Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Boomsticks: Does this make sense to you?
Somewhere in America today, a woman is going to operate a doorknob, lock a deadbolt, operate an alarm remote, and operate a door handle. She will then operate an ignition switch and a seatbelt latch, manipulate clutch and gas and brake pedals while simultaneously rowing a gear selector and working a turn indicator switch. Arriving at her destination, she will manipulate all these controls again in reverse order, walk into the gun store, and be told by some bright spark with a barely-room-temperature IQ: "These automatic pistols have too many complicated controls on 'em, honey; whatchoo need's a revolver."
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22 comments:
The following question has sold more semi-auto handguns in my time employed by a range than any other stoopid chauvenistic "too many controls" statement:
"Which pistol would you like to see, ma'am?"
This after telling the sexual intellectual (a.k.a. f&*ckin' knowitall) husband who dragged her here to go pound sand.
That's crazy talk, tam.
No one drives a manual tranny any more.
Of coarse I know a few that prefer revolvers. I know a few guys that do as well. I'm Bi-gun myself ;-). I'll shoot anything!
What one does is walk out, go to another shop & buy a 1911 type & a 44 cal. Remington Civil War reproduction revolver.
-OR-
One might come in with a paper target with .25" groups in the head, chest & genital areas and ask about the semi-auto in the corner. Smile.
ahab,
You and I were thinking the same thing.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on the road who's still driving one. I actually had to hunt down a model with a manual when I bought my wagon a couple of years ago. It seems to me that the stick is going the way of the Dodo bird.
Don't know what Tam is going to do when they no longer make her beloved Beemer convertible with a row-your-own. I'm sure she'll scoff at those ridiculous auto-stick abominations that are all the rage right now. We'll all probably get treated to an excellent, and long, post on the decline of western civilization because of its abandonment of such, after she's forced to drive and automatic, permanently.
I can hear the scream already.
I use a revolver.
Semi-autos are too complicated ... when my brain is blown by adrenaline into hypo-kinesis hell, and the whole freaking planet moves in slow motion while I am trying to kill some damned goblin before he can kill me.
When things get stupid, I want something that just works.
Put that mall-ninja wannabe counter clerk into a gun fight with a malf'ing crunchenticker, and we'll see if his opinion of revolvers changes.
So far my wife has preferred a revolver over every semi-auto she's tried, but that's her choice.
I've known women that would vapor lock under that type of duress and not be able to use many semi-autos, training or not. Of course, I've known men that would do the exact same...most of which are of the chairborne rangers variety. Talk big, but are nowhere to be found when the chute opens and things go rodeo...and don't get me started on their hysterics during tornado outbreaks. Nothing like seeing a grown man cry in the wal-mart parking lot because tornado sirens are sounding.
Some people just piddle down their leg when things go south.
I don't understand the fixation on revolvers. Most require serious hand strength and finger length for double action pull. Personally, I gave them up as defense guns when I discovered that, under stress, I couldn't line up the speedloader well enough to re-fill the cylinder. I also found that not a few women with tiny hands shot thick Glock 17 just fine and preferred them to smaller guns.
I'm a man. My mind's too simple to operate something as complicated as a revolver. That's why I have a Glock. ;-)
Training, training, training.
Tam, the mouth breather's assumptions are dangerous. However, the lovely lady in your story has practiced one heck of a lot doing the mechanical skills you mentioned. How well would she do them under stress? Like when she is being chased, or god forbid, under fire?
Same thing with weapons. If one trains and then builds requisite muscle memory, especially when under stress, then multiple actions are possible. However, if one just wants to buy a weapon, run a box through it and toss it in a drawer, glove box, gunvault (tm) etc... Then the simpler weapon is better and bangsticks just don't get much simpler than the hammerless wheelguns.
Should a clerk make that decision in 10 seconds by looking at someone? No, but hopefully the purchaser has put some thought into it.
BTW, if the lady in question is even semi-attractive then the male clerks brain is likely not engaged in less than a minute or so....
gregg,
The lady in question is Tam.
She also can drive a stick, and a motorcycle, and from what I've read, builds her own AR carbines from parts, and has assembled at least a few 1911 from the ground up as well.
Think she has it covered, dude.
Poor Tam. Maybe you should get yerself one of those CIA or US Border Patrol ball caps NewsMax.com is pimping.
The CCA cap and T-shirts ain't doin' the trick.
Similar incident happened with my sister. She asked the guy next to her if she could see the Colt 1911 he was examining. The guy handed her the gun, which she promptly field stripped on the couter in front of the clerk. She looked up at him and said, "Any questions?"
To the clerks embarrasment he said, "Yeah, can you put it back together? I don't know how."
We looked at each other, she grinned, I smiled and raised my eyebrows and walked out the door without saying a word with my sister right behind me!
Didn't stop laughing for 15 minutes driving to the next gun shop.
db
The problem is, you know, that no matter HOW much a woman practices, even if she is at the range every freaking weekend, even if she makes a living teaching other people how to run their guns, even if she spends all day every day at the gun shop ...
There are still a certain number of mouthbreathers who WILL assume that the woman in question is stupid, incompetent, ill-practiced, and unmotivated when it comes to guns, and make stupid assumptions about her abilities and intelligence based upon nothing but her body shape.
This can be just a tiny bit frustrating, you know?
I've taught many women to handle Ma Deuce and the MK 19 Mod 3 to include tearing them down and putting them back together. That might be true but it is just silly talk.
B&N and all, In my window shopping I've actually noticed that there are more models availiable with manuals than in the recent past. Whether or not they exist anywhere other than the manufactuers web-site I don't know, going to car dealers isn't fun when your a broke college student.
What a gal needs is one o'them heart beat detectors like in that Volvo commercial. Run away! Run away!
T.Stahl, my wife would agree with you - referring to me of course. :-)
I imagine that looking at Tam his thoughts were not on proper custimer service.
Tam, you forgot the scenario where you walk into the gun store and can't get anyone to sell you any gun.... of any kind.
Or they fall down in a dead faint when you exactly what you want (and won't let them up-sell to that target pistol when all you want is a defensive carry), ask to speak to the gunsmith about a problem/estimate (or get the recommendation of a good local gunsmith), etc.
But then those neanderthals aren't limited to the shooting sports. I bought a bunch of t-shirts that say "Captain" in big letters, because it is even worse on the docks. Just try to buy some fuel. They want to talk to the "man" in charge.
We must be backward. I love revolvers, she lives for her semi. Well, she says she lives for me and the kids, but I know better. :)
My wife shot for the first time lsat month ago. She first wanted to shoot my Colt Cobra because it looks small and "pretty". I convinced her to shoot the S&W Mod 19 first, then go to the Colt. She did and likes the S&W better. After that, I got her to try the Sig P220 Elite and the Kimber Custom II. Her favorite: The S&W but the Sig is growing on her. Why did I start her on a revolver? So she could concentrate on learning safety, sight picture, reloading, range procedures, etc., without adding anything else. How will I start my grandsons? With a revolver. And for the same reason. I love both kinds. I generally take all of them to the range. Makes for some lovely cleaning sessions later, but I love 'em all. And I'm glad she likes both kinds. She just completed a CCW course yesterday. Qualified revolver, Sig, and Kimber. Gotta love her.
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