Thursday, October 12, 2006

Another Wish List

Since the ocean is still too far away from Las Vegas to indulge in my sailing hobby on a regular basis, one of my other favorite things to do, perfectly suited for living here, is shooting. Whether target shooting, practicing at the range, or putting down the beer can insurrection out in the desert, a gun is not only a useful tool (for any number of reasons), but it's also just a damn good time.

I've owned several rifles and handguns in the past, but financial circumstances forced me to sell when times were tight. Those days are behind me now, so now it's all about the aquisition. I don't want to end up with a Tackleberry-sized arsenal, but the following is enough to get me started.

Here is what I'd like to get:

First of all, a Browning Buckmark .22 pistol. Great looking gun, easy to shoot, and ammo is cheap cheap cheap. 500 rounds for less than ten bucks, and you can shoot all day no ill effects, like a sore hand.



The next thing I'd like to get is a Kimber 1911 in .45 ACP. I love the 1911-style .45s--it's probably my all-time favorite gun. But the Springfield GI-45 just chews up my hand. The Kimber is a more-than-suitable upgrade. Everybody who ones one, loves it.



A 1911 seems too hard to carry concealed--it is a large-framed gun, so for a carry piece, I'd love to get a Smith & Wesson Model 686 in .357. Yep, Nevada is a concealed-carry state, and I'd like to take advantage of that fact. Besides, a .357 is a fun gun to shoot. Gotta love the "boom" it makes, along with the huge jet of flame that comes out of the barrel when you pull the trigger.


A Winchester Defender 12 gauge shotgun is the ultimate home defense weapon. I used to have a Mossberg 500, but the barrel was too long and unwieldy--it was only good for shooting geese. I'm not a bird hunter, and I've never really got into trap and skeet, so the only shotgun I'd want to own would be one within easy reach in case somebody shows up in the middle of the night with evil intent. And the 'ch-chunk' sound when you pump a shell into the chamber is even more effective in stopping a crook in his tracks than a German Shephard with a bad attitude. You might not like the looks of this gun, but you'll wish you had one when the Zombies attack.




Of course, I can't be without a military-style rifle, and the Springfield M-1 fills that hole nicely. Not only is it a beautiful rifle, it delivers powerful .308 goodness out to 800 yards from the naughty end. Ever wonder what to do with all those pumpkins that go on sale dirt cheap the morning of November 1st? Here's your answer!


No arsenal is complete without a couple of old commie-style battle rifles. And truly, if the shiat ever hit the fan big time and it was time to load up the truck and bug out, this is the weapon of choice that I'd take with me every time, the Romanian version of the AK-47. Tough, reliable as hell, easy to clean, accurate enough to get the job done out to about 200 yards, and ammo is relatively plentiful and cheap. You can't break it, and it's a helluva lot of fun to shoot too.


Another truck gun that you can beat to hell and not worry about it ever *not* functioning is the AK's predecessor, the SKS. It uses the same wonderful 7.62 x 39 cartridge as the AK, but it's cheap, reliable as a hammer, and of course you gotta have a rifle with a bayonet on it. I'm partial to the Yugoslavian model pictured here.




And finally, the rifle I lust after the most, the CZ 527, chambered in .223 Remington. It's not a battle rifle, and not a particularly great hunting rifle, unless your quarry is groundhogs, rabbits, or squirrels. But it's beautiful, more accurate than the operator, and will consistently send rounds into the same exact hole downrange. Hopefully after the holidays, I'm going to join the Boulder City range, and on weekends they have smallbore matches. This is the rifle I'm going to use.



That's it for now, and if I had all of these guns, I'd pretty much be set. Of course, collecting guns is kind of like eating bbq potato chips. Once you start, it's pretty tough to stop.

Mikey

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