Call Me Lucas McCain

| | Comments (0)
OK, Lucas shot a rifle and not a shotgun, but still.

I fired a shotgun for the first time in my life on Sunday. A 12-gauge Beretta over-and-under, trap model. The bottom barrel is a full choke, which means the shot stays together longer; the top barrel is modified, so it has a wider spread, making it easier to hit those flying discs.

I joked with my brother-in-law that I'd be happy to hit with just one of the 50 shells I had. Of course, that would not make me happy. But it'd be better than missing them all.

For my first shot, I used the (harder to hit with) bottom barrel. I planted my left foot in front, put most of my weight on it, crouched down a little, and closed my left eye (it's far more powerful than my right, so I can't clean it open unless it's covered) as I sighted the front of the tower. I meekly coughed "pull!" and followed the clay pigeon up to the left, and just as it reached its peak, I pulled the trigger.

Shards of pigeon flew every which way. Victory is mine.

I dunno how much of it was beginner's luck though, as the rest of my day saw me hitting only about 4 out of 25 shots with the full choke. But I hit about 18 of 25 with the modified choke, so that's still pretty good for a beginner.

It's the stationary targets I have trouble with ... if you're breaking into my house, pretend I'm a grizzly bear, and just stand still.

Speaking of Lucas McCain -- you know, The Rifleman -- I picked up three episodes of The Rifleman on DVD for $1 at Target. The had a whole box of DVDs of old TV shows, and they don't even give you a case for the disc: it's got gummy glue on the label side, attached to the inside of a cheap cardboard box. Nice way to mass produce some of this stuff people wouldn't spend much money for.

Today I went skiing. First time this season. I've not played hockey since Christmas 2004 either, so I am just out of shape. By mistake I went to an intermediate trail for my first run, and my legs were burning trying to navigate the several inches of powder. I got better as the day wore on, of course.

Until we decided to go home, and I left my skis behind, which I didn't realize until I got home. We called them, and they said they would look. We'll call again in the morning. I *really* hope they find them. I am optimistic. slashdot.org

Leave a comment

<pudge/*> (pronounced "PudgeGlob") is thousands of posts over many years by Pudge.

"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by pudge published on January 9, 2006 8:56 PM.

Crowds was the previous entry in this site.

Mainstream is the next entry in this site.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.