Correia’s SHOT Show report

I got back home late Friday night, after having a great time at SHOT Show. I believe this was my 6th SHOT, but my first one since 2011, so it had been a while.

The main reason I went this year was to do a signing in the JP Enterprises booth. I’ve teamed up with them to do a custom MHI rifle. The idea was that Owen needed a longer range weapon in the next book anyway, so we might as well actually build it in real life. (unlike Abomination, where there are all those pesky ATF rules, I could pull this one off).

SHOT JP1

It is .308, because obviously. I thought about going with a different caliber, but I’m being faithful to the books here, so that was a no brainer. Because I’m running it with a suppressor (when it gets home it will have a SilencerCo Omega) I went with the side charger, just because I really don’t like carbon in the nostrils from a regular charging handle. And the JP roller trigger, because once you try it, you won’t want to use anything else. It automatically pivots your finger tip around it so that your pull is always consistent. You have to try one to see what I mean.

SHOT JP2
The pictures don’t do the finish justice. It is a burnished bronze, so it looks a little weathered, or washed even. (basically, black Cerakote base, building up bronze over it).  I wanted something that had a little more flash than just black or flat green or brown, but not so much flash that it was too bright to be impractical and would look more like a game gun. (don’t get me wrong, I have those too, but this is for MHI).

SHOT JP logo

Now JP Enterprises is offering the MHI and MCB logos laser etched on any of their lower receivers.

The signing went really well too. It was supposed to start at noon on Thursday. I got back to the booth almost an hour early and there was already a bunch of people waiting. Because SHOT frowns on “selling” from booths, I only brought a few cases of books, and promptly blew through all of them. However, unlike most book signings I do, the people waiting in line got to occupy themselves because I kept passing them rifles to look at. Alas, I still probably didn’t have 500 people there, so still not a *real author*.

Gun podcaster Hank Strange caught me at the end of the signing and we did this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_kxCGa8CKs

Then I got to wander around and spend the rest of my filthy capitalist D List Author money.

A while ago I decided that because I don’t own a bullpup rifle, I obviously need one. So I posted and asked my fans what they thought was cooler, Aug or Tavor. In the ensuing gun nut melee the marketing director for Utah’s own Desert Tech saw it, sent me a message, said a bunch of my fans worked there, they were local, and I really needed to see what they were coming out with soon before I got something else.

SHOT MDR

That’s the MDR, and it is really sweet. It’s ambidextrous, forward ejecting, multi caliber on the same chassis, can switch between .308 or 5.56 sized calibers on the same frame because it uses a mag well insert, and is just all around a really well thought out gun. Bullpups have come a long way from when I was a kid, with actual good triggers and ergos.

They’re supposed to be shipping 2nd quarter, so I told them to put me in line. I’m getting one of those.

And next I decided to get one of these:

SHOT STG

That’s from Hill and Mac Gunworks. It’s a reproduction of the infamous STG-44 Sturmgewehr. I’ve always wanted one, but there are only like a dozen NFA legal real ones in the country. I’m a sucker for WW2 guns, especially oddballs, and this was only $1700 compared to an original which costs about the same as a small house. So I told them to sign me up. Which reminds me, I probably need to call them and actually pay for it. 🙂

The original is in 8mm Kurz, which is a fairly obscure cartridge. So what they did here is that they’ll offer it in the original chambering, but also in 7.62×39, .300 Black Out, and 5.56. .300 Black Out is actually the closest in size to the original round. Another nifty thing is that magazine might look like the original, but that’s actually a STANAG magwell, so you’ve got your cool display mag that looks period correct, but you can also shoot it with normal, readily available mags too.

It’s all stamped sheet metal like the original, and I looked at it next to a pic of the original receiver. There is only a small difference (the BATF did not like the bubble where the original had for the auto sear I think). Otherwise, it looks pretty much spot on.

Funny story about that one. While I was talking to the HMG guys Breitbart ran an article about how some dipshit SJW was trying to get my books banned from stores in Toronto, for my imaginary hatemongery statements that nobody can seem to find (probably because I never actually made them), but anyways I didn’t pay it any mind, because morons are gonna moron. But then when I got on the internet later I saw a thread about the Breitbart article and some dude was screaming about how this was just right wing hatemongery of right wing hatey hatemongers throwing temper tantrums and being big babies. So to demonstrate how incredibly upset I was I posted a pic of me with that STG and said: “SJWs trying to ban your books got you down? Buy a Sturmgewehr! It cheered me right up.”  And the SJW came back with some wussy variation of “OMG! IS THAT SOME KIND OF BIZARRE THREAT?!”

You can’t make this stuff up. 🙂

So that was three rifles bought in as many hours… Luckily, the lovely Mrs. Correia loves me, and knows that since I’m still an accountant at heart, I would draw the impulse buying line somewhere. Apparently that line was here:

SHOT BAR

Yes… I know it is beautiful. And I know I just got done telling you how I’m a sucker for WW2 reproductions of guns you can’t normally get, and come on it’s a friggin’ BAR, but… it is $4,300. Maybe if I hadn’t just ordered a scope, a suppressor, and two expensive rifles I might have done it.

I’m thinking I need one of these in the future though. Jake Sullivan would want me to have that. For America. And then there’s that 5k reproduction of the FG-42. Which Heinrich would want me to have. Or something. I don’t know. I’m making this up as I go along.

Anyways, now for the stuff that I thought was cool that I didn’t immediately purchase.

Over in the CZ booth I checked out the BREN and the EVO. The BREN seems nice and it appears to be in that same school of design thought as the SCAR and the ACR. I liked it. But man, I really liked that little EVO. I need an EVO. It is a groovy little piece. They had a couple different SBR packages there that were just slick.

