I have a pump shotgun, a 30-06, a .22, an SKS and a .380.
Aproximate number of rounds I’ve put through these guns:
40 rounds through the .22.
2 rounds through the 30-06.
16 through the shotgun
30 through the .380 (I had to because I used it to get my CC)
20 through the SKS.
I have the guns, but shooting them is really boring. Well, sort of. Shooting at animals IS really fun, but as you can see, I don’t do it much.
I think guns are important, but I see them as simple tools and not really a form of entertainment. I think of shooting on a range as something I do to get proficient in their use. Just doing it for fun is, to me, like pounding nails into 2x4’s for fun. But then, I know there are things I do for fun that other people don’t see as fun at all.
The only reason for this diatribe above is to say that I kinda bristle when they compared shooting guns to being a boy rather than a man.
Just don't use your forehead.
Just don't use your forehead.
Number of rounds I shot yesterday:
100 rounds of .22 LR pistol
20 of .45
6 of .38 special
2 of .357
Number of rounds I shot the day before yesterday:
80 rounds of .22 LR rifle
40 of .223
10 of .308
10 of 30-06
That’s pretty much typical for me, with either pistol or rifle on any given day. I’m a slow shooter, taking my time with each shot, calling them in my head, and evaluating what happened to try to get better. I have friends at the range that I see often. Talking is almost as big a part of my range time as shooting is, and you meet good people at the range.
Your experience may differ, but I enjoy it in the way that someone else might enjoy playing darts. With that much practice and daily dry fire, my shooting turns out pretty well. If I take a deer (inexpensive, healthy lean meat), I go for the head shot and drop it right there instead of tracking. I’m too old to follow a wounded deer all night!
I don’t feel like shooting makes me a boy or a man. It’s a hobby and a skill that’s fun to maintain. In an emergency, if firearms can solve a problem, I will at least be able to hit whatever might be worth shooting at (I’m reasonably good with moving targets, not just with punching holes in paper).
You need to get out and shoot more. It takes me a box or two of ammo to warm up and I don’t really start enjoying range time until about shot 50. Depending on caliber, it stays fun until about shot 300.
When you are in the zone, the troubles of the day fade as you put 100% of yourself into that front sight. It really is therapeutic.
https://youtu.be/ALSWcfRM30g
https://youtu.be/qBpTP4depWc