TFBTV: Five Pointless, But Fun Guns

    Some guns are for hunting, some guns are for defense, but some exist just to bring a smile to your face! Of course there is nothing wrong with buying a blaster just to make you happy.
    This video highlight five firearms we believe are better range toys that purpose built boomsticks. Do you agree with our list? Let us know in the comments!

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    We are looking for volunteers who can transcribe our video transcriptions into Japanese, French and German. If you are willing to translate the the transcription of one video per week, please email Steve at steve@thefirearmblog.com. We are looking for people who are natives of Japan, French-speaking countries or German-speaking countries, rather than foreigners fluent in the language.

    The full transcript is below …

    Hey guys this is Alex C. with Firearmblog.com. Today I’ve got my friend Patrick, who you’ve seen in a lot of my past videos. Say “Hi” Patrick.

    What’s going on guys?

    Okay, today we’ve got five guns that are cool but pointless. Well, at least what we consider pointless. That doesn’t mean they’re bad guns, they work fine. They’re cool, and we’ve shot them. We like them.

    Yeah.

    And we just wanted to kind of give our opinion on maybe what they could be used for, and our experiences with them. So, we’ll go from right to left here, our right to left. We’ll start with a semiautomatic Uzi SBR. The Uzi’s famous, it was designed in Israel. This is a closed-bolt version, fully automatic versions are open-bolt. You can see Patrick pull the bolt back. I mean you really do have to be a bear to wrestle with that semi-automatic bolt. They’re tight. Patrick, I mean, how heavy is the thing?

    I’d say it’s probably a good nine pounds.

    So a nine pound semiautomatic carbine that’s got kind of crummy sights on it.

    The sights really are pretty terrible. I mean, the one time we did take this out and shot it it really was not much fun.

    Right, but at least with a fully automatic version you can compensate for the poor sights with a lot more lead going downrange. You know it does look cool though. It is fun. I mean it’s got its appeal, I can see. They’re not very expensive. I think I paid $700 for it a while back. Plus the $200 tax stamp and I had the barrel cut which was I think 60 bucks or something, so… I’m not too deep in the gun, it looks cool in the safe. Everyone recognizes it. But again, I wouldn’t hunt with it. I wouldn’t use it as a home defense gun for a number of reasons. Patrick what do you think?

    I think the only place where this is just a blast at the range, there’s really not any other real good use for a semiauto Uzi.

    Right. But, there’s nothing wrong with having a gun that’s just blast at the range.

    No.

    Not even a little bit.

    Yeah.

    So anyways, that’s the Uzi. It is what it is. I’m sure a lot of you guys may have experience with them or may even own them. I would say give one a try. They’re a tremendous amount of fun but again, questionable usage on those guns. So next up we have a gun that I tested for the blog a long time ago and I recently actually bought one. This is a Chiappa T Model. They call it the T Model I can only assume because Arnold Schwarzenegger used one in Terminator 2. Which is a fantastic movie.

    Yeah.

    I’m sure we’ll all agree. If you remember, he flipped it when he was on the motorcycle. Which I probably wouldn’t recommend because it doesn’t have an enlarged lever loop which you really need if you’re going to do that. However, the 1887’s are really cool. They were designed by John Browning. The action is really interesting, even when we were fiddling with it today Patrick opened it up and kind of gave it his seal of approval as far as the way you load it, the way it handles…

    You just feel like a badass whenever you’re loading it.

    Like you’re in an action movie.

    And then shooting it is a lot of fun. You can shoot it from the hip. There’s really not much of a point in aiming. It does have a bead and a groove. I’ve shot slugs at probably 30 yards and landed them on silhouettes with no problem. But, again, as the theme of this video is gun’s that don’t have a lot of usage, I would have trouble finding a legitimate usage for this gun aside from maybe home defense or throwing it in your hunting vehicle as–

    Yeah, if you had some hogs caught in the trap or something this would be a great gun to pull out of your hunting vehicle and dispatch them.

    Dispatch.

    Or if you had a mount on top of your side by side it might be a good thing to grab. But then again a full sized 12 gauge mounted to a gun rack would be a better option.

