Author: Grumpy
This is more a work of Art than a Rifle. But none the less I really like it a lot. Which is why I picked it for Gun of the Week. Hopefully you will agree with me!
Grumpy

























Damascus steel or W.T.F.I.T. ?
This is one of the earliest and most beautiful steels made by man. Here is it’s story below:
Don't Underestimate the . 30 – 30
Gratuitous Gun Pic: FN-FAL
So now that the Gummint has admitted that small-caliber guns are not “military” equipment, I think it’s time to look at a couple decent “civilian” rifles, which I will do here, and again over the next few days or so.
Everyone has written or is writing about the Usual Suspects (AR-15, AK-47 etc.), so I’ll look at what I think are viable alternatives.
Here, for example, is the SA-58 line in the manly 7.62x52mm NATO caliber from DSArms:

This should trigger all sorts of memories among men Of A Certain Age who served with it as the FN-FAL in various European armies during the mid-20th century period. As the L1A1 it was the rifle of choice in the British and Commonwealth armies and as the R1, it was the standard-issue rifle during my time in the Seffrican Army (SADF). While my particular rifle was an absolute pig (shot-out barrel and a quirky mag release, to name but two “features”), that shouldn’t prevent anyone from getting one now.
And any gun designed by Dieudonné Saive (he of the improved Browning High Power design) should always be afforded a respectful hearing.
The biggest knock against the FN was its unreliability in dusty conditions (it’s the main reason the Israelis dumped it in favor of the Galil), although it should be said that later versions performed much better in this regard. (For an overview of the FN-FAL, go here.)
As far as I’m concerned, its main problem is its weight — as I recall, mine (with a 21″ barrel, don’t ask) weighed in at just under 6kg (13lbs) unloaded — but I see that DSA has got their modern version down to a far more manageable 8.25lbs, which is good news.
You can get it still lighter with some versions, but then the lighter frame doesn’t handle the 7.62’s recoil as well. Newton will not be denied. Here’s what we’re talking about:

I’m not a big fan of the collapsible (“paratrooper”) stock, but I will grant that this feature allows for easier storage and carrying. You may want to invest in a shoulder pad, however, if you’re going to have an extended range session with this puppy.
The FN-FAL doesn’t compete with the AR-15 much, because it’s more of a rifle for wide-open spaces, as opposed to short-range urban activities where it’s disadvantaged compared to its smaller counterparts. I do think, though, that it’s a better rifle than Stoner’s AR-10 because it handles recoil better.
The only thing you need to know about the SA-58 is that it’s based on the “metric dimension” of the Steyr version, so it can’t use parts from “inch-dimensioned” variants common in the U.S. and Canada.
Would I take an SA-58 today over an AR-15? If it was the shorter-barreled Combat Tactical Carbine (CTC) version, in a heartbeat. (And I should also note that it’s a bear to make the basic FN tacti-cool, but the CTC makes it easy.)

Would I take an SA-58 over an AK47? Probably not — unless I was facing the prospect of open-country (ergo longer-range) shooting. Then, I believe the 7.62x51mm cartridge is a much better choice than the shorter 7.62x39mm, and I’d forego the CTC for the 18″-barreled fixed-stock option, and just pump iron for a few weeks first so I could handle the extra weight [sigh].
For more information, visit http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-p-10-c/.
To purchase a CZ P-10 C on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=CZ<id-all=1&as=730&cid=150&ns=0&numberperpage=50&.

The P-10 C from CZ-USA is a polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol for a very reasonable price of under $500 retail. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
The CZ P-10 C, which is quite a lot to spit out, is the latest foray of CZ into the polymer frame market. We haven’t seen a striker-fired CZ in quite sometime, and I wouldn’t say the CZ 110 was a huge success in terms of numbers sold. I have spent a little time on the CZ P09, and I will say it wasn’t my personal cup of tea.
It looks like the Czech engineers spent that time in the lab though, turning out a very different pistol for the US market.

