Big Guns

A few weekends ago, Paul and our friend Joe talked about going rock climbing down in the Gunks. We waited to see what the weather was going to do and unfortunately, the forecast kept getting worse. We decided to bag it since it looked like rain was imminent.
Joe asked us if we wanted to head to a gun competition instead. I'd never been to one before, so we drove over to check it out.
Joe's a member of a local shooting club and they host shooting events frequently. Paul and I were able to watch the competition take place and talked to several other club members. They wanted to know why we weren't shooting, of course! Anyway, so the competition takes place in several different pits and each one is set up differently using various scenarios. You have to follow the instructions and do your best. You're scored on how well you do. Cool stuff.
After the competition was over, Joe took Paul and I to the pistol range where we each got to shoot. I haven't shot a pistol since I was in the military and qualified on the 9mm. That was 11 years ago!
Joe started me out with a .22 pistol. It was nice to shoot, with little kick. After that, I shot both Glock .45's--two different guns. They had a lot more kick and I didn't do as well with those guns. Still, I wasn't a horrible shot, but I wasn't as good as I'd hoped to be.
It's hard to describe the feeling you get when shooting a pistol. It's a combination of nervousness, fear, adrenaline, power, excitement, and respect--this is the real deal, not a toy.
It was a lot of fun to shoot and I may consider trying to compete in one of the upcoming competitions...you certainly don't have to be a marksman to compete and you can only get better by practicing! Check out some shots of us shooting. I look sort of mean, don't I? Ha! As we used to say in the military, "Get some!"