The Biggest Military Order Since WW2: Beretta 92FS Firearm Review

Beretta 92FS 9mm Parabellum: If you wish for peace, prepare for war.

"Nine millimeter Beretta, takes fifteen in the mag, one up the pipe, wide ejection port, no feed jams."

Danny Glover as Detective Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon, 1987 Describing the Beretta 92FS

My previous post was about the oldest and one one of the most popular firearm manufacturers in the world. If you haven't read it, I am referring to Fabbrica D'Armi Pietro Beretta, or simply Beretta as they are more popularly known. Today's episode is all about their most prolific pistol design, The 92FS.

The 92 series is an old design which attributes to the quality of the firearms that we see today. The great grandfathers of the 92, the M1922 and M1951, were known for the open slide design and the falling locking block barrel design respectively.

Top: Model 1922 Bottom: Model 1951. You can see the gradual evolution towards the more recognizable design.

The next model, the Model 84 in .380, a compact pistol, brought about upgrades to the magazine system such as a direct feed to the chamber instead of having feed ramps which was a Beretta design, it also utilized the Browning "double stacked" magazine design to increase the capacity of the firearm.

The Model 84FS or "Cheetah" is still in production today for those who want a compact package.

A year after the advent of the little Cheetah, in 1975, The 92 series was officially born. Designed by Carlo Beretta and his team, production began on May 1976. The evolution of this series of firearms didn't stop there, however. The first 7,000 units, roughly, had the "step slide" design which had a slightly thicker portion of the slide around the action. The rest of the 52,000 total pistols had a the more familiar "straight slide" design. The next design, the 92S, brought the slide-mounted safety and decocker. The 92SB introduced the automatic firing pin block to prevent discharge when dropped.

Then the Military trials came in the late 1970's and Beretta  competed with other manufacturers for the contract to provide the United States military with their pistols to replace the M1911A1 as the primary sidearm. The 92F beat the other contenders once, then again after the Army contested the results and asked for a retrial. 1985 rolled around and saw the 92F as the contracted sidearm of the US.

The 92F was the only pistol to pass all of the trials, such as being exposed to -40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, immersion in salt water and endurance testing by firing 35,000 rounds without failure. It also helped that Beretta updated some design features: Parts were made 100% interchangeable to simplify and reduce the price of maintenance. Added the curve at the front of the trigger guard to help with aiming and accuracy. Curved the base of the grip to assist with aiming. Hard Chromed the inside of the barrel for corrosion resistance and ease of maintenance as well as reduce wear. Changed the coating of the slide from Blued Steel to the more durable Bruniton.

To this day, the 92FS, designated M9 by the US military, is the primary sidearm of soldiers, marines, seamen and airmen.

Now, let's go over the ins and outs of the 92FS and talk about some of the features.

So beautiful...

This is my 92FS. There are many like it but this one is mine. You can see some of the features that are well known to most people, even those who don't know Beretta.The frame is made of alloy and the slide is steel with a Bruniton coating to prevent corrosion and other damage. Some parts are polymer such as the recoil spring guide rod and the magazine release. Others, such as the trigger, the slide lock and the safety levers, are metal with polymer coating for added protection.

Here you can see the operation of the open slide design. The barrel is exposed for the most part, making for better feeding and extraction of spent cartridges. It also helps the barrel stay cool when firing, which is a good thing to ensure accuracy. Also notice the curves in the trigger guard and grip which help with maintaining a positive grasp on the firearm and ensuring accuracy. You can also see the beaver tail curve at the upper rear of the grip to allow your hand to engage with the grip and also protect your hand from getting "bitten" by the slide during firing. There are some really good serrations on the rear of the slide to facilitate easier slide manipulation. All of the controls are large to allow for easy manipulation with combat gloves being worn.

Another view of the open side design. You can see the direct feed on the barrel (the polished chute in front of the bullet) which allows for easier chambering of rounds. This bad boy runs smooth as butter.

