Quote of the Day
All of us were sitting around discussing the latest gizmos and doodads on the NRA floor when it was mentioned that Joe Huffman didn’t really go check out the goodies. To which he responded:
I’m not a hardware person.
Not all gun nuts are into the hardware aspect, I suppose.
June 9th, 2010 at 9:01 am
*raises hand*
Same here. Oh, I like to look at the shiny, don’t get me wrong, but I couldn’t tell the difference between a 1911 with a Jim Bob Gunsmith woblinrod vs one with a UberTactical thingamajig.
I just enjoy what they do, not so much how they do it.
June 9th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Too often we (me included) are too wrapped up in the hardware without paying attention to the “software”.
Spending more on training and training ammo and less on new guns would benefit us all greatly.
But then there are so many guns out there I want…..
June 9th, 2010 at 10:35 am
I see what you did there, Uncle.
+1 for good puns.
June 9th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I have guns that I can use to accomplish specific tasks at a variety of ranges.
My STI Eagle in .40 S&W covers self-defense and most gun games from 0 to 30+ yards.
My Gun Blog .45 can be carried when the STI is in the shop being worked on (rare but when it is out it can take weeks to get it back).
My iron sighted AR accomplishes the same tasks from 20 yards to 300+ yards.
My scoped AR covers zombie defense and the gun games from 200 yards to 500+ yards.
My .300 Win Mag covers zombie defense and gun games from 300 yards to 1000+ yards.
My Saiga 12 gauge covers USPSA three-gun needs.
I have few .22 caliber guns for teaching new people to shoot and some types of practice.
It was at almost 15 years ago that I learned I could spend the same money on classes and ammo that other people did on high end guns (this was before I bought the STI) and I would end up being able to shoot far better than them. Only when it was very clear that I was shooting better than the gun did I invest in a better gun.
At long ranges software also makes a difference. Modern Ballistics (I also have versions for several different handheld calculators) gives me the ability to get first round hits at 1000 yards (and probably beyond, I haven’t tested it beyond 1000 yards).
New hardware? It’s usually the software and, more likely, the wetware that needs to be upgraded and/or tuned up.
Of course this doesn’t apply to people that buy hardware for reasons other than purely functional. I’m not a collector but I do appreciate holding a piece of history in my hands or marveling at the innovation of some design from decades earlier.
June 9th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Answered like a true Aspie, Joe! My own Special Interests tend more to hardware, but I am thankful that some folks exercise some high-level nerditude on making useful software.
June 9th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Heresy.