Why we shoot

[mhdishere]

I was talking to my wife the other day about why I enjoy shooting, so I thought I'd share what I came up with and look for your input too.

First, while I agree shooting is a good talent to have that's not the only reason why I shoot. Changing a tire is a good talent to have, but I don't go out and change tires for fun.

Shooting really is a simple activity, stripped bare it's squeezing the trigger so that when the sights are properly aligned with the target the cartridge will fire. In practice the activity is much harder than that, which accounts for the large number of misses. Shooting requires concentration and control. Every bit of your attention has to be on the shot, every voluntary action of your body has to be controlled (as well as some involuntary actions like breathing), if you do so you're rewarded with a hit, if you fail in any way you're likely to miss. There's a great deal of self-respect to be had in the level of concentration and control required to be a good shot. (Notice I use the term self-respect, not self-esteem which to me means you feel good about yourself just because you exist).

In our society, this level of concentration and control is looked at askance. Self-control is something most people avoid, along with self knowledge. Most people can barely concentrate during the length of time between two TV commercials, to find someone who can concentrate so completely and control him/herself so totally as to be a good shot is scarey to the rest of the world.

Maybe it comes down to the Marine's creed, I must master my rifle as I must master my life.

So, what do you folks get out of shooting?

 

[TallPine]

Changing a tire is a good talent to have, but I don't go out and change tires for fun.

You mean that you don't compete in IPTCA (International Practical Tire Changing Association) matches ....????????

 

[Gordon Fink]

When I need to change a tire, I’ll probably have plenty of time to figure out how to do it properly—unless I hire on to a pit crew. When I need to shoot, I’ll probably need to do it rather quickly, so I won’t have much time to refer to the instruction manual.

Yeah, it can be fun too.

~G. Fink

 

[foghornl]

Enjoyable hobby.
Stress reliever.
Teaches much about self-control & discipline.
I can feed and defend my loved ones.
Keeps my Home & Land Secure.

 

[mhdishere]

Maybe I should have titled the thread "Why we ENJOY shooting".

 

[Dave R]

I like the "dependability" factor. In a world in which so much is out of our control, its nice to do something with predictable effects. Fish may not bite. Birds may not flush. But if I do my part, the tin cans will dance or the holes in the paper will be where I want them to be. Stress will be relieved, smiles will ensue.

That, and its fun to blow stuff up.

 

[N.M. Edmands]

I like to reload- I shoot to reload-I reload to shoot more-I shoot more to reload more- I-----uhoh!

 

[meanoldman]

I shoot, therefore I am.

 

[cookekdjr]

Enjoyable hobby.
Stress reliever.
Teaches much about self-control & discipline.
I can feed and defend my loved ones.
Keeps my Home & Land Secure.
Great answer!
I find plinking very meditative. One Saturday afternoon I took my Buck Mark out to the farm and shot about 150-200 rounds, one clip after the other. Other than the little "pak" sound of the shots, it was very quiet. There was a soft breeze through the trees, and when I breathed the smell of gunpowder through my nose I felt transported back to my childhood. I had forgotten just how much that smell reminded me of being 11 or 12 years old, looking down a rifle sight.
Other than reminiscing, shooting is an activity where you "lose time", that is, you forget everything but the front sight, so much that you are oblivious to everything else. The only thing that exists is the shot.
I wish I could go shoot right now.
-David

 

[Nitram68]

Enjoyable hobby.
Stress reliever.
Teaches much about self-control & discipline.
I can feed and defend my loved ones.
Keeps my Home & Land Secure

Yep, that and as a hobby, there is so much diversity ( in types of firearms and types of shooting) to keep me interested for years and years...

 

[larryf1952]

I shoot because it's a skill that takes time to develop, and the results are rewarding when one becomes good at it. Shooting is purely a hobby for me, like bowling or photography. I'm not possessed of a large amount of physical athletic ability...I was good enough to not get picked last for the softball team, but that's about it. The talents that I do have come together to make me a very good shot, so that's something that I can take pride in. But, I had to work at it over a period of time, so there was a payoff at the end of the road. Now, I work to maintain those skills.

As some have already mentioned or alluded to, shooting is also a stress reliever for me. It's a great way to spend some time doing something that is relaxing and enjoyable, and feeling pretty good about it afterwards. Reloading adds to that enjoyment, away from the shooting bench, and also adds to the pleasure of the overall experience when I find that the ammo I've loaded has performed exceptionally well.