Oh, yeah. You all need 9mm carbines of some kind. Why? I ran into a guy I’ve shot matches with. Mike Foley is now president of USPSA, and they’re thinking about adding a pistol caliber carbine class to USPSA matches. If you’ve not shot USPSA, trust me. That sounds really fun. It’s like the fun, short rifle bits of 3gun, but you can do it on any range.

Which brings me to the Sig booth. I like what they’ve done with the 5.56 now, and their new swappable barrel AR style rifles look really solid, but damn… That little MPX is cool. They had an SBR version set up sort of like an MP5 PDW, with the sliding stock (that actually has multiple positions unlike the original).

Keeping in mind that I haven’t used either, MPX vs. EVO… Tough one. The MPX costs more, but it does feel a little more solid. Overall though, I’m thinking EVO. Oh, who am I kidding. You know I’m going to end up with both.

I checked out the new Beretta 5.56 rifle (hey, keep in mind I’ve not been to SHOT in 5 years and I’ve been out of the gun business since ’08, so it was new to me). Eh… It felt okay, but it looks kind of like a pregnant guppy. No idea how it shoots.

Speaking of rifles that look cool but I don’t know how they shoot, it appears the Poles ain’t messing around.

Shot Radom

That’s the new Radom. They’re not in the US yet, but they’re working on importation approval. Regular and bullpup chassis, seemed very solid and well built, but the reason I homed in on that one was the side break 40mm grenade launcher. It was very compact and well put together. I’m a big fan of 40mm. Now that I’m just a writer dude without my old super cool guy connections, I don’t get to shoot 40mm anymore, but hey, this whole trip was “research”.

Speaking of 40mm, my phone battery was dead when I hit that booth so I didn’t get a picture but the guys at Vltor are making a 10 shot, semi auto 40mm. They had a mock up there, as there is currently only the one working prototype. It was just… I don’t have the words… It was like a poem about a beautiful sunset… and ten explosions in two seconds. A ten shot semi-auto 40mm is like saying Screw you, and everyone around you, and everyone on your block. 

SHOT Cyre

Then there’s the Crye Salvo Six, I think that’s the name, crazy little revolver shotgun. As of right now I don’t know if this thing is actually going to exist or not, or if this is just one of those vaporware proof of concept things, but if it does get made, I’m getting one. Because Yo Dawg, we put a gun on your gun! (and I just read that in Xzbit’s voice, which is funny, since he was at SHOT Show too)

On a serious note, if you’ve ever used an old Master Key this feels nothing like that. It is far lighter, and holds more rounds. It isn’t nearly as unbalanced as you would think from looking at the pictures. So fingers crossed, I’d like to see it come to market, because I’ll get one.

One fun thing about posting SHOT Show pics on Facebook when you’ve got 5,000 friends and a few thousand more followers, of those thousands of people somebody is going to have an idiotic gun hater in their friends list, so they’re going to jump into LITERALLY ALL of my gun threads to try and get all self righteous and scoldy about our terrible scary murder cannons and multi automatic round weapons with shoulder things that go up. Mew mew mew you gun nuts just need that to shoot up schools! My panties are in a twist! I don’t know anything about guns, law, or violence, but I FEEL SO HARD!

So I posted this picture

SHOT Silencerco

And you can guess what happens when the brainiac anti-gun scold brigade shows up at my place. I’ll just post James Schardt’s brilliant summary of the events. 🙂

A friendly public service announcement to my gun control supporting friends:

Why Google is your friend.

If you should feel the need to troll a gun enthusiast,
Google the person you are attempting to troll first.

1. Do not sarcastically tell the person they obviously know a lot about guns. The person you are attempting to troll might respond with a resume that includes all of the following: Competitive Shooter, Firearms instructor, Gun Store owner with a Type 7 FFL (meaning he could sell fully automatic weapons), and that he has testified about guns to his State Legislature.

2. When the person you are attempting to troll responds with his (incomplete) resume, do not tell him you will take his lunch money. If you had Googled this individual you might have seen that he is about 6’5″ and his size reflects that he was raised on a cattle farm. And anyone Googling you will show that you are not Andre the Giant.

3. When others mockingly point out you are looking like an idiot, do not ask why they are angry. They are laughing at you and popping popcorn while watching the fun. They will simply mock you more.

4. Be careful how you phrase your insults. If your insult makes you sound like a pedophile you will be called a pedophile.

5. At this point, don’t try to claim you just wanted to talk about guns. You’ve barely mentioned guns. Nobody believes you.

6. Do not be surprised you have a small horde of people mocking you. If you had Googled the person you were trying to troll you might have realized he was a New York Times Bestselling Author as well as a gun enthusiast and he might have a fan base.

This has been a public service announcement. No Gun Control Supporters were harmed in the making of this announcement (well, maybe their pride.)

So you can guess how that went, but anyways, back to the gun!

That’s a SilencerCo Maxim 9 prototype. It is an integrally suppressed pistol. Shockingly enough, no it isn’t front heavy. It actually feels pretty good. And you can feel like Robocop. Only quieter. It takes Glock mags. It was probably the most innovative new idea I saw at the show this year.

When this comes out, I’m getting one. The picture makes it look like it is huge, but it isn’t much bigger than my STI Perfect 10. Stick a flash light on the longslide 1911 and it would actually be bigger. Compared to any other pistol with a suppressor screwed on the end? It is positively stubby. I think this is an absolutely brilliant idea.

