Observations
An Open Letter to People in the Ammo Aisles…
Ok, while the ammo crisis may be winding down in some areas, it’s still scarce out there. If a store has ammo, chances are it’s only a box or two at the most. There’s something I’m noticing with an increasing frequency: thrashed boxes.
Let me recount an actual event what I witnessed just yesterday. In the Jacksonville area, no one has better ammo prices than Academy Sports be it before or during this shortage. Just a fact. The ONLY place you can find better pricing was online. This also means that their ammo shelves were often times completely bare. They started a thing where they kept the most popular ammo behind the customer service desk and only let you buy one box, per caliber, per customer. The shotgun ammo (of which there’s always been plenty) and more obscure sizes are still out on the shelves, unrestricted.
While I was browsing the shotgun ammo, a guy who, for the purposes of this story will be referred to as Douche McGee, walks up and starts looking at the .38 Super +P ammo on the shelf. Continue reading
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The Best Gun…
If there was one question I see more than anything else as I peruse this vast universe of information known as the internet, it’s this: “What is the best gun for ______?”. Seriously, open a new browser window and browse to any firearm forum you can find. I’d almost be willing to bet a can of soda that there will be at least one post asking some form of that question within the first couple of pages. What’s the best gun for carry? What’s the best gun for home defense? What is the best gun for hog hunting?
I’m going to answer those questions. I’m not going to tackle each and every one of them, however. I am a scientific mind so I will borrow from science nomenclature for my answer. Fellow noobs, I would like to present to you The Gun Noob Unified Theory of Best Gun Determination! Continue reading
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The Lament of the .25
There isn’t an expert out there that won’t tell you Betamax was way better than VHS. It was a smaller, sturdier cassette with higher resolution than VHS. Heck, while we were recording TV shows at home on VHS, they were stored and broadcast from the studios using Beta tapes. So why did VHS catch on while Betamax became another paragraph in the endless numbers of “Top X Technology Failures of All Time” articles?
Well, for the most part it was marketing and price. Yes, Beta had some shortcomings. It had a shorter recording time than VHS tapes, for example. In the end, however, it was Sony’s historical idiocy overconfidence that lead to JVC and RCA (the makers of VHS) being able to outmaneuver them in the market. While Sony learned their lesson with BluRay technologies (something Microsoft didn’t learn when they tried to release HD-DVD), you can take a look at the PS3’s launch and the PS4’s marketing for modern day examples of Sony’s shortcomings.
But this isn’t a discussion on gaming consoles… Continue reading
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Credit Crunch: Inexpensive guns to get you started
Let’s face it: money is tight. Even in the best of economies, people like me still have a tendency to live paycheck to paycheck. That means we might not always have the cash on hand to get that shiny H&K or Wilson 1911 we’ve been staring at in the gun store’s cases. Granted, most stores offer layaways but trying to come up with $1000 over a couple of months is still a large order.
So if you want to get a gun, what’s the cash strapped to do? The good news is, there’s a couple of options. In even the worst times, I can generally come up with $550 over a 3 month layaway so I’m setting that as a budget. By the way, I’m going solely by the MSRP prices. Remember, the street value is always lower, even in this panic buying time we have now.
So let’s see what’s out there, shall we? Continue reading
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Let’s Get to the (Natural) Point…
If you ever get the chance to shoot a variety of guns at one range session, you might notice that you’ll do better with some pistols than others. For example, I can shoot quite well with a Springfield XDm but I can barely hit anything with my friend’s FNX-45. Now, I’m not going to sit here and say my distinct lack of skill isn’t a factor. At the same time, it might not be entirely my fault.