    Yeah. I think I’d rather have like an 18 inch pump gun.

    Right.

    In that case.

    But, I think they designed this with nothing but fun in mind. I mean it is called the T Model, for God sakes, so. . . It’s not like they were trying to sell them as a hunting shotgun or anything. What’s cool though is it’s not an NFA shotgun you can buy this over the counter as a shotgun. It’s got an 18.5 inch barrel. It meets the ATF minimum length requirement. And it’s a cash and carry gun. So we’ll do a video on this gun coming up Actually, it’s fun enough that I’d like to feature it. And I’m sure Patrick I’m you’re probably looking forward–

    Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

    But yeah, that’s a cool gun. I look forward to doing a full review for you guys. And onto the next one. We have actually done a review on this together before. I did it in my odd gun series that I used to be a little more active in. I’m sure you recognize this. It’s a copy of the full auto P90, this is a PS90. I really like that it’s ambidextrous. You can show them how to charge the gun.

    Just… If you’re a lefty or a righty it doesn’t matter. It’s got that disc selector. Recently one of my favorite Youtube channels just did a cool review on this gun. CarniK Con, if you’re not familiar with Carnik Con, go ahead and punch that into YouTube, it’s really funny. The guy that runs it his name is Dugan Ashley and that’s one of my favorite

    Yeah.

    YouTube channels.

    And I think maybe the LNG Special might be one of the best gun videos on YouTube.

    Sure. By the way, Dugan, if you’re watching this thanks for doing what you’re doing. We appreciate that and I think I speak for most of the gun community.

    Yeah. absolutely.

    But anyways, back to the PS90. It’s a great gun to shoot. I really enjoy shooting it. We both agree that it’s a lot of fun. This particular example is SBR’d. I just did that because I think the long barrel just looks–

    It’s ridiculous.

    It’s just goofy looking. I put a great optic on there. It’s decent as far as accuracy with the chopped barrel. At 25 yards I probably grouped in an inch which is–

    It’s…

    Acceptable for a PDW.

    Yeah, I mean, it’s respectable.

    However, the ammo’s expensive. It’s hard to find.

    Actually it’s gotten a little bit cheaper I think.

    Has it?

    I think it’s right around .35 cents a round. Something like that.

    Well ok. Well that’s actually not that bad anymore. I remember for a while it was very hard to find and, you know, FN was really the only people that were making it. I think now American Eagle’s gotten into the game.

    Yeah they have. They’re ones that I found right around .35 cents a round and that’s right around 45ACP prices.

    So that makes it a more acceptable to buy as a plinker and the prices have come down on these a lot.

    Yeah.

    They used to be, I mean I used to see them for $1700 and now-

    Yeah I want to say in Dugan Ashley’s video he kind of let out that he paid right around $800, $900 for the one that he was running with the longer barrel.

    And for $800 or $900 as for as if you just want a range toy, to me that’s not a bad deal. I’m sure, like I said also, with the T series you could probably find a use for this. A very niche use for varmint dispatch, or…

    l’ll be honest, I would rely on one of these for home defense. I think it’s a great gun for that.

    Yeah. It’s a short maneuverable, the recoil’s low, the only problem is I’ve always been, maybe I’m just overly cautious, but using an NFA weapon for home defense could put you in front of a grand jury and show that maybe you’re militant

    True.

    Or you were out to get someone.

    That is a valid point.

    I wouldn’t expect that to happen here in Texas.

    No. Not even. Not even a little bit.

    Yeah, not even a little bit. But for some of you guys maybe living in less gun friendly states or something, that might be an issue.

    Yeah. But my thought process behind the home defense thing is I’ve got a wife and this would be great to hand to Brittany should somebody break in. It’s light, it’s easily shot.

    Yeah.

    You know, I mean it’s accurate and it doesn’t- Dougan did a great over-penetration test.

    Yes that was cool.

    He really did a great- –

    Yeah, and…

    With all those pieces it would make a pretty decent gun to go and hide behind the bed before somebody comes down the hall.

    Sure, that being said, the theme of this video is guns that are fun but pointless. I would still prefer some other firearms-

    I agree. I agree.

