My First Shooting Experience
I took my first handgun safety and marksmanship class at Impact Guns #3 yesterday morning. Learning to shoot is a very interesting process, physically, psychologically and physiologically. The instructor, an old sheriff named Larry who really knew his stuff, complimented me on my concentration, and for a neophyte I got in some tight groupings.
Same make of pistol and brand of ammo
The grouping spreads out after I'm aiming the bulls-eye and not through the sights at the whole piece of paper. Then again, muscle fatique was beginning to set it. After resting I shot two more targets with similar results, for fifty bullets and five targets in all.
The recoil of the 9mm Glock 17 I rented wasn't problematic for me, but three of the women in the class had to be shifted to .22s. (Midway through the class the shop proper opened for business at 10 a.m., and I was surprised at the force of the concussion waves from a fellow who let loose with a .45 or Magnum three or four stalls down -I could feel them in my gut!) Much of the instruction regarding dominant eyes, ambidextrous eyes, thumb placement (for me), proper stance, and "The Monster," as Larry termed the complex of instincts you need to manage and harness whenever you take firearms in hand. Reptilean cortex, meet the frontal cortex... No, it hasn't shut down... It's still running the show!
I'll have to budget for this now; I already have friends and colleagues lining up who want to shoot with me! And furthermore, as I remarked to Larry afterwards, Impact should get the same sign my tattooist has: Welcome To Your New Addiction! It's highly constrained fun which I found to be very much worth my while.
Impact's a superb shop. The assistant manager's father was a gunsmith, so she was born into this line of work. Too, Larry told me that Impact always has a woman on the shop floor, which is very, very savvy customer relations given the gender issues which can be in play. Cabela's can be overwhelming and/or condescending, but I picked up on Impact's adroit professionalism the moment I walk through the door. They know that folks of every skill set and motive come in, after all!
Showed Blasco at Talon Tattoo my targets. Even Em-dash, who isn't into guns at all, was impressed. My parents were pleased because I'm going about this in exactly the right way. But my brother said that he was be disappointed in me if I bought a gun, which I thought odd and condescending; I told him that it wasn't his call, and indeed it's not his perogative. If he wants to stay in the loop about my life he should have the occasional beer with me at The Plank, and indeed I'd gotten a mug for him -Cub Fan- for his birthday for that very purpose. Dad's had beer with me, kencf0618, but my brother hasn't. Ah well!
Same make of pistol and brand of ammo
The grouping spreads out after I'm aiming the bulls-eye and not through the sights at the whole piece of paper. Then again, muscle fatique was beginning to set it. After resting I shot two more targets with similar results, for fifty bullets and five targets in all.
The recoil of the 9mm Glock 17 I rented wasn't problematic for me, but three of the women in the class had to be shifted to .22s. (Midway through the class the shop proper opened for business at 10 a.m., and I was surprised at the force of the concussion waves from a fellow who let loose with a .45 or Magnum three or four stalls down -I could feel them in my gut!) Much of the instruction regarding dominant eyes, ambidextrous eyes, thumb placement (for me), proper stance, and "The Monster," as Larry termed the complex of instincts you need to manage and harness whenever you take firearms in hand. Reptilean cortex, meet the frontal cortex... No, it hasn't shut down... It's still running the show!
I'll have to budget for this now; I already have friends and colleagues lining up who want to shoot with me! And furthermore, as I remarked to Larry afterwards, Impact should get the same sign my tattooist has: Welcome To Your New Addiction! It's highly constrained fun which I found to be very much worth my while.
Impact's a superb shop. The assistant manager's father was a gunsmith, so she was born into this line of work. Too, Larry told me that Impact always has a woman on the shop floor, which is very, very savvy customer relations given the gender issues which can be in play. Cabela's can be overwhelming and/or condescending, but I picked up on Impact's adroit professionalism the moment I walk through the door. They know that folks of every skill set and motive come in, after all!
Showed Blasco at Talon Tattoo my targets. Even Em-dash, who isn't into guns at all, was impressed. My parents were pleased because I'm going about this in exactly the right way. But my brother said that he was be disappointed in me if I bought a gun, which I thought odd and condescending; I told him that it wasn't his call, and indeed it's not his perogative. If he wants to stay in the loop about my life he should have the occasional beer with me at The Plank, and indeed I'd gotten a mug for him -Cub Fan- for his birthday for that very purpose. Dad's had beer with me, kencf0618, but my brother hasn't. Ah well!