Archive for September 23rd, 2011
EDC blade
All the cool kids have done it, so I will, too. Where is my bridge?
Benchmade 950 RIFT, which has replaced CRKT M16-14LE.
Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun
As a look into Glock’s history and domination of the US market, Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun has no par. Glock has tried, fairly successfully, to be as opaque as possible when it comes to the internals of Glock; through the use of court records, interviews, and the like, Paul Barrett pulls back the cover a little and gives outsiders a glimpse of the works.
Sadly, the author takes what I will describe as anti-RKBA positions. His word choices, especially at the end of the book, reveal his mindset very clearly. He’s pro-magazine limits, pro-ballistics-fingerprinting, and doesn’t understand the fuss about it; however, most of the book is dominated by just-the-facts style reporting. You can get to the excellent information without much politics.
Having sat with him for dinner at GBR 2011, Paul clearly thinks he is neither pro- nor anti- gun. At the same time, I can see the Josh Sugarmanns of the world coming away from this book seeing him as very pro-RBKA. Anti-RKBA groups fare poorly and have arguments dismissed out-of-hand; the NRA gets slightly better treatment. My position is somewhat different: I see his calling for the closure of the “gun show loophole” shows he just doesn’t get it. He said, paraphrasing, “how can you call me anti-gun when I’ve shot your guns?” Of course, many gun owners I knew in California were raging antis – as long they had what they wanted.
So much of the book focuses on reliability that I was somewhat shocked to see no mention of the silent recalls; Gen 4 Glocks are mentioned, but not the imperfections therein.
Overall, if you’re interested in the business side of Glock, you should read the book. If you’re looking for a strong pro- or anti-RKBA tome, this isn’t the book you’re looking for. For me, my interest and ownership of Glock products has waned over the years, but a peek under the covers of such a closely-held company was worth the price of admission.
Looking for one thing, finding another
I saw the FedEx truck go by early this morning; I walked out hoping to find one thing, but found a galley of Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun. I’m a few chapters in; aside from some niggling errors, so far, so good.
On dinner
Last year, there were at least three people that signed up for the Boomershoot dinner who would have been unable to eat, as the food they signed up for was sold out from under them. Every year there’s a flood of people paying at the last minute; last year, we ate through the margin that the caterer set up. Every year it’s close; last year Gene and his crew got the last food in the trays.
What is so hard about signing up for dinner in advance? You’re already in Idaho, either commit to the $30 or don’t show up. I pushed Joe to require 100% advance dinner sign-ups this year; I think he said sales are cut off two days before the show. I’d be fine with two weeks. Whatever. It’s epsilon compared to your other expenses in showing up; why wait?
