All of you who didn’t know if you’d make it to 2017, the answer’s in (one way or another). We’re still behind on setting up yesterday’s movie review, of a modern classic that’s a great, exciting film despite no explosions at all, no dual wielding whilst leaping, no machine guns, only one drably realistic car chase, and a really offbeat setting. But apart from that, we’re feeling pretty good today.
Yeah, we were sleeping when 2017 arrived here. The days of stay up till you can’t stand up are behind us.
But prior to Z o’clock, yesterday was a good day with most of the left wingtip going on the wing of the plane, despite a slight miscalculation with an aviation tool called an edge breaker that creased one of the panels. (Still learning the ins and outs of paintless dent repair tools and, the important part, techniques).
State of Weaponsman
We are pleased to note that this day marks five years of continuous publication here at WeaponsMan.com, and that every day of 2016 (as in the immediately preceding years) we posted something for you, our dear reader.
We also note with pride that we had more readers and commenters last year than ever before. The numbers still need some crunching, but we believe we ended 2015 with 2.1 million visitors (2,108,544 to be specific), and were hoping for 10% growth (to 2.32M) in 2016, but were rewarded instead with nearly 2.5 million (2,493,821, but that doesn’t count two periods of stats-system outage, dinging September and November numbers). That’s about 18% growth. And the trendlines (the thin black lines, showing the linear trend for the blue ’15 data and the red ’16) show steady growth.
Now, in comments, we also saw steady growth. We had over 25,000 comments this year(!) which meant we averaged about 485 a week, and as the chart shows, the number grew steadily.
Two years ago in 2014, it was a big deal to get 200 comments in a week… most weeks, we didn’t. And we remember the excitement of the first time we had ten comments in a post, back in 2012. Was that so long ago?
Small Dog MkII says hey. He is not loving his holiday haircut.
We tell the groomer not to poodle him all up, but she says she can’t resist some degree of poodlification. He can scarcely show his face to the corgi across the street now. He does like the Bismarck mustachios.
After months together, he finally growled and snarled at Your Humble Blogger. It was amazing because he’s a very placid dog and only growled once before (at one an old commo man’s two German Shepherds, when they were too insistent on PLAY! at first introduction). He’s never shown food guarding or aggression but found something he’ll fight (or at least threaten) for. The occasion? He was enjoying one of his Christmas treats, a rawhide chewy called Exer-Hides, and we made it a tug-of-war item with the little guy. He was not giving up his Exer-Hide.
We didn’t push it. One dog-related medevac is enough for a lifetime.
We’re not really sure what 2017 holds, except for the certainty that you’ll see more stuff here at the blog, and Your Humble Blogger’s byline elsewhere, too. Our hope is that you all see peace and prosperity if it is possible… and victory and prosperity if it is not.
2017 Predictions:
- A couple of AR makers fold. This is trumpeted as the End of the Gun Market by media that wish ill to the gun culture. It’s really just normal markets at saturation punishing inefficient or undifferentiated competitors.
- Sales growth continues. The same media don’t notice. The manufacturers and dealers do, and grow because they’re bringing new people in, not fighting for decimal points of a fixed market share.
- With collectors pricing originals into the stratosphere, we’ll see more quality reissues or reproductions of historic firearms. This will actually increase the value of the originals, as the repros bring out a new and larger generation of fans, the best heeled of whom decide to own the original — and get into bidding wars. Meanwhile, limited-run repros become collectors’ items in their own right.
- At least two states add Constitutional Carry options for their citizens, bringing the total to 13. The media predict crime waves. They are crestfallen when crime doesn’t wave.
- National reciprocity begins to be discussed in Washington. It won’t pass yet, because of feeble, wobbly Republicans — especially leaders — in both houses.
- Scalia was replaced by a solid-on-rights Justice. Another opportunity could arise as soon as this year. But the real hay to be made is in the lower courts, especially on the appeals circuits, where there are many vacancies.
- Defeated at the Federal level and in most state legislatures, Bloomberg, Soros, etc., and their professional staffers like Gun Ban Barbie, focus on initiative petitions and a media campaign. They succeed in raising their support in California, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey from 100% to 110%.
- Not everybody will be happy with what is revealed by a ground-up review of the enervated military and the seven or so ill-managed wars (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen) that President Peace Prize bequeaths his successor. Some of those wars have to end, and the opportunity to end them on favorable terms has already been squandered.
