Blog posts of '2021' 'August'

The joy of shooting is something that anyone can enjoy. Does everyone enjoy it? No, but that’s their own fault. While that is a subject matter all on its own, target shooting is the theme of today’s missive. Target shooting isn’t necessarily about delivering lots of power to a target. The last time I checked, paper is very easy to puncture and the name of the game in target shooting is precision. Now let's not get carried away. I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m some sort of precision marksman. Far from it, actually. But, I do have a number of interests that I seek to improve my performance in as my interest grows in those areas. Whether I am talking about photography, being a father, or shooting, I want to be better today than I was yesterday.

Simplicity reigns supreme. Yep, in this ever more complicated world we live in, simplicity is still a desirable characteristic for products to have. If not a simple device, a simple interface will suffice, but at the end of the day, the simple tool has fewer failure points and will stand to do its job another day. Using the venerable hammer (the tool, not the PCP air rifle) as an example, contractors rarely actually frame out a house with 16 penny nails and 24 oz framing hammers anymore, but when the pneumatic hammer and rolls of nails run out, you can better believe that the tool belt will be filled with regular old nails and a regular old hammer in the carpenter’s hand.

Round BBs are the dominant ammo format for air-powered pistols. While BB pistols, especially licensed replica designs are seemingly sucking up all the air in the room, pellet pistols have always been a popular choice for shooters looking to take care of garden pests or for some friendly backyard or basement target shooting. Can you do this with a CO2-powered BB pistol? Yes and no. Or rather no, and yes. BB pistols are not ideal for taking care of small game. Yes, they can dispatch some small game, but the humane thing to do is use a harder-hitting pellet for that job. Plinking, yes, BBs are good for that, but pellets can deliver a much finer degree of accuracy when it comes to punching out the X on a target.

Smith & Wesson really hit on something when they developed the M&P series semi-automatic handguns. The first time I shot one of these pistols was about 14 years ago when I was still teaching school for a living. One of my colleagues owned a few Smith’s and he brought them over one cool Saturday morning for a little plinking at my house. I had a very popular compact pistol from another manufacturer at the time. We had a great time and worked on closing the group size from the 7-yard line. While I really like the handgun I had at the time, my friend’s S&W M&P 9 left an indelible impression upon me. Smith & Wesson successfully made a serious contender to the then exploding concealed carry handgun market.