AJ Ordnance "Thomas" at the Backup Gun Match

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Today, I'm taking the AJ ordnance "Thomas" .45 to the Backup Gun Match to try it out on the clock. The Thomas was designed as a concealed carry pistol, with no external controls and a long revolver-like double action trigger in lieu of a safety. It actually performed better than I expected, especially on the plate rack in the last stage. The fixed barrel makes it a mechanically quite accurate pistol, but the trigger and sharp recoil impulse make it difficult to realize that potential accuracy.
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[@lepuuttelu]

Next on Ian McCollum's "How Does it Work?": How Does it Work? *Flesh-Delayed Blowback*

[@COIcultist]

As this is Ian's, or he has good access to it do you think he might take the handgrips off put it in a vice and see if it will shoot out of battery? Possible idiot question from a UK viewer who shot a bit of .22 maybe 30 years ago and shoots occasionally when on holiday. Why does Ian only have 6 rounds not 7? Yes I realise that the magazine only holds 6 rounds, but for a competition surely he loads the magazine, inserts it into the pistol, puts a round into the chamber then withdraws the magazine and inserts another round. If I am stupid and fail to understand something feel free to explain?

[@davispeterson1876]

@@COIcultist he only has one mag for it

[@COIcultist]

@@davispeterson1876. Davis thanks for replying, but either you have missed what I was trying to say, I've said it poorly or I'm industrially stupid. The third option is very possible. Ian's one magazine is inserted, he loads the 1st round into the chamber, he then withdraws that magazine tops it up by 1 and returns it to the pistol. 6 rounds in magazine & 1 round in chamber equals 7 rounds. As for him only having 1 magazine if he competes with the gun again anyone see a little Dremil work occurring on a 1911 magazine to allow reloading?

[@1FireyPhoenix]

@@COIcultist 1 of two reasons. One, the gun may not feed reliably from a fully loaded magazine. I've had pistols do that to me where the magazine tension causes too much friction and the slide jams trying to feed, you then have to either remove the mag and rack the slide or beat the slide into battery. The second reason could be that the range officer or the match rules require that you shoot all that can fit in the magazine. If it holds 7, you shoot 7 not 7+1. I've had a few match/range officers complain about that sort of thing. Sometimes the officer can get pissed off and make you shoot ammo through a chronograph to "prove" that your ammo isn't loaded light and give an unfair advantage.

[@lepuuttelu]

@@a.hollins8691 Long live the new operating mechanism!

[@Arthurzeiro]

I really wanted to see some high speed footage of that locking mechanism opening under recoil

[@crabnebula7457]

It would be interesting to see if there is any difference between strong-hand and support-hand delay times/velocity. Probably not, but I am curious if that wedge's geometry works like the patents claim.

[@trevorjohnson6748]

Exactly. I was wondering if you could put it in a mechanical claw or something, maybe with a force sensor, so you can see how much impact the locking mechanism has on the palm. It's hard to determine temporal sequencing of close-together impacts like the impact of the locking mechanism and the recoil of the pistol, so it would be nice to know if it handles recoil poorly or just punches you in the hand with the locking mechanism every time you shoot, but actually handles recoil better in general. .

[@JamesCallMeJayBoyFrazier]

Stop saying what I'm thinking.

[@elibeasley3602]

Oooow yis

[@lepuuttelu]

I'm wondering whether the frame might actually bounce forward from the force of the 'delay lever' on the grip acting against the hand, or whether the only effect is that the hand gives way.

[@Yuzral]

So would this be an example of the masochism-delayed blowback action?

[@dukenukem8409]

xD

[@gaw5024]

maybe a macho-delayed blowback?

[@someguy2741]

Shoot the knocked over steel target when he's on the ground :p Get your extra point and send a message to his friends!

[@mikehendon7327]

When a Hi-Point is cheaper, more ergonomic, and has a higher capacity, and isn't bulkier...that's hilariously sad.

