So the following event inspired me to post this thread-
I was running some standards drill with a buddy (who has already done some cringeworthy inducing things with his carry guns, including buying a long slide setup for his G32 explicitly for carry… the longer sight radius is apparently super important to him) when his kel-tec PF9 had an interesting malfunction. While shooting his PF9, he did not let his trigger out long enough for the reset and when he pulled it to shoot the target, the firingpin went forward but did not have the force to pierce the primer and he was left with a dead trigger.
His reaction? " OH not a big deal! I’ll just learn to make sure to let the trigger all the way out! " When I asked him if he thought he would remember that with somebody shooting at him, he seemed a little upset.
This was the same range trip where he debuted his draw from his new ThunderWear/Smartcarry setup. With the same PF9.
My favorite moment, though, was the smug look on his face when he told me that he got the gun at a steal. Only $200! I smiled and kept shooting.
Anybody else have any buddies who carry and don’t quite get it?
Perhaps it’s a bad thing. Once I decide someone’s an idiot about something important, it’s hard for me to want to be around them. That’s why I have so much trouble understanding these “My brother-in-law says Tasco is the Navy Delta Force scope they use in asscrackistan! how can I convince him otherwise??” Who gives a fuck? Shine him on down the road.
A dude I used to work with carried a 10mm 1911 of some sort with a 6’’ barrel, and fiber optic sights, and claimed that it was in case he was engaged at a target 200 yards away…
I asked how that would be self defence, and he replied something awesome:
'‘The Japanese army fucked with us in Pearl Harbor… So we nuked ‘em. That was thousands of miles away, and it was self defence.’’
Yeah, I should add that this was more or less his justification for the G32 + long slide monstrosity he is building for himself. He wants a “carbine in a holster.” He has developed an antipathy for any cartridge that fails to go 1600FPS out the barrel, which is why he splurged and dropped nearly 700 dollars on the 32 with all that crap to go with it.
I sold an XD .40 about a month ago.
Around a week later my regular shooting buddy and I went to the range, he shows up about an hour later with the pistol on his hip, I asked him how it was workin for him…
He replies with “The only time I got to shoot it was the other day when I dropped the slide at home and it went off!!” He exclaimed like it was funny
I said “well keep your stupid finger off the trigger when you chamber a round” He argued up and down that it was…I owned the gun for 2 years without a single AD/ND
The rest of the range trip sucked due to paranoia of being hit with anothe ND. Needless to say I havent been to the range with hime since
Well, up here in Canada CCW is effectively non-existent. But we have no shortage of guys one puck short of a hockey game.
There are still people here that are 100% convinced that, for example, the 1911 is still the premiere issue pistol for all the best LE and Mil units, and that “plastic guns” are popular for the sole reason that they’re cheap.
As a matter of fact, I have often suspected that the lack of a CCW option for most Canadians means that even stupider beliefs are held on to longer, because few guns other than hunting rifles and shotguns get used anywhere other than a range, and it would be illegal to do otherwise. (Canadians, please do not jump in here and start explaining about Sig Classic Greens or CZ858s…I’m well aware but you know what I mean.)
Since nobody outside of LE etc will use their pistols anywhere off a range, ever, what exactly IS the difference between an STI and a Colt? What IS the advantage of a P30 over an XD9? Many of the differences are almost moot, because the most we’re going to do is lose a stage in competition. Nobody is defending their life with a pistol up here.
People buy cheap guns, or just plain lousy guns, because they can’t tell the difference, and the stakes are lower as well. So whatever dumb things you hear…we may hear even worse up here.
Currently in a CCW class designed for Marines getting out. Its by far the scariest thing Ive ever seen. We havent even got to the live fire portions and already the Marines are pointing the blue guns in their mouths and at each other. Jesus.
I am Jack’s total lack of surprise. I had to have a discussion that turned physical a couple of years ago with a newly-returned-from-Iraq Marine who thought it was funny to point his CCW at people. There is a subset of soldiers/Marines who think fucking around with loaded weapons is either a)funny or b) a sign of machismo. Generally, this is a sign of abject failure on the part of their staff NCOs and leadership.
Most of the scariest people/things I’ve seen in the firearm industry are from current and former LEO/military personnel.
Here’s the thing. The ratio of firearm-related idiots on this board is probably FAR FAR lower than that of a police department or group of military personnel. Why? Because it’s our hobby and we enjoy guns. They have guns because it’s their job to have guns. I know countless cops who never touch theirs unless they are required to train or something for it.
