Category: Guns & Ammos

Characters

You follow one of six unique vault hunters, each with different abilities: Axton the Commando, Salvador the Gunzerker, Maya our resident Siren, Zero the assassin, the two DLC characters, Gaige the Mecromancer and Krieg the Psycho on their quest to stop Handsome Jack and Hyperion, find adventure and the best gear on Pandora.

Before we get into the story, I want to spend a bit of time with our playable characters, their different abilities and back stories:

First is Axton, our Commando, who like Roland utilizes Turrets. A former Dahl Sergeant, dishonorably discharged for his personal glory seeking ways and sentenced to death by firing squad. His former wife/commanding officer recommends he not try to escape to one of the many places beyond Dahl’s reach, which he does, then makes his way to Pandora after hearing one of Handsome Jack’s ads. Depending on which tree you utilize your turret can heal you, set off nuclear explosions or even spawn a second Turret.

Salvador, the Gunzerker, in my eyes, is this game’s Brick, using two guns instead of his fists. Born and raised on Pandora, he has a love of violence (and steroids, causing his 5’4″ stature), but aimed it towards bandits and other outlaws. None the less, before the events of Borderlands he too is set to die for his actions, but before he does, Hyperion attempts to seize his town. After defeating the invaders, Salvador becomes interested in the vault, after interrogating (torturing) the last survivor.

Like I said previously, Salvador’s ability is gunzerking, meaning firing two guns at once, so weapon placement for him is key. A good method is keeping a slag weapon in each rotation. His skill trees range between gun and damage boosting, extending gunzerking times, ammo regen and healing.

Zer0 is the game’s Assassin, kinda like Mordecai’s hunter with his sniper rifle proficiency, but no bloodwing. An assassin for hire, dealing with common hits as well as political ones, he becomes disillusioned when his victim won’t fight back, even after Zer0 demands it. A bartender tells Zer0 of Pandora after he laments about his lack of interest lately.

There’s not much known about Zer0, even his gender maybe a lie. He gets his name from the zero displayed on his face plate. There’s also a lot of debate on if Zer0 is even human or not, given his body type and lack of fingers. I’d like to think he was possibly a R.A.T, or genetically modified in some way, though it’s speculated that Tanis knows his origins.

Zer0’s ability is decepti0n, creating a hologram of himself to distract enemies. His skill trees involve strengthening his sniper rifle usage and critical damage, strengthening the decepti0n ability and combat and strengthening his melee attacks. Quite useful since his melee weapon is a sword.

Maya is one of the 6 Sirens, like Lilith, though her ability is to phaselock, locking an enemy in a bubble and damaging them. She was given to The Order of the Impending Storm when she was identified as a Siren when she was still an infant. She was trained in secret until she was revealed as a goddess to the orders followers. She later found out she was actually being used to extort money from the followers. Maya kills the monks who raised her, and decides to go to Pandora, to learn more about Sirens, and to finally explore.

Maya’s ability can be great for co-op, playing the role of a healer. With her ability to phaselock a teammate back from fight for your life, heal them by shooting them and heal everyone by phaselocking an enemy. Like the other Sirens, she can also cause elemental damage, even creating some out of nothing.

After the game’s release we were given two DLC characters, Gaige and Krieg. Both completely new and unique to the game. Here’s their rundown.

Gaige is a high school student, who for her science fair made an anti bullying robot. While making the robot she cut her arm rather deeply, so instead of healing it, she sliced it off and made a cybernetic one to digistruct her robot, at that point named DT. She later finds out the school bully found her blueprints for DT and sold them to the local police force. Enraged she finalizes DT, with digistructed claws and lasers and renamed him Deathtrap.

At the science fair her bully’s father has bribed the judges, giving Gaige third place. Her bully begins to gloat and shove Gaige, prompting Deathtrap to protect Gaige with his digistruct claws. When struck by the claws, the bully, for lack of a better word, exploded. Gaige was sent to the principal’s office, where her worst fears are confirmed, she’s going to be expelled and arrested. Her father creates a distraction, with a golf cart and lots of gasoline, and Gaige escapes to a ship heading for Pandora. There she hopes her intelligence can be appreciated.

