#also fun fact I have not touched a firearm in 7 1/2 years but I drew that m4 from memory lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lizabethehampton · 3 years

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so i’m writing a book

and i saw a writing tip where you write a scene from each characters point of view to get to know them a bit better. i think it’s kind of cringe but my friends like it so here’s a scene i wrote for my favorite side character sibling duo :)

“Carissa, darling, you need to calm down.”

I was simply minding my own business, I was. Tanwen was hungry, and despite my orders to her handlers, they refused to feed her more. Something about typical dragon diets, etc etc. I argued with them about how Tanwen isn’t a typical dragon- not the sort from the northern mountains beyond Collis that they’re used to dealing with -and that she needs more to eat. But, of course, dragon handlers are stubborn fools, so here I was, sneaking into the kitchen to steal some raw meat for my mare.

It wasn’t my fault I heard Prince Devlin calling after my sister, piquing my interest. And when I saw her storm down the hall past the kitchen doors, the boyishly handsome Devlin Ryoko struggling to keep up, I just had to know what the fuss was about.

Conveniently, a lovely looking servant girl happened to walk by, so I flashed her a charming smile and said, “Sorry to interrupt your day, but do you mind doing me a favor?”

“Anything, Your Highness.” She curtsied.

I handed her the brown sack of meat I’d stolen. “Walk around, and to the first pair of guards you see I’d like you to give them this sack. Tell them it’s for Tanwen. They’ll know what to do with it. Thanks!”

I winked at her before whirling around and dashing after my sister and her prince, not giving the girl a chance to respond.

I found the two stalking down the shadowy corridor that led to the training hall where the guards usually honed their skills to the point of lethality. No surprise that Carissa would run here when she was upset. I knew of her late night adventures throwing knives at various targets once all the guards had returned to their posts or beds. I also knew that she hit the bullseye every time.

I stayed a well enough distance from them to go unnoticed but still within earshot.

“If you tell me to calm down one more time, Devlin,” Carissa snarled. “I’ll cut out your tongue and make sure you never tell anyone anything ever again.”

Devlin paused for a moment as if her threat had actually frightened him. Then he chuckled with amusement, continuing after her. “Very cute, Carissa. But you need to relax. It wasn’t that serious, and it’s not like they said anything wrong. I’m not even sure why you’re upset.”

My sister whirled on him. “Not like they said anything wrong? Not like they said anything wrong? They disrespected the servants, they disrespected me, and they disrespected females in general.”

“You’re being dramatic, Carissa. You need to stop this or rumors will start going around.”

She let out a harsh, breathy laugh. A sound I knew was dangerous from years of growing up with her.

“You’re just like them.” Carissa scowled.

“Oh, really. And what are they like?”

“Entitled, incompetent, selfish, sexist, and downright embarrassing to be associated with!”

I had to stifle my laugh to avoid being detected but I couldn’t stop the wolfish grin. That’s my sister.

“How dare you! I’m going to be your husband, and you dare talk to me that way!”

“I’ll talk to you however I like. Let me remind you, Prince Devlin Ryoko, that until we are married- which is a long way off -I outrank you. Therefore, I can do what I will. In fact, I could kill you and say it was self defense after you attacked me with that foolish cane you carry around and everyone would believe me because I’m just weak, young, darling little Princess Carissa who couldn’t hurt a fly.”

Her intense glare was in conflict with her sickly sweet sarcastic tone. If Devlin was smart, he would walk away and leave her be until she cooled down. But he wasn’t, and instead he laughed. He laughed at her.

Carissa shook her head in annoyance, turning once again and taking the last few steps to the training room doors. She pushed through them and stalked inside. Devlin, struggling to compose himself after his fit of laughter, followed her.

So I trailed after them, not bothering to hide. Stealth was now the least of my concerns. Especially now that I was debating whether to high-five my little sister or pummel Devlin. Possibly both. Nodding to guards I recognized as friends, my feet carried me into a brisk walk to keep up with Devlin and Carissa.

