ShotGun Showdown

 The thought of just picking up a shotgun gets me excited. This goes back all the way to when I was a little boy. The first firearm I ever shot besides a BB gun was a .22 rifle but, the first one that started this life long addiction to love of firearms was an old long barreled 12 gauge shotgun that knocked me right on my butt. I will never forget that feeling, the feeling of actually holding and controlling something that had an unbelievable amount of power. After begging my Dad and Mom for my first firearm, Chanukah came and went, no firearm,  then on the morning of Christmas of 1976, there under the tree, sat an odd looking box, long and flat, a little heavy. I had already noticed no bike or anything else that I would run to with untold joy. I nervously opened the box and to my surprise and excitement, there in all its shiny wood and blued steel was a Sears and Roebuck single shot .410 shotgun. The world could have ended right then, I was in heaven. I still own this shotgun today and I would not sell it for a million dollars, well maybe for a million but it would not be an easy decision. LOL.

  When it comes to firearms, is there another more versatile than a shotgun ?  In my opinion, no. Everything from home defense, to every type of hunting you can think of, the shotgun is a hard choice to beat. The only thing that comes to mind instantly is, the shotgun would not make a great sniper rifle. Besides that, not many things a shotgun would not be a great choice with. The shotgun comes in a wide variety of choices, from the semi-auto, single shot, pump action, breech loading, lever action, double barrel, side by side, over under to the fully auto. The vast array of choices could and does make your head spin.

  The shotgun came around sometime in the 19th century although, the blunderbuss and the musketoon could really be considered early model shotguns and have been around for hundreds of years. The blunderbuss was used by the Calvary riot control and self defense. John Moses Browning really got the shotgun ball rolling with the invention of the pump action and the semi- auto shotguns. The military quickly realized the value of the shotgun in the trenches of  WW1. The shotgun shined in the close quarter battles that took place and forever made their mark and are still widely used in all forces of the military today. The uses of shotguns for law enforcement is endless. They are used in lethal and also non lethal ways from riot control to blowing locks off doors.

 Skeet, trap and sporting clay shooting have a huge following and is a great sport to become involved with. A whole lot of fun and sore shoulders can be had in a day of knocking clay pigeons out of the sky. Skeet and trap shooting are also recognized featured sports in the summer Olympics.

  When it comes to hunting, anything that fly's or climbs or runs, all can be taken with the shotgun. Modern shotguns with rifled barrels can shoot Sabot slugs that can be very deadly out to well over 100 yards. More and more hunters are taking deer with shotguns. When it comes to water fowl or bird hunting, there is no other firearm but the shotgun.

   The very easy to use and easy to aim shotgun make it a great choice for home or personal protection. There is a myth that all one has to do is point in the general direction you want and fire, although depending on what load choice you make, the spread of a shotgun load does make hitting a target easier, it still needs to be aimed   to be accurate. The stopping power of a shotgun at short range is unbeatable and lessens the risk of over penetration, that can go through interior and exterior walls and the round hitting an unintended innocent target. There is no sound that is quite as intimidating as the racking of an pump action shotgun. It will surely put the fear of God into someone very quickly.

  Although, there are bigger and smaller shotgun loads or shells, the most popular are the 10, 12, 16, 20 and the .410 shotguns. Most shotguns are used to fire a ball shot, along with the slug and sabot slug shells. Buckshot being the most popular for home protection.The buckshot loads are measured from the 4 and as the number goes lower, the bigger the shot. The are 4 down to 0000 buck. The 00 buck being the most popular, especially for home defense. Bird shot shells are measured by weight and go from a #9 down to a #1. A #9 bird shot has 201 very small pellets and a #1 has 25 pellets. The spread on some loads like that of a #9 can be huge, that is where chokes come in. A choke is used to narrow the spread. Hunters, depending on what bird they are targeting, can tailor their shotguns using loads and chokes to achieve a pattern that helps not only to hit their target but, to humanly kill it without destroying all the meat intended to be harvested.

  Shotguns come in many models and sizes. It, in my opinion is the ultimate firearm. The prices for a quality home defense pump action shotgun, make it an affordable choice for even low income earners to protect themselves and their families.

  A great quality shotgun like the Mossberg 500, seem as though they are custom made for home protection, could be bought at retail prices that are about $350.00 range. I won't even get into the prices of what a quality skeet and trap shotgun go for. LOL.

  It is probably pretty apparent that I love shotguns, who doesn't ?  I can remember being that little boy who use to shoot Doves off the power lines  of S.R.84 in Ft.Lauderdale back in the late 70's. I am still that little boy at heart when I pick up a shotgun at the gun show or gun store and I start to get that feeling again that I had as a boy, that feeling of the ultimate power of the shotgun and the now grown man reaches for his wallet and you know the rest...LOL. I am sorry honey, I had to have it because.....

       I thank you for reading my blog, have fun, be safe and God Bless,

                                                                             ChromeFreak123

                                                                                              Mike

                                                                                     

Glock or Block ?

