What Would You Do?

My daughter, Ashinator, is nineteen, living on her own and working in a place I don't necessarily like - a smoke shop.

I stopped in today to see her and it was the first time I've ever stepped into a smoke/head shop.  I didn't like it.  I didn't like that they had the majority of the windows covered; I didn't like that my 100# baby girl is working alone, often times open to close; and I didn't like the clientele I saw coming and going.

Being nineteen and on her own, she can work wherever she damn well pleases, but I don't like it.  I know I've worked jobs that I *had* to just to make ends meet, but I'd rather she not work there.  I would almost feel better if she worked in a strip club.  Why?  Because there they have bouncers - big ones - and there are always people around.  I like the thought of people being around should anything happen.

She and her brothers have reassured me that stoners aren't usually motivated to do a whole lot (which is true) and that she's got protection in the form of knives stashed around the store. There's literally no place in the store that she doesn't have a knife or weapon of some sort within arm's reach.  I asked her what she would do if she couldn't get to a knife and she said, "Mom, I'm surrounded by glass hookahs, I'll hit them with one."

I like that she's thinking outside the box and I *love* that I know without a doubt she won't go down without a fight.

What I'd really, really love to do is arm her.  Unfortunately, she's not eligible for a CCW because she's not 21.  "Emergency" permits can be issued if the person is over 18, but just because she works in a head shop does not mean she is eligible for an emergency permit.

It is legal in Colorado for someone under 21 to own a handgun, but they may not purchase it.  Typically, kids under 21 who own handguns have had them "gifted" to them by a relative, so I'm not opposed to buying her a pocket pistol.  So now the problem is - even if I buy her a handgun she can't obtain a CCW to carry it.  That leaves the option of open carry, which is a whole other can of worms.

She is old enough to purchase her own long gun, but how much trouble would she be inviting to carry a shotgun to work with her every day?  Sometimes it's best to not advertise that you're well-armed.  I think with her clientele, if they saw her carrying in a shotgun, they'd start thinking that maybe there was something worth stealing in her shop, and I don't want to invite that kind of trouble.

I'm insisting that she take Double Tap's knife fighting class with me in September, but other than that, I'm not sure what else I can do.

I'm open to ideas.  Other than make her quit her job and start supporting her myself, that's not an option.

Guest Post: Chuck's Thoughts from Camp Perry

Our guest blogger, Chuck, is someone Double Tap and I have shot with for the last several years.  When I ran into him this past weekend, he was just back from Camp Perry - the site of the National NRA Conventional Pistol match.  He doesn't do much of the "go-fast stuff" (Defensive Pistol) anymore, instead choosing to focus on the Bullseye matches.  Since I know next to nothing about the type of shooting he does, I asked him to write a bit about his experience.

The Colorado Team

The National Matches are held at Camp Perry, Ohio starting with the Pistol Matches in the second week of July every year, baring a national emergency (like WWIII.) We shoot according to the rules for "NRA Conventional Pistol" at the matches (AKA "Bulls-eye") in one of the greatest tests of marksmanship in the USA, and with a history that dates back more than 100 years. Slow fire happens at 50 yards, Timed and Rapid fire at 25 yards, and all competitors shoot at their own individual targets, and at the same time - 10 shots per target, then go forward and score. I attended the Pistol phase this year along with nearly 700 other pistol shooters.

Here are some of my recollections of my first day there this year:

I am standing near the firing line on Range 1, lined up shoulder to shoulder with about 70 other shooters. There's a little light conversation while we're waiting for "Colors" prior to the first relay. One of the Range Officer's walkie talkies breaks squelch - "Five Seconds to Colors." I turn to face the flag pole. It's about 3/4 of a mile away, so I can't see it from here, but I know where it is. There's smoke from the cannon, and the National Anthem over the PA System. A few seconds later I hear the *boom* from the cannon. Still can't see the flag, but nevertheless, I've got my hat in my hand, my hand over my heart, and I'm standing at attention. Something about that makes me misty-eyed. There are two other ranges with 140 more shooters, the first of three relays today. I imagine they all feel the same. This is Camp Perry.