    But, you know, that doesn’t mean that this is a bad gun. As a matter of fact, I really like this gun a lot. It’s awesome. It’s fun. It has all the characteristics that bring a tremendous smile to your face when you’re shooting it. But, you know, there’s just something that’s always better for the job. With one exception of course, that you mentioned earlier. that you mentioned earlier, that completely jumped my mind.

    What’s that?

    That was if this had a selective switch on it-

    Oh, yes. Absolutely. Absolutely. If this was a full auto gun it would be so much more useful.

    Oh yeah, i’d use it for hogs, and I’d use it for coyotes. I just don’t feel comfortable using this small of a round in a hog. I’ve shot a hog in the head with a 45 ACP and it didn’t kill the hog. I mean it’s- Hogs are mean little critters.

    They are.

    And, while the 5-7 has some good characteristics it’s really not great for nature’s tanks out here in Texas.

    No.

    But anyways, enough with the PS90. We all love the PS90. It’s great. Cool gun. On to the next one here.

    I think you’ve got a Ranch Hand up there, don’t you?

    I do have a Ranch Hand. I traded into this gun because I just kind of thought. . . You know I grew up watching the Steve McQueen show, The Rifleman, and they called them “Mare’s Legs” back then. That’s what I heard them called growing up. And he was always doing the flip thing. I think that might be where that whole deal originated. But the Ranch Hand is cool. This one’s in 45 Colt. They do make them in I believe 357 38 as well?

    Uh, yes they do.

    But the .45 Colt version is just cool because I like that it kind of harkens back to the days of the Old West. Also we have a friend that casts bullets and he’ll cast all the bullets on this. Thanks CJ if you’re watching this video. But it’s a lever action without a stock and it’s got a short barrel so you lose a lot of terminal velocity. And you can’t shoulder it. I don’t want to shoulder it like sabre style and get the ATF on me but that’s just-

    Yeah, I mean, I don’t even like the idea of that. I think it’d be kind of painful. To be honest.

    It is. Yes.

    That being said, we’ve shot this and it’s awesome. It’s cool to shoot, it’s fun to try and do the fip. I wouldn’t recommend trying to do the flip thingy while you’re shooting because you could shoot yourself. But I’ve admittedly practiced it unloaded in a room with carpet. And you can do it, and it’s fun. And it’s a really fun gun to shoot. Ammo’s cheap if you cast. You know, it’s a cool little compact package. A lot of people look at it. You could shoot different ranges. And it’s surprisingly accurate because the sights are you know, decent.

    I mean, yeah. Those are your standard, lever gun sights.

    Sure.

    And again, lever actions are just fun. I really like lever actions. I grew up shooting lever actions. And when I saw these, when I saw that they were coming out I knew that I’d be getting one eventually. And sure enough, one came to me one day for a great deal, and it’s made it’s way into the collection. But then again, back to the theme of the video, why would I not use a full size lever action to go hunting?

    Yeah. Its, its. . . There’s really no practical use for this gun. I mean, I thought about it long and hard whenever Alex got this in his collection. And I was like, “Well maybe you should put a full size stock on it. “SBR’d it. “Maybe it’d be a good gun.” And then I thought about it a little bit more and I was like, “Why would I do that when, “you know, a lever action isn’t really that big of a gun?”

    Yeah. But SBR’d it would have looked cool.

    It would have looked amazing.

    Yeah.

    I mean it would be a great, fun… It would be great fun out at the range. I thought about it a little bit more and I was like, “Maybe with a suppressor.” And then I realized that they were kind enough to not give us enough room.

    You could do it but it would be a pain.

    It’d be so much work.

    Put it under a lathe,

    put that in, cut that down a little bit, and pull the barrel…

    I just don’t know if the payoff would be worth it.

    The payoff probably wouldn’t be worth it. But then you know, I’m sure some people have done it and I’m sure it’s awesome. Because-

    Yeah.

    I mean if you’re willing to put in the work I think it’d be a great idea.

    Oh yeah, subsonic 230 grand, you know, cast lead projectiles…

    I think they’re what like, 250 or something like that? Yeah, that’d be outstanding.

