Althouse: I told you I was going to do something today that I've never done before.

June 18, 2020

I told you I was going to do something today that I've never done before.

I shot a gun!

245 comments:

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 245 of 245

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Kevin said...

Thanks to Meade for the excellent camera work!

Which brings up the next question. Where's the video of Meade taking his turn?

Or did he scream like a little girl.....

Just kidding, Meade!; 6/18/20, 8:48 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Ann Althouse said...

1. We do own guns. This was about my being able to use something.

Quelle suprise!

2. We tried 3 different guns. 2 were 9 mm — the Glock and a Smith & Wesson and also a 380 Smith & Wesson.

M&P Shield? I just picked on of those up today!; 6/18/20, 8:50 PM
TheThinMan said...: Next week's adventure: "I kissed a girl!"; 6/18/20, 8:58 PM
stephen cooper said...: The point of knowing how to use a gun, and owning a gun, is not only for self-protection against evil people (and evil organizations).

Another significant point is to signal that you are part of a community that is not going to tolerate the violence of evil people.

It is sort of like voting. I voted for the clownish Bushes, pere et fils, and for the foolish foppish Romney, not because I approved of any of them, or because I thought my one vote made a difference: one is human, after all, and every once in a while you have to do the right thing, or perform the right action, or say something true, in order to add your contribution to our efforts against bad people. Even if you have to stoop so low as to wait on line to vote for a Bush or a Romney over their unsound and disreputable opponents.

Our actions are sometimes personal (personal hygiene, eating healthy foods), and sometimes, on a slightly broader scale, our actions are normal stuff normal people with families do (Dads being dads and pretending to have a good time at Chucky Cheese's, Moms being Moms, and complimenting their ordinary children with that extravagant voice all Moms have when complimenting their children, no matter how ordinary - just kidding, God loves us all, nobody is ordinary), sometimes community related (walking around a tough neighborhood looking tough, so that the bad guys don't think they own the place) and sometimes related to one's country (ask me some day about my time at Centcom, I will never tell you, though, everyone who needs to know already knows).

Proverbs 8 for wisdom in our personal life, Romans 11 to understand our place in the world.
Good night, my friends.; 6/18/20, 9:05 PM
Ken B said...: I told you, get used to the fist. https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1273758702479110145; 6/18/20, 9:13 PM
wildswan said...: I lift those light weights you curl up to your shoulder to keep my hands and wrists strong. It just takes moments while I lie around reading.; 6/18/20, 9:18 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: Blogger Laslo Spatula said...

"I bet Meade keeps sniffing her fingers tonight.

When your woman smells like gunpowder.........."

Women who use Hoppe's No. 9 as perfume are irresistible.; 6/18/20, 9:21 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: I live in SE Minnesota. My brother lives in Connecticut, which is an anti-gun liberal swamp. He rarely gets to shoot a gun. A few years ago my brother visited us and we shot a few clay pigeons. He ejected his first hull and then sniffed it and said "God, I love the smell of gunpowder".; 6/18/20, 9:27 PM
Rt41Rebel said...: I smiled when Ann smiled, and I am surprised that Ann had never fired a gun before, but I guess I shouldn't be. It's the kind of thing that I would reflexively just assume that everyone over a certain age had done, but when I look back at my own life, having never been in the military, and not having parents that owned guns or hunted, it makes sense. I didn't become a gun owner or a gun shooter until I was an adult with a close friend who introduced me to the hobby, the tools, and the 2nd Amendment.; 6/18/20, 9:28 PM
Narayanan said...: any readers of ?

daybydaycartoon; 6/18/20, 9:40 PM
Michael K said...: I am late to this party I know. Has the semi-auto vs. revolver thing been covered yet? I am all about revolvers - once I had a couple of semi-autos jam on me at the range that was it for me. GOD I hate loading magazines for semi-auto handguns. Call me a wimp - I'd rather load revolver chambers.

Do you know the story of the the Newhall incident? Four CHP cops were killed and the CHP ended revolvers. They went to semi-automatics.; 6/18/20, 9:47 PM
Michael said...: Next up, Cuban cigars.; 6/18/20, 9:50 PM
Nichevo said...: Blogger Big Mike said...
@DBQ, Althouse was having issues controlling the recoil from a 9mm using a two-hand grip and isosceles stance. Do you really think she could handle the recoil from a even a 20 gauge?

At summer camp, we used to have the opportunity to shoot trap with a 20 gauge Remington 1100. I found it genteel and soft shooting. This was at the age of 10 or maybe 12. Unless AA has health issues, I would think even a reasonably petite woman could handle that package.