Besides that, it's just plain fun.

 

[birddog]

Like flyfishing, woodcarving, or any other enjoyable pastime, I think it forces you to focus which many of us have little time for anymore. If you're not concentrating on what you're doing, you're not going to do very well.

It encourages focus.

 

[fb]

yes, that and more

I carrry a gun nearly eveyplace I go, that being so it is part of my persona. It has added to my persona I think. Although I look the same and act the same, my interaction with people is the same, I need have no fear of going anywhere, or meeting any one.
I believe it is a very useful hobby, a excellant disipline, and an accomplishment.
I have always been interested in firearms, and a avid shooter. I belive it is a unique hobby. Perhaps that
is why I enjoy reloading and shooting so much.

Good Luck

 

[Henry Bowman]

You mean that you don't compete in IPTCA (International Practical Tire Changing Association) matches

Actually, for those where speed and accuracy matters, there is a pit crew competition at the Daytona 500 and Indy 500, for example.


This thread will now be returned to its previously intended path.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Self-control is something most people avoid, along with self knowledge.

Yep. Shooting well is extremely difficult.

 

[Bear Gulch]

For all of the reasons above and this one: because I am a Freeman and not a subject.

 

[happy old sailor]

an excellent discipline. those are the words i was looking for.

i gave up bowling for golf. i gave up golf for shooting. after 50 or so years, i am still shooting. golf and bowling have their own challenge, but shooting, no comparison. i never get bored and let my thoughts wander. so - - i shoot. other than that, all the foregoing replies apply. i am always amused when in the movies, the woman is occupying herself with screaming. i think "all she needs is a little Smith 38". even if she misses, the BG will cease and desist his activity. prolly go crashing thru the window to escape this crazy woman. yep, amusing indeed. therefore, i shoot and enjoy it as no other sport. with these guns i will resist their confiscation. also, i like hanging around shooters. thank you guys for having me.

 

[far2much4me]

Also, I find shooting historical firearms (Garands, Springfields, Mausers, etc.) interesting. There is a certain nostalgia (maybe not the right term?) in shooting the guns that made history and reflecting on the times and people who used them.

 

[Preacherman]

Why do I shoot?

Well, in my occupation, I'm supposed to promote holiness... and bullets make lots of holes in things... so it's a function of holeyness!

Simple, innit?

 

[ZeroX]

Well, in my occupation, I'm supposed to promote holiness... and bullets make lots of holes in things... so it's a function of holeyness!

Now you've gone too far!

 

[Ky Larry]

Because shooting is cheaper than a shrink and my wife won't let me have a 25-yearold mistress.

 

[GRB]

I was taught to shoot at summer camp. It was fun, I was pretty good, I wond some markmanship patches way back when. Yet, when I think of it that is not necessarily why I shoot or continued to shoot. When I was a kid, westerns were big on the tube, so were spy and secret agent shows. I guess, when I think back on it, I love to shoot because I am emulating those guys I fell in love with from the boob tube. Heck I grew up to become a fed myself.

Besides all of that shooting is just plain out fun. It can be either a solo retreat or a group outing. Great stress relief in all the concentration and mind/body control it takes. Great exercise in tactical programs. Great cameraderie with other shooters (sometimes).

It is also a great way to get rid of all that ammo I have collected over the years - but for some reason it still seems to be piling up - must mean I need to shoot more.

Finally I guess the greatest thing about shooting is how enjoyable it was to teach my daughter and my son to shoot, and how great it is to get out shooting (at least several times per year together) or hunting (only one trip so far but more to come) with my boy.

Did I forget to mention the wonderful feeling of being allowed to enjoy my right to bear arms - not the one granted by the second amendment because that amendment does not actually grant the right to bear arms. Read it carefully, it implies that right to bear arms was there before that amendment was even enacted and says that the amendment itself was enacted in order to assure that said right could not be infringed while at the same time giving us a right to have militias. Gotta love it, America....

Best regrads,
GlennB

 

[Sparks]

This is why.

But this expresses it far better.

 

[Chut1st]

Well, in my occupation, I'm supposed to promote holiness... and bullets make lots of holes in things... so it's a function of holeyness!

ROTFL!

There are too many reasons why I enjoy shooting to list them all, but here are just a few: challenge, satisfaction, make loud noises, socialize with shooting buddies, get to play with cool toys, reloading

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

I find shooting a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon with my father. It's also a good skill to learn; lastly if you don't excerise your Second Amendment rights, it'll be taken away.