MOSSBERG 835® ULTI-MAG® TACTICAL TURKEY™ HUNTER

Sexiness:	*
Reliability:	*
Maintenance:	*
Overall:	*

I was all set to conduct a field test and review of this Mossberg shotgun when I did something that I have never done unintentionally: I dropped the gun. I was lifting it to shoulder height to fire when it slipped from my grasp. The gun fell from a height of about 3.5 feet at an angle, impacting butt first, which resulted in the entire stock snapping off like a dry twig. Considering the amount of impact, against packed dirt, I would suspect that I could prop the gun on my knee and snap the stock off with a decent amount of pressure from my hand; something that doesn't comfort me much about this gun.

Mossberg reportedly has an excellent customer service program, although I have never had cause to use it in the past. I have shipped the gun back to them and I will report further, once I hear from them.

THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

On April 28th 1996, a maniac in Australia shot 35 people in Port Arthur. Capitalizing in the typical knee-jerk reaction way, the government enacted a draconian gun ban law.

Just 12 months after those gun ban laws went into effect in Australia, homicides jumped 3.2%, armed robberies jumped 44% (!), assaults jumped 8.6% and in the state of Victoria there was a 300% increase in homicides.

Three hundred percent.

Prior to the new dictatorial anti-gun laws, crime statistics in Australia showed a steady decrease in armed robberies with firearms; following the gun ban, there was a dramatic increase in break-ins. In 1998, in the state of South Australia, robbery with a firearm increased nearly 60%. In 1999, assault rates in the state of New South Wales rose 20%.

This is significant evidence that contradicts what any government says when they want to disarm the general populace; "Crime will go down. You will be safer." The government propaganda machine repeats the mantra until people choke on it and finally begin to regurgitate it, convinced that they are thinking for themselves rather than parroting the government spin.

But in the end, this is not really about crime. History shows us exactly why the 2nd Amendment was written. One need only look at why the initial colonies were formed. The colonists were desperate to get out from under the oppressive reign of George III and the Church of England, which had entrenched itself deeply enough to influence every aspect of government.

In short, the colonists were the general populace. They were simple people who believed that everyone had certain rights and they took a stand. Had they been unarmed, they would have been crushed by their King's forces and the United States would not exist as it does today. Therefore, it is the shortest leap of logic to conclude why the 2nd Amendment was added to the Constitution. Any argument to the contrary demonstrates an absurd ignorance of history.

TAURUS PT-92

Sexiness:	4.5
Reliability:	5
Maintenance:	5.0
Overall:	4.85 (Excellent)

Let me start by saying that I believe the Taurus PT-92 to be the best "bang for the buck" pistol on the market today. Manufactured by Brazilian company Forjas Taurus SA, the newest version packs 17 rounds of 9mm ammo, while the previous version held 15. I have heard of a 30-round extended clip for this gun but I have not had the time to look for one.

For the test, I fired 1,000 rounds of various ammo, which included Federal Hydrashok, Remington, and primarily PMC 115gr. FMJ. There was not a single malfunction or problem of any kind.

Accuracy was as good as I would expect from a semi-auto pistol, resulting in 3" groups at 10 yards. I should point out that I'm not the most accomplished marksman with semi-auto pistols. As the clip emptied, the gun maintained a very good balance and stability. Combined with the pleasing ergonomics, this made the gun very enjoyable and accurate to shoot.

One problem that I absolutely cannot stand with many semi-autos is the fact that they are 'slow on the uptake'; the phrase that I have adopted for guns that don't fire as quickly as I can pull the trigger. This is a huge aggravation for me. Having previously owned an older model Taurus PT-92, I had high expectations for the newer version's ability to throw a lot of lead downstream very quickly. I was not disappointed. At 10 yards, I was able to hold a 10" group while firing all 17 rounds... in 5 seconds.

The PT-92 is very easy to strip and clean. The newest version includes a rail for accessorizing, for those who want to add a little sex appeal. While I am a big fan of function, such as the added rail, I am not a fan of "shiny" guns. I prefer an ugly workhorse gun over a sparkly piece that I can put in a glass case any day. For this reason, I am not impressed with the "bling" versions of the PT-92 and other guns that Taurus is now producing. The stainless version with mother of pearl handles is probably of some aesthetic value to collectors but the gold version reminds me of something out of a John Woo film.

Regardless of my personal opinions on "bling" aesthetics, I give the Taurus PT-92 a very high recommendation. It is a great weapon sporting a high-capacity magazine, near flawless reliability, good looks, and some of the best customer service in the entire industry.

Manufacturer:	Forjas Taurus SA
Action:	Double action / Single action
Material:	Carbon Steel
Finish:	Blued, Stainless, Gold
Caliber:	9mm Luger
Length:	8.5"
Barrel Length:	5"
Weight:	34oz.
Capacity:	10+1 / 15+1 /  17+1
Sights:	Fixed
MSRP:	$527.00

VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTING PROMPTS NEW GUN-CONTROL BILL

The House of Representatives has just passed a new gun control bill. Before anyone starts crying foul, note that the NRA supports this legislation, which would require states to automate their lists of convicted criminals and the mentally ill who are prohibited under a 1968 law from buying firearms. States would be required to report those lists to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

"As the Virginia Tech shooting reminded us, there is an urgent national need to improve the background check system to keep guns out of the hands of those barred from buying them", House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter at Virginia Tech who killed 32 students and staff before committing suicide, had previously been ordered to undergo outpatient mental health treatment. This should have banned him from buying the weapons that he used in the shootings. Regretably, the state of Virginia never forwarded this information to the national background check system and his background checks therefore came back clean.

