YOUR Hunting Rifle

Just food for thought...

Unlike other firearms, your hunting rifle has a special place in your heart. Yes, you love and take care of your pistols and shotguns, but your rifle gets special treatment. Most people reading this remember their first rifle and it still sits in your gun safe today. It's more than just an inanimate object made of wood, polymer and metal, it's a member of the family. It will be passed down through your family because you feel like they deserve to experience the happiness that comes with that first trigger pull. 

My first hunting rifle is an inexpensive, polymer bolt-action Remington in .308 Win. It's bolt was a little stiff at first, but now it cycles rounds like a dream. I took down my first deer with this rifle, and that right there created a feeling that almost can't be explained. It's kinda like your family vehicle that you grew up with. It wasn't the nicest car, but it is filled with wonderful memories and experiences that will never be forgotten.

You make a connection with your first rifle that is difficult to replicate in ones that you own later. I see people on Facebook gun selling groups that, in a time of misfortune, sold their hunting rifle that was their first or it had been in the family for a long time, and they are trying to find it again. This upsets me knowing that most of them won't succeed. 

You only have one first rifle. And if at any point during your ownership of that weapon you feel a sense of pride when firing it, I urge you to never get rid of that rifle. You may one day regret it.

Modular Handgun System

The Beretta 92/M9 was adopted as the standard issue sidearm of the United States military in 1985, and 30 years later, it is still trusted with keeping our soldiers safe overseas. But the military has stated that the time has come that we look for another weapon to carry the burden.

The 92 was, and still is, a uniquely designed pistol. It's open-slide design is easily distinguishable from any other gun. This design keeps the gun from feeling top heavy and gives a great sight picture when aimed. In my personal opinion, it is one of the best looking and feeling weapons on the market. The 92 is notorious for lasting forever. It was designed to last thousands of rounds beyond its designated service live.
But this piece has had it's fair share of criticisms as well. Many women in the military don't favor this weapon due to its large size. It lacks several ergonomic features that newer weapons now come with. Another complaint is capacity. It's 15 round 9mm magazine is considered a tad low compared to some of the newer ones that are out that hold 17 to 19 rounds for 9mm. The 92 is also hammer-fired, which some believe to be a nuisance.
Arguably the biggest complaint with the 92 is it's slide-mounted safety. This seems to be a Beretta trademark for their full-sized guns. What was intended to be a way to rack the slide with one arm, has been a thorn in the weapon's side since it was adopted. Soldiers complain that they accidentally engage the safety when they rack the slide and it gets in the way when using gloves.
Many complaints come from the 9mm ball round itself. Some say it's too small and they would rather give up capacity in exchange for a larger round.

So after taking these complaints into consideration, what do we want to replace the 92? Do we want to up the size of the cartridge? Here are some of the candidates that I believe have a shot at replacing the famous 92:

*There is no particular order to this list. I will not pick favorites*

• Springfield XD - While I love a good all-metal design, I feel like the next generation pistol will favor polymer, mainly due to weight, ergonomics, and ease of production. The XD is similar to a Glock because of it's cult following. Not so easy on the eyes, but it offers many different models and calibers to choose from and includes an added safety feature that the Glocks don't have. I personally am not a huge fan of the XD, but it meets the specified requirements - all without breaking the military budget.

• Smith and Wesson M&P - Again, another pistol with adaptable ergonomics and slender frame. Comes in a variety of calibers and models. you can get these pistols with or without the frame-mounted safety. Either way, it is a very small safety that won't get in the way. Trusted by police forces all throughout the nation.

• Beretta Px4 Storm - In the early 2000's, Beretta released their second full-sized pistol. Primarily for the purpose of becoming the next military sidearm for the now-defunct Joint Combat Pistol program. With it's polymer frame, interchangeable back straps, accessory rail, and adoption by numerous police forces in the U.S., the Px4 is building a solid reputation as a great all-around gun. It is a little thick, but its large, beefy external safety is not a mandatory option.