Yes, I’m going to show you why you might be able to blame the gun (up to a point). Continue reading
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Clip vs. Magazine
I’ve touched on it before but it’s time to go in depth. I’m hearing it so much lately that now it’s like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard. Hollywood gets it wrong, the media gets it wrong, video games get it wrong and even firearm instructors get it wrong. This only goes to further the problem. Should it bother me as much as it does? Probably not. At the risk of being annoyingly pedantic, however, I want to set the record straight:
“Clip” and “Magazine” are not interchangeable terms. Continue reading
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First Annual Gun Noob Awards of Awesomenicity
Ladies and Gentleman (and TJ), the 2013 SHOT Show has come and gone and it’s time for the highly coveted, First Annual Gun Noob Awards of Awesomenicity! These awards go to the products and people that stood out during my time at the show. I had planned a big musical number to open this awards show but neither Lady Gaga or Jimmy Buffett will return my calls so without further adieu, on to the first category! Continue reading
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What the 2012/2013 Panic has taught me
Shooting for me has ground to a standstill thanks to Gun Panic 12-13. Sure, I’ve always made certain to have a combat load of ammo around the house for emergencies, so no real worries there. But that ammo is for emergencies, and with every common caliber drying up at gun stores and online all over the place, I don’t dare shoot it. I have no idea when I’ll be able to get more. This means that my review of the Gunsite Scout is on hold, which torques me right off.
I’ve never seen it this bad. I mean, yeah, there was a panic after the 2008 election, but nothing like this. And now that I’m knee-deep in this gun and ammunition wasteland, some decisions I’ve made pertaining to firearms and ammunition have come under review.
Findings
1. “Common” calibers aren’t so common during a panic like this, which means you can bet your ass they won’t be common at the onset of an emergency either. My .223, 9mm and to a certain extent my .308 are lying dormant, the ammunition I have for them being carefully controlled. If I had gone and had one really good range day a few days before the panic, I’d be SOL.
2. Politicians will not stop trying to infringe on the 2nd Amendment. Their common tactic is to shoot for the moon and demand bans and absurd magazine limitations and then “compromise” to get a tenth of what they want. Then, after the next tragedy, they’ll do the same and get another tenth. It’s a long game.
3. Depending on the state you live in, you can become a criminal overnight depending on which politicians want to make a name for themselves.
4. Prices go crazy-up during a no-kidding politically-inspired gun panic.
So, what do I do? Well, the good news is that it’s looking more and more like Sen. Feinstein won’t get her ban. There may still be some ugly new laws pertaining to magazines coming, but nothing is certain yet. However, you can bet there will be another attempt just as soon as some other psycho decides to make a point by murdering innocent people with a gun he stole. Until then, there’s still time to make some changes.
Proposed actions
1. Time to look into some uncommon options that will allow me to shoot and give me a better chance of finding ammunition during times when it’s needed. .357, .38, .44 magnum I have no problem finding right now because they’re primarily revolver cartridges. A .357/9mm Ruger Blackhawk or a S&W Model 29 in .44mag might not be the fastest guns out there, but they’re powerful, and their cartridges can also be used in lever guns. Not as fast as an AR or AK, but fast enough. Shoot, a Coonan 1911 in .357 would solve my problem toot-sweet. Same deal on the rifle side. I can find .270 and 30-06 more readily than the modern military cartridges. If that GSR had come in 7mm-08 (the other Jeff Cooper-approved cartridge for a scout rifle), you’d probably be reading a review about it right now.
2. I’m going to rejoin the NRA and some of the other pro-2A groups. People give the NRA a lot of guff because they say the organization won’t “compromise” on gun laws. People forget that’s what the NRA is paid to do: Hold the line. That incremental whittling away of rights only happens when one side, the pro-2A side, budges. And they always do.
3. Develop a plan in the event my state does something like New York or I’m forced to move to one of them. A sizeable portion of New York’s gun-owning population just found out they’re about to become criminals thanks to a law passed in the middle of the night with no public debate. If the choice comes down between registering my firearms with a government like that, giving them up, or moving them out of state, I choose out of state. Fortunately, I have options, so this action is practically done. You, however, might want to start asking yourself “who do I know that I can trust who lives in a free state?”
4.If I had known a year ago that a stripped AR lower receiver from Palmetto State Armory that normally goes for about $70 would be fetching around $500 online now, I would have bought three of them when they went on sale. Guns have always been an investment. They age well, and when things get tough, everyone suddenly wants one. Having an extra SKS or Hi-Point lying around to sell or give to a friend or family member who find they have need of one but can’t find it would be nice.
