What Is In A Name?

by Carrie Lightfoot - Guest Contributor

I have a confession to make, publicly, before all of you.

I name my guns.

I KNOW: I am the only one who does this strange thing. Going through the process of naming my guns, similar to that of naming my children, is bizarre, and probably means I need to go see a mental health counselor.  Right? I mean, no one in their right mind would give a name to a firearm. Why do I do that, you ask? I am not sure I have the answer. 

This strange urge overpowered me in the gun store, when purchasing my first gun. He was beautiful, as soon as I put on the special grips, he had a name. “Black Pearl,” he became in that moment. I knew I had an “issue” by the look on the salesman’s face. I figured this experience was just because it was my first gun, and that I would quickly return to normal. But then this same strange impulse came over me again, as I purchased my second handgun, this time a female .380 who is now affectionately known as “Black Rose”. I couldn’t help myself. I knew I had a serious problem when it happened yet again.  “The Empress,” a stunning engraved .357 who certainly has all of the attributes of her name, joined my collection.

How did I know if they were male or female? After all, there are no “parts” that tell us which gender they are. Guns just have a way of being male or female as soon as they lay in your hand for the first time and it happens with long guns too! My Beretta AL 391 12 Gauge Shotgun is named Bear.

"BEAR"

Yes: there are more, many more. But what is the point of airing all of my dirty laundry in front of you? You get the point.

Can you help me? Is there a cure?  Perhaps I am not the only one who suffers from this urge. Have any of you suffered with this habit? Would you be so courageous to stand with me and confess?

Carrie Lightfoot is owner of The Well Armed Woman and guest contributor for the Beretta Blog. She can be reached on Facebook orTwitter

Make sure you follow Beretta on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube

This post and its contents are the views and opinions of the author only, and do not necessarily represent those of Beretta.

The trouble with hands...

By Carrie Lightfoot - Guest Contributor

Each of our hands consists of 27 bones, 29 major joints, 34 muscles, 123 ligaments, 30 arteries, and the zillions of nerve and blood vessel branches.  These all work together in such amazing ways, you have to marvel at how they all collaborate to do the most intricate of tasks.

Our ability to handle and shoot our firearms is dependent on all of these parts working together perfectly. How well we can manipulate the controls of the firearm and handle the recoil depends entirely on the strength and coordination of our hands.

Beretta Mod. 3032 Tomcat

I think we take our hands for granted.  They are just there and they do what we tell them to do - effortlessly. But many shooters, whether due to aging, disease or injury, struggle with hands that are not functioning properly, leaving them in pain, frustrated and in some cases, unable to operate their firearms.  On The Well Armed Woman Facebook page, this issue comes up repeatedly. Women struggling with arthritis, carpal tunnel and others, share their frustration with the inability and the discomfort of working the action of their firearm.  Lauri shares “carpal tunnel has taken a lot of strength out of my hands.” Tena writes “when I went to rack the slide... I couldn't do it! I have arthritis in my hands and I just could not muster the force to slide it.”  Jay says “I have had to back down the caliber because my hands just couldn’t take the beating of my .40 and .45 anymore.”

There is no doubt that some adjustments need to be made when dealing with these types of  issues, so shooters can continue to shoot effectively, protect themselves and safely continue to fully enjoy shooting.

Beretta Bobcat

Along with medical attention, there are some things that can perhaps minimize some of these difficulties, including: gel shooting gloves, wrist braces, and the changing of caliber. One of the solutions that have proven quite successful for these ladies is a semi-automatic with a tilt-up barrel.  Both the Beretta Bobcat (.25 auto, .22 LR) and the Beretta Tomcat (.32 ACP) have this Tip-up barrel feature which thankfully allows rounds to be loaded directly into the chamber without slide retraction. (Racking).  The .32 Tomcat, when using 60-grain .32 ACP (7.65 mm) hollow-point ammunition, provides firepower equaling the punch of a .380 (9mm Short). Other great benefits are that it also assists in the safe clearing of the pistol, by allowing a live round to be easily removed from the chamber and the bore quickly checked. Jamming and stove-piping problems are virtually eliminated as well, by the open slide design. Nice benefits in addition to being well priced.

Perhaps you have some experience with this issue and have found ways to alleviate some of the difficulties. Please comment and share what has been helpful to you or your thoughts, as this is an issue with many shooters, both male and female of all ages.

Carrie Lightfoot is owner of The Well Armed Woman and guest contributor for the Beretta Blog. Join the dynamic group of women shooters on Facebook or Twitter and visit www.thewellarmedwoman.com

Make sure you follow Beretta on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube

What is a well-armed woman?