 

The 92FS, like most full-sized firearms, takes advantage of a staggered round box magazine. Standard size magazines take 15 rounds, 16 if you count the extra one that you can load in the chamber. Some of your magazines can hold 16 rounds but they will not lock into place in the gun unless the slide is locked back. In that case, very simple, just lock the slide back, insert the magazine and release the slide lock. The slide moving forward will chamber the 1st round and you will have the other 15 still in the magazine. A word of warning and a myth to bust. The warning: Do not leave the magazine full past capacity. If you do so then you could damage the spring in the mag and then you would have a $10-$60 hunk of junk that doesn't feed rounds. The Myth: Provided they are not past capacity, you can leave magazines loaded for as long as you like. Many people, including myself, have left rounds in magazines from a few months to a few years with little to no negative effect on the magazines ability to feed ammunition. Also, I have yet to encounter ammunition that the 92 will not fire. I use Federal Jacketed Hollow Points as my defense rounds but I have used Winchester, Remington, Sellier & Bellot, Federal Premium, Blazer Brass, and Fiocchi. I have put a couple rounds of TulAmmo through it with no troubles but not enough, I feel, to be conclusive.

The 92FS has several safety features. In the image you can see the ambidextrous safety levers. The safety lever also features a hammer decocker. When the hammer is cocked, you can safely decock it by simply rotating the safety lever into the "safe" position with the red dot covered. The hammer drops at the same time the firing pin is rotated into a hidden position. This can be done safely with a round in the chamber. This is how I carry this firearm without a problem in a shoulder holster. With the safety engaged, you can pull the trigger all you like and nothing will happen. In addition to the safety lever, the gun is drop safe. Drop safe means that the only way to fire the gun is to pull the trigger. If the gun is dropped on its rear, the firing pin remains stationary and does not fire the round.  You can also see (kind of, it is the tab above the slide serrations in the bottom image) that the 92 series has a loaded chamber indicator. When there is a round in the chamber, the indicator shows a red strip for visual checks. You can also run your hand over the indicator to see if the gun is chambered in low light conditions. Another safety feature, the firearm is setup as a double/single action. What that means is that when you pull the trigger on the first round, it is difficult to pull. This feature helps prevent accidental discharge when being handled or carried. Once the first round is fired, the slide's movement rearward pushes the hammer back and locks it in place. From there on, the gun is in single action and has a much lighter trigger pull. This makes it easier to pull off follow-up shots but more unsafe to carry. This is were the safety/decocker comes in handy.

Sorry for the dark picture or you would be able to see the firing pin and how the decocker operates.

The 92FS features the typical 3 dot sights for easy alignment but they are fixed to the slide for reliability. The rear sight is high profile to allow for one handed operation of the slide. If one hand is injured or unavailable you can simply place the sights on your belt or a tabletop and press forward to operate the slide and chamber a round. The downside to this is that it is very difficult to upgrade the sights to night sights or higher profile sights to accommodate a silencer. I personally have no issues with the sights and I love having the fixed versus adjustable since you have to damn near run over the gun with a truck to throw the fixed ones off.

These engravings on the frame and slide give you all the information you need. The left side (top image)  tells you the manufacturer and where it was built while the right side (bottom image) tells you the model designation and caliber round designation. My gun is manufactured by Beretta USA Corp. in Accokeek, MD. Sadly, my Beretta isn't Italian made but, being a Patriot, I'm not that sad. lol. My model is 92FS in 9mm Parabellum as you can see in the bottom image. You can also see that there is a warning on the frame, stating that the firearm can discharge without a magazine in place. If you have a bullet in the chamber, and the safety disengaged, you can shoot the gun. You can also see the Beretta 3 Arrows grip logo with P. Beretta on the bottom in the middle photo.

The firearm is very simple to break down and field strip. As the picture shows, there is a lever above and forward of the trigger that is turned down. What is done is this: The slide is pulled back, I typically lock it in place with the slide lock. Once the slide is back fully, you depress a button on the side opposite of the takedown lever. While the button is pressed, you rotate the lever down. You can then disengage the slide lock while holding onto the slide to make sure that it doesn't accidentally fall off. You simply move the slide forward and off of the frame. From there, on the slide, you lift off the recoil spring and guide rod assembly. The barrel should then come loose from the slide. The firearm should look like mine above, and it is field stripped for your basic cleaning routine. I will make a blog (and possibly a video) at a later time to show how to completely strip and clean your 92.

These are just a few more images of what you will see once the firearm is field stripped. You can see the inner workings that go into the fire control and trigger group. This is not a terribly simple firearm.