I heard the prince say, “Carissa, where are you going? This is no place for a lady.”

“In that case, good thing I'm a princess and not a lady.” Carissa said dryly.

She came to a stop at the small shooting range in the far corner of the training room. I finally made my presence known.

“Young Prince Devlin, surprised to find you here.” I clapped a hand on his shoulder a bit more harshly than one usually would, smirking once I saw him grimace. “And Carissa, my baby sister. Found a new target to practice on, have you?”

She grinned wickedly at me as she picked up one of the firearms off the wall next to me. “Yes, brother. Darling Dev here was happy to volunteer.”

“What?” A nervous chortle escaped the boy’s lips.

I chuckled, winking at Carissa. “Have fun. Don’t spill too much of his blood, please. It’ll be such a hassle to explain to King Laden why his son is rather...discolored.”

Devlin let out an uncomfortable sound from deep in his throat.

With one last grin, I turned away and moved toward the staircase that led up to the balcony area. It wrapped around the whole training room so that any interested in watching the guards train could at their will. Usually, it was filled with various ladies who were visiting the palace for whatever ball or luncheon was occurring that week; ladies who wanted to get a good view of the more handsome guards during their free time. Now, though, it was relatively empty.

The captain, a close friend of mine, was already there, overseeing the training of the newer guards. Arrow Tatsuya, a good looking man appearing to be no older than a mortal 30 year old. He was good at his job, protecting the royal family of Koilada with his life. He had fought many battles with my uncle and my father centuries before I was even born. I respected him. He looked after me and Carissa, too, so we were never really rid of him. He was always around every corner, never far from us.

“Arrow,” I nodded at him and leaned against the railing. His greeting was hardly more than a grunt, but he was never one to be particularly friendly.

Upon noticing Carissa at the shooting range, Arrow turned his attention from his men to the princess. We watched Devlin try to tell Carissa to put the gun down, that she was going to hurt herself, or worse, someone else. His words, not mine.

We watched Carissa roll her eyes and load the pistol, then, without warning, pull the trigger 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, times. She refilled and fired again. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The resounding booms echoed through the training room and silenced everything.

Everyone turned to watch as the princess lowered her arm, then turned to the prince next to her.

“The next time you decide to piss me off,” Carissa said with deadly calm. “Think about this moment.”

Then she dropped the gun into the case on the floor and sauntered out of the training hall. This time, Devlin was smart enough not to follow.

The silence was broken by the sound of dozens of feet shuffling over to the shooting range. Someone brought forward the target Carissa had fired at and the crowd erupted into murmurs and gasps and whispers.

Every shot, straight through the bullseye. Not one an inch away from the center.

It seemed my little sister stayed true to the guards’ reports of her late night adventures. It also seemed that the world was in for a rude awakening. Turns out their weak, young, darling little Princess Carissa wasn’t weak or darling or little at all.

I let myself fade into the shadows, let their misty, cool essence carry me downstairs. And in a flourish of black smoke, I appeared before the crowd, a smoking bullet in hand. Warm to the touch, it was one of the bullets that had embedded itself into the steel wall behind the targets after Carissa had pulled the trigger.

Tossing it up into the air and catching it again, I grinned at the crowd. “Gentlemen. I think you’ll find my sister is a lot more than she seems.”

And then I stepped forward, the crowd parting for me.

Just before I exited the doors, I turned around to look up at the balcony area where Arrow still stood. There, on his face, was a rare smile. I smiled back, saluted him, and walked out the doors. They didn’t close behind me fast enough for me to miss the, “Stop gawking and get back to work!” the captain shouted at his men.

I chuckled, walking the halls and stuffing the warm bullet in my pocket.

When I turned the corner out of the corridor, Carissa was standing there waiting for me.

“I can hardly believe I did that.” She said, pushing up off the wall.

I smiled, swinging my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “I can.”

