Hey, I represent that remark.Originally Posted by Al T.
My big pet peeve right now is on that I've been guilty of in the past: "Go rent a bunch of guns until you find one you like." The problem with this advice is that newbies don't have objective criteria on what makes a gun good, so you'll end up with someone at the rental counter trying out every 9mm in the case and then eventually settling on the Taurus PT24/7 POS because "the grip felt really nice."
When I was suggested this, I took it to mean, "narrow your list down based on objective criteria, then try to rent the stuff still on your list to look for things which may not work for you but you won't notice until you shoot it" but I think it's true that a lot of folks won't understand that, and will do just what you say.
J.Ja
Owner/President of Titanium Crowbar, LLC
Well I just left the local gun store and heard some solid advice being given to a woman looking for her first pistol. The employee recommended she buy an M&P 9c or Glock 19 and get training on how to use it. Very nice change of pace.
In answer to a question on x type of gun, gear, ammo, etc. "Well, I've never had a problem with _____" I hear this way to much. By that logic, if some one were to ask me about a Hi-Point 9mm, I could answer "well, I have never had any trouble with it"... now this is a perfectly honest and straight forward answer. But if you stop and filter it through a brain cell, you get the following. I have fired less than 15 rds through a Hi-Point 9mm and yes it functioned just fine and I put the rounds where I wanted to. But please don't take this as a suggestion to buy "x" because the person you asked has "experience" with it. Before asking a question in search of a meaningful answer one must first evaluate the depth and width of the others knowledge. In the above case I have first hand knowledge of said gun... however my experience is about as deep as a frisbee and pretty useless.
Taking a break from social media.
But... but... you have hands-on experience with it, and it was flawless! Surely that counts for more than all these internet h8erz!
Another one that I hear a lot like this (heard it just tonight, in fact), is "we sell a lot of these and no one's ever come back complaining about it." Well, maybe your "no refunds on guns" policy might have something to do with that? Or the fact that a less educated buyer may not realize that the malfunctions they are having are NOT acceptable?
J.Ja
Owner/President of Titanium Crowbar, LLC
I loathe this one so very, very much. Especially given that among the new shooters I've been around, women tend to learn faster since they don't have the "my penis provides instant firearms proficiency" attitude common among males.
The older I get, the more I realize I'm not a subject authority on anything, and fewer and fewer people are, and the people that are, IMHO, usually don't say they are, if they're smart.
The truth is they have to get out there and use items, and they have to make a decision. I kind of shy from giving away really strong advice these days unless I've heard, verified and use something myself to be what it's marketed as.
The most dangerous thing IMHO, is second hand info in the improper context. ETA: To elaborate. "ToddG uses this.", or "Ken Hackathorn like this.", very rarely is that info verified, or questioned, and I'm not saying it's not good to look at those who are respected and heed their wisdom, by all means do so, but make sure to try to capture the context too.
I try to say less these days... I don't think it's working out so hot.
ETA 2: It kind of reminds me, in the realm of legal matters (Did you see the sentence above that said "trying to say less?" Not working out so hot.) they have something that says "Spirit of the law", where you may hear something said in a specific context, and take it out of context, and repeat it. I think that can be bad. You'll see this alot IMHO, with applications with LE and Military, they may be using the best equipment that's authorized for their usage for a specific task, is it the best? Not always, but... if you over heard that SF used an EOTech for example, and you said "Oh it must be better." but you didn't know that's what they were issued and didn't have an opinion on the matter, then that information isn't very helpful in a decision making process, because SF didn't get a decision in the matter and you don't have any of their feedback on even if they like the equipment or not. But they use it, right?
ETA 3: Like I think a Taurus judge would be a fantastic gun with .410 bird shot. For killing snakes within 5-10 feet. I'd be willing to bet, most of our SME's would agree, in that context. Just sayin'.
Last edited by BWT; 12-30-2011 at 01:05 AM.
First time my wife went skeet shooting (my first time too) she outshot me. It was her first time *touching a firearm* at that. First time my wife went to a pistol range with me, she did as well in the first magazine as I did after my first few trips to the range. I think your assessment is 100% correct, at least in my wife's case. She had an open attitude about learning how to handle it, took the pointers on grip and aiming, etc., while I (and a lot of other men I know) went right into it with the, "I know how to handle a gun, I watched 'The Last Boyscout' and 'Lethal Weapon' a bunch" attitude, didn't even seek out anyone to show us what to do, and the bad habits immediately started forming. I'm glad I caught on quick that I wasn't as smart as I thought I was...
J.Ja
Owner/President of Titanium Crowbar, LLC
It might be good for a qualifying test too, where they just count the holes in the paper. Life's easier when each good pull of the trigger gets you three times as many valid holes.
J.Ja
Owner/President of Titanium Crowbar, LLC
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