[@davispeterson1876]

Well, for a given value of more ergonomic. From how Ian was talking, this thing feels better to hold and carry, the Hi-Point is just alot less likely to injure you during routine use.

[@thesturm8686]

And safer

[@jic1]

The .45 Hi-Point is significantly bulkier.

[@mikek6298]

Don't forget more reliable, that thing did pretty well in the mud test

[@GoredonTheDestroyer]

People give hi-points a bad rep but in a way they're the Toyota Hilux of hand guns - cheap as shit, and unless something catastrophic goes wrong/happens, unkillable.

[@LaterMeansBrick]

"He shot this ting so we won't have to." Book of Browning 19:11

[@Liam_TheNoob]

Never change Ian Always watch till the end

[@aesbj9228]

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

[@Panzermeister36]

except now tomorrow what shall I do?? I need my daily Forgotten Weapons fix and a double dose today will only make tomorrow worse :)

[@recoilrob324]

No...no....we at the Procrastinators Club of America say "Never put off until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after tomorrow". :)

[@DATA-qt3nb]

Unless you have tommorow, then why not ;D

[@N8imusmaximus]

Never do what you can put off until somebody else will do it for you

[@DATA-qt3nb]

@@N8imusmaximus there is always the day after tomorrow

[@MilitaryHistory2011]

4:44 A wild Ian's mating call.

[@Spanky00Cheeks]

Pain-delayed blow back. Like a glock, when you’re tying to load the mags.

[@denmanfite3156]

*laughs in Uplula*

[@TheFishE77Official]

I love how the comments on the "Tomorrow" videos are always older than the ones on the "Today" video

[@ixiairisborne1695]

You're a braver man than I am. That thing is a hand injury waiting to happen.

[@jasondoe2596]

A hand bruise, at the very least. And it's not the recoil at fault, it's the stupid "locking" system.

[@Arthurzeiro]

There's a masturbation joke to be made here, but I won't be the one to make.

[@jimbo9305]

I like that Ian shoots in a match the firearms he examined earlier. It's neat to see the forgotten weapons being used.

[@McMan1ac]

always watch til the end...

[@quatro_quatro]

Wait until tomorrow? Not this guy!

[@DATA-qt3nb]

AJ "Ordnance" Thomas sounds like a tough UFC fighter haha, great video though man!

[@twunt2000]

Welcome! *To the World of Tomorrow.*

[@Roguephilsopher]

I immediately think of futurama from that

[@MajorOcelot_]

Shut-up, Terry

[@ruc9360]

I would like it... But I couldn't destroy that perfection

[@roberttrester4030]

@@Roguephilsopher me too!

[@roberttrester4030]

@@MajorOcelot_ LOL! Excuse me for having showmanship!

[@jethrovaningen]

To fix the handling issue just wear padded gloves forever when you carry this. No one will suspect you're always wearing them just in case you need to use your gun.

[@leroyjenkins4811]

Jethro No. Use a better gun. Lol. This isn’t a good design. That’s why it didn’t sell very well.

[@Panzermeister36]

@@leroyjenkins4811 pretty sure OP was not being serious

[@leroyjenkins4811]

Panzermeister36 I know. Lol

[@jonmeray713]

Joe Cool turns out you aint cool

[@Arthurzeiro]

@@leroyjenkins4811 Whoooosh

[@danmenes3143]

When I was a kid, my best friend had one of those practical-joke novelties, that appeared to be a book called "Shocking Stories." When you opened it, it turned out to be a box that was contrived so that a painful electrical shock would travel between your hands. This gun reminds me of that joke. It looks like a gun, but really it's a practical-joke novelty that redirects the recoil into the palm of your hand. What amazes me is that enough people looked at this idea and said "that will work!" that it entered volume production.

[@erikm12]

The only thing that dwarfs Ian's collections of hats and firearms is that of his Hawaiian shirts.

[@GoredonTheDestroyer]

I think he stole this hat from Chieftain's collection.

