Shooting from the Hip

It’s Friday night. The hellish work week finally came to a close, and the sweet, sweet smell of movie popcorn is in the air. Lucky for you, the hottest flick came via snail mail straight to your home address.

Netflix, you mean? Nope. Try Thunderflix.

Unlike the ever-popular Netflix, Thunderflix carries videos for one specific product category — guns. The video rental website is filled with educational videos that share the joys and knowledge of gun ownership. With no membership fees, it offers a service that can be used once in a lifetime or as many times as you’d like.

Yet much like Netflix, shipping fees included in the price ($5.89 to rent one DVD). If you fall in love with the rental, there is also an option to purchase it. Thunderflix’s movie catalog features films in categories such as AR-15, cowboy shooting, edge weapons, gun maintenance, laser training, shotguns, handgun defense and more.

The three latest hits on Thunderflix’s website include:

• Rifle Shooting Tips & Techniques – Hosted by Glen Pearce, a former national champion marksman, and Jim Carter, an Olympic team gunsmith, this informational video tells you everything you ever needed and wanted to know about handling a rifle.
• The Art of the Fast Draw – If you want to learn how to acquire a fast draw, why not learn from the best? Eight-time World Fast Draw Champion Cal Elrich teaches you the tips and tricks that he has mastered during the past 25 years.
• Customizing The Ruger Vaquero – Own a Ruger Vaquero/Ruger Blackhawk? This video schools you in the art of customizing your gun for increased accuracy and reliability.

Last week, we gave you some of the craziest gun nicknames that have appeared throughout history. This week we offer up 36 original nicknames that all come right out of one man’s arsenal.

The gentleman, who decided it was best to remain anonymous, was kind enough to let us take a peek at his gun collection. Not only was he kind enough, he was thorough enough to remember why he gave his guns pet names like Baby Nasty and Frankenlove.

For your viewing pleasure, we placed our favorite top 10 nicknames first along with pictures and listed the remaining 26 in no particular order.

1. Baby Nasty
Manufacturer: Mossberg
Model: 500
Caliber: 12 gauge
Explanation: The smallest shotgun I own. Very capable and mean looking, too.

2. Birthmark
Manufacturer: Glock
Model: 23
Caliber: 0.40
Explanation: Bought on my birthday with serial number one less than my SS#. And it had a strange mark on it.

3. Sprocket
Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
Model: 93
Caliber: 0.223
Explanation: Very German looking with extra accessories. The name comes from the Saturday Night Live skit “Sprockets”.

4. Mr. Clean
Manufacturer: Heckler & Koch
Model: 91
Caliber: 0.308
Explanation: Twenty-five years old but looks brand new and no accessories. Everything clean cut.

5. Huggy Bear
Manufacturer: Yugo
Model: AK
Caliber: 7.62 X 39
Explanation: A completely chrome-plated AK, so I named it after the Starsky & Hutch pimp.

6. Red Scare
Manufacturer: Norinco
Model: AK
Caliber: 7.62 X 39
Explanation: Very communist looking AK with dark red furniture, too.

7. Ms. Perfect
Manufacturer: Glock
Model: 26
Caliber: 9mm
Explanation: This gun is oddly perfect. Not a scratch, dead bull’s-eyes at any range, immaculate.

8. The Conservative
Manufacturer: Springfield
Model: M14
Caliber: 0.308
Explanation: This is an über-American sniper rifle that’s very military and conservative looking.

9. Trouble
Manufacturer: Glock
Model: 21
Caliber: 0.45
Explanation: Such an insanely capable, simple, durable handgun in a big round. It brings trouble.

10. Squatter
Manufacturer: Remington
Model: 870
Caliber: 12 gauge
Explanation: Ready to go at all times. It defends my house like an Oklahoma squatter.

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Blogs and forums are buzzing about the redesigned fourth-generation Glock, set for release in 2010.

Richard over at Gun Holsters and Gear says the new Glock, or the “Next Generation of Perfection,” is rumored to have an adjustable grip for hands of all shapes and sizes as well as a textured finish.

AccurateShooter.com mentions that grip on Glock handguns has been a point of contention for some time. Glocks have been manufactured by Glock GmbH in Austria since 1963. The company’s is known for its strike-fired polymer-framed pistols.

“Glock has been losing market share as police departments nationwide have traded in their Glocks in favor of the more ergonomic Smith M&Ps,” said the editor at AccurateShooter.

When the fourth-gen G22 RTF2 Glock was first released this year, Steve at The Firearms Blog wrote: “I think 3rd gen glocks will be considered the ‘classic’ and having an older one will be ‘cool.’”

Will the newly redesigned Glock make it into the ‘cool’ category?