The Holy Ritual was to take place at an indoor shooting range called "Shooter's Choice", here in Wilmington. Interestingly, so long as a parent signs, youngsters can fire at will here. I don't know what the lower age limit is, but I saw several teens down there, because in North Carolina, shooting is a fun thing for the whole family. Even grandmothers were packin' heat!
A few words on the localities: At Shooter's Choice they let you rent guns and buy targets and ammo, and they also provide certified courses for people who want to acquire a permit to carry, or just want to learn gun safety. Both the shop and the range were well lit and well ventilated. The guys behind the counter were very helpful and nice, and not once did I see anything that could be remotely described as dangerous handling of weaponry. Everybody seemed to have a healthy respect for guns, and there was absolutely none of the gunslinging idiocy you'll see in any Hollywood western or action movie.
I went for the jugular and rented a Colt .45, bought ten target plates and 100 shots and went to it with gusto. I'm happy to report that I was a natural at it! I tried different distances - 8, 15, 21 and 25 feet and even hit a bulls eye at 25ft when I aimed properly. Seems my main mistake is that I have a tendency to pull my right arm towards my body instead of locking the elbow and keeping the arm straight - a very common error for beginners.
I was a bit surprised at how much the gun kicked when I fired it, the recoil was pretty powerful. Also, it annoyed me that every time the people next to us fired their revolver, which was quite loud, my eyes blinked. This was a physical reaction - my heart beat was normal, hands steady - but still my eyes blinked every fuckin' time, which meant I had to time my shooting to whenever they weren't firing. I'm told this too is quite normal, and that as I get used to the noise, my eyes will stop blinking.
Anyways, I had "hella" good fun. It is exciting to fire a gun and to feel that I'm starting to get the hang of it from the first shot - that I don't suck at it. Also, there's no denying... when you're blasting off 8 shots of .45, you get a God-like feeling, an internal power surge like nothing else I've ever felt.
On the other hand, I also quickly got a healthy respect for the weapon. When you feel how much power you have in your hands, you're either v-e-r-y careful, or you won't last long. I've discovered an activity that I don't actually suck at, and which is exciting and fun, so this is definitely not the last time I'm shooting!
Here are the pics from Tuesday's slaughter of targets:
C'mon muthafuckas!
Diiiie!
I like the "in the action" effect this otherwise blurry shot gives off.
Me holding up a dead target plate. This plate will never again roam the streets, stealing candy from kids or taking women by force.
An actual bullseye. Not bad for a first timer, eh?
I've had that stupid smile on all day. They'll probably have to remove it surgically when I get back to Norway.
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