Mossberg Tactical Semi 20ga

I love my big 930 for blasting, but I also highly respect the 20 gauge with the right load, especially for smaller shooters who may be more recoil sensitive or have issues with the weight of a full size 12ga (the G&C 930 beastly gun is, well, beastly.)  The little 20ga 870 I snagged not too long ago has quickly won a close place in my heart, not only for being so darned cute, but for being such a lightweight and handy little gun.  I also feel a semi-auto shotgun are a good idea for home defense, especially for those less prone to actually practice.

So I'm pretty excited to see that Mossberg is going to be offering a "home defense" version of their SA-20 semi-auto 20ga shotgun.

My only complaint, offhand, is that they've got 20" barrels. I'd prefer the shortest legal length for a house gun.  However, ghost ring sights, optic rail, and light ready tri-rail up front are perfect ideas.  I'm going to have to keep my eye out for one of these.

Jit-t-t-t-t-t-t-ery

I'm in the middle of a stretch of overnights at work, and it can be a rough time.  Tonight I brought along my Bailetti Mocha Express and some cheap, but strong, fine ground beans; and filled up my nice leak proof cup with about 10 ounces of espresso and 6 ounces of hot water to concoct some insanely strong coffee like substance, or my "Americano from Hell."  The upside is I'm not feeling like I'm about to crash into a brick wall at 30mph (which would probably anger my boss...) but at the moment I think my eyeballs are vibrating.  I do need to get some quality espresso beans though.  Might have to try some of this stuff.

First Timers

Noticed a couple blog posts around the intertubes regarding first time shooters, and more importantly, how much fun they had.

It's no stretch to say that introducing new people to the shooting community is by far the most fun I ever have at the range (and that's coming from somebody who's spent quality time with Ma Duece and a full can of government funded ammo...)  The overwhelming sense of accomplishment in helping show that guns are fun, and not scary, helping someone gain the self confidence and empowerment of an effective means of self defense, and, most rewarding, that giant ear-to-ear grin that comes after that first shot with a serious gun.  All fantastic feelings.

I think I'm overdue for taking some newbies out to the range...

Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911

100 years ago today, the US Army adopted JMB's .45 caliber automatic pistol as the standard sidearm for it's soldiers.

The M1911 has since evolved, however the basic design remains one of the most (if not the most) pistols in use today.  Not too many other designs can claim that sort of a following (and the bulk of the ones I can think of are JMB designs of some sort...)

Not much else to say that hasn't already been said about it, so I'll just toss up some 1911 porn from the blog archives.