When I was a teenager shooting the (stuff) out of BB guns in my backyard, I wanted a LARC M19-A “Annihilator” badly.
I’m not sure why I never got one: as I recall, they were around $35 in 1983 money (about $86 in today money), and I’m pretty sure I had that from my lawn moving ventures. It may have been some other minor petty inconvenience, something like parental permission.
In retrospect, that was probably a good thing, since:
- I probably would have gotten into trouble with it somehow.
- I would have had to feed it BBs and Freon. And while BBs were readily available at the places we shopped, I don’t remember if Freon cans were. I know you could get them at auto supply stores, but those were sort of off the beaten path for me.
- I hear in retrospect that the M19-A had some QC problems.
(Side note: that review the writer talks about? It was written by Peter Hathaway Capstick, and is reprinted in one of his collections.)
Anyway, I have a job now, and can drive. And the world has changed, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better.
On the better side: the Crosman DPMS SBR Full-Auto BB Air Rifle.
Completely useless for any purpose other than fun, and it probably eats BBs and CO2 cartridges like they’re going out of style. And I plead guilty to kind of wanting one anyway.
(Hattip: Say Uncle.)
…you can’t authentically get your ‘80s Miami Vice LARP on without 10mm Auto.
I’m kind of glad to see the 10mm is making a comeback: maybe this will lead to cheaper ammo, and more loadings for the caliber. But none of the guns Tam discusses really turn my crank.
Then again, I’m still hoping to find a reasonably priced S&W 1076 before May, so take my opinion with a few grains of salt, some lime, a little Cointreau, and some tequila.