\u00a0<\/p>\n
I like guns.\u00a0 <\/span>Virtually any kind too.\u00a0 <\/span>I like revolvers, pistols, rifles and shotguns.\u00a0 <\/span>I even like blackpowder weapons of nearly every make, model and description.\u00a0 <\/span>Truth be told, if I were to hit the lottery or get a fat stimulus check from my pal Barry, next to hiring Van Halen to play at my birthday, I\u2019d probably buy a couple million dollars worth of the damn things.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Buying your first gun is a lot like getting your first car, or drinking your first beer; it\u2019s a rite of passage, at least if you happen to live south of the Mason-Dixon Line.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s different than when you shoot your first firearm (.22 LR Remington Nylon), mainly because while plinking the crap out of an RC can is fun, nothing beats doing it with YOUR gun.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>When I turned 21, I made the trek to the Gun Cabinet, about 3 or 4 miles up the road from the Augusta National.\u00a0 <\/span>The Gun Cabinet was exactly the type of place you\u2019d want to go to buy a firearm.\u00a0 <\/span>It was built to look like an old cabin, complete with the aroma of creosote and tree sap, interspersed with the distinct smell of oiled metal.\u00a0 <\/span>Animal heads hung on the walls, and every manner of hunting and fishing implement known to man was crammed into the place.\u00a0 <\/span>Deer pee?\u00a0 <\/span>Got it.\u00a0 <\/span>Camouflaged toilet paper?\u00a0 <\/span>Check.\u00a0 <\/span>Hell, they even had a moose call\u2026in Georgia.\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m guessing horny moose must have pretty good ears to hear a call blasted from all the way down here.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Over the years, I had gotten to know the guys at the Gun Cabinet, and they were always willing to indulge my browsing.\u00a0 <\/span>It was a routine many others probably engaged in\u2026pick one out\u2026watch the guy work the action and ensure it didn\u2019t have a round in the chamber\u2026then he\u2019d hand it to you\u2026you feel the weight\u2026roll it from hand to hand to see if it fit\u2026then, instinctively, you point that sucker at one of the dead deer heads and line up the sights.\u00a0 <\/span>If you have no idea what I\u2019m talking about right now, do yourself a favor and go watch Oprah or something while the rest of us enjoy a bonding moment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>My first choice was a Colt Government Model Delta Elite.\u00a0 <\/span>Its matte black finish and frickin\u2019 awesome Delta Force insignia on the grip panels are the stuff of pistol range wet dreams.\u00a0 <\/span>Unfortunately, I didn\u2019t qualify for the earned income tax credit, so while the Colt was my \u201cfirst choice\u201d, John (the sales dude at the Gun Cabinet), showed me a range of pistols I could actually afford.\u00a0 <\/span>After a battery of questions up to and including stupid shit like \u201cAre you a fugitive from the law?\u201d, I left the shop with a spanking new 6\u201d stainless model Taurus 668.\u00a0 <\/span>Yeah\u2026not exactly the sexiness of the Colt, huh.\u00a0 <\/span>But that mofo was MINE.\u00a0 <\/span>I had exercised my right to bear arms, and buddy, let me tell you, it\u2019s about the only damn exercise I\u2019ve ever enjoyed, then or now.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>We took this Brazilian wheel gun to the range and put a couple hundred rounds of .357 into paper targets.\u00a0 <\/span>I was hooked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Next came a baby Beretta\u2026then two more wheel guns for concealed carry\u2026then I saw an issue of Guns & Ammo (aka gun pron).\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019d been keeping up with all the firearms related news for a long time, so while I was familiar with the various types of 9mm handguns, I\u2019d never really been a big fan of the 9mm round\u2026call me a snob.\u00a0 <\/span>In any case, Guns & Ammo was all excited about a new chambering, one to rival the spate of \u201cwondernines\u201d and challenge the venerable .45ACP as the ultimate manstopper. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>In their little skunk works, Smith & Wesson had been tinkering with the robust 10mm round, trying to get the damn thing to fit into a pistol that didn\u2019t weigh as much as Rosie O\u2019Donnell\u2019s left thigh.\u00a0 <\/span>The result of their labor was a round called the .40 S&W, essentially a 10mm short.\u00a0 <\/span>Law enforcement types from all over were singing the praises of this new chambering, saying that it packed the punch of a low pressure 10mm round, but contained it all within the frame of a 9mm\u2026and pretty close to the same capacity too.\u00a0 <\/span>Off to the Gun Cabinet I went, hoping to catch a glimpse of pistols chambered for this new cartridge.\u00a0 <\/span>It would prove to be an interesting trip.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>John was there, as usual, and when I mentioned the .40 S&W, he said that while Smith had done a great job on the cartridge, and they had a pretty good supply of ammo in various weights and configurations, most gun makers hadn\u2019t been so hot on getting anything to market chambered for it.\u00a0 <\/span>I was crestfallen\u2026until he said, \u201cBut I do have one Glock in .40 S&W\u2026you wanna see it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>On that day, I left the store with my first \u201cevil black pistol\u201d.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s been a constant companion ever since.\u00a0 <\/span>From my cold, dead hands\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"