The controls and ergonomics of the pistol are generally well thought out, and it is very controllable. Image courtesy of manufacturer.
SPECS
- Chambering: 9mm
- Barrel: 4.02 inches
- OA Length: 7.3 inches
- Weight: 26 oz
- Frame: polymer
- Grips: n/a
- Sights: Combat type, white dot, fixed
- Finish: nitride finish
- Capacity: 15+1
- MSRP: $499
The P-10 C is a compact, which is a good place for an introduction to the pistol market. CCW still trumps duty guns as far as sales go, but I bet we see a CZ P-10 full size in the not to distant future.
This model features backstraps in three sizes (small, medium, and large) and they actually do change the size of the pistol’s grip front to rear.
This has been a complaint in some models; the grip panels are so similar in size as to be irrelevant. The CZ requires you to drive a roll pin out to change grip panels, but I have written elsewhere I don’t really see this as a negative.
Once you have switched to the size you like, when are you ever going to change again?

The pistol came packed in a nice foam-lined plastic case along with some spare magazines and interchangeable backstraps.
The P10 also includes a lanyard hole in the backstraps, showing us they haven’t forgot the LE and military customer in this design. (The requirement to use a lanyard is more common than most people would think).
The grip has a grenade style checkering that is quite aggressive, and one of my favorite features of the pistol. The gun really stays put in your hands. I can’t help you with “is it uncomfortable if you have soft, effeminate, weak hands that are mostly used for the wood on a ‘ban coal’ protest sign, made of 100% post-consumer recycled fair trade laminate that is BPA free?”
I use skateboard tape on all my personal pistols, and this has rather jaded my ability to judge for most people.
I also like that CZ went ahead and checkered a place on the front of the frame for your non-dominate hand thumb. This gets out a lot, and I like the CZ attention to detail in there.
The trigger guard has been undercut to make your hand positioning more comfortable, and prevents the notorious polymer callous on your shooting hand middle finger.
As the trigger guard is very large, you should have no problem reaching the trigger even in heavy winter gloves. It is also an aesthetically pleasing square.
I am completely serious on that, the hard 90 degree angles just look right, and really complements the appearance of the gun. The front of the trigger guard also features some texture, in case you learned how to shoot from watching old TJ Hooker reruns. Seriously, stop that.
The front of the pistol features a true Picatinny attachment point for lights and lasers etc. I am glad to see pistol manufacturers adopting the Picatinny standard. Having your own rail dimension just makes life harder on all of us, and drives the cost of accessories up. I’m looking at you, Smyrna.
The Guts of It
The take down of the pistol is like that of most modern polymer pistols. Those familiar with other models will have no problem with pull the trigger, pull the slide slightly to the rear, pull down the take down lever, slide comes off.
Oh wait, add unload the gun to that first part. Some companies have gone to extreme lengths to remove the “ pull the trigger part”, but I think jury is still out on that one. Does the introduction of some other method introduce additional parts?
Are those more failure points? Does anyone on earth advocate taking a gun apart without first ensuring it is empty? At least it can be said that CZ is treating us like grown-ups on this one. Anyway, the take down lever is steel, and has serrations to make using it easier.
The slide release lever is quite large, also steel, and also serrated. Despite the fact that the slide release is easily twice the size I am used to on a polymer gun, it never once got in the way.
Zero accidental slide locks, which can be a problem for me on other brands with extended controls. And this thing is so big, you are unlikely to miss it in an adrenalin-enhanced reload. Points to CZ.
It is also truly ambidextrous, which after a recent debacle I now check. As in, there is a slide release lever on both sides of the gun, and depressing either one releases the slide equally well. The magazine release is also ambidextrous, steel, and checkered in a square pattern.
Moving up to the slide, the dimensions look one way and measure another. Due to the thickness of the frame design, the gun looks like the slide is going to be oversized. Measuring shows it is not, it is about the same width and height as other popular models.
I really liked the aggressive cocking serrations that are front and rear of the slide; fronts are usually what you over pay to have added aftermarket.
The slide has also been milled on the sides of the top, to what resembles a five-sided barn shape. It reduces the overall weight of the slide, and makes for a very attractive pistol.
The sights on mine are a three-dot affair, though they seem to be luminous paint, not tritium, which is to me an odd choice.
The rear sight is a dovetail that is unique to CZ, which at the moment limits your aftermarket choices. Arguably not the best decision by CZ, and something to consider when buying this pistol.
The front sight is the same as this in mounting, and is narrower than most out of the box guns. I liked that the sights are steel, and the narrow front is easy to pick up.
From the first second of shooting, the sights proved to be very good. This is a nice change for the consumer, not immediately needing to spend $100 to upgrade the dovetail protectors the factory installed.
How about the internals? Well, it turns out I am not an engineer. Nothing is glaringly obvious as a bad idea, and everything seems to work.
Where It Counts
As I said in the video, it took me a minute to adjust to this gun. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just a little different. The rear of the frame is cut to move your hand forward and under the slide, which also acts as a beavertail to protect your hand.
It feels a little strange at first, but I have to conclude this design is part of what made the gun so controllable. And it is controllable. Very controllable.
The grip is a little bit small for my tastes, but that does contribute to the concealability of the gun. By small, I mean it was difficult to get as much grip from the support hand as I like.
My hands are on the big side, but I am not a giant. I generally wear a size large glove in mechanics or ski gloves. The trigger, which is the main selling point of the gun, is lighter than many other polymers.
My trigger gauge said 4 pounds, 6 ounces, but my tools also weren’t made by Zeiss. I am willing to contend that 4 pounds even is accurate, as advertised.
My one real issue with the gun is how they got that trigger pull. I like triggers that have a set mechanical stop, then you apply pressure and they break, and the gun shoots.
The CZ P-10 C trigger has what feels like a stop point, then some more movement without a stop behind it, then the gun shoots. This is a subtle movement, but it is present. I would guess 99.9% of the shooters that pick up this gun won’t even notice.
To be fair, on the range, I barely noticed, too. The gun is incredibly accurate, and the speed drills I was shooting with this gun speak for themselves.
It handles well, it is easy to control, and the trigger isn’t bad. I for one would really like to shoot this gun in .40 S&W, see how it tames that beast. At a street price of under $450, this CZ is absolutely a bargain.
For more information, visit http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-p-10-c/.










Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mike Inscho.
If you’ve been a reader of The Art of Manliness for more than a day, you know Brett, Kate, and all of the regular contributors do a fantastic job of searching out and relaying habits of great men to us.
Men like Ernest Shackleton, Henry David Thoreau, and Charles Atlas, all set examples that every man can follow.
I haven’t attempted to take 27 men to the South Pole, and, after having my ship become stuck in ice, somehow managed to get them all home alive like Mr. Shackleton.
But I am part of a small group (.45% of the total American population) that consistently creates great men and demands that its members be constantly improving.
As an enlisted member of the Army, and now an Officer, I’ve gone through what was essentially two separate stints at basic training.
The first as enlisted and the second as an Officer. During the training, it’s difficult to see the lifelong lessons being drilled into you. Now, however, years after finishing, it’s easier to put a finger on those lessons and apply them to everyday life.
1. If You Can’t Carry It, Wear It, or Shoot It, Leave It Behind
When I would travel in high school, my bags were packed with everything that I might need in an encounter. It might get cold…throw in a few hoodies. What about rain? Take the rain jacket. Doing laundry sucks…I’d better take 3 pairs of underwear and socks for every day I’m going to be away just in case.
Seven days in the Carolinas required the same amount of baggage as moving to a new house.
Drill Sergeant, in his infinite wisdom, was about to teach me a more efficient way to pack my bags.
One day we were told we were doing a ruck march the next day and were handed a packing list. This packing list was mandatory, and everything on it had to be packed in our ruck sacks or worn on us.
“The stuff on the packing list is more than my ruck sack can hold…how am I supposed to bring the extra gear I might need?!”
After that first ruck march with 10 days worth of gear and change of clothes, my ideas about packing changed drastically.
If it wasn’t 100%, absolutely crucial to my survival, it wasn’t packed. A uniform, two or three changes of undergarments, a poncho, and some bungee cords were all we used, and therefore, were all we needed.
Twelve undershirts is unnecessary when you’re only gone for ten days. Nobody cares what you smell like and that same space could be used for food or ammunition.
How to Apply This Lesson to Everyday Life
Do you need a walk-in closet full of dress shirts if your job requires a hard hat and a tool belt? Do you need six different methods of making coffee when you end up just stopping by a coffee shop anyways?
Take an inventory of everything you use, and donate or sell everything that hasn’t been useful in the last four months. How do you decide what stays and what goes? Do what I do.
Twice a year, turn everything you own backwards. When you look in the dresser drawer, you’ll see the backs of your shirts; in the cabinet you’ll see the back of the peanut butter jar. Then, when you use an item, turn it back around so it’s facing you.
If you don’t use it, leave it alone. After four months, everything that is still facing away from you is donated or sold…no questions asked.
2. Run, Shoot, Communicate
Every morning we did PT, and every PT session included some sort of running. If we were ever on a real world mission and had to get to the objective, we knew we could run to it.
Next, if we weren’t on a live range, we were practicing basic rifle marksmanship drills. We knew that if we ever got into a real world firefight, these techniques would be second nature and give us the ability to protect ourselves and our teammates.
After that we communicated. Radios, written orders, hand and arm signals…eventually our squad got to the point that our communication was almost telepathic.
Our Drill Sergeant constantly reminded us that all we needed to be a successful Soldier was to be able to run, shoot, and communicate. If you can do those well and your squad can do them well, all of the extra stuff is icing on the cake.
How to Apply This Lesson to Everyday Life
