Aug. 14

Professor Meets Gun, Part 10: To Arms

By UD

Where to learn to shoot? Where does a fiftyish female English professor with bad aim and a bad attitude go for some bangbang?

UD contemplated this. She considered an NRA class; she considered the many kind shooting invitations from gunnies that she got via this Inside Higher Ed series. She considered taking things slower, the way professors do, sitting around libraries reading about guns rather than shooting them...

And then it — as it were — hit her. Down the dirt road from her Upstate New York country house lives H., a big tough mountain man and owner of many rifles and shotguns.

H. is about pig roasts and buck hunting with a bow and scaring the geese off a neighbor’s pond by blasting away at the air above them for hours.

When H. bombs up to UD’s house in his all-terrain vehicle, there’s something — despite the sweat and the fatigues — regal in his bearing: He sits straight and high, with many dog attendants, master of the mountains.

H. is all that UD is not: A man, for whom women’s inferiority is an obvious truth, a Red Stater, an enthusiastic outdoorsman (UD loves her little country house and environs, but you won’t catch her tromping the hills all day), a joiner (this weekend, H. goes on a group outing to a loggers’ convention)... No doubt H. regards UD with the same amazement with which she regards him; but since they both have a sense of humor, they enjoy talking together.

And so, just now, UD presented herself at H.’s place and asked him if he’d teach her how to shoot.

“Of course,” said H. “No problem. Listen, I’m taking my wife to Cobleskill at the moment. I’ll come by your place at around four o’clock and take you down to mine and we’ll shoot.”

“Do you have a gun light enough for me?”

“I have just the thing.” He went and got a rifle and showed it to UD. “No kick. Smooth and easy. You’ll see.”

“What will we shoot at?”

“I’ll set up some cans.”

UD walked back up the hill to her house and told Mr. UD, who was on the deck reading The Theory of Communicative Action, about her appointment to shoot cans.

“The question,” he said, after thinking about this for a moment, “is not what you will shoot, but whom.”

“Yes. I certainly hope I don’t shoot H. Or myself.”
——————————————————————————————-
It’s 4:17 and here comes H., powering up our hill on his ATV. Mr. UD’s mowing the grass.

“Where’s your honey?” H. asks Mr. UD, who doesn’t quite understand the question.

“Your honey’s right here!” UD calls from the house.

“My God, they have ears on them, don’t they,” says H.

“You have a woman problem,” UD tells him, and he laughs.

Les UDs walk down to his place while H. mounts his ATV again.

H. is waiting on his back deck — it has a long view of a wildflower field and then forest and then hills — with a 22 caliber rifle. “See how lightweight this is? Now I’m putting the bullets in ... Sure, you can put them in... Just drop them in with the rim in this direction... And I’ve made a target for you.”

On the lawn below us, instead of cans, sits a large upright cardboard box, its back panel removed. A white circle’s been painted on it.

H. shows UD how to rest the gun on her right shoulder and hold it in her left hand. “The sight on this is really no good. You can try seeing through it, but it’ll be hard. Just aim without it and see what happens. Just get off some shots.”

So that’s what UD did. UD fired the gun repeatedly, calmly, easily, focusing as well as she could on the target. After fifteen shots, they went down to see whether she’d hit the box at all.

Mr. UD and H. found quite a number of bullet holes in the target, one of them near the center of the white circle.

—————————————————————————————
“Now I’ll show you a real gun.” H. opens the door to his garage and walks over to a way-serious looking safe. Size of a refrigerator. Fort Knox City. He twirls the gold handle on it and opens it to reveal, leaning together, many guns. “Plus there’s one I keep in my bedroom in case someone comes in.”

“What the difference between a shotgun and a rifle?”

He brings out some shotguns. “They don’t use bullets. They use pellets. You use shotguns for shooting birds.”

He also brings out a couple of specialty items — a Nazi knife, and a tiny pistol with a folding trigger, also of Nazi provenance.

“You told me you were applying for a pistol license. Why not just use this one?”

“This one’s unregistered, and because it’s from Germany, I’d have to send it back there, and go through all kinds of international paperwork. Not worth it... Still, I’d use an unregistered gun like this one if I had it handy and had to defend myself... You know what they say: I’d rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.”

He hands UD a much heavier rifle than the 22 she just used, with a much spiffier looking sight on it. “I want you to try to shoot this. There will be some kick. Give it a try.”

