Saturday, March 17, 2007

Just call me Annie Oakley...

Friday, after work, I finally did something I've talked about for a long time.
I went to an indoor shooting range.

I have never even held a gun of any kind, before last night, let alone shoot one.
It turned out to be fun. Lots of fun! I will be doing it again.

It was a one hour lesson that turned out to be almost two hours.
The female instructor had me use a Walther .22LR... the second photo in the
link is the one I used. It felt very comfortable... easy to handle, simple to load.

I used an entire box of ammo... 100 rounds. I didn't expect to use all 100, but
when they were gone, I was disappointed. I wanted MORE.
My accuracy surprised me. The instructor was impressed. I got to take home
the two targets so I can show the guys at work. Heh. She also said I could tape
the smaller target... about a ten-inch bullseye thingie... to my front door as a ...
deterrent.

I was able to cluster the shots where I wanted them. On the larger target...
an upper body silhouette...
I focused on the head, chest and lower abdomen/groin.
Between both targets there were only about three shots that
veered to the edges.
After talking to Og earlier today, I'm going to try to find someone
who would be willing to go with me, using their guns instead of renting.
After one more lesson.

There were only two negatives from this experience:
1. it cost me $54 in rental fees, including $20 for the instructor.
2. I now have two blisters in my cleavage.
One of the casings flew backwards, instead of to the right.
I was wearing a white, deep v-neck shirt.
It took me too long to find the hot little bastard and remove it.
Ow.

35 comments:

Dick said...

Go over to www.nicedoggie.net and ask for BC. He's in your area and would probably be more than happy to help.

Jean said...

Thanks, Dick... I'll ask.

kdzu said...

The blisters probably need to be tended to. An Aloe Gel rub...............Wait I started wandering off there for a minute.
And is there a subconscious sadistic thing going on with the shooting at the groin area.
Just Kidding Jean. I taught my girls to shoot while they were in grade school. One frequently deer hunts and brings home the meat, with her husband. The elder, when her son got his first pellet gun. Amazed both he and his dad with here sure aim. The middle daughter goes to shooting matches with her customized CAR 15 which has pink stock and foregrip. It's a great sport and wonderful defense training. Glad you enjoyed.

Anonymous said...

.... bwhahahahahaha.... casings are hot..... glad you enjoyed your first shoot though....

Eric

Jean said...

Larry - the aloe is a good suggestion...:) As far as aiming at certain areas, if your gonna shoot, it should be to stop 'em, no?

Eric - it was fun... if not painful on the boobage.

Anonymous said...

Woo-hoo for you! And a word to the wise -- turtlenecks!

I love to shoot, my dad taught me on .22 rifles when I was 10. I also recently went shooting with my brother at a range using his 9mm, and I beat him with his own gun! Very satisfying. I don't own a gun, but I'd like to. I lust after a Browning that Bane posted about a while ago.

BobG said...

Welcome to the world of firearms! It is good to see someone take an interest in shooting. I'm certain you should be able to find someone in your area to go shooting with you; most gunnies are glad to help newbies who are learning to shoot. My wife and I were out just yesterday shooting our 22 pistols and rifles.

Jean said...

Sparrow - oh, turtlenecks in Florida... well, at least a good crewneck. Good for you on the 9mm... that's supposed to be my next lesson.

BobG - thanks and Welcome... I'm looking forward to meeting some folks with experience.

Anonymous said...

Buy a box of Winchester .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) Silvertips, and rent a .45, and run the box through it. See how you like it. To me, 9mm's kick harder...sharper. In my hand, the .45 goes boom, and kicks a little, but the 9mm goes BANG, and jumps. It's a tonal thing. I've seen big crazy guys absorb 32 rounds of 9mm and drop at the cops feet. I've seen one shot from a .45 drop a big man's ass in the dirt.

Jean said...

thanks, Bane... I'm making notes.

Anonymous said...

Wish I'da brought my guns down here. Only thing... I'd have nowhere to keep them.

Would have been a great way to hook up with a blogger, too!

AspergantuS said...

Uh...remind me never to piss you off......

Anonymous said...

I should have gotten you in touch with my mother. She misses going shooting.

Desert Cat said...

Seriously, give Bane's suggestion a try. I think too many women are intimidated by the thought of a .45 rather than the reality of it.

Daisycat's .380 kicks almost as much as my .45. The reason has to do with the relative mass of her gun (very lightweight) compared to mine. The extra mass is a shock absorber. The tradeoff is, of course, the superior concealability of her gun.

Jean said...

t1g - damn... that woulda been fun!

Mick - I think you're safe...:)

rsm - seriously? Maybe in the future.

DC - You make sense, too... maybe I'll get back there this week.

curmudgeon said...

BWaAH!!! Hot casing down the titties!
I shouldn't laugh, but BWAAAAAAH!

Sorry.

You done good though. :)

Jean said...

