Friday, April 01, 2011

The Hardest Season

April means spring down below, but up here at the Secret Hidden Bunker, it's the most brutal month of winter. The wind is relentless...last night we had gusts of 70 mph and one of our big pines went down. Luckily, it wasn't near the Bunker! I need to fish out the pickaxe and start slamming away on the Driveway Drift, which will last into June (last frost date is mid-June).



The USFA Forum has pixs of this really funky single-action .45/.410...of course it's April 1, but you never know. Of course it's April 1, so you never really know, but I say, what the heck? I like the poster who suggested the new gun be called The Judge Roy Bean...nudge nudge wink wink say no more!

On another shot pistols issue, at SHOT I reported that sources told me — apparently erroneously — that the Taurus Raging Judge 28-gauge DA revolver and the Taurus Rossi Trail Judge .410 mares leg-style lever action pistol had run afoul of the BATFE, taking a few days off from their primary job of smuggling guns into Mexico, and would not come to market. Well, despite all the buzz immediately after SHOT, there still seems to be some question as to whether those guns will see the light of day. My friend Richard over at Guns, Holsters & Gear has been keeping up with the mixed signals on the Raging Judge (which, hell, I will buy on the spot if it ever makes it to the market!). At least one blogger (Gun Nation Podcast) says the 28-gauge behemoth is dead, but Taurus Big Guy Bob Morrison (who regularly reads this blog, so please chime in, Bob!) talking to Tom Gresham says Taurus is still working with the tech guys at BATFE to get the gun to market and it will eventually arrive.


The Rossi Trail Judge .410 (another gun I'd buy on the spot, BTW) apparently is not going to be produced. Last week Marshal Halloway at DRTV talked to a highly placed Rossi rep who said the gun would not be produced because there wasn't sufficient interest in the gun at SHOT. Other Internet sources have gotten similar responses from Rossi Customer Service. Of course Rossi already makes a line of superb Winchester 1892 clones...one of my all-time favorite lever guns is a Rossi 24-inch octagonal-barreled stainless .38/.357 '92, to which I've added a Marble's Tang Peep Sight. It is crazy accurate with whatever .357 loads you can stuff into it.

Let me throw an additional big caveat here...gun companies will find a way to make what the public demands, and Taurus is a master at filling market niches. Both of these guns may eventually make it to market...or they may not.



Speaking of mare's legs, I see that Henry Repeating Arms is also producing 2 versions — a brass-framed, octagonal barreled .45 Colt and a sweeeeeeet 10-shot .22LR blued version. The .45 Colt is a pricey $950, but the .22 is clocking in at $360 MSRP. Go ahead, you know you want one! Henry is an interesting company...innovative, willing to try different things and really committed to the youth market (with guns young people can afford, too). I have a couple of their rifles, including a .22 Golden Boy that has been a training workhorse.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

The 410 handguns are worthless gimmicks. Who in hell in their right mind would want one?

Ditto for the 28, if it ever makes it to market.

nj_larry said...

Can I also add that for a small company, Henry has been the most innovative and aggressive in its marketing of late. It is the ONLY gun company that I see advertising on the big cable networks during NON outdoor shows and even broadcast channels. Their ads are tasteful, not threatening and serve to create a positive impression of the gun community. Cudos to Mr. Imperato ! Its probably that heritage of being a Brooklyn based company (they have since moved to of all places Bayonne NJ) ! Fuggettaboutit !

KM200 said...

Go ahead, you know you want one!

Ummm, NO I don't.
Tis neither rifle nor handgun and after watching some guy shoot one on TV, it looked like it handled worse than either design.

Anonymous said...

I think it would be a hoot to take a .410 handgun down to the local skeet range and see the jaws drop open when you start smoke 'em with it .

Left Side Brain (right mind) said...

I suppose it's a matter of need and matching the tool to the job to supply the need.

The .410 pistol is a great option for snake killing round about and probably the best anti-car-jacking tool there is. We all stop at red lights...sometimes in areas we would prefer to avoid. With the .410 pistol you get effectiveness on target without killing the innocent guy 3 blocks away if you miss or overpenetrate.

Just my 2 cents.

John Richardson said...

I listened to Bob on Tom Gresham's GunTalk last Sunday. I heard what he said about working with the ATF technical folks, etc.

That said, he sounded like a guy between a rock and a hard place. His praise for ATF just didn't ring true to me. It was almost over the top.

I got the feeling that if he didn't sing the praises of ATF then ATF would make trouble for more than just the Raging Judge.

I certainly could be wrong on Taurus receiving pressure from ATF but that was my perception after listening to Bob Morrison on GunTalk.

That Guy said...

Oh, I SO want that .22 Mare's Leg. Yes, it's a goofy gun that would serve only to put a smile on my face while plinking. But you know what? That is MORE than enough reason to own one.

I have other 'better' and 'more serious' guns for all the perceived needs and jobs out there. I want one.

Oh, and if Rossi ever starts shipping t6he .357 Ranch Hand, there will be one of those in my collection as well.

Anonymous said...

I'll know that the buyers and makers are serious about "mares-leg" guns when I see one with a "Marlin" label on it. Then, I might grab a .44, to be my "other" gun when I hike in the back-country. It should carry well in the ski pocket of my bug-out bag.

As far as a car-jacking deterent goes? I'll go with Michael's Serbu 870. Racking an empty one would cause a perp' to crap his pants. That saves on ammo. But, for maximum effectiveness, carry loaded. ; )

Life Member

shawn w said...

i'm with "that guy" it's not alway's about tactical and practical. when we all fell in love with it, it was because it was fun. i'll be damned if shooting becomes un-fun for me!
lol

www.valencia-3d.com said...

It can't actually work, I believe so.

pandora ireland said...

Who in hell in their right mind would want one?

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