[@noahboat580]

I remember that one "hawaiian" shirt thats japanese-styled looking tigers. Badass

[@Diego-zc5zc]

Ah yes Ian is wearing the traditional AZ garments of palm tree button up shirt

[@Ostenjager]

I love this backup gun match concept. There needs to be a lot more of this, since most people carry small backup guns.

[@anzaca1]

Most people don't carry guns. Which is sensible.

[@number23br]

Next time on Forgotten Weapons: Ian takes a Spas-12 to a shotgun only match.

[@Panzermeister36]

4:05 "I am at least positive" Me in 2020: ...

[@liquorgunsandrhetoric]

"The first stage is the classic Mozambique." *Ian gestures towards an El Presidente setup*

[@breuschbarbare0248]

Heavy is good, heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work, you can always hit 'em with it

[@CeltKnight]

Now I would love to see him try the Sirkis SD9 pistol. I remember when that thing came out and several of us were all about getting one as it was the smallest 9mm pistol we'd ever seen. Then one guy got one and we all shot it ... and handed it back with our bruised, sore hands. That little hump on the grip was like a ball-peen hammer on the web of the shooting hand.

[@ron827]

"At least I was positive." GREAT attitude! Happy 4th of July

[@BlahWes0023]

But, have we ruined tomorrow for ourselves?

[@londonjolly9174]

Nah, you get to watch the Zip .22 video for the umpteenth time again!

[@tenhundredkills]

Nah, I'll just watch it again!

[@trooperdgb9722]

Just wanted to say thankyou for showing that this match exists. After consulting with Aaron we have just held the first "Back Up Gun Match" Down Under. We have had to adapt the match to suit our firearm regulations, and in a sense the match here is more of a "Safe Queen"/Gun-I-don't-get-to-shoot sort of thing. It was a huge amount of fun and we intend to continue with it. A certain amount of self interest in it for me...I now have a fun competition to shoot with my 1912 Steyr! LOL

[@thelaughinghyenas8465]

Ian, Enduring firing that guy shows your dedication. Wow! You can see why that wasn't a commercial hit.

[@gunsandcommissions]

oooof - that trigger and recoil is pretty gnarly

[@pops55650]

I was looking forward to this video! Thanks for taking one for the team for our entertainment and education lol!

[@danielkane1770]

Magnum PI called.. he wants his shirt back.LOL

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian .

[@TheAussieGunBunny]

Id love to see more videos like this!

[@joeyc818]

Great job shooting with ian that was a terrific video

[@bubbaphett3261]

Cool video Ian. I really like the backup gun matches

[@rf9078]

Good job on the plate rack bud!

[@gregorhi2]

I think it's a very good combination of having a history & explanation video but then also seeing the gun in an actual performance.

[@hotboyjones9551]

A heavy trigger on a back up gun with the adrenaline flowing isn’t the worst thing on earth

[@akashahuja2346]

Seeing Ian wearing that shirt, hat and shades with his hands up made me think of the song 'money, guns and lawyers'...

[@thefunkosaurus]

Lawyers, Guns and Money-- Warren Zevon kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGOreWqAYrirbpI

[@gyrene_asea4133]

Yep. Same album (as I recall) as "Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner". Good times then.

[@a4channoob]

since the 'grip saftey' is the locking mechanism, when the recoil forces the slide open, does the grip safety get forced to open up slapping the palm of your hand every shot?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Yup.

[@jic1]

@@ForgottenWeapons Is it possible to hold the grip so tightly that you cause the gun to fail to cycle, or are the forces involved too great for that to happen?

[@oldesertguy9616]

@@jic1 wondering the same thing. I wonder if someone might have grip strength possible to do that?