By Carrie Lightfoot - Guest Contributor

At The Well Armed Woman, it's all about accomplishing the "Three Es:" To Educate, to Equip and to Empower women. Anything that falls into these Es is why it exists and what it's about. I started TheWellArmedWoman.com because there was nothing like it when I was considering a gun.

No single resource that had everything I needed to explore firearms, make an intelligent decision, grow in my skills and find products that fit a my body and lifestyle and, more importantly, spoke to me as a woman. In such a short time, I can say with confidence, women are hungry for these Es!

I am thrilled to be invited to share and connect with you to not only grow in our own skills and knowledge but to inform and expand the world of firearms to all women.

OK, so back to the question. You either are a woman or know a woman; right? So what IS a well-armed woman? Is it a woman in full tactical gear with an AR15 on her shoulder? Is it a gal in jeans and a cowboy hat with a .45 strapped to her belt and a .380 holstered in her boot? Is it the "Mature woman" with her 12 gauge shotgun under her bed? Or is it the business woman with her compact 9mm tucked discretely in her bra holster? All of these are armed women, but what makes a woman well-armed is not just the firearm she owns or how well she is equipped, it is the two other Es that define her. A woman who is well-informed (Educated), well-trained and encouraged to grow and improve further (Empowered) is what makes one well armed.

Let’s hear what you think. Please comment and share about what makes you, or the woman in your life, a Well-Armed Woman. Or share your thoughts on what makes a Well-Armed Woman and what kinds of topics you would like me to discuss in future articles.

Let’s hear what you think. Please comment and share about what makes you, or the woman in your life, a Well Armed Woman. Or share your thoughts on what you think makes a Well Armed Woman and what kinds of topics you would like me to discuss in future articles.

One thing I know, is that each woman has her totally unique reason or combination of reasons as to why she owns a firearm, she has a unique life and lifestyle that it must fit within safely, and a unique body to not only handle her gun, but to carry it as well. There is nothing more beautiful than a Well-Armed Woman!

Carrie Lightfoot is owner of The Well Armed Woman and guest contributor for the Beretta Blog. Join the dynamic group of women shooters on Facebook or Twitter and visit www.thewellarmedwoman.com

Make sure you follow Beretta on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

This post and its contents are the views and opinions of the author only, and do not necessarily represent those of Beretta.

Did You Say Duck Dog?

by Adam Brassfield - Pro Staff Contributor

When you think waterfowl retriever you think Labrador. For years and years this has been the choice for most duck hunters. A few may have gone with the stubborn Chesapeake Bay retriever but, for the most part, black, yellow or chocolate has been the question. Labrador breeders have been busier than a set of jumper cables at a redneck funeral.  Fasten your seat belt because there is a new bread of retrievers coming.

Meet Joey. He is a full blooded English Springer Spaniel. Now, I know what you're thinking: "this guy is dumber than a wedding invitation!" Listen closely: I would put him up against any Lab any day in a hunting situation. I got him when he was around 12 weeks old and started training him myself. At a year old he entered his first hunting season. He absolutely blew me away, as well as everyone else who hunted with me. Never broke, never got cold, never whined and he retrieved over 300 ducks in his first season. At a year and a half he is on full hand signals.

Let me be clear, I am not taking anything away from the mighty Labrador. They are amazing dogs, when well trained. But the intelligence and longevity of the Springer is unmatched. I have owned several duck dogs and this is the first that I am writing about, so that ought to tell you something. They are smaller, quicker, smarter and live longer than the Labrador. When it comes to ice or severe weather, I have Joey on film breaking ice for over 200 yards retrieving a Mallard that sailed on a guy that couldn't hit water if he jumped out of a boat. It was colder than a brass toilet seat in the Yukon!


The art of duck hunting is ever-evolving with the new guns like the Beretta A400 Xtreme, new duck boats, new decoys, new shells, and I could go on and on. It is obvious that, somewhere down the line, a new duck dog was coming. I took a chance on Joey and it was the best decision that I have ever made, when it comes to a hunting dog. The look on your face after reading this is probably like a rat eating guts off a wire brush, but focus. A wise man once told me to do something you have never done in order to see something you have never seen. To get information on where I got Joey go to Upland Meadows Springer Spaniels.

Make sure you follow Beretta on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
Adam Brassfield is a professional guide and guest contributor for the Beretta Blog. He can be reached at H.U.N.T.E.R.S. 24/7 WATERFOWL and on Facebook.

Practical Shooting 101

by Phil McNaughton-Guest Contributor

Welcome to Practical Shooting 101.  There are no textbooks in this class.  All you need is your favorite firearm, a safe attitude, and the desire to have fun! 

READ THE REST OFTHE STORY IN OUR NEW BLOG HOME. CLICK HERE.