Gaige utilizes Death Trap, her partner robot who can attack with claws, lasers, and explosions, he can also regenerate your and your teammates shields. That doesn’t mean Gaige herself can just shoot, she has many unique and fun abilities. Depending on which tree you use you can trade accuracy for damage, have ricocheting bullets, and cause electrical and burn damage.

Our final character is Krieg, the Psycho, basically one of the bad guys became a vault hunter. Not much is known about Krieg’s past other than he’s deemed Hyperion property, though you can see small glimpses of the man he was before with his inner voice. Before the events of Borderlands 2 he wandered the wastelands looking for bandits and other combatants to date his bloodlust. He tries to avoid the non-fighters/innocents, since his inner voice threatens to kill him if he does.

He meets Maya, his inner voice thinks she can help him, so he attempts to call out to her, but instead yells about poop trains. Maya, thinking he’s a regular psycho, and engages him in combat, and doesn’t see the R.A.T.S creeping up behind her. Krieg’s inner voice finally is able to yell out a warning to Maya, before decimating her attackers. At the end of his introduction video you can see him on the side of the train heading to Windshear Waste, explaining how he got there.

His ability is The Buzz Ax Rampage, your melee damage goes up 500%, you completely heal with every kill, speed increases 33% and you gain the ability to throw your buzz ax. Depending on your tree you choose you can pad your melee abilities even when your not rampaging, add explosive damage, and cause elemental damage. Krieg’s abilities also alter fight for your life, where he can drop a grenade and gain double experience for the kills, or throw dynamite at enemies to try to regain health.

Story

Our game begins when the train carrying you and your fellow Vault hunters is discovered to actually be a trap by our games main villain, Handsome Jack. You’re found by claptrap, from Borderlands one, who decides you’ll be his ticket out of his frozen wasteland prison. You travel through Windshear Waste, where you meet some new additions to the Borderlands badie team, Bullymongs, and have your first boss fight with Knuckledragger.

Claptrap later leads you to Liar’s Berg, where you meet one of the new characters, Sir Hammerlock, where, after doing a few more missions, you finally get to sanctuary, where you get to meet several characters from Borderlands. The old vault hunters are back, and more fleshed out with some great personalities.

Compared to its predecessor, Borderlands 2 has definitely stepped up. From character customization, Borderlands you got to choose the hair, shirt and pant color, while in 2 you get tons of color schemes to play with and head customizations. You can get these customizations buy doing certain missions, enemy drops and ammo machines.

The weapons have greatly improved as well, they’re more accurate, vividly colored and stronger. The launchers in one were weak, and did more more damage to you than for you, here… well, if you blast yourself it’ll still take a huge chunk of your health, but it could be a one hit kill in your favor too. Sadly the Atlas gun company is gone, but we get the elemental Maliwan instead (perfect for Maya). The rarity levels are still the same as well (white (most common), green, blue, (uncommons) purple (rare), orange (legendary) and light blue (pearlescent/mega legendary).

The main story is so immersive, and you really get attached to these characters. There were several parts that did make me actually tear up. There are so many twists, turns and surprises it always keeps you guessing, even if it’s your first, second (True Vault Hunter Mode) or third (Ultimate Vault Hunter mode). Another fun bonus is they brought back the Catch-A-Rides, and of course Scooter. You get your basic two seater runner, with a ton more color options, and a new edition, the Bandit Technical, which could carry up to for players, has a turret and you can use your normal weapons on it as well, this too has lots of customizable colors.

Co-Op

The co-op mode is great, there’s no tether (unless your teammate has the menu open), You can complete separate missions and both get the rewards. The upside (or down if you don’t like a lot of difficulty) is with the more teammates (only two per system, four in your party all together) the stronger the enemies, and rarer the loot. A personal recommendation us if your co-oping, have a Siren on your team, especially if your doing a slaughter dome challenge, even if she gets taken out she can still snipe and phaselock you back to health from the sidelines.

DLC

Something you may want to invest in is the game of the year edition, or all of the DLC, not just Gaige and Krieg. In the GOTY set you get both characters, and four expansion games, all taking place after the main story, so if it’s your first play through, save them for last. The GOTY’s expansions are: Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty, Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt and Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. I know there are more DLC, but I only have experience with these four. After completing each DLC you’ll get an exclusive head and skin.