Yes, the NFA laws are still stupid, pointless, violations of our freedom and you have to fill out a Form 4 and pay your extra taxes, and then you can’t just slap this on your belt and carry it across state lines, but come on… That’s still freaking cool, and it isn’t SilencerCo’s fault your state laws suck. I salute SilencerCo for the out of the box thinking.

Oooh, but while I’m on the topic of state laws, I love this thing.

SHOT KT

Why do I love this rifle? I’ve never shot it, don’t know much about how it works, and will probably never own one, BUT I love it because it is telling California to go to hell.

When I posted that on FB, some screechy Concern Trolls showed up and they were all like “How dare you tell a whole state to go to hell! What’s wrong with you? Harrumph! Harrumph!” (okay, I might have added the harrumphs).

For the humor impaired, let me explain what this is, and why it is awesome.

That’s a KelTec ambidextrous bullpup rifle that is designed to take standard 30 round magazines. Cool, right? No. Because California’s ruling class hates its people, it has made their laws so ridiculous and onerous that it is almost impossible to comply. They’ve got all these absurd rules where you can’t have this part, or that part because it is scary, or this other thing that is super scary (that most everybody else in sane America can purchase and nobody cares) so KelTec made this thing that complies with the letter of every single law… Which is certain to cause California politicians fits of apoplexy because you know it certainly violates the spirit of the law. I believe said spirit is “Screw you, peasants. Only my bodyguards and Leland Yee’s gangster pals should have guns!”

So no, you humorless dolts. I’m not telling the people of California to go to hell. My people are telling the asinine government of California to go to hell. Huge difference.

Now, pragmatically speaking, it is actually way more comfortable to hold than it looks. You just go side thumb, resting along your hand, rather than putting your thumb over the grip like you would on a normal stock, and then take up a normal shooting stance.

What else… Oh man, there are so many black rifle companies now it is crazy. I couldn’t keep up with all of them.

Chiappa Rhino. I looked at this thing on behalf of the HIll brothers.

SHOT Rhino

Frankly, I don’t get it. It’s weird, and kind of cool. I suppose I’d get one for kicks and giggles if I was really in a revolver mood. But for my mutant hands it feels too small and feels kind of pinched.

On the topic of revolvers, everybody was talking about Kimber’s new revolver. Eh… Again, I’m not enough of a revolver guy to form a coherent opinion. It felt nice, looked good, seemed pretty well built. Trigger was Smith like. Even though it was 6 shot instead of 5 it felt like it was about the same size as a Ruger SP101. But the SP is a tank of a 5 shot. I have a friend who has put over a hundred thousand rounds of full pop .357 through a single SP, and I’m not exaggerating that number, and it is still going.

So is the Kimber worth it? Beats me. That’s one for the revolver guys.

Walther’s new .45? It felt great. My wife carries a PPQ sometimes, so I was over there to check out the compact for her. The .45 looks like a real winner.

This was the first time I looked at the Sig 320 series. I actually really liked them. I hated the 250 series when it came out, but I’ve heard good things about these. The 250 struck me as cheesy, and it felt cheap. Especially since I had a 226 Tactical that was my suppressor demo gun, that I’d shot the hell out of, and it was a beast. The 250 just felt disappointing next to it. Plus the original double action trigger was light, but sooooooooooooo long. The 320s feel like a well put together piece with a trigger you could actually use.

The Ruger American pistol… To me it felt kind of like a skinnier stretched out Glock. Trigger was Glock like. Overall, it feels like a pretty well put together pistol. I don’t know what they’re selling for, but if it is Ruger prices (reasonably cheap), the way it feels, if it shoots good I imagine they are going to sell tons of them.

That double barreled pump action 12 gauge? It isn’t for me. That’s not to knock them. You might love it. Me? I’ve got approximately 150,000 rounds through various Remington 870s. I’m really, really, really fast with a pump shotgun (or used to be, before the writer thing killed my competition shooting time) so shoot-shoot-pump when I’m used to shoot-pump is something my brain is never going to overcome. It certainly feels robust.

What else? There’s a new lever action shotgun design, but I was rushing off to a meeting and only looked at it for a minute. I forgot to take a picture. Not my thing, but that was for Mike Kupari. He’s got this weird lever action shotgun fixation.

Century is importing a Turkish pistol called the Canik(?) I think that’s what it is called. It appears to be based on the Walther P99, and feels surprisingly good. I’m not familiar with this one at all, but depending on what it costs it could be something for people to check out. I’m so out of the loop about what is new nowadays.

The Kalashnikov guys were showing off a prototype called the AK Alfa. No idea what is going on with it, but it is a sexy AK.

And I found our Illuminati gun for the next Dead Six novel (coming in October). Remember that Swiss company B&T and their groovy little MP9? (love that little gun by the way). They’ve got another line of rifles and larger subguns.

 

SHOT B&T

No idea what they’re going for, was rushing past in a hurry to get to something else, but tell me that thing doesn’t just scream Montalban security forces gun.

SHOT was, as usual, exhausting. There is just something about walking for miles around a trade show that sucks the energy right out of you. It’s just this never ending sea of cool stuff to play with, and interesting people to talk to. Having worked a bunch of SHOT Shows as both a booth monkey and as a dealer doing all his big purchases for the year, going as a minor celebrity doing “research” is the best way to go. 🙂

On my way to ChattaCon
On my way to SHOT Show

104 thoughts on “Correia’s SHOT Show report”

  1. I have no gun experience beyond one range trip when I was a teen. Most of this just went over my head. But I have a strong feeling that with such infectious enthusiasm, you’d probably turn me into a gun nut who understands this stuff if I had a range day with you.

