Range Time!!!

So, at the end of Errands From Hell yesterday, I managed to talk Mr. Abby into some range time. I love range time. I love to shoot. It's relaxing.

Relaxing? What's relaxing about a loud room with lots of people firing wildly, you say. Relaxing is...walks on the beach. Meditation. Aromatherapy. Or maybe kittens. But not firing ranges!

Story Time!

Long ago and far away, at Marine Corps Boot Camp, they taught me to shoot. Now, I already knew how to shoot. But the Marine Corps taught me how to shoot anything, and well. The Marine Corps being the Marine Corps, this was made very simple.

1. Position your body to facilitate gaining a quality sight picture.
2. Maintain proper sight alignment.
3. Focus on the clear tip of the front sight post.
4. Squeeze the trigger. Make the weapon go "bang!" without screwing up 1,2 or 3.

If you do these things, you will hit what you are shooting at. Of course, there are find points and details, but if you do the four things above, consistently, you will hit what you are aiming it.

Huh. How 'bout that?

Now, I was THE ADD kid. And I have grown into THE ADD woman. I focus about as well as a broken TV camera. It's just who I am - I'm used to it. I like my thought process, even though occasionally I fnd swiss cheese on the pasta shelf, where I obviously set it while distracted.

But when I shoot - ah...then I FOCUS. I HAVE to. You can't cheat on that. If I'm thinking about my Spanish class, and not doing the four listed things above, I get lots of little holes all over my target. If I think about showing off and shooting well because Mr. Abby is at the range with me...again, lots of little holes. But if I FOCUS, ignore everything else in the world, and do the four things above, then I get targets that look like this:



Not the best shooting I've ever done, but it's the target on my wall. Incidentally, that's at 20 yards with an old "beater" .45 manufactured in 1943.

This works with a pistol, but it's most fun with a rifle. I just adore the clarity I get when I'm shooting. Can't think about anything else. Just do a few, simple things again and again.

And yes, I did shoot better than Mr. Abby (after I settled down and stopped trying to show off).