What do you need to do to be a successful husband? Provide care, love, and resources to your family. Nothing else should be your focus until these needs are met.
What about a successful bachelor? Grandfather? Boss?
The type of man you want to be can be simplified to a few basic characteristics that, when done successfully, lead you to success. Prioritize your life and focus on the “need to haves” before you even think about the “nice to haves.”
3. Practice Mindfulness
My second round of basic training granted me a bit more freedom and opportunities outside of training. Still, training was the priority, and one day I found myself back on the range to qualify with my weapon.
“I’ve done this a million times. No sweat…BANG! I wonder what they are serving for dinner tonight…BANG! What about the gym…BANG! Are they even open today…BANG!”
On and on that went for all 40 targets. My mind on the mystery meat that would be served later for dinner. It should have been on the mechanics of marksmanship that were drilled into my mind and body during my first round at basic training.
I finished my ammunition and awaited my score. No doubt it’d be a 28/40…or maybe even a 30/40 because I’d done this a million times, remember?
9. I shot a 9 out of 40. Talk about embarrassing.
How to Apply This Lesson to Everyday Life
Proficiency does not come from one attempt…not even dozens of attempts. To do something well demands your concentration and for you to practice mindfulness, regardless of how many times you’ve done that task before. If whatever you’re doing isn’t important enough to you to demand your full attention…why do it?
4. Outranking Someone Doesn’t Equal Control of Them
One of the Army Values is Respect, and it’s defined as “treat people as they should be treated.”
So even if someone outranks you, if he has shown that he can’t keep track of his equipment, you are well within your rights to treat him like someone who can’t keep track of his equipment.
Rank does not automatically mean you get to boss around everyone below you.
Case in point, during Officers Basic Training, myself and 39 other brand new Second Lieutenants made up a platoon that was “advised” by a group of Staff Sergeants and a Sergeant First Class. From the standpoint of the military’s hierarchy, we were being led by people we outranked.
This wasn’t an issue until our field exercise. At times like that everyone’s temper is much, much shorter than usual and the easy way out tends to become the trail most taken.
After we came back from a tactics exercise in the woods, someone realized that he had lost an important piece of equipment.
Not something important to him, or assigned to him, but something very important to the entire platoon and the responsibility of our Sergeant First Class advisor.
The search for it was half-assed on our part, and the Sergeant First Class decided we needed punishment. Except we outranked him and he couldn’t punish us the way it’s normally done in the Army (mass amounts of push-ups and other exotic, and exhausting, types of physical training).
The one thing he could do to us, was hold us in formation for as long as he pleased and wherever he pleased.
It was late June, in southern Georgia, and our base was made up entirely of low tents and gravel. Obviously the best place for him to keep us in formation for the next hour was out in the open as the temperature rose to 100+…and that’s exactly what he did.
How to Apply This Lesson to Everyday Life
If you’re a manager, or a boss, or a leader of any type, you need to realize that your position doesn’t mean your subordinates have to automatically bend to your every desire. They don’t even have to respect you.
You earn the respect you are given.
Wrapping Up
These four basic life lessons are nowhere near a complete guide to being a man. They are, however, things you commonly see many men pay no attention to. Practice these lessons daily, one at a time until each one is mastered, and I’m willing to bet you’ll see all parts of your life from a new perspective, and find yourself closer to winning the battle that every man fights–whether soldier or civilian–of becoming the man you want to be.
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Mike Inscho is an Army Officer and aspiring writer.