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Russian Romance: Guy hires commandos for marriage proposal at gunpoint

Anyone with an internet connection and access to YouTube already knows that Russia is like the Upside Down from “Stranger Things,” in that it looks like the developed world but seems to operate under a very different set of rules. Watching crazy dashcam footage from inside Russian boarders has long been a great way to kill an afternoon, but this footage uploaded to Twitter by a user named Vince seems to show that even marriage proposals in Putin’s Playland aren’t what we’ve come to expect here in the decidedly less-wild West.

In the footage, a group of Russian commandos can be seen pointing pistols and rifles at a decidedly upset couple. They keep the man and woman face down on the hood of their car as the armed men produce what look like bricks of cocaine from the vehicle’s trunk, all the while jabbing at the man with their pistols. Finally, the man reaches into the brick of drugs to produce an engagement ring, prompting the whole crew to step back and applaud while the woman is overcome by either joy or some kind of fear seizure.

Finally, it seems that the woman agrees to marry her lunatic boyfriend, potentially because he hired a half dozen armed goons to oversee the whole operation… or maybe because she’s just as crazy as he is. After all, she didn’t seem all that surprised by the bricks of cocaine in her trunk…

The Russian Makarov service pistol

The Russian Makarov service pistol

The Makarov pistol was Russia’s solution to the need for a modern military sidearm and caliber after World War 2. It was a replacement for the TT33 Tokarev, a pistol that was deemed too large and underpowered for practical use any more; it also lacked a manual safety, something that most military’s desire for a standard issue weapon. As Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47 entered into service, it effectively negated the need for a pistol as anything more than a secondary to the rifle or as a defense based duty weapon. While the Makarov was designed in 1948 it did not enter service until 1951, after it had undergone several key design changes. It is still in use today in certain military and police capacities throughout several eastern bloc based nations.

The Makarov’s development came about through a contest between multiple engineers set up by the Russian military. Nikolay Makarov’s German Walther PP based design won almost hands done for its sheer simplicity, user-friendly features, and exceptional reliability in contrast to the other entries. The design has been copied and reproduced by several countries quite successfully despite essentially minor aesthetic changes.

The Makarov is chambered in 9x18mm and fires a projectile at a muzzle velocity averaging around 1000 feet per second. It features an 8 round capacity single stack magazine that can be ejected via a thumb lever on the underside of the pistol found next to the magazine’s base-plate. Its blowback design is typical of the system employed by most modern handguns and it’s all steel construction makes for a beefy 26oz frame that dampens recoil well. It’s manual safety doubles as a decocker and is disengaged by flipping the lever down. The Makarov runs on a double/single action system and should the safety be re-engaged after firing or chambering a round, the hammer will decock back to a double action set-up while simultaneously locking the slide.

Disassembly is incredibly simple and for the most part self-contained to prevent the loss of necessary parts as I’m sure was part of the intent. The slide is removed by pulling down the (hinged) trigger guard and offsetting it to catch on the frame. Then the slide is pulled to the rear and lifted up on so that it can slide off the front of the barrel. The recoil spring goes over the barrel which is pressed and pinned into a fixture that is part of the frame. The majority of the composite grips found on the Makarov are removed via a retention screw on the back-strap portion of the grip. Beyond that, is an armorer’s work and far past the basic maintenance requirements for the pistol’s routine operation or cleaning.

The Russian Makarov service pistol

Overall the only real shortcoming of the Makarov is it’s extremely limited capacity although some modern variants feature a double stack magazine with an increased capacity of up to 12 rounds; still rather short by modern standards. The gun is reliable and comfortable to carry despite it’s almost all steel construction. Accuracy is good too, despite the 9x18mm round being an oddball caliber that some may think of as being underpowered. Its size caters to concealment as well but its small grip can make for a slightly difficult draw, even with a holster. If you ever get the chance to handle one or pick one up in the states, I highly recommend it as they are fairly inexpensive but somewhat hard to find off the cuff.

Featured Image Courtesy of Andrey Mironov [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Five Worst Rifles Ever: The Don’t Buy List

The title says it all. We have compiled a list of the the top five rifles never to buy. It’s a short list to help you, our audience, save money and keep your stress level under control. Anyone who is honest with themselves, and has been a gun enthusiast for any length of time, will tell you they have made mistakes. We aren’t talking about mistakes at the range that resulted in a negligent discharge or some other calamity, we are talking about mistakes of the wallet.

It wasn’t that long ago, in a period I like to refer to as the Golden Age of Surplus before nonsensical guns laws were enacted, that a person could find dozens of rifles that were hardly shot and ridiculously priced. If you are 30 or older you will remember the days of $79 Chinese SKS rifles or $99 Lee Enfield SMLE rifles still packed in cosmolene. During that golden age of surplus, several guns on the top of our list were imported and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Lets turn our attention to the first of the worst.

