If you are going, and own a digital camera or camera cell phone, please let me know. The more spies who volunteer to gather information, the better my coverage of the new guns and gear will be!!!

My email address is here.

I am hoping I will be able to make it to SHOT 2011.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, I don't need you to do any writeups, although you can if you wish, but just send me photos and information.

This was an old IBM T41 (15" screen) that my brother had. It started having blue screen errors and then whenever it connected to the internet, it immediately shut down (sort of like if it didn't have a battery and the power cord was yanked out of the wall). So a friend and I decided to 'fix' it on Saturday. We used a combination of 22LR, 380ACP, 9mm, and 45ACP pistols. The range to the target was 45 feet. Yeehaw.

I put three rounds of 380ACP through the screen at 45 feet...

If you look closely at the top left and top right corners, you can still see the Windows desktop...

We then took out the battery and really started to pound on it...

Then we laid it on its back and took some shots at the bottom...

A view of the back of the screen...

We threw some 22LR into the mix...

At the end of the two hour shooting session...

No wonder it would shut off when connecting to the internet -- it had a faulty network card...

The mouse touchpad doesn't seem like it will be working again anytime soon...

Good luck typing anything on this keyboard...

A close-up of the bottom...

And one of the top...

For many of us, our window to the world of guns is books, magazines, and the internet. Unfortunately, when you see a word or a name that you aren’t familiar with, you tend to do what you learned to do in school, sound it out in your head. This has lead to a plethora of often mispronounced words and names in the firearms community, and it makes us all look like rubes. I would like to point out some often heard examples along with the proper enunciation of each. Please note that I am neither German nor Scandinavian and I speak no languages other than American English, but I have asked and been corrected by people who do speak these languages.

Heckler & Koch

Probably one of the most well-know arms companies in the world is known by its initials because nobody seems to know how to pronounce the last names of its founders. And everybody says their marketing department is SO great...

How most people say it: Heck-ler and C-au-k like “Cock”, or Coach, or KA-t-ch (?)

How it’s actually pronounced: “Heck-ler and Coke” Example: “Well, I’ll have a coke, then.”

Why is it mispronounced? “Cock” would be a very appropriate name for a gun company “Cock your hammer!” or “Those guys at H&K are a bunch of… Germans.”

Krag-Jorgensen

America’s first military repeater is also the most mispronounced of all service rifle names. No less and authority than the late great Col. Jeff Cooper corrected me on the proper way to say this name, and ultimately, he was incorrect.

How most people say it: Ker-Ag ,or Ker-egg Jor-gen-son

How it’s actually pronounced: Kr-Ah-g (like “Frog”) Yor-gen-sen.

Why is it mispronounced? A popular ballad during the Spanish-American War and the Pilipino Insurrection had a refrain that went “Underneath our starry flag, civilize ‘em with a Krag!” which certainly had a better ring to it than “If you want to eat a frog, do not shoot him with a Krag”. The proper enunciation may have been intentionally bastardized for pop-culture.

Makers of everything from Weed whackers to Motorcycles to full-auto military rifles, this name seems to dumbfound even the people who sell them. A Swede who was a former employee of the firm in the 1960’s told me how to say it.

How most people say it: Husk-a-varn-a, Husk-Q-var-na

How you’re supposed to say it: Who-sk-Var-na

Why is it mispronounced? It’s Swedish.

These Serbian makers of high quality ammunition available at bargain basement prices have rapidly earned popularity in the US. After being sold for a number of years under different names by different distributors, they are now selling ammo under their own name and confusing many people with their Balkan-esque spelling.

How most people say it: Pervy Party-san

How you’re supposed to say it: PR-iv-A Part-iZ-on

Why is it mispronounced? Triple Consonants don’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense to most English speakers.

I have it on good authority that these are correct, but nobody’s perfect. There are lots more of these, but we’ll save those for another post. Let’s hear some suggestions for gun related names and words that are often mispronounced or which are confusing in the comments!

UPDATE:

Roy recorded himself pronouncing Heckler & Koch, Walther, Sauer, Luger, Mauser, Blaser, Weihrauch and Schmeisser.

Stefan recorded himself saying Anschütz, Heckler & Koch, Mauser, Sauer, Steyr Mannlicher, Walther and Weihrauch.

