Systems.

A friend of mine from Tulsa told me something quite innocuous a month or two back about 'gun people'. Gun people, he said, are "special". He said that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to bring a camera into a gun store, and to act tough if I ever set foot in one. I thanked him for the advice.

Gun people, it turns out, look at their hobby as something more than the act of pulling the trigger. Shooting is not so much about demonstrating the awesome might of man's creations, but more about exercising control over these same creations.

There are plenty of ways to spit bullets, but individual needs determine the final system. Hence the enormous range of accessories that can be found for any modern arm - choose platform, choose optics, choose grips, choose stock, choose barrel, choose finish, choose carry style. With each investment, the system builds itself closer to completion. Old components are replaced along the way, and as time would have it, the finished product is a sight to behold.

All of this customization can become quite overwhelming, and often the basics will suffice.

Thoughts? Leave me a comment.