MatthewVanitas
Member
This is a completely random observation, just seeing if anyone else if getting the same impression that I am.
When I look over the early 20th Century, I get the general impression that, compared to now, handguns were smaller and rifles were bigger. The large rifles always struck me as odd, because it seems that people tended to be smaller before modern medicine and high-calorie food. I'm 5'6", reasonably small for a male, and a lot of early 20thC. rifles, especially military models, feel like telephone poles to me. Civilian models were also rather clunky.
Similarly: setting aside micro-compact CCW pistols, most handguns these days are pretty darn big, which vexes me. I'd imagine similar for other small folks.
Examples:
RIFLES:
--16" and 18" bolt-action rifles seem pretty uncommon until the 1960s (Remington 660, etc). Nowadays we have Rem Model Seven, Ruger carbines, Savage and Steyr "Scout", etc. Even the LOP seems long for me on older Model 70s and the like.
--M1 Garand was huge, the Yugo SKS is a clunker. The M4gery is small and slick, the KT SU-16 almost levitates out of your hands. The SOCOM 16 is our "modern Garand", and it's nice and tight. M1 Carbine is a notable exception: if you can't hack an M1 Carbine, maybe guns aren't your thing.
--The Winchester 37 and Marlin 39A were promoted as great rifles for teaching kids. They're about as big as a dang kid! Now a half-dozen folks build miniature .22 rifles, Ruger makes .22 carbines, and Marlin used to make the lovely 75C (hint, hint).
HANDGUNS:
-- I saw one of those Rossi/Interarms .32Long revolvers in a pawnshop: nobody makes anything like that now; notably smaller than a J-frame. The I-frame is long-gone, the J-frame is almost exclusively used for snubbies (mostly aluminum CCW pieces). Kit guns are few and far between. Even the K-frame has been thrown over for the L-frame.
-- Semi-autos are a little more complicated, since CCW has created many micro-pistols. But there's not much in between: I'd like to see something like a "full-size" pistol for "small-size" people. The Kahr K9 is a good example. I picked up a Modele 1935 service pistol recently, and would kill for something similar in 9mm. Nice and slim, single stack, SA. I was racking my brains, and can't think of anything that's single-stack, all-metal, and in a decent caliber without being too clunky. Beretta would have gotten it right with their single-stack compact version of the 92, but the sucker is barely thinner than their double-stack.
Anyway, enough ranting for now. Does anybody else concur with my statement: "we used to have big rifles and small pistols, now we have small rifles and big pistols" ?
-MV
When I look over the early 20th Century, I get the general impression that, compared to now, handguns were smaller and rifles were bigger. The large rifles always struck me as odd, because it seems that people tended to be smaller before modern medicine and high-calorie food. I'm 5'6", reasonably small for a male, and a lot of early 20thC. rifles, especially military models, feel like telephone poles to me. Civilian models were also rather clunky.
Similarly: setting aside micro-compact CCW pistols, most handguns these days are pretty darn big, which vexes me. I'd imagine similar for other small folks.
Examples:
RIFLES:
--16" and 18" bolt-action rifles seem pretty uncommon until the 1960s (Remington 660, etc). Nowadays we have Rem Model Seven, Ruger carbines, Savage and Steyr "Scout", etc. Even the LOP seems long for me on older Model 70s and the like.
--M1 Garand was huge, the Yugo SKS is a clunker. The M4gery is small and slick, the KT SU-16 almost levitates out of your hands. The SOCOM 16 is our "modern Garand", and it's nice and tight. M1 Carbine is a notable exception: if you can't hack an M1 Carbine, maybe guns aren't your thing.
--The Winchester 37 and Marlin 39A were promoted as great rifles for teaching kids. They're about as big as a dang kid! Now a half-dozen folks build miniature .22 rifles, Ruger makes .22 carbines, and Marlin used to make the lovely 75C (hint, hint).
HANDGUNS:
-- I saw one of those Rossi/Interarms .32Long revolvers in a pawnshop: nobody makes anything like that now; notably smaller than a J-frame. The I-frame is long-gone, the J-frame is almost exclusively used for snubbies (mostly aluminum CCW pieces). Kit guns are few and far between. Even the K-frame has been thrown over for the L-frame.
-- Semi-autos are a little more complicated, since CCW has created many micro-pistols. But there's not much in between: I'd like to see something like a "full-size" pistol for "small-size" people. The Kahr K9 is a good example. I picked up a Modele 1935 service pistol recently, and would kill for something similar in 9mm. Nice and slim, single stack, SA. I was racking my brains, and can't think of anything that's single-stack, all-metal, and in a decent caliber without being too clunky. Beretta would have gotten it right with their single-stack compact version of the 92, but the sucker is barely thinner than their double-stack.
Anyway, enough ranting for now. Does anybody else concur with my statement: "we used to have big rifles and small pistols, now we have small rifles and big pistols" ?
-MV