Thanks.

It is discussed on his podcast.

The incident is becoming something of a meme in the gun blogosphere.

Tactical Coffee Claymore Mug

The funny thing about blogging is that when I am doing it day in and day out, I long for a break. Once on a break I long to open up my blogging software and crack out a post. I must am a blog-a-holic of something.

Seriously, Caleb, I am pleased you came out of the encounter unscathed.

Don't worry, the blog will be updated everyday, Monday to Friday, with a guest blog post each day. Readers from around the world have contributed articles covering a wide range of topics and I am very excited to present them on the blog, giving you all a break from my poor spelling and bad grammar So check back daily.

I will not be gone anywhere. This break is just so that I can get through my work workload without feeling guilty about not posting enough articles.

When new firearms are launched or there is breaking news, I will take a break from the break and cover it on the blog. I may also publish one or two articles I have been working on. I have you covered for gun news!

I will still be here can be contacted via. email.

Please continue to email me interesting firearm related news and information. While I may not be able to publish it on the blog, I want to keep my finger on the pulse of the industry ... and I just plain enjoy reader about gun stuff

Kind regards,

Steve

PS. If you have not been visiting the website daily, and are not subscribed, you have probably missed blog posts that dropped off the homepage. Scroll down to the bottom of the homepage and click the "Next" link. It will take you to the previous posts that are not on the homepage.

PPS. I am a bit behind on replying to emails ... please bear with me will I sort out my inbox.

It can be downloaded here.

While on the topic of District 9, a friend of mine put together this nifty photoshop which I think really captures the mood of the film ...

Thanks to David for the target link, the anonymous reader for providing a printer friendly version and my friend for his photo(shop)

UPDATE:

Isaac just emailed me a PDF that is a vectorization of the above target. This means that the PDF can be scaled to any size without loss of quality. It can be downloaded here.

Thanks Isaac.

If you are, I would very much appreciate information and photos of any new and interesting firearms and ammunition on display. My email address is on the contact webpage.

Thanks!

I won't be away, but I will have very little time between 20 Oct and 11 Nov to write blog posts.

Noah has created a website to help Canadians who are interested in getting a "Possession and Acquisition License" (gun license). It is well worth passing onto Canadian friends or relatives who are interested in getting their license.

You're going to have to wade knee deep into Canada's nearly two billion dollar firearms registry boondoggle. But it's not as bad as it sounds; and you're already paying for it with your tax dollars, so why not get something out of it?

After my US readers, Canadians make up the second biggest group of readers on the blog.

The phrasing on one of the blog posts yesterday gave some readers the impression that I thought civilians should not be allowed to own suppressors. While I admit the wording was ambiguous, I am very surprised that readers of this blog would get that idea after I have spent two years writing about the joys of suppressors!

I happen to own multiple suppressors and I am very much a civilian! I can name far more reasons why a civilian shooter should use a suppressor than I could for military users.

I think it looks awesome!

For those of you not familiar to the phrase "ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ", it means "Come and take them!". The Spartans were said to have said it in reply to the Persian order to surrender their weapons.

Happy Birthday buddy, I hope you have a good one.

Posts do not need to be long, just a few paragraphs and some photos. If you want to write an essay, you are most welcome, But it is not necessary.

Choose a subject you are passionate about. Some ideas ...

• Your favorite shooting sport.
• Your favorite hunting / plinking / tactical rifle.
• Your experiences with an interesting weapon in Iraq / Afghanistan.
• An interesting gun you own.
• Hunting with an interesting / unusual gun.
• Your CCW rig.
• An overview of the legality of shooting, hunting and gun ownership in your country.

Topics that are not appropriate ...

• Writing about a product made by the business you work for.
• "Glock vs. 1911"
• "AR-15 vs. AK"
• ... etc.
• Anything controversial that will require me to do a lot of comment moderation!

If you have an idea for a guest blog post you would like to write please email me and I will tell you if it is appropriate or not.

