Sally’s no longer a newbie
By MARJ LAW
This Wednesday is Sally’s fourth trip to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range.
“I’ve memorized the WCSO range rules on the big sign,” says Sally.
“What do you think the most important rules are?” I ask her.
“Well, knowing when the range is ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ is really important,” she replies. “I wouldn’t want to be downrange putting up a target if I knew someone was fiddling with his gun. I’m glad everyone is strict about calling hot and cold.”
“What’s second important to you?”
“Probably eye and ear protection. Those are two senses I wouldn’t want to lose. And look at my new ears!” she hands them to me.
“Ah! You bought the electronic ear muffs,” I note.
“Yes, when you showed me your ear muffs, they made a lot of sense. I like to be able to hear people talking, like when they’re saying “hot” and “cold,” but I also like that they muffle the sound of someone shooting. These do both. I still use the stick-it-in-your ear cushions as well.
Even when I’m using both kinds of protection, I can hear almost everything people are saying. Electronic ear muffs are totally worth it.”
“I see you have a new bag for your gun.”
“Yes! Wouldn’t want my Sig to run around nekked!” she laughs. “It holds ammo too.”
“And lookie here at your grips! Those didn’t come with your gun.”
“No. I really like your grips because they are pretty and have texture. The carving helps when my hands are sweaty. I thought it would be a good idea to find some of a different color, so we can tell our guns apart easily.”
“Well, the dark brown looks really nice.”
The range is hot. We shoot for a while. Her shots are on target. At first, I watch her. That left thumb of hers wants to cross over the back of the Sig. This is a natural thing to want to do, but it is dangerous. When the gun is fired, or when it locks back because it’s out of ammunition, the slide moves backwards fast. If your thumbs are crossed, you stand a good chance of ripping that tender area between your thumb and your index finger.
Anyway, I see her cross that left thumb. Just as I’m about to stop her from shooting so she doesn’t hurt herself, she moves her thumb to the same side of the gun as her other thumb. No crossing. She’s remembering on her own!
Then I hear her say “Drat!”
I move over and ask, “What’s the problem?”
“Watch this!” Sally aims her gun and I can see that she is squeezing the trigger. Nothing happens. I look at the top of the slide to see if a casing is stuck in the ejection chamber, but no. The slide is fully closed shut.
“Hmm. May I see your gun?”
“Seeing” her gun means “may I hold it and try it myself?” and she understands, passing it to me.
I drop the magazine and prepare to inspect the chamber.
What do you know but the magazine is fully empty of rounds?
“Oops!” she says. We both grin. Won’t be the first time this happens! We use the UpLula to help load the magazine and then we shoot some more.
“May Joe and I shoot your Sig?” I ask, and she readily acquiesces. I’d like to see how well the sights are aligned. I shoot and then Joe does too. Feels just about like my own Sig P238, but the slide is a bit stiffer. Although she bought it “used,” I think it hasn’t had many rounds through it. After you shoot a gun for a while, the slide loosens up a bit and the trigger usually smooths out a bit too.
Joe and I both hit the target near the bull’s-eye, but not directly on it. Too bad. I’d like to think Sally would see us at our best. She takes back her gun. More holes in the target.
“How are you aiming?” I ask her. “Are you using your distance eye, or do you find you shoot better with both your eyes open?”
“I’m using my distance eye. It feels more comfortable, and I find I hit the target better when I shoot this way.”
“Whatever works best for you is good,” I tell her.
I hear her shoot, and she calls: “Whoops!”
She shoots twice more and I hear more exclamations.
I come over to see what’s going on.
“Look!” she says. “I got two bullseyes!”
“Let’s see if everyone’s OK with going cold and we’ll take a look at your target.”
Everyone at the pistol range agrees that we can go “cold.” Going “cold” means that everyone puts down their guns and ammunition, and they step behind a red line on the range’s floor. Unless you have arms like an orangutan, you can’t touch your gun when you’re behind this line. Since guns don’t fire by themselves, it means that people walking downrange are safe from any shooting.
“See?” she points at holes in her target. “Two! I got two!”
I inspect the target.
“No, you didn’t.”
She looks deflated. “It seems like I did.”
“No, Sally. Look at this hole. It is mostly in the black, but it also hits the line where the target is red.”
“So? It’s in the black!” she maintains.
“True. However, if it touches the line, that means this shot is in the bullseye!”
“Even if it’s mostly not in the red?”
“Yep. That’s another bullseye.”
“Well, you and Joe shot on this target. These shots in the red might have been from you or Joe.”
Believe me, Joe and I know when we make bullseyes. This time, we hadn’t. Those were Sally’s shots. She did better than we did today.
Sally is really happy.
“Well, I’d be thrilled,” I tell her. “But I’m sad at the same time.”
“Why? I’ve done what you’ve told me!”
“Yes, you have, Sally. But I can’t call you a newbie. You know the rules and you have the basics of shooting down pat. All you need now is to practice so you have muscle memory.
“You’re not a newbie anymore.”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.