My sister laughed and together we walked to the aerie where we found two terrified guards struggling to get close enough to Tanwen to feed her meat from a brown sack.

so yeah um...that’s it lol. thanks for reading!! let me know if you liked it <3

#teenwriter #fantasy #oc #wip #writer #writing #mywriting #character building #princess #prince #brotherandsister #siblings #siblingduo #my characters #writing a novel

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tendie-defender · 6 years

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If you want wanting to talk about gun control at least know these 15 facts about the AR15!!! 1.The inventor of the AR-15 was Satan, though his patent has since expired. 2. Scientists have confirmed the deadly effects of an AR-15 by giving it to a chimpanzee who then murdered them. 3. Scientists agree that each year the AR-15 will grow more deadly until it kills everyone in the entire world. Some believe that both Hitler and Stalin were, in fact, AR-15s in rubber masks. 4.In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve access to every firearm out there except for the AR-15 which he told them not to touch because it was too evil. But then the NRA, in the guise of a serpent, told Eve that the AR-15 is really fun to shoot. So then Eve took the AR-15 and started shooting all the animals in the garden because she is one awesome chick. 5. The part that makes the AR-15 so extra deadly is the handle on top. The AR-15 would be used in less murders if it were more inconvenient to carry. 6. It was an AR-15 that told Miley Cyrus to dance like that. 7. Bullets that are normally harmless will kill instantly when fired out of the AR-15. 8.The reason AR-15s have that prominent handle on them is because the most requested feature for an assault rifle was to be able to carry it like a Hello Kitty lunch box. 9. If you find yourself surrounded by AR-15s, know that they will fire automatically if they sense fear. 10.The AR-15 is easily concealable and can fit inside a matchbox. 11. The AR-15 is the leading cause of global warming from how its bullets shoot holes in the ozone. 12. A very small percentage of gun deaths are attributed to the AR-15 because it is very good at disguising itself as other guns to frame them. 13. What are the differences between an M16 and an AR-15? Scientists agree that it is something. 14. The AR-15 can be rendered harmless by giving it only a 10 round magazine as people always miss with the first ten rounds and an AR-15 takes an hour and a half to reload. 15. The AR-15 can shoot through schools. 15. In a battle between Aquaman and an AR-15, Aquaman would break down and buy it so people might think he’s more manly. 15. There were no shooting deaths until the invention of an AR-15. No one even considered using a gun to shoot another human being until someone saw an AR-15 and said, “I bet I could use this to kill a lot of people.” 15. There was an assault musket similar to the AR-15 used by the world’s most evil pirates, but it was pronounced “Arrr-15.” 15. The Assault Weapon ban was needed because it is well known that an AR-15 with both a pistol grip and a flash suppressor would be unstoppable by any modern military. 15. In Europe there is no such thing as an AR-15 and thus also no such thing as murders. Instead of being violent, people there just drink wine and smoke cigarettes all day. 15. If you are shot by an AR-15, you become one and kill others. 15. The AR-15 is responsible for 95% of all deaths each year. The rest of the deaths are from obesity and drone strikes. 15. Both of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, Fat Man and Little Boy, are jealous of the destructive power of the AR-15. 15. Abraham Lincoln said the AR-15 is the finest battle implement ever devised. 15. Viagra is made from ground AR-15 parts.

#ar15 #military grade a salt pewers #rifle #assault rifles #assault weapons #guns #gun #gunblr #5.56 #gun control #gun facts #second amendment #bill of rights #pro gun #anti gun

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mcdmples · 6 years

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post 8 facts about your muse, then tag 8 people to do the same!

tagged by: @irredeemablelance

1) arizona knew for sure she was gay since she was twelve years old (she was always pretty sure that she wasn’t straight/wasn’t going to marry a man/be with a man, but that’s when she learned there was a word for people like her). there were girls in her class who would talk about their crushes and she wanted nothing to do with any of the boys that they talked about (or really, boys in general).

