My Buddy's Time Machine

I've discussed before with My Buddy the Gun Enthusiast that if he could go back in time and guide his 21 year old self, what different gun acquisition decisions would he advise?

We've already discussed that he'd recommend to himself that instead of 24 cheaper guns, to get a dozen higher quality things.

He's also totally turned around on caliber choices. Before, he was all about the 9mm and .223, now he believes .45 and .308 is a wiser decision.

What else?

Remember, there was no internet back in those days. He had to rely on shooting magazines. Had he listened to them, and had the money, he'd have a revolver that shot .41 caliber, and a 10mm pistol, too. Rounds that have gone down in popularity since. Normal police carried revolvers almost exclusively, then. Anything he could have told his younger self would have helped avoid those pitfalls.

What he DID listen to from the shooting magazines was that the Beretta .40, Double Action only pistol with an integral laser sight INSIDE the guide rod and a threaded barrel for a suppressor was the be-all, end-all, must-have pistol for now and for all time for every super-cop, special forces Operator, and all Mall Ninjas in the know. When he got it, the laser on the .45 long-slide that the Terminator used in the first movie was the norm... as big as a rifle scope, so the mini laser in the new Beretta was the ultimate. And the gun was expensive. Very. what should be the pride of his aresenal, the ONE pistol that all the cool fancy guys were going to carry from then on out was this Baretta .40, DA, with a threaded barrel and an integral laser sight. And super-cops and Operators use... what now? Not that Beretta, not double action, and rarely lasers. The darn laser eats through batteries, too. Maybe he should have gotten a Colt Python instead. They were still making them back then, I think. He doesn't regret the purchase, and is, in fact, contemplating a CX4 carbine to complement it, now. So, all's well that ends well.

Would he advise himself to get Remington shotguns instead of Mossbergs? Not that much of a differential there. Maybe he'd recommend a few less Mini-14s. Better 2 M1As than 4 Mini-14s, he thinks now. Not that he has 4 Mini-14s. He has 9 or 10. He's very happy with Ruger .22s and revolvers. And he adores his S&W .44. No change there. The only .223 he'd get would be an actual AR, and that would be a later acquisition. Less of a priority. Especially with the M1A 7.62mm goodness.

How about his first pistol? It is a S&W 9mm. Maybe he could have convinced himself to get a actual Colt 1911 instead. And eschew 9mm for the most part, maybe? 9mm has a utility in pistol and carbine. It's handier for small folks. He'd certainly avoid .40.


But the market then isn't the market now. He couldn't get a first generation Glock way back in the misty recesses of time, no matter how bad you wanted one. And to get a Glock 21, .45ACP, he'd have to wait some more. He does like the Glock.