- Fewer cases with some crumb who committed some unspeakable barbarity after dozen-plus deportations and removals.
- After not reporting on American casualties for eight years, the press suddenly rediscovers their Bush-era “grim milestone” and “bereaved children” standing headlines. (Wait, we’re already late; the Washington Post is already starting). The media’s wheels will keep spinning ever faster, even as it loses more traction.
Kevin was a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill Qualification Indicator of S). His focus was on weapons: their history, effects and employment. He started WeaponsMan.com in 2011 and operated it until he passed away in 2017. His work is being preserved here at the request of his family.
77 thoughts on “Sunday ’17 — WeaponsMan Turns 5”
Thank you for all the work.
The only good news out of California is that there was a record number of gun sales in 2016 which seems to contradict the propaganda put out in this one-party state.
It would be REALLY NICE to have two political parties here but there’s no incentive when incumbents are guaranteed reelection.
It would be nice if all those people voted and were politically active.
Tom all I can say is leave the Peoples Republic and move to a state that’s still the home of the free and the brave.
Keith, I’m divorced and have a minor child who I am not going to leave in the sole custody of her mother. Otherwise I’d have been gone years ago.
And where will someone run when Option B turns blue?
They’ll be dead by then.
The typical middle-class citizen of 1900’s, if transplanted into the present day, would be a dangerous right-wing extremist.
Left politics are politics of the outwardly nice people, and paint the other side as evil and cruel.
You can’t win a fair fight against them, therefore, they will continue to advance until the denial of reality ushers in anarchy, chaos, and demand for order even at the cost of seeming to be evil.
“After not reporting on American casualties for eight years, the press suddenly rediscovers their Bush-era “grim milestone” and “bereaved children” standing headlines.”
It was like an off switch. More than anything else, it was a absolute confirmation of a totally amoral corrupt media alignment with the Democrats. How quickly “moral” concerns can vanish. Those media scum are lower than congressmen, lower than lawyers, lower than welfare queens and criminal barbarians. Those POS are so despicable, comparison to any living thing including intestinal parasites insults the example. They are toxic waste.
We’re about to hear about record homelessness, unemployment, underemployment, and how our low interest rates are causing granny to eat cat food because her CDs don’t earn anything. It’ll be marvelous to hear what they’ve been covering (with a pillow) for the last eight years.
The media are doing a disservice to the public by crying wolf on everything Trump does, which will cause people to ignore when them when there really is something going on of major concern.
This video is extremely relevant today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE4oZ6F-gQM
Raven,
This nothing new. It was the same with the “anti-war” crowd during VN.
They were not anti-war, they were anti-U.S. J.F. Kerry and Walter Cronkite are of a type.
The media is a fifth column. Nothing less.
I am happy that I discovered your blog in late ’14 and I religiously turn to your website daily (usually multiple times as you post so much). You can thank Ian at forgotten weapons for the discovery! I am amazed at the quality of such a high quantity of material. Outstanding work – I look forward to more good articles in ’17.
Same here. came through forgottenweapons some yearsago and now I have two favourite gun blogs since.
congratulations hognose! if it keeps growing you will have to hire staff to sort through the comments. 😉
happy new year everyone!
Congrats, this blog is definite pleasure to read for the gun tech and history related items. I look forward to more of them especially of the xm248 variety.
I could definitely go for some more replica firearms. I could go for a new johnson that I wouldn’t feel bad shooting. Maybe one of the early toggle lock rifles, hopefully with advances in Engineering we well see some of these come back.
Dang, the years fly by. I stumbled on this blog by accident a year or two ago, but what a happy accident it was. Best weapons blog on the Interwebs by far, and I get a lot of entertainment even from the non-gun posts. Happy New Year and many more years of continued success to Hognose and weaponsman.com.
And all the best for YHB in 2017. You’ve informed and entertained me for more than a year.
Thanks Your Humble (Who shouldn’t be Humble at all) Blogger.
You earned your status.
And thanks from a random commenter.
Swampy the far from Small dog agrees with me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjvWo9x4CTk
I stop by regularly. Just wanted to say thanks for writing.
This could be an absolutely fantastic year, here,
and in our Country. Just remember to keep a go- bag packed and your powder dry in case it ain’t.
congratulations and many thanks.
