Funny Questions from NOOBs

[FROGO207]

Had a friend who wanted to learn to shoot a firearm and asked me if we could go shooting someday. He was mainly interested in a SD handgun. I arranged a range trip and went over the 4 rules and range requirements as we drove there. Started with a .22 revolver then on to a 357 snubby with powder puff 38 SPL loads finally progressing to 357 HP's. After reloading both revolvers numerous times he stated he wanted to get a revolver like the ones they had on TV as they never needed to reload them. He then asked if there was a big price difference and asked me why did I not own one of the "high capacity" ones yet. I had some explaining to do and brought a 9MM and 45 ACP the next time to see if he thought pistols were better suited for his needs. He now has a S&W Bodyguard airweight in 38 SPL+P because as he stated " I don't have to think so hard when in a hurry".

 

[Oxide]

Just out of curiosity, since you brought "pistols" the second time, what were you shooting the first time? Rifles? Shotguns?

(A revolver *is* a pistol, both by traditional and legal definitions)

 

[mortablunt]

been asked for 22mm

I wish that existed

been asked if the judge comes in 12 ga

It only comes in guilty or not guilty, as according to the will of the jury.

been asked if s&w makes a j frame in 45 auto

Don't they, or didn't they? I'm thinking of 45 ACP.

been asked if the mini-14 comes in .308. "yeah, its called the M14"

Actually, it's called in M1A.

been told that berettas were made in spain. i had him read the slide on a 92fs

Did it happen to read "Made in China"?

been asked if we had scope mounts for a colt python

It's called duct tape.

been asked if the browning hi power comes in 45

It does look similarish to the M1911.

been asked many times for 7.62 and they had no clue about the rest of the caliber name of their gun

Hopefully is didn't have anything to do with "anti-aircraft"

been asked if you can put an eotech on a glock 21 (he was pointing to the eotech 552 model)

Again, duct tape.

been asked many times for steel shot 410 shells

I wouldn't actually know.

had a middle eastern man ask a fellow coworker if we had a night vision binochs for bird watching. asked for his ID so we could make a phone call. he quickly left the store

I call that "Romeo Alpha Charlie India Sierra Mike".

been asked if we could run a nics check on the guy since he had just gotten out of jail

FAIL!

a guy had me a mount a leupold vx III 6-18x by 50mm w/ 30mm tube on a... marlin .45 colt lever gun

For the last time, anything is possible with enough duct tape.

some teenagers asked if they could carry an airsoft pistol in their carry on luggage on a plane

We evidently have very different ideas of stupid.

a guy wanted the store to buy his XD40 off of him for 500 bucks. we sold them new for 525

Dreams crushed in this post: 5

had a guy order a holster for a browning hi power figuring it would fit his fnp40 since fnh owns browning

I just fell off my chair XD

had a guy melt his paddle holster in the oven because he didnt like the forward body incline cant and wanted to make it a straight draw paddle

Reference my response to the 410 shot question.

been asked for a thermal imaging device like in predator for tracking deer

Power Gaming: because you don't feel like taking your time.

__ All in good jest

Oh, and then there's this classic gem

Gecko45 writes:

hello friends,

Last year I made the decision to trust my life on the street to Second Chance body armor. I got the level IIa because it stops the most rounds. plus I got the Trauma Plate for the front.

What scares me is that, although I can fit an extra trauma plate in the front, I cannot fit a second one in back. As of late I have taken to duct-taping a second trauma plate to the area of my back where the heart and vital organs are located. Then I put my vest on.

Here is the questions. The ducttape solution, although tactically sound, is hot and painful to remove. I would like to go to the single-plate solution in back. What I am worried about is repeated hits to that area with .308 ammunition. I have a high-risk security job and I fear that I would be the target for repeated long-distance shots to my back.

Are any of you aware of a thicker plate that could stop, say, .338 Lapua or something like that? Is there a better way to do the second plate?

BTW, I am, of course, usually carrying a pair of ceramic plates in my briefcase so that I can shield my head. My SO (we work as a team when necessary) has a similar accessory containing a breakdown NEF single-shot 300 WinMag with an 18" bbl. The plan is that I shield us with my body and “catch the rounds” while she assembles the NEF. I lay down covering fire with my 23 (Bar-Sto .357 Sig barrel) and she makes the long shots. I will then throw smoke grenades to obscure the area while continuing to lay covering fire. The problem, of course, is when I have to turn my back to run, and then the problem crops up.