#1 MAS 49/56 

Top 5 Rifles: To Never Buy
Image Courtesy: escapefromtarkov.com

Name: MAS 49/56

Country of Origin: France

Caliber: 7.5 x 54mm (imported and rechambered to  7.62x 51mm Nato)

Why?: This gun was originally chambered in 7.5mm x 54mm, then Century Arms rechambered a large batch to accept 7.62mm x 51mm. The idea from Century Arms was to take semi auto military rifles and obviously make them easy to sell in the United States market in a more obtainable caliber. The experiment failed miserably, to put it mildly. MAS 49/56 were prone to jamming, slam fire, and the rifles would occasionally let off 2 or 3 round bursts. Century eventually replaced the steel firing pins with a shorter firing pin made of a softer metal. The MAS49/56 was a great looking rifle that was cheap, and would have done well on the market if it had been designed with more care.

#2 MAS 36

Number two on the list; also from France, it’s the MAS 36, the predecessor to the MAS 49/56. It was a main battle rifle of  World War Two era French forces. It also saw service during the Suez Crisis in 1956, as well as service in then French Indochina. It has also been sighted in Syrian Civil War as recently as last year. The problem isn’t the gun chambered in its original 7.5mm, but rather when Century Arms again tried to modify a rifle for cheap profits.

Top 5 Rifles: To Never Buy
Image Courtesy:wikipedia.org

Name: MAS 36

Country of Origin: France

Caliber: 7.5mm x 54mm (imported and rechambered to 7.62 x 51mm Nato)

Why ?: Rechambered by the mad scientists at Century Arms, the 7.62 x 51 version of the MAS 36 was another problematic attempt at bringing an exotic foreign rifle to the consumers in the United States. Common issues that plagued the MAS 36 included the feeding and extraction of rounds, the weight of the gun due to the solid block of steel for a receiver, and last and not least, NO SAFETY. The gun was designed to be carried on an empty chamber. Easier to surrender to advancing German troops I imagine.

Our next rifle wasn’t from the Golden Age, it was a remodel of an old rifle that was actually in the M16 trials of the 1960’s. Around the time of the original trials Armalite launched the original AR-180, a weapon that won critical acclaim in the bush wars of Africa during the turbulent 1960’s, and was a favorite of snipers in the Irish Republican Army during the 1960’s and 1970’s. The AR180B was not that rifle, in laymen terms it fell flat on its face before it even got off the starting block.

#3 Armalite AR-180B

Top 5 Rifles: To Never Buy
Image Courtesy: gunblast.com

Name: Armalite AR-180B

Country of Origin: United States of America

Caliber: 5.56mm / .223

Why?: There are several reasons this rifle makes our list. The AR-180B was Armalites attempt to regain some market share it had lost to other AR15 manufacturers. The AR-180B featured a polymer lower that had several reports of cracking and warping. It also featured a proprietary bolt system that was not compatible with any other rifle on the market then, or since. Everything about the AR-180B was different than the AR15 it was competing against except the magazines. So when it all boiled down, consumers would rather spend less money on a Mil-Spec AR15 and have an aluminum receiver, over a polymer one with lots of special parts.

#4 RAS 47

I know its a shock to see an AK47 variant on this list especially given my status as an AK47 fanboy. The RAS 47 deserves to be on the list for good reason. The RAS 47 is advertised as a 100% American Built AK47, and its sad the apparent lack of quality control and production standards that has gone into this from Century Arms. AK47’s are famous for their ability to survive abuse and harsh conditions, unless they are made by Century Arms apparently. The boys at AK Operators Union Local 47-74, recently put one threw the 5000 round test and it’s failures and issues began to appear at 500 rounds. I have included a link to their YouTube page so you can better understand why this gun made the list.

Name: RAS 47 from Century Arms

Country of Origin: United States

Caliber: 7.62×39 mm

Why: Within 5000 rounds the RAS47 suffered the following broken components: stock broken, front sling loop broken, front sight broken, rear sight broken, deformation on the locking lugs of the bolt, deformation of the dovetail of bolt, and deformation of the charging handle. Premature wearing and failure of parts as a whole makes this gun earn its spot on the worst five list. If you are in the market for an AK series rifle, there are better alternatives on the market. In 2016 there is no reason for a newly produced rifle to wear out after 5000 rounds.

#5 Beretta CX4 Storm 

Top 5 Rifles: To Never Buy
Image courtesy: Beretta.com

The Beretta CX4 storm sounds like a great idea on paper, a small lightweight pistol caliber carbine that accepts Beretta 92 magazines. Sounds like a perfect companion gun for anyone who already owns a Beretta 92 or Cougar series pistol. Complete ambidextrous controls also sounds appealing but something happened from design phase to  production phase. The hype and excitement of the CX4 went away the second consumers actually spent their money and shot one. Why did Beretta lose out on a possible gold mine of opportunity ?

There might be a highly complex equation for that answer but in the shorter version it can be attributed to several major design flaws. The incorporation of a terrible thumb hole style stock is first and foremost on the list. The rifle itself has an odd feel to it when you handle it, like a very expensive version of a Hi Point carbine. The hammer is made of plastic, and the trigger has more creep in it than a van with free candy painted on the side of it. Beretta missed the mark on this one so completely that its truly hard to comprehend why ? Did they not listen to their focus groups or their evaluators ? or did everyone feel pressure to agree with Berettas design team? I owned one of these rifles and have yet to ever meet anyone in person who kept theirs more than six months.