Captain Scarlet and her Pirate’s Booty has you searching for Captain Blade’s lost treasure. You meet Captain Scarlet just after you arrive in the strange town of Oasis, where she asks you to join her in her search of the lost treasure.

The second DLC, Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, introduces Mr. Torgue, of Torgue’s guns. He’s found the next vault, so to decide who gets to open it, he hosts a brutal fight to the death tournament. In this DLC you get a ton of Torgue equipment, along with certain heads and skins.

The third campaign is Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunting. It wasn’t as well received as the other DLC, and I can see why. It starts off as a hunting trip with Hammerlock, which turns into dealing with a Handsome Jack cult. Sadly the story seems a bit lacking, with some parts being needlessly difficult, and others laughably easy. I honestly just played it for the sake of completion.

The fourth was Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon’s Keep, my personal favorite. While our current Vault Hunters are interrogating a Hyperion spy, the originals are playing a game of Bunkers and Badasses to pass the time. The story is such a wild fantasy, and I never felt like it was dragging on, it manages to include most of the characters. Since its from Tiny Tina’s mind you know its wild, entertaining and you never know what anyone will say.

After joining the nationalistic al Karh Secondary School in Baghdad, in 1957, at age twenty, Saddam joined the Ba’ath Party, whose best ideological goal was the unity of Arab states in the Middle East. On October seven, 1959, other members and Saddam of the Ba ath Party attempted to assassinate Iraq’s then president, Abd al Karim Qasim, whose opposition to joining the nascent United Arab Republic as well as alliance with Iraq’s communist party had placed him at odds with the Ba ‘athists. Although survived, during the assassination attempt, Qasim’s chauffeur was murdered, and Qasim was shot a few times. Saddam was shot in the leg. Some of the would be assassins have been found, tried and executed, though several others and Saddam was able to escape to Syria, in which Saddam remained briefly before fleeing to Egypt, wherever he went to law school.

Rise to Power In 1963, when Qasim’s government was overthrown in the so-called Ramadan Revolution, Saddam returned to Iraq, though he was arrested the following season as the outcome of infighting in the Ba’ath Party. While in prison, nonetheless, he stayed engaged in politics, and also in 1966 was appointed deputy secretary of the Regional Command. Shortly after that he was able to escape prison, and also in the decades that followed, went on strengthening the political power of his.

In 1968, Saddam participated in a bloodless but self-made Ba ‘athist coup which resulted in Ahmed Hassan al Bakr becoming Iraq’s president and Saddam became his deputy. During al-Bakr ‘s presidency, Saddam proved himself being a progressive and effective politician, albeit a decidedly ruthless one. He did very much to modernize Iraq’s health-care system, industry, and infrastructure, and also raised community services, training, and farming and provided financial assistance in amounts unparalleled in some other Arab nations in the region. Also, he nationalized Iraq’s oil business, just prior to the energy problems of 1973, that generated substantial revenues because of the embargo. During that same period, nonetheless, Saddam really helped develop Iraq’s very first chemical weapons system. In addition, to guard against coups, he created a strong security apparatus, including both Ba ‘athist paramilitary organizations and also the People’s Army which often used assassination, rape, and torture to attain its objectives.

In 1979, when al Bakr attempted to unite Syria and Iraq, in a move that could have left Saddam successfully powerless, Saddam forced al Bakr to resign, and also on July sixteen, 1979, Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq. Less than 7 days later on, he called for an assembly of the Ba’ath Party. During the conference, a summary of sixty eight so called opponents was read out loud, so each individual on the list was arrested and taken out of the political arena. Of those sixty eight, most have been tried out and found responsible for treason and twenty two had been sentenced to death. By early August 1979, a huge selection of Saddam’s political foes were definitely decimated.

When Saddam ascended to the presidency, an Islamic revolution in Iraq’s neighbor to the northeast, Iran, started under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. Saddam was concerned that developments in Iran might result in a similar uprising in Iraq. In response, on September twenty two, 1980, Saddam ordered Iraqi forces to invade the oil rich area of Khuzestan in Iran. During the conflict, these very same fears would bring about the overseas community to basically dismiss Iraq’s usage of chemical weapons. On August twenty, 1988, after many years of intensive conflict that left a huge selection of thousands dead on each side, a ceasefire was at last reached.

