I'm 56 years old and up until last weekend, had never fired a gun. I think I'd only even held a gun (unloaded) once in my life.

However, much to the surprise of a lot of Americans, there are no shortage of guns in Canada. My buddy is an avid gun hobbyiest, and last Saturday I went with him and another buddy to the local indoor shooting range.

We had three different guns with us including a Smith and Wesson 686P (7 shot) stainless steel revolver in .357 Magnum (6 inch barrel), and a Springfield Armory XD9 Tactical (10 round magazine) semi-automatic pistol in 9mm (5 inch barrel).

Before we headed to the range I was given a brief lesson on how to use the guns, including being instructed on which end of the barrel the bullets came out.

When we got to the indoor range and set up at our station, I expected to stand back and watch my two buddies shoot ahead of me as they both have experience firing guns. I was surprised when I was told to go first, to pick a gun and start shooting.

So I picked the revolver. I guess it reminded me of the wild west.

The target was five yards away. I had ear protection and safety glasses on. (No corrective lenses of any sort.)

I raised the gun, held it both hands, cocked the hammer, lined up the sights (as best I could), held my breath, and gently squeezed the trigger.

Seven shots later...




I swear, this is not photoshopped or fake. All seven shots were on target. (First four shots single action, last three shots double action.)

Beginner's luck I'm sure, but it was rather surprising all the same.

Don't mess with an old greybeard Canadian. We're even more accurate with hockey pucks.

Nice shooting, even if it was only 5 yards away, you done good. Welcome to the hollowed halls of Red Neckdom.


But, I gotta ask, what the heck is a hockey puck?

------------------
Ron
We learn good judgement by exercising bad judgement. Such is the human condition, as sad as that sounds.

quote Originally posted by blackrams: But, I gotta ask, what the heck is a hockey puck?

Ron, stand over here in front of this net and I'll show you.

quote good ol' boy

You do realize us city guys have them too...

That looks a lot closer than 5 yards, I think you are fibbing.

J/k

Nice shooting for the first timer, now how did you do when it actually was at 15’?

Steve

------------------
Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

Well happy birthday you old fart. Nice shooting.

Tony

quote Originally posted by blackrams: But, I gotta ask, what the heck is a hockey puck?

Its a thing that starts out as a nice juicy filet mingion, and then the girlfriend puts it on a grill and ya get this very hard black thing. Hockey Puck.

Nice shooting....but ya gotta get the HEAD when the zombies start commin ....

[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 07-02-2012).]

Nice!!!

It was fun wasn't it

I remember the first time I shot a pistol, It had no front sight. After a few rounds I got use to it and could point it and be pretty accurate.
It was a lot of fun plunking cans and bottles behind my uncle's house. It wasn't until I joined the Navy that I really leaned how to shoot, haven't been sports shooting since.

Nothing drains the fun out of something like reality, silhouettes defiantly take on a new meaning.
I still shoot but only to keep the rust off, its fun but its not the same as plunking cans anymore.
Have fun and be safe.

quote Originally posted by Nurb432: You do realize us city guys have them too...

Huh? Is "good ol' boy" supposed to be a reference strictly to "country" dwellers? I figured good ol' boys could be living anywhere.

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: That looks a lot closer than 5 yards, I think you are fibbing.

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to suggest that!

No Steve, I shot at that target when it was five yards away and we reeled it in for the photo opportunity... and that's the truth!

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: Nice shooting for the first timer, now how did you do when it actually was at 15’?

We initially had the targets set at five yards, and then at ten yards, and a little bit further away as well. I continued to do pretty good, but I found the biggest problem with the target being positioned further away was that I couldn't see where the bullet holes were being created, and that made any kind of an immediate correction pretty difficult.

quote Originally posted by Tony Kania: Well happy birthday you old fart. Nice shooting.

Tony, who said anything about it being my birthday? I was just stating my advanced age!

quote Originally posted by MidEngineManiac: Nice shooting....but ya gotta get the HEAD when the zombies start commin ....

