Where the guys are
They're out having fun. At least it seemed that way when I went with Glenn yesterday afternoon to shoot with bloggers SayUncle and Les Jones, and the guys at LuckyGunner.com. I often wonder looking around at the world where the guys are. And now I know. They are doing their own thing, mastering skills and becoming entrepreneurs like the guys at LuckyGunner who are finishing law school and running a business.
We shot outside and as the afternoon turned to dusk, I watched as SayUncle put together an AR-15 modified to shoot a .50 BMG round and the guys took turns shooting it. I shot an AR-15 as well as a variety of pistols and rifles. All the men took the time to explain each of their guns to me and it was great to be outside in the fresh air doing something instead of sitting still. What also amazed me is how much knowledge, skill, and ability goes into the art of shooting and understanding weaponry. Yes, shooting well requires discipline, intelligence and art, something those who are ignorant of weapons do not understand.
Update: SayUncle has pictures here.
We shot outside and as the afternoon turned to dusk, I watched as SayUncle put together an AR-15 modified to shoot a .50 BMG round and the guys took turns shooting it. I shot an AR-15 as well as a variety of pistols and rifles. All the men took the time to explain each of their guns to me and it was great to be outside in the fresh air doing something instead of sitting still. What also amazed me is how much knowledge, skill, and ability goes into the art of shooting and understanding weaponry. Yes, shooting well requires discipline, intelligence and art, something those who are ignorant of weapons do not understand.
Update: SayUncle has pictures here.
posted by Helen at 6:01 AM
16 Comments:
One question: who paid for the 50 BMG ammunition? Midway lists surplus at $3/round. Even handloaded, that stuff is still expensive. I'd like to shoot one of those things, but I'm just too cheap.
BobH,
Lucky Gunner brought free ammo.
Being a shooter and an audiophile are similar. Anyone can pull a trigger or play an mp3, but shooters and audiophiles are INTO their hobby. They know, understand, and really dig the equipment they use and concentrate while shooting or listening.
It is usually fun being around people like that. Their enthusiasm is infectious.
Trey
I shoot a .22 because it is cheap.
Super! Good to see you getting out and playing. What you said about shooting is absolutely true. As often as I shoot, I am just... well, a humble gunner. So, I am actually a little jealous. In teh good way.
So... are you gonna get your own metal spud tosser? I could see you with your own .50 BMG. (he's lying) How about a 9mm? Or even a .223? Or the boring ol' .38 lady? Bah, you probably already have. Forensics girls are often a bit... different. :p
Great buncha guys to get all shooty with. They even have the good manners to not laugh at the newbie girlie girl in their midst - although my husband does not!
I think a ladies shootup would be marvelous fun, don't you? We'd let the guys come too, just cause we love 'em so much ...
"Yes, shooting well requires discipline, intelligence and art, something those who are ignorant of weapons do not understand."
Well, that's because you're someone who actually thinks, instead of letting the leftists tell you what to think. How did you learn? By doing. And having fun.
Shooting is like bowling, golf and a few other games. Ultimately, it's not you against another competitor. It's you against the course, target and gun itself. What it takes to succeed is an almost obsessive commitment to practice and improve. (Consider what a Rob Leatham can do with with a production 45 ACP autoloader, versus what you or I could do.) People in these types of sports tend to help each other more than where an active defense is possible and, in fact, usually want you to do well.
LissaKay,
I was hoping you would be there. Maybe next time?
"Shooting is like bowling, golf and a few other games"
I've often used those exact comparisons to explain the experience to non-shooters. Striking a golf ball perfectly for instance ... uniform feedback in your hands from the club, a solid report from the club face when contact is made, and you often know before you have finished following through that your ball will land very close to where you aimed ... or for me, more often it is not heh.
Shooting well comes easier to me than golf, but the experience and satisfaction from doing well is the same.
Sigh......if I took up shooting, I would just shoot all my golf clubs.
It's more expensive than shooting but I'd recommend learning to fly small airplanes. You don't have to stick with it all the way to a private license. But if you investigate the hobby and think you would like it it's easy to get started. Many airports have "fun flight" or "intro flights" for $50 or less.
I was pretty broke and never had a car in HS but I was able to slowly pay for flying lesson while working at McDonalds.
If you like the first few flights, take a break from the expensive part, study until you feel comfortable with the jargon, save your money to pay for 10-15 hours of instruction and then fly steady until you solo.
One warning, many life insurance policies have an exclusion for "general aviation." It's not much more difficult than learning to drive, but the mental stimulation is awesome and half the fun is in knowing how important it is to get things right. It;s not as dangerous as the uninitiated think. It's much easier to learn than the unintiated think, and it's one place where you can still free.
Shave your beard off before asking about lessons. Paranoia seems to be quite prevalent these days.
Helen,
Thanks for the insight. With very rare exceptions, I haven't shot anything since a bb gun so post was quite interesting to me.
I go to the local knife and gun show twice a year with a neighbor. He always tells me to buy the .50 caliber rifle. I say "Which one is that?" He replies "The one that takes up two tables."
I really like the one in the instanpundit article and it looks as if it only costs about 10-15% of the one I saw at the gun show. That's good. But ammo costs are something to consider, as is the real question - what the heck do I need with something like that? Where I live you can't even see 100 yards due to the trees, so the ability to shoot a mile is of dubious value. But fun, right?
Yes Helen,
I see endless 'news article' asking 'where did all the good men go'? We are just going about our lives blissfully removed from western women!
My mates and I work on software, eating good food and drinking good wine or lots of good beer. And yes, when we go out we actually invite the indian women who work with us.
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