I can't get enough of guns in movies. The bigger and more powerful the better, riddling people with lead in slow-mo blood-squib explosions. Blowing people's heads open and generally mucking them about. Tremendous.
... but today I got some of your actual guns in my mitts for the first time ever, and it's a whole different kettle of bullets. The bizarre reality of these babies really sinks home, from the moment you feel one's weight, to the moment you fire and feel the explosion impact on your skeleton.
Of course, I'm not going to deny it was thrilling and indeed exhilarating. But it also left me with a rather sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. These things really shouldn't exist at all, and there's a distinct sense of obscenity about them. But hey, what a fun afternoon!
Of the Colt .45, .44 Magnum and AK-47 I tried today in Austin, the .44 Magnum was the most fun in a "Sweet Jesus, this is one powerful hand-cannon" kind of way. The Colt, however, was the most fun in a "This one doesn't buck like a bloody horse, so I can actually enjoy aiming and attempting to hit the target". The AK-47 was somewhere in between - its severe recoil kept knocking my headphones off, which was disturbing.
We have still yet to die. One of us did, however, incur an injury today at the shooting range, but I'll let that darn fool tell y'all about it himself.
11 comments:
I've been shooting, too. I was rubbish at it. I think I got 13/40 in a gang where the next lowest score was into the 30s. But the moral highground is mine.
And I did some gun research only a couple of months ago, in which the Beretta Cougar really peed on the rubbish old Colt. And the SIG .229, that's a hero's pistol.
See how I made that sound like I have any idea at all.
Oh my God, he's got a gun!
jealous!
Jesus, isn't there any vetting before they allow people to get there hands on weapons???????
You've been tagged, read my blog :-P
I shan't sleep tonight. Even though you're many miles away, I cannot think of anything scarier than Arnopp with an automatic. Brrrr.
Arnopp with a phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range.
You lucky sod! I've always wanted to have a crack with a selection of firearms!
Piers: Just what you see, pal.
By the way, I murdered the other 3 chaps, and ran around in an orgy of gunfire, shrieking at the moon. So I'll be taking over this blog now, forever.
You look alarmingly happy to have a gun in your hands. Scary
My recollection of firearms was just how basic they were. Very simple bits of machinery.
But I loved the bit in Charles Fleming's biography of Don Simpson - 'High Concept'. Simpson liked guns. One day, a screenwriter, who was in a meeting with Simpson, decided to show that he knew firearms inside and out. The writer proceeded to field strip a handgun while Simpson looked more and more panicked. '"That's HIS worst nightmare," Proser said, borrowing the phrase from 48 HRS. "A screenwriter with a gun!"'
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