If the bill passes through the Senate and is signed into law by the president, it would be one of the first gun control measures to pass since 1994, when Congress prohibited juveniles from owning or selling handguns.

MOSSBERG 500 CRUISER

Sexiness:	4
Reliability:	4.5
Maintenance:	4.5
Overall:	4.35 (Very Good)

The Mossberg 500 Cruiser is a shotgun that is well-suited for home defense. A very affordable shotgun at around $370, the "bang for the buck" is well worth it indeed. The Cruiser can often be purchased NIB for around $250.

With the pistol grip, the Cruiser is shorter than a hunting model, which allows quicker target acquisition at short range. The length, combined with a capacity of 6+1 12-gauge shells, really allows you to get in the corners.

As one might expect, the Mossberg 500 Cruiser is a manual pump, smoothbore shotgun. The bolt carrier is operated via two action bars, chamber locking is achieved via tilting breechblock bolt into the barrel extension. The Cruiser's safety is located at the tang of the receiver and is fully ambidextrous while the receiver is made from high quality aluminum alloys.

All Mossberg 500 models are reportedly able to take on a number of modular changes but I have yet to experiment with this. Testing was done on a straight-out-of-the-box factory model.

For the test, I fired 100 rounds of #8 bird shot, 100 rounds of 00-buck, and a handful of Remington Slugger rifled slugs. First, the positives. I found the Mossberg 500 Cruiser easy to aim from the hip as well as the mid-chest position, the latter being my preference. It performed exactly as I would expect from a 12-gauge of respectable quality. I have no doubt that it could clear a stairwell or doorway rather quickly.

There was just one thing that really bothered me. After only 8 shots, I began to notice that my right hand was swelling a bit, in the area between my thumb and forefinger. After another few shots, it was easy to figure out why. The shape of the pistol grip tapers backwards at the top, placing virtually all of the recoil directly onto that area of the hand. While I'm sure this design provides more stability than the older style smooth pistol grips that gradually taper downwards, you can expect your hand to take a beating if you're just shooting for fun. By the end of the day, my hand was not in good shape. Still, for defending the castle, this is a non-issue.

The Cruiser also receives a slightly lowered mark for reliability, since I had one shell fail to eject properly, turning sideways in the ejection port. Overall, I would feel safe owning this gun for home defense and consider the price very reasonable for the quality.

Manufacturer:	Mossberg
Action:	Manual Pump
Material:	Carbon Steel
Finish:	Blued
Bore:	12a. / 3"
Length:	28"
Barrel Length:	18.5"
Weight:	7 lbs.
Capacity:	6+1
Grips:	Synthetic Pistol
MSRP:	$370.00

ARMALITE AR-24

Sexiness:	4.0
Reliability:	5.0
Maintenance:	4.5
Overall:	4.5 (Excellent)

Many 9mm fans will tell you that the CZ-75 is one of the greatest service pistols ever made. It was the earliest double-action, hi-cap 9mm to gain wide popularity. This full-size semiautomatic pistol first made its appearance in 1975 and production began in 1976. Mark Westrom, president of ArmaLite, brought one home with him from Germany, where he had served as an ordinance officer. Now, years later, ArmaLite has decided to give the gun a makeover and the result is the AR-24.

The first thing I noticed was that the ergonomics of the frame were outstanding. The gun fit into my hand as well as any pistol ever has, except perhaps an old Daewoo 9mm that I once owned, but to compare the two guns would be a true disservice to the AR-24. While the Daewoo jammed about once per clip, I ran 500 rounds of various ammo types through the AR-24 without a single malfunction. The rounds that I chose included full brass, Federal 124 hydrashock, and a small assortment of others.

Unloaded and sans clip, the frame, which is machined entirely on modern CNC equipment from solid forgings, weighs in at just over 1-pound. Field stripping is identical to other CZs; on the left side of the frame and slide are marks which - when aligned by drawing back the slide - allow you to push the slide stop pin out. It is probably no accident that the adjustable sight and slide look virtually identical to a Sig P210.

The trigger is a very smooth 5 1/2 pound pull, which caused absolutely no problems with accuracy or aiming. It had a great feel that made it quite fun to shoot.

There is currently a compact version of the 9mm and ArmaLite has announced that it plans to build a .40S&W and .45ACP version of the pistol, much to my happiness. I look forward to field-testing both of these models.

Manufacturer:	Sarsilmaz (Istanbul, Turkey)
Importer:	ArmaLite Inc.
Action:	Short recoil, locked breech
Material:	Carbon Steel
Finish:	Heat-cured Epoxy
Caliber:	9mm Luger
Length:	8.27"
Barrel Length:	4.67"
Weight:	35 ounces
Capacity:	15+1
Trigger:	12 pounds DA, 5 1/2 pounds SA
Sights:	Adjustable
Grips:	Checked Wood
MSRP:	$629.95