Shooting

Firstly, a certain disclaimer is in order. I go shooting maybe once a year, but after a recent trip with my husband, I decided to use this spot to slap up some of my targets. Also, as many of my friends have expressed a wish to see what I can do at the range, so this is my little place to have someting to direct folks’ attention to. Who knows, this site might also encourage me to go shooting more often.

Taurus Model 85 revolver

My gun of choice is a Taurus Model 85.  Mine has been fitted with a special grip to make holding it more comfortable and it has also had some trigger work done to it so I won’t have to stretch my finger out too far ot find myself pulling the trigger with only the very tip of my index finger. It’s light enough that my hand doesn’t hurt after I hold it level while shooting.  I prefer revolvers over pistols because revolvers don’t eject shells all over the place while you’re firing them.

I have very small hands, so the number of guns that are comfortable for me to use are rather small.  so far though I’ve been very pleased with the Taurus.

Below are some recounts of past trips to the range along with images.

April 26th, 1999 -Technically my 1st time to the range, as this happened over a year and a half ago I don;t have much in the way of details. But one of my targets is available for view here. I’ve been to the range a couple of times before, but this was the first time I had any record of it.

November 11th, 2000 - My husband had been nice enough to go along with me for dinner and a movie when he didn’t really want to because he knew it would make me happy, so in return I did something I really wasn’t in the mood to do but I knew would make him happy. I went to the range with him.

1st target, 25 rounds - I’m getting the hang of things again, but was glad that I managed to hit every time with my first target in over a year. I’m having to re-learn the right and comfortable way to hold the gun and how much pressure on the trigger is necessary.

2nd target, 20 rounds - My hand is starting to get sore and it shows in a couple of wild shots.  After finishing this I take a break and observe the glock competetion being held at the same time for a few minues to let my hand uncramp.

3rd target, 25 rounds - I pick up the pace and try to spend less time aiming and more time actually shooting (I’m learning this so I can defend myself against a house invader afterall, and I doubt they’ll stop and let me aim).  The result is a less clustered together grouping. My husband points out that I’m shooting through the same holes in some spots and I try to use this as a guide to learn where to aim.

4th target, 20 rounds - My hand is getting tired again, and I try some more aiming experiments which result in a couple of wild shots, but instead of hitting in the upper right of the target like I usually do I also hit in the lower left.  Important reference for later.

5th and final target, 10 rounds - I go for broke and it pays off. I get a good mixture of fast shooting and accuracy. My trigger finger also has a small red welt on it and after emptying two 50ct ammo boxes I decide to call it quits.

Words of advice... the first thing you need to do when shooting it to teach yourself not to flinch when it goes off.  Flinching will make you jerk the gun up and will mess up your aim.  My way of breaking this habit is to just stand in the back of the range and listen to other people shoot for a bit while making an effort to not flinch or blink every time I hear a bang.  Your aim will improve remarcably once you break this habit.

For those of you who do not like guns, please remember that the right to bear arms is a constitutional freedom and we as members of a nation who fought to retain our freedom need to respect that right, even if we don’t like guns. Gun owners are not criminals, they are not murderers, and they respect what their weapon can do more than folks give them credit for. Before passing judgement on gun owners it would be a good idea to visit a gun range and observe all of the safety, respect, and care that just about every gun owner in America observes when handling firearms. It’ll change your opinion drastically, I assure you.

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