This is by no means a complete infallible list of bad rifles, I know there are many more than can be added to the list. Is there a rifle you instantly regretted buying ? What was it, and why? Drop us a line in the comments section or use the FRAGO and let us know, we want to hear your worst gun story. And Yes there will be a worst pistol list coming soon.

(Featured image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk)

Mid 1800’s Conversion Guns: Cimarron Brings the Past to Life

As the self-contained metallic cartridge was being developed in the 1800’s, many firearms manufacturers and private gunsmiths were busy converting the cap and ball arms to metallic cartridge models, more commonly known as “conversions.” Cimarron has taken the guns from this era and improved them as replicas for the modern shooter.

Rather than convert the older percussion arms, the Remington factory began manufacturing their popular New Model Army revolvers as metallic cartridge guns. The 1858 New Model Army–a .44 bore handgun–was originally converted to either .46 rimfire or .44 rimfire and centerfire metallic cartridges and priced for the civilian trade at a whopping $9 per copy. On the other hand, the New Model Navy revolvers were percussion arms returned to Remington by the U.S. Navy to be converted to .38 centerfire. Reproduced from an original new model army from the Cimarron collection and now available in Standard Blue and color case hardened, Cimarron’s 1858 New Model Army can be had with either the 5 1/2-inch, or the 8-inch octagon barrel, in your choice of .45 Colt, .44-40, or .38 Special (in 5 1/2-inch barrel). A 7 3/8-inch barreled New Model Navy, chambered for the .38 Special cartridge is also available. Both versions have ejector rods. Cimarron’s replica Remington New Model Army or Navy looks and handles like the real deal!
Patented July 2, 1872, Colt employees Charles B. Richards and William Mason, combined their ideas for converting Colt’s percussion revolvers to self-contained metallic cartridge, breech loading arms. Originally working with the percussion arms parts already in stock, guns were converted, however as they began to run out of the cap and ball components, the company began producing new sixguns as metal cartridge arms, rather than conversions. Although the numbers produced only amounted to a few thousand specimens (around 2,100 1860 Army models and about 3,800 1851 Navy models). El Paso’s city marshal Dallas Stoudenmire packed a cut down Richards-Mason Army Colt. and John H. “Doc” Holliday packed a ’51 new-made Navy model. Today’s shooters enjoy the looks and handling capabilities of these conversion revolvers that combine the sleek lines of percussion revolvers with the convenience of self-contained cartridge sixguns. Due to the high cost and scarcity of originals, Cimarron’s Richards-Mason conversions are ideal for Cowboy Action competitors as well as nostalgic gun buffs alike. The Army model, copied from an original in our antique collection, sports a Standard Blue finish, while Cimarron’s Navy model wears a Black finish. Both models are offered in a choice of .45 Colt, .44 Colt and Russian, .38 Colt/Special, or .45 Schofield caliber, and in either a 5 1/2-inch barrel or the 8-inch barrel length. In the Original Finish, antique arms enthusiasts will swear you have the “gen-u-wine” article!
Patented July 2, 1872, Colt employees Charles B. Richards and William Mason, combined their ideas for converting Colt’s percussion revolvers to self-contained metallic cartridge, breech loading arms. Originally working with the percussion arms parts already in stock, guns were converted, however as they began to run out of the cap and ball components, the company began producing new sixguns as metal cartridge arms, rather than conversions. Although the numbers produced only amounted to a few thousand specimens (around 2,100 1860 Army models and about 3,800 1851 Navy models). El Paso’s city marshal Dallas Stoudenmire packed a cut down Richards-Mason Army Colt. and John H. “Doc” Holliday packed a ’51 new-made Navy model. Today’s shooters enjoy the looks and handling capabilities of these conversion revolvers that combine the sleek lines of percussion revolvers with the convenience of self-contained cartridge sixguns. Due to the high cost and scarcity of originals, Cimarron’s Richards-Mason conversions are ideal for Cowboy Action competitors as well as nostalgic gun buffs alike. The Army model, copied from an original in our antique collection, sports a Standard Blue finish, while Cimarron’s Navy model wears a Black finish. Both models are offered in a choice of .45 Colt, .44 Colt and Russian, .38 Colt/Special, or .45 Schofield caliber, and in either a 5 1/2-inch barrel or the 8-inch barrel length. In the Original Finish, antique arms enthusiasts will swear you have the “gen-u-wine” article!

 

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Watch: Larry Vickers fires the interesting Russian AN-94 weapon system

Watch: Larry Vickers fires the interesting Russian AN-94 weapon system

Russia puts out some interesting weapons. One of those interesting designs is the rapid fire two round burst AN-94. The system is odd, everything from the magazine to the complex operating system to the felt recoil. In the following video Larry Vickers gets some hands on time with the Russian AN-94 weapon system.

Photo courtesy of Vickers Tactical Youtube channel

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