    1. Lots of people can do that. Find one near you, and prepare to apologize to your wallet for the rest of your life. (But you’ll have a lot of fun!)

    2. The infectious enthusiasm is easy to find. You can visit pretty much any gun store or range, present yourself as someone interested in learning, and you should find such a person within moments!
      Caveat emporator, though. Some people are much more confident then they are knowledgeable.

      It’s only later that you’ll be told that your gun sucks, and you’re holding it wrong. (A bit of inside joke. Google it.)

  2. That Illuminati gun is the B&T AP9. My guess is they’re trying to break back into the SMG market that’s starting to re-emerge in Europe now that NATO has realized the whole PDW-that-uses-a-funky-proprietary-shrunk-down-rifle-cartridge concept is never going to take off.

    And as it happens, I’ve discovered some highly confidential footage from a Concern Troll/SJW meeting that I suspect you’ll want to see.

    https://youtu.be/JN99jshaQbY

  3. The Canik Shark C is basically a copy of the CZ P01. Magazines are interchangeable. Still love my P01 more.

    The TP9 is a pretty good polymer pistol and a good price, its going for like 329 on JG’s site so I expect similar prices elsewhere.

  4. “…but for my hands it feels a bit to small and kind of pinched.” Didn’t you say that about the Oerlikon and Solothurns?

  5. A guy I follow on Youtube is a huge fan of the Chiappa Rhino. Some of his other followers and I concluded that it looks like the Pontiac Aztek of revolvers.

    One point in its favor is it fires from the bottom chamber on the cylinder, so there’s less muzzle flip. That can be helpful for average people shooting full sized .357 loads.

    1. Tam has described them as wretched, over complicated balls of suck and fail.
      Pass, but the new Kimber looks interesting… but hope the QC is actually there.

      1. And just think what she’d have had to say about bullpups a couple decades back!

        That’s only partially tongue-in-cheek, btw.
        It’s an interesting concept that they’ve proven to be viable.

        🙂 Now, that’s not to say I’m in any hurry to run out and buy one!
        But it could very definitely become something interesting. I’m sure many collectors have bought one.

        (Also, Tam doesn’t like the mini-14. Her judgement is open to question!)

        1. I’m not a Mini-14 fan. I’ve seen too many break. Back at the dawn of 3gun lots of people tried to run minis, and they mostly died.

          1. No idea. This was back in the late 90s. Not too long after that most everybody had switched to ARs. For a while there you saw everything. There were guys running various parts guns (I used a Century FAL for a couple years), different AKs, even SKS. Keep in mind there weren’t nearly as many AR variants back then either. It led to a ton of innovation. It isn’t like today where there is tons to choose from. Even the ARs were mostly basic charging handle sights, and even flat tops were pretty exciting.

            But yeah, most guys that I knew who would try Mini-14s would do it for a bit, then ditch it in favor of something else as soon as they could.

          2. Ah. In the early 2000s Ruger redesigned the Mini-14 and made a lot of improvements in accuracy and reliability. The “Ranch Rifle” was the result. I don’t know if the new design is any better for 3 gun competition, but most of the old timers who swear they’ll never shoot a Mini-14 again learned their hate on the old 180-series rifles.

  6. Larry, how long until the MHI logo is available on the JT lowers?

    If I could have taken off from teaching, I had an “in” to SHOT, and I would have been in line buddy. Now, get back to writing!

  7. It really says something about the mindset of the other side that they see the *picture* of a gun as a threat. Would they see the picture of a crossbow or sword as threatening? Probably not, but those are just as deadly. Guns are not evil magic. They are just tools, nothing more, nothing less.

  8. Is this Vltor 10-shot 40mm a complete unit, or is it a thing you mount under a rifle. If the former, doesn’t that mean you are committing a man to operate just that thing, and if it’s the later, what does it weigh? I assume the military could have gone with something like that after Vietnam and decided against it, unless it wasn’t previously possible until a recent technical advance. I’ve never fired a 40mm, and while firing a whole spread would surely be an awesome experience, is it actually useful beyond saying “screw you” to everyone on your block?

    1. Ahem.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkor_MGL <– six shot double-action revolver 40mm grenade launcher; supposedly a skilled operator can dump six rounds of 40mm downrange in two seconds, though I don't know how accurately, or at what distance

      They were developed by evil evil South Africans under evil evil apartheid back in the early 80s, but the US Marine Corps is now buying them. I am not sure whether they're a replacement for the M16/M203 combo or a supplement to it.

      When I ponder the existence of the 40mm HEDP round (it's a teeny weeny shaped charge, quite capable of killing an M113, BTR70, or similar lightly armored vehicle) I think this little coffeegrinder just might have great utility in urban warfare.

      1. I’ve used them, and they’re alright. I preferred keeping mine at my post with a can of spare 40mm rounds, and just rolling with my M203 underneath my M4 when I’m on foot. I was confident that I could shoot singleshot and reload after each 12 times in the same time it took to fire 6, reload 6, and then fire 6 more with the M32.

        Not a bad weapon, but it’s a bit bulky and heavy for 8-12 hour patrols through poppy fields.

      2. I admit that my favorite 40mm weapon is the Mk19, but that is NOT a civilian item.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT698BOmSic
        I recall showing a video of one to a cousin of mine after excitedly describing it, and getting a horrified response about the inhumanity of such overkill. I really didn’t know how to answer that, but I think I eventually got across the idea that when both people are seriously going for death, you really quit caring about overkill.

        1. (Scratches head)
          Wouldn’t it be more humane to overkill than underkill, on the grounds that underkilling leaves someone mortally wounded and suffering instead of instantly dead?

