The Guns That Never Were....

[AZRedhawk44]

Another want:
16" Lever gun in .45 ACP.

Tube magazine goodness!  Load it on Sunday, shoot it all week!  That stubby little cartridge is nearly as short as a .22LR.  Extraction could be tricky, though, especially if you get folks hotrodding the .45acp into a .45 Super or .460 Rowland power factor... using slow powders.

[Devonai]

My thoughts exactly.  A straight 20-round mag in that configuration would look pretty good.

[seeker_two]

I met a guy at my gun club a couple of years ago that had a factory Colt 1911 chamberd in .38 Special. The gun was fitted out with a Bomar rib sight set up and was a very nice pistol. Guy claimed he had been on the USAF pistol team, I found no reason to doubt him.

Jim Clark out of Lousiana used to make those conversions. Only problems is that they only fed wadcutter loads...and those not too well. The Coonan conversions could feed any type of .38SPL load fairly reliably.

[Tallpine]

An Ithaca model 49-r* that wasn't a jam-o-matic.

* = lever action .22LR

How does a single shot rifle "jam" 

Mine sometimes fails to eject, if you don't open the lever fast enough.

[brimic]

Mine sometimes fails to eject, if you don't open the lever fast enough.

The -49 that I had didn't extract, I had to dig each shell out with my fingernail, but I never complained

[Antibubba]

A cheap carbine (Sub2k or Hi-Point) in 7.62x25mm.

Definitely.

I'd like to see a new Pedersen device for various calibers, like 7.62 Tok in a Mosin-Nagant, or even 5.45X39.  I'd like a single-stack concealable pistol in 5.7X28, with 1903 Colt styling.  I also want to see a replica Johnson rifle, in various calibers--.223 especially.  I like the idea of a modern revolver--.38 or .357--with a break-top.

I want a Crimson Trace grip for my Makarov.

[kgbsquirrel]

I have no problem with the M1 Carbine in .30; I have a reliable National Postal Meter as my primary home defense rifle.  I still think 7.62x25 would be a fun alternative.

I agree about the design being carried over more directly to  .223, but I would think that AK-style mags would be easier to adapt to the receiver.

I don't know that it would be easier, since you'd be making a larger/longer receiver from scratch anyway, but it certainly wouldn't be cheaper, because .223 using AR mags would require a slide in magwell extension. Which means a bigger more complex forging... LOL who am I kidding. I mean CASTING.

The M1 pretty much uses slide in style now, but that's for the much more diminutive magazine, and the release is centerline more like an AK or a FAL's.  I agree the "rock in" AK style would certainly be easier, and keep the more correct m1 profile.

As to the mags, as AJ said, the M1 Carbine is already a straight insert magazine with a laterally moving (sideways) push button mag catch. This most closely resembles the magazine retention system of the M16 rather than the AK, more so when you look at the slight modification they did with the M2 Carbine in which the latch now reaches around the left side of the magazine and holds there as well exactly as the M16 does. Plus you have a bit wider selection of AR mags than .223 AK mags, especially regarding higher capacity items like the C-mag.

[230RN]

I like the idea of a modern revolver--.38 or .357--with a break-top.

Double me up on that one.  I understand the Russians have or had one like that in a .357-ish equivalent caliber, though.

I'd like to see a Thompson submachine gun and a WWII "Grease Gun" (M3?)  scaled down to the .380 cartridge.

Except for the trigger guard.

Semiauto, of course.

Totally impractical, and a market base of 1 (me) but I kind of like miniaturization.  That's one reason I like my locked-breech Llama .380 Auto.  It, and all the parts in it, are scaled down to about 5/8 the size of the 1911.

Terry, 230RN

[kgbsquirrel]

Modern topbreak in .357 Magnum......

MP-412 REX.




Good luck getting one though, they were never put into production due to a lack of market. You would likely need to get the blueprints and contract a gunsmith who specialized in revolvers to make you a one off if you really wanted it.


Edit: While not a "modern" design, Uberti does make some very nice repros of the Schofield top breaks with modern metallurgy and some appropriate beefing up in a few areas. I'm particularly partial to their 1875 Russian model which you can get in either .44 Russian or .45 Colt (which, I believe, can handle modern .45 Colt loadings, though you'd do well to ask the people at Uberti to be sure.)

[Perd Hapley]

Small-frame 5-shot top-break alloy frame snubbie in 9mm (moon clips) with the cylinder shortened to accommodate the 9mm.

No. .45 Auto.

[CNYCacher]

How does a single shot rifle "jam" 

Mine sometimes fails to eject, if you don't open the lever fast enough.