Noted!

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: Nice!!!

Thanks!

quote Originally posted by Patrick: You reminded me of something that we dealt with while we were at the range last Saturday. The third gun we were using was some kind of a .22 target pistol. It was brand new and had never been fired previously. What I didn't like about it was that the front sight didn't have any dab of paint on it (like the other two guns did from the factory) and I found it quite difficult to distinguish the front sight from the rear sights when aiming the gun. We improvised and ended up putting a bit of white masking tape on the front sight and that made a world of difference! My buddy will be touching it up with a dab of white paint before it's used again.

We were shooting .22 longs. A nice red dot makes all the difference. When I practice quick shooting I hardly ever look at the rear sights, just put the front sight on target and squeeze so I like a very prominent front sight.
It helps to know your weapon, its just like pointing your finger. The noisy one.

Next time take some balloons and tape, the first shot out of the holster only has to pop the balloon. After that you can concentrate on accuracy. Its does add to the fun and gives you some feed back on the longer shots.

Nice shooting sir.

Just put a laser on it...ya see the red dot on target?....ya know where the round went. No need for those silly sight thingies.

Nice shooting! Which gun did you like the best?

Excellent grouping you have going on there!

You mean you fired a gun and didn't kill at least 2 or 3 nuns coming back from worship, or a couple kids playing ball? How is that possible!

quote Originally posted by CoryFiero: Nice shooting sir.

quote Originally posted by avengador1: Excellent grouping you have going on there!

As stated previously, beginner's luck... but thanks.

quote Originally posted by MidEngineManiac: Just put a laser on it...ya see the red dot on target?....ya know where the round went. No need for those silly sight thingies.

A lot can happen (in regards to one's aim) between the time the trigger starts to be pulled and when the gun fires. I can see it'll take some practice to become familiar with a particular gun and have an inkling of when the gun is actually going to fire.

quote Originally posted by mikejhjr: Nice shooting! Which gun did you like the best?

Good question.

I liked the .357 Magnum Smith and Wesson 686P revolver for it's simplicity. The pistols were kind of a nuisance to load, but I have to admit that the 9mm Springfield Armory XD9 Tactical semi-automatic pistol was kind of fun to shoot because of the added recoil action and shells flying out of the side.

I have no idea of the relative stopping power of these guns, but just in regards to target practice... if I had to choose one to shoot exclusively, it would be the revolver.

quote Originally posted by Formula88: You mean you fired a gun and didn't kill at least 2 or 3 nuns coming back from worship, or a couple kids playing ball? How is that possible!

I tried, but they all moved too fast!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtG0BN4FKZQ#t=0m07s

I don't know, they may not. Call first Tell them its your birthday

quote Originally posted by Patrick: Ron, stand over here in front of this net and I'll show you.

Sorry, I don't fish any more so I don't go near a net. Must be some kind of fish if you need a net or are we talking like basketball net. Sorry, can't jump that high any longer. Guess I'll have to accept the burnt steak definition. That's OK, there are a lot of minor league sports played here also.

------------------
Ron
We learn good judgement by exercising bad judgement. Such is the human condition, as sad as that sounds.

Nice shooting

A little more hair and I big stash and you might look like Tom Selleck.

Hope you had fun, I have never been to a range.

Well alrighty then.
Dead targets tell no tales, but I do have to ask some pertinent questions.
a. How many non-working major appliances are on your front porch? (microwave oven or larger)
b. If your porch completely collapsed, how many dogs would it crush?
c. How many non-operating vehicles are in your FRONT yard?
d. Were you holding a cold beer:
1. just before?
2.during?
3.right after?
you murdered that target?
4. all the above ?

If you answered 1 or more to a, 4 or more to b, 2 or more to c, and chose 4 as answer to c, as a real redneck, you can now shoot the goalie dead from 15' out and knock the puck into the net before his limp and collapsing body blocks your shot.
Congratulations.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-05-2013).]