Time for business. The tower talker reads from his script: "Shooters, on the line: you may open your gun boxes. Your three minute prep period starts now." The targets are fifty yards away, so I focus my spotting scope and line it up with my firing position. I say to myself: "One Fifty-three, Fifty-three, I am on point Fifty-three. Fifty-three is black." It is easy to lose track and shoot at the wrong target here. The targets are spaced with about a foot of air between them. The targets and firing points are assigned and numbered and with alternating black and white backgrounds, but you still have to pay attention, so as to not screw it up. Get your grip. Place your feet. Check your Natural Point of Aim. Say "fifty-three - black" again. Don't lose points by giving them away for free. This is Camp Perry.

No more chit-chat. Clear your head. Look at the target number on the 25 yard bench, then at the one under my target, raise the pistol through both - dry fire. The wind is blowing from my right today and blowing me across the whole black of the bullseye, plus some. There's almost always some wind here. "That's okay. I know how to shoot in the wind," I tell myself - "sight alignment - trigger squeeze." Check the sights to verify I'm on my 50 yard setting - good to go. Dry fire some more to get used to holding the wind and waiting for the lulls. The tower talker resumes his script: "The preparation period has ended. This is the slow fire phase of the match - 10 rounds in 10 minutes. Load." -pause- "Is the line ready?" "The line is ready." "Ready on the right." "Ready on the left." "Ready on the firing line." The targets make a distinctive sound as they turn to face. Raise the gun. Front sight. FOCUS. There is nothing else. This is Camp Perry.

No Greater Love...

Since Friday when in first heard about the tragedy in Aurora, CO, I have probably started this post four or five times in my head, on the iPad and the laptop. It’s a serious topic, involving real people, suffering real pain inflicted by a mad man for reasons as yet fully unknown. Obviously, I want to avoid being my normal, snarky, smart alecky self.

At first, I started out thinking that I wanted to talk about the need to examine your core beliefs and establish a personal “rules of engagement” if you will for situations like this. That idea arose from a discussion I had with a friend from church Friday afternoon. He asked the question of what I would have done. Heck, I don’t know. I wasn’t there, and I’ve never been in a situation like that before. I would like to think that I would have the faith and strength of character to put myself between the shooter and those around me and use every tool at my disposal to protect them and get them to safety. Some who were there did just that while others did not. I don’t write that as praise or condemnation. It is merely a statement of fact based on reports I’ve heard so far.

I would like to think that I am ready and willing to die trying in the process. No less a person than Jesus Christ Himself said “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13) That’s not exactly Plan A, of course. My preference would be to make the other person die trying, but that’s a discussion for another time.

I thought about getting into a discussion of gun rights versus gun control; but, honestly, that horse has been run over by the cart after dropping dead from a thorough flogging. I am a member of the gun community. I believe in the right to own and bear arms. Not much is going to change that view. Others believe differently and have little interest in what I have to say on the subject. Though, for the record, I think that gun control advocates are kinda like Ray from Ghostbusters trying to choose the form of Gozer the Destructor. Ask Rahm Emanuel and Michael Bloomberg how well they have succeeded at controlling the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

And here I was trying to avoid snark…I apologize.

So, what DO I really want to say about Friday’s events?

Go love someone.

Anyone. Right now. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Carry a gun. Don’t carry a gun. I don’t care, but go find someone you care about or really like a lot and love on them.

Why am I saying this?

Allow me to give a little back story first. Ever since my wife, The Queen, and I got married, I have gotten up, gotten dressed and left the house for work before she even wakes up (most of the time…there are exceptions). I have always made it a point to give her a kiss as she lies there sleeping and tell her I love her before walking out the door. Anger, sad, or happy, argument or no, I did this because I wanted to make sure that, if anything happened to me, the last thing between us was an act of love.

Until recently. I have gotten out of the habit. There are lots of excuses, but the bottom line is that I have gotten away from doing what is in my heart.

And then I came within about 2 seconds of dying on the way home from work today. A fool in a large, black pickup ran a red light right in front of me. I can’t say for sure how fast he was going, but I would guess at least 40 and probably 50 or more. I believe he was accelerating. He would have hit my comparatively small Nissan Maxima square in the driver’s side had I made the intersection just a second or two earlier. Honestly, I can’t say for certain that I would have died, but I have investigated enough car accidents to know that serious injury and a trip to the hospital was the bare minimum that I would have gotten away with had he hit me at that speed.

