Be Excellent To Each Other

Will have to catch this on 4oD.

When I went to New York, I met up with some friends in Philadelphia who took me to a gun range.

There were a couple of newbies there (not in our group) who had clearly gone there for a laugh and had never learned much about guns (which I thought was quite unusual in 'Merka.)

One of them fired the pistol they were using, then turned around with a look of glee on their face, bringing the gun around with them (albeit pointed halfway at the floor rather than directly out in front.)

Fucking hell, I've never seen a range officer move that fast before. I'm used to fat, doddery old farts like the kind you tend to get on the Bisley ranges.

When I went to a gun shop/range in Florida with a friend they couldn't have given much of a toss for safety. We picked out a couple of the shiniest, biggest hand cannons, we could see, they quickly showed us how to put the bullets in told us not to point them at each other and to be careful to keep our thumbs out of the way of the bit on top that i can't remember the name of that slides backwards and forwards as you shoot. Then they gave us some tubs of ammo and let us have at it while they went back to the front shop to keep chatting.

First time I used a flintlock, I was surprised how long it was between pulling the trigger and hearing it go 'bang' compared to the percussion cap system I'm used to. I then felt a little uncomfortable loading for the second round when I opened the pan to put a pinch of powder in as the primer and noticed that it was still steaming. This, I was told, was normal.

I'm 99% sure that I once went to Truro Rifle Club (down near the river, on the Malpas road) where we shot bolt action rifles. Bullets were brass jacketed, and about an inch long, maybe? I think I must have been 10.

The slide

The rest of the post was pretty fucking terrifying.

Yep, the gun shop in Las Vegas was very strict with what you can and can't do. The guns only ever pointed at the targets when they were in your hands. The rest of the time, the Marshalls kept hold of them.

At a guess, 22LR rounds - I think they're what they tend to let young 'uns use. Though they may well have given you a bunch of 303's and let you go wild, of course.

At a guess, 22LR rounds - I think they're what they tend to let young 'uns use. Though they may well have given you a bunch of 303's and let you go wild, of course.

This was back in '97. I just had a quick look to see if I could remember where it was and I think it was this place:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Sho ... 04!6m1!1e1

Thinking about it they did probably say some more things along the lines of be careful and stuff, I remember now that if the gun jammed you had to just put it down pointing down the range and go and get someone. But for the most part they just left us to it.

The Gun Store? Totally the opposite experience to me. No range safety briefing whatsoever and at a couple of points the only marshall wandered off the range to fetch the next gun while I was firing.

Ah, memories. I've not been on a range since school.

Reassuring, I suppose, that come the zombie apocalypse we could have lined up outside the armoury. Teachers would probably have selfishly kept the Browning for themselves, mind.

Yep. It was the gun store. They couldn't have been more safe in my eyes. Weird?

Ok, so I am rubbish at shooting. Also, it was lost clay pigeon shooting, so not trwe same thing I'd imagine, though I followed Grim...'a advice anyway.

Anyway, things I learned:

Shotguns are HEAVY
I AN RIGHT HSND DONINSNT and left eyet dominant which is apparently screwy sit I didn't find this out until afar tears when thematised told me that I had the wrong eye closed.

I am FUCKING SMAZING with a via and arrow. I got three centre bulleys on my first three arrows and was like the messiah. I had there goes and got 30, 27 and 27, and now I am called GIRL ON FIRE which I should be something I don't understand maybe I think a film. Anyway, the trainer said I was amazing and ifl felt amazing and so cool.

Things I learned: I am amazing with bies and arrows and have a new nickname

I apparently shouldn't gave had two g

Gin and tonics before arrowunf.

I stopped arrows and carried on with fins. I think I have had five but everyone else says I have had eight gins.

GIRL ON FIRE

I nearly got kicked out the gun store. Turns out its inadvisable to unload an entire Uzi clip in one round. Can't believe Hollywood lied to me.

Also, despite the rather angry protestations of the Marshall, he didn't mention it beforehand.

Everyone knows it's controlled bursts. Come the apocalypse, you can be in charge of something other than defence. Sorting out the evening film or something.

Really? The Marshall encouraged me to do it. I had one clip in controlled bursts and then another which I let out all in one go. He told me too.

Or he may have been concerned about me aiming at curiositys head. Either way, he was very animated for such a minor demeanour which was never likely to lead to anything bad happening.