Thanks!

If your plan for dealing with a firefight in a mall is to tank 30 caliber rifle rounds, then you need to either get yourself a Bradley IFV or a new plan.

 

[ShawnC]

Will my car accept Canadian gas? Our gas is in gallons and theirs is in Litres...

Not gun related, but yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a stupid question.

 

[possom813]

possom813,

Where'd you dig up that old quote? It brought up a chuckle and some old memories.

Perusing some old threads on one of the insomnia nights and I ran across it, reminds me of every New Year's Eve that I can recall...

 

[jon_in_wv]

Two noobs on youtube were talking about the PT-92 and both agreed if you fired a full magazine too fast you would overheat and warp the barrel. One even had a "friend" who fired 100 rounds in one range session and warped his barrel because it got so hot.

I call that "Romeo Alpha Charlie India Sierra Mike".

C'mon now.

 

[HarleyFixer]

" Scope mount for a Colt Python"

Guess what?
Colt Anaconda / Python / Taurus 689 6-8" non-ported with vent rib

Features of B-Square Revolver Mounts (Rings not included) - Colt Anaconda / Python / Taurus 689 6-8" non-ported with vent rib, Blue 42529:
•Attaches over existing rib
•Fits all 6" to 8" barrels
•See-through type allows use of existing gun rights
•Non-ported barrels only
•Black matte finish
Package Contents:
•Revolver Mounts (Rings not included) - Colt Anaconda / Python / Taurus 689 6-8" non-ported with vent rib, Blue


Guess you guys don't know as much as you think.

 

[natman]

been asked for 22mm

been asked if we had scope mounts for a colt python

No problem.

A lot, well most, of the questions asked so far are perfectly reasonable questions. No, a Hi Power isn't usually available in 45, but the answer is a simple "No.".

 

[natman]

I didn't get the "Does S&W make a J frame in .45 auto" one. I know revolvers have been made in .45 auto (.45 ACP), why not a J frame?

Because it's way too small for a 45 caliber cartridge. Not enough room between the cylinder axis and the outer edge of the cylinder for a .45 hole.

But again, it calls for a simple "No, it's too small.".

Now there are noobie questions that are actually funny. For example:

I got a phone call at the shop from a customer asking about rifle scopes.

HIM: What does it mean if a rifle scope is a 4x-32?

ME: That means it's a four power scope with a 32 mm front lens.

HIM: What does 4 power mean?

ME: That means if your target is 100 yards away, it appears to be only 25 yards away.

HIM: Does the bullet still have to go the whole 100 yards?

Long pause.

ME: Yes, sir, the bullet still has to go the entire 100 yards. The scope merely makes the target look like it's only 25 yards away. It does not have the ability to warp the space-time continuum.

How I managed to hang up without laughing out loud, I'll never know.

 

[Dueling1911s]

they do exist just like steel 410 shot but no gun shop on earth would carry it in stock

nor should anyone desecrate a python with a scope... just cuz it can be done doesnt mean they should

 

[22lr]

Had a buddy shoot a friends Winchester 1300, darn near dropped it when he saw the bolt. He swore it was bent and was very insistent that it should be destroyed immediately before it hurt anyone (you know how the back of the bolt has that bend in it). It took me a while to stop laughing and control myself long enough to explain the 1300 bolt actually looks like that (he was used to the 500 and 870 designs). All in all, I cant fault him for not knowing any better (he was a younger guy), but dang that was funny.

 

[USAF_Vet]

very insistent that it should be destroyed immediately before it hurt anyone

you sure that it wasn't a Hi Point? You know, they've been known to blow fingers off.

 

[22lr]

you sure that it wasn't a Hi Point? You know, they've been known to blow fingers off.

Wait, I thought those were the Glocks.......

 

[Dueling1911s]

some people call it rascism, others call it civic duty. the air marshals and FFDO's arent exactly picking out blonde haired blue eyed scandanavian women as potential threats

Quote:
had a middle eastern man ask a fellow coworker if we had a night vision binochs for bird watching. asked for his ID so we could make a phone call. he quickly left the store
I call that "Romeo Alpha Charlie India Sierra Mike".

 

[solvability]

A friend with a 38 Special showed up at the range with 38 super - he wanted to know if he could use them in an emergency - yes sure if you trade them for 38 Special.