It has shaken me to my core that I might not have made it home to my wife and foster kids this evening. Fortunately, I did get to hug and kiss The Queen and baby M&M this morning before I left. The Queen woke up early, and we shared a little three way hug before I had to go.

12 people in that theater Friday morning didn’t get to go home to their families, and at least 50 or 60 others came close to sharing their fate. Those 12 will never be able to love or be loved again (except in memory). They are beyond the cares of this world now. If it were possible to resurrect them right now, my bet is that their one wish and desire would be for more time with their loved ones.

When the dust settles, no one cares about how good or bad we are with a pistol or a rifle. No one cares how many or how few training classes we’ve taken. What they care about and remember most are the times we were there for them, when we hugged them when they needed it most, when we listened to them, shared their joy, their pain and their lives.

Go. Love. Someone. Now.

Thoughts For New Firearms Owners

Points to ponder from Mrs Mom


Before I dive into today's post, I want to take a moment to express our deep condolences to those affected by the incident in Aurora CO. There are no words to express the sorrow for your losses. Prayers continue from our small corner of the world to you and yours.


Now to the post.

The fall out from what happened in the theater is continuing. I fear that this will continue for quite a long time and I also feel that there are elements that we the American Joe Blow Public will never know of.

Part of the fall out is the increased desire in people to carry a firearm. Long time readers here know I am an NRA Certified Instructor. You know I train and shoot religiously, carry everywhere, and firmly- let me repeat- *F-I-R-M-L-Y* believe in the 2nd Amendment and the Constitution. While I applaud each and everyone who does choose to carry, I wish to offer something to think about as well.

The common sentiment is that one round would have stopped the chaos. While theoretically this is true- one well placed round would surely have stopped the crimes being committed (ie: Kill that head the a$$ will follow)- how many people have the necessary skill to Make.That.Shot? Trained military snipers- yes. Average Joe Citizen with a sweet 9mm or a .45? Not very many.

I believe- and I am sure there are many who will argue with me on this- that should you find yourself in a situation such as this your primary responsibility is NOT to take out the Bad Guy but to get yourself and your loved ones to safety. To SURVIVE.

Why is this?

Let's look at a couple of tidbits of information.
- It is a dark environment
- There is smoke in the air, obstructing your sight line
- Your heart will be racing as adrenaline levels skyrocket through your body
- Any ability you have to make a shot in those circumstances will be hugely compromised.

Let me repeat-

ANY ABILITY 

TO MAKE A SHOT

 IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES 

WILL

 BE 

HUGELY

 COMPROMISED. 

Anytime your body is placed under stress like this, your ability to find and hit your target drops incredibly, drastically. Ask any police officer- who has undergone training to deal with stressful situations- what his shot placement looks like and most likely they'll tell you it sucks. (That is, if they are HONEST they'll tell you that.)

Your job starts the second you leave your home. The instant you walk into ANY situation, you need to be aware and alert at all times. Know what is going on around you. Look around, identify exits. Learn the difference between cover and conceal, and where you can hunker down. If something looks or feels WRONG, then it probably IS WRONG. 

Would a citizen carrying a gun in that theater have made a difference? Hard to say. It could have made it worse, as that was a crowded, chaotic situation and any shot fired may well have hit an innocent person and NOT the intended target.

I encourage everyone who is considering a license for a firearm with the intention to carry to do so- but even MORE so I encourage you to train train train train train, and then when you think you can't possibly do it again you train some more. Training does not just involve pulling the trigger- oh no. Training involves much more than that. Practice situational awareness ALL the time. Identify possible threats, and what your plan of action will be. Identify exit points. Study with as many trained shooters as you can, and learn from them. But please. Please Please PLEASE do not purchase and carry a firearm and think that just because you HAVE it, you can save the world.  Your firearm is your PLAN B. Your PLAN A is your BRAIN. Train. Your. Brain.

Listen to your gut.

Be ready to act.

Be prepared for anything, at any time.

