Impressive!

Last week Mike called me up and said his wife had told him I was home (I had the day off work) and asked if I wanted to go shooting with him. We already had an IDPA-style shooting event planned for today and Mike wanted to get in some practice before then, so we met up at the La Puente Firing Range. Mike had warned me that the owner was pretty chatty, but that he really knew his stuff, was a very competent gunsmith, and also helped train LAPD.

After a few minutes chatting with the owner we hit the range and proceeded to murder some paper targets at 21' For someone who doesn't shoot often enough I was still shooting pretty well, although there were quite a few times where I'd drill the center with my first shot but the follow up shots would go several inches low. My groups were good but off target. By contrast Mike was shooting the center out of his targets, and I mean that quite literally.

After we were done Mike suggested we talk to the owner about getting a holster for me (I'd need one for the event) and maybe get some advice about why I'd drill the target dead center with my first shot but had a tendency to shoot low with my subsequent shots.

The owner asked me to show him how I shoot, so I did, and he told me that I was pretty much doing everything wrong. Everything. Right down to how I was holding my Beretta. He had me do a simple exercise where I stood, relaxed, gun by my side, and with eyes closed raised the gun up and pointed it ahead of me, then he asked me to open my eyes and look where the gun was pointing. It was not pointing straight ahead. It was pointing downward.

He had me change my grip then repeat the exercise. Eyes closed, relax, raise the gun up and out and open my eyes and...my Beretta was pointing straight ahead. Talk about opening your eyes. My eyes were opened! (As were my ears) and for the next 30 minutes I listened and watched and learned how to shoot a firearm all over again.

Then I went home, and each night I took out my Beretta and practiced with it. No shooting, just bringing it up, using my 'new' grip, and pointing it straight ahead. Back down, breathe, relax, and do it again.

Friday we met up with Mike and his family for dinner but before we could eat the women sent us out to run some errands. As one of our stops took us close by Turners of Pasadena we stopped in to see if they had a suitable holster for me. I checked my Beretta with the young man (I'm 40 years old now, anyone 30 & under looks young) and told him I needed a suitable holster for an IDPA-style event. We hit the holster section but none of the molded, hard holsters would fit my 96G. Finally we settled on a nylon holster with a magazine pouch attached to the front. That was a bonus because it meant I didn't need to shell out another $10 for a magazine holder.

Then we completed our errands.

The next day I strapped on my holster, loaded up both 10-round clips, and for the whole day was armed (except when I left the house) and let me tell you, two 10-round clips loaded with .40S&W and a Beretta 96G makes for a pretty heavy weight to be hanging off your hip, at least until you get used to it. I figured I'd spend most of the next day at the range carrying that weight so I wanted to get used to it.

Sunday morning we were up reasonably early and JE and I joined our friends at Burro Canyon above Azusa where we'd rented one of the private ranges for the day. After a lengthy practice session where the newbies learned how to shoot, and some were shooting for the very first time, my son and his friend went head-to-head.

JE was shooting his H&K USP CO2-powered BB gun which, at a distance of 12 feet, was more than capable of sending a BB straight through the Clay Pigeons we were using for targets. With California restricting civilians to 10-round magazines and with Mike's son using his .22LR 1911, and because we didn't want the boys doing magazine changes, we limited them to three stations with one Clay Pigeon target at each. So they had to shoot the first Clay, move to the second Station & shoot the second Clay, then move to the third Station and shoot the last Clay.

Mike's son was pretty accurate, but like all 10-year old boys he had a tendency to get a little too excited and shoot a little too quickly for his own good. JE, by contrast, was slow, steady, and didn't waste a shot. Mike's son went rapid fire, used most of his 10 rounds, and broke his third Clay just as JE broke his second with his second shot. I gestured to JE to finish and he moved on to the third Station where he broke his third Clay with one more shot, but Mike's son still won Round 1.

In the next Round Mike's son went fast again, but this time his 1911 jammed and before he could clear it JE broke his third Clay and won Round 2. Round 3 would be a repeat of Round 2 with yet another jam and more accurate shooting from JE.

