I used some of my Christmas money to buy a CO2 air gun called a SixNeedler. I had wanted one ever since Jörg Sprave started talking about designing it, and eventually offering it for sale, on his YouTube channel.
I'm always thinking ahead, considering possible future situations where conventional ammo (or its components) might become unavailable or prohibited, and alternatives become important. Plus, I like having options. Especially options you can buy online and have shipped directly to your house without "Imperial entanglements". That's always useful.
This is one air gun I would actually consider carrying for defense under certain conditions. I don't say that lightly, as I have firearms I wouldn't consider carrying for defense, even if I like them.
This gun feels real. It has a metal frame (aluminum?) and a solid polymer cylinder and grip. It even has a metal trigger and trigger guard! The whole thing is solid and has heft. It seems to be well-made. Also, it's black, not blue like the photo may suggest.
Unlike the other airguns I have, the SixNeedler is a serious tool. It shoots blowgun darts or "needles" rather than BBs or pellets. While they don't have the stopping power or foot-pounds of .44 Magnum, you do not want to get hit with one. They will not simply bounce off.
It's a "top break" much like a Schofield, but without an extractor popping anything out, because there's nothing to extract.
I've shot several cylinders-full already. It is double-action/single-action. Pretty easy to shoot. The grip angle is something to get accustomed to, but not a problem. The grip shape, I'll discuss below.
My target is a cardboard box filled with layers of cardboard, fortified with stacks of newspaper every several layers. The needles are penetrating an average of 2.5 to 3.5 inches, and they are stuck in the newspaper layers hard; they must be removed with pliers (don't damage them, since they are reusable!) I've watched videos where they are going through clothing, skin, ballistic gel, and cow leg bone.
It's fairly accurate- although I'm shooting at short, indoor ranges (across my library room/office- about 4 yards is all). If I brace the gun in place, removing the randomness of hand movement, most shots hit in about a 1.5" group, but there are some flyers that will hit a few inches from the point of aim. It's definitely accurate enough for defensive distance shooting.
The only negative I've found is the grip shape and size. It's got a squarish cross-section and is a bit large for my hands. If I hold it with the (oversized, in my opinion) grip cover (which encloses the CO2 cartridge in the grip) removed, it feels less awkward and almost more comfortable. Of course, there's no recoil, so the grip is not going to hurt your hand while you shoot, regardless of the grip design.
I did write the company and suggest they offer differently sized/shaped grip covers, and they said they will take it under advisement for any updates. I hope they do it, and I hope they offer additional grips for sale separately.
I did write the company and suggest they offer differently sized/shaped grip covers, and they said they will take it under advisement for any updates. I hope they do it, and I hope they offer additional grips for sale separately.
All in all, I really like it. It's sci-fi enough to appeal to that side of me. It's dangerous enough that it could be used defensively, and that appeals to my prepper side. It's different, cool-looking, and it works as advertised. It's also not terribly expensive. I think you should consider adding one to your collection. Then tell me what you think.
I'm even thinking about making a leather holster for my SixNeedler, if that means anything.
This isn't a paid review or anything. Like my review of the Barra Schofield, it's just me sharing my thoughts, experiences, and opinions. There are no affiliate links, and I get nothing if you buy one, click on anything, or whatever else people do to pay reviewers for reviewing products.
Here are a couple of videos of me shooting it, single action and double action, in my library/office:
Wow ... I want that. But on a little bit of searching, I haven't found anywhere that I can buy it with cryptocurrency.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I've only found one gun company that has let me buy directly with crypto: https://cantoarms.com/
DeleteWhich is kind of fitting.
I’ve tried various CO2 guns in the past. The thing I like about air guns is that they are quiet and as you mentioned they don’t have any recoil. They seem to work fine at first. But one pf the problems that I’ve had with them over time is that if you leave a cartridge in the gun so it is usable on a moment’s notice, either the seal will go bad or the CO2 will leak out. Also, changing the CO2 cartridges can be a pain, and you don’t seem to get very many shots from a cartridge and when you add in the cost of the cartridges, it doesn’t work out to be as cheaply as you think it will. I’d be interested in your opinion after a few months with it.
ReplyDeleteYes, leaving a cartridge in the gun, ready to shoot, wears out the seals. That's an unfortunate problem. (They do include a new set of seals with this gun.)
DeleteYou could keep the cartridge in place, but wait until you go into Condition Orange to pierce it. That wouldn't take long, but wouldn't be as fast as simply drawing and firing once you're in Condition Red.
The only situation where I would carry a gun like this for defense would be one where I would just go ahead and pierce the cartridge and then remove and replace it when I got back home. The cartridges seem to cost around $0.75 each locally, so it's not a huge expense- unless you use it this way every day.
I have only used one cartridge so far. I got about 60 shots from it before quitting, and didn't notice any loss of power before I stopped and bled it empty. But, since the loss of power usually happens gradually, sometimes it goes unnoticed. Somewhere, I think I had read to expect about 50 shots per cartridge. Even a .22 long rifle will cost $4 or so for 50 shots. So it's still a deal. Unless the seals fail frequently, of course. We'll see.
I don't have much experience with CO2 guns. I do have a Daisy Powerline CO2 gun that I kind of inherited. I haven't shot it in years. I did dig it out a couple of days ago and it had a cartridge stuck in its grip- it took some tapping to get it out. So it was put up with a cartridge in it, and the seals may well be gone. I seem to remember it being pretty weak.
Yeah, the bleeding out / blowing seals thing is a concern. Watching the video for this particular gun, it looks like Kent's "pierce the cartridge at condition orange" (or earlier if you see anything developing in the wrong direction) makes sense.
ReplyDeleteIf I was carrying a CO2 pistol while out and about for potential self-defense purposes, I'd go ahead and pierce the cartridge before it went in my holster. Once I was home safe, I'd probably take some target practice just because I don't like wasting stuff, then install a new cartridge and store the weapon with the cartridge unpierced.
Every kind of weapon has its pluses and minuses, and its better and worse use cases. I think this one comes with more pluses than minuses.
I think that as well. It wouldn't be a good fit for concealed carry (not the way I do it), but I can definitely see some situations where it would make sense for open carry. (Maybe I need to work on that holster.) I'm glad I bought it.
DeleteYeah, if I was carrying concealed, I go ahead and pack a "real firearm."
DeleteFor OPEN carry, this thing looks big and bad enough that it would likely serve the purpose of making evildoers just look for someone else to mess with, though.
Kent, there is no need to ask readers to excuse your "clutter". Dammit, it's YOUR clutter!
ReplyDeleteHowever, a warning. It looks very much as if you have a large number of BOOKS lining your walls, on shelves. Don't you realize the danger you are in? Montag might see this!
While I've switched to electronic books for the most part (reduces my OWN clutter), I still have a couple thousand, most of them packed away in the recent move. My personal preference is to line as many outside walls as possible with full bookshelves, on the theory that it's additional insulation and should save on heating and cooling costs. My wife seems to disagree and likes the bookshelves on interior walls. I guess that put there, they reduce interior noise between rooms ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned at my blog, I just ordered the SixNeedler. Thanks to Kent for calling it to my attention!