wiki update #3: gunman testimonials

Wherever possible, I want to try to incorporate real experiences into The Last Clerks, at least where it's concerned with shooting guns. Firing weapons kind of sucks - it's hell on your ears, in an enclosed space you're inhaling lead gas (which is about as healthy for you as it sounds), and the best-engineered and most studiously maintained weapons are still prone to the occasional hangfire or jam.

Also, in movies and all-too-often in books, guns are just oversimplified. It takes much practice and painstaking maintenance to keep something designed to have things explode inside it from simply falling apart bit by bit. In that spirit, I try to seek out testimonials from folks who have actually fired the weapons (or something like them). My decision to arm Howard Wells with dual 1911s came about because I fired a 1911 in DeKalb, IL once long ago and immediately decided there is no other gun that simultaneously kicks a shitload of ass and best sums up the sort of shooting that character adopts.

My friend was kind enough to work on his birthday today, giving me a testimonial from his days of turkey-shooting with a 10-gauge, as it's the weapon an upcoming character will be using.

Dave's full comments can be found on the wiki, helpfully modifying my info on the Ithaca Mag-10 "Roadblocker" semi-auto shotgun. A sample here:

"When you first start shooting, your shoulder and forearm will be black and blue regardless of what you shoot. If you hold your gun tight to the shoulder and depending on the type of recoil pad you have on the gun, the severity of the bruise increases or decreases. Some autos have very little kick and some kick like a mule. Anything firing 10-gauge shells though you will have some nasty ( i.e. inability to move the arm ) recoil. They do make special shooting vests, which let you carry around 20 shells, game pouch, four large pockets and special extra padding in the shooting shoulder."

Thanks to Dave.