2) the robbins’ lived in okinawa for nearly a year when arizona & tim were ten years old ! it was the one place they lived that the twins were home schooled rather than attending a public school because they knew a) they wouldn’t be there for long so b) there’d be no time for them to pick up the language skills needed for a public school.

3) i think i’ve touched on this before, but arizona is atrocious when it comes to learning languages. she’s… just Not Good. over the years she’s become relatively fluent in spanish and picked up a handful of phrases in german (from callie and her time that she lived in germany respectively). her japanese is pretty much non-existant despite living there for a year.

4) ya girl !! loves poetry! she pretty much always has, but her interest in it grew during her first few years of college bc of her relationship with rina ( i’ll elaborate later). she stopped reading poetry of any kind after what happened to rina, but finally picked it back up in med school. her favourite poets are e.e. cummings & pablo neruda.

5) she was six when she learned how to properly clean a gun. considering his profession, daniel considered it very important that the kids know firearm safety. she and tim were thirteen the first time they were taken to a shooting range and taught how to fire both a handgun and a rifle. arizona never went back unless her father dragged her along.

6) i lightly touched on this before, but when tim, died arizona for a short period of time very seriously considered suicide. tim was, for all intents and purposes, her soulmate. her ride or die. womb to tomb. her best friend. him leaving for afghanistan was one thing, and it hurt her, but losing him (and finding out from nick, not her parents) was something else entirely. she was lucky that she had a very good friend by her side (cough cough odette cough) to help her through. and also ?? thinking of how she felt post-rina really.. really swayed her mind,

7) growing up with the name arizona ! i’ll probably elaborate on this a lot more at some later time, but obviously having the same name as a state was grounds for bullying at a few of the schools that she went to. especially the brief time that they spent in yuma. one time, a kid made fun of her name (while living in arizona) and she punched him in the face. tim took the blame at school, but arizona took the heat at home.

8) arizona never really played sports growing up. between moving around every six to eighteen months and generally just being bad at them, she never got involved. however, she did join track & field for long distance running during one of their longer stays, and also participated in the school’s cross country meets. it wasn’t that she was particularly fond of running (although it did grow on her and has since become her favourite exercise), but her father had her and tim join him on his morning runs at least four times a week and she was good at it. as she got older, her, tim, and her father ran the marine corps marathon (or half!) once per year. arizona and daniel continued after tim enlisted, but stopped when he died.

tagging: @mcmachine, @mcsvperhero, @mcbisexual, @raptorraised, @afraidofchange, @ghostofaformerself, @mcprodigy / @mcshepherdes ( either or or both ! ), @mcneuro & YOU

#♢ i know about the tiny coffins ( headcanon )#gun cw #gun mention cw #suicide cw #suicidal ideation cw #death cw #i guess ???

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radioactive-tiefling · 6 years

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Ask meme: Lux

My good good buddy @captain-atlantic asked me to answer all 30 questions for one of my characters, so here’s lux! My newest dnd character, a fallen aasimar raven queen Warlock.

1: What’s your OC’s biggest insecurity and how would they react if someone pointed it out to them?

Lux is insecure about her motives for what she does sometimes, but feels it is wrong to doubt it. If someone else doubts it, it gives her a chance to explain at length exactly why she’s doing what’s best, and convince herself as well as the person who doubted her.

2: If your OC wants to buy a firearm, what it might be for?

In a modern au where guns exist, I think it would have been to kill her abusive guardian/ break herself and her friend out of the church where they grew up.

3: Does your OC behave differently around different people, if so with whom and how?

yes, she always had masks for different people. It used to be she seemed either incredibly pious or incredibly rebellious to everyone except her friend lyra, but after they’ve been separated for a year she puts on a more secretive face with her, like she’s trying to hide something. With the other members of the party she purposely goes out of her comfort zone to try and make connections.

4: Would your OC want to involve themselves in humanitarian work ? If yes, then for what? If not, then why not?

