5 Guns I’d Demand If I Were King of the World

Also, Daylight Savings Time has been abolished and you may pull all of the tags from your mattresses and pillows. So saith I.

If you were King of the World, what new firearm models would you want to have? Which discontinued firearms would you demand be brought back to production? Join me for this stroll down the imagination of Mr. UnPewFessional and ask … would the XDMAN bring back the Grip Zone? (Short answer: That’s a no for me, Dawg. But there’s plenty more that King UnPewfessional would ordain!)

UnPewFessional Royal Decree: Colt Single-Actions

One of the first pistols I would bring back out from retirement would be the Colt .22 LR Peacemaker. I would love to see Colt get back into the single action market, like it says they’re doing on their website. (The .45 LC revolvers on the Colt site seem to be vaporware—I have not seen one available for years.) I know I can buy a .22 LR single action from other companies like Heritage Arms or Ruger, but actually owning an original Colt .22 LR Peacemaker just highlights how crazy the difference in quality. The new .22 LR single actions are made from pot metal cast pieces and seem like toys to me. My original Colt was machined from actual steel with a high-quality aluminum trigger guard. The weight combined with the fit and finish makes this single action seem like a fine watch. True a Heritage can be had for $125ish, but sometimes you want a work of art and craftsmanship you can pass on to the next generation.

UnPewFessional Royal Decree: Springfield Mini-14

I love the Ruger Mini-14, but Ruger is so set in its ways that I actually wish that Springfield Armory would produce this next firearm. I would specifically want an updated Mini-14. I am talking updating things like accuracy, threaded barrels, adjustable gas blocks, better optics mounting, etc. Indeed, King Me would update it to use AR-15 magazines—especially Magpul P-mags. Yes, Bill Ruger would spin in his grave, but that is the modern standard, sorry Bill. Using P-mags means that you can easily change the barrel for calibers like .300 Blackout. The threaded barrels means I can easily mount a suppressor, and I can adjust the gas to push the piston for subsonic loads. It would be a modern day ranch rifle, and it would sell like hot cakes only better.

UnPewFessional Royal Decree: Ruger Model 44 Deerslayer

Discontinued back in 1985, the Model 44 was a .44 Magnum caliber semi-auto rifle almost the same exact size as a 10/22 carbine. Originally known as the Deerslayer (until Ithaca had a problem with that), I could not imagine a better short range hunting rifle. Light and compact with ergonomics that don’t get in the way, with tons of stopping power.

One of the main reasons the Model 44 receiver was axed is that the receiver was machined from a solid billet of ordnance steel, so it was expensive to produce. Using today’s technology with faster automated CNC machining, Ruger could get that cost down without sacrificing quality … Ruger makes plenty of fully machined slides for their pistols already. I figure they can do the same with a rifle receiver.

UnPewFessional Royal Decree: Tec-9. Yes, you read that right.

I want the Tec-9 back. Yes I know the B&T P26 is a modern Tec-9, but I want a gun that is not pretentious. I am not going to pay H&K prices for a rebranded Tec-9; if I’m going to do that, I may as well just buy another MP5-style gun then. What I want is the old-school, stamped-steel, exposed-welds guns from the 80’s.

Of course, I would tweak it just a little bit and use a modern polymer blend for the frame to get rid of the weak mag-well. While we’re at it on the back end of the tube, let’s mount a Picatinny rail where we could easily add a brace or stock. (In my kingdom, there’s no such thing as a brace ban.) Adding a brace or stock would transform the Tec-9 into a pretty sweet pistol caliber carbine.

Of course we would want to be able to mount optics and the more modern 1/2×28 thread pitch for barrel threading. Suppressed, this Tec-9 would be a hoot to shoot. One last major change I would make is the magazines. Tec-9 magazines are hit or miss, instead I would want my Tec-9 to use the Colt SMG stick mags. You keep the high capacity and look, but with the added reliability. Colt SMG magazines are easier to find and cheaper to boot.

UnPewFessional Royal Decree: SilencerCO Maxim 50

I am sure glad I ordered my SilencerCO Maxim 50 when I did. It seemed like that as soon as it was released, they were then discontinued. What’s a Maxim 50, you ask? It was SilencerCo’s attempt at thumbing its nose at even the most restrictive states like California. The goal was to allow customers to enjoy shooting suppressed, with no background checks (4473), no fingerprints, no photos, and no tax stamps. Impossible? Nope, they did it by suppressing a .50-caliber muzzleloader. Muzzleloaders are not firearms and do not require a background check. Since it is not a firearm, SilencerCO can permanently attach a 50 caliber suppressor at the end of the barrel and it is classified as a moderator (muzzle brake).

The Maxim 50 Suppressor was so big that it was damn near the size of two soda cans stacked on top of each other. I remember the first time showing up at a muzzleloading competition and getting all kinds of weird looks and snickering. That is, until I shot it. The muzzle moderator cut down on over 2/3 of the smoke over a regular muzzleloader (remember muzzleloaders use blackpowder), and it was hearing safe on top of that.

The only drawbacks were the price—over a grand—and the expensive ammo. Because of the baffles in the suppressor, you could not use standard cheap sabot or wadded muzzleloading bullets. It required expensive solid bullets that ran around $40 per 10 rounds.

I have been immersed in the firearms industry for my whole adult life. For over 23 years my whole world has revolved around the freedoms afforded by the 2nd Amendment. In that time I have seen plenty of ideas and many guns and designs come and go. There are guns that I wished I would have jumped on, but in the back of my mind I always told myself: I can just buy it next month. Problem is, sometimes “next month” never came, and the gun I wanted was discontinued. So now I ask you the question, what would you bring back or what would you make that is new? Tell us in the comments!

James the “XDMAN” Mr. UnPewFesional Himself