Firearms - writers - resources

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

You can take a 2 day shooting course for just about $450 from a lot of shooting schools.

This is not widely possible outside the US.

[meg_evonne]

Really, the best way to get a feel for what a particular gun is like, and what it can do, is to buy or borrow one and actually shoot it. In the case of something like a .357 Magnum versus a 9 millimeter Luger, firing them side by side makes it pretty clear that the Magnum has more blast and kick at the shooter's end, and firing them into a target like soft clay or firm gelatin shows pretty clearly what it's like at the receiving end. A 9 mm will penetrate deeply, particularly with military style full metal jacket bullets, while the expanding bullets used in most .357 Magnums transfer more energy to the target and blow bigger holes out the back side.  With expanding bullets of comparable weights, a 9mm is more comparable to a .38 Special. I own and shoot handguns in all three calibres, and reload my own ammunition. Knowledgeable opinions are valuable, if that's all a writer has to go on, but there's still no real substitute for actual personal experience.  Very few writers, for example, ever note that firing a handgun in the .357 Magnum class indoors, without serious ear protection, will leave your ears ringing for hours afterwards, and seriously affect your hearing sensitivity.

  Sometimes, dear Angel--your knowledge scares the crap out of me...  :-)

[meg_evonne]

You can take a 2 day shooting course for just about $450 from a lot of shooting schools.

If you want to write about firearms, nothing is better than first hand experience with them.

  And this is so cool.  Might need to look those up, if I get a gum shoe story going.  And i'd love listing it on my writer's bio...  he he