          1. I’m with you, but then I had a hard time with his objection because I didn’t really understand it. Personally, I feel that unless all my enemies are dead, overkill hasn’t been reached yet.

        2. “Overkill” = a humane, quick death for an honorable opponent.

          That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

      1. By that time, Franks will be toting the new Metalstorm 40mm launcher. In side holsters.

        Buckshot in one, Thermobaric in the other.

  9. The Evo is nice, I have the pistol and I will probably sbr it. Feels a lot like an cross between a mp5 and ar while handling and a mp5 with a better trigger while shooting. Have had a rhino for years. Ugly but definitely does the job taming 357 recoil

  10. Yo, Accountant-Boy…

    Am I correct in that you can write off the trip?

    And that you can write off items which you purchase for research?

    And support systems for them?

    I hope so. I really hope so. Just because.

    1. Creative accounting to be sure. But this IS legitimate research material here, especially for historical weapon as well as stuff not yet on the market. Since his characters are going to be using it, might as well make it as correct as he can make it.

  11. Okay, one of these years I’m really going to have to make time to go to SHOT. Then again, not sure if my bank account could handle it.

  12. I’m very bummed I didn’t make it to Shot Show. Maybe after the truck is paid off…
    But at least I can still afford the occasional new toy. My new Howdah pistol will keep me amused for some time to come. Larry, you really need to shoot one.

  13. I’d love to hear more about the compact Walther since I also like my PPQ and have been thinking of getting a carry gun. My husband bought me the concealed carry course for my graduation from college. 🙂

  14. “That’s the new Radom.” Well, I guess we know what the guys from White Eagle are going to be carrying, the next time they team up with MHI.

    . . . And that pic with the STG-44 is just pure troll bait. Tell the truth: The real reason you bought a replica Sturmgewehr is just to give the finger to all those pansy literary SJWs who called you a Nazi, right? 😛

    And speaking of impractical but retro-cool as all heck: The Firearm Blog’s SHOT Show coverage included pictures of a reproduction Ithaca Auto & Burglar over at the Pedersoli booth – they’re calling it the “.45 Ithica (sic) pistol” – chambered in .45 Colt / .410 to keep from having to bother with that pesky tax stamp.

  15. Absolutely beautiful! It’s not terribly often that we get a really enthusiastic review at 90 MPH. Most modern bloggers are too busy trying to nit-pick tiny details to stave off their own trolls so they don’t focus on cool-new-improved-effective. Well, the Mad Duo over here do (http://www.breachbangclear.com/ – I am particularly fond of their article “I heart fake combat vets”) but you get the idea. We need that level of enthusiasm and genuine appreciation of quality gear.

    Now go fire up “I can’t drive… 55” or some other fast-rocking tune and put that massive rush of energy to productive uses, say, moving up that Dead Six release date from October, will ya? : )

  16. Looking at these posts and your history, it is hard to ignore the fact that you are interested in firearms. But is it mostly the guns themselves that interest you, or does you interests also include the way they works? Wound a comment by Patrick Rothfuss about firearms, and it seems like they are more complicated that I would have expected:

    “Or you have a fantasy world and somebody suddenly invents a rifle You can’t do that if people don’t understand advanced metallurgy and fluid dynamics You’ll kill yourself if you try to make a rifle thinking that it’s something only about things blowing up . There’s a reason that somebody didn’t do it for most of human history.”

    If you do, is there any way you think you could come up with your own ideas in that regard? If not actually building it, then imagining who it is done?

    1. That’s a tough one to answer. I’ve been deeply into guns since I was a little kid. If you want to see my actual gun resume plug Opinion On Gun Control into the search bar here. The abridged version took five paragraphs. 🙂

      My Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series does actually get into the introduction of black powder and basic firearms as it goes on.

      1. A lot, in other words.

        The Saga of the Forgotten Warrior sounds interesting, and sounds like there will be a social evolution going on hand in hand with the introduction of the new technology. Makes me think of what the introduction of the steam engine meant for science, which resulted in the laws of thermodynamics, among other things, and changed the way we understood the world.

    2. I’m going to disagree with Mr. Rothfuss’s premise that advanced technology is needed for firearms. Not to get overlong, but…..

      Working with iron or steel does not require understanding of fluid dynamics or advanced metallurgy. There aren’t a lot of Ph.D. farriers out there. This is akin to saying a lack of chemisty, physics, or materials science would keep you from starting a fire?

      Firearms used a lot of technology that was already developed, e..g. early bronze/brass cannons using bell-casting techniques. If one can forge and heat-treat an iron/steel tube you can easily make a firearm barrel.

      I have a 250-300 year old Turkish kilij. The interesting part is the use of pattern-welding, i.e. forging different grades of steel to make a composite structure. This same technology was used in everyting from Roman gladii to early rifle, pistol, and shotgun barrels. Heck, I’ve seen examples of this in shotguns as late as the 1900s.

      If one can forge sand heat-treat words, one can make firearm barrels. It’s re-purposed technolgy. I’m not saying there were no “accidents” during firearms development, but the empirical knowledge and tech were there.

      I believe the greatest techno-hurdle was the development and dissemination of gunpowder.

      1. Also of note is ‘wire-wrapping’.

        The “tech level” in drawing wire goes all the way from ‘hit metal with a rock, rotate metal, repeat’ to today’s mind-blowing nanotubes. And you can wrap the reinforcing wire around whatever you can manage to make into a tube.

        If I understand correctly, this was actually done historically with artillery while moving from bronze to iron-based tubes.

