Going To A Gun Shop

Deadly assault rifles are a lot of fun, no doubt about it but they have their problems. They get dirty, just for a start, and then there's all these bits that keep the beasts together. Like the firing pin retaining pin. 

Broken, Useless

Lose that bit and you're in trouble, the same holds if the annoying thing breaks, which is exactly what happened to one of mine. There it was, a broken pin. Useless.

Fun Guns is Fun

To put it right I drove to Fun Guns in Waco instead of ordering the part on the information superhighway. Partly because I didn't want to wait and also because I figured it'd be fun to go to a store that wasn't Walmart. And Fun Guns is just what it says it is, full of fun guns.

Unbroken, Useful

Pistols, deadly assault rifles in several calibers, a few bolt actions and shotguns, optics, barrels, lower and upper receivers for AR builds, triggers, parts, ammo and all kinds of neat stuff. The people that run it are friendly too and don't have the rude, condescending attitude you meet in some gun shops. I like that.

Back Together Again

So I bought a few pins and a sling swivel, miraculously resisting the strong temptation to buy an S&W .357 Magnum, a new scope and an AK. These things will have to wait. And guess what? The new pin fits like a champ.

Art

Thanks, Fun Guns, you make Waco a better place.

Shoot on,

LSP

On The Road On The Gun

The rig hummed along, thank you very much after a fortune spent at the aptly named "shop," and all was well with rural Texas as I drove to visit a sick cowboy. We talked about liturgy and society at the ranch as well as the Holy Cross Fathers.

Their erstwhile supremo married a nun who'd got herself into trouble for witchcraft in Africa, Una Kroll. Una went on to champion womyn priests and died last year. I don't know if she remained married to the former monk. 

After anointing my friend I drove to Waco. "What you going there for?" he asked, hopefully recovering his spirits. "To get some things for my new gun," I replied, quick as you like and then some, "It's a 7.62 battle rifle."

Fun Guns on Franklin supplied the deficit along with the extra bonus of late '70s music on the store jukebox. Go ahead, shop for AR15 barrels, Magpul accessories and all things weaponry while listening to the Clash.

"I say," I asked a youthful shop assistant, "Are you the only deadly assault rifle store in town that plays Machine Gun Etiquette and God Save The Queen on some kind of loop?" The pleasant young man looked embarrassed, made a needless excuse and took all my money. Thanks a lot, Malcolm  so-called McLaren.

Wallet several pounds lighter I headed for home and a kid who wants to enlist. He's at the gym now working out and he'll have to if he's going to lift the new rifle. So will I.

Gun rights,

LSP

Go Out And Get A Glock

Long story short. I stopped sitting on the fence like some kind of pathetic CofE agnostic, and bought a Glock, a Glock 21 Gen 4. Why? Because it just seemed right. 

Well Done, Chaps.

Waco's helpful, friendly, enjoyable, and "don't talk down to customers" Fun Guns provided the weapon at a better price than the big box stores, like Cabela's. Thanks, Fun Guns, always a pleasure to do business.

Panzers Roll! On the Moon

The pistol comes in a neat, Liebstandarte on the Moon, plastic box, advertising the brand, Glock. You open it up, like it's Christmas, and sure enough, there's a Glock with three thirteen round magazines, several alternate backstraps, a cleaning brush, and a lock. Just as advertised. There's a manual, too, and lots of gun safety flyers. Well done Glock, every gun is a loaded gun.

It's All In The Box

Out of the box, the pistol fits the hand like, well, like a Glock. But listen up, a Gen 4 Glock, which seems to have better ergonomics, at least for me, than previous iterations. Unsurprisingly, the gun strips down easily enough, a right miracle of Austrian engineering simplicity, and has an enormous recoil spring.

Enormous Great Austrian Spring

Apparently there's mixed opinions about this, but Hickock45 doesn't think it's an issue and I'd imagine it makes for easier shooting.

Anschluss

We'll find out tomorrow, when the pistol gets range tested against the PX4 Storm. Same caliber, different pistols. Who will win, Austria, or Italy? Maybe, in the end, Texas will win, but that's a given. Obviously.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Fun Guns in Waco, Texas

I know. You should be patient in firearms acquisition. Don't rush into things. But I didn't want to go through the hassle of a transfer and FFL fees to get an Aero Precision lower receiver. So I drove to Waco, where Fun Guns (which ones aren't?) promised stripped lowers, ready to go. 

The first thing you notice about Fun Guns is that they're playing Led Zep, the Stones, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple and all kinds of '70s rock, which is alright by me. The next thing you see is your old pal, D, Waco's famous gunsmith, shut down by the Administration, behind the counter. D once told me that "the .303 is a shark gun." Right on.

Alright then, you look around the store, pick out what you want, and find yourself agreeably pleased by friendly, helpful, and generally young staff.

I bought a Spike's stripped lower, nothing wrong with that, and gave the completed background check form to the tattooed but efficient-seeming AR afficionado in charge. He phoned up the Feds and got into trouble with the birthplace part of the form. So he questioned:

"What's 'Oxford,' man?"

"It's like a city. In England."

"Yeah, I know, there's a few."

"Oxford, England. Not Oxford, Kansas, or wherever."

"Gotcha."

Check done, I complimented the store on its music policy, and learned that St. Patrick's Day meant listening to the Dropkick Murphys. Shipping up to Boston? On St. Pat's, for sure.

If you're in Waco and you want a welcoming place to visit, check out Fun Guns. They're alright.

Shoot on,

LSP