Althouse, a big deal here is whether you are open to the activity-whether it interests you, whether you would like to do more, to make time and space for it, to become good and comfortable-or whether you detest the nasty things and only want the merest rudiments of instruction to tell yourself "you are now armed."

If the former, an easy choice is to own and use more than one weapon. One gun cannot reasonably be expected to "do it all."

I add my voice to those who would encourage you to get a .22 and shoot it a lot. It's much easier, and cheaper, and though I would view it as training wheels to develop muscle memory for proper skills running a "real gun," haw haw, nobody is going to raise his hand and say, "Please shoot me with your little mouse gun, sugar tits, because you won't hurt me."

If they do, they are bluffing or crazy, because a .22 in the 9 ring will absolutely do the job of redirecting his agenda. If not one, a pair; and should he be wearing a vest, a head shot between the eyebrows and the upper lip will switch him right off. Lather, rinse, repeat as needed. Meade or any of us can tell you about this technique, commonly known as the Mozambique Drill (or failure drill, to be more PC), a very useful practical pistol exercise.

You also may try the Tueller Drill, which provides great insight as to just how fast someone can hurt you from how great a distance, even without a firearm.

But first work on basic technique. Don't overachieve, work on your form. Don't try be fast, be right. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Speed will come. Accuracy is why you're here.

As you grow, move to the .32, .380, 9mm/.38, the .40/.44/.45, or whatever suits you. Remember that James Bond did almost all his work with either a .25 or .32 pistol.

You might find a .32 revolver a good choice, that is, a .327 Magnum, which would also let you shoot all lesser .32 calibers (4 in total). It will be small and handy and yet quite robust in the heavier loadings. A very suitable choice, possibly better than a .38/.357 revolver, though that's a viable choice.

Whatever you get, shoot it enough to get good with it.

(If you like that Glock, by all means get a Glock and you will not have chosen badly. Nobody expects you to specialize in 1911s.); 6/18/20, 10:03 PM
Pettifogger said...: What I always tell myself is "sight picture, sight picture, sight picture." To be really good takes sustained mental focus on that. Or so I believe. I'm not really good.; 6/18/20, 10:05 PM
space said...: I would like to know where the range was. Madison WI doesn't allow indoor gun ranges.; 6/18/20, 10:05 PM
walter said...: Day trip or weekend with lodging, dining:
Milford Hillse; 6/18/20, 10:17 PM
Milwaukie guy said...: Skipping ahead, because in Oregon I'm always last to the party.

After the incident when my brother tried to kill me with a tomahawk and when he was released from state prison, I worried about his mental health and anger management issues. I was already rifled up but hadn't owned a handgun for years. In the past I'd owned both .38s and 9mms.

Since before the murder attempt, my bro had come into my house screaming twice when I was asleep. Given that, would you want an un-jacked 9 with 14 rounds in the mag where you may have to fumble for the safety? Or would you rather have a revolver of with six rounds of some caliber that you could grab from right by your bed and just start pulling the trigger?

After range work, for my purposes, I picked a revolver. Haven't had to use it, thankfully.; 6/18/20, 10:41 PM
Michael said...: You did not shoot a gun.
You fired a gun.
You shot a target.; 6/18/20, 11:46 PM
Rusty said...: Big Mike said...
"@DBQ, Althouse was having issues controlling the recoil from a 9mm using a two-hand grip and isosceles stance. Do you really think she could handle the recoil from a even a 20 gauge?"
A lot smaller girls than Althouse shoot skeet and trap and seem to manage the recoil just fine. It takes practice. I taught my daughters to shoot and they can take it or leave it. I just wanted to know what Ann thought of the whole experience.; 6/19/20, 5:32 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Michael said...
You did not shoot a gun.
You fired a gun.
You shot a target.

Ha ha. Surprised I didn't get more of that correction.

As for the recoil: It wasn't a lack of strength. It was a lack of practice. I knew I needed to be ready to respond, but I just didn't have the reflex to do what I should do. I was concentrating on hitting the target, and I didn't feel that it was too much to control, just that I didn't have a feeling for exactly when and how strongly to control it.; 6/19/20, 6:01 AM
rehajm said...: Ha ha. Surprised I didn't get more of that correction.

If you're going to be a part of the firearms community you could start numbering the mansplaining like you do sunrises!

You should start with a revolver- #1
You need smaller caliber to handle that recoil - #2
acp vs 9mm - #3
always/never trust (insert manufacturer here) - #4

...and so on..; 6/19/20, 6:14 AM
rehajm said...: ...you have just about every gun debate available in this one post. Be prepared to hear every one of them every single time you're privvy to a gun conversation.