• Glock - I cannot give an exact model that would be used, but I still believe that the military would value the capacity of the 9mm over a 45. So maybe a Glock 17 or 19? A valued feature of the Glock would be how flush the gun sits. It is a very "snag-proof" design. And now the 4th generation pistols have the ability to swap out the back straps. The biggest issue with the Glock is that soldiers will not have the ability to tinker with the gun to make it "perfect," therefore I feel like many military Glock fans would be upset with this.

• H&K 45c - Already used by several branches of the military. This has everything you could want in a new pistol design, including the long sought-after 45 caliber bullet. However, the price tag will be this weapon's downfall. I'm sure it'll be less under military contract, but I can't imagine the military paying close to $1,100 per handgun.

• FN Five-Seven - I am adding this to the list only because it was designed to not only meet the requirements of the new military sidearm, but also be an alternative to the 9x19 NATO round. I feel like if the gun didn't cost an arm or leg to buy, our soldiers would already be carrying this weapon. The Five-Seven uses a unique cartridge, the 5.7x28 mm. It is a long and skinny round, designed to act like a rifle caliber, but for a pistol. It holds 20 rounds and has greater effective range and stopping power than a 9x19 NATO round. After holding this weapon, you can tell that this gun was built around ergonomics, it's possibly one of the most comfortable pistols I have ever felt.

• Beretta APX - Beretta has finally done it. After years of criticism of not making a striker-fire pistol, they finally have an answer. The Beretta APX. This pistol falls right into the "no external safety, split trigger, polymer, striker-fire" category. Price hasn't been announced yet but we could probably expect that it falls around the $600 mark. It's a little late to the game, but maybe it'll get some military consideration. Only time will tell.

• FN FNP - The FNP is right there with the H&K 45c when talking about look and feel. But it's a little more reasonable when it comes to price. And talk about options! This pistol comes in about as many configurations as you can imagine. I feel like the military could have a field day just building what they want. This is one of the few pistols that have replaceable frame rails that allow it to be rebuilt after extensive use. This will drastically increase the gun's service life and end up saving money. 

Opinion on caliber - I think that the military would be hard pressed to move up to a larger round such as the .45 ACP. I believe that we will continue to favor a lighter, faster rounds over a one that makes a larger hole. Magazine capacity cannot be overlooked, and the 9x19 still tops the market in light, high-capacity pistols.

There is no way we will go back to the 1911. So get that thought out of your mind. I love the gun as much as the next person, but let's be realistic.

Did I make good predictions? Did I leave out a pistol that you think should be included? Please leave a comment and explain what gun you think should be the next military sidearm and why.

Firearm Education (Pet Peeves)

I've wanted to rant about this for a long time. I am a member of multiple gun trading and selling groups on Facebook, I read firearm related forums and I've extensively read news articles that are all centered around guns (for better or worse). So after years of looking at these, here are my greatest pet peeves in the gun community:

• The most common communication error amongst gun owners. The box with the ammunition inside is called a MAGAZINE, NOT a CLIP. No it doesn't sound 'cool' to say the wrong thing. Magazines are the modern tool used to load ammunition into the action of the weapon. They usually feed from the bottom of the gun and use a spring to push the round in to the receiver when the action is worked. Clips serve the same purpose. However, very few, if any, modern firearms use clips to feed ammunition. A clip is a thin piece of metal that attach to the base of the cartridges and hold them together in a row. This fully loaded clip is then pressed into the built-in (and non-removable) magazines of older guns, such as the M1 Garand and will feed the rounds when the action is cycled. 

• This is more of a personal point, but to me, there is no such thing as an "AR pistol." Look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about. I know that the definition of a 'pistol' varies, but for me, a pistol is a weapon that is designed to comfortably be shot with one hand, uses pistol calibers, and can be concealed easily for easy mobility. A weapon that is only called a 'pistol' because it has a short barrel and has a chopped off shoulder stock REALLY drives me up the wall. I've even had someone say to me that they have a .308 'pistol'. No - you camo wearing neck-beard - you don't. You've only cut off the ends of your AR and made it harder to use. Yes, you have mobility, but would you cut off a shotgun to pistol-length and call it a 'pistol'? I think not.