Use your PLAN A.


Stay safe and aware out there folks.
~MM


This post was also on Oh HorseFeathers. It has brought about a couple of interesting comments, such as if a business bans firearms, are gun owners expected to leave their gun at home, and one suggestion for mandatory training. Now the training issue is a bit of a hot button topic for another day-- but the type of training the situation in CO needed went well above and beyond the basics. And as to gun free zones.. well.. if the business owner wishes to establish such an area, thats all well and good. If my firearm is not welcome, then neither am I. I will not drop a piece in my ability to defend myself and my sons to patronize your establishment with my hard earned money. There are plenty of firearm friendly businesses out there that I'm happy to support.

Speaking of Situational Awareness...

...Do you have a plan for things like the Aurora movie theater shooting?

Yesterday, I talked about not avoiding bad situations, or not escalating them.  But what do you do when a bad situation comes to you like it did last night?

Before I get to that, though...I have to get something off of my chest.  What is wrong with parents?  If they had kept their kids at home or not allowed them out for the opening of the movie, we'd have a lot fewer injured children.  Why the hell were there infants and elementary-aged kids at a movie at midnight?  Don't you people believe in bedtimes?  Really?!

Back to our regularly scheduled post:

What do you do when the situation comes to you?  That was the question.

The movie theaters in Colorado, as a general rule, are gun-free zones.  Most CCW-permit holders I know are law- and rule-abiding citizens - if they weren't they wouldn't be issued a CCW.  Essentially what happened early this morning was a perfect example of what disarming citizens will do to our country.  The law-abiding will not have guns, the bad guys will.  Who wins?

We must have a way to protect ourselves from the wolves in society.  The theater was full of sheep (now, remember, being sheep isn't necessarily a bad thing according to Lt. Col. Grossman, but it's their choice to be sheep) and left without the protection of a Sheepdog, because the Sheepdog was stripped of his/her tools to properly execute the job.  When the wolf came a'calling, the Sheepdog couldn't match force.

So...you're a law-abiding citizen going for a nice premier of a movie, and though you usually carry, you're following the rules and left your gun in the car or at home.  A bad situation comes to you.  What now?

First - make sure you know where all of the emergency exits are so you can get out and direct people how to get out. In this instance, the bad guy came in the emergency exit.  How?  I don't know.  He might have bought a ticket, left the theater through the exit, rigged it so he could re-enter, and gone to his car to "suit up".  Or he might have had an accomplice.  We don't know yet.  What we do know is that the emergency exit wasn't an option, but the other two doors entering the theater were certainly available.

Second - don't lose your combat mindset.  This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind. Keep aware of your surroundings at all times.  Know that just because you might get shot doesn't mean you're dead.  Lt. Col. Grossman has compiled scores of documented scenarios where a person was shot and continued fighting until they won.  If you're not already, become a follower of Sheepdog tip of the day on Facebook.

Third - if you can't get out - FIGHT!  Remember Tara's post?  Fight to the death.  The bad guy has a gun, yes.  The movie theater probably held three hundred people.  If only a tenth of the theater had fought the bad guy, he would have quickly been out-numbered.  Remember my previous point: just because you're shot doesn't mean you're dead.  Keep fighting.

Last night shooting was a tragedy and my heart goes out to all affected by it, but we must not allow the anti-gunners to turn this into another reason why we should all be stripped of our basic right to protect ourselves.  If there had been just one other person in the theater with a gun - one "good guy" - the outcome would have been drastically changed.

Does anyone else have anything to add to the list?  What are your suggestions/comments/thoughts?

Here's a link to a post Mr. Mrs. Mom wrote for us after the Gabby Giffords shooting - might be worth a look-see again.

Situational Awareness - It's Not Just For Girls

My youngest son, Monster, got jumped yesterday.  We got to spend an entire afternoon in Urgent Care getting CT scanned and X-rayed.

We preach situational awareness on this blog.  Being aware of your surroundings gives you the opportunity to avoid bad situations.  But, I think I've been guilty of preaching it more to females than males.  Obviously, I did it with my own kids.

I told Ashinator, from the time she was little, to listen to her gut.  If something doesn't feel right, it's not, and to get away or don't enter the situation.