At the range, the 92 is a very accurate. Thanks to the falling locking block barrel which keeps the assembly tightly in place, good groups are possible. That, in conjunction with the heavy firearm, the single action ability and the relatively light recoil of the 9mm round, make the 92 very easy to keep on target.

An old target from when I first got my Beretta. The range I typically go to only allows 25 yard minimum distance so I couldnt do any more accurate shots. I'm glad almost all of the rounds were on the target lol.

Unfortunately, at the moment, I don't have any footage of the range performance. That is a plan that will happen whenever Indiana decides that it wants to rise from the inner circle of Dante Alighieri's Inferno. It is just took damn cold to be out shooting right now sadly.

Well, I don't know that I have anything more to say about the Beretta 92FS. I would go on and on if I could but I am trying to keep things somewhat short so y'all dont get bored and leave me for someone younger. (End Ramble)

That is the Beretta Model 92FS. One of the most well known firearms in the world and the current primary sidearm of our armed forces. It is the second firearm I have ever owned but it will always be my favorite. If you have any questions, please let me know as I am still working on my blog posts and trying to set a good routine. Until the next episode, remember to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction whether it is loaded or not. It could save your, or someone else's, life. God Bless our America


For more information visit http://www.beretta.com/en-us/serie-92/

History Lesson: Fabbrica D'Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A.

Oops, sorry you guys. You may not be familiar with this logo. After all, it was used originally for the firearms company started by Maestro Bartolomeo Beretta in 1526 with a 296 ducat (today's equivalent of $236,800) order for 185 Arquebus barrels by the Arsenal of Venice.

There we go, something a bit more familiar for today's consumers, law enforcement and military. As I said, Beretta is an old company, roughly 488 years old, and has been in the hands of the Beretta family ever since the beginning. There are very few firearms manufacturers in the world that can make a similar claim. In fact, Beretta is the oldest actively producing firearms manufacturer in the world today as well as the first manufacturer in Italy.

The company hasn't been in business for so long for nothing. Beretta has built a solid reputation for "uncompromising quality, design, materials, construction and performance" that has become known the world over. I personally own a Beretta 92FS and I can testify for the quality and performance. I will provide a review on my 92 later, but for now let's learn a little more about Fabbrica D'Armi Pietro Beretta.

Maestro de Canne (master gun-barrel maker) Bartolomeo Beretta started it all, handing down the business of designing and building firearms, father to son, for generations. The actual company had been in business since sometime in the 1400's but, the Arsenal of Venice order in 1526 was the first paper order made. The company remained largely unchanged and local until Pietro Antonio Beretta, in the early 1800's, began to travel Italy and make the quality of workmanship that was the Beretta firearm known to the world. Pietro's son, Giuseppe, continued the work of his father, gaining international attention to the small manufacturer in Gardone Valtrompia, Italy.

Pietro Beretta (not the same Pietro Antonio, but his grandson) took over the company in the 1900's and modernized the plant, bringing about new manufacturing methods and patents that helped Beretta remain at the top of the firearms manufacturing industry. Since then, more generations of the Beretta family have taken over control of company. As of today, the company is run by Ugo Gussalli Beretta and his two sons, Franco and Pietro, and it is still one of the most prevalent firearms companies in the world.

Left to Right: Franco, Ugo Gussalli, Pietro. Image from Beretta USA website.

In 1995, Ugo Gussalli and Pietro Beretta formed the parent company, known as Beretta Holdings S.p.A. Since then, the number of subsidiary companies continues to grow with 26 being the current number. You may recognize some of them: Benelli with the US military famous M4 shotgun, Sako Finland with their high-end rifles and Burris, the renowned scope and optics company. You also have Uberti, Tikka, Stoeger, Steiner, Franchi, and Beretta Defense Technologies. If you are like me, you were surprised that all of these companies were under the Beretta banner. If you already knew, dont judge me. Anyhow lol

As for the firearms themselves, Beretta has gained a renown for their weapons. The United States military signed Beretta on in January 2009 with a contract for 450,000 units of their Model 92 series, the largest military order for handguns since World War 2. The 92 series became designated the "M9" and is the primary sidearm for the United States Army, Marines and Air Force to this day.

The Beretta M9 in 9mm Parabellum. The PB in the circle next to the engraving stands for Pietro Beretta.

Beretta is also known widely for their shotguns, such as the A400 semiautomatic sport shotgun used in hunting, competition shooting and home defense. They are also known for their double barrel shotguns, both over-under and side-by-side.