[@christopherreed4723]

So, small grip, which magnifies felt recoil. Relatively light weight, which means stronger recoil. And a grip-safety-slash-locking-lever that gets launched back into the web of your hand on every shot, adding to felt recoil. Overall, as innovative firearms designs go, I'm tempted to rate the Thomas right up there with Monsieur Nagant's gas-sealing revolver cylinder and it's corresponding tractor-pull trigger.

[@TristanMorrow]

« *_ouch_* » ...and here I thought maybe just the fixed barrel and delayed blowback meant a stronger initial recoil impulse just on their own

[@kiwi_comanche]

Looking fairly dapper today Ian!!

[@Piromanofeliz]

Ian: explains the shooting match rules. My ADHD brain: furiously trying to identify the species of the tree branch behind him.

[@darnellsmith363]

@Forgotten Weapons Ian I gotta thank you for reinvigorating my fascination with firearms, the last three months nothing peeked my interest except when my notifications alerted to the educating moment you brought us the Stinger🇺🇸, since then I've developed a fascination with how captivating the Trench shotgun is and it's lore, I've learned how captivating the Galil is, and sincerely hope Rock Island or some bar Thailand have a Colt Defender you review.

[@Tallus_ap_Mordren]

You are a brave man, sir

[@criffermaclennan]

For all its faults...its still not the zip22

[@Piromanofeliz]

Imagine actually shooting This comment was made by the zip22 gang

[@calvingreene90]

For a gun built around a bad idea it works really well.

[@gunsandcommissions]

3rd stage was a nice clean run

[@hanktorrance6855]

Impressive performance, I think a lot of the success is Ian’s skills

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

I like how you bring a gun you know is not good, but do it for science anyway.

[@rollastudent]

This is what I was hoping for after yesterday’s video

[@SNOUPS4]

Thanks for the interesting video, Ian; and also to the red-shirt person filming!

[@SidusPreclarum]

1'40" gives a great zen meditation chimes

[@parasitic1344]

4:45 kung fu Ian makes a return

[@quattroconcept4]

Ian in this video is a mix between Tony Montana and the man with no name.

[@HFMartini6]

that sound right when Ian says the first sentence really made me flinch as it sounds like a round going by and hitting a soft barrier.

[@kyledelabear7091]

I thought it was really satisfying how you can see the bullet ricochet up into the sky at 3:38

[@High_Jelly_Fish]

Happy 4th of July everyone! 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🎉

[@PhilColeinBrisbane]

It would be interesting to see some high speed footage to see how well and consistently the locking system actually works

[@paulsalb1686]

Nice shooting cowboy!

[@RandallFrequentFlyerFlagg]

I didn’t expect that the CHOP (or is it CHAZ) had such nice shooting ranges. I guess that Ian would need such good accommodations if he’s gonna turn a bunch of pinkos into a proper security force.

[@chitoryu12]

You goddamn maniac, you took it out.

[@mitchhill9450]

Love the shirt dude.

[@TheFanatical1]

I still can't beleive that the gun is actually safe to fire.

[@gunsandcommissions]

nice shooting on 4th stage as well

[@someguy2741]

I think Jerry should give that thing a try :p

Seconded!

[@Hysteria98]

HEEYYYOOOOOOO!!

[@chipsterb4946]

Some Guy Jerry’s right hand is too valuable to risk as part of the delayed blowback mechanism 😜

[@petesheppard1709]

I was a bit surprised you were able to bring it to a match, after you mentioned there was a chance for an OOB detonation. Still, good show and rhanks for the video!

[@BlueEyedColonizer]

The first time I saw one of your videos I thought 'who is this weird little dork? ' But now I see you and think ' holy shit he is a stud!' I'm a total fan boy now! 😂

[@theblackprince1346]

That's a very jazzy shirt you've got there Ian.

[@billstevens5277]

Another reason it didn't do well in the marketplace is it's striker fired. Not many guns were striker fired in the 70's. It doesn't look a lot smaller than a STAR PD, a popular hideout .45 of the time.

[@billstevens5277]

@@kolaraaaskeet8027 You don't have to rack the slide to "reset" a Star PD, just cock the hammer. FTF on pure single actions is very rare though.