She kind of thinks of what she’s doing already as humanitarian, even if it involves helping police death. However, she has some issues with many churches and other organizations that claim to be humanitarian, since she thinks they’re all too easily corrupted.

5: How would your OC generally react to someone being verbally abusive towards them for no apparent reason?

she would ignore it at first, and try to appear sarcastic and jaded about the comments. If she responds at all, it would be with joking agreement or by making fun of the abuser. If she ever actually looks angry, you should run.

6: Does your OC have a realistic image of their own intelligence?

she knows she’s pretty smart, but she constantly beats herself up about her slow (in her mind) progress. She trusts what she already knows, but works hard to learn more because she believes it’s the only way to move ahead.

7: Does your OC have any irrational phobias?

Anything/ anyone being in her mind. Her angel spoke mind to mind with her for her whole life, and now even the message cantrip can cause her to panic, especially if she isn’t expecting it. Possession and gaslighting are a real fear of hers and any time anyone is in her mind, for any reason, her first thought is that the angel is back.

8: How is/was your OC’s relationship with their parents?

she never knew her parents. They were farmers and gave her up as an infant. They were devastated about it, but poor enough that they couldn’t afford to raise a blind child who couldn’t help make money on the farm. They chose not to visit her or know her because they didn’t want her to miss them.

9: Does your OC feel a pressure to achieve or are they content and calm with doing what they can at the moment?

she feels incredible pressure to achieve. Despite only just getting her powers, she is desperate to impress the raven queen and advance in her forces, and feels that nothing she does is enough to progress the way she needs to.

10: Does your OC guard their emotions by being tough? If not how would they?

she mostly guards her emotions with humor and dry, sarcastic comments about herself. Either that or by ignoring emotions as much as possible.

11: How would your OC react to hearing they’re adopted?

She already knows, and did since she was a child, that her parents gave her up for adoption.

12: What is one of the most primary thing your OC feels that is missing from their life?

friends, and the ability to get close to people without hurting them or them hurting you.

13: What kind of situations does your OC avoid the most?

Anything involving organized religion

14: If your OC gets into a fight with their best friend, would they wait for their friend to make up with them, or would they try to make up with their friend?

most of the time she would try to make up first. However, she sometimes gets into fights because of something she’s hiding, and in that case she continues to hide it rather than make up.

15: Does your OC consider themselves a good person?

no, not really. She works for death and is obsessed with killing a creature most people would see as “purely good.” She pretty much decided to leave the idea of goodness behind her, because people will never accept goodness from someone they think is bad.

16: Is your OC good at giving others validation of their feelings and making them feel understood?

She thinks she’s not great at it, but she really tries if it’s someone she cares about or wants to grow closer to. She’s naturally charismatic, so even if she doesn’t know how people feel they tend to listen to her anyway.

17: Does your OC suffer from any mental health issues?

she probably has PTSD, and minor OCD.

18: What kind of intrapersonal values does your OC have? (values about their self, what makes them feel like a valid person)

she feels valid as long as she’s working towards a goal. Whether that’s making friends or impressing the raven queen, progress and new discoveries fuel her and make her even more motivated to keep going.

19: What boosts your OC’s confidence the most?

the biggest confidence boost is when she gains more power, or when someone actively chooses to do something nice for her.

20: Does your OC hurt others often unintentionally? If yes, how?

yes, often by shutting them out of things or appearing to brush them off.

21: Does your OC hurt others often intentionally? If yes, how?

yes, for her job or for a goal. She uses magic to control or hurt people most of the time.

22: How does your OC usually show affection? Are they openly romantic or more restricted with their affectionate emotions?

she used to be much more affectionate, with her best friend. If she’s close to someone, she’s generally a very tactile person since with lyra they had to be touching to even communicate (she’s blind, lyra’s mute, so they used a form of physical sign language.)