Mine's a repeater with a 14(LR)-round tube mag under the barrel.

If it ejects properly, you're lucky if the next round pops into the carrier properly.  If that happens, you're lucky if it makes the trip to the chamber, and doesn't jam against the back of the barrel when you try to send it home.

My dad could work it pretty good when he was teaching me to shoot.  Now that it's mine, I can't figure out the magic touch.

[Tallpine]

Well, duh - I never knew they made a repeater version 

There does seem to be a trick to lever actions though, even with my Marlin 39: You have to work the lever authoritatively, and don't point the muzzle down - keep it level.

[Devonai]

Darn right, don't let those squirrels see any signs of weakness.  You keep that rifle level and don't take no nuts from nobody.

[Tallpine]

Darn right, don't let those squirrels see any signs of weakness.  You keep that rifle level and don't take no nuts from nobody.

That's why they call them level actions 

[AJ Dual]

Edit: While not a "modern" design, Uberti does make some very nice repros of the Schofield top breaks with modern metallurgy and some appropriate beefing up in a few areas. I'm particularly partial to their 1875 Russian model which you can get in either .44 Russian or .45 Colt (which, I believe, can handle modern .45 Colt loadings, though you'd do well to ask the people at Uberti to be sure.)

If it can take modern .45 Colt loads, and not just the balloon-head BP cowboy type loads, that would be a hell of a gun to give the "Blade Runner" treatment to. 

[seeker_two]

Edit: While not a "modern" design, Uberti does make some very nice repros of the Schofield top breaks with modern metallurgy and some appropriate beefing up in a few areas. I'm particularly partial to their 1875 Russian model which you can get in either .44 Russian or .45 Colt (which, I believe, can handle modern .45 Colt loadings, though you'd do well to ask the people at Uberti to be sure.)

No dice on the modern .45Colt loads....they're SAA/Cowboy loads only....and I'd love to have one in .357.... 

[Jamisjockey]

Moar wants:

Kel Tec sub in .45ACP that takes 1911 mags. 


AR 15 based subgun.  Not a modified mag well jobber, but an honest to goodness one built around say .45.  SBR, maybe 10", with a shorter buffer tube to allow for a shorter LOP adjustable stock.

[doczinn]

I'll second both of those, and an M9 in .45 ACP with a single-stack magazine.

[Viking]

Would it be possible from an engineering perspective to build a copy of the Webley in .44 Mag?
Or would it blow to pieces?

[RaspberrySurprise]

Would it be possible from an engineering perspective to build a copy of the Webley in .44 Mag?
Or would it blow to pieces?

You could probably do it, the top strap and locking mechanism would be rather large though to handle the pressure. If you didn't mind it being bigger than a regular 44mag revolver it's probably doable.

[AJ Dual]

Moar wants:

Kel Tec sub in .45ACP that takes 1911 mags. 


AR 15 based subgun.  Not a modified mag well jobber, but an honest to goodness one built around say .45.  SBR, maybe 10", with a shorter buffer tube to allow for a shorter LOP adjustable stock.

I've no idea who, or where to find it, but some guy on Arfcom had subgun AR lowers that narrowed down to fit the profile of the subgun mags only, not a .223 well with blocks in it etc. Looked really slick. I think it was a 7.62x25 job.

[MillCreek]

Bring back the stainless M6 survival rifle, please.

[Jamisjockey]

I've no idea who, or where to find it, but some guy on Arfcom had subgun AR lowers that narrowed down to fit the profile of the subgun mags only, not a .223 well with blocks in it etc. Looked really slick. I think it was a 7.62x25 job.

Closer.  But imagine the magwell being the appropriate size from top to bottom, front to back, side to side, to fit the magazine.  Maybe grease gun mags.  The bolt and bolt carrier would be shorter, since something like .45ACP is shorter than a .223. 

[kgbsquirrel]

Closer.  But imagine the magwell being the appropriate size from top to bottom, front to back, side to side, to fit the magazine.  Maybe grease gun mags.  The bolt and bolt carrier would be shorter, since something like .45ACP is shorter than a .223. 

One designed to take the Suomi KP/-31 36rd 9mm magazines would be nice. Those are well designed and very compact for what they hold.

[KD5NRH]

I'd like a single-stack concealable pistol in 5.7X28, with 1903 Colt styling.

How about just reviving the 1903 Colt, but offering it in some CC-friendly DuraCoated stainless, with a barrel and recoil spring kit to convert it to .25NAA for the .32ACP version and .32NAA for the .380?

It's a great little pistol for concealment, but the surviving 1903s are hard to find and prohibitively expensive, and I'm not sure how well the original frames would handle those NAA wildcats.