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BSD's VSS Vintorez Reproduction: Beyond the Hype (Ad-free)
🕑 Added 2025-01-26 12:00:07 +0000 UTCThe reproduction VSS Vintorez announced and shown by BSD Fabrication & Works at SHOT Show 2025 has garnered a tremendous amount of excitement and attention. This is understandable, as the VSS is a very cool rifle, and there are a lot of people who would love to have one. However, I the coverage from SHOT is seriously lacking in any sort of realistic assessment. So, as a guy who has been badly burned once by a reproduction rifle preorder and has seen lots of other people also burned, I wanted to give this project a bit of a reality check.
To reiterate what I say in the video, BSD said they would not be taking preorder money from people, so there is nothing actually at risk here for potential customers. I will buy one myself at full retail price off the production line when they are ready...if they get that far. I wish them genuinely all the best because I'd love to have a VSS clone built exactly like a Russian original - but I am skeptical.
I don't like being the pessimistic voice on a new and upcoming project from a small company. If it weren't for all the uncritical hype I'm seeing people repeat I would have stayed silent about this gun, but I am concerned about people pushing to place paid preorders out of potentially undue excitement.
Full video on a real VSS Vintorez:
Comments
Forgotten Weapons
There were a set of lugs machined into he receiver that duplicated the scope rail on an AK.
Dennis McNamara
I guess this is the downside of being 'Gun Jesus' : to speak or not to speak, that is the question!
Dennis McNamara
I guess this he downside of being '
EyeBall
Shot Show displays a lot of vapor ware, but this one is particularly bad.
Rupanrx
It honestly looks like they bought a bunch of the blank firing parts kits and brought them in grey market style. The blank firing guns that Flandre said were built at a different factory than the real guns. Built as fun blank guns. Potentially they have a blank gun dimension sample set haha. I would still want one if they made it hahaha
Jason
Ian being a Debbie Downer, or more likely, a Realistic Rachel. Yeah, 9 months. More like 9 years. If ever.
Guido Schriewer
what... sounds bad. they should either look for a partner for this with the needed budget to get by... think looong and hard if they can do this.
Plan9fromkansas
$7500 is a lot to lose in one go. I think my thought experiment for the rest of the day will be what I would put in a small reference collection if I had a budget of $7500.
Kerwin Kerr
Ian, I noticed when you were handling the VSS prototype fully assembled, it had a scope attached to it. How was the scope fastened to the receiver?
Kenneth Marshall
Seems like I see the same model play out for many attempts and challenging concepts that are too ambitious at shotshow is like "Handing out Speeding tickets at the Indy 500" to quote Apocalypse Now. Your early videos on the Hudson H( were a little less critical. Your not wrong but this is almost SOP for shots how ambition.
firetower
I can't say I disagree with any of these points. I do worry this may spark undeserved hostility towards BSD. They have a challenging path and I wish them success or, barring that, a way out.