In the aftermath of the struggle, seeking a way of revitalizing the ravaged economy and infrastructure, during the conclusion of the 1980s, Saddam switched his focus toward Iraq’s prosperous neighbor, Kuwait. Using the justification that it had been a historic component of Iraq, on August two, 1990, the invasion of Kuwait was ordered by Saddam. A UN Security Council resolution was faster passed, imposing financial sanctions on Iraq and establishing a deadline by what Iraqi forces should impart Kuwait. When the January fifteen, 1991 deadline was ignored, a UN coalition pressure headed by the United States confronted Iraqi forces and within a mere 6 days, had pushed them from Kuwait. A ceasefire was signed, the conditions of which included Iraq dismantling its biological as well as chemical weapons applications. The in the past imposed financial sanctions levied against Iraq stayed in position. Despite this and also the reality that his army had endured a crushing defeat, victory in the conflict was claimed by Saddam.

The Gulf War ‘s ensuing financial hardships further divided an actually fractured Iraqi population. At the same period, Iraq stayed under intense overseas scrutiny too. In 1993, when Iraqi forces violated a no fly zone applied by the United Nations, the United States released a harmful missile strike on Baghdad. In 1998, additional violations of the no fly zones as well as Iraq’s alleged continuation of its weapons applications resulted in more missile attacks on Iraq, that would happen intermittently until February 2001.

Members of the Bush administration had suspected the Hussein government experienced a relationship with Osama Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda group. In the January of 2002 State of the Union address, U.S. President George W. Bush reported that the nation was building weapons of supporting terrorism and mass destruction.

Later that year, UN inspections of suspected weapons of mass destruction in Iraq started, but small or maybe no proof that such applications existed was eventually discovered. Despite this, on March twenty, 2003, under the pretense Iraq did actually have a covert weapons system which attacks were being planned by it, Iraq was invaded by an U.S. led coalition. Within months, the federal government and army was toppled, and also on April nine, 2003, Baghdad fell. Saddam, nonetheless, was able to elude capture.

In the months that followed, an intensive hunt for Saddam started. While in hiding, Saddam made available many CD tracks, in that he denounced Iraq’s invaders and called for resistance. Lastly, on December thirteen, 2003, Saddam was discovered hiding in a little subterranean bunker near a farmhouse in Ad Dawr, near Tikrit. From there, he was transferred to a U.S. base in Baghdad, exactly where he will stay until June thirty, 2004, when he was formally handed over to the interim Iraqi authorities to stand trial for crimes against humanity.

During the consequent trial, Saddam will prove to become a belligerent defendant, generally boistering the court’s power and making bizarre statements. On November five, 2006, Saddam was found guilty and sentenced to death. On December thirty, 2006, at Camp Justice, an Iraqi platform in Baghdad, Saddam was hanged, despite his petition to be shot. He was buried in Al Awja, the birthplace of his, on December thirty one, 2006.

All pedestrians, cars, Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale unlocked in Multiplayer mode

While playing the game, press Up(3), Triangle(2), Circle, L1, R1. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear.

Fourteen pedestrians, Portland, two gangs unlocked in Multiplayer mode

While playing the game, press Up(3), Square(2), Triangle, R1, L1. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear.

Twenty eight pedestrians, Portland, Staunton Island, four gangs unlocked in Multiplayer mode

While playing the game, press Up(3), Circle(2), X, L1, R1. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear.

Forty three pedestrians, two locations, seven gangs unlocked in Multiplayer mode

While playing the game, press Up(3), X(2), Square, R1, L1. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear.

Weapons (tier 1)

While playing the game, press Up, Square(2), Down, Left, Square(2), Right. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear. The brass knuckles, knife, Molotov cocktails, 9mm handgun, shotgun, Tec-9, AK-47, flamethrower, and sniper rifle will be unlocked. To get infinite ammunition for this or the other weapons tiers, repeatedly enable the code until no ammunition number appears beneath the gun pictures. Note: Enabling this code will cause your street creds to substantially drop in points. You can check your creds in the stats menu at the pause screen.

Weapons (tier 2)

While playing the game, press Up, Circle(2), Down, Left, Circle(2), Right. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear. The katana sword, grenades, revolver, sawn-off shotgun, Uzi, M16, rocket launcher, and laser scoped sniper rifle will be unlocked. To get infinite ammunition for this or the other weapons tiers, repeatedly enable the code until no ammunition number appears beneath the gun pictures. Note: Enabling this code will cause your street creds to substantially drop in points. You can check your creds in the stats menu at the pause screen.

