JB Custom Mare’s Leg Pistol Video Review
The original Mare’s Leg Pistol was a shortened .44-40 Winchester 1892 lever action rifle which featured in the ’50s TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive. Its distinctive design featured a cut down butt stock, shortened barrel and large cocking lever loop.
Since 2005 JB Custom have been look-alike that is registered as a pistol with the BATFE so it can be legally owned without jumping through NFA hoops.
Steve Doran has produced a video review of the pistol. It looks like a lot of fun!
The standard model sells for $1695.
If you seriously think I’m going to stand next to someone at the range as they spin that thing round like John Wayne / The Terminator, then you are sorely mistaken.
This weapon has one use and one use only, to get people accidentally shot. Hopefully only the operator.
I have a disdain for these so-called ‘pistols’ anyway, as they are neither accurate or practical. I lump the Kel-Tec PLR16 and Sig 556 pistol into this category of worse then useless as well.
If you want to wave a gun around and show off, that’s up to you, but don’t do it near me or I’ll have you ejected from the range. Spoilsport?: Yes. Alive?: Definitely. Watching some cowboy wannabe let a loaded weapon slip from his hand?: No thank you.
I’d love to see the manual for this, I’d bet it has some HUGE disclaimers and a large list of bullet points that all start with “DO NOT”.
I couldn’t disagree more with SpudGun. This is a superb piece; a practical, high-grade firearm, just as described in the video. It’s easily wielded, powerful, lever-action-reliable AND accurate. It would be awesome protection for the backcountry and it’s historically “cool,” too. Not sure you can lump a Kel-Tec and a Sig in the same catagory as this, maybe only in the broadest terms. As for the spin, most will surly agree that it’s not an acceptable maneuver for a public range, as the disclaimer states.
1695?!?! Wow, wish I had that kind of money to spend on firearms…:)
Interesting!
Apologies AP, we are all entitled to our opinions and I’ve obviously not been clear in my opinion of these cut down rifle / pistol creations and how I find them to be neither accurate or practical.
Let’s begin with accuracy – these weapons cannot be held in such a way to get a consistently decent shot, they lack the solid one or two handed grip you get with a conventional pistol and are lacking the butt and long barrel from a conventional rifle.
The rifle sized caliber in a short barrel produces recoil and considerable muzzle blast, making a fast, accurate follow up shot almost impossible. Engaging / hitting any target beyond 50 yards will be more luck then skill. Anyone who has tried shooting from the hip knows that it’s best left for the movies.
The Mare’s Leg suffers even more from consistent follow up shots as both the hand and the eye have to move from the target to cycle the action.
As for practicality – these weapons offer no advantage over a traditional pistol and rifle combination and in fact offer several disadvantages. Unlike a traditional pistol, they can’t be carried or concealed easily, they weigh a lot more, are awkward to cock and take longer to reload. A traditional rifle will have a longer barrel and a butt stock, making them far more accurate, stable and easier to handle. If I was stuck out on the plains and I needed to shoot something for my supper, believe me, I’d choose a quality bolt action rifle over any other option.
There isn’t a single situation I can think of where the Mare’s Leg can do something that a normal rifle or pistol could not. It is a novelty at best and a dangerously unsafe weapon at worst.
Again, this is just my opinion gleaned from my own personal experiences of pistol, rifle and shotgun shooting over the years. If you wish to purchase such a weapon, I will in no way discourage you, as it’s your money and a free country.
However, the video does begin with someone swinging the weapon around and this seems to be it’s main (only) selling point, which I do find irresponsible.
Spud, it shoots pistol cartridges so muzzle blast is not a problem. A longer barrel (12″) barrel will give more power than a pistol chambered in the same cartridge.
Many semi-auto rifles come in pistol variants. They are the same class as this gun. They are popular simply because they are fun to shoot.
Ok, I’m thinking a GREAT anti-zombie, shtf defender… in 45/70, .. wow
I find it hard to believe that this weapon is considered to be a pistol. Especially with what appears to be a aborted butt-stock. If you buy one now as a pistol do not be surprised in a few years when ATFE changes its mind and decides you need to register it.
In fact you want to pay close attention because the window they give you will be rather short.
Fun for all Firefly fans…
(those of you who are will know what I mean)
The benefit I could think of is if you could carry this as an “Oh crap I just stumbled onto something mighty mean and my hunting rifle is to freakin’ long” weapon.
I also think that with a little practice its simple lever action could be an easy operation weapon for home defense. Short barreled, powerful pistol round, and really cool (in case you end up in a Resident Evil remake or home invasion movie without knowing)
Valhalla, ah yes, I had forgotten bout firefly
Spudgun, AP
You both make good points. I’d like to add that in the TV show the thing was a 44-40, and this one is available in that as well as more modern pistol calibers, and since it’s been truncated it would only hold 6 shots.
Practical question; why would someone choose this weapon (either in cowboy days or now) when you could have equivalent firepower in an unmodified revolver, plus the ability to operate the thing safely with one hand and a smaller package to boot?
