Lady on the range...

I intended to shoot pistols today, intended to include my wife and so we headed off to Range 15 on Fort Lewis. Lots of bicyclists to pass with safety, 9500 plus riders going from Seattle to Portland (STP). But they are going to be badly sunburned if they don't watch it - pure blue sky and only the Sun hanging over head. Into Fort Lewis and we find the Range full and not enough targets left for two shooters, but I pay the man anyway and pick up the first target until someone turns one in.

Now in the famous Nanny state where all pistols are locked away (my home almost always), no one can get to their pistol quick enough to save their butts. Rule in my home, is abandon the house, call 911 and hope someone answers their phone. Since I have knives ready all over the place I never worry too much about firearms for shooting through doors, walls and into the neighbors' homes. But don't you know, smart fellow that I pretend to be, I didn't bring my set of keys for the pistols and find I can only shoot the pistols protected by a combination lock, the 9mm will remain unfired today, sigh. Why is it that I lock my pistols up? Oh, because someone said I would be safer that way. Okay, keys to all locks next time.

We get a second target and I set up one table for the .22 and one for the .45, and then I switch as I find the hot cases flying our way from the shooters next door. I am less distracted by flying objects and things striking me suddenly (old and slow, no reaction time for jerks and flinches). My wife fires her first seven rounds and the paper target is untouched, although I think I see new small holes above the target in the neck area (military cardboard silhouettes). So I tell her how the sights should be lined up, how the sights should center on the black bulls eye, and reload her for another seven and coach her through each round - she hits black three time and the white beside it four more. She is starting to group, which means to me success. I fire ten .45 left handed, all my shooting will be left handed today - Murphy practice. All bullets in the black upper right quadrant - have to work a bit on trigger and point of aim, or not. Cycle over, we go down and discuss the target, mark the shots and return to pick up brass until we go hot again.

So slowly we work on unloading, reloading, target engagement and trigger control. She is continues to improve until fatigue sets in and that is okay. It has been a successful shooting day. 3 x's, 2 -10, 3 -9, 6 -8, 5 -7 ring, she fires another fifteen and I finish the box off to prove I still can - after the .45 it feels so light and free to fire the Ruger. My target for the .45 is boring, since all save one flyer (don't ask me why, I was using only one hand and getting shaky?) are in the black and on the right half of the bulls eye, I only fired forty rounds but still happy except for the seven yard target engagement, normally I like to do twenty but it wasn't all about me today, so seven is fine. Home to boiled chicken, flavored with garlic, ginger and ginkgo seeds, falling off the bone so good.