Like many boys, I was taught to shoot by my father. I was not taught to hunt; my father was not a hunter, except for frogs. For some
reason he liked frog legs and we ate them so frequently I don't care if I eat another one as long as I live.
I've been deer hunting, it's not my "thing"; too much inactivity and waiting in the cold.
Anywho, like many boys my father bought a BB gun for me when I was not-very-old. Handing it to me he said "No birds. Your mother feeds the birds and likes the birds.
I'll kick your *** if you kill birds." So, I shot at mud-wasps, water 'striders' and other such critters. Later on my Dad bought me a .22 which
every once in a while was used to slay a rabbit or woodchuck that was raiding the garden.
When I became an adult I bought my first "real" gun; a Colt Lightweight Commander in .45ACP. Fairly rapidly after that I acquired a Browning P-35 (Belgian)
and a Colt Python with 6" barrel. Soon after that I began to shoot steel plates and bowling pins on a regular basis and I traded the LWC toward a
Colt .45ACP of WWII vintage that I had customized (no it was not a collector item) and later traded that in toward ... ? I don't remember.
My skill level was competitive so I never felt like I'd wasted my time. I was able to beat the best shooters if they were not at the top of their game;
if they were ... well I lost but not usually by a great margin. However, if I was having a bad day, I got smoked.
Still, I had fun.Since that limited beginning, a few dozen rifles, shotguns and handguns from Bushmaster, Colt, HK, Glock, Ruger, Savage, S&W, SIG, Springfield Armory
and others have passed through my hands. Some I kept, some I sold or traded. Some trades/sales I have regretted.
Here's a list of, and comment on, some of the more memorable departed.
Colt AR-15 ... regret sale. trident flash suppressor, no FBA.
Colt CAR-15A2 ... regret sale. pre-ban collapsible stock, bayonet lug, etc.
Colt Python ... regret sale. it, the P-35 and Colt .45ACP were always my favorite looking guns.
Franchi LAW-12 ... Much too complex for a shotgun.
Glock M17 ... regret sale. one of the first imported w/ smooth frame, adj-sights, <5# trigger.
HK 94 ... rather large for a 9mm, but fun to shoot.
Magnum Research "Desert Eagle" ... what a cannon.
Steyr GB ... regret sale. I've seen only two in my life and I owned one.
Valmet M76 ... regret sale. A-typical configuration of 7.62NATO with non-tubular plastic stock.
I've owned very few revolvers. I am not a comfortable revolver shooter. My fingers are short and hence I find it very difficult to properly grip a revolver. The Colt Python was a sweety to shoot but it's really a beefed up .38 and not designed for a steady diet of .357 magnums. Hence I shot it only a bit with .357s .. I practiced with .38s. I used the .357s on bowling pins. Still, I regret selling her. Perhaps someday I shall purchase a replacement. My fondest memory of using that Python is once taking 5 or 6 pins off a table with an equal number of shots in less than 6 seconds.
My short and stubbies were also why I ultimately sold my SIG220 to a friend; unless I severely "tilted" the gun, it was a PITA for me to drag that first shot
through the trigger cocking.
Ultimately, after "playing around" with various carry guns including a Glock M17 and the previously mentioned SIG 220, I settled on a HKP7 and a
Springfield Armory M1911A1. I qualified each year with both guns, as well as the department issue Ruger .357 (mostly for fun since I had
permission from the COP to carry the P7 on duty). I don't recall what ammunition I used in the HK, but off-duty I typically carried the
M1911A1 with Federal Hydrashok and CCI Lawman "flying ash-trays". Leather-gear was Mitchell Rosen, Tex Shoemaker or Greg Kramer depending
on the gun and whether I was off or on duty.
During my time as a PO, my efforts and research led to the departments adoption of OC as well as the use of a PR-24 side-handled baton
for qualified officers. Also, I was an NRA certified handgun/safety instructor as well as a certified OC instructor. Now you know why I "volunteered"
to be sprayed ... on two separate occasions.
Dad was a good shot .. I saw him hit a running, rabbit sized animal from almost 100 feet away, with a handgun, one shot. But I was better,
and I told him so when he once asked me "who is the better shot?" Note I said I was better. Shooting, like most other disciplines requires
constant practice in order to maintain skills. Regretably, moving, school and other responsibilities caused a cessation of my shooting. Indeed,
as much as I like shooting, if time is tight and I can do only one "fun" thing then diving wins. I
even invented some dive gear which is viewable if you click on this link..
However, a few years ago when I had some time available I shot steel plates for several weeks. I had not shot for several years.
I chose a "gun club" and went to watch for a few weeks. I was asked if I planned on shooting. "When I am ready" I replied. I had also assured my wife
that my goal was to have fun, not become a weekly competitive shooter. One day I showed up ready to shoot. I shot for several weeks and had fun; then it was
back to graduate school and it's been some time since I last heard the pleasing sound of gunfire. I did however recently make a mental commitment
to "get back into it" even if it's only once or twice a month. My wife listened to some of my stories and told me "It sounds like shooting was more fun than diving."
I replied, "Not more fun. Different fun."
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