Their real claim to fame, however, is their line of "Premium" firearms. Beretta craftsmanship is some of the most intricate and unique as you will ever find. Every piece is hand crafted by an experienced gunsmith to ensure that the highest level of detail is attained. Once the gun is complete, it will have an entirely unique design on its receiver and the artist will engrave his or her signature to attest to the individual talent that it took to design it. Due to the unique nature of the shotguns, they are very expensive, with the SO10 over-under's MSRP at $90,000 and the Imperiale Monte Carlo side-by-side at $130,000. Some prices may go higher as some of the custom work can include gold and diamond inlays and rare and beautiful wood stocks.

A couple examples pulled from the Beretta website. This is what $90,000 buys you.

You can view and purchase firearms like these in galleries and museums around the world. Beretta itself owns galleries in Milano, Dallas, Buenos Aires, Paris, London, and New York. Besides the guns, Beretta also designs and makes clothes and accessories that compliment the competition shooter, hunter or just someone, like me, who loves Beretta products.

Well, that's that. The oldest firearms manufacturer in the world making some of the most beautiful, reliable and expensive guns in the world. We can honestly say that Beretta is worthy of its reputation as Uncompromising when it comes to quality and appearance. The 15th generation of the Beretta family is making the memory of the Maestro Beretta proud.

That concludes my History Lesson of Fabbrica D'Armi Pietro Beretta. Until the next episode, treat every firearm as if it were loaded and check it before you handle it. God Bless our America!

If you need any other information regarding Beretta, visit the websites at http://www.beretta.com/en-us/ or at http://www.berettausa.com/

Constitutionally Correct: The History of The Second Amendment.

The Bill of Rights of The Constitution of The United States of America.

One of the most unnecessarily argued amendments of the Constitution.

Greetings everyone. I am going to start getting things rolling here by discussing the history surrounding the Constitution, specifically the Second Amendment. As a gun owner and an avid supporter of the right to own guns with minimal interference, I wanted to help enlighten those who rarely see beyond the above transcription from the document that helped establish this country. We will discuss where the 2nd Amendment came from, who was key in authoring it and why it is important, even in today's "civilized" society. A word beforehand: I don't claim to be an expert on American history. I am doing my own research and showing how I, and many citizens of this country, have come to the conclusions we have. Now, with no further gilding the lilly, let's dive into this thing!

The Consitution of the United States of America was drafted on August 6th, 1787 after the Constitutional Convention debated back and forth over the balance of power. As you may know, some in the Continental Congress believed that there was a need for a strong federal government while others believed that the State governments, which had taken the majority of control following the end of the Revolutionary War, should retain their measure of strength. Several plans and compromises had to be made which led to the Constitution that we know today. For more information regarding the Constitution, you may visit Archives.gov

Now, the leaders of the new United States had a big issue on their hands. The Constitution, as it was ratified on January 9th, 1788, was seen by those in congress calling themselves Anti-Federalist as laying the groundwork for a strong, and eventually corrupt, Federal Government. After their, shall we say, "disagreement" with Great Britain, who could blame them? Alternately, the Federalists, seeing the troubles of each individual state as well as issues between states, believed that a strong central government was the way to go. Indeed it was a significant rift between parties and as the Constitution was ratified by only 5 of the 9 needed states, a major compromise had to be made.

Enter James Madison. A statesman from Virginia and oftentimes referred to as the Father of the Constitution as well as the Father of the Bill of Rights. As such, this man was instrumental in helping the young United States become the country it is. Before all of that, however, he considered himself a Federalist, strongly opposing the idea of such a Bill. One reason he gave was that, at the state levels, such Bills amounted to little more than paper barriers. Another was that enumeration of specific rights could be construed that only THOSE rights were protected and others were not. However, thanks to the wise words of his friend, Thomas Jefferson, he was taken by the idea that, as much as a strong Federal Government was necessary, it made the State Governments weak by comparison through the existing form of the Constitution. He also faced pressure from the Anti-Federalists who claimed they would call on another Constitutional Convention in order to satisfy the needs of the people. As the government was in a state of construction and couldn't wait for another convention to convene, Madison was convinced to introduce the Bill of Rights so that the needs of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists could be served. He wrote, on October 17, 1788 that such "fundamental maxims of free Government" would be "a good ground for an appeal to the sense of community" against potential oppression and would "counteract the impulses of interest and passion."

