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I've decided that just like in real life, online life will have its mix of unusual characters and strange attitudes that I won't necessary blend with very well, but that I should not allow that to deter me from enjoying the first timer or newbie experience, whether online or not.
The pic below is of my very first solo 50 rounds fired at a B-27 Economy blue target. Distance was 45 feet indoors. Firearm was a rented HK USP 45 v2. My Wife finally came around and we headed out to a gun store with an indoor range.
My first experience ever firing a weapon was a couple weeks ago when I shot a custom 22 and a 1911 for a few rounds essentially under the supervision of a very generous and friendly old timer who allowed me the privilege.
I used one (1) target with one (1) box of 50 cartridges and four (4) objectives in my mind:
- Center of mass (1)
- Abdomen (2)
- Upper Chest (3)
- Head (4)
In that order, I proceeded to send my first 50 solo rounds down range, 10 rounds at a time. I think I did 'ok' for my first time solo with a rented gun.
A few first time observations being solo:
1) The 45ACP regardless of which platform it is being fired from, really does have a forceful kick to it. However, this time around I was not laughing after each shot, nor was I smiling. I was focusing on striking my target as accurately as I could. After a while, I started getting used to the kinetics of the recoil and found that you can actually use it to your advantage by timing the recovery and pulling the trigger appropriately. Recoil control and minimization while not sacrificing target re-acquisition and firing accuracy, is going to be one of my biggest assignments going forward. Finding the right technique that works for me is going to be critical.
2) I was very surprised at the Horizontal Plane Accuracy. Not a single shot fell outside of 6.1 inches laterally with the average lateral deviation being 4.1 inches of dead center. I also noticed that Vertical Plane Accuracy was similar in dimension to the horizontal plane, but with a higher degree of variation from center vertical line of the target. This was very pleasing to see, because it told me that I'm not as 'wild' as I thought I would be initially horizontally.
3) The very first shot was less than .475 inches right and .18 inches high of the target's "X," marked in the center of the B-27. That first shot fueled some confidence going forward, realizing that I could actually hit a target without supervision at 45 feet. A question now answered for certain.
4) The Upper Chest area shots were decent and the very first attempt at a head shot scored directly in the middle of the forehead with the second two follow-up shots (double-tapped) landing in the upper mouth area and several shots in the center of the chin and upper neck area. Again, all having fairly decent horizontal accuracy but lacking in vertical accuracy. This is something I attribute to the over anticipation of the recoil and trying to overcompensate for it too early in the pre-shot sequence, causing a downward dip in the muzzle before the trigger finally breaks. I also attribute this to simply not being that familiar with the firing action of the HK USP 45.
5) The last two shots of the night were wild right and wild left of the neck area, never striking the target. I had a break down of mental focus and felt it both in my grip and posture. This proved to me that any degree of mental focus breakdown can easily result in sloppy and misguided rounds. Basically, there is zero room for mental sloppiness when firing a gun at all - focus is critical.
6) I believe the many repetitions and practicing with the Gammo C-15 really helped with maintaining good sight lines and sight pictures. I knew what a good sight picture should look like. Working with the Gammo C-15 first, also helped me with executing good gun handling skills at the range. I think the time spent with the C-15 really inoculated me to a lot of first time solo mental confusion. I knew how to handle the weapon because I had practiced it so much with the Gammo at home over long period of time. So, picking up the HK and using it was almost second nature. This kinetic familiarity is part of the pay-off that I was hoping for out of do so much homework.
7) Though I knew how the HK USP 45 worked, the very first time I was responsible for loading the magazine with real bullets myself and keeping solo track of all the functions (SA/DA, decocker, safety, slide release, etc.), did feel sort of strange the very first time. When I shot the 1911, the owner would stage his gun for me pre-loaded - all I had to do was aim and pull the trigger. There's a big mental differentiation between knowing you are loading BBs into a Gammo C-15 and knowing you are loading real 45ACP into an H&K. When you do for the very first time solo, you really feel the weight of the responsibility in your consciousness like never before. At some point however, it does become "comfortable" and "routine."
In Summary:
For those who wondered why it took me so long to do this the answer is very simple.
In my house, my Wife and I, make important strategic decision together and we typically don't act on big and important long-range decisions independently. She was not yet ready to visit a gun store, nor was She ready to visit a range up until now. So, I waited patiently until She moved in that direction on Her own and at Her own pace as a wise husband should. Finally, when She was ready, She actually asked me to take Her to the gun store. I've heard that leadership is the art of guiding, directing and influencing people in such a way that wins their trust, respect and loyal commitment to achieving a common objective. Leading is not persuasion or manipulation. It is assisting people to see the need for themselves to take action on their own and in a particular direction.