We’re standing at the entrance to his garage, and one of his dogs scampers about, anticipating an afternoon of hunting. “I don’t want to kill your dog.”

“Aim at the ground.”

Bang. The kick doesn’t bother UD, but the blast does. She understands now why everyone at the NRA range protects their ears. The greater power of this weapon is immediately, viscerally obvious to UD, who, as she thanks H. and prepares to leave, considers the fact that although she wouldn’t even touch a gun at the Virginia gun show she went to a couple of weeks ago, she seems here, in the calm of the countryside on a sunny day, quite willing to let it rip.

Comments

It’s great to see you’ve finally done some shooting. Did you find that it removed some of the awe and mystery surrounding guns?

The next time you go shooting, definitely wear both eye and ear protection. Even a.22 can be loud enough to damage your hearing. At least you were outdoors. I find the NRA HQ range so loud that I wear earplugs and then put earmuffs on over them.

David, at 5:10 am EDT on August 15, 2008

try indoor range next

UD, may be difficult in the NY State area, but try to find an indoor range that has rental guns. Eye and ear protection will be mandatory at any range, so go ahead and buy some. I would recommend the hardier “headset” style ear protection rather than the earplug variety. What is great about an indoor range with rental guns is that you can “test drive” the guns there without obligation to buy. The range will usually require you buy their ammo to use in their guns, however, for the protection of their property and you (and so they can sell ammo at a mark-up, but hey, they gotta make a living somehow). Many indoor ranges also have shooting classes, some even have special discount classes that cater solely to women. In Houston, Texas there is a range I use that also lets you rent Class III fully automatic weapons—I hear it’s VERY popular with Japanese tourists and businessmen in particular. Rental guns belong to the range, and you turn them back in and reclaim your photo ID before you leave.

I shot exclusively.22 LR for many years and to be honest, I was frightened of larger calibers myself. If you can find them for rent at an indoor range, I would try the following: a basic.38 special snub-nosed revolver (2″ barrel), which would fit easily in a purse. Then try a compact frame.380 semiautomatic, something like a Bersa Thunder or similar model (brands like Walther or SigSauer). Work your way up to 9mm semiauto compact, something like a Taurus PT111. Then work your way up to something in.40 S&W, like a Glock 23. Then try a semiauto pistol chambered in.45 acp, either a classic 1911A or Springfield XD compact model (that’s what I carry). I have fired enough large caliber handguns now that I’m used to them. In revolvers you should work your way up to.357 magnum, though fair warning—shooting.357 mag from a 2″ snub revolver is NOT fun, but from a 6″ barrel it IS fun. Don’t worry about.44 mag and up—unless you plan to go hiking in Alaska or something.

In shotguns, you may want to start and get comfortable with a 20 ga; For a woman this may make more sense than a 12 ga, as the kick on a 20 ga is less rough. A Remington 870 youth pump model might be just the thing for you. They’re good for birds, but also good for home defense if loaded with heavier buckshot. Shotguns are short range weapons.

For rifles, a Marlin.30-30 lever action would be a fine place to start. In semiauto rifles, consider an inexpensive former East Bloc SKS carbine chambered in 7.62x39 ammo, but if money isn’t an issue, splurge on an AR-15 or at least a Ruger Mini-14. Avid hunters tend to use bolt action rifles chambered in.30-06 (same caliber as the U.S. Army Garand rifle of WW2 fame, btw), with precision scopes. When learning to use a scope, there’s nothing better than a bolt action rifle chambered in.22 LR, which is the same caliber you used on the expedition above.

Do a google image search and look at the Wikipedia articles on the different guns I’m naming here, so you can better visualize them. I’m no expert by any means, but I do encourage you to take the next step and visit a professional indoor range that offers gun rentals and lessons.

John J. Ronald, Librarian I at Texas Woman’s University, at 9:50 am EDT on August 15, 2008

Congratulations!

Good going, UD! I’m delighted that your friend introduced you with a.22 rifle. That’s just what I use for introductions...very little sound or recoil. However, protection for eyes and ears must be considered mandatory. Most.22 semi-autos use a blowback action and tend to spit our bits of hot powder from time to time. You don’t want one of those times to involve your eyes.