23: Does your OC tend to hide something about their personality/essence when meeting new people? If yes, what?

yes, she mostly hides the fact that she’s not really a “good” person. She also tends to hide insecurity and reactions to anything that might hurt her.

24: How would your OC react if they got humiliated by someone in a group of people?

probably laugh about it. If it was really bad, she’d cause a scene with magic to scare them out of messing with her again.

25: How would your OC process the grief caused by the death of a loved one?

she wouldn’t do it very well. She’s new to working with the raven queen, but currently sees it as a solution to everything if she can just get strong enough. She would probably remain in denial/bargaining, insisting that if she works harder and becomes stronger she can fix it.

26: What is the most intense thing your OC has been battling with?

PTSD from her childhood with an abusive angel whispering in her head night and day. She’s still trying to get past it over a year after falling.

27: Does your OC practise any kind of escapism? If yes, what kind?

her main form of escaping is her dry humor and self deprecation.

28: How would your OC react if a bully stole their lunch money in high school?

probably with a quick command spell to get it back, then walk off leaving them wondering what she did to them.

29: How do they behave on the face of a conflict?

almost scary casual, trying to look the part of a warlock of the raven queen to prove her worth.

30: What makes your OC defensive quickest?

Slights on people she cares about, and people questioning her motives.

#asks #my ocs #lux

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esprit-de-corps-magazine · 7 years

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Hitting the Mark: Berretta APX 4.0 sets the standard for service handguns

By Pierre Descotes

For many decades now, polymer pistols are being widely used by armed forces and police around the world. Light, easy to field strip for a quick inspection and cleaning, they certainly have some advantages over the older steel frame pistols such as the Browning High Power in service with the Canadian military.

Then again, the polymer pistols also have their flaws.

When it comes to safety, what worries me most about these weapons is the fact that the number one rule must be broken when you want to strip most polymer pistols: pulling the trigger.

Rule number one with firearms is to never put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot.

With most polymer pistols, you do not have the choice but to pull the trigger prior to stripping the weapon for cleaning.

What we hear and see all too often are accidental discharges (A.D.) when attempting to field strip – or strip – a polymer pistol.

The technique is simple:

1- Remove your magazine

2- Remove the chambered bullet

3- Pull trigger

4- Strip the pistol

Unfortunately, when the mind is not 100% on what you are doing, or soldiers are coming off extended patrol are fatigued, steps 1 and 2 are sometimes inverted and then when step 3 is attempted, you get an A.D.

What can one do to prevent this? In most cases, not much other than educate your soldiers and pray for the best.

Then again, what do you do if a round is stuck into the chamber, and is impossible to manually extract? Since you must pull the trigger to strip the pistol, unless you can safely shoot the stuck round, you are in serious trouble.

That is unless you have a Berretta APX.

Beretta has come up with a perfect solution, one that allows you to strip your pistol without ever touching the trigger.

On their new Beretta APX pistol, on the right side, there is a small button that disengages the striker. You only need to pull back the slide a few millimeters and push this side button to disengage the striker. It is no longer necessary to pull the trigger. And if you have a bullet that is totally stuck in the chamber, the complete upper slide assembly will come off in your hands without you even having to try to open the slide.

Safe, secure and easy.

So with this, all you need to do is to drill your soldiers to always use that button and if they do so, you will never have an A.D. again, even if they invert steps 1 and 2 during the field strip.

When a polymer pistol often rubs against a rough surface, over the years, the portion that rubs wears out. If that portion becomes too thin, the grip may crack under pressure or with a shock to it. Then again, for the user, the grip is no longer as safe and secure as when new. If the wear is too pronounced, the pistol should be scrapped.

Now, when it comes to the wear of the grip, the APX also covers this. For this pistol, the frame itself is not what you are holding but rather it is an inner core made of steel that contains the trigger mechanism. It is this inner part that is stamped with the serial number of the pistol. The polymer grip is removable and becomes a “component” of the pistol, no longer the pistol itself.