She got the chance to handle a few of the pistols behind the counter for the very first time in Her life. She learned that full sized pistols don't typically fit Her small hands very well - She had difficult reaching the trigger with a confident grip. After a while, She began to take a liking to some of the smaller Compacts and Sub-Compacts instead, as they fit Her hands more appropriately. Overall, She had fun too and She said that She liked watching me shoot. She liked the feel of the Ruger SR9c the best, but did not get a chance to try any of the XDx for fit and size.
To all the First Time Newbies out there (especially you married men with Wives who are not into guns already), I would tell you that you do not do yourself and your family a disservice by taking your time to do your homework before getting involved with firearms. The homework you do will pay dividends down the road with good handling skills and familiarity before you start firing real guns.
If you have never shown your family that you have a proclivity towards guns, your family will also feel more comfortable when they see you taking the matter seriously enough to make a study out of the subject. You will also walk into gun stores and firing ranges with a bit more intellectual confidence. If you get a replica Blowback BB or Pellet Pistol, you will also develop good muscle memory for the safe handling of firearms as well. You can practice at home and with your Wife.
It will also mentally inoculate those around you who are not used to seeing your handling firearms - especially around the house. If your family is not into guns and you are on the path of bringing them into your home for defense, I do recommend the path of using a Replica Blowback Pistol having similar weight, size and function of a real firearm, as a means of inoculation. So, don't be afraid nor allow yourself to be intimidated by those having far more experience than yourself and who rush you into making a purchase or firing weapons before you are ready. It worked for me and it got my Wife interested in not just the gun itself, but HOW the gun actually worked and that was a huge key to winning Her over. She wanted to know how it functioned which lead to Her own study.
If you are a Nube with family not already into guns, don't rush it. Sure, set the direction for the family, but allow things follow naturally in their proper sequence and when you take your first shots solo, you will have your family standing behind you (very important) and you will be doing so from a position of mental clarity and knowledge about what you are doing, why you are doing it and WHO you are going it for.
I look forward to sending many more rounds down range, perfecting my grip, doing a much better job of recoil control, improving vertical plane accuracy and not allowing any mental distractions to cause wandering shots. On balance, I think I did 'ok' for the first time solo effort and I can't wait to get back!
The pic below is of my very first solo 50 rounds fired at a B-27 Economy blue target. Distance was 45 feet indoors. Firearm was a rented HK USP 45 v2. My Wife finally came around and we headed out to a gun store with an indoor range.
My first experience ever firing a weapon was a couple weeks ago when I shot a custom 22 and a 1911 for a few rounds essentially under the supervision of a very generous and friendly old timer who allowed me the privilege.
I used one (1) target with one (1) box of 50 cartridges and four (4) objectives in my mind:
- Center of mass (1)
- Abdomen (2)
- Upper Chest (3)
- Head (4)
In that order, I proceeded to send my first 50 solo rounds down range, 10 rounds at a time. I think I did 'ok' for my first time solo with a rented gun.
A few first time observations being solo:
1) The 45ACP regardless of which platform it is being fired from, really does have a forceful kick to it. However, this time around I was not laughing after each shot, nor was I smiling. I was focusing on striking my target as accurately as I could. After a while, I started getting used to the kinetics of the recoil and found that you can actually use it to your advantage by timing the recovery and pulling the trigger appropriately. Recoil control and minimization while not sacrificing target re-acquisition and firing accuracy, is going to be one of my biggest assignments going forward. Finding the right technique that works for me is going to be critical.
2) I was very surprised at the Horizontal Plane Accuracy. Not a single shot fell outside of 6.1 inches laterally with the average lateral deviation being 4.1 inches of dead center. I also noticed that Vertical Plane Accuracy was similar in dimension to the horizontal plane, but with a higher degree of variation from center vertical line of the target. This was very pleasing to see, because it told me that I'm not as 'wild' as I thought I would be initially horizontally.
3) The very first shot was less than .475 inches right and .18 inches high of the target's "X," marked in the center of the B-27. That first shot fueled some confidence going forward, realizing that I could actually hit a target without supervision at 45 feet. A question now answered for certain.
4) The Upper Chest area shots were decent and the very first attempt at a head shot scored directly in the middle of the forehead with the second two follow-up shots (double-tapped) landing in the upper mouth area and several shots in the center of the chin and upper neck area. Again, all having fairly decent horizontal accuracy but lacking in vertical accuracy. This is something I attribute to the over anticipation of the recoil and trying to overcompensate for it too early in the pre-shot sequence, causing a downward dip in the muzzle before the trigger finally breaks. I also attribute this to simply not being that familiar with the firing action of the HK USP 45.