Dave - that hot little sucker was hard to find amongst all the boobage!! (thanks)

Anonymous said...

Taping targets to the door is EXACTLY what was done to Travis by his step-mom. And yes, she was a good shot. I think the grouping was at crotch level.

Jean said...

Jack - oh, trust me... the crotch was covered well... along with chest and head.

Anonymous said...

Mmmmmmm.... Aloe & breasts...
*Ahem*

Sorry 'bout that... Jean, next time we have a Rottie Fest over here in the Tampa Bay area, you'll have to come on over and join us. There were more guns in the Festhaus than most Turd World countries own. We didn't make it to the range this past one (time was too short, due to a last-minute change in venue), but we're definitely going to be sending rounds downrange next time.

Jean said...

B.C. - ha... if someone had been standing there with some aloe, well... let's just say, no argument.

I got your e-mail... thanks for the info. I'll follow up on it for sure.

Anonymous said...

I live in a state where all weapons are banned and carry a mandatory jail sentence of a year (even if you're defending yourself). Sick I know.

But having been stalked, attacked and almost raped (my limited martial arts training saved me that time) I would aim to shoot for a kill, not an injury.

Why? As they taught me in martial arts, if I'm defending myself it means the person is on top of me. Standing at 5ft tall, I have no room for error and need to swiftly inflict maximum bodily injury in order to escape/defend myself.

There is nothing worse than a slightly injured, adrenaline fueled guy that is doubly hell bent on hurting you. That's from personal experience.

You have no idea how I wish I could carry a gun.

michele
http://lettersfromnyc.mu.nu

Firehand said...

'amongst all the boobage', Damn, there's a picture...

Ahem. Sorry. But burns from a .22 case? Never saw one get that hot before.

As was said above, welcome to shooting. I'm too far away to help(OK), but you'll find people just full of advise.

Among other things.

Desert Cat said...

Well the legally correct wordage is "shoot to stop the attack". If you say you're shooting to kill, you could be charged with that as your intent. You say "shoot to stop the attack" and if the attacker happens to be stone cold dead when you're done, then that's the bonus. :)

Scott from Oregon said...

Guns are fun for plinking. I've never been able to shoot a pistol straight but I can still put out eye sockets at fifty or sixty feet with my little JC Higgins...

All this silly talk of killing people and shooting your attacker makes me want to go take a bath with bubbles and remember why I like being a human being.

Some people make me forget.

none said...

Congrats! I have one of those little walthers and I love it.
Sounds like you had a good first time. I've had plenty of blisters myself but now I wear a regular Tshirt and baseball cap to deflect most of them.

Jean said...

Michele - so sorry about the terrifying experiences... had no idea NY was so strict... seems more than a little extreme.

Firehand - it was hard to find "in there"...:)and this one left two blisters.
Advice is good... 'other things'?... I can handle that too.
I'll be visiting your blog... thanks for coming by!

D.C. - good information to know... thanks!

Scott - a JC Higgins?.... one I've never heard of, not surprisingly.
My intention is not to kill... it is to have fun at the range and be able to defend myself if needed.

It's nice to know that there are men who appreciate a good bubblebath.

Hammer - thanks... I'm looking forward to more of the same... minus the blisters!

Kim du Toit said...

Well done. At least you'll remember to wear a high-neck blouse next time...

And any time you're in the DFW area, drop me a line, and I'll take you shooting, with some other guns for you to try.

Jean said...

Kim - shooting with you?... wow.

Neoma said...

Ouch, I think there is a lesson to be learned here, do NOT wear a low cut top........

My second husband and I were avid "plunkers" we shot all the time, tin cans on the fence, tin cans in the lake, and other things. I enjoyed it, and I often warn people, I am a good shot. haha As the woman from the add for the "Soprano's" said, "We have guns here....."

Jean said...

Nea - Ouch is right!...but, I can't wait to go back.

Anonymous said...

Jean, I've burnt the boobies too. haha But be glad you didn't do like that girl I linked a while ago and freak out, wave your firearm, and shoot yourself in the leg. Hot shells down the front hurts, but it's a badge of honor, huh??

Good on ya for going to the range. Damn area I live in has no public ranges. I gotta do my shooting down in Alambama.

Jean said...

LL - Alabama??... you might just as well come on down to Florida and shoot with me!
I loved it, can't wait to go back... wearing a crewneck...:)

Anonymous said...

What Kim said.

Heck, if you come by DFW we'll ALL go and I'll bring along a few toys of my own as well.

As to the burn: It could've been worse. One of my Army buddies got a hot .308 casing down the sleeve of his jacket (don't ask me how). We had to DIG that sucker out of his arm and it took the skin with it.

Jean said...

Misha - thanks for the offer!
I registered at the Bark, but am still waiting on my password...?

My blisters are healing nicely, thanks... unlike your friend's poor arm.