The very plain looking, square, black and with nothing that stands out, Glock pistol. When it comes to craftsmanship it is very simple. It is not the detail specific and very beautiful, Wilson Combat 1911 or it doesn't have the blinding shine that comes off a perfectly machined stainless steel Sig Sauer P226. What the Glock lacks in looks, it more than makes up for in ease of field striping, cleaning, reliability and durability.

 The company's founder and chief engineer, Gaston Glock, had no previous firearms experience at all, whether it be in design or manufacturing of firearms. The first pistol that he designed was the prototype Glock 17. Mr.Glock was experienced in the advancements of synthetic polymers. Experience that was crucial in the design of the first ever successful pistol with a polymer frame.

 In the firearms market at the time, there was a huge resistance about the use and design of a so called plastic pistol. The funny thing is, the biggest gripes and concerns, were that a plastic framed pistol would not be durable or reliable. The exact things that Glock is famous for today and one of the main reasons I love them so much, reliability and durability. Glock has become one of the most prolific pistols in history and actually holds about 65% of total sale to L.E.O. agency's in the U.S..

 It was the Austrian military that wanted a new pistol to replace the WW2 era, Walther P38. They had created a list of 17 different criteria that the new pistol must meet or exceed. It had to be chambered in 9X19 Parabellum, self loading, minimum of 8 rounds and secure of accidental discharge from drops of more than 2 meters onto a steel plate. The field strip of the firearm must be able to be done with no tools and maintenance and cleaning also must be accomplished with no tools. The pistol must not exceed 58 different parts and all components must be fully interchangeable between pistols. The pistol could have no more than 20 malfunctions in 10,000 rounds. After 15,000 rounds, the pistol would be inspected for wear. After the inspection, the pistol must successfully fire an over pressured cartridge, that doubles the normal 2,520 Bar or 36,550 PSI. There are more requirements, like I said, a total of 17.

 Gaston Glock assembled a team of handgun experts from the military,police and sport shooting circles. He asked them to tell him the most desirable characteristics of what they thought a combat pistol should be. It took just 3 months for the first prototype to be ready. The new pistol using synthetic polymer and modern designs, made it very cost effective. The prototype was named, 9X19 Glock 17, because it was the 17th patent for the company. The new pistol was put on trials in 1982. After passing all 17 requirements, won the contract with the Austrian military, as the model 17.

 The pistol was adopted for use in late 1982, by the Austrian military and police. It was called the P80 or pistol 80. The Glock beat out 8 different pistols from 5 major players in the firearms industry. They were, Sig-Sauer, H & K, Beretta, FN Herstal and Steyr.

 The U.S. Defense Department in 1983, inquired about Glock and received 4 model 17 Glocks. The U.S. was looking into replacing the M1911. Glock was invited to participate in trials but, Glock turned them down because, it would require extensive retooling of their equipment and having to produce 35 test pistols was unrealistic in the time frame given. So, when I hear people say that Beretta beat out Glock in U.S. military trials and testing, it is not true because Glock did not participate.

 In the mean time, Glock was accepted by the Norwegian and Swedish military's. It also surpassed all prior NATO durability tests. Because of this, The Glock 17 became NATO's official sidearm.

 By the early 1990's, more than 350,000 Glocks had been sold to more than 45 different countries, including 45,000 in the U.S. The Glock pistol has been modified several times in it's short history.

 Many different calibers and checkering was added to the grip, serrations added on the back strap and they were labeled second generation Glocks. To meet ATF requirements in the U.S. A stamped serial # plate was added into the frame in front of the trigger gaurd. By the late 1990's, the third generation Glock was equipped with rails to mount lights, lasers and other tactical equipment. Thumb rests and finger grooves were added. There are late second and early third generation pistols that makes identifying them a little difficult. A third pin was added to the frame of all third generation pistols, although, some second generation pistols of bigger calibers already had the third pin, that fits through the locking block. Also, with the third generation Glocks came a new color, olive drab,aka., O.D. green.

 Now with the introduction of the forth generation Glocks, it comes as no surprise that the ugly plastic pistol, has a cult like following and as with any successful product, it has it's distractors and haters. The only gripe you really hear from these Glock haters are, that is one ugly pistol, it is shaped like a block.

 The Glock

 Whether or not you love them or hate them, you can not argue the impact they have had on modern pistols, especially those of use in military or LEO circles. Some 41 countries use Glocks either in military or in LE duties. You also can't argue about the reliability or the durability of the ugly little black and square looking, plain Jane Glock. If you can't tell, I love them and to me they are great and they are Glock.

 What do you think, Glock or Block ? Please, let me know in the comments and also let me know of what other make and models of firearms you would like to blog about. But, most if all, let me know your opinion, Glock or Block ???

                                

                                                             Thank You,

                                                                     ChromeFreak123

                                                                     Mike