I must have missed giving that speech to Monster, because not only did he enter the situation, but he escalated it.  He was cutting through a field from his grandma's house to 7-11, there were a couple of older kids (18-19 years old) in the field who started yelling and taunting him.  At this point, I would have turned around and gone home or given them a wide berth.  But that's me and I'm old and I don't really want to fight anyone unless I have to.  Monster, on the other hand, wouldn't take getting yelled at and taunted, he yelled back.  They approached each other and he got the ever-loving shit kicked out of him - hit in the face with a skateboard, knocked out, kicked a couple of times in the gut, got his left hand stomped on (the swelling on that was impressive) and had his $20 "jacked" (<-- that's teenager-speak for stolen).

I failed on two accounts with him: I didn't impress the importance of avoiding situations like that, nor did I get it through his thick skull that maybe he shouldn't anger so easily, which escalated the situation.  So they called him names, so what?  They didn't know him, how on earth could he take it personally?  But, at 17, I guess you take it personally.

It could have been so much worse than it was - nothing was broken (except my bank account when the bills come due) and really the only thing injured was his pride.  The bruises will go away, but I hope that he learned a lesson about being aware of his surroundings and not escalating a situation.  Just walk away, or better yet, don't get into a situation like that.

And I hope, by sharing this, that it will be a reminder that we need to teach our children, of both genders, about situational awareness.  They need to know to be aware of what is going on around them at all times - this is getting harder and harder with kids, because they're always plugged into their phones or their iPods.  They form a little coccoon around themselves and block out what's going on around them - a very dangerous situation.

An Invite

I'd like to invite you to check out the new pages we've added.  You can get to them by either clicking the tab up top or clicking on the pictures in the sidebar to the right.

Mrs Mom started her own company, not too long ago, making paracord accessories.  Not just the bracelets that everyone sports, but also custom rifle slings and horse accessories.  You can find her stuff by clicking the "Accessories" tab.

As you know, I've been doing some training with Double Tap and have added him as one of our GunDudes.  Not only is he a hell of a shooter, but he's also a hell of an instructor.  The "Training" tab will give you all of the information you need to take one of his classes.

And no sales pitch would be complete without a reminder that we only have about twenty original GunDiva shirts available.  Get them while you still can - they're great range shirts in that the collars lie flat and don't gape for hot brass to find its way inside.  I wear mine all the time.

OOooohhhh... Aaahhhhhhh... *Survival*

Last month, GunDiva posted about attending a local gun show and observing the reaction of people as they passed by the paracord items for sale. I believe she referred to them as "magic talismans", and wondered if a poll of passers by would know what to DO with a cord item should they need to utilize the cord.

Which got me thinking- how many people out there can take apart and use a bracelet (or other item) should the need arise? What would you use the cordage for? 

Thinking this over caused me to change the way I make things a bit. I went to reverse engineer a bracelet (to reuse the cord for another item,) and let me tell you what. It was A. Huge. Pain. In. The. Rump. It took me a substantial amount of time to get the glue to release and I wound up cutting bits of cord to release it. The trouble I had - from something I made mind you- caused me to reconsider how we make things and completely change things. No longer will we be gluing ends-- oooh no. Now, I thread all ends back through, making it easy to use a pair of needlenose pliers (like those found on pocket multi-tools,) to pull the end free and begin reversing the braid to use the cord. Your goal can be accomplished in less than half the time on the glued items. (Don't even tell me you don't carry a multi-tool!! Those things are darn near priceless. I don't leave home without mine.)


Now- another bit of info- most bracelet braids use one foot of cord per inch of bracelet. For example, if you wear a 7" bracelet, you should have roughly 7 feet of cord to use. Most of the rifle slings we produce contain 80' to 150' of cord. If you have an item with more than one color in the braid, be aware that you will have a splice about midway, so you'd have roughly 3 1/2' of each color (once again using the 7" bracelet example). Which is not a bad thing- you can securely knot the two ends together to assure a solid connection and carry on.

What the heck do you DO with the cord, once you've undone your bracelet/ sling/ thong?