I’m sure there’s going to be more lessons-learned as they whap me upside the head at the worst moment, but for now that’s what I’m going with because you can bet that even if the polticos back off, this is going to come up again. Like they say on Battlestar Galactica: “All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.” The only question is what kind of position am I going to be in the next time it does?
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My first time – Tales of a true gun noob
The following story comes from a friend of my sister’s who recently took a trip to the range for the first time. She recounts her experience here. – TJ
By Rebecca
To be clear I would like you all to know I am not a stupid woman who lacks common sense (even though this recounting does make me double check that statement); I am a 36 year old successful business owner with a good head on my shoulders. I am also not complexly ignorant of guns and how they work, and by that I mean I have held a revolver and a Glock, I know where the trigger is, and which end is the business end of the gun. I have however never shot one…until today that is.
To set the stage you must realize I am in no way afraid of guns, so I do not handle them timidly or with trepidation and due to recent events my boyfriend Joe and I have discussed the purchase of a firearm for myself as he has weapons of his own. He explained to me that I should go to the local Firearms dealer and range to try out a few of their rentals and get the feel of it, the feel had to be “Just Right” I was told.
Today being a free day for me I popped the address into my GPS and off I went to shoot for the first time. Another person might have thought twice and made sure that they were prepared and dressed properly for an outing like this, but then that person would not be impulsive like me. In fact the thought of wearing a floor length low cut sundress with more than ample cleavage popping out and flip flops didn’t even occur to me as being improperly dressed until I was half way there… oops..
Anyway, like I said before though I am not timid around guns the idea of what I was about to do was a bit nerve racking and not something I ever thought I would be doing, much less alone. When I arrived at the shop I gathered up my Mickey Mouse Disney purse along with my courage and in I went! I am not sure what I was expecting exactly but I can tell you it was not the throng of senior citizens around me as I patiently waited in line to be served. When it was my turn I walked up to the counter and informed the gentleman that I would like to buy a gun, however I thought it would be good idea to actually shoot one first. When asked what kind of gun I was looking for I replied “One that will fit in my tiny hands” With a chuckle he showed me a Smith and Wesson mp22. It felt light enough, and the grip seemed small enough so I was in.
After a brief explanation on how to properly load, hold, and fire the gun I was instructed to hang the target. Have I mentioned yet that I am 5’2” and I would swear the clips were 6’ tall, but hey I can do this so up I go on my tippy toes and got the thing hung (if a bit crooked). After firing off a few rounds, a pat on the back, and a “Good Girl” from the instructor I was left to my own devices. I can tell you from the very little I know of weapons, the grip was nice, the kick was gentle, and I was able to hit the target most of the time. After about half a box of rounds (which I now know I was supposed to fire them all) I go in to try the next size up, after all I was told to work my way up.
My next gun was the Smith and Wesson MP 9mm, this one seemed much heavier and the grip larger but I figured why the hell not! Now one would have thought since I got instruction with the first gun I would get instruction with the second. Not so much, in fact I had been left alone to try and figure out how to get these much larger rounds into the much tighter clip and for a while I stood there, looking from bullets to clip, staring at them from many angles before I decided I knew what to do. Taking the clip in my left and the bullet in my right I proudly loaded my first round, but something just didn’t seem right.
Scratching my head in confusion I turned to the kid in the stall next to mine (by kid I mean he was probably 20) and held up my clip asking if I had these in right. The poor thing… I have never seen a man so visibly afraid in my entire life. With eyes as wide as saucers he slowly shook his head in bewilderment, so I asked “Are they in backwards?” my response being an equally shocked nod…. HA! Problem solved, I flipped that bad boy around as if I hadn’t just made a huge mistake and fool of myself and finished loading the gun. Now I know I should have shot more than 7 of the 50 bullets that came in the box but to be honest the room was getting smokey, the gun was heavy, my hand was getting sore from the kick, I had just narrowly missed having a cleavage full of spent casings, and lets face it.. I pretty much scared the crap out of every grown man around me so I decided to pack it in and call it a day.
