Big Gun

Friend of a friend, used to be on a local SWAT team, retired and spends a lot of time at the range. My buddy has been shooting with him and says he’s extremely good. He showed us this photo taken at a range session. That’s two shots touching. He’s got YouTube videos showing him performing similar feats. He has big hands, and while the gun looks like a little S&W Model 60 it’s really a huge .460. He shoots .454 Casull ammo in it for the moderate recoil. My hands hurt from thinking about it. Is this a great country or what?

A shooter holds a cell phone photo showing his hand holding a handgun over a test target. The target has holes from two shots that are touching each other.. (Copyright 2011 Jonathan Gewirtz jonathan@gewirtz.net)

18 thoughts on “Big Gun”

  1. I remember firing a 45-70 when I was about 12 or 13. That was definitely an interesting experience.

    One of the most unpleasant pistols I have fired was a plain-Jane Astra 600 in 9mm. It was light, with terrible ergonomics. The snap of the supposedly light recoiling round in combination with a mediocre design made for a nasty range session.

  2. I had heard of a .460 Weatherby – an elephant gun – but never a .460 in a little snub nose revolver…That has to hurt the hands…

  3. My worst experience with a handgun was a Thompson Arms break barrel one shot model, that shot (in this instance) a home loaded .375 JDJ rifle cartridge, typically used on big game. Scared the living crap out of me. That was fire and brimstone, but the .357 Derringer I shot definitely caused me the most physical pain. The webbing on my hand was bruised for weeks.

  4. “Is this a great country or what?”

    What actually. I am useful with a 1911A and have fired overloaded 44 magnums but what has that to do with greatness at any level?

    “Sick country” is a better description.

  5. Speaking of sick, there’s something psychologically unhealthy about someone who haunts a website for the sole purpose of denigrating it, its members, and its host nation. It strikes me as a manifestation of feelings of inferiority, similar to the kid who’s always calling everyone names to feel better about himself/herself. Something at once pathetic and disturbing. A form of derangement.

  6. Michael: I remember, some 10-12 y.a., American Funniest Videos had a clip with rapid images of people, one of whom was taken from the back of a guy (or a gal?!) with shaven head and the words “Hi Mom!” tattooed on it.

    Same sicko principle.

  7. “Speaking of sick, there’s something psychologically unhealthy about someone who haunts a website for the sole purpose of denigrating it, its members, and its host nation. It strikes me as a manifestation of feelings of inferiority, similar to the kid who’s always calling everyone names to feel better about himself/herself. Something at once pathetic and disturbing. A form of derangement.”

    Wonderful. I limit my comments to what I consider useful. I am opposed to a lot of what the USA thinks is a good idea but then so is most of the world.

    I have no friendly site to buttress my point of view and am amused by your psychological defense. It’s pretty funny really but I am used to abuse. You know water and the duck’s back.

    Your country is a violent psychopath in many ways and I am pleased it is failing because of that. You do get what you deserve even if it’s not obvious. What you deserve is not pretty but I’m sure you don’t care much about the deserve part, the result part will impress you I am pretty sure.

    Have a nice …

  8. PenGun,

    It’s wonderful country because people have the freedom to do things that other believe is wrong. That is the very definition of freedom. Doing something just for the fun it is one of the indicators of freedom. The more silly the activity, the greater the freedom. You didn’t find many people doing unproductive, silly things under Stalin and Mao. Everyone was very serious and focused on “higher” concerns.

    A polity that lets people own and fire ridiculously powerful handguns just because they want to is a great country.

  9. How true Michael! I have in the past been an avid shooter – near my home we have one of the best shooting ranges in the country – 1,000 acres – and for you shooters I am not revealing anything you don’t know – but as far as recoil and pain it isn’t just the caliber but how much weight is in the firearm.

    I once shot a .44 magnum (Dirty Harry’s preferred weapon) – expecting the worse and was surprised in a good way.

    And in semi autos the design plays a part too. My SIG P220 .45 seems to recoil less than the classic Browning 1911.

    But a .357 derringer?

    A sadist had to have designed that thing…

  10. Firearms are weird that way. The loudest gun I ever fired was a .22 caliber revolver. The worst recoil is a 20 gauge single shot. (actually had that one out hunting turkeys this morning…)

    I have a 12 gauge and I’ve repeatedly suggested to people who want to try one of them, especially a novice, that they go with the 12 gauge. It’s a Mossberg 500 pump with a scope, strap, heavy rifled barrel, etc. and with 5 shells it probably weighs around 12-15 pounds. “No,” they say, “I want to try this little one, it feels like a BB gun…”

    Ouch. Physics plays rough.

  11. PenGun used the phrase “your country”. Is he not a citizen of this still great enterprise? That may explain his failure to get the point.
    I am always amused at how Euros regard us as hicks,though we are the ones who end up cleaning up after them.

Comments are closed.