Cord has a vast multitude of uses. From holding a tarp shelter roof up, to helping bind bandages over a wound, the ways to use cord in an emergency situation are countless. The best bet? Buy a couple of items (or make them yourself, they are quite easy to do,) and practice. Take them apart, study how the braid unravels, and look hard around you to see where you could use a bit of cordage in your life. For me, being a horse and dog owner, cord has endless uses around the animals. Right now, there is some snazzy red and white cord holding up our mater plants in the garden. I have used cord to do an emergency catch on a horse who busted out and ran off from his owner. The Locust Brothers use cord to go "fishing". I used cord last Spring to tie a mattress down when my tie down strap went missing from the truck for a few days.

As GunDiva said- your brain is your primary survival tool. Always has been, always will be. When it comes to survival, you HAVE to think outside the box. A good multi-tool, keen observation skills, and an ability to stay calm and think will cover your butt amazingly well.

Think it over and get creative!
~Mrs Mom

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Thoughts on the UN Gun Treaty

What's on my mind, and many of yours, is the UN treaty on small arms.   I've received several emails regarding the apparent signing of the treaty on July 27th.  I've read the NRA pieces, I've read other blogs and even attempted to read the treaty itself to reserve judgment for myself.    Wayne LaPierre told the UN last year "despite claiming that they (the UN) had no designs on civilian gun ownership, had nevertheless made "endless demands for record keeping, oversight, inspections, supervision, tracking, tracing, surveillance, marking, documentation, verification, paper trails, databanks, new global agencies and data centers" without respecting anyone's right of self-defense, privacy, property, due process, or observing personal freedoms of any kind".

Let’s think this through for a moment.   The United Nations is made up of many countries, if not all but two or three,  that do not allow for private firearms ownership.  It’s not a right their citizens have so why would they give a rat’s ass about yours?  They don’t, and you know this.  Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and other bad apples (all UN members) won’t abide by any U.N. Mandate to track arms shipments when it does not work in their interest to track.   These players have long made a priority of supplying AK-47’s and other small arms to almost any revolutionary that opposed a democratically elected Government.    The deck is stacked, the countries of the world do not believe in our Bill of Rights, let me rephrase that statement, the politicians and despots of the countries that make up the UN do not believe in our Bill of Rights, and those countries make up the majority of the nations that make up the UN.   Mexico backs this treaty as well and we know that they want to pin their woes to arms suppliers of our country.

I took a class on the constitution over the spring, a class from Hillsdale College.   I took many ideas away from the class, but several points really stand out.   A Government will enact no law upon the citizenry and exempt itself.   That’s one idea that has been forgotten time again by our Government officials.   Healthcare past and present, Social Security, Insider trading laws are three areas I can think of off the top of my head in which our Government, elected by the people, enacted on us and not themselves.   Secondly, a power once granted to the Government is going to be used at some point.   This points heavily to untended consequences of existing laws.  Laws written vaguely or broadly enough to encompass new methods or technology which was not in existence at the time the law was written.   So, applying this point the UN arms treaty, if they do not intend this treaty to impact civilian ownership of firearms, write it in such a way to expressly exempt civilian ownership.  The UN, not having done this can then exercise the write to enforce registration, tracking, etc… at some future time when the outcry has subsided.   Loss of freedom through incrementalism, we know about that, it’s getting pecked to death by ducks.   Take just these two things away and you can see that our own Government could sell us out to the UN and exempt themselves.   Lastly, the study of human nature, our founders were very smart men for their times and they recognized that man has both good intentions and greed in himself.   The politician believes he/she is helping his/her constituents, but at the same time is always trying to cement his/her own power.   Better believe this point, this is why all politicians fail us in the end, they become more concerned about their own power than our freedom.  

Lastly, I’d like to point out that even if the administration signs the treaty the senate has the last word on treaty ratification.   No less than 57 Senators have written the administration and said they “unequivocally oppose” the treaty that would impact civilian ownership of firearms.   However, they are politicians and they will serve themselves in this area.  Western Democrats will lose re-election on this issue alone and they no know it.    Harry Reid himself gets an A rating from the NRA.   Here comes the plea, call your senators, voice your concerns, email your senators – write your concerns.   Do it daily, write a 10 minute letter and keep it in MS Word, copy and paste it into their form everyday for the month of July– done.  Don’t let those Senators forget, and make sure they know you won’t forget.

