Ruger LCP

Someone explain to me how the gun magazines all seem to write abut the same things at the same time. I mean, if Guns and Ammo says they have the "exclusive" first peak at something, shouldn't that mean that all the gun rags do not run the article about the same thing for the same month? Even the only rags are telling the same stories.

I have previously bickered about the new "it" items that the gun magazines all love. During the Assault Weapon ban, since the "Wonder Nines" were cut to only carrying 10 rounds, the 45 ACP was in vogue and Para-Ordinance was the darling. Then it was Kimber, then the Springfield XD, and now it is the Ruger LCP.

The LCP stands for Lightweight Compact Pistol and currently comes in 380 Auto. It is a tiny gun, weighing in at 8.4 oz, unloaded. Its overall length is listed a 5.2 inches with height f 3.7 inches, and 0.8 inches wide. It comes with a 2.75 inch barrel. The little bugger hold 6+1 rounds. I am sure it is a fine little, gun, as are all Rugers, but seriously... ! Every major gun rag is carrying an article about it this month.

Most of the authors of these articles mention how similar it is to the Kel Tec P3AT. They have the same basic dimensions, almost the same weight (the Ruger weighs just a tad more), almost identical trigger pulls, and frankly if you has one side by side without any markings, I doubt you could tell them apart. They use the same glass-filled nylon frame composition, similar springs, hammers, and even the locked breech mechanism. They have the exact same take down procedures. The differences are that the Ruger has a Glock-style extractor and a external slide stop.

So, then, why is the Ruger getting all this publicity for a copy of a pistol that has been around for about 4 years now? Because then have nothing else to talk about.

The June 2008 edition of Gun Tests Magazine tells you on page 23, "Unfortunately, we had a persistent problem the Ruger LCP in the form of failures to feed. This happened with all three type of ammunition, and usually right after the third shot from a full magazine." Drop back to page 19 of the same issue and Gun Tests gives the gun a grade of A-, and on page 14, in another test with this exact same gun, "Throughout our tests we suffered no malfunctions." HUH? Guns and Ammo stated they had no malfunctions, and Gunblast.com only had one failure to feed. I would assume that a simple blowback pistol should be fairly reliable.

My point though, is that this is not the first of the tiny pistols. It is not the smallest. It is not the lightest. Nothing on this gun hasn't been done in earlier guns. It is not remarkable in reliability, appearance, capacity, or anything else. Yes, it is Rugers first foray into small guns, but why is this so pushed by all the sources?

The Chinese Type 68 Rifle

Imagine a rifle that combines the best features of the SKS and the AK-47. Well, it happened. The Chinese made the Type 63 Rifle, often called the Type 68 Rifle in the West. The Chinese call it the Type 63, since it was first issued in 1963. The rifle used the Warsaw Pact standard 7.62x39 mm cartridge.

Outwardly, it resembles a SKS, but the inner workings are a rotating bolt, like the AK, rather then the tilting bolt of the SKS. Plus, this weapon is selective fire, like the AK, while the SKS is a semi-auto weapon, and had a 750 round cyclic rate of fire as well as the ability to fire semi-auto. The bayonet is a folding spike style like the SKS. The gun also incorporates an adjustable gas system, for grenade launching. The standard box magazine holds 20 rounds (though some sources quote 15 round capacity) but many were modified to accept standard AK magazines.

The weapon was used in China and Albania with minor amounts being sent to Cambodia, North Vietnam and various African countries. Some were also sent to Afghanistan, oddly enough, to help the "freedom fighters" fight the Soviets. Manufactured only for a few years, it was doomed by poor manufacturing techniques and the widespread availability of AK and SKS rifles which were already in inventory and being made in ENORMOUS quantities.

The reliability of an AK with the accuracy of the SKS. Good idea.

Philly get cheesed

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/news_breaking/20080603_Judge_strikes_down_some_Philadelphia_gun_laws.html

Once again an illegal law banning weapons to lawful citizens, a Right protected by the Bill of Rights, has been struck down. This time it wasn't D.C., or Detroit, or even Chicago.. it was Philadelphia. Philly, the first capital of the United States, home to many of our countries Founding Fathers, where the First Continental Congress and many meetings of the Second Continental Congress were held and also the place that tried to outlaw handguns and "assault" weapons. Yes, one of the major cities involved in the birth of our great nation, The United States of America, was a participant in ignoring the incredible document it helped to create.

Bravo to Common Pleas Court Judge Jane Cutler-Greenspan for adhering to the the document she is sworn to uphold. And to Phily... nice try, you feckless thugs.