  17. Ok. I seem to remember that Mrs. ILOH gets to buy furniture every time you buy a gun. What’s she doing now, redecorating the whole Yard Moose Mountain? Lol… Also, I’ve put a moratorium around here on new guns until we get a better (bigger!) gun safe. I’m thinking your house has a gun vault bigger than my master bedroom. Just a guess. 😉

  18. “Jake Sullivan would want me to have that.”

    Imaginary people tell you to do stuff, too?

    Glad it’s not just me.

    1. I’ve lusted afer an Ohio Ordnance modernized BAR for years. Price isn’t too prohibitive, around $6k, but as a retiree there’s only so much in the “toy fund”. And there are SO many cool toys nowadays.

      A friend’s father used a stock BAR in WW II and managed to *ahem* find one that was lost during the conflict. My friend later lost it in a waterskiing accident. Who knows where it is now?

      As a teenager it was a wrestle to shoulder, but it was a real hoot to shoot. I fired it full-auto. Once. In those days mil-surp .30-06 was cheap and plentiful, unlike that new-fangled .308 stuff.

      I’d love to have a “Jake Sullivan” bullpup version, semi-auto to avoid the NFA paperwork, but nobody is making one. What would JMB do?

  19. so obviously the solution to that $4000 problem is to write books faster so that you could sell them faster and have more money in discretionary budget 😛 (that aside, can so relate to having to draw the line somewhere :/ gun budget currently spent for the next few months at least)

  20. Could have sworn I saw you in ’13, but maybe it was ’11. Sigh.

    I’ll make it back someday, hopefully sooner than later.

  21. sooo, were there any guns at the show that you didn’t like? seems like you just ran out of room to write about them (and $$ to spend on them).

    1. It depends. If he saw any of that “Smart Gun” idiocy there then I doubt he would have liked that.

      For one the only round that the tech on those can withstand is BEYOND anemic, sure I wouldn’t want to be shot with a .22 but I ain’t about to carry it if I bother to carry a gun at all and can afford ANYTHING better. Shit even a .22 mag or .25-.32 acp is miles better, also I heard the tech in them is fairly unreliable which isn’t a huge surprise given how new it is and how many variables it has to work with. It’s a terrible idea really, with something that can be the only thing between you and death you want it as simple and uncomplicated as humanly possible so less things can go wrong with it.

      Furthermore, we all know it’s a political stunt. No major gun manufacturers give a shit about the idea-partly because they know good and damned well it won’t sell, and they are a business not an ideology and if they ascribed to that ideology that would cut their consumer base down drastically because we all know those kind of people only want the ruling elite and their bully-boys to have any kind of effective weapons.

      None of these people want to make guns “safer” because a fool with a “smart” gun will kill themselves or others just as easily as with a normal gun. Oh wait they actually might not because the gun will malfunction. Anyway- they want this shoddy tech to exist so they can mandate so you must have one of these kinds of guns or none at all so they can claim they aren’t violating the second amendment despite it clearing stating that ANY infringement of arms is illegal. Quite frankly just about all of our gun laws are illegal under the Constitution but most people don’t mind a little bit as long as it is half reasonable- and this certainly wouldn’t be. As such most people who would be armed wouldn’t bother with this expensive unreliable crap and would be unarmed- which is exactly what these punk bastards want.

      Okay I may want to get off my soapbox before I break it with my fat ass. But seriously- fuck these people in the eye with a brick. They wouldn’t be cool if they reinstated that you have to own land to vote, and it’s much less of a restriction than a great deal of gun laws on our rights especially as it seems to suggest that you are competent enough an adult to support yourself without having to be a leech on other people. Sure I wouldn’t be able to vote- but I’d be okay with that if a bunch of other more moronic, more self-absorbed, less disgusted at having to be leeches couldn’t affect policy either.

      Anyway that’s done with that rant.

      I heard about the STG stuff wish I could have one but yeah…. not gonna happen.

      1. When the police and military adopt “smart gun technology” I might look at it again… I doubt my opinion will change, though.

        1. Start looking:

          http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/31/obamas-gun-control-executive-order-directs-pentago/

          A White House fact sheet states: “The Presidential Memorandum directs the departments to conduct or sponsor research into gun safety technology that would reduce the frequency of accidental discharge or unauthorized use of firearms, and improve the tracing of lost or stolen guns. Within 90 days, these agencies must prepare a report outlining a research-and-development strategy designed to expedite the real-world deployment of such technology for use in practice.”

      2. Everytime I see advocacy for “smart gun” technology I have to remind myself that it’s a bogus safety measure and not using cybernetic implants to improve ones aim.

      3. Hey, what about the guy whose brilliant new idea is a weapon light with the switch hooked up internally so it only comes on when you apply pressure to the trigger?

    2. That’s hard to say. Lots of places I just kind of glanced at as I went by. If it didn’t tickle my fancy I didn’t really take the time to pay attention.

  22. Any opics red dot or scope sights or night vison or green lasers or anything else that made enough impression that you remember it? Any thoughts on say a T2 and twistoff from Aimpoint?

    1. Sadly, I got there a day later than planned so I didn’t get to see everything. I wasn’t currently optic shopping, so that was last on my list.

  23. I’m deeply in lust with that BAR.

    I’m a bit confuzzled about the pistol caliber carbines bit, though. I’m pretty sure I’ve handled one or two that were over a century old.
    I’ve been wanting to get a 1892 in .357 for awhile now. 😉 Glad to hear they’re the next big thing!

    1. Heh, I never thought of my cowboy assault rifle (1892 clone in .45 Colt) as a pistol caliber carbine, but the shoe fits.

