I do target shooting as a hobby but I’m genuinely curious. The US is known (for better and worse) for it’s culture of gun ownership but the US is also know for widely differing experiences

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    13·
    9 days ago

    Well, I’ve been shooting in one way or another damn near my entire life so far.

    Air guns as a wee laddie, moving to small caliber rimfire, then eventually more sizable stuff as I aged into it, and showed responsibility.

    Hand guns, long guns, and improvised guns of various sizes just because I wanted to see if I could.

    I’m better with long guns overall, but better on iron sights with handguns. You give me a decent scope and time to dial it in, and I can hang in with low end pros most days. Not good enough to compete on a big scale, but I usually win local shoots, as long as my glasses are fairly new.

    I’ve done training in various scenarios beyond sitting and putting holes in paper, though it’s been years since I did any of that.

    I’ve messed around with some cowboy shooting too, but it didn’t stick. Dunno why, really, because I enjoy watching it, but trying it myself was just meh. I think it’s harder to sink in and really get into the zone with that kind of thing, maybe. Didn’t help that I was using borrowed gear tbh.

    Despite that, I’m not really a “gun guy”. I don’t obsess over them, I don’t memorize specs and details of everything. I have most of what I want already, and the only new purchases I plan to make are for stuff that’s able to mount red dot optics. I’m past the point where it’s fun to shoot with iron sights regularly, and I want lighter options for carry/home defense as well, so might as well shoot five birds with one bullet lol.

    I’ve done some instruction, but I don’t really like it. I’m supposedly decent at it, but I’m just repeating the stuff my grandfather taught me, so he’s the one that’s doing the job. But I’d rather not do it, if it isn’t family. I keep getting suckered in though. Especially lately, but I’m on the injured list, so I’ve not been doing much of it.

    Being real? I think it’s something more people should try. Not because of any ideology or whatever, but because learning the basics is a really good way to develop patience, focus, and how to filter out what isn’t important. The basics are a great way to make that happen because most people that haven’t already tried it tend to take it pretty serious and not fuck around. So they treat it with more respect rather than as a hobby, or a chance to swing dick, both of which interfere with the mental side of shooting in the early stages.

    • SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      3·
      8 days ago

      I agree, especially about how it hones skills that are useful in life beyond hitting a target, but it’s not flashy cool gun stuff so they can easily be overlooked. For me I really feel my mind working harder when running a bolt action or doing archery. I think it makes me slow down and make sure each shot counts.

      There’s a quote somewhere (I’ll edit it in when I find it) that says something like “there is a connection between good citizenship and good marksmanship”

      Edit: Here it is! It’s a quote from Jeff Cooper “I have long had a tendency to tie marksmanship to morality. The essence of good marksmanship is self-control, and self-control is the essence of good citizenship. It is too easy to say that a good shot is automatically a good man, but it would be equally incorrect to ignore the connection.”

      • southsamurai@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        4·
        8 days ago

        I dig that quote.

        One of the things my grandfather drilled into me that guns are a responsibility, not just a tool. You mess up with a hammer, you bust a thumb. You mess up with a rifle, someone can die.

        Marksmanship, and the process of developing it, really is about self control. On so many levels, not just the obvious. Like, breathing. The way you do it, and when you hold it, syncing it up to your aim, then the control of how you squeeze the trigger.

        If you can’t control yourself with shooting, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll have trouble in other ways too. Conversely, shooting helps develop that awareness, the patience and self reflection, that makes for a solid person in general. Not that there aren’t other ways to develop that, there are. But it’s a pretty damn good option