The Gun Thread

We have a military thread, which is fine...but no thread about firearms in general that I saw. There was a "Gun Porn!" thread in Yack Fest but that's Yack Fest. Which can be found here if you are curious.

Anyhow, the thread topic is guns of all types. *

Let's try and keep the discussion civil; I know many of us have well-defined opinions about the subject but as always we should strive not to make more work for the mods.

I'll start it off. Revolvers vs. Semi-automatics...preferences?

I prefer revolvers because I got tiny girl-hands and most double-stack auto grips are too chunky. Also, the few times I've been shooting I got vastly better results with revolvers; my experience with a Glock was particularly embarrassing.

Anyone else?

edited 17th Jan '12 5:06:18 PM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

I always liked the look of a semi-auto more, though I don't have much experience shooting anything but Nerf guns, though I would like to change that. I suppose I might as well ask what would be good to start with if I ever make it down to a shooting range.

edited 17th Jan '12 2:23:33 PM by Balmung

Most ranges will let you rent guns (for a fee), if you don't have friends who own one. I would say try everything you can get your hands on before making a purchase; pistols vary widely (though they all share one trait...they are expensive), and it really boils down to what works best for your outlook, stature, shooting style and personal needs (self defense, target shooting, plinking for fun etc).

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

@OP: Automatics. (Though I wouldn't mind having a good Colt Single Action Army.)

Specifically I would get the M1911 pistol, the service pistol of the US military for over 100 years. (Still in use today in limited usage though largely supplanted by the M9.)

edited 17th Jan '12 2:37:28 PM by MajorTom

I prefer the old bolt rifles to be honest, its just a shame that I've not held one since I was 16.

Dutch Lesbian

@Tom: I did enjoy the 1911 I got to shoot once *

, though I learned the hard way about "slide bite".

Again, I do all right with single-stack designs but double stacks (Glocks in particular) just don't suit.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

I burned through $200 worth of ammunition with three different guns (an M4 carbine, a Thompson and an M3 Grease Gun) at a Las Vegas gun range while on holiday there once. Good times.

Other than that, my only experience of shooting has been plinking tin-cans with an air rifle and clay pigeon shooting, which is pretty much all you can legally do in Britain.

edited 17th Jan '12 3:29:31 PM by pagad

With cannon shot and gun blast smash the alien. With laser beam and searing plasma scatter the alien to the stars.

I prefer a revolver. The automatics I've had a chance to use simply didn't fit my hand well.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

Drunk: you may want to link to the Yackfest version of this thread in your OP. Gun Porn in Yack Fest

Automatics vs Revolver. That depends on what I need the weapon to do. Revolvers are usually noted as reliable and sturdier due to fewer moving parts. Also they are like bolt action rifles and a bit more accurate because of fewer moving parts involved in firing. The down side is the limited capacity and necessity of devices like speed loaders. The bonus is you can load a different type of round into each chamber if you wanted to.

Automatics- Semi-automatic, higher capacity magazines, while not as accurate as the revolver they are accurate enough to get the job done, there are also mechancially more complex then most revolvers and can jam more easily. But they are overall still reliable variant of pistol based fire arms.

Another advantage is with inreased magazine capacity it is easier to fire multiple shots on the same target without interruption and enables you to enage more targets vs a revolver.

edited 17th Jan '12 9:17:54 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Who watches the watchmen?

@Tuefel: Done.

Anyhow, I'd have to say the best shooting experience I've had thus far was with a Ruger Service Six *

in .357 Magnum. Despite not being very heavy the recoil was eminently manageable (I was 16 at the time, and a 120 lb. stick-boy) and I was able to reliably punch holes in soda cans at around 30 feet. I hold that as not bad considering how infrequently I get to shoot.

If you were asking me, it was a Glock 17 in 9mm.

edited 17th Jan '12 5:36:02 PM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

What caliber did you try? Also, I'm curious if they've ever gotten a handgun where the rounds were tilted to allow for a smaller magazine.

Fight smart, not fair.

Not having actually used a revolver, I wouldn't know which I prefer.

The whole issue with ammo capacity isn't really that big a deal for many folks, but being the lazy sort I appreciate the idea of being able to spend less time reloading (even though with speed loaders a skilled shooter can reload pretty quickly) and more on putting lead on target (only paper, fortunately; I don't know if I can honestly say that I wouldn't hesitate if it were a person who was facing the "business end" of a weapon in my hand, which I know could potentially make it dangerous to me if such a situation does come up).

Although I like the idea of "big bullets", without more wrist exercising than I've the inclination to do things whose caliber starts with ".4" are a bit much for me to practically control, I've found.

All your safe space are belong to Trump

I'm a mountain boy at heart, so I'll say that nothing beats the versatility a good old fashion shotgun. The recoil of these beasties may be off-putting (especially for the 10 and 12 gauge varieties), but the sound of chambering a shell is very heart warming.

Please spay/neuter your pets. Also, defang your copperheads.

The sound of a pump-action 12 gauge being chambered is the universal translator. It says in every human tongue, "you will have a very bad day if you do not behave".

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

Hey, what do you call those pistol sized thing with an extra magazine thing at the front, machine pistol?

How practical are those anyways?

@Shotgun - Heh, I heard that a good cock is more than enough to scare any intruders away.

edited 17th Jan '12 5:52:20 PM by dRoy

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

@d Roy: I believe that's the correct term, though nomenclatures like that depend on the audience as far as I've experienced.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

^^ Extra magazine in the front? You mean like jungle style two mags taped together?

I don't know what to call it. Something like this, but only more...I don't know, pistol-y?

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

Reminds me of a scene from the 1985 comedy remake of the film version of King Solomon's Mines. Quartermain*

is confronted by a German soldier, and says he doesn't understand what the soldier is saying. Said soldier pulls his gun, to which Quartermain replies "Gun I understand."

edited 17th Jan '12 6:00:17 PM by Nohbody

All your safe space are belong to Trump

you mean like jungle style two mags taped together

Hey I should do that with my camera batteries

edited 17th Jan '12 6:00:01 PM by joeyjojo

hashtagsarestupid

^^^ A submachinegun? Machine pistol is something else. Glock 18 is an example of a machine pistol. (If you want to get technical so is the Uzi.)

edited 17th Jan '12 6:00:56 PM by MajorTom

Guns, along with pictures, are universal language.

Whoa, really? How?

*scratches head*

edited 17th Jan '12 6:01:50 PM by dRoy

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

@d Roy: something like this? or this?◊ I believe machine pistol is the correct term.

EDIT: @Tom, as far as I know the terms are somewhat interchangeable.

edited 17th Jan '12 6:02:41 PM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

@dRoy: That's just a pistol. The fact that the magazine isn't in the grip doesn't change that. See also the Mauser C96. That said, according to the article, the TEC-9 is basically a machine pistol that's had it's full auto disabled.

edited 17th Jan '12 6:03:24 PM by Balmung

@Drunk - Huh, I thought those were sub-machine gun?

@Balmug - Ah, I see.

Holy shit, Red 9!

edited 17th Jan '12 6:03:35 PM by dRoy

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.