      I’ve got a Hi-Point 9mm carbine with an ATI stock that is darned fun to shoot. I’ve thought about showing up at a local carbine class with it. I wouldn’t choose it for “social” encounters beyond pistol range (that KelTec bullpup would be better) but with a cheap red dot sight it’s great for run & gun out to about 100 yards. Well, if it fed reliably. It -is- a Hi-Point after all.

  24. I am super jealous. Of your purchases as well as your good times.

    I have heard lots of good stuff about the caniks. Good for cheap bullet hoses.

    The chiappa is super cool because of where the recoil impulse is relative to your hand. I’ve not seen great things about it in review, though.

    BAH. I need to get out and shoot. I didn’t get out at all last year. Stupid master’s program, sigh. Hopefully will pay off in salary and cool job opportunities, though.

    Man I really need to read more of your books. They are on my list! School gets in the way of that, too. Sigh. I did really love Hard Magic, though.

  25. Glad that someone enjoyed themselves. Oh and there is particularly geeky reference for the Chiappa Rhino; it was the basis for the revolver in ‘Alien: Isolation.’ A fun game IMHO and a much better “prequel movie” than ‘Prometheus.’ Which wouldn’t be difficult . . . -eg-

  26. Was any consensus reached in the Tavor vs. AUG debate? Or just enthusiasts shouting past each other?

    Not sure how my German guns would feel about an Israeli gun being in the safe with them… =)

  27. Tell California to go to hell all you want. I’ve lived here my entire 39 years and say it almost every day. Theme parks are just about the only thing that seem to work here, usually.

    1. Big ditto on that..
      After the SB terror attach I started looking a guns again (severely under-gunned).
      Thought I’d start by getting a target barrel for my 10/22 and do some shooting before I spend any real money. Found a cool stock too. Unfortunately putting that stock on my 10/22 would turn it into an “assault weapon”.

      Bummer. Really need to move.

      1. Oops. My mistake. Would have to be center-fire to be an assault weapon so I can have the cool stock. Whether the cops would know that or not when they go to arrest me is another question.

  28. The SilencerCo Maxim 9 looks great…I hope it jumps the legality hurdles… I sometimes get the urge to get a Chiappa Rino…I understand that they shoot very well with little felt recoil..but it is still a bit odd for me.

  29. “While I was talking to the HMG guys Breitbart ran an article about how some dipshit SJW was trying to get my books banned from stores in Toronto.”

    Anyone got a link to that Breitbart article?

    1. The proper response to having your book banned is to … make them play by their own rules.

      That is: Press for inclusion on ‘Banned Book Day’ and other such events. 😀

  30. Being from Canada I can only look at these photos with a sincere sense of longing.Like a kid being told he is not allowed to go to Disneyland. If someone pulls out a gun (illegal of course) up here, we are only allowed to huddle in a corner and hope the bad guy is a lousy shot. The police show up to string up the yellow tape and show the paramedics where the bodies are. BTW Larry, I mentioned to the manager of my local Chapters/Indigo bookstore that if they allow themselves to be pressured by Anti-Puppy SJW’s then they would lose my business. MHI forever.

    1. If a shooter shows up, start throwing anything you can reach at him. Lots of it. Fast.

      It’s harder than heck to shoot accurately, or even hit the barn door, when there is a chair flying at you. Yeah, you might get accidentally shot in the confusion, but you’re a lot better off. Keep moving towards him, and scream for everyone else to throw crap too.

      If you have laser tag, or nerf guns, or something similar, try a roleplay. Make sure your friends throwing the couch pillows are heaving them hard. Before the bruises and fat lips heal, you’ll feel a lot better about your chances.

      1. Thanks for the advice Henchman. Personally, I dispise the idea of cowering and depending on someone else for my safety. Never have, never will. Always carry a couple of knives just in case. Would rather die defending my family and others than watch helplessly.

  31. I have entered the gun owning community and am comfortable with my handgun choices (GLOCK all the way, no hammer and no safety so I know every time I pull the trigger it goes bang).

    But anyway, I am getting ready to supplement my collection (ha, two guns so far) with shotgun and rifles. But I have no experience and everytime I go to a gun store there are dozens of different types. What are peoples thoughts on a good rifle (AR or is that just latest fad).

    while I liked the post, it was a lot of information that went over my head but it did have really cool pictures, especially the handgun with a built in suppressor (nice)

    1. You can get a nicely set up AR from a major manufacturer for less than $800. Some will argue that you should get an AK variant, but that’s down to taste. Either will do the job.

      The classic shotgun recommendation is the remington 870, or a clone.

      nick

      Whatever you get, take a class and buy enough ammo to practice.

      1. What are thoughts on getting a short barrel shotgun. I am considering getting a license for one. Is there a reliable manufacturer out there or do I need to buy a regular one and find a good gunsmith.

        1. Ask yourself why you want one, and see if you can get the same result without the short barrel.

          For example, if you want a shotgun you can maneuver in a vehicle, the Keltec KSG or the UPAS will probably do the trick for you.

          There must be other bullpup shotgun designs out there too.

          Or a pistol grip/folding stock on a normal shotgun…

          I think current training doctrine is in favor of full size shotties with real stocks, no pistol grips. But some of that is likely just ‘flavor of the day.’

          The questions to ask are “what fits my body? what works for my intended use scenarios? can I shoot it well or will it kick my @ss?”

          Guns are a bit like shoes. You need different ones for different uses. Sure you CAN dance in combat boots, but will you dance well? I suppose you COULD run a marathon in high heels, but you’ll do better in running shoes.

          Do what you can, rent, borrow, etc. to try out your final couple of choices. And be open to advice on something you might not have considered.