Congratulations and and a big Thank You for all the information over the years
Will have to try the new CA ammo laws tomorrow
Shame about loosing all the standard capacity mags in that boating incident off the coast last week…
lucky me.
i have never owned any, so i didn’t need to borrow a boat.
😎
The ammo laws won’t kick in until next summer.
Hognose, As you know I’m a F.O.G. from the 20th SFG(A) in Mississippi, currently living in Alabama. I started reading your blog in December (Warning Order), 2011. I think I have read each and every post and most of the comments. Some were more interesting to me than others but that is subjective and my personal taste in subjects. Plus, there is an intelligent group of regular commenters who add to “Weaponsman”. The driving force is of course you, Hognose. You have a deep, well researched, library of knowledge and a lot of curiosity about the articles you post. I know it is a tremendous body of work. A tip of the “OLD” Beret to you. May 2017 be the greatest year yet not only for you and us but for the USA. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thanks for all you do here.
Congratulations.
I look forward to reading your blog for the last couple of years. Thanks and keep up the good work in 2017.
I think I spend more time here than I do my own website
Congrats on the success Hognose.
Happy New-Year to you and all the readers and commenters.
Happy New Year to all!
Thanks for letting us benefit from your hard work. I also found this blog through Ian’s and like Bill T. mentioned above think I have read every post and comment since. Great info,great topics.All the best to you and yours in 2017.
We will be turning 5 years old this Feb. as well. I did not realize we started out websites the same year.
Sadly I can’t give any stats on commenters over at looseorunds since I had to turn off comments on most of the posts after the combination of the NY Times linking to us, and the now infamous M14 article. Between the insults and death threats from anti-gun kooks and the insults and threats from M14 boys, It just got tiresome to bother.
Congrats and happy new year.
sitting alone in front of a keyboard turns out the worst in many people. sadly when sites stay relatively small and only interested people show up you get respectable behaviour, good discussion and everything. When a certain threshold of participants is reached it very often goes to shit. I hope weaponsman.com will be spared this fate.
anti-gunners making death threats has a certain irony to it, but is most probably lost on them. And I am now off to reading this M14 article. Must be good when it creates such an echo.
The M14 article is an excellent read and as always the comments must be read as well. Well worth the time to find it.
I found a combination of two antispam plugins that works on one plague of comment sections. The other I just haven’t had to deal with. I’ve banned exactly one commenter, and I unbanned him because he sometimes makes positive contributions, but I frequently dump posts of his that are antisemitic or racist (not raaaaacist! with five a’s and an exclamation point, in the 21st Century everyone is raaaaacist! for 15 minutes) into the bit bucket.
While I enjoy your work, the comments are sometimes the most interesting.
I couldn’t agree more!
I keep coming back for Kurt’s rants
Happy New Year! I discovered WeaponsMan through looserounds’ aforementioned M14 article, which I think linked me to WeaponsMan or vice versa. Either way, I didn’t get too much done that day. I recall being surprised at the quality of the discussion in the comments section. There was a wealth of information being dispensed from Hognose, Kirk, and many others whose names I can’t recall. Now, WeaponsMan is deeply entrenched as an at least once day and often more habit.
Hognose, Thanks for the constant quality content. May there be many more years for you and the blog!
As the site’s popularity grows I hope that it remains unchanged. Thank you.
hey Hognose!
your blog got on a “Best Of 2016” list by Doug Ross (link in nick)
there are even award badges for you to poast… (scroll down to the bottom)
Wow, that’s twice! I was best of 2015 too. Thanks, Doug, the check is in the mail! (Just kidding about that, I had no idea he was going to honor us again).
My daily read even on vacation. Always interesting and never boring in both the posts and comments. Thank you for what you do!
something to add to the 2017 prediction list:
the 9th Circus, fearing yet another public dressing down and rebuke from the new & yugely improved SCOTUS, overturns one or moar #Failifornia jun laws as unconstitutional.
if anything, the one banning purchase of ammo out of state by residents is facially illegal, since states can’t prohibit interstate commerce. the only reason it might not come up this year is that, IIRC, it doesn’t take effect until 2018.
hey, a feller can hope, right?
😉
“…gun laws…”
st00pid fingers.
(and i was s*ber at the time, moars the pity)
Been reading and commenting daily for the last two years. Thank you Hognose. You certainly have the most intelligent comments section on the net.
