Range Day

I got out on the range again today, and man am I getting an education. Now, I am an accomplished shooter, not only having been a competitive participant in two disciplines, but also a rifle coach for a small but competent junior team. I also held an an NRA Safety Instructor certification in those days. That said, after all the hundreds of thousands of rounds I've fired, I'm still learning. Specifically, I'm learning how shoot a pistol correctly. I can shoot pistols of small caliber very well, but I make a lot of mistakes with large caliber pistols that lead to degraded accuracy... so much so that I once thought that a gun that I had made was innacurate. Silly me. The most innacurate part of a gun is nearly always the loose nut on the back end... It turns out I was shooting it completely the wrong way. You see, I've been shooting with a friend of mine who is a retired cop and soldier and he's been straightening me out. While I'm far from shooting ragged hole groups with that gun, I can hit any target I want as long as it is not too small. Soda cans and bowling pins at 25 meters are dead meat... and you should see what happens when a .45 inch bullet strikes a bowling pin... that's entertainment!

I kept making the mistake of letting the wrong parts of my body relax, though... and every time I did, the pistol would chuck the spent shell at my face! This a good reminder to wear eyewear if you shoot... Anyway, it's a contankerous gun, but I like because I built it and it has been such an education in that if I don't perform flawlessly behind it, it will not even function half the time, much less put bullets where I want them. I think a few more parts that aren't 60 years old may help ( I know that it needs some new springs), and if not, hey: I'll be an even better shooter.

Anway, it was a very good day. The range officer's grand daughter of about seven was there, learning the tricks of the trade. Priceless. Well mannered, too... I don't see that much in children these days, especially around here.

It was a bit annoying to have the target stand keep falling over, though funny at the same time... They have stands there made of steel, but they are only ten meters away from the firing line. Entertaining, but too easy. I like 25 meters for pistol. It makes mistakes more apparent.