    But anyways, yeah. Fun, but pointless. Awesome. And they’re relatively inexpensive. I think new they’re about 500 or 450 bucks. So, fun blaster. Especially if you watched The Rifleman growing up.

    Alright anyways, last and I think we can agree probably- –

    It’s definitely least.

    The least. That’s going to be The Calico, right here. A lot of them are called Libertys. This is the pre-Liberty. This is the Calico M900. It’s rollerblade roll-back like an MP5. Which is kind of interesting. But this fits so well with the theme of this video.

    It’s utterly pointless.

    I mean…

    It is pointless. It holds.. . Well, you can show them the magazine here. This is the small magazine by the way. This is the 50 round magazine. That is the low capacity Calico magazine. You can see–

    They actually made a pistol variant of this. This makes sense on a pistol variant.

    They made a pistol variant. And then they of course have the 100 round drum magazine. Another Achilles Heel of the system is the sights are located on the magazine. So every time you remove the magazine potentially you have a shift in your sights.

    You know I, We’ve never shot this for accuracy so I don’t know how–

    I can assure you it’s horrible. It’s really bad. Also, another thing, If you want to shoot and load this you have to wind this 23 times. It says 23 on the magazine. And you have to, Show them how to wind it. It’s just like a fricking wind up toy. Anyways, when you store it you actually release the tension by pressing this button on the back. There’s a little clutch. Sometimes it’s a litte stubborn.

    If it works.

    Sometimes even that doesn’t work sometimes.

    There it goes.

    It’s fun when you get a whole magazine to run through it. However that really doesn’t happen very often. The 50 round will go okay.

    Yeah.

    The 100 is hopeless.

    I believe we’ve taken it out what, three or four times? Something like that.

    Yeah.

    Maybe a little bit more than that.

    Sure.

    But I don’t think I’ve ever seen this mag run flawlessly.

    No. But there are full auto versions and there’s videos of them where they’re running right. And it’s cool because you can see the mag, the bullets or the rounds spiral through the mag.

    I’m going to be honest, I’d love to know what kind of witchcraft they performed on this gun to get it to run.

    Oh, they’ve probably got a Rabbi blessing involved and then other clergymen. But I don’t know.

    It would be hard to get one of these to run right it seems like, because I’ve seen lots of them. And I’ve never seen one actually do what t’s supposed to, to be honest.

    Yeah, but I mean, you know. We were talking about it earlier and the concepts’ great.

    It’s really cool, it really is.

    If it worked, it’d be… Maybe useful, sort of.

    If you had the short barrel, if you had the 50 round magazine. I mean it’s reasonably pointable and it handles ok with the Kelly grip on the front.

    I mean, I think even if the 100 round mag worked in full auto with the shortened barrel. It’d be great for your 80’s action movie.

    It was great for the 80’s action movies.

    Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

    They have that market locked on lock down. But other than that it fits so well within the scope of this video. It’s so pointless but when it works it just brings a smile to your face when you’re pulling the trigger 100 times. Watching the dirt fly. As long as you don’t mind wasting, you know, 100 rounds of 9 millimeter which has gone up in price from what it used to be to what it is now.

    Yeah, I think it’s like what, 15 bucks a box?

    It’s a good price, unfortunately. But with steel-cased tool ammo you know, you don’t feel as bad. But still. It really is a pointless gun. I wouldn’t use it for home defense. I certainly wouldn’t use it for hunting. But I would use it to bring a smile to my face.

    And that’s the point.

    Yeah. I mean unfortunately like you said earlier sometimes those smiles are a little bit interrupted by the frowns caused by the malfunctions.

    By the malfunctions, yeah. You’ll be seeing bad words and cursing the gun. But anyways that’s our videos on guns, five guns that are pointless but fun. And this is Alex C. with firearmblog.com Thanks for watching TFB TV. Also Patrick thanks for giving us a hand with this video.

    It’s my pleasure. You know, I’d like you guys to go ahead and hit the subscribe button. We’ve got some great stuff coming up. And stay tuned.

    Let us know if there’s anything else you want to see, us test here, and we’ll try to make that happen.

    Alex C.

    Alex is a Senior Writer for The Firearm Blog and Director of TFBTV.


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