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A Very Cruffle Christmas |
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Gregory Morris, 11/25/09 9:29:20 am |
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Alternate title: Which Commie Gun Next?
My lovely and understanding wife has approved the acquisition of another (inexpensive) C&R gun as my Christmas present this year. Of course, I'll have to open it early so I can log it in my bound book, but I won't actually get to shoot it until after Christmas. And she can't actually buy it for me, seeing as how I'm the one with the FFL03... but that's how we normally end up doing Christmas presents anyway.
I'm trying to decide what I want, so I'll post my initial thoughts here and see if anyone has any ideas.
The C&R market tends to fluctuate at least yearly, if not monthly. Last year, those Ishapore Enfields were all over the place for cheap, and now I can't find one. There are certain staples that never seem to go away, of course... the ever-present cheap Mosin Nagant for instance. But I already have a few MNs, and I don't really need another (although I'm considering a Finnish MN.) I really don't have any room in my safe for more long guns right now, so I'm leaning towards a handgun. The three easy-to-find and inexpensive C&R handguns available at my normal go-to websites are the 1895 Nagant Revolver, the Tokarev (Romanian or Polish), and the CZ-82.
Since I've been on a revolver kick lately, I'm definitely considering the Nagant. Heck, they are cheap enough I could get a few of them. But the ammo is expensive. Of course, my understanding is that it is hard to burn through a lot of ammo with one, so that may not be a big deal. And before anyone suggests it: no I will not get a .32acp replacement cylinder for it. That's just silly.
The Tok and the CZ-82 are both relatively modern handguns. The 7.62x25 cartridge is even decently powerful. 9mm Makarov and 7.62x25 are easy to find and inexpensive, although I am still seeing significant quantities of surplus 7.62x25 for dirt cheap. In fact, out of all the choices I'm considering, the Tokarev looks to be the cheapest to shoot. Cheaper than any of my other centerfier handguns in fact.
The other option, of course, is a long gun. Even though there isn't technically any more room in my gun safe, I'm pretty sure I could squeeze another one in. There's a plethora of cheap C&R milsurp long guns on the market right now. Aside from the various flavors of Mosin Nagants, there are Mauser-type rifles from 3 or 4 different countries in at least 3 or 4 different calibers that can be had for between $150 and $300. There is the expensive-to-feed M95 Stutzen that surplus dealers are trying to give away. Then there's also a handful of K-31 Schmidt Rubin rifles out there that I've drooled over for a long time.
I don't like owning guns I can't shoot, so ammo availability and affordability are key considerations. I don't have a specific need for another gun right now, so this falls into the "because I can" category, and therefore there are no requirements with regard to firepower, reliability, historical value, etc. Just another boomstick. Oh, and I also love the fact that I can legally order a "military-style" gun on the internet (Click!), and have it arrive at my door. That's something that everyone should do as often as possible, because it makes Sarah Brady cry.
P.S. - Aim Surplus, J&G Sales, Samco, SOG, Century Arms, etc. should all have Black Friday sales. Just sayin'. |
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