Every single time.; 6/19/20, 6:16 AM
codeweasel said...: You fired a gun.

What you shot was the target.; 6/19/20, 6:19 AM
stonethrower said...: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG3yGdQYwqg; 6/19/20, 6:55 AM
stonethrower said...: Wow, a lot of comments (haven't read) just for someone deciding to do something American.; 6/19/20, 6:56 AM
Big Mike said...: @Mileaukie Guy, you want to know the fastest way to reload a revolver? Have a second revolver close at hand, already loaded.; 6/19/20, 6:58 AM
Unknown said...: I couldn't tell much about the gun range from the clip; I am not a shooter but one of my kids is military police & shooting for pleasure seems to go with the territory so I check out ranges sometimes (gives him something to do when he visits). There is a fantastic facility in south Austin called "The Range." Among the many packages they offer, they do bridal parties. And machine guns (if you're interested. The gun displays are impressive and (for me anyway) pretty educational (lots of tech in the displays). You might check it out on your next visit.; 6/19/20, 7:08 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “ GOD I hate loading magazines for semi-auto handguns. Call me a wimp - I'd rather load revolver chambers.”

You just need the right tools. With 9mm, I mostly use an ETS Elite Tactical Systems CAM Universal Speed Loader Magazine Loader. It works best for me with Glock magazines. You insert a magazine, then slide the rims of a row of 10 rounds onto a grooved arm, put a collar over the arm, and push. Whole operation is under a minute, and I can load a box of 50 rounds into magazines in just a couple minutes. I also have a couple of Maglula UpLula loaders when the ETS loader doesn’t work (10 mm or some 9 mm). The loaders you get from the factory are pretty worthless, and my fingers aren’t strong enough to load a lot of rounds, so I cheat.

Humorous story. It could have been last summer. I have been known to carry a .380 pocket pistol as a BUG (backup gun) I had boxes of .380 And 9 mm from the same manufacturer open on the table, and loaded up my usual 5 magazines for my Glock 17. The first magazine ran about 1/3 of the rounds failing to cycle. Second magazine ran great. Third was back to 1/3 failing to cycle. Went back to the table, cleaned the gun, but it wasn’t that dirty, and that Glock had run great a lot dirtier. What was going on? Then I noticed the two open boxes of ammunition. Looked at them carefully, and noticed that only two rows of 9 mm had been used. Sure enough, of the remaining two magazines, one held 9 mm, the other held .380. .380 is essentially cut down Underpowered 9 mm (like .40 S&W is cut down 10 mm), so the rims of the two calibers are the same size. Loading a row at a time with the ETS loader, it was easy to miss that the rounds were just a little short, and underpowered to reliably cycle that gun. (.40 works just fine in my 10 mm G20, but be careful about trying that with other manufacturers - it apparently has to do with how the rounds are supported in the chamber).; 6/19/20, 7:23 AM
Todd said...: Kyzer SoSay said...

I'd probably go old school and find a P226 if I ever bought one though - something about that pistol is just awesome.

6/18/20, 6:06 PM

P226? Why not the P229? Have one in .40 and it is one of the finest I have ever used. A bit large for me for CCW so the P356, which was an upgrade from a Keltek 380.

As for the other comments about safeties, that would be the trigger finger. The only safety I trust.; 6/19/20, 7:58 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “ As for the recoil: It wasn't a lack of strength. It was a lack of practice. I knew I needed to be ready to respond, but I just didn't have the reflex to do what I should do. I was concentrating on hitting the target, and I didn't feel that it was too much to control, just that I didn't have a feeling for exactly when and how strongly to control it.”

Careful though here. The easiest reflex to build up here is the flinch reflex. You know that the gun is going to jump when you pull the trigger across the break, and react to the expected recoil, flinching, and pulling your shots. Overcoming this is one reason that many suggest early training primarily with .22 LR, that has comparatively very little recoil.

In my first post on this thread, I mentioned that with your example, I was heading to the range. I try to get there at least once a week, but had been there only once since we got up here over a month ago. Everything seemed to interfere - a lot of rain and/or wind (it’s an outdoor range), company in town, trips to the ER for my partner, etc. Yesterday was bright blue, with little wind. So, I went, loaded up 50 rounds of 9 mm in 5 magazines (see above), set up a target, and went at it.

And my first shot was a flier. I flinched. That is when I go back to fundamentals. Most of the remains 49 rounds were just fine. I do this too often on my first shot of the day. For me, that means holding the trigger momentarily after pulling it then releasing it until you feel the reset. Pausing momentarily, then slowly pulling the trigger smoothly, while concentrating on my front sights, and pressing the gun firmly with both hands. Then almost being a little surprised when the gun goes off. After awhile you know when it is going to happen. I just don’t want to be thinking about it too much, because that is when I flinch.

