This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Pt. I

Speaking as someone who talks about guns on the internet, it pains me to admit that one doesn't need to look long or hard to find reasons why "internet gun advice" has become the proverbial equivalent of "politician's promises" or "Confederate money" as a synonym for "valueless".

Everyone knows the guy on the forums who insists that his off-brand, low-budget pistol has been just (and I quote) "flawless" over...oh, it must be thousands and thousands of rounds, but who knows? It's not like he keeps a log book, but it's a lot!

There are the devotees of one brand or caliber or type of gun who come up with the most tortured reasons why their choice is best choice, and if you don't agree, you're just a "hater" or a "gun snob".

And on YouTube, you can't swing a 5.11 Tactical man purse without hitting some would-be instructor who doesn't know his ass from the hole he's fixin' to shoot in it.

Here's a bit of internet gun rationalizing of the second type:

Let me clear up some of his confusion: the answer comes down to ammo prices.

You can get spam cans of 7.62x54r for as low as $0.23 per round if you know where to look, whereas cheap .308 starts at $0.42 per round and .30-06 is a full $0.15/round more expensive than that.

The Ruger American Rifle comes in a bevy of calibers, but it does not come in 7.62x54R, so you can’t train as cheaply with it as you can the Mosin. If you shoot a lot, then over time the $1,000 Mosin is ultimately a lot cheaper than the $300 Ruger American Rifle.

Let's check his own math: He's claiming a $700 price difference in guns and a $0.19/rd difference in ammo costs. He says that if I shoot a lot, then the pimped Mosin pays for itself over time.

Gratuitous New England Westinghouse Mosin receiver shot

Let's cipher out the gozintas on this! *sharpens pencil* Hmmm...scribble scribble...carry the two...

At a 19¢/round gap between the two, you would need to shoot 3,684 rounds to make up a $700 cost difference.

Not that I think they don't exist, but I would like to sometime see either a Ruger American or a Mosin Nagaint with 3,500+ documented rounds in a gun book, especially the Mosin, which are often fed diets of corrosive ammo, bimetallic jacketed bullets, et cetera. That's probably most of the gun's barrel life, right there, or at least most of the accurate part of it.

The dude then suggests that Ruger make the American in 7.62x54R, which, given the diameter of the case rim, is unlikely without major alterations to the design and thus seems highly unlikely.

It's okay to like stuff just because you like it. You don't have to try and go out and justify it as the best choice for the zombie apocalypse or whatever.
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