The buddy of mine from my stories is an interesting breed in that he is a civilian (and based on his political bent, will be for his whole life) and he is generally a very safe shooter, which I totally respect him for.
Most of his, um, more colorful opinions have to do with which guns/ammo are appropriate for self defense and what kind of scenarios exactly constitutes self defense.
I have witnessed the following things from him in the past few months -
Has told me that a Glock 21 with a .45 Super barrel is the ULTIMATE HOME DEFENSE WEAPON and he will probably buy such a setup soon.
“.223/9mm is a poodle shooter”. We’ve all heard that one before
Seen him practice transitions from handgun to Keltec Sub2000 (9mm Carbine) from his backpack. G18 mag zip-tied to the fore end for a quick reload :ph34r:)
.357 SIG is a LETHAL MAN STOPPER because of HYDROSTATIC SHOCK. He also refuses to buy jhps from anybody but Doubletap for this reason even though better ammo (Federal, Winchester, Speer…) are available for 1/2 the price and with far better components.
Bought a knockoff cheapo Bi-Pod and a 8 dollar 100 lumen flashlight from DealExtreme and mounted it on his Ruger Mini 14 in an ATI stock (mount for the light, of course, also from DealExtreme)
Seen him spend 1g on Keltec products in 1 day (2PF9s and aforementioned Keltec Sub2000s).
Sings the praises of the “extremely accurate” DPMS AR-10 his dad owns.
Built a “G17XL” or a g17 with the longest slide/barrel combo possible from Lone wolf. Was confused when he couldnt get it to run (Hint: there is a reason that slide weight and recoil spring weight are carefully calibrated…). Absolutely convinced he’ll sell the whole setup online again for basically as much as he paid for it.
I could go on. Cops and .mil are certainly vulnerable to a certain kind of gun retardation but at least it isnt plain embarrassing like some of the hillbilly folk BS I am occasionally subjected to…
I can VOUCH and PROVE that. Your statement is 100% correct, and actually its the majority of LE/MIL. I have quite a few cop buddies that either
A) Only shot when they have to qualify
B) carry off duty when they travel out of town.
There is one guy (LEO), that carries 6 extra mags on the front of his duty belt, (hes one of my favorite people to talk to). But he carries all the extra mags because of lack of practice and he’s a bad shot.
I always thought he was just joking when he said “I cant hit shit! Why you think I carry so many mags!” Until a couple other people told me that he barely qualifies. Hes a good guy though.
I used to think that cops were amazing at shooting…till I started shooting with them. Its a common myth
My former stepfather’s ccw choices were a .22 mag derringer and a Taurus Judge. How’s that for facepalm! He was such a lunatic, that I wouldn’t even try to convince him otherwise.
There is one such 'tard at my local gun club. He always wants to tell everyone how his POS russian guns are superior to everything else. Him and his inbred son.
I’ve gotten to this camp as well. Over 20 years of trying to help, and then having people get butt hurt when I make suggestions, has lead me to let most people fair for themselves unless it’s someone I know and who I think will understand that I’m not insulting them, but that they need to put down the “Cheaper than Dirt” catalogue and stop taking what they read in the gun press as gospel.
Having a buddy that you decide to quit shooting with is one thing, family is an altogether different bird. I have some family like that and while I would like to send them on their merry way, you bite your tongue, smile and nod and then keep one eye on them while at the range in order to keep the peace. I do make every excuse under the sun to avoid going to the range with them, but have to go at least once a year. When I’m at their house and they want to show me their most recent purchase, I tell them it’s not my speed, but if they like it carry on.
I do a safety brief before we shoot if I’m going to be around new shooters or someone that might not be the safest handling weapons. Sometimes it’s good to remind myself as well.
This thread reminds me of a guy in my unit. Stellar individual but a moron when it comes to CCW. He was all hot to get a Taurus 24/7 and then a subcompact Kel-tec of some flavor. When I told him that I used to work in a pawn shop that sold Kel-Tec and that they are crap his response was “yeah, but they’re so small!” He’s the kind of guy that has like a dozen shitty guns but thinks a Glock is too indulgent. The thing that really gets me is he’s quite competent. I’ve seen this guy make a first round hit on a Larue popper at 75m with his M9.
