Fan Boy II, responding to the responses

Okay,  this I have to respond to with it’s own blog post.  After my last posting where I talked about the HK fan boys mocking me on the internet, this was posted here by Jim.

It sounds like you’re intimidated to me.I get lectured by the kids and newbies shooting SKS’s about how
reliable their guns are and blah blah blah. Then they can’t hit a pie plate at
100 yards.

Or the self proclaimed gun experts that do all their pistol work at 7
or 10 yards and think they are hotshots because they can dump a mag full
of ammo in the chest of a silhouette target.

If all you can afford is an SKS or a cheap 1911 clone, don’t feel bad.
Anything that gets you shooting is good. But if you ever want to go to
anything beyond ‘minute of outhouse’ accuracy and maintain battle
proficiency, you are going to need to upgrade to better guns.

Okay, now to respond.  Jim, I don’t disagree with you about self-proclaimed experts who can’t shoot, or about kids who are proud of their guns, but can’t shoot. 

 But, let me break this down.  As far as me being intimidated, intimidated by what exactly? 

Intimidated because I don’t have fancy guns?  I don’t often post about my personal guns because that seems rather obnoxious, but here goes.  I’m not intimidated by somebody owning an HK, because I personally own a couple.  Keep in mind I own a gun store.  We’re NFA dealers.  I have a full auto MP5 post ’86 demo gun.  I also own half a dozen other submachine guns, and I wouldn’t feel undergunned using ANY of them rather than the MP5.  I actually like shooting the PPsH the best. 

Maybe I’m intimidated because of my handgun?  You mentioned cheap 1911 clone.  My last “cheap 1911 clone” cost me $1600, and I pay master dealer cost.    I got a tricked out STI, that is currently my favorite pistol in the world to shoot.

 But it’s a game gun.  So maybe you think I’m intimidated because I don’t have an “Operator’s” handgun?  Well, I’ve also got a Sig 226 Tactical with the tall night sights, AAC Evolution suppresor, Unimax laser, TLR flashhlight, and it bounces around attached to my Pointblank Level 4 body armor, while I use my fancy-pants, custom 10.5 AR-SD with Tac-16 suppresor, EO-Tech 553, and big-ass eyeball melting Surefire.  All of that crap put together not only weighs a ton, it also cost a pile of money.  But being a dealer does have a couple of perks.

See, obnoxious ain’t it? Nobody likes to hear somebody brag about their Cool Guy Gear.  (unless you’re a fan boy, because then it is the most important thing EVER).  And none of that means squat if I can’t shoot it or know how to use it effectively. 

So maybe I’m intimidated because I can’t shoot good?  I am a little rusty.  I’ll admit that. Since I opened FBMG, most of my Saturday’s have been eaten up with teaching or working, so I don’t hardly ever get to any matches anymore.  But ironically enough, I still know how to shoot pretty damn good.  But once again, bragging about how awesome you are on the internet gets mighty old, so I don’t bother to do it.

But if I need to, in order to justify the fact that I have an opinion, I’m actually pretty good with a handgun, excellent with a carbine, and I’m Hell Come To Frogtown with a shotgun.  I haven’t shot IDPA in 2 years, but was ranked Expert, and the only reason I couldn’t make Master was that I suck at Limited Vickers scoring, and always choke on stage 3.  With a handgun I’ve won my division a few times, and I usually placed in the top portion of most of the competitions I ever shot, and pistol was my weakest gun. 

With a carbine I do rather well.  Not precision rifle, as I’m the first to admit that I’ve got a lot more to learn about there.  But I’m a 3gunner by background.  I’m all about going fast and hitting little things relatively far away.  When I was practicing a lot, at the annual Utah carbine match, I took 2nd overall.  Out of the top 10 shooers, 9 were shooting ARs.  I shot an iron sighted AK-47.  The next year, I was using an XCR that I had never shot before (had to write a magazine review) using an optic that had been zeroed by PvtPyle (inside the gunstore!), I took 5th overall.  So I do know that the bullets come out the pointy end of the gun.

So if I’m not intimidated by quality, or ability, what the hell am I intimidated by?

Oh wait, I forgot.  That’s the next thing you do when you disagree with somebody about a Fan Boy item.  You question their ability to afford it, followed by questioning their knowledge.  So if they check out there, then they must be intimidated by the SHEER AWESOMENESS of your choosen idol. 

