Saturday, 4 June 2011 07:32 pm
Belated birthday... blowout?
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deckardcanineToday I did something that, until recently, I thought I'd never do: I went to a shooting range.
You see, I had opined on a forum that there was little point in going to a range for fun, because shooting in video games was at least as fun. A gun enthusiast insisted that I, like many doubters he'd known, would change my mind once I tried the former, provided that I wasn't determined not to have fun. With that, I put a trip to the range on my birthday wish list, and my parents gave me a homemade "coupon" for the ride (everything else I'd have to buy). In retrospect, we would've done better to pick a day when the breast cancer walk wasn't blocking some streets.
The Maryland Small Arms Range, while not the closest to D.C., is probably the best choice for local beginners, partly because of its popularity with officials -- not many punks around. They sell plenty of law enforcement items unrelated to guns, some of which left me scratching my head: Lightning Powder? "Tactical" handcuffs? (Yay for Google!) The only one I considered buying was mace, and honestly, I doubt I'd reach it at the right moment.
The clerk who served me was courteous and professional. I soon found that if I got nothing else out of the trip, at least I'd learned a few things about how to work guns. Hopefully that'll mean more respect for movies that get it right, rather than disrespect for those that take liberties. Didn't hurt my viewing of In Bruges this afternoon, anyway.
After handling four smallish pistols (in light of my meager upper body strength), I settled on an ISSC Austria M22. To a less trained eye, it's a Glock. I later saw a review online saying that its main strength is in accuracy while its main weakness is a tendency to jam. This review makes sense with my experience.
MSAR offers various paper targets. Some look pretty much like dartboards. Some are photos of people pointing guns, including people you wouldn't expect to point guns, presumably for extra mental preparedness. Some are CG zombies or killer clowns. I compromised on the issue of humanity versus inhumanity by choosing two tan human silhouettes against black backgrounds, one with dartboard-like rings and one with more detailed divisions for sweet spots.
Knowing that some customers were unsatisfied with the provided ear protection, I added cotton. That was enough for my ears, but I still felt a little jolted walking in because of the vibrations in my chest. I must have taken two minutes between entering the door and firing the first shot. At no time did I seriously fear for my safety, but the initial tension was inevitable.
By the third shot -- which incidentally was the best I'd make for a while -- the tension was basically gone. I knew how much to expect in terms of flash and recoil and where the spent shells flew. I felt free to experiment with distances (figure 6 meters tops), firing rates, and other aspects of technique.
A few unfired bullets got ejected due to jams or my own confusion; the rest of the 100 all hit the tan at least. For the half spent on the first target, I tended to hit too far to the left, probably because I absent-mindedly put my finger too far into the trigger hold (which may also explain the slight scratches on my finger). My best streak, of course, came near the end. Overall, I did about as well as I could have expected.
Judging from the conversation to my left, that shooter was also a beginner. He had the advantage of both a seasoned companion and a laser sight. Mr. Potato Head would say I had laser envy.
Verdict: While the shooting kept reminding me of Deus Ex, it does have its advantages over any computer simulation. There's something to be said for real smoke rising in front of me. At the same time, I wouldn't travel 37 miles to the outskirts of Upper Marlboro on another Saturday morning unless I had an interested friend with me, which isn't likely to happen soon. If I do return, I'll try another weapon, possibly a 9mm.
You see, I had opined on a forum that there was little point in going to a range for fun, because shooting in video games was at least as fun. A gun enthusiast insisted that I, like many doubters he'd known, would change my mind once I tried the former, provided that I wasn't determined not to have fun. With that, I put a trip to the range on my birthday wish list, and my parents gave me a homemade "coupon" for the ride (everything else I'd have to buy). In retrospect, we would've done better to pick a day when the breast cancer walk wasn't blocking some streets.
The Maryland Small Arms Range, while not the closest to D.C., is probably the best choice for local beginners, partly because of its popularity with officials -- not many punks around. They sell plenty of law enforcement items unrelated to guns, some of which left me scratching my head: Lightning Powder? "Tactical" handcuffs? (Yay for Google!) The only one I considered buying was mace, and honestly, I doubt I'd reach it at the right moment.
The clerk who served me was courteous and professional. I soon found that if I got nothing else out of the trip, at least I'd learned a few things about how to work guns. Hopefully that'll mean more respect for movies that get it right, rather than disrespect for those that take liberties. Didn't hurt my viewing of In Bruges this afternoon, anyway.
After handling four smallish pistols (in light of my meager upper body strength), I settled on an ISSC Austria M22. To a less trained eye, it's a Glock. I later saw a review online saying that its main strength is in accuracy while its main weakness is a tendency to jam. This review makes sense with my experience.
MSAR offers various paper targets. Some look pretty much like dartboards. Some are photos of people pointing guns, including people you wouldn't expect to point guns, presumably for extra mental preparedness. Some are CG zombies or killer clowns. I compromised on the issue of humanity versus inhumanity by choosing two tan human silhouettes against black backgrounds, one with dartboard-like rings and one with more detailed divisions for sweet spots.
Knowing that some customers were unsatisfied with the provided ear protection, I added cotton. That was enough for my ears, but I still felt a little jolted walking in because of the vibrations in my chest. I must have taken two minutes between entering the door and firing the first shot. At no time did I seriously fear for my safety, but the initial tension was inevitable.
By the third shot -- which incidentally was the best I'd make for a while -- the tension was basically gone. I knew how much to expect in terms of flash and recoil and where the spent shells flew. I felt free to experiment with distances (figure 6 meters tops), firing rates, and other aspects of technique.
A few unfired bullets got ejected due to jams or my own confusion; the rest of the 100 all hit the tan at least. For the half spent on the first target, I tended to hit too far to the left, probably because I absent-mindedly put my finger too far into the trigger hold (which may also explain the slight scratches on my finger). My best streak, of course, came near the end. Overall, I did about as well as I could have expected.
Judging from the conversation to my left, that shooter was also a beginner. He had the advantage of both a seasoned companion and a laser sight. Mr. Potato Head would say I had laser envy.
Verdict: While the shooting kept reminding me of Deus Ex, it does have its advantages over any computer simulation. There's something to be said for real smoke rising in front of me. At the same time, I wouldn't travel 37 miles to the outskirts of Upper Marlboro on another Saturday morning unless I had an interested friend with me, which isn't likely to happen soon. If I do return, I'll try another weapon, possibly a 9mm.
