Tweaking the List

I've been looking at the Master List thinking it needs adjustment for future considerations. Notice: nothing on the Primary list.

I added that SIG P229 SAS that captured my affection is now on the Secondary.

Jay G had a bit of an idea that kicked me in pants. He's looking for a lighter kicking rifle, as he realized he is rifle-poor in the functioning semi-auto department. He has plenty of heavy stuff that works, including one or 2 heavy semi-autos, but he wants something that won't push him around like he was skinny kid named Eugene in a school yard with a pocket bulging with lunch money.

And THAT turns my mind to carbines. I have light rifles. A pump .22LR Taurus Model 62, a lever action .357 Marlin 1894C, but no semi-auto's. I'd like a rifle sized weapon, lighter, handier, with a lighter, less expensive cartridge. Maybe something I could promote to the Primary list.

So, what is out there?

Of the .45s:

The discontinued Marlin Camp Carbine .45 ACP is always in the back of my mind. It hits all my criteria, with ammo inventory simplification, and the added bonus of MAGAZINE inventory simplification, as it takes the same 1911 mags as the pistol. But there is something missing about it. That certain something. What I need is a couple of manufacturers to come out with similar ones with different bells and whistles or something else to tempt me and push each other on to greater quality. But that's not going to happen.

KRISS Carbine is tres cool, and available now. Tres pricey too.

A deLisle repro has the magazine commonality bonus with a 1911, but the bolt action minus. Plus even the repros are rare as hen's teeth.

Kel Tec and Highpoint are budget makers of something in the right vein. But the budget aspect has a drawback too.

Then there is this:

The Beretta CX4 Storm has proprietary mags, but it has an appeal. For goodness sake it is used on Battlestar Galactica as a prop gun because it looks so futuristic. It might be too freaky Disney-future. I'd have RobertaX make me a Steampunk Discombobulating Disintegrator Ray-Gun in her lab and tote that and feel less out of place. (Something in a 40 watt range) I'm pretty sure Roberta is doing piece work for Dr Grordborts.

For non .45 caliber carbines...

Some of the AR platforms could fit the bill, but that's a bit of a leap for me. Might make the jump to AR ownership some day. But my loyal readers, both of them, know I am not a fan, generally. The ammo is cheapish, but it's a bit robust. The Para Carbine the gunbloggers at Blackwater training sampled has some uber-nifty features. Have to wait for the price of that to come down.

There is the venerable M-1 Carbine. That gun appeals to the Milsurp Monkey that rides on back and smacks my head whenever it sees WWII guns (little bastage!) The round is light enough on the kicking, but relatively expensive. And I'd eventually want to match it up with revolver that fired the same cartridge, just because. So it'd get expensive, eventually. It'd certainly be fun, and I know the action. Heck, the full-auto version M-2 is a pussycat to fire.

Update: I forgot the other futuristic carbine to go with the KRISS and CX4. The FN PS-90, civilian version of the P-90. Frank James at Corn Beans and Spent Brass had a great field test of his at his blog. It's a nifty gun with a new, and a bit expensive, cartridge. People tend to hate it for that tiny 5.7x28mm cartridge, but they forget that this gun isn't to replace .223 sized NATO stuff, it's to replace the 9mm popular in subguns that police like to use now. I'm looking at YOU HK.

Hmmm.

That moves me to some ideas for some purchase even farther in the future. I've been toying with the idea of getting one of each. Just to have. Of US Military long arms. I have 3 now, why not more. Now I have the M14 equivalent, the Garand, the Springfield '03. I kinda lean to the M1 Carbine. Adding an Enfield M1917 (or just a garden variety No. 4 Mk1 would be close enough for me) and a Krag and maybe some kind of single shot 1873 Trapdoor Springfield .45-70 would be simple enough. And fun. Maybe a Swiss K31 for fun, too. I'd have to research the subject more.

But that could be a slippery slope to a BAD collector jones. One that would suck all the money out of my wallet from now to the end of time. It would add to the ammo inventory extensively. And I'd have to figure out how to store and secure multiple more rifles. Hmph. I dunno. I'll add some to the Tertiary list and see how it feels.

Update: WWTD? What would Tam do? Heck, it's what has Tam DONE. I'm sure Tam is not lacking for a carbine she likes and has been known to possess some esoteric milsurp rifles...