Shooting Trap

Hi Everyone,

Saturday was a great day.  I was able to help at a Women on Target Shotgun Clinic with Freedom First Firearms School.  We had a wonderful group of ladies and one very courageous gentleman. We told him he should have come in a dress, but since none of the ladies wore dresses, I guess that would have been unfair. Maybe we ought to think of renaming the clinics if the men are going to be joining us. I think the mixed group worked out really well.  

The weather was beautiful, sunny but cool enough to be comfortable. And, when the clinic was over, I even got to shoot a few rounds of clays.  Man, it is so much fun!  I was using on of the school's Over and Under CZs. What a sweet gun.

For those of you who've never shot trap, all I can say is, find a way to give it a try. We're fortunate here to be close to the previous Olympic shooting range at Prado Park. They have both Trap and Skeet ranges at reasonable prices. They also have a handgun range, and a rifle range, good for .22 and .223 cal rifles. Also, for the more tactical minded, the local IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) has fun shoots and competitions at this range.

Nearby is also Raahauge's Sports Club. Another great place to shoot, but much more expensive. They offer a lot of additional shooting options though, including pheasant hunting, dog training and according to their website Duck and Geese hunting.  They also put on a Sports Fair each summer. Here you have a chance to try out different guns for basically the cost of ammo at the manufactures' booths. You can even fire a BMG for, I think it was about $15 bucks. The teenage boys were lined up for that one.

I haven't said much about firearms in my earlier posts. It is one of my loves and I don't get to shoot as much as I'd like. I have my basid NRA certification in Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun and I'm working on getting my NRA instructors certification, just waiting to get enrolled in the next class.

I won't get on a soapbox today about all the reasons to own a firearm and know how to use it.  I'm just going to tell you that it's a real blast to go shooting. A .22 rifle, a box of rounds and some soda cans can keep you entertained for an afternoon cheaper than dinner and a movie. And it's a heck of a lot more fun.

Sometimes when you talk about shooting, the "younger" crowd acts like you're out of your mind, especially here in the People's Republic of California. Most of the teens are interested, but sometimes it's hard to get parent approval. My son has a friend, a girl, at school who really wants to learn to shoot, but her parents won't let her.  She is so bummed.

I grew up during the time when you played "shoot 'em up", Cowboys and Indians, or War Games that were not on a video screen. We got Red Ryder BB guns for Christmas and used them. It was far more normal then for a young boy or even a young girl to go out to an empty field with their BB gun or .22 and plink a few cans or hunt a couple of squirrels or rabbits. Heck, some of us even had BB gun wars with our friends. Of course we NEVER pumped the gun up more than 5 pumps. Ok, gentlemen, you can all stop laughing now. And when we were done, we showed off the bruises to our buddies and bragged about "you should see the other guy".

I'm not saying we should let the kids do it now a days, too much chance of getting sued or worse yet, getting thrown in jail, but those are fond memories of simpler times when we did stupid things and lived to tell about it.

I'm glad I live in a country where we still have the right to keep and bear arms not only to provide food for our table, to defend ourselves and our loved ones and sometimes, just to have a little fun.

Well, got to run. I'll see you next time. So until then, keep prepping because what you do matters, and remember, "Just 'cause there's snow on the rooftop, doesn't mean there ain't a fire in the fireplace."

Candy