Jim, this isn’t aimed at you personally, but those kids talking up their SKS’s who can’t hit a target at a hundred aren’t special.  They sound like most of us when we started out.  Only the kids with the $160 surplus Yugoslavs sound like the regular newbies, not the obnoxious rich ones that have a $3,000 gas-piston AR who post pictures of it on AR15.com, but also don’t know how to shoot.   

Edit:  Jim’s Response: 

Sounds like bragging to me, bud – or trying to justify something.

Fill your boots.

The only thing I’m justifying is my opnion. So, if you mention cheap guns, then you’re too poor to understand the awesomeness of the Fan Boy Gun, but if you mention that you actually own the Fan Boy Guns, or even better guns, then you’re bragging.  On one side of the internet, I’m told that I’m too poor to buy HK, on the other side I’m a  gun snob.  Fill your boots?  What does that even mean?   I didn’t know Clint Eastwood used an HK in Unforgiven.

Holy crap, you guys are buying a lot of books!
Ladies and Gentlemen, if you want an original self-published copy of Monster Hunter International, you better order it quick...

23 thoughts on “Fan Boy II, responding to the responses”

  1. BWHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHA!!

    “Fill your boots, hombre!”

    My goodness, don’t we sound rustic? I guess you’d better “cowboy up” and trade in that custom STI 1911 for a USP .45, Larry. You wouldn’t want to be thought ill of on the internet, after all.

    I’ve got more rounds throug an H&K submachine gun than 95% of the internet my own self. I remain unimpressed.

    My rifle is a FAL because I was too intimidated to buy a G3 clone. I was intimidated by the G3’s poorly placed charging handle, strange sights, and lack of a bolt lock.

  2. I was intimidated by the fact that I couldn’t manipulate both the trigger and the safety/decock lever on a USP 45 without shifting my grip, so I got rid of it.

  3. I’d love to own a lot of things. I’ve owned a lot of things and shot a lot of other things. I’d really like an FAL Para, but I’m never going to complain about my Saiga 308. My STG 2000 shoots really well, and I like the round for it. My SAM 1911 Commodore is a really good pistol. Why spend more, when you can get a fine firearm for less. Prefer the Sig 220 to the USP every day, and the Tanfoglio Witness is my other favorite carry gun. I AM going to get a 10mm top end for them (I have 2) so I can carry full-size or compact if I feel the need. I’ve also got a CZ52 with a few mods (sights, undercut trigger guard, hardened rollers and machined firing pin) that puts Wolf HP ammo exactly where I want it 50 yds away. You don’t have to be a rich fanboy to have a weapon that does exactly what you ask of it. But hey, I retired from the military 14 years ago from Combat Arms Training and Maintenance, so what do I know. All I ask is that it does what I tell it.

  4. Huh, I think I am one of those newbie kids. My first gun (about 2 1/2 years ago) was a CETME, because I wanted a semi-automatic .308 and sure as hell couldn’t afford an FAL. It’s fun, but the complaints about the design are legitimate and the sights suck ass (the only real improvement HK made was the drum sights instead of the flip sights). My other guns are a Mosin-Nagant 91/30, a Star BM, and a Dan Wesson Model 15. None of them except the CETME cost more than $200. My friends have Yugo SKS’s, Mausers, and Mosins.

    Thing is, we’ve spent more time shooting than we have taking pictures. So if Cowboy Jim is reading this, I challenge you to a medium-range (250-500 yards) rifle shoot-off. I’ll bring my 70-year-old surplus Commie gun and some 7.62x54R that was dug out of a field in the Ukraine, you bring your super-tactical SL8.

  5. Always love the ‘ammo dug up out of a field and gun that was used as a coatrack’ stories. Good fun.

    That said, I’m a small guy, and I can in fact operate all of the controls on my UspC .40 without shifting my grip. The fullsize Usp is a horrendous, blocky thing… I shudder at the thought that I once considered it as a carry gun. But the Compact’s ergonomics are perfect for me, sights line up automatically, and I like the way it looks.

    The trigger does have some annoying slack – wish I knew how to get rid of that. But after shooting my UspC once a week for about a year and a half now, it’s yet to come up against something I prefer. Just comes down to personal feel.

