Obscure guns and variants that hold your interest

[JSGlock34]

There are a few obscure guns that have managed to hold my interest over the years. For example, I still find some of the last 1911 variants used by the USMC intriguing, particularly the MEU(SOC) 1911s that were rebuilt and rebuilt and rebuilt over the years by Precision Weapons Section at Quantico. What I found most interesting about the MEU(SOC) guns was that they used a recipe that mixed parts from nearly every major custom 1911 maker - Ed Brown safety and beavertail, Wilson magazines, Caspian slide and magazine release, Bar-sto barrel, Cylinder & Slide trigger and hammer, the list goes on. Interestingly, the USMC couldn't build enough of these pistols to meet demand, and so at varying times added a mix of Kimber, Springfield Professional, and Springfield Custom Shop pistols to the force. Later, these pistols would be succeeded by the short-lived (and less interesting to me) Colt M45A1.

Among long arms I've long had an interest in some of the more obscure Russian assault rifles, particularly the AN-94 and AEK-971. I've posted about some of these less well known rifles before (though perhaps the AEK-971 and AEK-973 will gain more notice after this recent news). I thought Larry Vickers' video series in Russia where he shot the AN-94, AEK-971, AK-12, and AK-400 was terrific.

And, of course I still think the HK G11 is super cool (as well as the other ACR Rifles). The ACR competition kicked off in my youth, and I scoured the gun magazines of the day for as much information as possible on these rifles. These are very much the rifles of the future that never came to pass.



What obscure firearms and variants still hold your interest?

[Robinson]

The MEUSOC guns are interesting with their numerous generations. The last batch of guns used by SFOD-D were interesting too, and were the basis for the Springfield Armory TRP Operator -- or at least that's what I've read. I have no way of knowing if true or not and I won't pretend about it.

The Winchester 1895s sent overseas for military service are interesting, along with the 1876 muskets.

[FNFAN]

I've been fascinated with full stock carbines since reading Islands In the Stream many years ago. Wanted to find a 1903 model for ages but ran on to a sweet little 1957 in .243. Easy to shoot and fast handling. I started my career with a 6.5" Model 27 and have owned one or another flavor of N-frame .357 ever since. Gave my kid my 5" M-27 as a post-deployment gift and inherited my Dad's 3" which along with my Springfield 1911 is a you'll-have-to-pry-it-from-my-cold-dead-fingers gun.

[CSW]

I've always had a thing for the Savage 99.
Obscure in the fact that it had a rotary magazine in a lever action rifle.
I've owned them in 308, 250 savage, 300 savage and 30/30.
By far, the most pleasant capable hunting rifle I have ever owned was the '99 in 300 savage.
I've either sold or traded away all of them, but hope some day to find a Savage 99 , chambered in 300 savage, in a take-down version.

[Hambo]

Bolo Mausers

Bergmann Simplex

Merwin-Hulbert large frame revolvers

Pachmayr Combat Special

Large bore double rifles

[OlongJohnson]

The Savage 99 is a beautiful gun, but I don't think of it as "obscure."

CZ rimfires and Sako centerfires with full stocks can be beautiful, and I kinda want one of each, but I don't think of them as obscure.

I do have a few limited-production Buck Marks that are interesting and cool. Still wouldn't call them obscure - they're Buck Marks, after all.

I normally think obscure guns are obscure for a reason. Perhaps it comes from decades of living and breathing cars. Cars that are obscure were, it turns out, never actually mechanically excellent. Perhaps they had some innovation or were interesting in some way, but I can't think of one that was truly an excellent system and simply got ignored by the world. I haven't gotten into collecting rare stuff. I think of my guns as deployable systems, except for a couple that have Big War roots and were just interesting and not very expensive. And I still wouldn't call them obscure.

[Bigghoss]

I've always had a thing for the Savage 99.

I have one in .243. There's a nice .30-30 at the gun store that's been there way too long but I already have 3 other .30-30's and I spent all my money on black tactical stuff.


As for obscure, probably any of the stuff that was coming in before the AWB like the FNC or Daewoo K series. I also have 4 old bolt-action shotguns. Smoothbore, not slug guns.

[txdpd]

I did (or still do) have a man crush on Charles Bronson. That lead me to buy a couple Savage 99's from Death Hunt and on the obscure front a Wildey 475 from Death Wish.

[Totem Polar]

I don’t know if this counts or not, but I’ve owned more NYPD-spec wheelies over the years than any other category of gun except maybe Glock; NY-1s, GPNYs, SPNYs... I really like bead-blasted DAO revolvers. Aside from the finish and factory DAO, there is nothing even remotely unusual about them. Well, the SPNY is slightly smaller and lighter, due to the gen 1 frame window and shorter .38-only cylinder, and I think that’s pretty cool compared to today’s off the shelf SP101, but that’s about it.

[Cecil Burch]

A French 9mm pistol, the MAB PA-15. A LGS had one when I was in high school and I almost bought it. It was like an updated Hi-Power. I’ve never seen one for sale since, so it always remained in the back of my head as one that I should have got.