Got out 31 Dec. 10 years and 80 percent disability. Think I’m gonna buy me a boat.
Congratulations… on the retirement, if not the disability. Best wishes for the year ahead!
I hope you will be blessed with all that you need to continue your variatious contributions to your part of the free, rational, and mostly civil society. If nothiing else, Small Dog is depending on you! (Though he may never completely forgive that hair cut.)
With you permission, I shall continue to visit here frequently to learn and be entertained.
May your quill be eversharp.
For our esteemed host, the Serene Master of Weaponology, many thanks for these past years and best wishes for the coming one.
Wafa Wafa, Wasara Wasara.
Happy New Year! I just found you this year, sorry now that I can’t remember how. Thanks for everything you do here. I have a less than obsessive interest in Czech firearms, but I’ll be picking up a copy of your opus when it hits print.
I can still remember reading my dear ol’ Dad’s copy of “The Savage Day” by Jack Higgins wherin our hero refers to the bulbous barrel of his purpose built silenced Ceska pistol. I still am not sure what gun exactly he was talking about, but I’m sure I’ll know after I get your book!
Thanks again
As a longtime Higgins fan, his weapons ID is often flaky (as is common with British and Irish authors who can’t just go shoot the weapons their characters might use), but he’s probably referring to the suppressed Pistole Mod. 27 made for the Germans at the very end of the war. The silencer was detachable. I was *this close* to one at auction last year, but, alas, so was a fellow who valued it more than I could justify spending. I hope he’s enjoying it.
Of the three runs of the CZ 27 (prewar Czech, postwar Czech, and occupation German) the German ones accounted for the vast majority, but the silencer-ready jobs were only made late in the war. A good 10,000 were made, making it (say) a third as common as a Johnson 1941 and twice as common as a Czech Brno Mannlicher M95… but the rate of survival (in legal commerce, at least) was very low.
In THE SAVAGE DAY, the hero fires three silenced weapons: a Sten MKIIS, a Chinese Type 64, with integral silencer, which his boss tries on a target range and comments “Get yourself a decent gun” calling the Type 64 a “load of Hong Kong rubbish.”
Our hero asks his Weaponsman for, quote:
‘What about a Mauser 7.63 mm Model 1932 with the bulbous silencer? The kind they manufactured for German counter-intelligence during the second war. There must still be one or two around?’
‘Why not ask me for the gold from my teeth while you’re about it? It’s impossible. Where will I find such a thing these days?’
However, he does get his hands on one, and is able to fire it with great effect-and of course in dead silence.
Hmm. Here is a Mauser 1932 (alas, without the “bulbous silencer.”) Some were used in WWII mostly by police, SS and collaborationist forces, but I’ve never seen a suppressed one.
http://jamesdjulia.com/item/lot-1020-rare-german-mauser-model-1932-schnellfeuer-machine-pistol-33460/
Still, Higgins is head and shoulders above many of his competitors in the 1960s-70s spy-action genre, in that he names real, actual guns instead of giving his shooters the “Spandau poison dart pistol” or suchlike.
I was just coming back to correct myself. Now I have to find out in which Higgins book the “Ceska” was mentioned. Sigh. Just goes to show what a resource this blog is. Our erudite host is equalled only by his commentariat. Thanks to you both for your trouble and have a happy and prosperous 2017.
And I am still going to buy the book.
Google says a Ceska appears in A PRAYER FOR THE DYING, and probably SOLO, and CONFESSIONAL.
I could speculate that it was probably the 27 rather than the DAO 38, because of the protruding barrel, but remember, it’s a product of Higgins imagination and whatever reference books he had.
Happy New Year and many thanks for the blog.
Your content always enriches, whether it’s with top-quality information, a humorous story, or incisive opinion. I hope 2017 brings you and the country only good things, and that this wonderful site continues to grow and prosper without losing that special something that makes it what it is.
God bless.
Congratulations on 5 years and counting. I stop in every day because I always enjoyed what you added to the SF-List. Though I no longer participate on the list due to what I thought were some onerous rule making by the whacker, I stay in the loop on what’s happening with our Minority Group™ here, Professional Soldiers, and the Brothers on FB.
Mazel tov!
Many happy returns of the day.
And all that.
The time expended and expertise & illumination you bring on a(n ever growing) number of subjects is enjoyed and appreciated.