Remember Charlton Heston?  Yep – “from my cold dead hands…”

Double Tap

HACKED!

If you received an email from us today, it wasn't really us.  We got hacked :(

I think I've got it straightened out now, but if you get an email from thegundivas at hotmail dot com, please check the subject line.  I will always place a description up there - if it's blank, it's probably not from us.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Not a Long-gunner

I've always said that between Tara and I, we make a really good all-around shooter; she's a natural with her rifle and works hard with her handgun, I'm exactly the opposite.

Pistol shooting pretty much comes easy to me.  That's not to say that I'm an incredible shot or that I can shoot a match-head off at 50 yards (I can't), but pistols are just more comfortable for me.  I understand and handle them easily.

Rifles, on the other hand, take a lot more work for me. I'm okay with rifles, but feel like I don't know enough about them to be very comfortable.  Maybe I should clarify, scoped rifles. Give me open sights and I can hold my own out to 100 yds. I did fairly well in the two 1,000 yd matches I shot (192/200 and 188/200) with borrowed rifles, but I kind of feel like I was cheating.  I was using someone else's gun each time that had already been zeroed in - all I had to do was take into account the wind and press the trigger, maybe make a small altitude adjustment.

This sounds silly, but I'm comfortable shooting at 1,000 yds with their rifles, but I'm not at all comfortable shooting at any closer distances.  Why?  Because I've really only ever shot long distances and I don't know how to make the adjustment to shorter ones.

My husband and I have two Remington 700s, one in .223 and one in .308 and we rarely shoot them.  Now, I know the .308 will go out 1,000 yds (with the right glass, which I cannot afford right now), but we're not looking for long-range type stuff.  We want to be able to hunt with them and I really have no idea how to get them zeroed in.  I know there's a bunch of formulas out there for how to zero for different distances and stuff.  The problem is that my eyes cross and my mind goes blank whenever anyone tries to explain it to me. 

And then you have to factor in the glass, which is a whole other learning curve.  So many different types of scopes and reticles.  MOA, WTH?  It gives me a headache to try and figure it out.

I know to zero Tara's long-range gun in, we zero at 76 meters and we'll be on at 1,000 yards.  I understand the flight path of the bullet and "get" that part.  But to figure out how to do my own rifles for much closer distances?  Not a clue.

Luckily, I have an old shooting buddy, Z,  who can do this stuff in his sleep and has agreed to go out with us tonight and bring his lead sled. I figure I'm not very good at this zeroing in business so if I can take the human error out of it by using the lead sled, we'll be a step ahead.  Plus, Z is a damn genius with this stuff, so maybe I'll learn something.

But, probably what's going to happen is that my eyes are going to cross and my mind is going to go blank. Hopefully it will make sense to hubby.

Wish us luck.  Maybe, some day, in a million years or so I will be able to talk intelligently about shooting with a scope at different ranges.

Gun Lust

I've got it bad.

I came across a deal on one of my wish list items, and I am trying to figure out if the deal is workable. The object of my desire: the Smith & Wesson 627 V-Comp. Here, let me help you visualize it.

(photo courtesy of Smith & Wesson's website)

Eight rounds of .357 magnum revolvery goodness. Performance center tuned action. Removable compensator. Five inch barrel...which I consider to be Goldilocks (not too short, not too long, but just right). I'll be right back...I need a cold shower.

The dealer is offering it at just under MSRP which is not bad considering that there are some dealers attempting to charge more than MSRP...when you can find them in stock. I see a lot advertised for less than MSRP...but, they are on back order. This guy has more than one in stock, and he is willing to take a partial trade AND do layaway. 

It's too much to resist. The shame of it all is that the only way this deal works is if I give up one of the guns currently in inventory...unless a friend comes through on his inclination to purchase a certain junk car currently in my possession. If he does, that covers my layaway down payment and gets me a third of the way to physical possession of my new hog leg.

Decisions, decisions. It will be the single most expensive firearms purchase I've made to date and perhaps ever. But. I. Don't. Care. 

Further updates as events warrant.