Mousegun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mousegun is most often considered a category of small revolver, or semi-automatic handgun intended for self defense; typically such small pistols are of 9 mm caliber or less. Compared to so-called "Saturday night specials" mouseguns tend to be of significantly higher quality and cost. A mousegun, for this use of the term, is essentially a high-quality pocket pistol. The key factor for pistols considered to be mouseguns is not the caliber, but rather the size of the pistol, in determining whether any particular pistol is considered a mousegun.
Similarly, another use of the term mousegun is for any long gun or rifle firing a much smaller mass bullet, although often at higher velocity, than has historically been the practice. These long guns are generally not intended or designed for concealed carry. In contrast to the practice for pistols, the key factor for long guns in being considered to be mouse guns is the caliber and not the size of the long gun.
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[edit] Terminology
Among mousegun users, the term mousegun itself is not usually considered to be pejorative.
It should be mentioned that those who favor larger, heavier handguns (not necessarily of larger caliber) do often use the term mousegun for any small caliber firearm in a disparaging way, generally for guns they see as intended for use in a military or self defense role where power should be considered more important.
Among those who prefer larger, heavier guns, the term mousegun is sometimes applied to junk guns, especially those in .22 Long Rifle or .25 ACP, but is also often applied to any firearm considered "underpowered", such as the .223 caliber (5.56 mm) AR-15, when discussed by fans of main battle rifles in .308 caliber (7.62 mm) such as used by the M-14.
Among those who prefer larger, heavier guns, it is noteworthy to realize that .22 caliber pistols (and even rifles) that are intended for target shooting, plinking, or small game hunting are not considered mouseguns. In this usage, there is widespread agreement, even among those who favor the use of mouseguns for use in deeply-concealed carry; full-size handguns and rifles, despite firing small caliber bullets, are not mouseguns.
[edit] Pistol mouseguns
In order to create a mousegun (i.e., pistol) so small, engineering compromises need to be made, and many such mouseguns lack features such as slide stops and external safeties, and few function quite as reliably as refined, full-size designs such as the M1911. The small size and mass of the pistol, and low energy of the cartridge, also can make functioning of semi-automatic versions less reliable. With the short sight radius, and low-profile, snag-resistant iron sights, which are required for meeting the needs for a deeply-concealed handgun, these guns are also difficult to shoot accurately over longer distances.
Still, for the intended self-defense application, over distances of only 3-7 yards (3-7 m), they can serve admirably. Despite the marginal power, many people carry mouseguns for defense, on the theory that a weak pistol you carry is far better than a powerful gun you don't. A mousegun is often the gun carried when one is carrying a deeply-concealed handgun, or it is the gun carried when one is ostensibly, by all appearances, not carrying. Additionally, the engineering required to build such a small handgun is admired by many, and there are thus many people who enjoy collecting and shooting mouseguns.
Examples of such mouseguns include the NAA Guardian and Mini Revolvers (such as the Black Widow), the Kel-Tec P-32 (.32 caliber) and P3-AT (.380 caliber), and the Beretta Bobcat (.22 or .25 caliber), Jetfire (.25 caliber), and Tomcat (.32 caliber). Slightly larger 9 mm mouseguns, still under 16 ounces in weight, and very small in size, include the Kel-Tec P11 and PF-9, the Smith and Wesson PC 945 Micro, Kahr PM9, and the Rohrbaugh R9. The Rohrbaugh R9 is currently the smallest 9 mm pistol on the market, replacing the Kel-Tec P11 which formerly held that distinction (although this may be debatable with the introduction of the Kel-Tec PF-9; some clarifiaction is required). All of these mouseguns conceal especially well. Mousegun-pistols using .45 exist too, examples are the [[Para-ordenance p6.45 and p10.45. When firing these weapons, one should however expect quite a kick due to its high power/weight ratio.
In general, law enforcement use of mouseguns typically result in choosing either the 380 ACP or 9 mm, depending on the rules set by each department for backup guns; often, the requirement is that the backup gun has to be in the same caliber as the main service pistol for ammunition compatibility.
[edit] Revolver mouseguns
Revolver mouseguns exist too. Examples are the Smith & Wesson Model 37 Airweight, Model 340 Airlight scandium.
[edit] Rifle mouseguns
The late Jeff Cooper may not have been the first to refer to the AR-15 as a mousegun, but he was probably the most influential. The new 5.56x45 mm round it used was far less powerful than the 7.62x51 mm round it replaced, and the new, less massive, round lost much of the energy it had upon penetrating even light leaves or grass. While there was significant reason for the new, smaller caliber (see Project SALVO), many people both in and out of the military considered it a bad decision. Bad or not, most NATO and other Western militaries have adopted the 5.56x45 mm, and even the Soviet Bloc nations switched to a small caliber round for their AK-74 assault rifle, the 5.45x39 mm.
Examples of such mouseguns include the civilian AR-15 and the military M-16, which are the rifles most often considered mouseguns, though the term can also be applied to any other .22 caliber or smaller military rifle.
[edit] Historical perspective
Particularly small and high-quality examples, such as the Seecamp LWS 32 .32 ACP pistol, formerly commanded prices significantly higher than its US$600 retail. During the mid 1990s, demand so far exceeded supply that contracts for guns were sold up to two years before the guns themselves were produced, and the guns themselves were then often selling for as much as US$1000 when they actually arrived, if re-sold.
Since roughly 1995, however, there has been considerable erosion in these high mousegun prices, no doubt a result of Kel-Tec starting to produce a 9 mm mousegun, the P11, then a .32 ACP P-32, and then a P3-AT (.380 ACP), all of which were priced at roughly half the price of the Seecamp 32, while packaged in much the same size.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Mouseguns.com
- The Gun Zone article on the .223 Remington.