This is why on any number of articles, we just sit and gawp in amazement.
Many thanks.
My two cents….. This is a top five blog of all kinds.
Keep it my friend. It keeps me sane most days.
A daily read for me. I echo the comments about the commenters that add to the contents.
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Congratulations on the milestones — and thanks for all that you do.
Best wishes for 2017!
Congratulations, thank you, and happy new year!
If I had a million dollars to risk, I’d take it to Moravia and Brescia with a Borchardt. With modern tech someone could make a thousand decent reproductions (in .30 Luger) for well under $1000 apiece FOB USA, and at $1200 they would sell out in a week. From-the-ground-up dummies for the disarmed world for half that would be a significant garnish profit.
Repeat with the Savage .45, .45 Luger, Webley Fosbery, and others to taste.
(I would have said 1905 and 1900 Colts, but the safety problems are too much risk.)
Congrats!
Quality eventually finds it’s way to the top. This blog over the past year has become one of my top 5 go to blogs.
Happy New Year, may The Lord bless and keep you and yours; and thanks for the outstanding blog.
Dog related medevac? Do tell!
Thank you for the good work. I look forward to more in the coming year(s).
Congratulations and many thanks Hognose. This blog is my daily go to, the wealth of information from both the posts and comments is very much appreciated.
Great blog. It’s one of my daily reads. I have some suggestions for posts mostly surrounding CZ pistols as you and some other content creators have piqued an interest in them for me. I’ll have to email them sometime.
Eric, I’ll drop you a line. As you probably know, I collect Czech pistols and one is my three-season EDC.
Just wanted to say thanks for all the work you put in to the blog, and congrats on the five year mark. This is one of my favorite blogs.
A bit late to the party, but the congratulations and success are certainly deserved.
Looking forward to 2017.
Congratulations on 5 years!
This is a daily stop for me. The history and movie posts are my favorites. But I’ve lost track of the many times some subject that I had thought would hold no interest for me was illuminated in such a way as to leave me wanting to read more.
Blogs, be they political or military or firearms centric are a dime a dozen; this is one of the best. Not only because of your knowledge but because you can turn a phrase (many times, in a very humorous fashion) like few I’ve read.
Congrats Weapons man,thanks for all you do and thanks to your family including the dog/airplane ect. who have a few moments less of your time when working here,hope for many successful future years here for the blog,you and your family and all here,and well, for the country,and the hell with it ,the world!
Thanks for all of it. Probably landed here through Aesop. Nothing new to add, just noting the information provided is fascinating and the commentary intriguing. Again, thank all of you.
Don’t get too excited.
493,288 of those hits were me. Mouse got stuck on “Auto.” Sorry.
(Most gun sites seem to have turned into marketing sites. Thankfully, not yours.)
Ah, yeah, the old “runaway mouse” story. ATF Firearms Technology Branch assesses that your computer mouse is an illegal, unregistered machine rodent.
Seriously, thanks to you (and not just you, Bobby, but the whole gang) for reading and commenting. Much appreciated.
I’m on vacation on a tropical island in the South Pacific, but I have to check Weaponsman every day.
I came here maybe two years ago via the guys at BreachBangClear, and instantly thought that Hognose and the other contributors were my kinda people. I come here every day now….wouldn’t miss it for quids!
Thanks Hognose, and thanks everyone else for making WM such compelling, and often “snort soda out the nose” reading. Best wishes for 2017 y’all.
Congratulations from another guy on the internet.
I’m amazed at the quality and quantity here and really appreciate the effort, consistency and generosity that goes into making that happen. Thank you. Happy New Year!
It sez “74” at the top, so I might as well make it 75! Thanks for all the free ice cream, K.
I forget where I found ya – might have been PS.com or maybe Tam, but it doesn’t matter – when we’re in port and have Internet, you’re on my daily list, reminding me why 05B guys need 11Bs & Fs around 🙂
Happy New Year! and I’m looking forward to 2017 more than I ever thought I would 🙂
Also late to the party here, but thanks for the dedication in cranking out great stuff day after day, year after year. Been reading you daily since finding the blog during a slow Gitmo deployment two years ago. Your work is almost uniformly excellent, but the more SF, UW, and fieldcraft posts the better, IMHO. Ditto for whatever soldiers call sea stories (SF cars post a couple weeks ago was hilarious). We gonna be able to pay you back by buying your book soon?