  6. The 9 and the .40 are like different designs compared to the .45 full size. It’s like they put an air pump on the 9mm and inflated it. It’s a complete non-issue for people whose hands fit, and it really is a good gun, but it’s not magic.

    Larry, you’re wasting your time disproving anything this particular troll says. He didn’t call you poor or old, or whatever, because he reasoned it through and decided that must be the problem. He called you names because he thinks a discussion is a contest. He thinks he wins by being snarkiest. No amount of reason is going to make any difference, as you discovered.
    “You’re just poor!”
    “On the contrary, my good man, my income is more than adequate to my purposes. Let me show you some figures. This is my W2 form for last year . . . . .”
    “LOL your old and u don’t have any sweet guns!”
    “Well, actually, I have several guns that I think you’d agree are ‘sweet’ and maybe even ‘totally rad.’ I’m sorry it took so long to reply to your post, but I couldn’t get the photos of my MP5 to size correctly in Powerpoint. Now if you’ll just dim the lights . . . .”
    “Ha ha ur a f4ggot and ur mom likes me better!”

  7. The best SMG I’ve ever fired was a Swedish K. Reliable and an action smooth as butter. Ugly, tough and cheap. I wish I had one.

    Price/performance wise I’d put my little SWD M11 above an MP5 any day of the week.

    Besides, we suck and they hate us.

  8. Does this mean that I’m not cool with my ’58 Remington clone that I custom converted to a .38 Special belly gun?

    I really want to be cool.

  9. Gee Larry, I wonder what that makes me. After all the shooting,(and winning) I have done with my $200.00 1964 vintage Colt Ar 15?

    I guess if you are not a cool guy, I have to go elsewhere for my next purchase(s)?
    sob…….

    It sure is obvious that not too many who “talk the talk” can’t “walk the walk”.
    Perhaps FAN BOY can post some of his shooting achievements or a few links to matches where he has obviously dominated the field with his superior gear. I know that you and I can, but you are far too modest. 🙂

  10. PS: When I find the right deal on a used USP9F, though, I’m going to buy it. I think it’d make an excellent beater gun. Just as soon as I get the decocking feature deactivated…

  11. I have a PTR-91 HK clone, that was half the price of an FAL or M1A when I bought it, and I’m very happy with it (given the price). Alas, the price on those things has gone way up. Having done a side-by-side with the GeekWithA45’s M1A, I’d definitely take the M1A if there were no big price differences, which seems to be the case now. As it was, I saved enough to pay for a GOA membership that came with some rifle training, which was a WAY better investment than a better rifle would have been.

    BTW, the rifle training was at FrontSight, and they did not try to sell me real estate and there was no hint of Scientology.

  12. Gamer? ( snicker ) Yea, that says it all.

    ( BTW …I own a CETME. Same design minus the insane hype and price. But my serious rifle is a hand built FN-FAL. )

  13. Don’t. Feed. The. Trolls.

    It’s rule #327 (or so) of the intarwebs. If you ignore them, trolls eventually go away, but they always leave a big pile of crap behind. The longer they stay, the bigger the pile of crap, so don’t encourage them to stick around.

    They actually enjoy the beatings. Wrestling with pigs and all that.

  14. I’ll post this on my blog, as well.

    Quick story on why I love my USP .45, and why it’s no better or worse than other sidearms, but I’ll always like it the best:

    Ok, so about two years ago now I got married. I was living with my new wife for several months, and it had been bothering me that I had no firearms at all. The best I could do in a home invasion scenario was hope for the best.

    “Hope is not a strategy.”

    So, when by brother-in-law approached me and asked “hey, didn’t you say you wanted a H&K .45?” I said yes. Yes, but I could not afford one. He was surprised to find out the retail price on the gun, and then asked me what I could afford. I was lucky enough to get a 0 round count USP for $500 through private sale (it was a family friend’s who was moving to an assisted living home and could no longer keep firearms).

    Now, I had wanted a SS slide full-size USP .45 ever since playing Half Life 2 (though it was 9mm in the game, I wanted a good ‘ol American cartridge). Yes, I am a video game geek. This was my favorite gun, from my favorite game, and I wanted to have one someday. It turned out to be the first gun I owned.

