.I (N) self-loading pistol even has a magazine cutoff.
Viz: the first point:
Folks "of a certain age" remember a time when, if you wanted to look all high-speed-jungle-operatorish, your best recourse was the Army surplus store in the part of town that DIDN'T boast the fancy department stores and good restaurants. And the surplus sold there didn't make you look all high-speed-jungle-operatorish either - just like a weirdo getting ready for Halloween.
viz: the second point. Last year I got my daughter a Nagant revolver for Christmas. I'd have got her a Model 10 but funds were tight; and like I told her, "If you want a better gun, you can do like I did - save your own money and buy it yourself."
She loves it.
While it was on layaway, I discussed it with a Past Master from another Lodge who was visiting us. He's a gunsmith in town, and a fair authority on the subject.
"You FOOL!" he said when I told him what I'd got her. "Why didn't you get her something 'normal,' like a 9mm or a .38spl? You'll never find ammo for it."
That conversation occurred in November.
Fast-forward to a couple months ago when I stopped into Cabela's. They weren't carrying pistol ammo in the aisles; rather, it was in a small free-standing display. There was no 9mm or .38spl, and only onesies-and-twosies of other oddball calibers...
...and about 30 boxes of Prvi Partizan 7.62 Nagant.
"Who's the fool now, Worshipful Brother Eric?"
It was also the only pistol caliber AIM surplus carried for several months, and the price was pretty good for such an oddball cartridge.
I'm the first to admit that this is a unique and atypical circumstance. I couldn't possibly have known about the Ammo Panic ahead of time, or that this pistol's caliber would be the only one available.
It just worked out that way.
gvi
Isn't the Rule of Uncommonness essential and central to Hipsterism?
How will they ever survive in the wild - a Ranger will lead them?
I don't always shoot Tangos.
But when I do, it's with an FN.
Stay shooty, my friends.
... a long time ago I remember reading that the purpose of the police was to collect evidence and arrest people and that the purpose of the military was to kill people and blow shit up.
Hinted at in the article : Different apparatuses have different purposes.
... a long time ago I remember reading that the purpose of the police was to collect evidence and arrest people and that the purpose of the military was to kill people and blow shit up.
Hinted at in the article : Different apparatuses have different purposes.
You know, another way of looking at this is, is it really a bad thing that advertisers find that they can more easily sell to men by appealing to their inner need to be like those who are willing to put their lives on the line for a cause bigger then themselves?
Now, I am off to take pointed exception with his last point.
OK, a magazine cutoff on an autopistol is just bizarre.
I suppose there may have been a danger of officers shooting too many mutineers if they didn't need to reload after each shot.
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