Guns, guns, guns.

During the gun show a couple weekends ago, Dawn did some shuffling of her gun collection. She sold the Ruger P95, which although accurate, seemed to be extremely temperamental. You couldn't fire four magazines through the thing without it starting to jam. Giving it a good once-over with oil seemed to help, but it was never reliable. --Certainly it wasn't a gun that you'd want to rely on for any purpose. And it wasn't very fun to shoot on the range after it started to constantly jam after a few magazines. I was sad to see it go because she had been so excited about it initially. But she had something new in mind. . .



Before we tracked down her new gun, she also sold her James Bond gun, the Walther PPK. (Buy this song on Amazon.) She's a huge James Bond fan, and the PPK was in excellent condition, so this sell stunned me. Yet, it had faults as well. She couldn't shoot it without getting a blister on the back of her hand from the snap of the gun. And though I thought she should have kept it if only to sit in the collection, she prefers the Makarov and wanted the funds for something new.

We were surprised how easy and quickly she was able to sell both at the show. So it didn't take long until we standing in line to buy her new baby: a 40S&W caliber Springfield XD (4" Service Model). The Springfield XDs are fantastic guns. And I'm glad she got the .40 caliber too. The 9mm is just a terrible caliber for self defense, and Amir has me sold on the disadvantages of .45 ACP as a slower round. Besides, it says a lot that so many law enforcement departments now use the .40 caliber round.


But I have to say that find discussions of handgun self-defense to be somewhat academic. A shotgun really makes the best home defense weapon. But second, I can't even buy into the idea that guns are generally necessary for home in the first place. The media overplays home invasion stories, in my opinion. And most people probably don't train enough with their guns for them to be an effective tool in a situation where seconds and accuracy matter. A good alarm system and a medium/large sized dog would be far more effective. (But those aren't nearly as sexy as a sleek new handgun are they?)

That being said though, since I've become a familiar and competent shooter, my fear of guns has evaporated. And I must confess to having my own FN Five-seven nearby in case the house is randomly invaded one night by godless communists trying to take away my YouTube. But seriously, instead of being mysterious and frightening, they've become just a tool. Like many things in life (kayaking with a bazillion alligators, rafting on class 5 rapids in Colorado, or just driving down the road) they need to be respected. But with gun safety always in the forefront of my mind, I'm no longer uncomfortable around them. And I have to say that when hiking or kayaking with over five thousand dollars of camera equipment on hand, there is something to be said for being armed.



Dawn and I have been itching to shoot the XD since she bought it. Fate kept us away from the range for a couple weeks, a cruel trick after buying such a beautiful machine. After tonight we can safely say it's a great gun.

For better or worse, I didn't get to shoot it too much today. The rifle range was strangely empty when we arrive, so I was able to immediately start shooting the FN Five-seven. After a hundred rounds of that and a bit of fun with someone's AR-15, I was pretty worn out. And Dawn was in the same boat, having gone through quite a few rounds herself. But being super-wonderful, she saved some rounds for me. I shot just these ten rounds, at 7-yards, before leaving. I'm really impressed with how the gun feels.



I've been wanting a larger caliber gun myself. My interest in shooting has very little to do with self-defense though; I've found that I simply enjoy marksmanship. And in competitions it's typical to shoot both a rimfire (.22) pistol and a larger centerfire pistol. The FN Five-seven is still not allowed in most competitions for whatever reason, so I need something else. And I want something with a little bit of kick just so that I can be comfortable firing anything. It's easy to get used to the feel of the .22 and 5.7. (Though the 5.7 is about as loud as an assault rifle despite having little recoil.) I'm considering the 1911 as an obvious addition to the collection, and something I could use easily at a competition. And the guys at the gun store tonight have me thinking about maybe a custom 1911 by Ed Brown. That won't be something I buy right away, however.

Speaking of the gun store tonight, Dawn bought yet another gun. As I wrote earlier, she's a big fan of the Makarov. (Especially since ammunition is becoming available for them again.) There's something about these old, tapered barreled guns from the old Communist Bloc that she just loves. And in addition to simply being a collector's piece, they shoot great. Apparently (though I didn't realize until tonight), she's been wanting a second to compliment her first and found it tonight. She got a great deal: the grip was in terrible condition, which accounted for the excellent price. But it just so happens that she had a spare grip at home, so that wasn't a problem at all.



The are five countries that manufactured the Makarov. The ones from East Germany are ones that people tend to think of as collectible. Markarov.com has this to say about the East Germany guns:

"The Ernst Thaelman factory in Suhl, Thueringen made what are considered by some to be the finest pre-fall-of-the-Berlin Wall Makarovs. The finish is nice, the fit and machining is of quality you'd expect from a German shop, and they shoot like a dream. Almost all that came into this country had already seen service, so their quality varies by how they were treated by the person who carried them. Nonetheless, most have more holster wear than bore wear. They occasionally still pop up at dealers and at gun shows. If you can get them for a good price, these are the ones to buy."

Both of hers are from East Germany, a '62 'BV' and a '65' FH. And she was a like a little kid at Christmas tonight, gaping over new toys, looking at them both together.

It was a very nice Saturday! (After I took a nap following my all-nighter at work, that is.) Tomorrow we're off to go kayaking or sailing. I can't wait!