• There are such things as good, inexpensive guns. Don't feel like you need to spend over $500 to buy a quality firearm. As a proud owner of several sub-$450 weapons, I support the bargain priced firearms. My first gun was a Remington 887 pump shotgun. It cost around $300-$350. I can't begin to tell you of all the negative reviews this gun received. All of the bad reviews were from people who never shot the gun and are only judging it by price or, if they have shot it, it didn't feel as nice as their $2,500 Benelli. I wouldn't trade my Remington for the world. It shoots straight, the action is crisp, and it hasn't ever given me any problems. If someone were to try to bash this gun in front of me, I will happily challenge them to a clay-shooting competition. I will win. This is not the only example of a quality firearm with a low price sticker. Not long ago I saw a Bersa Thunder .380 Compact on a shelf for mid-$200's. This might be the best example of a semi-auto handgun bargain. I know for a fact that this pistol has a great reputation for reliability and performance. 

• If you are wanting to sell your firearm on a website, don't ask what you've paid for it. Guns hold their value very well, but not that well. Regardless if you've shot less than 50 rounds through it. Your gun, like a car, will depreciate in value once used (unless you own a collector's piece). I can't tell you how many people attempt to sell their used Glock for the EXACT price that they paid for it new. The only reason that anyone would buy that gun from you is if they are a felon and can't buy it legally from a store.

• This is a topic for another article. Open carry. In the United States, I believe that a law abiding citizen should be able to open carry for their own protection. That being said, when activists open carry AK-47s and expect police to believe you when you say that you are "just out for a stroll," you are just seeking attention. There is absolutely no need to carry your M16 to go grocery shopping. Yes, if North Korea decides to attack us, you will be prepared, but other than that, you just look like a punk. If I was concealed carrying my pistol and some guy came in my local Winn-Dixie wielding an AK-47, I would probably be thinking about what action I should take in case this guy decides to make a move. I don't know your intention, and neither do police. 

Before I make too many eyes roll, I'll leave it at that. I promise the next post will be about an actual firearm instead of gun culture.

Leave me a comment about what bothers you about gun community.

To Hoard or Not To Hoard

The title says it all. Gun owners are just like the people that go out and buy milk and bread right before they’re snowed in. It’s never a bad idea to be prepared in case things take a turn for the worse, but it is possible that we go a little overboard. As we all know, we currently have a president that doesn’t like guns. He has taken it upon himself to drastically limit what kinds of firearms that people can lay their hands on. But this is America. Our right to bear arms cannot simply be scrubbed away by some strong-willed politician. Well, not without starting a war at least. And even our gun-hating president doesn’t want that (if you feel differently, please leave your comment below). So people, I ask that you take a deep breath, take a step back, and analyze the situation. Take a moment and ask yourself these questions:

• Do I need to spend my paycheck on every last box of .22 ammo I can find?
• Do I need to buy out the store of green-tip .223/5.56 and create even more chaos for the people that come in after me looking for some?
• Do I need to postpone my child’s college education in order to buy an AR-15 before they are banned?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, I have this to say to you:

CALM YOURSELF!

There are people working night and day that make sure unconstitutional firearm bans remain only a myth. Luckily for us gun enthusiasts, we have the strongest political group on our side, the NRA. These people are well-read, strong willed, and heavily funded. Primarily by you though annual membership fees. If you feel you need to do your part to keep ridiculous laws from passing, become a member. Try to refrain from getting on social media and shouting; “Hey dems’ government get my guns!”- paired with a picture of outdated self-defense statistics. Quite honestly, it isn’t helping either side. There is nothing that you could say to congress that the NRA hasn’t thought of already.

* Note: I live in Alabama so I’m allowed to make fun of people that talk like this ^.

What I am trying to say here is this: If a shooting tragedy occurs or if a ban is proposed and you feel like you need to grab some extra ammo for your firearm, that is perfectly acceptable, but I ask that you buy only what you need. The panic only sets in when items fly off the shelves.

Top Tip – An event can occur at any moment that can limit your ability to purchase weapons or ammo. It is a good idea to remain stocked with everything you need BEFORE one of these events happen. Don’t find yourself getting pulled in to the frenzy. Buy the things you need when supply is plentiful, not when it is rare.