Weapons (tier 3)

While playing the game, press Up, X(2), Down, Left, X(2), Right. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear. The chainsaw, grenades, revolver, SMG, combat shotgun, mini-gun, and sniper rifle will be unlocked. To get infinite ammunition for this or the other weapons tiers, repeatedly enable the code until no ammunition number appears beneath the gun pictures. Note: Enabling this code will cause your street creds to substantially drop in points. You can check your creds in the stats menu at the pause screen.

Full health

While playing the game, press L1, R1, X, L1, R1, Square, L1, R1. If you entered the code correctly, a message will appear. Note: You must enter this code multiple times to increase your total money. If this code is enabled when your car is smoking or damaged it will get repaired.

If you’ve been at your sport for a while, you have probably hit a plateau. It happens to us all, especially when we are close to hitting the best that we can be at it. You’ve been playing in the high 80’s to low 90’s golf. Your bench press is just over 400 pounds. You’ve consistently been in the finals in tennis. You’ve been racking up great scores in bow and rifle practice. But, you want more. You want better. Right?

Let me share with a story that is well-documented of the U.S. Rifle Team at the Olympics in the ’70’s where Milton Erickson, a well-known hypnotist, was asked to help the team defeat the Russians. Here’s how the story is related after Erickson agrees to help:

“I explained to him, “I’ve shot a rifle twice, when I was a teenager. I know the muzzle end and the stock end-that’s all I know about a rifle. Now, these riflemen know all they need to know about a gun. I’m a medical man. I know what I need to know about a body. I’ll train your team. They already have the rifle knowledge and I have the medical knowledge.”

The commandant was so infuriated that a civilian was going to train the rifle team that he added two men who had been trying for two years to make the rifle team. I don’t know what the qualifications were for the rifle team, but it was a score in the sixties. Those two men had been devoting all their spare time to training and scored in the low forties. In other words, they couldn’t make the team.”

“One of the first things I told the man, after I found that in the contest you shoot forty rounds in succession, was, “I know the first bulls-eye is easy. The question is ‘Can you do it twice?… Can you do it eleven times, after ten successive bulls-eyes?… You’ve done it nineteen times. Will you make it the twentieth time?… The tension is growing-with each successful shot! ” ‘You’ve made it twenty-nine times. Can you make it thirty times?… You’ve made it thirty-five times. Thirty-six? Thirty-seven? Thirty-eight? (breathlessly) Thirty-nine? Can I possibly make it forty times?'”

By the use of hypnosis, the men on the rifle team, including the two that were added that were such poor shots, placed in the competition and the U.S. won over the Russians… for the first time!

What level would you like to take your game to? Would you like to accelerate your sporting skills? Hypnosis could be the answer for you. It was for the U.S. Olympic Rifle Team!

I’ve played paintball for years, and with 8 years of paintball under my belt, I felt the desire to own a flawless paintball gun. See… I’ve shot everything from Ego’s to the reclusive War Machine Assualt 80, and had yet to find an ultra-reliable paintball gun for my collection.

Fully electronic paintball markers are great and all, but the constant stress induced by fear of firing the gun by breathing on the trigger, issues with the solinoid, the feeling that I had to constantly upgrade to keep up with other players, and the fear of it breaking after dropping it was all too much for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love to shoot streams of paint at opposing enemies, but when all is said and done and the day is over, I’d rather have money left over to come back the next day. So I set out on a quest to find a fast mechanical paintball marker that would never fail me (because time is valuable to me).

Ever since I first started paintball (with a slingshot that is…), I had always kept an eye on Insight Component Engineering, the creator of the Epic paintball marker. What caught my eye about this marker was it’s unique trap door technology. I was amazed at how simple the gun worked, but put off by the price tag, which was $450 at the time. I decided that if it ever lowered I would make the investment and purchase one. It wasn’t until a couple years ago (2004) that they finally lowered the price to $350, which was good enough for me. After a couple weeks of waiting my ICE Epic finally arrived, and after opening the box I was immediately struck with surprise at how small the Epic was. It was much smaller than I had anticipated, but in a good way! It was lightweight and transferred easily from my right to left hand, and the trigger was the perfect pull. At that point I didn’t even need to shoot it to be happy, but hey… I don’t know anyone that can resist shooting a new paintball marker.

