The Gun Hunt

Thanks to the folks buying me a beautiful Glock 34 handgun for med school graduation, I have taken up shooting as a hobby of sorts. It is as good a distracting release as any. Every physician needs that one thing to do on their day off that takes their mind off of work completely, because there is a lot to think about otherwise, a lot of little things and what-ifs that can stick in your brain. Some doctors eventually get their pilot's license and fly; some are more creative and paint or play chef; some buy expensive cars and drive like maniacs. Either way, these are activities that demand complete concentration to do well (and not hurt yourself), and make for excellent relaxation (and enjoyment). Shooting is the same way, as far as I am concerned - an activity which requires my full attention to everything I am doing in order to not hurt myself or others. And it is fun, and not terribly expensive (once the equipment is purchased... or gifted).

That being said, I have been searching for the perfect rifle to add to my handgun, an assault rifle that is. I am not much for hunting (for no particular reason), but do love to shoot. I want a handsome rifle with some sweet optics that both does well at 500-600 meters as well as in close quarters, in more tactical applications. I fell in love with a particular gun, one Steyr AUG, made in Austria and used by various militaries and SWAT folks throughout the world. But... it goes for a cool 3500 - 4000 dollars. Yikes, I know. But, a ha, there is a company here in Pennsylvania (of all places) that makes this on their own - called an STG-556 (picture below), which is only $1700 or so. I tried and tried to find it for a good deal, leaning on my few connections, but could not get it for cheaper to save my life. Oh my dream gun, we will have to wait for another day.

Since this gun is untouchable financially right now, I have been working on a backup plan, a gun which satisfies my requirements, is fun to shoot, is customizable to me, and is within my price range. After consulting my gun-toting friends and their SWAT friends, I have decided to go on a hunt for an AR-15 (see below). The problem (or beauty) with that particular gun, is that there are infinite combinations of design elements, from stocks to barrels to optics to lights and lasers. And the price range goes from pleasant to disgusting as a result. All in all, even buying a basic one with be enjoyable, and will make a nice project to build up and improve.

So that's the current plan, and if all goes well, I will be going out to a dealer friend of a friend shortly to have one custom built for me. With as much as the gun-toting rednecks in this state are freaking out about their guns being taken away once Obama takes office, I had better get it soon before they buy up everything or the gun dealers artificially jack up their prices. NRA propaganda + retards = major freakout.