The rains have really returned, the Sun leaves our gray cloudy skies sooner and gets up later, making me wish to hibernate under the warm comforter. Nice name for such an essential sleep covering. I am preparing for shooting, took the M1 down on Sunday after church, using the copy of an old FM 23-5 from 1965. The pictures weren't clear enough but I was on a roll, skipping the lunch and the football games for the finer fitting of the steel pieces of the rifle. I moved on to "The M1 Garand Complete Assembly Guide" by Walt Kuleck with Clint McKee. They did have much better detailed pictures and a complete understanding that I would end up taking it apart and putting it together in my own sequence one day - everyone does.
I do go to work and spend quality time with my wife, and still the rifle calls to me. I have much to do in dry fire, more familiarity and immediate action drill. I do get over treating the rifle like a lady, my machine gun instructor would be proud of my remembering that it is only steel and will take a little slapping around and prodding. Once I have its attention I can start to hold gently but firmly and nuzzle close and squeeze gently. Wonder why Davy Crockett called his rifle "Ol' Betsy"? Well, I don't, but then I haven't come to the point of needing a name or personification to seduce it to better behavior while I am shooting, yet. No symbols of power to paint nor carve into it, no lucky underwear to never wash but always wear, haven't gotten that close nor that good that any little extra would work wonders. I am only going to punch paper the best I can.
Appleseed Shoot, 18-19 October, Sun Valley Shooting Park, Yakima, Washington. Now that is important and the check has already cleared the bank so I am committed. Washington will have the Absentee Ballots printed on the 15th of October - will I have mine before or after my wonderful weekend. Aside from bullets and rifles, sleeping bag and food and drink (water, folks I am shooting!) I will bring the Bible, the books on Service Rifle shooting and the M1. One may not have time to read again, but reference materials are better where the questions are than locked in a library far away.
2 comments:
I'll be interested in your comments from the Appleseed shoot Earl. Especially how it compares to your military training... I hear they are hard over on using a sling for everything.
Except the standing position, probably. I learned target shooting in the high school gym, with single shot bolt action twenty-two, shooting coats and slings and one bullet per bull's eye. I am very interested in the differences from the military - but then most military shooting was for effective not precision, which I noticed when I fired against competition shooters in Europe.
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