Shootin’!

November 12, 2007 at 2:03 pm (Entertainment, Uncategorized)

This past Saturday, TenFeet and I drove up to beautiful Cocksackie and shot guns in the woods. I’ve always been intimidated by guns, and I still don’t think I would ever own one, because of my poor impulse control and my tendancy to treat my belongings rather carelessly. But shooting at stuff in the woods is great fun.

It is such great fun that I didn’t care (much) that I was dressed like a dork. The women’s shooting group recommended wearing a baseball cap, I suppose to keep the sun out of one’s eyes while shooting. I do not look good in a baseball cap. I decided to wear a bright pink fleece, because I didn’t want anyone mistaking me for a woodland creature. TenFeet looked utterly charming in her communist cap; as you will see in the photos below, her ensemble was perfect for an afternoon of gunplay. I would, without hesitation, join any revolution she might lead.

The morning began with a safety talk from Jim, the club’s president. We sat in the small clubhouse for about an hour, surrounded by NRA posters and flyers for local shooting events. On one bulletin board was a lovely pencil drawing of a buck with a bullseye on its back, under the heading, “Stick it IN!” Mounted on the opposite wall were parts of an actual buck, including hooves. On the table, amidst some very serious looking artillery, was a little green tin with Care Bears frolicking on the outside. This tin contained bullets. This was one of many incongruities of the day.

Once outside on the range, we paired up with club members who acted as our unofficial guides for the day. One charming gentleman, Christopher, took me under his wing and showed me how to load his rifle with .38 bullets. As you can see from the picture, this was a serious gun, and the bullets made impressively precise holes in the target (50 ft. away). Under Christopher’s tutelage, I did very well. Unfortunately I have not scanned my targets; so you’ll have to take my word for it, but he and the others were impressed with my skill, especially since it was my very first time holding a gun.

TenFeet was very excited to shoot handguns, which is not allowed in NYC without a permit. I was not so excited by the handguns. Too much unsteadiness in aiming. I much prefer the rifles, although I do look like I mean (dorky) business in the photo below. My shots, however, were high. I didn’t bother saving that target.

Later, we tried our hand at shooting at stuff that moved with a 12-gauge shotgun. TenFeet managed to kill her clay pigeon. Mine flew away unharmed. Again, I was aiming too high. But, oh what a kick! That shotgun knocked me back a good 6 inches every time I pulled the trigger.

After lunch, they brought out the heavy stuff. TenFeet could not resist trying the semi-automatic “assault weapon.” It looked really dangerous and menacing, but Jim was adamant that it was no different from any other semi-automatic rifle.

My favorite gun was the M1 Garand, a WWII gun owned by the club. (In many cases we were using private guns owned by the members themselves). This gun is no joke. The first shot knocked me back, and I could barely aim at the target through the gunsmoke on subsequent shots. But all my bullets reached the target, and four of them hit the black center. TenFeet’s performance with the M1 was even more impressive, and the men all came over to admire her “beautiful grouping.”

On our way back to the car, more than one woman stopped me, praised my markswomanship, and instructed me to show the target to my husband. I assume as some kind of warning. (I did bring the targets to work and have been showing off all day.) I will definitely be framing the M1 target.

The folks at the gun club were extremely friendly, patient, and kind. They were genuinely happy to see us and help us. They were especially gentle and supportive of the novices among us: I never felt talked down to, nor did I feel like any of the shooting was too advanced for me. I really enjoyed my time there, and look forward to my next visit.