James Madison: 4th President of the United States of American and "The Father of the Constitution"

Originally, the Bill contained 17 amendments or articles and was slimmed down by the First US Senate to 12. At this time, the 2nd Amendment that we all know and love was actually the fifth article in the original bill. It read:

"A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep an bear arms shall not be infringed, but noone religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to render military service in person."

A partial picture of the Original 17 Amendments, featuring the 5th Article which would become the 2nd Amendment.

A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to render military service in person. - See more at: http://www.sethkaller.com/item/182-First-Draft-of-the-Bill-of-Rights:-17-Amendments-Approved-by-the-House-(SOLD)#sthash.PE2MmCBM.dpuf

After the Senate slimmed the Bill of Rights down to 12, a more familiar language for the 2nd Amendment was adopted.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Upon the acceptance of the Bill of Rights, and more importantly the acceptance by Anti-Federalists, the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified and signed on September 17, 1787. Since then, the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights has been the law of the land, protecting those that bear arms in the name of defense of their life, liberty and property. It has been said that the 2nd protects the 1st (Amendment that is) but it is also true that the 2nd Amendment is there to protect the entire Bill of Rights.

Now that we have discussed HOW the 2nd Amendment came about, we will talk about the WHY.

We could look as far back as the first guns but for the interest of brevity we will start at the early settlers of America. These settlers believed in numerous reasons for having and bearing arms, among them include bearing arms for personal and community defense, organizing militias in defense of the state and, in a last resort, as a means of insurrection against an oppressive government.

Pre-Revolutionary War conflicts were fairly often. Even European conflicts spilled over into their American interests. An excellent example would be the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Year War, which pitted French forces against English colonials (and later English regulars) over frontier land. English colonials on the edge of the frontier faced aggression from French forces without much early assistance from British Parliament. If firearms were not available to these colonists, they may well have been even harder pressed to defend themselves and their communities from French invasion.

Incidentally, due to financial depletion, Parliament began to pursue means of generating additional revenue following the French and Indian War. One way that the British used to generate this revenue was to tax the American colonies. This "Taxation without Representation" was a combination of several acts by the British government passed into law which the colonists felt were oppressive. With British threatening to enforce laws though military strength and Patriots threatening to fight and die rather than live under the tyranny of British rule, tensions reached an all time high. As a result, Royal Governor, General Thomas Gage sent British regular military to confiscate gun powder from colonists whom he believed would rebel. Furthermore, Parliament passed laws preventing importation of firearms and powder to the colonies to stem an uprising.

General Thomas Gage. This is why we can't have nice things.

The Patriots, however, did not respond well to the threat of force. As the British attempted to exert more control over the colonists, the more the colonists fought back, thus sparking the Revolutionary War.

As we can see by the issues faced by the American colonists, it was very important that they retain their right to bear arms. If they had allowed the British to confiscate their firearms, then who knows what exactly would have happened. I can guarantee that this country would not be the same one that we enjoy today. Because the colonists chose to not just follow what they were told blindly, they fought off the oppression that threatened to contain them.

It is in that spirit of protecting their right to defend themselves against all enemies that the 2nd Amendment was born. The Amendment that defends all of the others and ensures safety for all. Sadly, it seems that some don't see it that way. Ever since 1822 (and probably earlier) the individual right to keep and bear arms has been challenged in court. Specifically in the Kentucky court case of Bliss v. Commonwealth, the right to bear arms was "limited" by the Kentucky legislature. The original court case defended the right of the state to prevent citizens from carrying weapons in a concealed manner and thus found Bliss guilty and enacted a fine on him for $100. (A big deal at the time) Bliss appealed the decision, however, and it was shown that Kentucky's own constitution contradicted itself on the grounds that, while it said that citizen's could not carry concealed weapons, it also stated that "The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms in defence of themselves and the state shall not be questioned". The court ultimately accepted that the act of restraining concealed weapons was null and void. Thus the first court battle over the right to bear arms, concealed or otherwise, was won.