In essence, the ICE Epic opperates like a pellet gun. Just a couple of moving parts, and none that push or move the ball into the barrel, which makes this marker unique. The regulator is easy to operate, and it comes built into the grip of the Epic. Just turn it in, add your air source, and back out the allen key until you hear a “piff.” Its as easy as that, and you just keep turning the allen key if you need to turn the velocity down.

In all my years of owning an ICE Epic, I have never had any problems with it and have had very few ball breaks. Its gone through scenarios, a couple of tournaments, and a lot of recreational play, and has yet to fail me. It fires quickly, quietly, and can spit out rounds as fast as an automag or souped up autococker. Just to give you an idea of how fast it shoots, I’ve easily been able to outshoot my 12vlt revolution hopper.

All in all, the ICE Epic is a great paintball marker. It has a unique design, simple mechanism, and awesome speed. If you are looking for a reliable paintball marker, or just one that will turn heads at paintball fields, then I highly recommend the ICE Epic. Its a gun that compliments my playing style, sparks up discussions at the field, and requires hardly any maintenance, what more could I ask for?

While many enjoy playing on a console, there are also many who see the benefits of playing on a gaming desktop. Some are of the opinion that real gaming can only happen on a computer rather than a console. With this type of unit, you are able to change many things affecting the experience of your software, whereas on a console everything is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable. Computer games are intriguing and many are as entertaining as any console program. To give you an idea, here are a few of the most popular computer games ever for a gaming desktop:

StarCraft

The military strategy of StarCraft has a large following of fans. StarCraft has sold over 11 million copies since its release date in 1998. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment this real-time strategy game has an award winning sequel that those with a gaming desktop love to play.

The Elder Scrolls

This role-playing fantasy competition provides action and adventure. The Elder Scrolls is a Bethesda Softworks production. The series makes for excellent entertainment on any gaming desktop. Players get to choose to play a variety of character types with hundreds of weapons and spells to use.

Guild Wars

Guild Wars transports the players to the world of Tyria where they begin to take on a role in this Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game or MMORPG. A gaming desktop will truly make this an outstanding experience as the colors and graphics really come alive on the screen.

Myst

Perhaps one of the most innovative programs for a gaming desktop of its time in the beginning Myst was one of the first to focus a majority of its development in the graphics and artwork of play. This series of adventures sold more than 12 million copies. To take full advantage of the brilliance used in the development of Myst you will need a high powered gaming computer or equivalent. The detail and texture of every world that Myst presents to you is exquisite and sometimes breath taking.

The Sims

Saving the best for last is not just a cliché, but also a reality in this list of the most popular computer games. The Sims video series has sold more copies than any other to date. Having sold more than 150 million in total, it truly is the most popular computer game in history. Commonly known as a sand box where there is no goal or true competition to win, The Sims can truly become its own universe on gaming desktop.

Your first target shooting gun could prove to be a considerable investment decision, so you should really take care to ensure that you spend your budget wisely. Take plenty of time to carefully consider the kind of shooting you anticipate participating in. You may be thinking of turning or static targets at your nearby shooting club, but it is also possible you may want to try out clay pigeon shooting. Perhaps you will even want to also use your new firearm for vermin management too? Some firearms can be quite specialised equipment designed to be used mainly for a particular role. For your first purchase you ideally want to avoid these types of guns.

For a lot of shooters a decent ‘all-rounder’ gun would definitely be the best option. A ‘sporting’ or ‘field’ gun type would be the best choice for wide range of shooting activities. This is especially relevant if you have not yet decided on the main type of shooting sport you will concentrate on. As you progress with the sport you will most likely find yourself eventually buying several guns for the different aspects of target and field shooting. However, until you have decided what is best for you and, of course, taking into account the high cost of specialised firearms, at this stage there is no need to break the bank!

Since it is quite likely that you will trade in your initial gun sooner or later – perhaps because you have made the decision that shooting isn’t for you (preferably not!), or simply because you want to upgrade. This is the reason it is sensible to obtain an initial rifle or shotgun that is very easy to sell on or trade in.

