Chances are good that if your stories feature a lot of pistol play, one of those handguns is a .45 caliber Colt 1911. This type of handgun’s been around for more than 100 years, and is just as popular today as back then. You’ll instantly recognize it from countless TV shows, movies and references in books. Usually, when writers reference a “.45,” they mean it’s a .45 caliber 1911. Unless it’s a western, in which case they’d likely be talking about the iconic Colt Single Action Army revolver. But that’s for another post. Continue reading
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The Best Handgun for Female Detective Characters is Not Pink
Pink firearms and knives are marketing tools whose most practical use is gnawing out a discussion about gender in the sporting goods department. I’ll save that for another day and let writer bud Laura Roberts explain how she settled on a handgun for her female detective character, Venus Delmar. Roberts took the time to research the perfect Glock – and it sure in the red hell ain’t pink. Continue reading
Semi-Auto Pistol or Revolver? It Can Make a Big Difference
by Dana King
Nick Forte, the protagonist of my PI series, has a bit of a military background, and is old school to boot. His weapon of choice is a classic M1911 .45 caliber Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP). Nick figures, if it was a good enough sidearm to be standard issue for 74 years and five wars, it’s good enough for him. (Some U.S. troops still use the M1911.)
Yes, Virginia, There are Gun Scopes that Aim Themselves
How you decide to use this technology in your stories is up to you, but gun scopes that aim themselves are real and they’re on the consumer market. Not only that, but they can sync up with a pair of Android-enabled goggles looking the other way. Which means, “OK, Google, take out the sentry at the guard post, then tell Chipotle to make my burrito for pick up,” isn’t that far off in the future.
The accuracy rate still isn’t 100 percent, but it’s better than half. The manufacturer is only set up for a handful of rifles, but a little creative license should allow you to stick this tech onto whatever tank-tipper you feel like lighting up. In your stories, of course.
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What a Handgun Says About the Character Using It
This guest post comes from Travis Pike. He’s a Marine veteran, a firearm instructor and a writer. The post that follows pokes a little fun at stereotypes in the gun world, but I think his satire can apply to assigning handguns to characters, too. Have fun with it!
~Ben
1. The Revolver
You’re a hipster.
The Writer's Guide to Weapons 