While this is a site about historical guns, and the
replicas of them that we sell in our store, there are other guns that
are NOT in our store. Guns that we have owned or used in the
past. We figured that we might as well throw this page up since
we are all about the guns. You
need to know right away that we do NOT possess a Federal Firearms
License, therefore we do NOT sell real guns that are capable of
firing bullets. This page is just being thrown up as a bonus,
with videos to give you more gun info. This is what
GunClassics.com is all about. Gun info. We are always
adding things to our site, as we get to them.
In addition to the real guns we feature on this page, we will
throw in a couple of our blank replica guns and non-firing replicas
that we DO offer in our online
store. In the video (coming soon), we will clearly show which
ones we do and DO
NOT offer.
Being the owner of a Bryco Arms Model 38 .380
Auto is not a
great honor. If you look on the internet, you'll see endless
pages of people bashing this pocket semi-automatic. The maker,
Bryco Arms of Carson City, Nevada got into some trouble some years back
over the accidental discharge of one of their pistols, which left a boy
paralyzed, and was forced out of business. To be certain, the
.380 auto is not the worlds highesst quality firearm and is legendary
for being one of the most inexpensive (read cheapest) firearms
available. However there have been unsubstantiated rumors
that the guns are made of metal so thin and cheap that the guns could
explode with normal use. I find this to be a bit of a stretch,
although, the one I am writing about has seen very light use.
It
was originally purchased in 1990, while Bryco was still in business,
and has had less than 50 rounds put through it. I cannot comment
on the firearm's durabiltiy, since I do not use it regularly. It
is not known for pinpoint accuracy, nor is it considered a reliable
firearm for personal defense, although if you want to be brutally
realistic, if it were to be pulled out in a hurry and fired at someone
who is not very far away, it would definitely slow them down or deliver
a fatal blow. It IS a .380 caliber deadly weapon after all.
All trash
talk aside, it is still a firearm. A deadly weapon that must be
respected. Everyone says that the .380 auto is jam-prone, but I
suppose that mine has not had enough wear for me to experience
jams. I once had an old plinker Jennings J-22 .22 caliber rimfire
that jammed every third or fourth round. Bryco and Jennings were
affiliated at the time. A
near-universal loathing of the Bryco .380 is prevalent on the
internet. It has such a bad reputation that people even go so far
as to deride the people who own them as being low-rent trailer trash or
criminal thugs, and rank the firearm of being right up there with your
average Saturday night special. They say that the .380 auto is
frequently found at crime scenes. It does have quite the unsavory
reputation. On the video further down the page, I can be seen
firing this .380 plinker.
Now we are going to step things up a little, and
talk about some pistols that are a little more reputable. While
more robust, and having a higher quality rating than the Bryco .380,
the Smith & Wesson Sigma .40 caliber has its share of detractors
too. I'm not one of them. The biggest complaint by far is
the very hard trigger pull and slide action. This really bothers
some people who are used to different firearms. I've tried a
large number of different ones, so it really doesn't bother me.
It IS a very beefy and robust firearm that packs a good punch, and it
really does have a stiff trigger and slide. Yet the composite
construction still helps to keep the weight down, and it has a very
nice feel and heft in the hand. This hammerless semiauto does not
have a safety, so you'dl better remove the magazine, and clear the
barrel just to make sure that you are unloaded! You can see this
pistol fired in
the video below (coming soon).
This is the surprise of the year. This
little pocket-sized .380 auto from Argentina is not at all what you'd
expect. It is very similar to the famous Walther PPk .380
in almost every way. Here we have a full-featured
single-action/double action semiautomatic with a hammer, and various
safety devices. This is a far cry from the Bryco that I mentioned
earlier. Here is a firearm that is reliable and dependable, that
functions flawlessly with its surprisingly high quality build.
Especially when you consider the modest $225 retail price tag.
For that price, you will have a very hard time finding something as
good as this! It's THAT good. The .380 ACP cartridges fit
the magazine in a single stack, which comes from the factory with a
grip extender at the bottom. All this, and it's a good-looking
firearm too. Sleek and modern, and very much worth the asking
price.
For our next firearm, we will take a look at the
Ruger P95 9mm. This pistol uses the same ammo as the famous Luger
P08 parabel
lum, the 9 X 19mm rounds. Here is a pistol that has a
considerably easier slide spring and trigger pull than the beefy Smith
& Wesson .40. The 9mm ammo is suitalbe for the needs of most
people. It packs slightly more wallup than the .380, since it has
a little more powder in the cartridge. The P95 is a solid
and reliable shooter, and is suitable for concealed carry, if this is
your weapon of choice. It has a slightly unusual magazine
release, which springs straight forward. Once you figure it out,
the magazine fairly well shoots out of the grip on demand. This
is a full-featured single/double action pistol, with a hammer.
With a retail price tag of around $300, it's a good choice.
You've probably all heard of Brazilian firearms
maker, Taurus. They have produced some well-known firearms over
the last decade or so. Here we present you the .38 Special
revolver. When you first see this thing, it conveys a sense of
power. From the large cylinder to the massive muzzle, it
inspires a little awe. Even though this is a small revolver that
fits in the palm of your hand, or a pocket, with a stubby 2-inch
barrel, its frame is heavy and beefy, and gives the impression of
strenghth. The grip and the barrel are almost an
afterthought. This thing is basically just a big cartridge with a
firing pin attached. The long .38 special cartridges are also
impressive. See the photo at the bottom of this page. The
grip fits comfortably in the hand, and the firearm has a nice and
satisfying heft.
This is my favorite pick of this lot. My Rock Island Armory .45 CS single-action semi-automatic. Being 1.5 inches shorter than its more famous cousins, the more compact and concealable size (the CS) is one difference from the more traditional .45s. There is one good thing about this popular caliber. No matter who the manufacturer is, the parts for almost all .45 models are compatible with each other. Of course, as most of you know, the original that started it all is the legendary Colt M1911A1 .45. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of US military veterans from the Cold War like me, you are no doubt familiar with the old .45 government issue. Do you remember the long hours on guard duty at 02:00 hours, milling around with one of these strapped to your waist? I get sleepy just thinking about it! But I will always remember and love the old .45. Rock Island Armory of the Philippines, maker of this particular .45 has done a great job with the legendary old workhorse, and done it credit. Its parts are compatible with other manufacturers pistols, and it's a rock-solid shooter. No jams or misfires, and it has a trigger action so smooth and satisfying that you have to shoot it yourself to appreciate it! That's the thing that pushed me across the line between skepticism and buying this firearm. Retailing at around $430, its a good choice, and the popular .45 ACP ammo is also another selling point. This makes a great choice for personal concealed carry and home defense, especially if you spring for some good hollow-point ammo!
In wrapping up this page, I need to reiterate
that we DO NOT sell real firearms on our sites. We do not have a
Federal Firearms License. What we sell are NON-FIRING and
BLANK-FIRING REPLICAS of famous firearms in our online store, GunsOfOld.com. I have
just decided to add this page to generate a little interest among gun
enthusiasts. Over the last couple of years, there has been
a sharp increase in interest in this subject!
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