Sunday, December 14, 2008

Pistols, Football

El Jefe, unusually, has spent the weekend in Ciudad El Jefe. Off to the Titans/Texans game in a minute with the Heir and his friend B. SWMBO is a bit under the weather, so it's just us.
Went to the pistol range yesterday, and spent an hour or so with my latest purchase, a Beretta 92FS, (Wikipedia entry here: the military calls it the M9). Have wanted this pistol for years, and, recently, finally broke down and bought one. I first tried one years ago, and was very impressed, and have coveted one since. I am very pleased with it: the weapon is not heavy, loads reasonably easily, has a smooth action, and I can hit the target. Easy to field-strip and to clean also. Being a double-action/single action pistol, the first trigger pull is a very long one, which takes a tad getting used to, and I think makes my first shot less accurate. But it's a fine weapon and the Beretta people (in the firearms business since 1526), are justly proud of it.
Off to the game. Hopefully the Texans do better than predicted.

4 comments:

LFC said...

Why do you own a pistol, or more generally any gun? I can think of a couple of possible reasons, but I'm curious about yours. (This question is not meant to be snarky.)
And what does "double action/single action" mean exactly?

El Jefe Maximo said...

LFC,

I have several firearms: two long-guns (that is, rifles, .22's in this case) a 12 gauge shotgun, and a .22 pistol (really more my wife's). The .22's have dispatched more than one snake on my country place west of Houston (we have quite a few Cottonmouths (colloquially known around here as Water Moccasins) -- they can be dangerous primarily because they aren't as inclined to flee as other snakes. We also have quite a few Copperheads (a cousin of the Moccasin) -- probably more of them than the Cottonmouths, but they'll avoid you if they can., The Copperhead's hard to see. I'm digressing a little, but the guns have accounted for some snakes which have been where it's not good to have them, as has the 12 gauge.

More generally, I just like to shoot: and I enjoy going to the range, and I clean them and am just generally interested in them. I actually enjoy taking the things apart, cleaning and oiling them,a and am interested in their ammunition and development histories, their designers and the companies that make them. Probably goes with my interest in military history. If I had the time and money, and didn't live most of the time in the city, I'd be even more interested.

As to double action/single action; basically, with a semi-automatic pistol, you work the slide to chamber the first round. Pulling the trigger after the round is chambered, on the first shot pulls the hammer back (cocking it), and then fires the round in one motion. Because you are cocking and firing with the first shot (“double action”) – the trigger pull is longer, which among other things makes shooting by accident less likely. However after the first shot, the next round is chambered automatically, the hammer comes back, cocking the weapon, and the trigger pull fires the round only (cocking is automatic) (“single action”).

A good review of the Beretta 92FS by another blogger can be found here.

LFC said...

Thanks.

AmPowerBlog said...

Have a great Christmas, El Jefe!