There’s no denying that it looks kind of cool, and is probably fun to shoot as a novelty. In my book that’s justification enough for it to exist, but I don’t think anyone who needs a gun for any practical reasons really would go for it. If magically this was just like the fictional version in the show and somehow held 6 rounds of 45/70 (and a normal human being could handle the recoil) then it would have some practical merit since you can’t already get that in a normal pistol. Unfortunately that’s not real. I’d like to have a Star Trek phasor and a Star Wars light saber too, but they’re not real either and the plastic ones don’t do anything for me.
-D
Don, why use this when you could have a revolver?
Because this works as a club as well. You get into a close fight and whack ‘em upside the head. On a horse a full sized rifle would be hard to pull out, a pistol rather jerky, but this you could pull in close to your shoulder and across your body, and get off a couple of shots.
It comes across as the original PDW, higher powered rounds then usable in a pistol, but small and controllable.
Valhallaon,
Historically the 44-40 was a pistol caliber. It is the same round that was used in single action revolvers of the same time period depicted in the TV show. While it is potentially possible to get higher velocity out of a longer barrel, (6″ to 8″ were common lengths for single action pistols of the day) the bullets of this time period were lead, not jacketed, and certainly not laser cast, limiting the effective velocity to about 1200 fps, which is easily achievable from a 6-8″ barrel in 44-40. 1200 fps is even pushing it for lead. I would think most loads would want to stay around 900 fps for lead.
As for firing from a horse the revolver is far better suited for this purpose (and designed with use as a Calvary weapon in mind), operable by one hand and with proper grip angle, whereas this fictional weapon requires two hands to operate and with a grip angle which is awkward for either handgun style firing or shoulder firing with the truncated stock. This is why stockless or short-stocked shotguns don’t have grips based on straight bottom stocks.
I suppose it does work better as a club, but generally most would prefer to use a club as a club and and a gun as a gun. If I added 12 inches and 4 lbs to my cell phone it would work better as a club too, but it would be a crappy cell phone.
This weapon is not practical, which is why virtually no one used it in real life. It does look mighty cool which is why hollywood uses it and why it would be a decently fun grownup toy.
-Don
Regarding the Mare’s Leg:
Looks like a great fun gun, and I would own one in a minute. I have competed in ISPC and IDPA, and any idiot can kill themselves with anything. That’s what make the Darwin Awards so Fun to Read. Anybody with a lick of sense, should be able to enjoy one of these safely.
Also:
Face it, it’s not about being practical or the utility of this gun, it’s about having something fun and different to shoot. Of course you wouldn’t want to be around someone at a range twirling this gun or any other gun for that matter. That is a no brainer whether it’s this gun or any other.
ALL the Western Guns have been shown on TV, or in the Movies being twirled around, and caught in the air, and Fanned etc. What’s the difference between this and any one of the millions of other, “Western” Guns out there, if you have a moron holding it??
There are damn few people who have the $1695 laying around for one, and if they did, it certainly wouldn’t be the first gun they would buy.
I don’t have a damn good reason to buy a, “Tommy Gun”, but if I had the Money laying around to do so, I think it would be a really be a Hoot to shoot. I’m glad these are being made, further, I’m glad the BATF wasn’t overly anal about the classification about them either.
I doubt seriously if anyone with ever commit a Robbery, Car Jacking, Murder or anything else with one of these in our combined lifetimes. They are too expense, rare and bulky for that type of non-sense.
If you don’t want one, don’t buy one, just remember next time your out buying a gun, no matter what gun, you probably don’t NEED it either, you just WANT it, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
As my Grandmother always said, “There is always room for one more”.
Have fun and be safe.
Regards,
Ty
If it isn’t practical, how come Steve Doran does so well with it? He seems to do well shooting with deliberate sighting from the shoulder AND shooting from the hip. If I could own one (maybe if I ever get to live in a redneck state where gun laws are a lot more liberal (eg, NO pistol/rifle permit needed) I might buy one. They ought to make them with a retractable setscrew, sort of Steve McQueen meets Chuck Connors. After all, Woody Strode carried one (a ML with rapid-fire capability). But I’m puzzled—how was Doran able to spin-cock the gun? Chuck Connors’ rifle had a spring plunger that kept the bullet from falling out when the rifle was spun.
Check out Zombieland, Woody is carrying one in it.
http://l.yimg.com/img.omg.yahoo.com/omg/us/img/9a/a4/415_8978689410.jpg
Anyone know what rifle Arnold uses in T2? Seems like a similar lever action.
Actually the 44-40 was originally designed as a rifle round for the 1873 Winchester rifle. It was called the 44 WCF or 44 caliber winchester central fire round.Within a few years it found its way into colt pistols. Ammo that could be used for both pistol and rifle was a good idea on the frontier. 44-40 just means 44 caliber and 40 grains of powder.
“This weapon has one use and one use only, to get people accidentally shot. Hopefully only the operator.”
Yeah, that 12″ barrel swings easier than a 2″ snubbie! And anyone who owns a gun should shoot himself. Spudgun is correct on both counts.
It’s as some of the people have said, it just a neat gun and looks so cool. I bought one from a different compant that look just a bout the same and everyone I showed it to look at it like a kid in the candy store. It’s having something that someone else dosen’t, and it’s just so cool looking and you come into my camp or home unwelcomed and it’s pointing at you, you’ll think twice. I didn’t have the money and paided a little less than 1,200, back ground, taxes and everything. Love the gun and no regretes