I have shot a variety of pistols.
Also a zip-gun, not a good idea i must say!
Pre-ban a Walther match pistol in .22lr, post-ban a Glock 17 9mm on the police range.
Wanted - Venom Mach 1/2 Trigger
I have shot a variety of pistols.
Also a zip-gun, not a good idea i must say!
In the 80s, I had a CZ75 9mm., a 1917 trench Luger, a Colt 1903 and Browning 1910 in .32 ACP, a Ruger Blackhawk .44 mag, and a worn, old but reliable Walther PP in .22 that could shoot a 93 on a good night. Of all of 'em, that last is the one I'd most like back.
Regards,
MikB
...history... is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind. (Edward Gibbon: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)
“We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies come from that.” - Marcus Aurelius
The very mention of the words, "handgun ban" brings a sour taste to my mouth. Before that I had a budding collection of pistols
1916 dated Erfurt Luger with holster
Mauser C96 "Red 9" with matching stock/holster
Beretta M1934 with original service holster
Dan Wesson .357 Mag "pistol pack" with 4 barrels in fitted attache case
Cheapo Zastava 7.65mm (.32 ACP) auto
Pre-war Browning Hi Power
So I lost a small number of firearms with which I could be lethal at 25 yards, and possibly dangerous out to 100 yards (given average skill), and am now allowed to own a collection of rifles with which I can be lethal out to 4-500 yards and dangerous with at over a mile (again, assuming average skill). To use either type of firearm in a crime is equally as easy and in both cases requires criminal intent on the part of the user. So how has removing my pistols and giving me a couple of grand of tax payer's money to replace them made the world a safer place?
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
Good point, Adam! But it all depends on why you want the automatic. For target shooting, you'd want the conventional type of automatic that doesn't require you to expend so much energy with a long trigger pull that makes your shot less accurate (opposing muscle strength pulling the sights off target)
But a little .25 makes a poor choice for target shooting (grip too small, gun too light, miniscule or non-existent sights, expensive and hard to find cartridge, too short a sight radius, etc.). These are normally slipped in a pocket or purse and carried for protection, in situations where a more effective gun is too big.
There is something decidedly disconcerting about carrying a pistol in your pocket, hammer cocked, round chambered, and you depending on a safety for your safety!
Also, if you need to draw and fire quickly, you may forget to release the safety, or not do so correctly.
For all these reasons, a double-action-only .25 (or a similarly-sized .32 or .380), without a safety, is a much better choice: to make it fire, you need that long, revolver-style trigger pull, and you don't have to worry about monkeying with a safety.
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Sure doesn't make sense, Harry.
Also, the UK regulates a 3-shot (1 in chamber) 12 bore less stringently than a single-shot air rifle that produces more than 12 foot pounds of muzzle energy: which is about 1/5 the power of a puny .22 Short!
Even crazier: your antique muzzleloader law. In the UK, you could buy a still-deadly antique .44 percussion revolver with no restrictions. You can keep it for years with no restrictions. But if you decide you want to shoot it, you now need a FAC and a gun safe!
It's as crazy in the US. I could buy a .30-06 autoloading Garand rifle, or a high capacity 9mm pistol, with much less legal hassle than I could a single-shot .410 shotgun with a 17 7/8 inch barrel, or a single-shot .22 rifle with a 15 7/8 inch barrel.
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
If we could have just persuaded all those PEOPLE who own illegal firearms to get a FAC we would be ok!
Ive never understood the Ban, and never will, especially since we can still shoot and do, LBP, and even .22 Buckmarks now!
Yep I can see the logic there Jim, but what about subsequent shots - are they all double action too? You could keep it hammer down in a purse but why should it not self-cock after first shot?
“We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies come from that.” - Marcus Aurelius
There ARE automatics like that - double action for the first shot, single thereafter (going back to the early Walthers), but I don't know if any are available in vest pocket pistols.
In any case: people who truly like automatics tend to like the ones like the old Colt Government model or Browning M35 or Luger or Colt .25: those that are single action throughout.
People (like me!) who truly despise them would rather have a double-action-only, since they're more like a revolver.
Personally, I hate automatic pistols! Other than a sturdy .45 for a soldier, a puny one for the pocket (I'd still prefer a derringer or a mini-revolver), or one for the target range: I see no use for them.
If they're not jamming on feeding, they're jamming on ejection.
If they're not jamming because you didn't grip them tight enough, they're jamming because you didn't oil them enough, or a speck of dirt got on the slide, or the ammo's not powerful enough, or the bullet is the wrong shape.
They mutilate empty cases, kick them out into the next shooter's face at the range, or into a pile of cow manure or a thorn bush in the field.
For a pocket, give me a derringer or a mini-revolver. For a concealment holster, give me a snubbie revolver. For open carry, give me a service revolver or a big .22 revolver.
Revolvers are better for hunting, police work, and personal protection. You can load anything in the chamber and it will still function. They're better if you reload (see my comments above about empty cases). They're safer, more reliable, better for a beginner...just better all around!
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
In the good old days, my dad had a great collection: Webleys, Smiths, Berettas, Walthers, Brownings, more Smiths, more Brownings...plus we fired all different types down at our club. More expensive than airguns but I enjoyed them much more, lots of flash, bang and smoke plus those beautiful mechanisms to tune. Our wonderful .38 special handloads won us the club championship two years running. I always liked revolvers best. They are so elegant. A wonderful product. Sadly most of the above have now probably been melted down (or sold abroad if the rumours are true) and are we any safer....no.
Don't sit on the fence Jim, tell us what you really think!
“We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies come from that.” - Marcus Aurelius