It has come to our attention that KRISS CRB/SO and SBR/SO models with SN's between 1100 - 1633 MAY experience ejection issues due to an out-of-spec ejector. Typically, the symptom is consistent failure to eject (FTE). THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. If you are the owner of a KRISS CRB/SO or SBR/SO within this SN range, there is a small chance your ejector may be defective. THIS IS NOT A FACTORY RECALL. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING FREQUENT FTE'S, KRISS-TDI will work with those original owners of KRISS firearms who are covered under our Lifetime Warranty on defects of materials and workmanship and your KRISS Certified Dealer to refit your firearm with a new ejector at no cost to you. WE WILL REFIT ONLY THOSE FIREARMS THAT HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE FTE BEHAVIOUR. Owners of used firearms who purchased their firearms from private parties and not KRISS Certified Dealers, the Lifetime Warranty does not apply to your firearm as it was purchased used. HOWEVER, we will make a repair kit available to you at no cost as a one-time exception to our original owner Lifetime Warranty program. Owners: for a full description of the problem and how to determine if your firearm is affected, please click here. KRISS Dealers, for full information on the KRISS Ejector Refit Program, please click here.

More info at TDI's website.

Hat Tip: New Jovian Thunderbolt

Chauss513 creations are for sale and he can be contacted through Flickr. His Flickr account has over a hundred photos of his many creations. I highly recommend checking it out.

Thanks to Todd for putting me in contact with his friend Chauss513.

If you read gun blogs and forums as well as owning a few of your own tacti-cool guns, it is easy to think everyone values the black rifle. I agree with Michael that only recently are we seeing the black rifle go mainstream.

However, in truth, nearly every type of rifle was originally designed for the battlefield.

Guides like this should be regularly updated with the latest terminology. When they are not updated you get journalists writing nonsense, like we saw yesterday on The Firearm Blog.

Gun bloggers at the range (photo by Packing Rat).

Sebastian has a round up of blog posts, photos and videos from the event. Worth looking at if you are curious about what gun bloggers get up to when they let their hair down.

I was not able to attend. I think I have to attend at one of the future events.

I’m a disabled woman buying my first hand gun on the advice of the local police. Really. I’ve a lot of guys showing up at my door trying to break in, had an attempted sexual assault and I live in the country! A friend told me to get a Ruger P97DC that the kick on it wasn’t that bad and it was a good grip for a woman, that I could have a couple of clips with different types of shot in them, etc. I do have some rather large snakes too and I’m not as fast with a machete as I used to be.

The point being after this morning’s latest crazy showed up on my door verbally assaulting me in my own home for G*d only knows what reason he imagined I needed it for and I set of the alarm, it took police 45 minutes to get here. So had my bluff not worked I wouldn’t be typing this right now. The officer (who is originally from Miami) told me to get a gun, shotgun, hand gun – what ever. That’s the second local police officer to tell me to get a gun in a week. The alarm only does so much. I’m crying as I type this because I can’t feel safe in my own home. Yet I’m not that good with a hard kick and all that is damaged in my body. IE – a hard kick being fired from a wheel chair – unless I take the extra 2 seconds to lock my brakes which could mean my life firing from a wheel chair could be comical but deadly for me. A 22 would just piss them off. I need something to defend my life with (and I hate saying that too). I live alone, I have no one here to help me save my old Doberman. I need something that is ‘lady friendly’ (Forgive me ladies who can handle a hogleg). Is this a good gun for that and is it just the continuation of the P97DC?

I have never thought about the effects of firing a gun from a wheel chair and the challenges it poses to someone who may need to use a gun in a situation where seconds can be the difference between life and death.

Veronicad1, my advice would be to visit the closest range and hire a variety of different guns. Go with a friend who can stand behind you holding your wheel chair. The two of you can then gauge what the effect of the recoil would be on an un-braked chair. This blog is not the place for legal advice and I suggest you get advice as to your state laws on self-defense with a gun and at what point a firearm can and cannot be used.

Anyone else able to offer advice?

I highly recommend reading her blog. She is incredibly witty.

All I can say is that if you are not reading SayUncle, you should be.

See you on the other side. I have some *very* interesting articles lined up for you later this week.

