Thread: I got teased at the range

I went down to the Clackamas County range over the weekend. SUPER NICE range masters who are employed by the sheriff's department.

I rented a Smith and Wesson M&P 40. Single stack 15 rnd. Dead Eye accurate out to 6.5 yds for an inexperienced shooter.

The guy next to me was popping off 45s and the concussion was giving me a headache and somehow in all that from both 3 yds and 6 yds I emptied 15 rounds each in the center with a 1-1/2" - 2" pattern. This was not the normal round target this was the 5 target ovals on one sheet of paper. So the targets were small for me that has never really shot before. Ok I shot a 38 years ago and a 22 LR when I was a kid.

So here is the teasing. The guy next to me stops after my second clip empties and pops his head over, taps me on the shoulder and says "you can't shoot worth sh** can you?" The range master was equally surprised and I just laughed and blamed the gun.

The only thing I did not like about the pistol was the mag release. I kept ejecting the mag because of my hand placement. Thankfully it can be switched to the right side instead of the left.

I think I may have found the pistol for me. I think the coolest thing about the place was the range master put a plastic gun in my hand and had me hold it with the proscribed grip and hit the muzzle to tell me what the recoil was. I think that really prepared me for what lay ahead.

BTW it was the best $39 I ever spent. I also shot my fatherinlaws 22 Walther semiauto. Neat little piece. Pretty accurate too although the sights are a little low.

There is no recoil in this gun. I mean none. The manner in which I was told to handle the gun eliminated the recoil and target acquisition after the shot was fast.

If you're learning to shoot a 22LR is the way to go in the beginning. Relatively cheap ammo, no recoil and you can get the basics of squeezing the trigger while holding perfect sight alignment down. That is really all there is to accurate shooting.... fundamentally I mean.

I shoot 50 or so rounds through my ruger MK2 before I even think about getting out the .45. It is a cheep way to refresh your reflexes and trigger control.

Don

First time at the range shooting a .40 cal handgun and you got 1.5 - 2" groups at 7 yards?

Years ago when I first started working in Law Enforcement and we carried revolvers (.357) with 4 inch barrels we had one of our qualifying courses at 50 yards with timed firing. Thats where you separate the men from the boys with a pistol. Later when we carried semiautos (.40 cal) At 7 yards we had to draw a holstered weapon and fire 5 rounds and reholster all in 5 seconds. Of course we used a silhouette target.

I thought the thread title was "I got tased at the range"

oh well.

congrats on finding what you like!

Originally Posted by Navaja

First time at the range shooting a .40 cal handgun and you got 1.5 - 2" groups at 7 yards?

Yes.

No Lee I was not tased. Although a friend of mine was in Corrections and had to be tazed and maced as part of his training. He said the mace hurt worse than the taser.

So you're gonna get a 40 cal. then eh?

I only own rifles (several Mosin's and a K31). But the one time my buddy took me to the range with his refurb 1911a, well, it was the last time he ever fired the gun. First time ever firing a handgun on a 15 yard (or maybe only 12 yard) range, I hit 3 bulls and everything else damn close off the clip I fired. He was having trouble even hitting the paper. Ironically, I'm a pretty godawful shot with a rifle.

Most of the guys I met back when I was a member at a local range were quite friendly and polite folks. It just got very uncomfortable when you were sitting nearby and the old-timers conversed amongst themselves. They generally were not fond of minorities... which wound up being a big part of why I stopped going to the range. Of course that's more an issue of the area I grew up in than the club itself. I had several of the same "kind of wish I wasn't here listening to this" moments at the mechanics and at a couple of my former jobs as well.

It's a shame, I've got a half dozen Mosins sitting in gun oil in my safe that I haven't had the chance to shoot in four years or so. I keep promising myself I'll swing by my buddies and hit the range with him when he's practicing for doe season, but free time is at a premium these days.