The ladies stepped up and had their turns, then the newbie guys who did pretty good despite (allegedly) never having fired a handgun before today.

Finally it was our turn but first, the targets were moved out to approx. 21-feet. Like everyone who had shot before us we would be competing head-to-head but we had a few more targets. Our first man-sized target had two Clays, one at chest height, one at head height. Both would need to be broken before moving on to the second Station where we had to knock over a Bowling Pin (yes, by shooting it) before moving on to Stations 3, 4, & 5, each with a single Clay. Station 6 was three Bowling Pins which could all be knocked over with one well-placed shot, but all three pins needed to be knocked down to win the Round so you needed to finish off the 'Spare' if you didn't shoot a Strike.

After acquiring my new Holster I'd practiced drawing, but I'd also practiced magazine changes. If you were counting along as you read the previous paragraph you'd know we had 6 Stations but a combined maximum of 9 targets: 5 Clays, and 4 Bowling Pins. Miss too many times and a Tactical Reload would be need to be performed mid-Round.

In the first Round, thinking "IDPA" I did a Reload with Retention, meaning I drew my spare magazine, ejected the empty, slammed home the fresh magazine, then stored my empty magazine before resuming shooting. It didn't take as long to do as to read that, but it wasn't lightning fast, either. So you can imagine my surprise when I moved onto Station 6, knocked over all three pins with one shot, and was declared the winner. How...? What...? I am? How did that happen??? I asked, incredulously.

Mike won his first round as well and so we found ourselves facing each other. Mike, who'd been shooting out the center of his targets just a week before, was my next opponent.

"Shooters, are you ready?" I heard Paul say behind me. I nodded, as I stared at the target ahead of me.

"3...2...1...Go!" Mike and I drew our pistols as we stepped up to the rope barrier and Station 1. Pow! I shot the first chest-high Clay. Pow! I shot the second, head-high Clay. 2 rounds, 2 hits. I stepped sideways to Station 2 and the single Bowling Pin. Pow! One shot, and it went down. Step sideways to Station 3. Somewhere in there between Stations 3 and 5 I missed a target or two, but I remember calmly telling myself to concentrate on the front sight. The Clay at Station 5 burst and I stepped sideways to Station 6 and its Three Bowling Pins where I took careful aim at the lead pin. Pow! It fell and knocked the back two Pins down and I held up my pistol. The slide was locked back and as I withdrew my spare magazine from my Holster, which was still full, everyone realized what I'd just done. I'd shot all 7 targets (Station 6's 3 pins together counting as one) with just 10 rounds.

Paul was the only other Shooter to have won 2 Rounds so we faced each other to determine the overall winner. Paul is among the handful of non-sworn Californians to hold a Concealed Carry Permit, and because both his business and his life depend on it, he shoots a lot. He was the most experienced shooter, and the one who had organized today's event, and I was now going up against him.

"Shooters, ready! 3...2...1...GO!" We stepped up to line, drawing, aiming, & firing. Clays burst apart and I stepped sideways, taking aim again. Firing, moving down the line, and then I was taking aim at the lead pin at Station 6. One shot and the pins fell and my Beretta's slide locked back. I stepped back from the line holding my empty Beretta high and, with a grin from ear to ear that I just couldn't suppress, drew my still-full spare magazine from its pouch in front of my holster. 7 targets with 10 rounds. Yes, I'd done it again. No, I couldn't believe it either.

Clay Pigeons are approx. 4" in diameter. Last week, at 21 feet, I'd been barely able to keep my shots within a 12" group. Today, I'd been hitting 4" targets at the same distance with practically every shot. Finally, my Beretta and I were shooting like I knew we could. Okay, I'd always known my Beretta was accurate, but now we were able to shoot well together. Finally I was a shooter worthy of my pistol and I'd just proved it three times in succession. Of course all that means is I'll have to prove it all over again at our next shoot.

*edit* Photo from Paul of my FHuge "I did it again!" grin.

Paul reloading. I'm still shooting.


Mike and me. My single Bowling Pin is down, Mike's is still standing.


What happens when you shoot a watermelon?