Should you break a grip or what seems to be the “frame”, you can replace this easily with a new grip, keeping the same serial number as the true frame is still undamaged.

There is no longer a need to scrap a complete pistol when only the grip or polymer part is worn out or broken. It makes it easier to keep track of inventory as one no longer needs to report a broken frame and replace it with a new pistol and a new serial number.

As long as you stay within the same caliber, all parts are interchangeable and it requires no fitting: the frame just drops in.

Since I have the honour of owning one of the first five Beretta APX pistols in Canada, I have had the chance to put it to the test. And trust me, I treated it very badly.

One of my first tests was to try it with regular duty rounds from various manufacturers. Then, I did the same with reloads with maximum and minimum loads.

With the sub-sonic minimum loads, I was expecting the pistol to fail extracting and reloading, especially after the first round. The recoil was so light that I was convinced that it did not reload, but it in fact did!

I shot 2 magazines, 34 rounds in total of those sub-sonic rounds and all of them actioned the pistol perfectly. The recoil was so light that the pistol barely moved. I have shot hundreds of pistols and so far, out of all of them, the APX is the pistol that, to me, offers the smoothest recoil and muzzle jump for a pistol that is “out of the box”, un-altered.

The APX was shot by various shooters, experts and newbies including the staff at Esprit de Corps. All of them had no problem controlling the muzzle jump and recoil.

Just for fun, I have shot 34 rounds in about 15 – 20 seconds at 7 meters and 31 of the 34 rounds struck within a 3 inch group. Talk about easy control! You can combat double tap without ever losing sight of your target.

Another major selling point for this pistol is the Striker Safety button. Too often, when a pistol is not cared for as recommended, the safety button which is located in the slide stays stuck in the “open” position. Unless you do a careful inspection, you will often overlook this.

When this happens, as the safety is “off” and as the striker is always under tension when a round is chambered, most pistols will fire if dropped or banged.

With the Beretta APX, should the striker safety be in the “open” position, you have an indicator located on top of the slide that will alarm you. It is virtually impossible to miss.

When the striker safety is in the “on” position, the indicator is not visible. When you pull the trigger, removing at the same time the striker safety, you can see the indicator rising on the slide. With this feature, you know in an instant if your pistol can or cannot shoot by itself if dropped or banged. Most other pistols with a striker do not offer this feature. Again, it is an soldier’s guarantee of pistol safety.

Another test which I conducted on the APX was done during a very cold day.

The pistol had well over 1000 rounds fired through it, both manufactured and reloaded ammunition with hollow points, round points and lead bullets. The pistol had received no cleaning since day one at that point. It was a mess. Considering what most military personnel shoot in one year, this pistol had at least the value of five years worth of dirt accumulated without any cleaning.

So, with the temperature at the range being minus 19 degrees, I fired again with what I considered to be the worst bullets for an extra dirty pistol: minimum charge, sub-sonic rounds.

Again, my expectation was that the pistol would fail to extract and/or fail to reload.

Much to my surprise, I had 100% function. No stove-pipe, no miss-extraction and no miss-feed. Although very cold and very dirty, I had a perfectly functioning weapon.

Clean or dirty, the action of the APX is so smooth that I believe that any soldier, having a strong or weak grip should be able to easily master this pistol in no time flat.

Beretta with the APX has jumped into the 21st century and have created some new innovations that many will attempt to copy.

Publisher’s Note: Author Pierre Descotes is a renowned Canadian firearms expert with a respected career in law enforcement.

He will be contributing a series of articles on weapon safety and firearm profiles in the coming months. This summer Descotes also provided the staff at Esprit de Corps with several handgun safety and familiarization demonstrations, which were informative and fun for all involved.

Pierre Descotes

DESCOTES Canada Inc

136 Regent

Hawkesbury, ON

K6A 1E8

ON: 613-632-2324 QC: 514-978-4884

Email: [email protected]

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