Free For All Friday 1-16-15: break actions, shotgun practice and CZ pistols
While I realize it’s a bit late to be talking about New Years Resolutions, I haven’t had the chance to talk about them with my other FFAF posts thus far. It’s still January, however, and if my friends’ Facebook posts are any indicator, the gyms are still filled with NYR people. Typically, the majority of people give up on their resolutions around the end of February with the major holdouts giving up around April. Personally, I think a lot of people waste their resolutions. What are most people’s resolution? Typically it’s lose weight, exercise more, go outside more often, etc. When you think about it, those are things we should all be doing to begin with. Doing that is like throwing a dart first then drawing the bullseye around where it lands…and statistically speaking drawing the bullseye wrong. I’m not one of those “I don’t make resolutions” type of people but I don’t like to waste mine either. I prefer to use my resolutions to do something new. I pick something that I’ve never done before and have no real reason to do in the first place. I do this as a way to force myself to grow and exercise my mind. As I’ve spoken about before, learning new things is good for your brain. It may be something simple like “learn to make good bread”. A few years ago I learned how to knit. Last year was to learn a programming language I’ve been wanting to learn. This year, it’s learning to solve Rubik’s Cubes.
In the meantime, guns are far less complicated than those stupid plastic cubes…
Shotgun barrels – over/under, side by side, triple barrel. What’s that all about? -Mike H.
Shotguns come in three main varieties: pump action, break action and semi-auto. Of those varieties, the break actions are the most simple but also the most popular for certain applications. Go to any clay shooting competition and you might notice the majority of the competitors will be using over/unders. There’s a reason for that but I’m getting ahead of myself here.
The over/under, side by side and triple barrels fall under said break action category. This is because you have to “break” open the gun in order to chamber new rounds. The upside is that there are very few moving parts to the gun as well as a faster rate of fire. The downside is you only hold a couple of shells and it takes a moment to replace those. Also, with only 2 or 3 shells in the gun, that whole “faster rate of fire” thing is a bit relative.
But that wasn’t your question. The side by side shotguns are the arguably oldest of the multi-barrel break actions. These days, you will see far more over/unders because the barrels are both in line with your sight. In over/unders and side by sides, the direct line of the barrels cross at some point but with side by sides, that means the barrels are crooked left and right relative to aim. When you’re shooting at birds and clays, they’re typically moving left or right so logically, it could cause problems to have your aim off in those directions. The up and down elevation differences of an over/under, however, don’t come into play as much but I’ve yet to figure out a reason why.
The triple barreled break actions are pretty much just a gimmick. It’s an awesome gimmick, mind you, but a gimmick none-the-less. You wouldn’t be able to use them in most competitions, a lot of clay ranges only allow you to load two shots at once and I believe many states have similar restrictions for hunting.
Fun fact: Remember how I said the barrels criss-cross at some point? In many cases, that distance can be adjusted by a talented gunsmith. If you were to take your double-barrel to a gunsmith that’s been in the business for a long time and ask him or her to make your shotgun “well regulated” (hmmm…where have I heard that phrase before?), he or she will ask you “at what distance?” According to scholars (and previous editions of the Oxford English Dictionary), “well-regulated” is a term very commonly used up until the early 1900s that means “in proper working order” or “correctly calibrated”. Now I’ve just got to figure out where I’ve heard that term. I’m sure it will come to me eventually. Either way, many gunsmiths still recognize and use the term.
None of the ranges around here will let you shoot [a shotgun] and the nearest outdoor range that will is a long way away. I have zero interest in shooting clays and everyone says that’s the wrong shotgun for that anyway. So how do I become proficient enough to use it for HD? I have no confidence in being able to effectively use this weapon. Any ideas? -Ron
You’ll be happy to know that this is a very common problem or maybe not happy. Misery loves company, right? Anyway, I ran into the same issues when I bought my first shotgun. For some reason, indoor ranges don’t seem to want a giant cannon firing a couple hundred tiny bullets in their places. Weird, huh? This is one of the reasons I’m sometimes hesitant to recommend shotguns for home defense as there aren’t many places where people can get comfortable with them. I do have some tricks, however, that you can try. For starters, a lot of ranges say “no shotguns” but they really mean “no shot”. If you ask, most of them have no problems if you use slugs. Make sure you ask first. I can’t stress that enough.
I know you said you aren’t interested in clay shooting but there’s something at every clay shooting area that might interest you: patterning boards. This is just a big slab of wood that you tape a target to so that you can shoot it with your ammo (target loads only) and figure out which choke tubes you need and such. Nothing says you have to then go and shoot clays afterwards. Make sure you stop in at the office to clarify the rules of the patterning board. Nine times out of ten, they don’t even charge for it. You’re not going to learn to run and gun that way but you can at least put a bunch of rounds through your gun to get an idea of the recoil, aiming and spread. Keep in mind, your defense ammo will have significantly more recoil but that’s how it goes for most guns.
Worst comes to worst, you might have to make a couple of special road trips to a range that does allow shotguns. Personally, I drive an hour away to my favorite outdoor range to shoot as opposed to the similar outdoor range that’s 10 minutes away just because my favorite range allows me to shoot whatever I want, however I want as long as I follow safety rules. The closer one has so many weird and, frankly, pointless rules that it’s hard to test or even gain proficiency with any gun there.
I am looking to buy a first civilian handgun, having never used a sidearm in the military. My local gun shop recommends a CZ 75B .40 cal, and I am curious how you would rate this choice. Thanks for your time and the great articles! -Chris N.
I have never read a bad review of a CZ 75. At least not from a reputable source. Your Glock and 1911 fanboys will poo poo anything that isn’t Glock or 1911 but beyond that, the love of CZ’s is near universal. They have the best factory trigger out of any gun I’ve ever shot and they are solid as can be. Factor in the excellent price and you’ve got an incredible pistol. The fact that I haven’t done a review of one yet is a major regret but it also isn’t due to lack of effort on my part. They’re just so popular that CZ just doesn’t have any to send out for tests. The only thing I would recommend is to go with the 9mm version instead of the .40. The gun was designed and balanced for the 9mm. The .40 was…well…shoehorned in..for lack of a better term. There is a significant increase in recoil moving from 9mm to .40 and because of the weight and such of the pistol, it’s going to be much more prominent. If you’re ok with the extra pop then go for it. Then again, I have never liked the .40 but that’s an article for another day.
I have been trying to convince [my parents] to get a stripped AR lower and then build our own rifle as a way to ease into the idea of gun ownership. I have been exploring the feasibility of the idea myself, and I am wondering if from a technical aspect it would be possible for my Dad and I to do so. If so, are there any online guides we could use? -Josh V.
I have put together LEGO sets that were far more difficult than assembling a lower. As long as you have the proper tools, it is a breeze and will make you wonder why people charge so much for it. When it comes to building the upper from scratch, however, you couldn’t pay me enough to do that again. I still have a couple of scars on my hand from that. Besides, with the glut of AR-15 parts available thanks to the fallout from the shortage, quality assembled uppers can be found for as cheap (if not cheaper) than if you were to piece them together yourself. The lowers, however, are still a bargain to build and quite fun at that. They’re also the only part you have to go through a background check for. So my recommendation is to build your lower then just order an upper. You can get a barebones upper then accessorize the heck out of it or just buy one already tricked out.
As far as online guides, you can always check out my AR-15 Project series. Outside of shameless self promotion, Brownells has an absolutely brilliant video series which is, admittedly, far more detailed than mine. My series wasn’t meant so much as a “how to” but a “watch me do it and see the pitfalls you might run into”.
Thanks for the questions!
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