That seems to work for me, but I suspect that whomever you are working with (Meade?) has even better approaches to this.; 6/19/20, 8:17 AM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Way to go, Professor; looks like you had fun.; 6/19/20, 9:49 AM
rehajm said...: As for the other comments about safeties, that would be the trigger finger. The only safety I trust.

#5; 6/19/20, 11:11 AM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Ann Althouse said...

As for the recoil: It wasn't a lack of strength. It was a lack of practice. I knew I needed to be ready to respond, but I just didn't have the reflex to do what I should do. I was concentrating on hitting the target, and I didn't feel that it was too much to control, just that I didn't have a feeling for exactly when and how strongly to control it.

You can iron that out with practice, if you intend to really learn to use a firearm. I've been shooting since the 1980's (everything from flintlocks to AR's) and if I take one out the the range I haven't fired in a while it always takes 2 or 3 rounds to remember what that specific recoil is like.; 6/19/20, 11:36 AM
Severely Ltd. said...: Annie got her gun
Now dangerous in more ways than one; 6/19/20, 12:09 PM
Paul said...: The more you practice the less you will anticipate the concussion and the more accurately you will shoot.

Good for you.; 6/19/20, 12:09 PM
RedRiver said...: WONDERFUL ... welcome to the club ... keep at it, get training, get a pistol that “fits” - check out the line from Walther, work on your grip ... IT’s ALL GOOD!; 6/19/20, 12:24 PM
McGehee :: FJB said...: Now for a gentle terminology lesson: You use a gun, or you fire a gun. If you shoot a gun you may damage it and the ricocheting bullet fragments may hurt somebody. ;-); 6/19/20, 12:25 PM
John Clifford said...: Congratulations! I've been reading your blog for years, and occasionally comment... and have seen this journey from one worldview to another. I don't think the Althouse of the mid-2000s would have considered this. My only question is, what has convinced you that it was time to try shooting a gun?; 6/19/20, 12:34 PM
Marco the Lab said...: Gun ownership is something that we as American's have, that, very few other places can do as easily. 22LR is a unique from the regular stuff people use for self defense. It is much more comfortable to hit the target with. Little less noise. Pennies per bullet. I got the new Glock G44 few months ago, and have shot it over a thousand times in a very short time. It's unusually light, to a point it doesn't feel like a regular gun. It's exactly same size and function as the wildly popular G19. I let a 40lb 10yo boy shoot with it at the range. He was practicing for 4H with his rifle. He loved it. His dad was surprised with his success shooting a pistol for the first time. I conceal care everywhere I go, so much, that I developed a skin sore from the pistol. Bad enough had to quite carrying. Then the thought occurred that maybe I should try the G44. But nobody recommends a 22. I am supremely confident with the 22, more so, than any other gun, simply because of practice. And now the absurdly light glock goes with me everywhere. I paid 350$ for it brand new. And it's ok to practice dry firing. 2020 shaping up the be the year of big surprise first's.; 6/19/20, 1:00 PM
BlindDave said...: Good on you!Train up! Weight on balls of feet,relaxed,head erect,bring the sight up to your eyes(the front sight is your best friend)squeeze trigger!Try as many pistols as you can. Let the pistol pick you.Then dry fire before range time so you do well for your carry permit.; 6/19/20, 1:08 PM
Ingot9455 said...: As beginners, women have a natural advantage over men at firearms due to a lower center of mass and steadier hands. It's very common for beginning women to outshoot beginning men.

When speed shooting comes into play at later levels, male upper body strength and hand-eye coordination comes into play and the pendulum swings.

But at the highest levels of distance shooting, where contestants have to time their shoots between breaths and heartbeats, women have the advantage again. On average, their hearts are less transverse than men and mess up shooting less.; 6/19/20, 1:12 PM
Lehnne said...: Somewhere does Ann mention why she decided to have this experience?; 6/19/20, 1:16 PM
Unknown said...: Congratulations and Good Luck - I assume that smile means there will be another time or two.; 6/19/20, 3:11 PM
Cincinnatus said...: It looks like you had good instructions there. I hope you enjoyed yourself and shoot more. Best wishes; 6/19/20, 9:00 PM
Calvin Dodge said...: Congratulations, Ann, and welcome to the club! While I've supported the Second Amendment all my life, I had never bought a gun until two weeks ago. My wife and I used up 100 practice rounds at the gun store's pistol range, and she really enjoyed it.

"You've taken your first step into a larger world."; 6/19/20, 9:55 PM