A Lesson In Target Shooting At The Local Gun Range
Can you guess which one of the parents I am? Hint: Left Handed!
My husband is retired military, and when I say retired, I mean forcefully so. He was blown off something while fighting overseas, paralyzed after being operated on four times, and he learned to walk again. He'd still be out there if he could, for it's who he is, and to have that all snatched away from him in one fell swoop along with being left in debilitating pain is the kind of duty that I wish he didn't have to endure.
One of the things that I admire so much about him is that he took some of his skills and applied them in arenas that he could act in. He became a rifle and pistol 4H leader, a NRA competitive marksmanship instructor for youth, and a range safety officer at our local gun range. Every Friday night he takes a group of kids from 10-17 years old to the range and coaches them. He holds monthly meetings at our home and teaches a whole group of youngsters about the ins and outs of firearms. I'm constantly hearing the terms, "trigger control," "hangfire," "misfire," "natural point of aim," "sight alignment," and so on.
He is a great leader, instructor, and all around person to be around, but then again, I am slightly biased.
My experience with firearms was pretty limited, even though I lived in the wilderness. As a "girl" I was usually handed a loaded weapon and allowed to shoot it. During my tenure in the logging camp I tended to carry around a 12 gauge shotgun as a bear deterrent, but aside from pumping it and pulling the trigger, I was rather clueless about its inner workings or even how to load in properly. Thanks to my husband I am much more proficient with firearms, and while I cannot break down my pistol and reassemble it blindfolded; I can now strip it completely down, clean it, reassemble it, load it, and shoot it proficiently. Yay for competency.
I do however, have a bit of an "issue." I am right handed and left eye dominant. It makes things especially interesting in the aiming department as I always tend to feel a bit awkward, so I leave the marksmanship shooting to my husband and our two kids.
Then came "Take Your Parent To The Range Night."
My family has been going to the range for months, and yet I had never set foot inside. So that night, aside from the normal crew, my mother and I were in tow for Friday Night Shoot.
My daughter "taught" my mom to target shoot, and my son, who is left handed, told me not to worry that,
"I'll show you what to do Mom."
My instructor for the evening!
And show me he did! He checked out the .22 rifle that he always uses, got me some hearing and eye protection, and showed me how to lie in the prone position on the mat. That was after I clipped my target to the target holder. He pressed a button and sent it out fifty feet. He then showed me the ten rounds that I was going to shoot at the target that evening, all placed in a little block that looked like a cribbage board. Apparently I had to use them in a specific order. There was a little waiting as we got a safety lecture from the director of the range, and then the shooting began!
It's always fun to impress your children! I got four bulls-eyes and hit all ten of my targets. My Bobo hugged me and told me I did a good job, and I only felt slightly awkward as I had to reach over the top of the rifle and open the bolt action with my left hand! LOL!
My family amazes me! They are so competent and proficient when it comes to firearms. I feel pretty privileged to be a part of such a awesome group!
And as always, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's gun range dust covered iPhone.