Big Barretts Bring Bellowing Booms

Ok, I’ll admit that I was so wrapped up in wondering what it would be like to fire the M82A1 that I may have forgotten to take into consideration  little details like, oh, muzzle blast.

And what would happen to anything I left on the shooting table I was shooting from.

The good news is, Otterbox protective cases did a fine job protecting my phone as it, my targets, a few boxes of ammo, a full Nalgene bottle, and an iced coffee were suddenly accelerated to near-c velocity.

Lesson learned: clear off the shooting bench.

Recoil was not as bad as I thought it was going to be but, great googlymoogly, plan on being in the eye of the hurricane as everything around you and the gun becomes a blur. And double up on ear pro.

Do you have any idea what it feels like to try and sight in a rifle when every time you pull the trigger it’s around $4?

I sorely need to reload for this beast but I can see the bottleneck will be….no surprise….primers.

Also, there will be a second Barrett, an M99, at some point. One Barrett for busting up things, and one Barrett for more precise shooting.

And, yes, it was a show stopper at the range.

And then it just lowballed from there….

Years ago,I accidentally bought a HiPower. How, you may ask, does one ‘accidentally’ buy a gun? Simple.

Me: Just outta curiosity, whaddya want for the HiPower?
Gun Show Vendor: Make me an offer!
Me: Oh, man, I don’t have any money. Im cheap. I don’t wanna offend you with a lowball offer.
GSV: Hey, you won’t offend me. Make me an offer.

Now, at this point, I just want to get out of this conversation gracefully. So, I figure I’ll throw out a stupid offer, he’ll make a comment about me being insane, I’ll laugh along with him and make a self-deprecating remark about me being a cheapskate, and that’ll be it.

Me: Three hundred bucks?
GSV: Sold!
Me: …..

And then I had to do a hell of a shuffle to come up with $300.

Soooooooo….cut to today……

Me: Whats in the ammo can?
Vendor: Thousand rounds of .223 tracer ammo. You want it.
Me: Whaddya want for it?
Vendor: Make me an offer.
Me: Oh no. I ever tell you about the HiPower I accidentally bought?
Vendor: Come on, make me an offer.

<dejavu>Now, at this point, I just want to get out of this conversation gracefully. So, I figure I’ll throw out a stupid offer, he’ll make a comment about me being insane, I’ll laugh along with him and make a self-deprecating remark about me being a cheapskate, and that’ll be it.</dejavu>

Me: Two hundred bucks?
Vendor: Sold!
Me: Dammit!

20150224_214442

Well, I guess twenty cents for tracer ammo isn’t bad when regular ball is going for twice that.

I gotta learn that when I try to lowball someone I gotta put some more low on that ball.

Things I shoulda remembered

Scene: my house
Setting: Half-awake, stumbling around in bathrobe
Event: Sound of someone letting themselves into house, security cam footage showing unfamiliar vehicle parked out front
What actually happened: Me forgetting that a contractor was coming by today
Now trending on Twitter: #IsThatAnUzi

Fortunately the contractor is pretty laid back and no one’s feelings were hurt. Most folks seeing a guy in a bathrobe holding an Uzi at port arms wouldn’t have been as cool about it.