1. Are there any reputable firing ranges in LV?

2. Would I be able to hire any firearms will at said range? (as I am not going to go through the dramas of bringing firearms through Aus/US customs)

3. As an Australian shooter – I have only ever fired bolt action rifles – anything else is too restricted or outright illegal here – would I be able to fire something more ‘interesting’ in LV – (ie auto/semi auto/large calibre etc)

4. Would I need any sort of particular paperwork to be able to shoot (other than regular ID) and if so, would my firearms license and Sport Shooters Assoc. ID be of any use?

It is all fun and games until someone gets hurt!

Thanks to Jeff for finding the video.

Taser X3

This gives the X3 fifty percent greater ammunition capacity than a Derringer pistol, and just 82% less capacity than your plastic fantastic! Joking aside, the new multi shot capability is a technological breakthrough that significantly increases the utility of the device. It allow law enforcement officers to quickly follow up a missed shot or engage up to three targets simultaneously. This video demonstrates the multi target functionality:

Not only can it load three “Smart Cartridges”, but long range and short range cartridges can be mixed. The duel laser sight will automatically adjust the point of impact for the currently “chambered” cartridge, which I think is pretty nifty.

“Scary Arc Mode”

Another new feature is what I call the “Scary Arc Mode”. A button can be pushed which will cycle electrical arcs across the front of the device. While a superficial feature, it may persuade many a drunk to cooperate.

Other new features include safety, reliability and user interface improvements.

X3 Holstered

I think the X3 is one of those devices, like the iPhone, which can justify money being spent on an upgrade.

The dental pick I use looks like the one pictured 3rd from the right.

Dental picks can be used for any number of common tasks such as scraping powder residue out of hard to reach places, holding down springs and miscellaneous adjustments. If you plink with dirty .22 LR ammunition they can be used to gently scrape off the powder that accumulates on the bolt face, so you can keep on shooting without feeding problems and without having to strip the gun.

They do have limitations. Because they are made from hard stainless steel you have to be gentle with them and you should keep away from outside finish of a gun.

A single stainless steel dental pick costs only a few dollars on eBay.

They get a 5 star rating from me, at only a few dollars they are worth every cent.

When the blog had it’s first birthday I posted some stats:

* 593 posts
* 1,178 comments
* Most comments in a post: 176 (Ruger SR9)

The stats for it’s second birthday are:

* 1409 posts
* 9663 comments
* Most comments in a post: 611 (Ruger SR9)

I have to thank my fellow gun bloggers. Without you I probably would not have started blogging and certainty would not have lasted two years!

A big thank you to everyone who has emailed me content, photos and links to interesting things. It is always appreciated.

And thanks to everyone who has commented on the blog. Your comments make the blog significantly more useful for the community, and they encourage me to continue blogging.

I should give a special thanks to, in no particular order, Jay (jdun1911), Daniel E. Watters, Heath, Sven, Matt Groom, REMOV, Mehul Kamdar and Wendell who have each given me a lot of help and content for the blog over the years.

Guns, guns, and more guns. In each episode of Tactical Arms, our experts will examine one modern weapon from the inside out. From machine guns, to battle rifles, to shotguns to handguns, they go through a metric ton of ammo to show you the anatomy, performance, origins, and uses on today’s battlefields that make these weapons the best of breed.

Thanks to Sven for the link.

The device has three vertical “barrels” which are loaded with blackpowder. A shotgun primer is inserted into the side of the barrel. The shooter aims at a hole in the front steel plating. Through the hole is a steel plunger that ignites the primer. The result is a big bang and lots of smoke.

It looks like a lot of fun and only costs 25c per target (according to the manufactures website. I do not reload. ). That even cheaper than the poor-mans-reactive-target (pool chalk).

More info at Target Cannon.

Johnny Depp is keen on teaching his children to handle guns.

The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star, who learnt shooting at the age of six in Kentucky where he grew up, wants to pass on his experience to his kids.

“We would just go out and line up a bunch of cans and shoot with rifles, handguns and at times, submachine guns,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.

“When I was a kid it was a controlled atmosphere, we weren’t shooting at humans – we were shooting at cans and bottles mostly. I will most certainly take my kids out for target practice,” he added.

There is at least one real man left in Hollywood!

Johnny Depp

Another problem of some pages displaying incorrectly has been fixed.

The site colors have also been tweaked. There is not a lot less green and a lot more grey.

If you have problem please let me know so I can fix them right away.