Another day on the glorious range

Here are three more which had their turn at the shooting bench on Saturday. At the top is a Colt 1911 Government Model in (as always for me) .45 caliber. Like all my 1911s, this one has been tuned internally to ensure reliability and accuracy, and is wearing Hogue grips in Kingwood. Below it is a Smith & Wesson Model 60 revolver in .38 Special caliber. It also has Hogue grips, these in Tulipwood. Resting at the bottom is my Colt Mustang in .380 / 9 mm Kurtz caliber. It, too, has been internally tuned, and the original grips have been replaced by rubber Pachmayr grips to better fit my hand.

How did you guess? Did the photo give it away?

Range time, trigger time, good time on Saturday. There is more to it than just the feel of recoil and the scent of cordite and the sight of the hit. Probably no one who does not share the "up close and personal" affection for shooting sports ever considers some of the extra benefits. Allow me to back step for a moment.

As I have mentioned before, my physical fitness habits are sporadic, but always lurking in my mind. I will go into a routine that might last three months or might last a year. Then I will break from it for another routine, such as moving from exercise drills to running (I seldom do both), or break from doing any routine at all. I might stay away from any form of exercise for three months or maybe a year. This is to say I manage to keep in reasonably decent shape without being a fanatic about it.

Years ago, someone told me that if a person ever had been in really great physical condition, it is not hard to return to good shape even after a lapse of several months. That pretty much is true, and probably is the mental seed which originally got me going into an on-again / off-again system.

Now, back to the firearms' element. I think there is more to getting into shape again than a few pushups or a bit of jogging. My return includes shooting. But, I get bored quickly simply punching holes in paper, so I take off from there:

Try running 30 yards as fast as you can, then stopping to fire ten rounds. Think about walking away from a target, turning 180 degrees while drawing, and emptying the magazine while raising the pistol from waist to eye level. Think about running forward, drawing and diving forward, and getting off as many rounds as possible before hitting the ground. Great exercise, great for developing hand and eye coordination, great fun. Entertaining to watch, too.

Some people enjoy standing in the yoga master's stork pose; I think similar drills are fun if you are popping off a few rounds with a handgun while doing them. Go into a pushup position; hold yourself up with one arm while firing a handgun with the other hand and hitting the target. Good balance is one of the fundamental keys to good pistol work.

The proverbial bottom line to this is that anyone who has access to a location to safely practice with a handgun can turn the experience into one that not only provides fun and sharpens shooting skills, but also improves physical condition and associated attributes such as balance and hand and eye coordination. This is just a small sample of my habit.

It is near certain that someone reading this will mumble something about unsafe use of firearms. Sure, it is possible an accident might happen. There is a degree of risk involved whenever firearms are being used. But, these activities should not be done anywhere except on a private range, and should only be done by people who have years of experience handling handguns and firing them under all sorts of conditions.

Overall, I think these drills are safer than walking some big city streets or driving the highway in morning rush hour with freezing rain coming down. To each, his or her own.

Music Note: Listening to St. Paul's Vixen ....
Specifically, "Vixen"
Some out of sequence lines from "Cruisin':"

And you got that feeling again that tonight could be so much more
You walked in looking for someone, for something to share
When you walked in, I was already there

Can't you go any faster? -- That's better

I think it's time, yeah it's time we broke the ice
You know that this sort of thing, it did already happen twice
I wanna rock, I wanna roll, I wanna eat into your soul
Just push into the litter, whenever you lose control

Let's go cruisin' (cruisin'), I wanna go cruisin' into wild times
Let's go cruisin' (cruisin'), gonna ride it out to the red light

Time for buying & for learning about you ....

I've got shopping on my mind

I'm thinking new computer, maybe; new camera, maybe; new firearm, maybe; some new music, probably.

My primary computer is a bit over four years old. The monitor for my backup (1991 model) went to computer heaven a few days ago, and it could be time to turn this one into the backup. Any recommendations?

When I bought this computer, I also purchased a pretty basic digital camera to go along with it. I've never been a particularly good photographer, although I bought my first camera at the age of five (plenty of practice) and I've frequently hung out with photographer-types at work (plenty of expertise available to teach me). It could be time for me to get a "decent" camera. Any recommendations?

It might be time for a new rifle or pistol. My "gun habit" is to buy, sell or trade a few every year, so the number grows gradually. I do not suppose many life-long metropolitan dwellers would understand this idiosyncrasy, but I am a country boy and received instruction in the use of rifles, shotguns and handguns the summer of my tenth year. For the next few years after that, my life revolved around hunting and football. Then, I discovered girls, and my interests blossomed.

In case there are any "gun nuts" out there in never-never land, my most recent purchase was a "Thanksgiving present" for me last November. It was a Fabrique Nationale 6.35 mm (.25 caliber) semi-automatic pistol. This type was called a "Vest Pocket" pistol back in the good old days. It's small. They were manufactured between 1905 and 1940, plus a few later presentation pieces.

There is no complete serial number record to track these pistols but, through bits and pieces of information, I am relatively certain mine was manufactured in 1919. The most fascinating factor about this pistol, to me, is that it was made in Belgium and, by contract agreement, these particular firearms were never available for sale new in the U.S. That means mine had to travel some considerable distance before arriving here. How? Who knows? Maybe in the luggage of an American tourist or soldier returning from Europe?

Me and "old stuff." What can I say?

Before the Vest Pocket, I had gone since last February without a gun purchase. That was a Winchester Model 94 (which means this model was first introduced in 1894), .30-30 caliber, lever action with a tang sight. There are conflicting databases regarding serial numbers for Winchesters. One puts my rifle at late 1940 or early 1941 manufacture; the other at 1942. Sort of old, no matter which date is correct.

My routine is to drive a car on day-to-day business. But, when weather dictates or when I travel, I drive a Suburban. And, in my Suburban, there always dwells what I call my "truck rifle." This old Winchester became my new truck rifle, replacing a Ruger Mini-14. My truck rifle becomes my canoe rifle when I shift from roadway to waterway. (Remember, I have seen lightning strike the unprepared, and I would rather be accused of paranoia than be caught unprepared.)

As you might guess, I really do not need any recommendations regarding firearms, but I never turn down a suggestion. I have not kept track of what is happening in the arena of computers or digital cameras, however, and really could use some advice there.

What can I learn from you?

I have mentioned previously that I was first drawn to the world of blogs last August to read the writings of one particular individual. The next step did not come until sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day, when I started to browse the blogs. About three weeks later, I began one myself.

Even though I'm writing here day after day, the primary reason for my presence continues to be to explore the work of other people, and to learn from them and about them. Life is a mystery to me (if it isn't to you, please explain it to me), and there is nothing so fascinating as people. By that, I mean individuals who lived yesterday, as well as those who do today.

Some bloggers sort of chat about daily life, some chart their trips, some write poetry, some post photographs, some demonstrate their proficiency in the use of profanity, some talk about hobbies, some offer advice and support, some promote causes, some are peddling their wares. The diversity is amazing.

In any case, more than anything else, I'm here to learn about you and you and you. Just don't ask me why, because I'm still working on that. Part of the mystery, I guess. Partly innate and insatiable curiosity, I am certain.

If anything more comes from this "adventure" than learning, so much the better.

Music Note: Listening to "Guns N' Roses" ....
(Guns and roses -- the story of my life)
Specifically, "Use Your Illusion I & II" ....
(Can only stay away from this band so long)