Brians356
Gold $$ Contributor
After decades of dithering, I finally decide to obtain a concealed carry permit ("CCW" in my state of residence, to remain nameless here.) In this "shall issue" state, I had to sit through a 9-hour firearm safety class (which was mostly about legal issues and scenarios, actually very informative and useful) then qualify shooting 30 rounds at an indoor commercial range. The class (run by a licensed instructor chosen from a list of about fifty such approved by my County) cost $120 for a new CCW applicant, good for 5 years. The local indoor range charged $17 including safety glasses for what amounted to 15 minutes to qualify (although I could have shot for the remainder of an hour had I so desired - no thanks!) My application submitted to the County (requiring fingerprinting) cost $110. In round numbers I'm in for $250.
The qualification session: I shot 30 rounds total, 10 each at 10, 20 and 30 feet, standing freehand. Having free choice of gun, I used a Ruger 22 LR auto pistol with a 5.25" bull barrel and open sights. (Cheap ammo, easy to shoot, great SA trigger.)
The target was hanging like a shirt on a hanger, and with the indoor ventilation system it was oscillating continuously side-to-side about 6 inches. (The proprietor later admitted "Need to fix that".) So I chose to time the shots to catch it where it changed direction on the left end of each swing. Also, someone next to me was shooting a cannon, a 44 mag or 460 Casull or God knows what, the muzzle blast flapping my eyebrows and a gob of powder residue dousing my face after each wallop. For some reason I switched ammo after the 10-ft session - dumb, as I had plenty. Later, I realized the Ruger I had bought from a pawn shop decades earlier had never been sighted in or checked out on target by your narrator. Also dumb.
As it were, I could hit the broad side of a barn, and my score was 100% by the low CCW standard, which only means I punched holes all inside the 8 ring. My first ten shots from 10 ft were all inside the 'X' ring, more or less inside the yellow circle I added here. It was all downhill from there, at longer range, as fatigue set in, physical and mental (from the awful din and chasing the swinging target) and the results show that. As I was leaving the proprietor glanced at my target and helpfully assured me "You need to come back and practice". Gee, thanks.
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The qualification session: I shot 30 rounds total, 10 each at 10, 20 and 30 feet, standing freehand. Having free choice of gun, I used a Ruger 22 LR auto pistol with a 5.25" bull barrel and open sights. (Cheap ammo, easy to shoot, great SA trigger.)
The target was hanging like a shirt on a hanger, and with the indoor ventilation system it was oscillating continuously side-to-side about 6 inches. (The proprietor later admitted "Need to fix that".) So I chose to time the shots to catch it where it changed direction on the left end of each swing. Also, someone next to me was shooting a cannon, a 44 mag or 460 Casull or God knows what, the muzzle blast flapping my eyebrows and a gob of powder residue dousing my face after each wallop. For some reason I switched ammo after the 10-ft session - dumb, as I had plenty. Later, I realized the Ruger I had bought from a pawn shop decades earlier had never been sighted in or checked out on target by your narrator. Also dumb.
As it were, I could hit the broad side of a barn, and my score was 100% by the low CCW standard, which only means I punched holes all inside the 8 ring. My first ten shots from 10 ft were all inside the 'X' ring, more or less inside the yellow circle I added here. It was all downhill from there, at longer range, as fatigue set in, physical and mental (from the awful din and chasing the swinging target) and the results show that. As I was leaving the proprietor glanced at my target and helpfully assured me "You need to come back and practice". Gee, thanks.
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