Don't Know Why I Didn't Think of That Before ...

In a post the other day, I wished that I could buy the GoGun SixNeedler (as reviewed by Kent McManigal) with cryptocurrency.

Kent suggested that I ask them when they will be accepting crypto. So I did. The answer: "I don't think we will any time soon."

Oh, well.

But then I remembered that Bitrefill (that's an affiliate link -- if you use it and spend $200, each of us gets $5 worth of Bitcoin), in addition to selling gift cards for various stores, also sells a "virtual Visa." I've never bothered with it before, because generally when I buy something with a credit or debit card, I just spend cash directly. When I spend crypto, I either spend crypto directly or convert it to a gift card for the store I'm purchasing from.

So anyway, I bought a $180 "virtual Visa" using Bitcoin. With Bitcoin fees, it came to a US dollar value of about $183.

And the SixNeedler, with tax and shipping, came to $179.42.

It's on the way:

I don't rock a huge arsenal, even though I've always loved shooting (and had a secondary MOS as a Quantico-trained marksmanship instructor in the Marine Corps). Guns can quickly become an expensive hobby, so I restrain myself. Our household has fewer than ten firearms, and several of them are family heirlooms, not for regular use.

For example, my dad's single-barrel .410 shotgun, which he bought in (IIRC) the early 1950s. Its stock was rotted out, so one of my uncles carved a very nice one out of a walnut stump. Then dad exploded the end of the barrel while hunting, and had it repaired (which ended up shortening it). When I was a kid in the 1970s, he took it to a shop and had the metal re-blued. I fired it once or twice in my youth, and will probably never fire it again.

I don't think we're under-arsenaled or anything, but the SixNeedler fills one niche that none of our other guns fills -- I can take target practice at the homestead with it, without having to invest significant money in a range that's safe for more powerful weapons. And while it's not the gun I'd carry if I knew I was going to a gun fight, it can put a hurt on someone, and for everyday open carry it's mean-looking enough (the barrel is 9mm and it's not obvious that it "only" shoots hardened steel darts with 9mm bases) that e.g. muggers would likely see it and opt for softer targets.

I'll probably review it here after I've received it and tried it out. If I really like it, I'll either buy the "official" chest holster or look for a workable chest or shoulder rig. I might even buy a laser sight for its Picatinny rail ... but I kind of doubt it. Its effective range is about 25 meters and any defensive use would likely be shorter than that.