By David E. Petzal and Philip Bourjaily

Last week I went on a black bear hunt in northern British Columbia, and was once again exposed to the quaint customs of Air Canada when it comes to flying with firearms. The trip involved flying from La Guardia in New York, to Toronto, to Vancouver, and then to Prince George, BC. On the way back it was the same, except I went to Montreal instead of Toronto.

First, no one at Air Canada is quite sure to do when they are confronted with a firearm. It usually requires a short conference, and the results are always different. Everyone is pleasant and eager to help, but slightly addled when it comes to this subject. Smile and go with the program.

Of the six flights, four were right on time, and two arrived a half-hour early. This was a nice change from the U.S. However, what was not pleasant by a damn sight was Trudeau Airport (named for one of Canada’s dumber prime ministers) in Montreal. I got there a half hour early, and it took me an hour and a half to pick up my duffel bag and gun case, go through immigration, customs, and security, and make my flight to La... [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal and Philip Bourjaily

From "The 50 Worst Guns of All Time"
Does anyone remember the old Marlin Goose gun with a 36" barrel? Mother of God what a block. It swings like a school bus and weighs about as much as a blue whale. I retired mine to a back corner in the basement where it can rust away for all eternity.

Posted by: Benjamin Kimm | May 17, 2006 at 12:51 PM

From "The 50 Worst Guns of All Time"
There's nothing worse than a rifle that promises exceptional accuracy and looks like a million bucks, yet is manufactured with such sublime sloppiness that it misfires about 15% of the time.

This rifle has defied all warranty work, laughed at the efforts of 4 different gunsmiths, and could have easily inspired a firearms "lemon law."

This rifle so bad that selling it would be like spreading a disease. And it's the real reason why God, in His infinite mercy, created the hacksaw.

We're talking about my cursed Remington 541-T.

May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the house of Big Green!

Posted by: El-Wazir | May 17, 2006 at 11:30 AM

From "The Guns I Own: The Springfield SOCOM 16"
Great toy...if the mission... [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal and Philip Bourjaily

Quick: Name an organization that is even more inept, ineffectual, and hopelessly corrupt than Congress. That’s right, it’s the United Nations, and later this month it will convene to consider its Report on the Implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. And now I must quote from The Shooting Wire, whence this info came:

“That UN Programme, if ratified, would give the UN control over all weapons production, distribution, and ownership globally. That control would put the United Nations in charge of all weapons, including those of law enforcement, setting strict limits on the types—and quantities of weapons police departments could own.”

Now if this is a joke, and I’m not getting it, I apologize, but the Shooting Wire seems to be in earnest.  Can you imagine U.N. enforcers in their little sky-blue berets marching into an LAPD armory and demanding all the really neat stuff that the LAPD uses to kill people who cross it? They’d be clubbed to death in the street. Or New York? “Make it worth my while, pal,” the NYPD armorer would say.

If Secretary General Annan would like to bring a little law... [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal and Philip Bourjaily

Editor's Note: Some of the best stuff written on this blog comes from those who post comments at the end of Dave's entries. These are three from last week's posts. Click on the headline above each comment to post your own opinion.

On Where are the Women
"I come from an outdoors family where my mothers and sisters have hunted and/or shoot as well! My fiance hunts and goes to the range with me. Her children are interested in hunting as well. I am a VERY lucky man to have a lady in life that enjoys the shooting (as well as fishing) sports!
Nothing turns me off, and scares me more, than men who think women shouldn't hunt or fish. This behavior has done more to contribute to the decline of hunting and fishing in today's society than alienating women from the grand wonderful heritage of hunting and fishing."
Posted by: Eric | May 10, 2006 at 08:13 PM

On The Colt Model 1911
"I have heard this before, about the 1911 NOT being a sporting gun, and it has not been especially true in my book. I have enjoyed using it on armadillos,... [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal and Philip Bourjaily

Editor's Note: Each week until he runs out of guns, Dave will be writing about each of the different firearms in his collection here on The Gun Nut. This is the first.

When I reported for basic training in 1963, the Army was just phasing out of the M-1 (Garand) and into the M-14, which was an improved Garand.  The M-14 lasted only 4 years as a general-issue infantry rifle before it was supplanted by the M-16. However, it continues to see specialized use with the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Its range, penetrating power and reliability are superior to those of the M-16, and there are still places where these qualities are highly useful. New ones--called M1As--are made by Springfield Armory of Genesco, IL., at very high prices.

Springfield’s most recent M1A wrinkle  is an evil-looking firearm called the SOCOM 16. SOCOM stands for “special operations commander,” and the 16 refers to the fact that this rifle--actually, a carbine--has a barrel that’s just over 16 inches long, which is the shortest length rifle barrel you can own without the ATF coming to have a talk with you.

It’s heavy... [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal and Philip Bourjaily

One of the articles of faith in the shooting industry is that the future of the gunpowder sports will be influenced by women; that for the first time, we’re going to see a real, meaningful influx of female hunters and shooters.

If you go to the SHOT Show, you now see as many women as men, but I don't know if they are they showing up in serious numbers at ranges and in hunting camps.

What do you see happening? If they aren’t coming into shooting and hunting, why not?

And if there are any women reading this blog, I’d appreciate it if you would step forward now and be counted. [ Read Full Post ]