In the first instance it is highly recommended that you consider a second-hand gun, which is not going to depreciate in price compared to the way a brand new rifle or shotgun would. You could invest in a second-hand gun for about £400-500 and then sell it later on at a similar price level. It is the same with cars – get yourself a brand new one and its value has already plummeted by the time you get it home! Just because it is no longer brand new.

Some people may be persuaded by historic or antique firearms because these often increase in worth. Even so, purchasing an antique rifle or shotgun is a very specialized subject and must only be considered carefully with good advice from an expert.

For a starting gun, it is a good option to purchase from a nearest gun retailer or dealer – they usually know what they are talking about and will undoubtedly be qualified to advise you about what best suits your needs and financial constraints. You’ll also have the protection of any warranty – buy your first gun independently and you may save a few pounds but you do not have any money-back guarantee or after-sales service; should the gun become faulty, you are on your own. A firearm dealership will also be able to make sure that your chosen rifle or shotgun fits you correctly.

Remember to save sufficient money for a secure gun cabinet, an effective cleaning and routine service kit, a carrying bag along with a tutorial or two!

Leupold rifle Scopes are known for their superb quality and craftsmanship. They’re also the leader in the optics industry, producing top quality optics. As Leupold popularity grows it’s no surprise why these premium optics are targeted by counterfeiters. Counterfeit leupold scopes have been popping up in the world market left and right. Here are some sure fire tips on how to spot a fake leupold scope.

Only buy from trusted web sites

When buying a new leupold scope make sure the web site you are buying it from is a trusted or authorized Leupold rifle scope dealer. Trusted websites will often go out of their way to prove they are an authorized Leupold dealer.

Trade web sites – Avoid big trade, OEM, or manufacturing websites that provide B2B services. Web sites like AliBaba.com, globalsources.com and tradekey.com are great for finding OEM manufacturers but will often list fake leupolds for sale.

What to expect from an authentic Leupold
Authentic Leupolds have a few distinctive markings that most fakes will not have.

Objective Ring – Authentic Leupold optics will have a thin objective ring with the company’s name etched on the ring itself. Counterfeits usually are missing this ring or will have the ring but not the etched writing.

Packaging – Often time counterfeit leupold scopes have similar packaging to the real thing but often lack one item, the warranty information. If you’ve purchased a Leupold you think could possibly be a fake, check for the warranty card information. If your missing it than you most likely have a fake leupold scope.

Leupold Serial Number – All of Leupold’s products come with a serial number. If the Leupold scope doesn’t contain a serial number then it’s a good chance the scope is a fake.

Always try to ask the seller for the serial number before you purchase the rifle scope. Once you have the serial number, call or email Leupold customer service to verify if the rifle scope is authentic.

The SRC SR92 M9 gas blow back airsoft pistol is a very quality firearm. However it is not a well known mainstream gun. The article below will give you a quick review of the SRC SR92 so you can see why it is so much better then most of the gas blow back pistols currently offered on the market.

The Technical Specs

• 8.75″ Long
• Weighs 2lbs Unloaded
• 1:1 Scale Of Real M9
• Fully Adjustable Hop Up
• Single and Double Action
• Fully Anodized Aluminum Upper and Lower Receivers
• Attachment Point For Metal Lanyard
• Easy Realistic Field Strip Capabilities
• Green Gas Powered
• 30 Day Manufacturer Warranty

Whats Included In The Package

When you receive your gun you will notice it comes in a nice hard plastic foam carrying case. When you open the case you will find the pistol, a 21 round magazine and instruction manual. Thats it and its all you need to get going. The magazine holds 21 rounds and the gas bladder holds enough gas to fire the entire magazine with consistent 325 FPS with a.2 gram BB and lock the receiver back after the last round is fired. A quick charge of the magazine and you can squeeze off the 21 round magazine as fast as you can pull the trigger, there is no full auto mode on this pistol.

Its Deadly Accurate

Where the SR92 is different for the other pistols on the market is the barrel. The stock barrel on this weapon is 6.04 MM in diameter making it a tight bore barrel. This tight bore barrel makes this gun accurate out to 70 feet with very tight groupings. This is a lot farther then most airsoft pistols that have large barrel bores and less medium range accuracy. This medium range accuracy makes the SR92 a very versatile secondary weapon.