 

[Sam1911]

A friend with a 38 Special showed up at the range with 38 super - he wanted to know if he could use them in an emergency - yes sure if you trade them for 38 Special.

.38 Super is Semi-Rimmed so, yes actually, you can get them to work in most .38 Spc. revolvers. Bullets are .355" vs. .358" -- not enough to make a critical difference in an emergency. The Super case is nominally a little fatter than a Special case, but should chamber.

 

[BeerSleeper]

been asked for a thermal imaging device like in predator for tracking deer

I'd tell 'em he doesn't want one of those, he needs a betty lou, a combination AK-57 uzzie radar lasar triple barrel double scoped heat-seakin shotgun.

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

I think we are pretty much alone in this.

In my experience, we gun nuts exist in our own special level of anal retention. There is NOBODY over on soccer forums having bitter disputes about which brand of ball holds the most air, or what color of patches make targeting it easier. We are the only hobby that gets that detailed, and then genuinely fights amongst ourselves over it.

 

[Onmilo]

"Why is the minimum length for a rifle barrel set at sixteen inches and the maximum length for a shotgun barrel set at eighteen inches?"

A "Noob" asked me that question once and I couldn't answer it with any authority or conviction.

 

[Dueling1911s]

the archery guys argue quite a bit

 

[Sam1911]

Surely you jest.

Car enthusiasts don't argue about which technical wizardry is best? Or which brand or which engine or which tires or which...? Truck guys don't? I'll bet somewhere there is a stamp collecting forum and I'll be a lot that folks get pretty heated there, too.

Anywhere there are multiple options there are multiple opinions. And people like to assault and defend thier posistions, and to just plain argue.

Make the debate about something that can related directly to life and death in many ways, and it is hardly surprising that folks are contentious.

Not sure what that has to do with the cute and funny things we (and eveyone else) all have thought or wondered as "newbies."

 

[Telekinesis]

"Why is the minimum length for a rifle barrel set at sixteen inches and the maximum length for a shotgun barrel set at eighteen inches?"

A "Noob" asked me that question once and I couldn't answer it with any authority or conviction.

16" for rifles and 18" for shotguns are both MINIMUM lengths because of the National Firearms Act of 1934. Originally pistols were slated to be regulated just like MGs and suppressors, and the SBR/SBS barrel lengths were added so that someone couldn't legally take a rifle and cut it down so that it would essentially be a pistol. Fortunately, handguns were stricken from the NFA before the bill was passed so they remain Title 1, but the SBR/SBS restrictions remained.

The actual lengths are completely arbitrary, though IIRC rifles and shotguns were both set at 18" and were then later amended to 16" for rifles.

 

[Jim Watson]

The actual lengths are completely arbitrary, though IIRC rifles and shotguns were both set at 18" and were then later amended to 16" for rifles.

I can only specluate on the source of the 18" number but there were a lot of 20" carbines and riot guns so they may have figured that less two inches for modifications and new models.

I think the rifle maximum was reduced to 16" to accomodate the numbers of Swedish Mauser carbines and other imports with 450mm = 17.7" barrels.


I see a lot of uninformed questions but hey, we are accustomed to instant research on the internet these days.

I do know a class of stupid questions, though.
"I just bought this gun. What do I have?"
"I just bought this gun. What is it worth?"

 

[Inebriated]

I call that "Romeo Alpha Charlie India Sierra Mike".

I lol'd. No need to pretend to be Homeland Security when someone from another country wants bino's.

I did have a buddy (kind of liberal) tell me he wanted to look at a couple Glocks and Berettas. We stopped to eat before going to the gun store, so we started talking about the two.

Him: "People always say Glock is really reliable, but I mean, the military does use Beretta."

Me: "Well the military probably wanted a gun that had a safety, and could fit more people than a Glock." I said some other stuff, but that was the jist.

Him: "Oh, Glocks don't have safeties? ...hmm."

Me: "They don't need them if you keep it in a holster and have an ounce of good gun handling... And if they did, you'd just forget to take it off if you really needed to use it in a hurry."

Him: "Yeah, but accidents happen."

Me: "Yeah, if you're an idiot."

The thing about this that made it hilarious is he is all for banning "high cap." magazines... yet he wants a Glock.

 

[Sam1911]

The thing about this that made it hilarious is...

...saying that the M9 is a better fit for more people than a Glock? Nearly everyone can get their hands around a Glock. The M9/94F is a hoss' leg!