    Now, I have not a drop of German blood in my veins, but the Italian and Irish mix evidentally set me up with the perfect hand to hold a full-size USP .45 with great comfort, and I happen to like the trigger on it (though I think I like a lot of SIGs better). It is a very pretty gun, I think, and not clumsy at all (*cough* Glock *cough*). I like where the controls are, and above all I LOVE THE MAGAZINE RELEASE. Paddle style is the best for me, and I HATE button type releases.

    So, basically, I love my USP because I am a video game H&K fanboy. But I’m not the snobby kind that thinks their guns’ smoke don’t stink. There are upsides and downsides to all designs and manufacturers, and there are times when mythology and personal preference really can matter the most. Now, next on my dream list is a Barrett .50 or an old MP-44…

  15. I just love the “If ALL you can afford is…” crap. When I hear that from some jerk dealer, I want to say “You know, this guy who right now can afford a Springfield 1911/SKS/whatever and not a fancy something, in a few years will have a much higher pay scale; and when he goes looking for the fancy whatever he always wanted and can now afford, you think he’s going to come to you after being treated this way?” It’s one thing to say “This isn’t a Top-Line Thing, but it’s solid and in your price range”: giving somebody crap because they can’t buy the TLT is idiotic.

  16. I’ll throw in, the SKS I bought some years back doesn’t qualify as a tackdriver, but so long as I do my part it’ll break clay pigeons out to 100 yards(longest range I’ve got access to) with monotonous ease. And for a general-use rifle, that level of accuracy will get the job done.

  17. Thanks for the reply Larry. Now that I have had an opportunity to read more of your stuff, I have a few comments.

    First, I have no dog in this fight. The shooting sports are filled with experts for whom the gun sports have become some kind of ego thing. They are eager to set themselves up as some kind of authority and their screeching fan boys are eager to defend them from any and all insult, real or percieved. I have been lectured on the shooting sports by everyone from fat, zit faced kids with AK’s and SKS’s right on up to competition level shooters. They all have their opinions.

    I can respect your experience and opinions as they are no doubt predicated on thousands of rounds and hours of range time. I will not respect your opinions about HK because after several thousand rounds and a couple of years, my experience completely contradicts yours. HK’s are good guns and are fairly priced. I say that as a gun range duffer and not a blood and guts soldier of fortune or an SKS fanboy. Take it or leave it, I could care less.

    At the end of the day, I don’t really care if somebody thinks they are a better shot than me or that their bargain basement junkers are the best thing since sliced bread. Hell, I don’t care if you CAN shoot better than me, I shoot for meat and for fun and that’s it.

    Congratulations on your shooting success and may you have more time to shoot in the future.

  18. I bought an HK once, a left-handed USP compact for my brother. If I’m gonna dish out big bucks for a top-end firearm for myself, I’ll buy an American one from a company with good customer service. That said, I’ve got a stack of combat tupperware ‘cuz I don’t feel the need to compete with a top-end side arm when my Glocks keep running and running without a hiccup.

    I make an exception for my Benelli shotgun. It beats up all the American shotguns I’ve tried and takes their lunch money.

  19. The biggest issue I have with H&K is that they’ve replaced all their “old” lineup with these plastic pistols.

    The P7M8/M13 is a far finer pistol than any of the USP series, and showed far more innovation and daring. Same goes with the P9S.

    The MP5 series is far superior to any of the UMP series of guns. At least they still make those…for the time being.

    And, frankly, the G3 series is generally superior to the G36 series, with the notable exception of ergonomics. At least those got carried on via the PSG/MSG series of precision rifles.

    Now, I did just handle a P30, and thought it was a neat pistol, but I’d much rather be able to order up a current production P7M13.

    Perhaps if they get bought out by Cerebrus, we’ll see some changes in their direction regarding customer service, and honoring their past. As it is, the current management is as bad if not worse than the British owners were.

    Back in the 80’s, HK was the coolest company around. Arms brokers had to keep deals quiet because if HK Germany found out, they’d try to sell the weapons themselves and cut out the middleman!

    And get this: prior to the 86′ machinegun ban, it was reported in SOF magazine that they were planning on making MP5’s for civilian owners (“official” factory conversions of 94’s into MP5’s).

    Now they get their panties in a wad if someone dares sell 416 uppers! And while all the HK apoligists drone on about the legal climate, FN is importing semi versions of the F2000, PS90, and Five-Seven, and planning on introducing SCAR Lights and Heavies later this year.

    FN is now the company that HK used to be.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *