Novel idea. Unconventional 9mm lever action

Bongo Lewi

Bongo Lewi

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I believe this was announced at the Shot Show in 2022. I saw one for real a couple of weeks ago and fondled it. Didnt have a chance to shoot it though. It appears to be well thought out. It's tight - nothing wiggly like many cheap lever actions - and the action is very smooth.

I put in a random low bid on a GB penny auction and to my surprise today I won it for 700 bucks below the going price from other sellers on GB. I was shocked and delighted to get that email. I did not expect to win and I was not going to pay the going rate, which is $1600 for this rifle. It's nice, but I didn't want it that bad. I suspect the seller didnt expect it to sell that low either. My winning bid is probably below his cost. Now I'm wondering if he will follow thru or email me saying a mistake was made. We shall see.
 
Good news is you can sell it at a profit.
 
Alpa Chino said:
Good news is you can sell it at a profit.
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Yes. If it ever ships. I'll shoot it before I sell it though. I'm curious.

POF makes a decent product. I have shot their Phoenix pistol, which is a vaguely AR-derived subgun. Blowback though. It was cool but the bar in subguns for me is the MP5 and almost nothing comes that close to perfection in this category. The Century AP5 is very good clone and Stribog has together a respectable roller delayed subgun. But nothing matches the HK.
 
Alpa Chino said:
Bro….that’s called rationalization.
Consider this an intervention.
Don’t even unpack it.
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You are probably right. I never met a gun I didn't like. Not even Taurus.

If the guy doesn't ship it I won't red ass him. Small business. I don't think he had any unscrupulous motive, so I don't want him to lose money. But if he's willing to follow thru with the sale, I'll call it luck. I'll buy something from him in the future.
 
A gun is only worth what someone will pay for it.
 
If you get it and have the time, chrono some 147's. I'm curious if they'll stay subsonic in a 16" barrel.

The concept of a 9mm lever gun has been around, just not in a factory rifle. Peeps have converted Marlin 1894's to shoot 9mm.
If going the conversion route, why not 357 SIG. More rounds in a tubular magazine, and probably pretty close to 357 Mag. as long as you didn't care about heavy bullets.
 
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no4mk1t said:
If you get it and have the time, chrono some 147's. I'm curious if they'll stay subsonic in a 16" barrel.

The concept of a 9mm lever gun has been around, just not in a factory rifle. Peeps have converted Marlin 1894's to shoot 9mm.
If going the conversion route, why not 357 SIG. More rounds in a tubular magazine, and probably pretty close to 367 Mag. as long as you didn't care about heavy bullets.
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My Henry's are 44 Mag. The Marlin is 45-70. It never occurred to me that a 9mm would make sense in a lever gun, but now I'm intrigued by the idea. Definitely cheaper ammo. I see this POF more as a defensive weapon than the "traditional" role of the lever action as a hunting rifle or ranch gun. On the other hand, the sweet spot for the 9mm round is 50 yards. Beyond 100 yards, it of course remains lethal - if you can hit anything with it. The drop is about two feet at that distance. With typical pistol sights... suffice it to say you need to be pretty good or very lucky to hit paper or steel beyond 100 yards. Not to mention something that's moving.

I'll reserve judgment on whether the gun is worth modifying after I put my hands on it. POF doesn't seem to offer any different calibers or conversion kits either. At least not so far. I have friends who swore by Sig 357 as the ultimate 'fighting round'. The only issue for me is it's another caliber I have to acquire and store.
 
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Back in a previous life I used to shoot 100 yards with…..an Uzi.
So….with a decent barrel you’ll be a’right.
Only 10 inches drop.
Get yourself some Underwood +P.
 
I thought I was bad with committing unnatural acts with metal.
 
Bobster said:
Sorry to disappoint... Skip to 10:24 in the VIDEO That is just one man's experience. Perhaps you will get a "good" one? :unsure:
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That review is only four weeks old. Not a good sign.
 
Alpa Chino said:
Back in a previous life I used to shoot 100 yards with…..an Uzi.
So….with a decent barrel you’ll be a’right.
Only 10 inches drop.
Get yourself some Underwood +P.
Click to expand...
Longer barrel and better sights can't hurt. Still... as we know 9mm really is made for distances a pistol was designed for. Nothing wrong with the ammo. I think I've mentioned before that Confucious say, "Man who take defensive shot with pistol at 100 yards miss or go to prison".

Point being ... risk to innocent bystanders or a DA deciding you were not in danger at that distance. Personally, I would never take that shot even though I'm practiced enough to ring steel with a handgun at that distance. Even if you know what's behind your target, you can't really control where it lands at 100 yards or beyond.

I have been able to punch 9mm and .40 holes in paper at 100 yards with the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 and the Ruger PCC. Both with decent optics. I won't argue it's not doable. When the shooter has extraordinary marksmanship skill and knows the limitations of 9mm ammo. Which is equal to the percentage of gun owners who can still wear a 34 inch belt. :)

An ex cop buddy of mine told me a story about two guys who were shooting a 9mm pistol in a wooded area near their home. Three quarters of a mile away, a family is having a family picnic and all of a sudden grandpa falls out of his lawn chair. 9mm round in his back. It still had enough velocity to kill the old guy.

Fun fact: The 9mm round (with some minor variances) can travel 1.5 miles if fired at a 45 degree angle.
 
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And that's why my friends call me Lucky.
 
no4mk1t said:
If you get it and have the time, chrono some 147's. I'm curious if they'll stay subsonic in a 16" barrel.
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Regarding chrono, I found this blurb in a range review of the Tombstone:

"...that leads me to this general observation: From the 16.5-inch carbine barrel, the velocity increase as compared to the same ammunition being fired in a Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro OSP pistol with a 3.7-inch barrel that I’ve been working with recently ranged from about 30 fps to about 120 fps depending on the load."

Using 1100 fps as the subsonic threshold, some subsonic rounds might remain quiet, others not. I would use a can with this gun, which would help mitigate some of that.
 

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