How Much Will It Cost

You can find the SR92 online at a few select stores for about $102, this is a very competitive price and less then a lot of the pistols on the market. But what when you really look at the performance you get for that price the SRC SR92 pistol is a great bargain.

The 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook, Connecticut has disturbing similarities to the 1999 Columbine High School mass shooting where two angry young men slaughtered a teacher and twelve students.

Since all actions have both seen and unseen consequences, an effective response to reduce the incidence as well as mitigate the effects of such massacres needs careful consideration. Unseen repercussions can often make a situation drastically worse. Economists now know lots about moral hazard, for example.

The Response to such Massacres

Many people have emotional responses that ignore such consequences. Brian Giattina, a school board member in Birmingham, Alabama, is reported as saying guns send the wrong message. “It tells them we have to have a gun to protect them. It is a complex problem that needs to involve mental health, education, law enforcement and the community.”

Yet over the last fifty years, with just one single exception (the Gabby Giffords attempted assassination), every single mass shooting with more than four casualties has taken place in a supposedly gun free zone.

Your Right to Protect Yourself

Unfortunately, Giattina is himself giving the wrong message. His second sentence is indisputable yet encouraging learned helplessness is morally corrupt.

Improvement is definitely needed in all these areas, but that does not mean that responsible adults should stop protecting themselves. If the school’s teachers had been armed, how much lower would the death toll have been?

Brian Rohrbough, whose 15-year-old son was killed in the Columbine shooting, has a more thoughtful rather than emotional response. He recognized that “It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have someone who is armed – even a teacher – who has the courage to protect the children at schools.”

As Larry Correia, Utah Concealed Weapons instructor, military and law enforcement master trainer, competition shooter, expert witness for the Utah State Legislature, Title 7 SOT gun store owner, elite firearms expert explains:

“The average number of people shot in a mass shooting event when the shooter is stopped by law enforcement: 14. The average number of people shot in a mass shooting event when the shooter is stopped by civilians: 2.5. The reason is simple. The armed civilians are there when it started.”

So what was the government’s response? They set up a enquiry which instead muddied the waters and missed the real causes of the problem: The inability of responsible adults to protect themselves and their children. Government failure at that most fundamental of government tasks: protecting their citizens and students.

The Government Hid their Failure to Act

In this particular case, the government had had plenty of warning, yet not only failed to act, but tried to hide their failure for many years.

Former Rocky Mountain News reporter Jeff Kass, author of the book, Columbine: A True Crime Story, found that police ignored complaints and explains what actually happened.

A year earlier, the mother of one of Harrris’s friends had laid a formal complaint: Harris, one of the shooters, had threatened her son on his website and bragged that he had been building bombs. The police did create an affidavit for a search warrant on Harris’ home, but took it no further.

County officials took five long years even to acknowledge that they had met after the attacks to discuss the ignored 1998 affidavit for a search warrant. Yet the police had also found a small bomb near Harris’ home – but no one had bothered to present the affidavit to a judge. The search did eventually took place, but only after the shooting spree.

Defensive Gun Uses

In this shooting spree, as in countless others, the massacre of innocents by deranged individuals was exacerbated by the legal gun ban. Laws designed to stop the law-abiding having guns inexorably lead to responsible citizens being unarmed.

Yet guns in law-abiding hands stop a lot of murders and criminal mayhem. A study by Kleck and Gertz found between 830,000 and 2.45 million defensive gun uses per year in the United States. The National Survey of Private Ownership of Firearms study found approximately 1.5 million defensive gun uses per annum.

Mass Shootings Drastically Increase

The Wall Street Journal reported there were 18 random mass shootings in the 1980s, 54 in the 1990s, and 87 in the 2000s. In just one year, 2012, rather than a whole decade, the Washington Post lists 14 cases of mass shootings.

This increase in the number and severity of massacres suggests that the increasingly stringent gun laws already on the books are having an understandably negative effect. Would further restrictions on gun ownership by the law-abiding and responsible make matters better, or worse?

It seems that those wishing to strengthen gun restrictions just ignore the consequences of the previous actions. What’s the most effective way to discourage any criminal activity? Is it really to disempower the law-abiding?

Food for Thought

“Bad guys with guns – bad, and good guys with guns – good!”

Harrold School District Superintendent, David Thweatt, and many others

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