Since then, the battle over the right to keep and bear arms has been slowly increasing. Many of the same arguments are used against the 2nd Amendment today as were used almost a century ago. "Why do you need  __insert firearm type here__?" or "That's why we have police and the military, so you don't need this, that and the other thing." and even "We want to get rid of this or that so that they dont fall into the hands of criminals or, if it does, they cant massacre all kinds of people at once". In another post I will answer each of these questions, but I am already getting long winded. Forgive me lol.

Anyhow, the need for firearms in the hands of citizens is just as important today as it was in the Frontier days of the colonies and the Revolutionary War. While, of course, we in the United States have not had a serious armed conflict since the Civil War, the possibility of conflict always exists. As long as there are those who wish to do harm to the country and her people, the threat exists.

Even though open war has not existed on our soil in a long time, we still deal with violence on the streets, usually on an individual level. FBI data shows that, in 2011, there were 12,664 murders in the US. Of these, 8,583 occurred with a firearm. Before we go crazy over the fact that the majority of murders are committed with a firearm, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council (commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control) found that "almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals with estimates of annual uses ranging from 500,000 to more than 3 million per year." So, if we are conservative with the estimates, it still means that guns are at least as useful for defense as they are in the commission of a crime (considering all crimes in which firearms are involved in an offensive manner)

Right there is one of the best reasons for the Right to Bear Arms: Self defense and self preservation. As sad as it is that people are the victims of violence involving firearms, there is no proof that warrants placing limitations on the right of responsible and law abiding people to own and use a gun in self defense. Ultimately, that only leads to the criminal having the ability to acquire a gun and utilize it to take from another person. Meanwhile, the citizen who does not want to get in trouble with Law Enforcement will do his best to put up an adequate defense but, lets face it, a bat is not a good enough substitute for a pistol when defending the home.

I always loved this little pearl of "wisdom"

 I will leave this post at that for now as I could find myself rambling LOL. I hope you enjoyed this segment discussing the How and Why of the Second Amendment and if you have any questions/comments/concerns please voice them. Until the next episode, Remember to keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. God Bless our America!

The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council - See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/cdc-study-use-firearms-self-defense-important-crime-deterrent#sthash.bbvMEsMJ.dpuf

The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council - See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/cdc-study-use-firearms-self-defense-important-crime-deterrent#sthash.bbvMEsMJ.dpuf

Breathe and squeeze... BLAM! *introduction*

I'm not a military man nor was I ever in law enforcement. I am simply a normal American citizen from southeastern Indiana who has a love of firearms that has exploded over the past couple years. As a boy and young man I spent summers playing with my dad's Marlin Model 60 22LR or my cousins' Daisy BB guns in the backyard in the middle of nowhere. I was also in the Boy Scouts of America out of Versailles, IN which taught me much about being outside and how to survive in the elements; From trips to Tennessee to hike the Appalachian Trail to Minnesota to spend a week camping and canoeing in the boundary lakes between the US and Canada. I went through high school and college without so much as touching a gun until I picked up a Hi-Point C9 9mm handgun in 2012. Despite being the cheapest 9mm that I could afford, I still remember the feeling I got when I gripped that pistol in my hands and tore up a Shoot 'N See target from 25 yards. I felt the urge to learn everything I could and get my hands on every firearm I could. I have since traded that pistol in for a motorcycle but, even though it was my least favorite firearm to date, it awakened a love of the gun culture within me.

Firing my Hi-Point C9 for the first time! Wilbur Wright State Park, Indiana.

Since the Hi-Point, I have amassed a very small but growing collection and joined the NRA and NAGR Frontline Defenders in order to help defend our rights to do so.. I am still learning anything and everything I can. What have I learned? Not nearly enough! So, without further ado...

Welcome, ladies and gents, to Blued Barrel Gun Culture! 

My name is Christian and as the title of this blog suggests, we will discuss various subjects related to firearms. For those who don't know, a Blued Barrel is a barrel that has been chemically coated to give the steel a very dark, black/blue look and also provide some measure of corrosion resistance. As I love the look of blued steel and the enemy of ignorance is education, this blog was born. Here, I will provide reviews of any and all firearms that I can get my hands on, as well as those that I cannot (but will eventually I can assure you!) We will also discuss methodology and philosophy regarding firearms as an integral part of American culture and history. I am not following any preset plan for my posts so be prepared to jump from topic to topic. I am also in the process of learning MANY things about firearms in general so we will all learn together. This being my first blog, bear with me as I learn the ins and outs. Ready, Steady, GO!