    2. These days a decent AR is less expensive to buy and supply (ammo, mags, aftermarket) than an AK variant is. There’s also a lot of versatility in the platform as it’s possible to buy uppers with different barrel lengths, in different calibers, et cetera.
      As for shotguns, I agree that it’s hard to go wrong with a good Remington 870. If you keep your eyes open, you might even spot a police trade-in at your FLGS and pick up a very good product for less than you thought.

    3. AK-47. There is no contest. There are very solid reasons that they are the weapon of choice for every third world hellhole mob comprised of people you wouldn’t trust to tie their own shoes. NATO would use them too, if they were invented here.

      A while back, an Army evaluator brought a couple of AK’s to an Army reliability testing trial. You know, where Colt and all the other manufacturers are competing head to head, trying to land fat sales contracts? The AK’s kicked all the other’s so hard in reliability that the Army evaluator that brought them was accused of having them worked over by a gunsmith.

      The truth was, he had literally found them in a dumpster in Haiti. I know the evaluator. That story was his answer when I asked him your question.

      Shotgun? Siaga-12. It’s a 12 gauge AK-47, made by Kalashnikov. Abomination is a Siaga.

    4. Don’t know if you’re still checking this, but Id say to get an AR.

      Reasons—

      ergonomics–they’re light and everything is set up on them very well, and they “feel good” if you know what I mean

      Modularity–everything on them can be replaced or changed to something to better suit your preferences . This extends all the way to caliber, you can get different uppers in different calibers. I currently have ARs in 7.62×39 and 556. Plan to get a 6.xx at some point.

      Sights–made sure to get a flattop AR, then you can easily mount a variety of magnifying sights (like an ACOG) or reddots, and BUIS, if you want.

      Accuracy–they’re inherently a very accurate gun. Especially if you get an free floated barrel

      And they are very durable and reliable. As reliable as an AK. I like my AK, and I wanted to like it better than my ARs, but I cant. I just love those guns… though the 7.62 AR does make me especially happy.

      Palmetto state armory has good deals on ARs. If you need help, AR15 .com has a beginners section that you should feel free to post on.

  32. I am a grumpy old man that is frightened and threatened by new things and people, Larry.

    Think you can put some REASONABLE and RESPECTABLE characters in you trashy novels that eat poridge, drink Metamucil and shoot M14s and Colt 45s?

    And who is that bum posing with the guns? If they were any good there would have been a tasteful hottie to display them…

    🙂

  33. Poor Pitt. He’s gonna be lugging around another 20 pounds of gear. You’ve really got it in for that guy.

    The Kel-tec bullpup is really interesting in its standard design, its very modular also. The guy from Forgotten Weapons recently did a video about it on his other channel with the blond guy. Though the desert tech does look really cool. I hadn’t heard about it before… and kel tek does do a wonderful job of not making the guns they design and promote, so being able to actually buy it gives a it a leg up over the Kel tec.

  34. I’d be curious to try out the STG-44. And you can get 8mm Kurz (there’s a company in Europe that manufactures it) but the supplies tend to be iffy at best.

  35. Hey Larry, what an awesome blog post! So much fun, so jealous [not being an “industry insider” I don’t get to attend SHOT], so excited to read about your new gun in the next MHI installment. Totally got why Jake used the Lewis guns on the 1st reading since he’s a Heavy [bigger mags than the BAR], and yes, he would definitely want you to have the OGW semi repop, esp. since nobody is making a Lewis repop in semiauto & likely never will [but maybe a DP? Still uses pan mags, even tho’ it is [ensign Chekov] “an ancient Russian inwenchion” [/ensign Chekov] ;-D ]

    Thanks for the artful reference to one of our ever-so-typical Democratic founts of idiotic & poorly-drafted gun banning legislation here behind the Granola Curtain in the PRK. [F’em. F’em all!] But I kinda suspect it’ll go right over the heads of most of the Bay Area SJW-types that comprised his constituents… ::)

    As for your admission of “not getting” the Chiappa Rhino, it’s an updated [read “simpler & cheaper to produce”] version of the old Mateba semi-auto revolver. Like the Mateba, it fires from the bottom hole of the cylinder [unlike the Mateba, it’s not a ginormous semi-auto single action revolver beloved of Japanese manga authors, nor does it have rapidly interchangeable magazi…, er, cylinders.] Anyway, as I’m sure you’re aware [or can readily surmise, if you’ve never considered the physics], revolvers tend to be more “flippy” than semi- pistols, since the revolver typically has a higher bore axis than a semi-auto. Not so the Rhino, it’s lower than a pistol’s & the recoil goes almost straight back, smacking the palm more but making for faster sight picture recovery [same idea as the str8 line stock on the Johnson LMG & derivatives thereof like the AR-10/15.]

    Keep up the good work, & I’ll understand if the next MHI book is delayed since you’ll obviously have to spend some extra time at the range with your new toys “doing research.” That’s it, it’s “research.” Kinda like when my friend used to drag his married older brother down to the local [titty]bar to “play darts.” Heh. 😉

  36. Would you consider putting a SRM-1216 into the MHI series? They are a semi-automatic shotgun that uses 4×4 round tube magazines and the configuration puts the action right above the trigger so it can be a little bit shorter. Between the short length and slim profile combined with the ability for the shooter to change the type of round he or she are shooting on the fly, provided they can think about it under pressure(which I’m pretty sure the MHI crew is capable of doing) it’s a great gun for the demanding and often claustrophobic work that Hunters do. I do like my family’s Saiga and Derya MK10 custom jobs but their 12 and 10 round magazines are comically large. I just wish I was in the States so I could use my SRM, and figure out what issue I’m having clambering shells.

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