Three Gun Topics That Do Not Get Enough Love
Kevin Felts 01.04.18
If you go to YouTube, read a magazine, or visit a shooting sports website, chances are main topics will be along the lines of Glock this, AR-15 that, 45 acp vs. 9mm, or best caliber for deer. This means there are a lot of topics that do not get enough love.
Over the years there has been a common trend. That trend is: unless you visit niche websites, certain firearms and even certain calibers do not get enough love. To a lot of gun writers and YouTube video bloggers, it is as if certain firearms were never made, or were forgotten about.
Take Bersa for example; who talks about Bersa anymore? The .410 is another example.
Here are three topics I feel do not get enough love.
20 Gauge
Back in the day there was a shotgun made in 20 gauge. You may be asking, “What’s a 20 gauge?” Well, the 20 is a smaller than a 12 gauge. Go ahead and ask, “Why would anyone shoot something smaller than a 12 gauge?” Therein lies the problem.
People think whatever the 20 gauge can do, the 12 gauge can do better. Why should anyone settle for a puny 20 gauge when there is the 12 gauge?
The 20 gauge is an excellent shotgun cartridge. It is a shame it does not get more love from the shooting community.
My daughters first firearm was a 20 gauge Mossberg.
Mini-14
Walk into a pawn shop, look at the rifles, and there may be a Mini-14 on the shelf. Look at the Mini-14 model number, and chances are it was made in the 1980s.
The Mini-14 was the go-to semi-automatic rifle in the 1980s. In my opinion, in the 1980s and 1990s it may have been more popular than the AR-15. What pushed the Mini-14 in popularity? Some of it had to do with the TV series A-Team.
In all honesty, the Mini-14 had more options (such as aftermarket stocks) than the AR did during the 1980s and 1990s.
Something else that made the Mini-14 popular, were the rumors saying the M-16 was unreliable in Vietnam. Those rumors have since been proven wrong.
For some reason or another, the Mini-14 has faded from the limelight.
41 Magnum
Never heard of the 41 magnum? Yea, that’s sad. There was once a time when people talked about the 357, 41 and 44 all in the same sentence. Now, it is just the 357 and 44 magnum.
The 41 magnum offers better ballistics than than the 357, but without the recoil of the 44 magnum. If you handload, the 41 magnum can be tailored to your personal needs.
A buddy of mine has a S&W revolver in 41 magnum, and it is a dream to shoot. We use to reload just about all of his ammo for the 41.
Final Thoughts
We could go on all day about firearms and calibers that have been forgotten. Anyone remember the 38 Super and how it was supposed to be a game changer? Or the 41 action express?
Some guns and calibers never caught on, while others faded away after decades of popularity.
What are some of the firearms or cartridges you wished got more attention?