I think Pokey brought this old thread from last year to the top as he just found out in another thread (and was probably shocked to discover) that this tree hugger from Canada has actually fired a gun.

Earlier this year, a Fiero buddy from Washington State invited me to his local outdoor shooting range near Bellingham. It reminded me somewhat of a gravel pit, but it had separate areas where newbs like me could fire off a few rounds without getting in anyone else's way. I don't have the details, but we were using some kind of .22 pistol that had attachments on it that allowed you to hold it like a rifle.

So we went to a deserted area of the shooting range, and my friend starting collecting empty shotgun shells he was finding on the ground to use as targets. We lined them up on the ground and on the ends of posts and on all sorts of different props. We then stood back about 25 to 30 yards and my friend told me to start shooting. I had no idea how I was supposed to hit targets that were the size of my thumb from that distance, until my buddy explained to me how to use the electronic sight. He showed me how it would put a red dot on the target in the viewfinder. I never knew such a device existed. Yes, I am a complete newb!

So I raised the gun, aimed, fired... bingo, a shotgun shell jumped in the distance. Aimed and fired again... bingo, a shotgun shell jumped in the distance. I did this at least six times before I missed, and then I started hitting them all again. My friend was amazed. He said I had to meet the buddies in his club who were shooting elsewhere on the site.

His friends were involved in some sort of competition where they were shooting at five bowling pins lined up in formation on a table. This was right up Boonie's alley. (Great pun, eh?) After the actual competition was over, my friend asked one of the other guys to let me shoot his revolver at the bowling pins. I don't know what this revolver was, but it was BIG, and it also had some sort of electronic sight (different than the other one I had just tried). I was told to hit the logo on the bowling pins, otherwise the bowling pins wouldn't jump off the table. The table was about 20 yards away. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam... I blew all five bowling pins right off the table. The guys started asking me how long I'd been doing this. My friend, who had a big smile on his face, told his gun club buddies that this was the second time I'd ever gone shooting.

They wanted me to join their club and enter competitions etc, but I had to politely decline. The truth is, I don't really enjoy it. Yes, I'm happy to have tried it, but I find it extremely stressful. So much mental concentration, but yet, no actual physical outlet. I don't like standing still. However, I was exhausted afterwards, but not the kind of rewarding physical exhaustion I feel after playing hockey for example.

So yes, it was fun, and it makes for a great story (I think so anyway!)... but no, there isn't a future for me as a marksman.

So your little piece of Canada has someone with a new theme song?

Id never even seen a real gun till I joined the Air Force. We had to qualify in basic. They say untrained are the best subjects. I qualified marksman. I dont bother with target shooting myself now that I have laser sights on all my guns. Ill only fire one for protection...ammos too expensive anyway to waste. If I do see the need to do some fun target shooting, I have a BB/pellet gun that looks like a Colt 1911 .45. BBs are cheap.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 11-05-2013).]

Congratulations!

Seems we both had a "first" on the gun range last Saturday.

You fired your very first shots ever......

and I got my my very FIRST ever case of "slide bite". (in two places no less)


Its obviously not serious but it did bleed like all hell for a few minutes and scared my wife, who thought I had shot the end of my thumb off somehow.
(What's under the Bandaid is uglier)

Normally any "Good Ol' Boy" like us would be embarassed to ever admit gettin' "slide bit", but in this case I was trying out a "Baby Glock" (27) and them dinky lil' small frame "ladies purse guns" can sure sneak up and get ya if you have man sized hands!

My carry weapon is a Glock 23 and thats as small as I am comfortable with, but the wife wants that Glock 27, so I had to try it out before buying it for her.....

Anyway, not to take away from your grand accomplishment. Good grouping, even if it was only 15 feet and nice to see you are enthusiastic about it and enjoyed yourself.
Now keep at it!

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 11-05-2013).]

Target shooting is fun!

quote Originally posted by yellowstone: Target shooting is fun!

YES, Target shooting is indeed great fun.