effengee
Member
I've been reading all the stories sent in on the dumbest things you've ever seen done with a gun, at the range, etc. and boy, did I just about bust a gut laughing!
So here's a new quest:
What's your favorite positive gun story.
Mine involves working as a trapper at the Hermitage game preserve near Mt. Snow, VT back when Jim McGovern owned it.
We had a 20 station clays course that had everything from standard trap shooting right on up to an actual duck blind with a small swampy area.
Every time I met with a new client for the clays course I'd ask first their level of firearms knowledge. We once catered a wedding party at the inn and 10 people decided it'd be great fun to go on the clays course.
Me and a co-worker named John met up with them and I ask to see a show of hands of who's ever held a gun before.
The bride and groom and the best man and his wife raised their hands and one young woman kinda kept half raising-half lowering her hand.
John says: "I'll take the wedding party, you get the newbies." The groom instantly agrees and off they go.
I look at the unsure lady and say:
"O.K. then. So, why were you unsure when I asked?"
She sheepishly (pun FULLY intended) and says:
"I'm a district attorney in New York City. I've actually only ever held them through evidence bags or with gloves, does that count?"
I honestly couldn't help a little laughter and told her:
"Well, then legally speaking, you have held them before, let's get you to shoot one today. How's that sound?"
"It sounds good, but I doubt I'll really shoot anything."
IIRC her name was Carol, but alas it was many moons ago...
I've helped alot of people become shooters, and yet I'm not an instructor.
One thing I've always used to help newbies to ease the painful bite of the gunbug is to start out small and work your way up.
We had a sweet little bantam 28 gauge semi-auto for rental.
I go through the whole four golden rule thing and they each choose a shotgun. The trail head to the clays course was near an old gravel bank and we'd always let people shoot a round or two into it if they wanted to "warm up" before we got onto the ranges.
One of the other females in our party specifically asked me for a 12 gauge double sideXside saying she was tough and was perfectly alright with it.
We get to the gravel bank and I ask everyone to take a shot.
Carol shoots the 28 and went on to score a 25 out of 100 on our beginner stations... She absolutely loved it and I still quote her sometimes:
"I didn't know guns could be so much fun!"
Unfortunately her friend didn't pay any attention to what I had said and did not seat the old Ithaca in her shoulder and when she touched off both barrells she kinda skidded back six inches.
So here's a new quest:
What's your favorite positive gun story.
Mine involves working as a trapper at the Hermitage game preserve near Mt. Snow, VT back when Jim McGovern owned it.
We had a 20 station clays course that had everything from standard trap shooting right on up to an actual duck blind with a small swampy area.
Every time I met with a new client for the clays course I'd ask first their level of firearms knowledge. We once catered a wedding party at the inn and 10 people decided it'd be great fun to go on the clays course.
Me and a co-worker named John met up with them and I ask to see a show of hands of who's ever held a gun before.
The bride and groom and the best man and his wife raised their hands and one young woman kinda kept half raising-half lowering her hand.
John says: "I'll take the wedding party, you get the newbies." The groom instantly agrees and off they go.
I look at the unsure lady and say:
"O.K. then. So, why were you unsure when I asked?"
She sheepishly (pun FULLY intended) and says:
"I'm a district attorney in New York City. I've actually only ever held them through evidence bags or with gloves, does that count?"
I honestly couldn't help a little laughter and told her:
"Well, then legally speaking, you have held them before, let's get you to shoot one today. How's that sound?"
"It sounds good, but I doubt I'll really shoot anything."
IIRC her name was Carol, but alas it was many moons ago...
I've helped alot of people become shooters, and yet I'm not an instructor.
One thing I've always used to help newbies to ease the painful bite of the gunbug is to start out small and work your way up.
We had a sweet little bantam 28 gauge semi-auto for rental.
I go through the whole four golden rule thing and they each choose a shotgun. The trail head to the clays course was near an old gravel bank and we'd always let people shoot a round or two into it if they wanted to "warm up" before we got onto the ranges.
One of the other females in our party specifically asked me for a 12 gauge double sideXside saying she was tough and was perfectly alright with it.
We get to the gravel bank and I ask everyone to take a shot.
Carol shoots the 28 and went on to score a 25 out of 100 on our beginner stations... She absolutely loved it and I still quote her sometimes:
"I didn't know guns could be so much fun!"
Unfortunately her friend didn't pay any attention to what I had said and did not seat the old Ithaca in her shoulder and when she touched off both barrells she kinda skidded back six inches.
