On Learning to Shoot, Part 3
There is one silver lining of the Covid Era aka “The Gun Age”. I have a new passion. Target shooting. A few months after my first sweat soaked handgun lesson, I impulsively bought a .22 pistol. I was hooked the minute the gun was in my hand. Shortly thereafter I left free America to head north to not so free Maryland.
I had two goals when I arrived, buy a .22 pistol and find a place to shoot it. I failed miserably in the first and succeeded spectacularly in the second.
A friend recommended Anne Arundel Fish and Game (AAFG), a private shooting sports club that includes covered 24-position precision pistol (a.k.a. “bullseye”) range, a set of action pistol bays, a casual plinking range, a covered 6-position 100-yard rifle range, a covered 12-position 50-yard small bore (rimfire) rifle range, two trap fields, and an archery range. It is a wonderful place. On Tuesday mornings, they hold precision pistol training. I figured that would be all me and emailed the gentleman who manages the pistol range, Paul Striffler and asked if I could come by and watch. While a bit intimidated, I knew I would like it and started the process to join the club. Meanwhile if I could secure a gun, I could join the Tuesday morning sessions while the application was in process.
Buying a gun in Maryland as a Florida resident deserves its own article. Suffice it to say, regulations have done nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals but are very handy to keep them away from me. Then I borrowed a .22 pistol which turned out to be a “no good deed goes unpunished scenario” for the lender. Long story short, I bought another pistol in free America and returned to Maryland this summer with a Browning Buckmark and a provisional membership to AAFG. Finally, goals achieved.
I emailed Mike McGrath, who has been very helpful through the entire process, to let him know I was back, had a weapon and was ready to go. In a classic verbal tell of the jitters, I asked Mike if I should jump in on Tuesdays or practice a bit first on my own. Mike reminded me that Tuesday sessions are the practice where you learn to shoot before shooting. Ahhh, no need to clean the house before the cleaners arrive. Got it.
The moment of truth arrives. I show up early on the following Tuesday and meet Paul and the 12 or so other folks whose names I promptly forgot because I am a nervous wreck. I am no stranger to doing things that make me uncomfortable so I know the feeling well. Paul taught me the proper stance, grip and how to bring one’s arm into position. We touched on using the breath and had quite a bit of conversation about the “arc of movement”. As soon as I heard that phrase, I knew the arc was going to be my nemesis. My analytical mind computed how far off a shot would be at 25 yards with an out of control beginners arc. I had been shooting at about 7 yards up to this point. Luckily though I was too nervous to think about much, Paul was an excellent coach, I hit the target more often than I missed and got a bullseye. Most important, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Success.
The following Tuesday I immediately notice the targets are an impossible 50 yards away. This was a big problem. I was next to Bob and another Mike who runs the Saturday league. I wondered if I would annoy them with my endless questions and confirmed what I already knew, folks here are incredibly helpful and more than happy to share their knowledge. Tightening up that coffee fueled arc of movement for a 50 yard target is where my worry should have been directed. The other problem is my mind was in overdrive and that always screws things up. When overthinking, I tend to dwell on the wrong things like “please God don’t let me do anything stupid” and forget to think about the right things like setting my stance correctly.
It isn’t long before Mike says to me, Sue, you are shooting at my target. As my cheeks no doubt flare, I thought, good news, I actually hit the 50 yard target I was aiming at. Then I breathed a sigh of relief that at least one stupid thing was out of the way. Note to self, pay attention to the numbers on the stations. All in all, my performance was abysmal, but fun was had by all. The good news is I can only go up from here and we shoot 25 yards next Tuesday…
Practical Tips
- Relax.
- Relax.
- Relax.
- More tips to follow. Start with these.