Finishing out January

(Click on collage to enlarge)

For Christmas J-rod and his brother's each got a .22 rifle from their dad.  When our friends the H family found out that I'd never in my life tried my hand at shooting practice and that J-rod hadn't yet even tried out his present, they suggested it was high time we do so. So...one Monday night late in January, both families got together in the middle of nowhere for an FHE all about target practice. 

We brought the .22 and the H family brought a few others to help "ease" me into the whole process because well simply put, I was nervous.  Not that I'd never seen a gun, or rifle before...my dad used to hunt deer with his buddies while I was growing up, so I'd seen his rifles in the house and I'd seen him clean them before...I just had never held one let alone shot one.  Not being too familiar, nor comfortable around guns, it took a lot for me to agree to go on this outing.  I ultimately felt that if we are going to have one in our possession, I'd better know how it works, what to do with it, as well as know how to teach my children to be safe around it.

I started out with the BB gun, just to get the feel of pulling a trigger.  I quickly learned that the BB gun is a 'lightweight'.  M and Li'l J gave the BB gun a try too and now each want one of their own for Christmas (hint, hint G'pa S!). :  )  Of course the whole time all I could think was, "I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!...You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"

After the BB gun I tried out J-rod's .22--a substantial piece of hardware.  While M gave it a try too, Li'l J was still dreaming about his own BB gun.  After shooting that a couple times I tried the 9mm--now that is a powerful piece!  Yikes!!  Holy cow that thing has a kick!!  Pardon all the movie references, but all I could think of was Robert Downey Jr. with the "glock" in U.S. Marshalls--D's 9mm looks a good deal like the one in that movie.  Check out the last picture in the collage above--the one with J-rod shooting the 9mm--see the shell flying back as he shoots it?
 
I never did get up the courage to try the 20 gauge--that is one BIG shotgun!!  While I definitely felt a bit less nervous around all these guns by the end of the evening, I don't know that you'll find me at the shooting range anytime soon.