5) The last two shots of the night were wild right and wild left of the neck area, never striking the target. I had a break down of mental focus and felt it both in my grip and posture. This proved to me that any degree of mental focus breakdown can easily result in sloppy and misguided rounds. Basically, there is zero room for mental sloppiness when firing a gun at all - focus is critical.
6) I believe the many repetitions and practicing with the Gammo C-15 really helped with maintaining good sight lines and sight pictures. I knew what a good sight picture should look like. Working with the Gammo C-15 first, also helped me with executing good gun handling skills at the range. I think the time spent with the C-15 really inoculated me to a lot of first time solo mental confusion. I knew how to handle the weapon because I had practiced it so much with the Gammo at home over long period of time. So, picking up the HK and using it was almost second nature. This kinetic familiarity is part of the pay-off that I was hoping for out of do so much homework.
7) Though I knew how the HK USP 45 worked, the very first time I was responsible for loading the magazine with real bullets myself and keeping solo track of all the functions (SA/DA, decocker, safety, slide release, etc.), did feel sort of strange the very first time. When I shot the 1911, the owner would stage his gun for me pre-loaded - all I had to do was aim and pull the trigger. There's a big mental differentiation between knowing you are loading BBs into a Gammo C-15 and knowing you are loading real 45ACP into an H&K. When you do for the very first time solo, you really feel the weight of the responsibility in your consciousness like never before. At some point however, it does become "comfortable" and "routine."
In Summary:
For those who wondered why it took me so long to do this the answer is very simple.
In my house, my Wife and I, make important strategic decision together and we typically don't act on big and important long-range decisions independently. She was not yet ready to visit a gun store, nor was She ready to visit a range up until now. So, I waited patiently until She moved in that direction on Her own and at Her own pace as a wise husband should. Finally, when She was ready, She actually asked me to take Her to the gun store. I've heard that leadership is the art of guiding, directing and influencing people in such a way that wins their trust, respect and loyal commitment to achieving a common objective. Leading is not persuasion or manipulation. It is assisting people to see the need for themselves to take action on their own and in a particular direction.
She got the chance to handle a few of the pistols behind the counter for the very first time in Her life. She learned that full sized pistols don't typically fit Her small hands very well - She had difficult reaching the trigger with a confident grip. After a while, She began to take a liking to some of the smaller Compacts and Sub-Compacts instead, as they fit Her hands more appropriately. Overall, She had fun too and She said that She liked watching me shoot. She liked the feel of the Ruger SR9c the best, but did not get a chance to try any of the XDx for fit and size.
To all the First Time Newbies out there (especially you married men with Wives who are not into guns already), I would tell you that you do not do yourself and your family a disservice by taking your time to do your homework before getting involved with firearms. The homework you do will pay dividends down the road with good handling skills and familiarity before you start firing real guns.
If you have never shown your family that you have a proclivity towards guns, your family will also feel more comfortable when they see you taking the matter seriously enough to make a study out of the subject. You will also walk into gun stores and firing ranges with a bit more intellectual confidence. If you get a replica Blowback BB or Pellet Pistol, you will also develop good muscle memory for the safe handling of firearms as well. You can practice at home and with your Wife.
It will also mentally inoculate those around you who are not used to seeing your handling firearms - especially around the house. If your family is not into guns and you are on the path of bringing them into your home for defense, I do recommend the path of using a Replica Blowback Pistol having similar weight, size and function of a real firearm, as a means of inoculation. So, don't be afraid nor allow yourself to be intimidated by those having far more experience than yourself and who rush you into making a purchase or firing weapons before you are ready. It worked for me and it got my Wife interested in not just the gun itself, but HOW the gun actually worked and that was a huge key to winning Her over. She wanted to know how it functioned which lead to Her own study.
If you are a Nube with family not already into guns, don't rush it. Sure, set the direction for the family, but allow things follow naturally in their proper sequence and when you take your first shots solo, you will have your family standing behind you (very important) and you will be doing so from a position of mental clarity and knowledge about what you are doing, why you are doing it and WHO you are going it for.
I look forward to sending many more rounds down range, perfecting my grip, doing a much better job of recoil control, improving vertical plane accuracy and not allowing any mental distractions to cause wandering shots. On balance, I think I did 'ok' for the first time solo effort and I can't wait to get back!
