Why does a SNS have to be American-made?

[python1340]

From the forum list:

Jennings, Lorcin, Raven, Hi-Point, and all other affordable American made classics suitable for going uptown on that Special Saturday Night
Why does a Saturday Night Special have to be American-made? Why wouldn't my $50 F.I.E. .25 qualify?

[tenholewheels]

it works all the time every time

[oldgranpa]

See the neat post on the Astra 25. So a SNS doesn't have to be USA.
og

[shark_za]

Cos then you would not legally be allowed to get one?
I guess all pre 68 guns qualify.

[Washington,D.C.]

Taurus 85's used to be imported with 3 inch barrels and the barrels werre changed to 2 inch barrels at the company in the US.I think now they bring them in without barrels and import the frames.

[cowboywannabe]

SNS do not have to be American made.

America is just more likely to make SNS than other countrys.

even the "cheap" European guns are of fair workmanship, not so with "our" davis, jennings, ravens...et cetera.....while "ours" may work fine, for now. they certainly are not well made and are of the cheapest material and least safe to carry "hot".

[oldgranpa]

cowboy is about right, especially on the safety issue with genuine SNS's. Even though my Phoenix Raven is very well made, chrome plated so all surfaces are mirror polished smooth and fit without any loosness...the firing mechanism leaves much to be desired. A small little nub sticks up from the frame and fits in a recess on the firing pin when the gun is "cocked". The trigger pulls this nub down to release the firing pin/spring assembly. See the attached photo that I have added notes to. There is a "safety" but all it does is block the trigger. So a hard enough rap seemingly could jolt the nub down and the gun would fire.
I haven't tested this idea and don't plan to. But it's there and it's not built like most pistols that have a positive hammer block. There's no "hammer" in the Raven, just a spring loaded firing pin.

So for me, the SNS idea is just mainly a collectors thing. I sure don't plan to carry mine CCW. I'll shoot it at the range and show it to friends, but that's all.

Now, a cheap derringer is a different story. My Cobra .32 has both a hammer and a positive hammer block safety. It's safe to carry "hot". Just have to be careful loading it to have it in the half cock position. That's another story.

FWIW,
og

[kerwin]

Funny, but i never thought of the davis and phoenix as SNS weapons, but they are. The first thing that comes to my mind are the old sentinel 9 shot revolvers, the roscoe and the ubiquitous "paltik" revolvers that is so common in my country. Cheap, badly made (not all)and available to anyone wanting to own their first handgun. My first handgun was a .38 paltik revolver, it is handmade, homemade and cheap, definitely an SNS made for the Philippine market.

[epsylum]

Funny, I remeber reading the brady campaign's definition of "saturday night special" and they said it had to be foreign made. I know they don't have the slightest clue what they are talking about, but I just though it was funny that they thought junk guns come from overseas. Like we aren't capable enough to make POS guns.

reality is SNS's come from almost all countries, including our own. Also I believe the real defintion of SNS involves the fact that the gun is to be used in a crime and then just thrown away. Therefore, ANY gun can be a SNS. Just some are a little easier on the pocketbook than others. If I want to use a Wilson Combat 1911 and then just throw it away, it is now a $2000 SNS.

[python1340]

I was just wondering everyone's thoughts on this, because I didn't think "American made" should be on the description for this forum. I owned an FIE .25, I'd consider a SNS.

[shark_za]

Your 1968 gun control act was supposed to stop the importation of SNS's , they dont score enough points, guess my Glock 25 is a SNS then.

[CanadianGlockFan]

That's right; ATF's "points system" doesn't allow the importation of anything that would qualify as a SNS, thanks to the provisions of the GCA '68. After that point, most American importers (RG, FIE, etc.) started manufacturing domestic versions of the guns they had originally imported from overseas, and business was so good for those manufacturers that other people (Davis, Lorcin, Jennings, etc.) picked up on it to fill the demand.

[gunguru1]

Originally posted by python1340
From the forum list:


Why does a Saturday Night Special have to be American-made? Why wouldn't my $50 F.I.E. .25 qualify?

Because American guns SUCK!

...just kidding;)

[Fungunner]

RG isn't American made, and I most certainly wouldn't put it in the same class as with Taurus, S&W, Ruger, Dan Wesson or Korth.

Then too, when the GCA '68 was being created, certain firearms got on the list of SNSs because of their size. That is why the Walther PPK was dropped from the US Market and the PPK/s came about.

[CanadianGlockFan]

The ORIGINAL "RG" ("Rohm Gesellschaft") was German, but after the GCA '68, "RG Industries" was set up in Florida to manufacture the exact same designs (including model names/numbers).

[kf4zra]

Your 1968 gun control act was supposed to stop the importation of SNS's , they dont score enough points, guess my Glock 25 is a SNS then.

by that same logic, a 1930's tokarev could be considered one too since they do not allow their import.

[390ish]

I have a pre '68 Rohm. It is the pistola del mysterio. Only fires on 3 of the 6 cylinders. Something must be wrong with the timing. Had a skunk problem whilst living out west and the standard operating procedure was to point and pull the trigger until at least two round fired. Edgy.