Saturday, July 2, 2011

Welcome!

          Hello, and thanks for stopping by! First, A little about me. I have had an interest in Firearms since I was a little boy, and have always been fascinated by the mechanics, and technology used in the design and manufacture of these tools. First and foremost, this is NOT a political blog, and I am not here to discuss the moral or social questions surrounding the current ownership of firearms, or the arguments surrounding the second amendment rights. Rather, this blog will examine the actual firearms themselves, from a historical and scientific viewpoint. Like I said, I have had an interest in firearms for a long time. I had my first opportunity to shoot in the Boy Scouts while at summer camp. We had a rifle range, and .22 rifles. from the first time I took aim, and hit that paper circle from 50 feet, I was hooked. I was amazed at the accuracy of the rifle, the way that the parts all fit together, and the intelligence and thought that went into the design of this rifle.
          After High School, I decided to join the U.S. Army. It was there that I learned to perfect my shooting skills, and had the opportunity to become the Armorer for my Unit. What a great opportunity! not only did I get to examine and maintain many different types of military weapons, I was also expected to go to the range whenever my unit went out to fire, so I always made sure I got the opportunity to try out whatever was being used that day. Everythnig from the m9 pistol, all the way up to the .50 caliber M2 machine gun, and even a grenade machine gun! And, because it was my job to keep all of these weapons in good repair, I also had ample opportunity to disassemble and see all the parts and pieces that make the weapons function. Even though the end result of any firearm is the same, i.e., the projectile shoots toward where you aim it, there are many different ways that this is achieved inside the different weapons.
          This interest has stayed with me into my civilian life, and now I hope to share with all of you some of the knowledge I find so interesting. Hopefully you will all enjoy reading and learning from this blog as much as I enjoy writing it! Thanks!