A writer I know - an actual author named "Gus" - had been asking me about a trip to the range. Today we finally got it done.
Gus comes over for coffee, and pulls out of a front pocket a fully loaded S&W M&P M360 - an aluminum frame 357 with tritium sight. He carries it daily, apparently, and only had vague notions about its use. To his credit, he did have a bag with "eye and ear," and a few boxes of SD ammo. Gingerly, I unloaded it, took it to the shop, and blew out the lint. It looked like snow. He doesn't use ANY pocket holster at all, just carries the [email protected] thing. Which, to my surprise, actually works. Somehow it did not print on him. Anyways.
We headed to the range, where every Friday is Ladies Day - which can be both a (great) joy and a (great) danger. We headed in to the pistol side and with the first few BOOMS, he flinches so bad I wondered if he could shoot at all. As we set up I take in the other shooters. To the far right was a most handsome woman, a blonde in business attire. We exchanged smiles and surely would have talked if I didn't have my hands full with jumpy Gus. Anyways.
I let him acclimate to the noise while loading all my SA-35/BHP magazines. It worked. After a few wild shots all over the paper, he settled down (over time), started getting groups to the left, then fixed it! and started getting 7s, 8,s, 9s and Xs. Towards the end, he was ignoring the ambient noise, and wanted to push the target to 50', so the day was a success. But the best part was the entertainment.
Two young women, typical tatted 20s, came in and set up next to us. As with any group, female shooters can vary, so I kinda kept my eye on them. Hostage-taker targets called "Susan" were trotted out, along with pink and mint-green polypistols with lasers. This was getting interesting ...
You can't NOT notice when the next lane is using a laser. In seconds, the hostage-taker took about six head shots. I blinked. Stood back. Chica No1 proceeded to take out the guy's elbow, then neatly broke his arm with a row of shots to finish the mag. I nod my head with approval.
The other target and Chica No2 go out and do something similar, neatly eviscerating the baddie and leaving poor "Susan" unharmed. At this point the two girls are howling with laughter, like a group of 12-year-old boys with a bag of far'crackers. I was smiling myself!
Then - perhaps bored - they changed up the rules and took "Susan" out, and by howdy, "Susan" didn't suffer much. They shoulda shot her first. Shrieks of laughter now followed "Susan's" graphic demise. (Perhaps it seemed a waste to only shoot half the target. Perhaps the rules changed and "Susan" WAS the baddie. I'm not judging).
Meanwhile Gus is plugging center-mass reliably, and - I'd like to think, with aplomb - I put a few 15-rounders into our "Pinkman" target's thinker.
The girls dashed out out for more ammo and "Susan" targets - I guess - and Gus and I split.
GBA! What a fine 2A day. Thankful for young shooters of every type; may they all have fun at the range.
AA
Gus comes over for coffee, and pulls out of a front pocket a fully loaded S&W M&P M360 - an aluminum frame 357 with tritium sight. He carries it daily, apparently, and only had vague notions about its use. To his credit, he did have a bag with "eye and ear," and a few boxes of SD ammo. Gingerly, I unloaded it, took it to the shop, and blew out the lint. It looked like snow. He doesn't use ANY pocket holster at all, just carries the [email protected] thing. Which, to my surprise, actually works. Somehow it did not print on him. Anyways.
We headed to the range, where every Friday is Ladies Day - which can be both a (great) joy and a (great) danger. We headed in to the pistol side and with the first few BOOMS, he flinches so bad I wondered if he could shoot at all. As we set up I take in the other shooters. To the far right was a most handsome woman, a blonde in business attire. We exchanged smiles and surely would have talked if I didn't have my hands full with jumpy Gus. Anyways.
I let him acclimate to the noise while loading all my SA-35/BHP magazines. It worked. After a few wild shots all over the paper, he settled down (over time), started getting groups to the left, then fixed it! and started getting 7s, 8,s, 9s and Xs. Towards the end, he was ignoring the ambient noise, and wanted to push the target to 50', so the day was a success. But the best part was the entertainment.
Two young women, typical tatted 20s, came in and set up next to us. As with any group, female shooters can vary, so I kinda kept my eye on them. Hostage-taker targets called "Susan" were trotted out, along with pink and mint-green polypistols with lasers. This was getting interesting ...
You can't NOT notice when the next lane is using a laser. In seconds, the hostage-taker took about six head shots. I blinked. Stood back. Chica No1 proceeded to take out the guy's elbow, then neatly broke his arm with a row of shots to finish the mag. I nod my head with approval.
The other target and Chica No2 go out and do something similar, neatly eviscerating the baddie and leaving poor "Susan" unharmed. At this point the two girls are howling with laughter, like a group of 12-year-old boys with a bag of far'crackers. I was smiling myself!
Then - perhaps bored - they changed up the rules and took "Susan" out, and by howdy, "Susan" didn't suffer much. They shoulda shot her first. Shrieks of laughter now followed "Susan's" graphic demise. (Perhaps it seemed a waste to only shoot half the target. Perhaps the rules changed and "Susan" WAS the baddie. I'm not judging).
Meanwhile Gus is plugging center-mass reliably, and - I'd like to think, with aplomb - I put a few 15-rounders into our "Pinkman" target's thinker.
The girls dashed out out for more ammo and "Susan" targets - I guess - and Gus and I split.
GBA! What a fine 2A day. Thankful for young shooters of every type; may they all have fun at the range.
AA
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Personally, I shoot 5-bull targets. When I have a guest that is carrying for self defense, I'll get a couple silhouettes. Also, the sheet of paper is huge! 
Was needed. But in fact, I don't like them. Gloomy. Have shot round bulls since I was 12.
Crazy targets, pink guns, whatever it takes. Picturing those girls drinking wine and high-fiving while they cleaned their guns. Good.
