This is a prototype C96 Broomhandle Mauser pistol.
This is a Astra 900 Broomhandle along with its holster.
Turns out, that cool wooden holster can be attached for use as a stock.
So, it would seem that this would make it an NFA item if you attached the stock to the pistol, no? Actually, the answer is “no, it isn’t.” Due to the age and value of these guns, they are exempted by the ATF.
www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/national-firearms-act-firearms
With Christmas 2014 and all the associated shopping still clear in the rear view mirror I think it’s fitting to talk about getting a good deal when purchasing a firearm. I hear a lot about price comparatively speaking and want to make a few suggestions. There are many quality handguns available today but none in my opinion are without some needed upgrades Let’s look at pistols generically. Aside from price what do we really want? First a pistol that feels “right” in your hand. Without that you will never have a comfortable grip and will fidget incessantly, degrading your consistency and thereby your accuracy and speed. Second is reliability, without that you’ll never trust the pistol and only be able to employ it in certain capacities (even my competition pistols are combat reliable). Third is durability. If you shoot your pistols a lot then you don’t want to be frequently replacing parts or have a pistol that can’t handle +P or +P+ loads for instance. Fourth is trigger press weight which will dictate the amount of input required on the gun to make it discharge. The less and the smoother the more consistent and controlled the trigger manipulation. Fifth and final is accuracy and when you shoot guns at 25m and beyond that is an enormous strength or weakness. Trigger and inherent accuracy are both near and dear to me from my formal training in JSOC where pistol marksmanship standards were extremely challenging . Without a good trigger and an inherently accurate pistol (think barrel fit) that is virtually impossible. I assume you have noticed price has still not been mentioned. That is because price is the least important factor within reason. I say that because the extra $200 or $600 is 1-3 cases of ammunition depending on caliber and in the life of a well used gun that is not much. If you don’t have a list of criteria and evaluate your next purchase based on them then you are buying on impulse and emotion and may very well end up with something less than optimal. You won’t be satisfied with it and will end up purchasing what you really wanted or adding work to it that you hadn’t but should’ve expected. That said I know of no stock gun that will meet all the needs I have completely. I’m finicky about triggers and I shoot even sub-compacts to 50m so accuracy and trigger are critical. I have very few bone stock guns and honestly look at a new gun with the upgrades already in mind. Make sure your pistol is an investment in your training as much as the gun itself. Your guns should do what you want, how you want reliably and consistently or get worked on.
I highly recommend you pick a pistol that meets your own critical criteria and identify the mods and accessories you’ll want and then add it to the price. If you shop wisely you get what you pay for and quality is not cheap but is sometimes elusive . Going cheap always leaves you with pistol envy.
“The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot-It can’t be done! If you buy from the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better. ”
Attributed to John Ruskin 1819-1900
-Mike Pannone
Mike Pannone retired from the Army’s premier assault force (1st SFOD-D) after an explosive breaching injury. A year after his retirement America was attacked on 9/11 and he returned to help serve his country as the head marksmanship instructor at the Federal Air Marshals training course and then moved to help stand up the FAMS Seattle field office. In 2003 he left the FAMS to serve as a PSD detail member and then a detail leader for the State Department during 2003 and 2004 in Baghdad and Tikrit.
In 2005 he served as a ground combat advisor of the Joint Counter IED Task Force and participated on combat operations with various units in Al Anbar province. Upon returning he gave IED awareness briefings to departing units and helped stand up a pre-Iraq surge rifle course with the Asymmetric Warfare Group as a lead instructor. With that experience as well as a career of special operations service in Marine Reconnaissance, Army Special Forces and JSOC to draw from he moved to the private sector teaching planning, leadership, marksmanship and tactics as well as authoring and co-authoring several books such as The M4 Handbook, AK Handbook and Tactical Pistol shooting. Mike also consults for several major rifle and accessory manufacturers to help them field the best possible equipment to the warfighter, law enforcement officer and upstanding civilian end user. He is considered a subject matter expert on the AR based Stoner platform in all its derivatives.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.
This video by TTAG’s a Nick Leghorn is the only thing left of the Halix “No Stock Needed” which offered a chin stop to absorb the recoil of an AR-pistol. When we initially mentioned it in 2012 it was quite the spectacle. Somewhere between then and now, the NSN and its maker Halix were cast upon the trash heap of bad ideas.
Later, something much better came along. The SIG SAUER stabilizing Brace or SB15 was designed to allow the disabled to enjoy an AR Pistol and its associated recoil as much as any other Red Blooded American. I for one applaud SIG’s efforts on behalf of disabled gun owners.
I only mentioned the NSN, the most unfortunate of inventions, because another trainwreck has transpired in the form of an ATF Firearms Technology Industry Services Branch (FTISB) issued determination letter from November on the popular SB-15 stabilizing brace from SIG SAUER. Despite the fact that earlier this year the ATF issued a determination letter that stated that misusing an SB15 fitted to an AR Pistol by shouldering it akin to a rifle did not make the rifle an SBR, plenty of people have been sending in letters of their own regarding their particular pistol builds. Now, how silly is that? As a kid, I learned that if mom gave you the answer you wanted, don’t go asking dad the same question.
The question was asked again, for the umpteenth time. Of course, what do you think happened? This time, a determination letter came back that stated:
“if this device, un-modified or modified; is assembled to a pistol and used as a shoulder stock, thus designing or redesigning or making or remaking of a weapon design to be fired from the shoulder; this assembly would constitute the making of a “rifle” as defined in 18 U.S.C. Section 921(a)(7).”
Feel free to visit Prince Law for more info and a copy of the entire letter.
Although it’s most disconcerting that the ATF can arbitrarily change its opinion, an AR Pistol fitted with an SB15 has been the only option for those who cannot own SBRs. Unfortunately, some folks ignore the “Yes” and keep asking until they get a “No.” Now, that option has become a bit more restrictive and disabled gun owners may lose their ability to enjoy AR pistols.
The G-Code Blood Stripe Series is an extremely limited offering that combines Black FUZZ coating over Blood Red Kydex. According to G-Code, it creates a distinctive red stripe, intended to give recognition to the sacrifice and unmatched valor of our US forces. It is an option for Incog IWB holsters as well as D3 Carrier Modular Magazine System.
A portion of the sale of every Blood Stripe Series component is donated to the MARSOc Foundation.
www.tacticalholsters.com/category/Blood_Stripe_Series
In this week’s Friday Focus we’ll take a better look at the Ragnar pocket series which we’ve briefly mentioned in past installments on different platform options such as cummerbunds. By their name you can tell that they were initially envisioned for use with the Ragnar armor vest, but that’s not all they’ll do.
So far, FirstSpear has introduced several of these pockets which are backed in loop material and attach via hook to various platforms. The pockets include Double and Single Carbine Stretch, Mini Admin and Patrol Radio.
You can see these pouches are highly adaptable to a wide variety of FirstSpear platforms.
Berry coming litany and offered in Black, Coyote, Ranger Green and MultiCam.
On Christmas Eve I was out doing some last minute shopping when I noticed a guy wearing a TAD Gear jacket. I mentioned how rare it was to see TAD Gear and he recognized my Beyond/Grey Ghost Gear Rig Light Jacket. We talked a few minutes and it turned out he is an SSD reader. I gave him a KCRF patch and he sent me this photo.
Merry Christmas Lonnie!
T. Rex Arms is introducing a new Kydex holster developed in conjunction with Jason Falla of Redback One.
Initially, it will be offered for GLOCKs and will accommodate common Red Dot Sights such as the Aimpoint T1 in this photo. Falla also worked with them to develop a new swivel belt hanger.