Feeling as though I had accomplished a lot I decided to call Joe on my way home and tell him I had picked the type of weapon I wished to purchase. After all it was all about the feel right? Apparently not, because I was then told that the perfect little 22 I found just didn’t have the stopping power, and if I can’t stop a large man or a heavily dressed man coming to hurt me then it pretty much defeats the purpose (face palm). I guess it is a good thing I don’t discourage easily because the first thing I did when I got home was message my friend Stephanie , tell her about my awesome yet somewhat embarrassing day, and suggest a girls day out… at the firing range.
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SHOT Show Report: Day 1&2
It’s the classic case of the best laid plans of mice. When I was planning for the show, there was a big list of “ok, I need to do X, Y, Z, etc” and “I can’t miss____” and so on. These plans were based off my previous experience with trade shows and such. The problem is, however, that none of the trade shows I’ve been to come anywhere close to the scale of this one. Let me give you an idea of what I’m talking about here. I have a pedometer app on my phone. I’ve tested it in the past and it’s pretty darn accurate. I left for the show at 7:00am on Tuesday and started the app before I left. The battery on my phone died around 3:00pm. The last recorded distance I walked was about 12 miles. One gentlemen I met also had a pedometer. In 2 days he had gone 56 miles.
This place is f***ing huge.
…and crazy.
Thousands and thousands of booths stretched as far as you can imagine. Just when you think you’ve made it to the other end of the show floor, you turn a corner and there’s another, equally large show floor filled with more booths. There is a persistent thought that casinos purposely design the layout in a confusing way to keep people from leaving. I think those same people designed this show. I kid…a bit. It’s actually amazingly well laid out and with 60,000+ people in attendance, it hasn’t felt claustrophobic at all. I’ve never had to wait more than a couple moments to talk with a company rep and the aisles flow well (except for those occasions when a group of people will stop in the middle of the aisle and just start chatting thus blocking everyone from moving. You know who you are. Nobody likes you. Move over next time.).
The booths are amazing too! The big manufacturers spared no expense putting their displays together. Some of them are 2 stories tall with private offices and everything! If you haven’t looked at the booth gallery I posted to Facebook, I suggest you check it out.
But who cares about that junk?! Let’s talk about guns!
There are quite a few companies trying to get their foot in the door. The first is a company called Caracal. I was impressed by their selection and some of the ideas on their guns. They only started in 2003 and they came out swinging. The thing that really got my attention was their “Quick Acquisition Sight System”. It’s seriously hard to describe how it works or even WHY it works so well but trust me, it works so naturally that I was left saying “why doesn’t every gun do this!?” Seriously, it’s that awesome.
Next was a Turkish company by the name of Canik and I really love the styling and feel of their guns. I can’t exactly place my finger on it but they look like Russian gangster guns. They’ve got some good weight to them and the lines are very unique. They’re still trying to jump through all the import hoops so I couldn’t get any MSRP prices, unfortunately. I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes on this company.
Finally, we have Armscor/Rock Island Armory’s new 22 TCM pistol. This is a bit tough to explain so stick with me here. Take a .223 rifle round, yank out the bullet, cut the brass in half, neck it down then put the bullet back in and crimp it. That’s a 22 TCM round. It’s the same length as a 9mm. The bullet is, essentially a .22 caliber round. So why do that? Because you get a 2000+ FPS round out of a 5” barrel pistol with almost no recoil. Giggity, indeed.
Other things from the show: 5.11 Tactical has some of the nicest people in the world, as does Turnbull Mfg. Even though the show required that all firing pins be removed, people STILL need to seriously work on their safety technique and awareness of where the barrel is pointed. I’ve never had so many guns pointed right at me before. I’d expect that at some local gun show at the county fairgrounds but people here are supposed to be industry professionals. Also, I wouldn’t feel comfortable working in Springfield Armory’s booth. Look at the picture to the left. Notice how all the guns are pointing inward at the sales rep?
So those are my first two days there. Stay tuned tomorrow for further reports.
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