A dumbassed idea, revisited

http://www.kpho.com/news/16497513/detail.html?rss=pho&psp=news

To continue to do the same, exact thing each time and to expect a different result is simply ludicrous. A Phoenix, Az neighborhood is planning a gun buy back. It's been tried dozens of time in the past and they never, ever work.

"The essence of this gun buy-back is to get guns off the streets, but we really aim to raise awareness of the extent of gun violence that's occurring here and to promote public safety in general," Saizow said.

Bull.. all they ever get is crappy, broken guns or guns from little old ladies whose husbands died years ago.

Look throughout the history of these programs.. they just do not work.

Magazine, clips, and chargers

I hate the whole clip and magazine misnaming crap that comes up in gun conversations. A clip and a magazine are not, nor have ever been the same thing.

CLIP: A device for holding a group of cartridges. It is not a synonym for a magazine. It can also mean a separate device for holding and transferring a group of cartridges to a fixed or detachable magazine or as a device inserted with cartridges into the mechanism of a firearm becoming, in effect, part of that mechanism. A clip is usually ejected once the last cartridge has been fired. For example, the M1 Garand used a 8 round clip as did many Mannlicher rifles.

CHARGER: A metal frame in which cartridges are held and loaded into the magazine of the weapon, rifle or pistol. The charger is positioned opposite the magazine and the cartridges are pushed into the magazine via your thumb. This is common on many modern rifles.

MAGAZINE: A spring-loaded container for cartridges that may be an integral part of the gun`s mechanism or may be detachable. Detachable magazines for the same gun may be offered by the gun`s manufacturer or other manufacturers with various capacities. A gun with a five-shot detachable magazine, for instance, may be fitted with a magazine holding 10, 20, or 50 or more rounds. Box magazines are most commonly located under the receiver with the cartridges stacked vertically. Tube or tubular magazines run through the stock or under the barrel with the cartridges lying horizontally. Drum magazines hold their cartridges in a circular mode. A magazine can also mean a secure storage place for ammunition or explosives. (per the NRA)

Webley and Scott self-loading

One of the ugliest semi=auto pistols ever made is the Webley and Scott Self-Loading. This pistol entered service in 1913 with the Royal Navy, and eventually accepted by the Air Corp and other services and ended up staying in service until the early 1950's. It's square receiver and stock and long thin barrel make for an ungainly and uncomfortable looking package. In addition, there is a large, odd looking grip safety about 2/3rd of the way down the grip.However, reports are that this was a reliable pistol.

This single action, locked breech design. It had a "half-cock" type safety. Another unusual feature was the ability to partially push a magazine into a locked position. This allowed the pistol to become a single shot pistol with the ability to hand feed single cartridges into place. Why this would be practical... no clue.

The caliber for this pistol is .455, technically the .455 Webley and Scott Auto, although this is not the same as the revolver round. The cartridge is semi-rimmed and shoots at a measly 750 feet per second. It's a slow, but big bullet that apparently had plenty of stopping power.

The pistol was also made in .38 Service Round, with a 200 grain bullet for the British. Also, export models were made in 38 Super, and a compact version in 32 ACP and 25 ACP.

Another cool one.. Roth-Steyr

The Roth-Steyr M1907 was an early semi-automatic pistol. It was created by Georg Roth who worked at Steyr. The pistol went into production in 1907 and was adopted by the Austro-Hungarian Empire Cavalry and later its Air Force. This was the first semi-auto pistol adopted as a primary side arm by a major world power. There were earlier semi-auto pistols but they weren't adopted offically by any military force in large numbers. Approxmiately 60,000 were built.

This was a very complicated pistol to build. The pistol worked off of an odd recoil system which utilized a rotating bolt. This bolt moved up to 90 degrees every time it was cocked or fired. It was striker fired and was loaded with a clip from the open breech into the integral magazine located in the grip. It held ten rounds of 8 mm Roth-Steyr ammo. The ammo is still manufactured by several European providers. Fiocchi lists this round with a 113 gr bullet at 1080 feet per second. That's about 290 foot pounds of energy (between a 380 ACP and a 9 MM in power). The barrel was just over 5 inches long.

The gun was a pain in the butt to manufacture and all literature states that it shouldn't be dismantled without professional help. The Roth-Steyr was obsolete by the time it was withdrawn from services in Austria in the late 1930's but a few soldiered on in Hungary and the Italian military until the end of World War 2 (Italy obtained some as reparations after World War 1).

This weapon was not sold commercially, only to the military. It's just another odd gun on my list of weird. It's ugly as sin, but it was reported to robust and reliable.