
Originally Posted by
Ned Christiansen
I always try to use restraint when commenting on Patrick Sweeney. Because he has given me some good ink, I need to be careful that what I say does not come off as overly effusive. And I certainly don't want to sound defensive, as everyone gets to have their own opinion...... I have certain gun writers I don't care for too. So let me try to put this in simple factoids (OK, some may be "opinionoids"):
-Don't anybody go thinking he's just a gunwriter. He can shoot. Anything. Well. One unheralded shooting accomplishment is that he is and for years has been on the USPSA team that travels to the bi-annual IPSC World Championship.
-I like to joke that he has the keys to the executive washrooms of every arms and ammo maker in the US, and many abroad. Actually, I'm not entirely sure that's just a joke.
-He's extremely well traveled and well read. The guy can discuss just about anything authoritatively...... especially, of course, if it's gun related, but he is not one-dimensional.
-Did I mention he can shoot? One day he decided to run our qual with a handgun. Now the qual is not the toughest ever, but guys that can do it with a handgun are pretty few and far between. 8 1/2" X 14" at ranges from 25 to 70 yards, 30 shots, a minimum of 27 must be on. Patrick was the first to try it with a handgun (that I know of), and he qual'd.
-Here's a biggie. Patrick has never sought to take advantage of our friendship or his position in the industry to get things done in my shop "for consideration". I built him a nice titanium Commander-length 9mm four or so years ago (that he waited for like everyone else). He gave it back maybe two years ago for a few mods-- about an afternoon's work-- and didn't get it back for 9 months! There's never an awkward moment where he should be saying "whadda I owe ya" and doesn't-- he pays for the work, no drama.
He's not a writer who picks up a gun once in a while and writes about it. He's a shooter, and a student of all things shooting, who really does the stuff, understands it, and writes it up for the rest of us.
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