A decade or so ago, the Evil Princess and I would shoot a couple of dozen matches a year. Scheduling nibbled away at that. So did mobility issues: a bad knee for her and bad back for me, both worse of late. And of course, there was the Plague and the Great Ammo Drought. Gail only shot one match all last year – the Pin Shoot, www.pinshoot.com, our favorite. I could count my 2021 matches on the fingers of one hand.
So, I was glad to again be on the road again with “the fox and the box o’Glocks” to shoot a Glock Sport Shooting Foundation match www.gssf.com this month. The EP shot 9mm, .380, and .22; I shot those plus .45.
Bad news: didn’t win a damn thing. Good news: at least stayed in the top ten with each gun. I was satisfied with that, given zero practice and a year since my last GSSF shoot.
Lessons: Don’t expect to win if you don’t have the time, ammo, and/or dedication to practice. Our congratulations go to those who DID practice, and performed accordingly.
However, if you stick with the fundamentals, you at least do well enough not to embarrass yourself.
The EP did much better than me. She hadn’t shot a Glock match since 2019, and still came in top five in the Glock Girls event, and in the top fifth of Civilian class overall including the men, despite very little trigger time. I at least get to do some demonstration shooting at each class I teach (my primary day job); with her bad knee, unable to demonstrate all the positions, she has been pretty much away from trigger pulling for a couple of years.
Joining us were my old friend and colleague Steve Sager, who shot very well, and Philip Large. Philip just shot his first match last year and has improved exponentially. GSSF range staff at all their venues around the country are extremely welcoming to new shooters.
There’s a match an hour and a half from us toward the end of this month, and we’ve set aside a Sunday to do it again. It feels good to be on the firing line with a gun in my hand and an electronic timer at my ear once more.
Not being a doctor, but having slept at a Holiday Inn Express at times, she may want to consider having knee replacement surgery. Yeah it’s a pain in the ass but had both of mine done & am able to do much more now than before. The key was several months of strength training beforehand & religious devotion to physical therapy afterward. Best of luck.
Amen on the stayed at a holiday inn last night. my hope/need this year is to get back out on a less crowded range and put some lead down range. The long-distance eyesight is not quite it used to be either.
It was great seeing you and EP at the range. Glad you folks enjoyed yourselves. Just a hint, the IRC will be at the very same range in the beginning of November this year. I/we would love to have you shoot the match with us. Thanks for coming out, Don
I am glad that you are still able to make it out to shoot a few matches and able to remain active. I have to say that it was through the ProGuns Podcast, and several others like it, that I learned so very much in my early stages of handgun ownership.
Things like safety, how to choose the best method of carry for each person, depending upon their own circumstances, practice advice, etc. Not to mention the many articles that I continue to read, in the major magazines.
So a huge thank you to both you, Mas, and your lovely bride, the EP, who have both influenced me in a good way, in choosing both my carry gun, holster, method of carry, and so very many other things. It is the people who have been in the game for a long time that pass on their knowledge even without knowing that they are doing anything special, that keep the new shooters like I once was, both safe, and learning to be effective. Stay safe, and keep on going.
I test my proficiency with firearms annually by walking to the big barn in my back yard and shooting at it from a distance of 30 feet. If I can hit one of the sides 2 out of 3 times within a minute, I’m happy. Bad guys/gals beware!
Tom606, not bad shooting for an old 606! Always possible, too, to deter more adversaries by scaring them than by actually scoring weak hits with .22 short like that. And you can peddle the riddled barn boards as wood-peckered. Then, at the current “Let’s Go Brandon” price of lumber, you can buy lots more practice ammo. Genius!
With a powerful cartridge like the .22 short, I limit my shooting to 10 rounds a day to prevent injuring my hands and wrists, even when wearing tactical gloves.
Wood and lumber is so expensive nowadays, I recently paid $20 for a small box of toothpicks.
A word to wise Russians: Ukraine still has Scouting. So the Ukraine forces are no
milquetoast. Believe it!
A word to NATO and all free-world peoples: all major conflicts ultimately revolve around the Syrian region of the Middle East. Please do not let diversions disadvantage you. And remember that the best victory is won without war.
Tom606,
The NRA was created for people like you!
I’ve taken Basic Shooting 101 twelve times now. Maybe 13 will be my lucky number and I will finally make a passing score and graduate. Something invisible always tends to deflect my bullets from the targets when I shoot at them 🙁
I do not let my supply of ammo fall below a certain number of rounds for each caliber I stock. I haven’t had to buy any ammo in the past two years, but my supply was getting low. I recently went out and bought some more to replenish my stock. Of course, paying more than before hurt a bit, but that feeling was surpassed by the joy of having more ammo, and knowing I can still buy what I need during this strange time of supply chain shortages.
Who ever heard of a shortage of anything in America? Let’s see; The Pilgrim’s first winter, Valley Forge, Sherman’s march through Georgia, the Donner Party, the Great Depression and rationing during WWII are the only shortages I’ve heard about, until the ammo shortage of 2008.
@ Roger Willco – “Let’s see; The Pilgrim’s first winter, Valley Forge, Sherman’s march through Georgia, the Donner Party, the Great Depression and rationing during WWII are the only shortages I’ve heard about….”
There were other episodes beyond the ones you mentioned above. The shortage of grog during the Prohibition Era springs to mind although the Black Market in booze worked to solve that. A classic demonstration of what happens when ideological fanatics come up with a plan to build “Utopia” and force it down everyone’s throats!
The firearm prohibitionists want to recreate that old Black Market dynamic except with guns instead of booze.
You also forgot the gas lines during the Carter Administration. Looks like we are headed for another round of “Stagflation” as orchestrated by Jimmy Carter’s new protégé Joe Biden (or by his handlers).
My only fear is that the student will likely end up surpassing his old master!
You know, Old Jimmy Carter is still with us! He is approaching the century mark. I guess that proves that the old folk saying is true: “The good die young”. 🙂
TN_MAN,
You are right. I forgot about the gasoline shortages. I think the first one was in 1973, because Saudi Arabia didn’t like us helping Israel in the war that year.
Some Americans always have a shortage of money. The government creates shortages of money by spending more than we send them in taxes. But, they will remedy that by borrowing and printing more Federal Reserve Notes. When we were young, the adults told us, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” Government proved them wrong by making paper money. Paper is made from trees. By giving it away, Government will surely solve the money shortage problem (sarcasm).
Some members of the Donner party and Alfred Packer didn’t suffer too much from lack of food, especially fresh meat. Our current population of liberals are experiencing severe shortages too – of brains.
Thanks for the book tip “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure”! I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Pin shooting sounds like a lot of fun, but Michigan is a long way away. Do you (or anyone else know of any pin shoots in Texas?
I don’t, but look for Texas-centric gun forums and if you find one, look for a section on “competitions” or “matches.” Maybe one or more of our Texas based readers can help…
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