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tamidon taking the kiddly-winks to her mother's this weekend, n2mlq took some of us to a shooting range out near his and bridgetminerva's new place in New Hampshire (away from the tool-fearing regulations here in Massachusetts; that's one really nice thing about living where the states are of manageable size: if your state's rules are stupid, it's not a very long drive to a saner place).
It's been an absurd number of years since I last shot, and it was rifle instead of pistol back then anyway. However, despite my absurdly bad eyesight, I was actually able to hit the targets. The first gun I tried was very nice, and had a laser sight, but it jammed after only one shot (to Crash's dismay; it's his gun).
The rest all had the dependable but low-tech sights. I did fairly well with the .22, except for one shot which hit the metal target grip and thus shredded the top of the target. The .45 was a bit heftier, but I was still able to at least hit the white (if not the black center) of the target at 20' (yes, I know, I may as well be using a knife at that distance, but I'm a raw beginner here).
The .454 revolver was ridiculously heavy, and kicked like a mule. Crash did something brilliant: he placed two cartridges in the cylinder, spaced well apart. After getting kicked planting the first bullet in the target, my next "shot" was on an empty chamber. I flinched something fierce. The next "shot" was likewise an empty chamber, but this time I was calm and steady enough not to flinch. So when the next shot was real (and kicked just as hard as the first real shot), I didn't flinch and nailed the black center. (No, not a bull's eye, but within spitting distance of what I was aiming at.)
Finally, I returned to the .45, but this time with the target at around 50'. I was able to hit the target the first two times, but the third shot I hit the metal again and spun the target around like a carnival clown. For kicks, I shot at a reversed target so that one of its holes would be pointing the opposite direction from the rest.
This was fun, but it seems to be too expensive a hobby for me to pick up just yet. Still, this firmed my resolve that my girls should learn to shoot when they turn 12 or so. They should learn what a gun is, and what it isn't.
tamidon taking the kiddly-winks to her mother's this weekend, n2mlq took some of us to a shooting range out near his and bridgetminerva's new place in New Hampshire (away from the tool-fearing regulations here in Massachusetts; that's one really nice thing about living where the states are of manageable size: if your state's rules are stupid, it's not a very long drive to a saner place).It's been an absurd number of years since I last shot, and it was rifle instead of pistol back then anyway. However, despite my absurdly bad eyesight, I was actually able to hit the targets. The first gun I tried was very nice, and had a laser sight, but it jammed after only one shot (to Crash's dismay; it's his gun).
The rest all had the dependable but low-tech sights. I did fairly well with the .22, except for one shot which hit the metal target grip and thus shredded the top of the target. The .45 was a bit heftier, but I was still able to at least hit the white (if not the black center) of the target at 20' (yes, I know, I may as well be using a knife at that distance, but I'm a raw beginner here).
The .454 revolver was ridiculously heavy, and kicked like a mule. Crash did something brilliant: he placed two cartridges in the cylinder, spaced well apart. After getting kicked planting the first bullet in the target, my next "shot" was on an empty chamber. I flinched something fierce. The next "shot" was likewise an empty chamber, but this time I was calm and steady enough not to flinch. So when the next shot was real (and kicked just as hard as the first real shot), I didn't flinch and nailed the black center. (No, not a bull's eye, but within spitting distance of what I was aiming at.)
Finally, I returned to the .45, but this time with the target at around 50'. I was able to hit the target the first two times, but the third shot I hit the metal again and spun the target around like a carnival clown. For kicks, I shot at a reversed target so that one of its holes would be pointing the opposite direction from the rest.
This was fun, but it seems to be too expensive a hobby for me to pick up just yet. Still, this firmed my resolve that my girls should learn to shoot when they turn 12 or so. They should learn what a gun is, and what it isn't.
