A good blaster at my side

How about a change of pace? Instead of thinking about Statanic political cultists today, I’ll review a ridiculous gun that I own and love.

This is the Canto Arms Blastech DL-15 (Nocturne 22). An AR-15-derived Han Solo blaster in .22 LR.

I discovered the company a few years ago after seeing someone else's "Han Solo blaster" build on YouTube. I caught the name of the company where he bought some of his parts. I looked them up immediately and liked what I saw- they had whole guns, not just parts! The prices were out of my reach, but then (actually, several months later) I had a thought.

This is the only firearm I've ever bought directly with Bitcoin; after I wrote to the company to ask if they accepted Bitcoin yet. They didn't, so I told them that I was ready to purchase the minute they did. Within a week or so, they emailed and said they now accepted Bitcoin. So I bought one, and the accessories I wanted, as soon as I saw their email.

I've never regretted it.

I really enjoy shooting this blaster. It's very accurate, and the scope is dead-on. It takes a little practice getting used to shooting with an offset scope, but I've adjusted well.

The only potential drawback is its weight. It weighs around 3.5 pounds and can get a little heavy after a few magazines. (It inspired me to spend time holding a 5 lb weight at arms' length while watching TV at night.) 

The magazines hold 10 rounds. I wish they were flush-fitting- I'll keep watching for any flush-fitting (10-round or higher capacity) .22 LR magazines to be offered. Or invented for sale. I also have a 25-round magazine for the range.

My only other wish is that someone made 75% scale AR lowers that they could have used for the platform, as this would reduce the weight and make the size more movie-correct and handleable. But those aren't deal-breakers at all. Using what's available is very sci-fi/fantasy.

The blaster has been completely reliable. The only problem I ever had was a few misfires when shooting some antique (rough brown) .22 LR that had been passed down to me from my grandfathers. Or maybe great-grandfathers. I don't blame the blaster for that. (I still have some of that ammo left.)

I "weathered" it with some sandpaper (I wouldn't normally do such a thing, but... Star Wars!) and some "steel" paint on the magazines. I also swapped out the flat trigger guard for a "curved" one. I may swap that out again for one a little less curved, as I think I went overboard- we'll see.

Whenever I take it to the range, if anyone else is there shooting, they always comment that they love it. Usually, they want a closer look at it and ask questions about it. A couple of years ago, I took it to the range as a birthday treat for myself. Alone, but that just made it more relaxing. That was a great day.

So, of course, I made a holster for it. (It attaches to my belt's D-rings)

I also made some magazine holsters to clip on my belt:

Canto has other Star Wars-inspired firearms. There are also other companies making their own versions of AR-based DL-44s, but none I like as much as the ones from Canto Arms. Some companies have gone overboard on the "weathering", in my opinion. That's clearly subjective.

Would I ever use this for a defensive firearm? Not unless it was an emergency and I had no other choice. It's .22 LR. But I love having it and shooting it, and that's what matters.

No, Canto Arms didn't pay me for this review, or know anything about it. Probably don't remember who I am, unless the Bitcoin thing made an impression. But they seemed like nice people to deal with, and I like their products.

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How about some bonus photos?

I have trouble doing photography in this house. Here’s how it usually goes:

Life with cats.
That's Bug getting involved with the photo shoot. He's also the one most likely to interrupt my indoor range sessions with the Barra Schofield and the SixNeedler. Maybe he likes guns, too.

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Thank you for reading.
Tips are nice.