With respect to what guns to try next, I have to disagree somewhat with my fellow Houstonian. I would not recommend that a beginner, particularly a woman, start handgun shooting with a small gun. This is a common problem for men who buy guns “for the little lady". Small guns are “experts’ guns". They are hard to hold, difficult to aim, and have much higher recoil that larger ones. I recommend that first timers try a full size.38 or.357 revolver (S&W or Ruger), with nice light.38 ammo. You’ll hardly feel the recoil. Similarly, I recommend full size (5″ barrel) 9mm semi-autos, such as are made by Springfield, Glock, Taurus, Beretta (and many, many more). Again, the goal for a beginner is light recoil, easy handling, and easy sighting.

Jim Smolen, at 1:00 pm EDT on August 15, 2008

First time shooter

Congratulations! Not so scary or disgusting after all, was it? Too bad you didn’t get to shoot at tin cans. Reactive targets are far more fun than just punching holes in paper. Personally, I love the sound when I shoot steel targets. Instant positive feedback!

And now, for my favorite quotation with reference to firearms, from author Teresa Neilson Hayden:

“Basically I figure guns are like gays: They seem a lot more sinister and threatening until you get to know a few; and once you have one in the house, you can get downright defensive about them.”

Kevin Baker, Congratulations!, at 3:30 pm EDT on August 15, 2008

congratulations

Good for you! I hope you are not afraid to try again. On handguns, just don’t start where I did. The first handgun I shot was a.44 magnum. The one I fell in love with was a large frame.357 magnum. I carry a.357 snub every day now. Always wear eye and ear protection.

Jennifer, at 5:35 pm EDT on August 15, 2008

Congratulations. You’ve broken the taboo and overcome the girl thing (if those were the reasons for not touching guns before) and have hit a bullseye despite the bad sights. You should be feeling about as good about yourself as I would if I got a B in one of your classes.

Ashley Higgins, at 10:30 pm EDT on August 15, 2008

Actually shooting at paper is not that much fun. Cans are more fun. Plastic jugs with water are fun. What many country people enjoy is just walking in the country with their shotgun or rifle. The thrill that you can survive and shoot your dinner.

I never shot live game but I did shoot a squirrel that in one night chewed a large hole into my attic and damaged a fascia board that I had just replaced that took two days to install and he chewed the entire board in one night

So squirrel had to go and I had a thrill that I got him in the first shot with a 22 rifle. Never shot the rifle before but I used to skeet shooting and target pistol.

The fun to skeet shooting is the target is moving.

RAH, at 6:35 pm EDT on August 19, 2008

UD, I’ve been remiss in catching up with this entry. I’m thrilled that you took the opportunity to shoot, and I hope you intend to shoot again.

A.22 was definitely the way to start out, and actually remains the most-used firearm in many shooter’s safes. It’s inexpensive to shoot, has no recoil, and lets you train in technique without developing a flinch.

Eye and ear protection is a must with all shooting, as has already been pointed out.

So, now that you’ve held a gun and pulled a trigger, do you feel compelled to turn that weapon on someone? Do you have visions of mass murder? No? How odd — I thought that’s what guns did to people... :-)

ZerCool, at 4:40 pm EDT on August 20, 2008

Impressed

Dear UD:

Having just read episodes 1 through 10, I am doing the happy dance.

Bravo.

Whether you ever buy a gun, or fire another is no concern to me. You examined your prejudices, your life experiences, and the difficulties of acting on your curiosity about a “closed” subject with integrity and courage.

Should you ever visit the Olympic Peninsula, please give a yell. I’d love to take you plinking with my nine-year-old son and speak with you about books.

Just finished Perez-Reverte, The Painter of Battles. Short, clean, powerful and on topic with some of your struggles. Like Camus: Poetic paradox resolved on the side of life. Like Pirsig in ZMM: A search for meaning, and identity, and personal responsibility. Like Marquez: Filled with thoughts never before contemplated in my philosophy. Like Nafisi, filled with intellectual courage and a need to examine convention and teach despite all risks.

Just my fifty years ago—English major drop-out, retired LEO, father of seventeen (three of hers, one of mine, and thirteen adopted abused, neglected, and otherwise unwanted children).02 cents.

Best to you,

A_Gunnie

A_Gunnie, at 5:00 am EDT on September 16, 2008

Thanks

To A Gunnie: Many thanks for that wonderful response. I’ll take a look at the book you mention — sounds very intriguing. And to the other commenters on this thread: Thank you too. I had no idea the sort of response my series would prompt, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am by the warmth, humor, and helpfulness of all of you.

UD, at 5:45 am EDT on September 20, 2008