[@the_senate8050]

The madlad did it

[@protoculture289]

That shirt definitely helped with your accuracy.

[@CurlyHooligan]

I want to see Ian play Hotdogs, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades to critique the realism of some VR shooting ranges.

[@jontee3437]

I have to say Ian whether you see this or not, I really enjoy the BUG match videos. I enjoy them so much that I plan on getting some of my friends together and having one of our own just for fun.

[@aaronbuckmaster7063]

That is a backup or close range pistol. Six 45 bullets is more that enough to put six down. Some guys don’t have the hands for guns like that, but guys like us love them.

[@benb5960]

I would like a video on the backup gun matches themselves...especially which handguns (or types of handguns) tend to do best in each of the four categories.

[@charlesdelair61]

Encouraging good marksmanship through pain.

[@RubenUitenweerde]

I've never routed for any sports team or athlete as hard as I just routed for Ian to make those hits, I'm so proud of him 🤣

[@SatansPooper]

3:06 Camera Ninja shows up in Gun Jesus's sunglasses. They do not appear to be wearing/using a Steady Rig. So how is the frame always so centered and smooth? That Camera Ninja must have some super secret filming power of keeping a camera rock steady. Bravo Camera Ninja. You earned yours on this one.

[@Fernando-sd6xt]

They don't have software stabilisation where you're from?

[@oldofftime]

Cool shirt dude!

[@brickyroad1296]

A gun with my name? Nice!

[@five5105]

Behold! Forgotten Weapons of Tomorrow!

[@ch0k1ngh4z4rd]

That range officer was really doing everything he could to ride your back pockets, wasn't he?

[@stickfigureman3D]

This seems like a really fun type of match, doesn't have that razors edge competitive intensity.

[@gaveintothedarkness]

Gun writers be describing the shooting experience like "brisk, but manageable"

[@bobw222]

Nice shirt.... We wants it my precious... I also love the way the branches on that steel roof sound like a whole flock of tropical birds screeching in the jungle. It's as if Mother Nature thought "He needs some background music to go with that shirt."

[@user-oo9uc7py8m]

I congratulate the USA on Independence Day from Russia!

[@jic1]

Would that only apply to Alaska?

[@floo1465]

@@jic1 i think they meant that they, a russian, are congratulating the US on independence day

[@luisantolafrancis519]

Tales of future past !! Forgotten weapons

[@oftenwrong.]

I haven’t been around for a while. Nice to spend sometime with the gun jesus

[@robashton8606]

I though Mozambique Drill was two to the chest, one to the head? Or am I getting mixed up here?

[@platypush]

No, you're absolutely right... The drill in question is called El Presidente.

[@fredherring4403]

Yeah, sometimes he messes up... 100 years in the future: The second coming of gun Jesus will trace the origins of "The Mozambique Myth" back to this video.

[@DefconMaster]

THE FUTURE IS NOW!

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

Ayye, I have a picture of that somewhere. It looks really cool. Happy Fourth and to our independence!

[@cliffordreynolds1835]

Hey, killer shirt Ian! :D

[@trooperdgb9722]

These BUG match videos really appeal to me! So much so I want to run a match like that here. We can't own the really small pistols/revolvers (barrel length regulations here in Australia) ) but we can certainly encourage folks to bring out "Safe Queens" or less used guns. Just have to watch them all again to make sure I have the scoring system right! LOL

[@Romanian901]

the ancestor of the yeet cannon

[@DAKOTA56777]

One day Ian might not put tomorrow's video on the end of today's. One day...

[@TacticalReview]

He has done this several times in recent weeks.

[@jonmeray713]

Tactical Review hundreds of times

[@RichardCranium321]

I imagine the slide overriding the locking mech into your palm is extremely uncomfortable to shoot.

[@VeeDub_in_da_House]

Looks like a fancy hi-point to me.