Americans Sharpen Shooting Skills

FOX News ^ | June 18, 2004

[TERMINATTOR]

LOS ANGELES — Shooting for sport is becoming more and more popular across the country.

Along with Pilates and windsurfing, clay target shooting (search) and handgun target shooting (search) are some of America's fastest growing sports. Some 20 million Americans participate in recreational gun activities.

Those who shoot clays call it "golf with guns."

[wku man]

I thought I was a sh*t-hot shooter 'til I tried the AQT. I never shot less than 38 on the -16A1, and never less than a 36 on the A2, but the AQT is much harder than anything I did while in boots. At this point all I can say is "you want chilimac or SOS?" Gotta get more targets and keep practicing.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[GVnana]

.38

[TC Rider]

Amazing that the article fails to mention IDPA, my sport of choice.

[TYVets]

"Her mag well is empty.........:o)"

But her finger is on the trigger !

One round in the chamber?

No whining from me,,,, lots of begging, but no whining

[VOA]

bump

[Shooter 2.5]

IDPA for pistol and High Power Rifle for, obviously, for Rifle training.
http://www.odcmp.com

And just a reminder, it's not what a person owns, it's the skill of the person that counts.

[activationproducts]

Your point is well taken. I am fully aware of the utility of using a shotgun for close quarters work as well as GI's being trained to deflect grenades flying in air (they were trained in WWI to do this but no accounts of the tactic being used in acutal combat are available).

Militaries currently and throughout that last 200 years have focused on the use of the rifle which is clearly more useful in most engagements. Not too say that sporting clays are not an endeavor which can help one in aquiring skill sets useful in combat (it's no secret that shotgunnners make great AA gunners and machine gunners as they tend to require less training in leading moving targets) but rifleshooting is still much more appropriate to training soldiers.

What is shameful is the dearth of opportunities throughout our land that would allow young people to develop good rifle skills. Municipalities and other property (land) controlling organizations are much more willing to set land aside for trap and skeet than they are too allow that establishment of high power rifle ranges.

We are supposed to be a nation of riflemen but I am afraid that day has gone. I am afraid that most of the trap/skeet/waterfowl crowd could care less.

[Siamese Princess]

I will have the joy soon of firing WWII weapons.

I would like to buy an M-1 carbine, but it is even illegal to OWN one in the People's Republic of New Jersey.

[Siamese Princess]

My gun club in northern New Jersey has a two-year waiting list. Many clubs in NJ have been forced to close and there are fewer and fewer places to shoot in the state. My club is fortunate in that we own our land -- most only rent. The big NJ Federation range at Cherry Ridge is on Newark watershed property and I've been told that sooner or later someone will complain about lead in the water and the place is closed down.

[Beenliedto]

I would like to buy an M-1 carbine, but it is even illegal to OWN one in the People's Republic of New Jersey.

The M-1 (semi automatic) or the M-2 (selective fire, capable of full automatic) is illegal in NJ?

Or both?

BTW, I fired an M-2 a few times back in the 60's, and learned very quickly not to simply cradle the weapon with your left hand in full auto mode. You're shooting at the sky very quickly if you do that!!

[nmh]

Hey forget diamonds as a womans best friend. Learning how to properly shoot well when confronted will do you more good than diamonds.

[PoorMuttly]

Muttly find clay pigeons bony. Tasty though.

One very practical thing not found on most shooting ranges are "running boar" targets...which would be really, really good for handgun practice. Hunting AND personal defense AND military shooting most often involves moving targets. That Dillinger "bad guy" target just doesn't do enough...as scary as it is. This is why Muttly shoots at varmints like vegetable-killing attack-bunnies with his handguns.

Some day he's gonna hit one, too. Another thing one may learn in such practice is that it's harder to be accurate swinging to the right (if right-handed) than to the left. This is why ambushes are often set up to avoid the adversary aiming to his left, the easily natural direction...and in "disengaging" from a firearm-armed attacker, moving to one's left could be marginally more advantageous than in the direction he WANTS to aim in. It seems the arms more naturally fold inward toward one's body, and resist moving away from it...and the way a longarm is held, butt to the right side, makes swinging the muzzle to the right more difficult, the butt then hitting one's hip, etc. Also swinging to the right requires swiveling one's hips, torso, whereas swinging the longarm to the left simply requires bending the elbow tighter. Muttly finds this sort of thing interesting.

[thatcher]

I love paintball.

[gitmo]

I think it has something to do with crucifictions. Of course, I could be hopelessly out-of-touch myself.

[Siamese Princess]

The M-1 (semi automatic) or the M-2 (selective fire, capable of full automatic) is illegal in NJ?

The M-1 carbine is illegal to even own in NJ. I don't know about the M-2. The M-1 Garand is legal, though -- for now.

There is a bill to ban the .50 cal. in the state, as well.

[R W Reactionairy]

"The M-1 carbine is illegal to even own in NJ. I don't know about the M-2. The M-1 Garand is legal, though -- for now."

The M-2 is a machine gun. In theory it is legal with the proper permit to own a machine gun ... but per Knappen II p.275 [a guide book on NJ's asinine gun laws] in reality there is no way to obtain the necessary permit and even if you did obtain permit would only be good to two years.

[7.62 x 51mm]

Fortunately, I have my own private ranges on my 20ac nursery here in Penna. I moved out of NJ in '89, after working in midtown NYC for 17yrs; burned-out.

If you're ever in the York-Lancaster area, gimme a holler. You're welcome to come and shoot here. I have some Class III weapons that'll blow your mind.

[Siamese Princess]

The M-2 is a machine gun. In theory it is legal with the proper permit to own a machine gun ... but per Knappen II p.275 [a guide book on NJ's asinine gun laws] in reality there is no way to obtain the necessary permit and even if you did obtain permit would only be good to two years.

NJ is the worst state in the Union regarding guns. Individual US cities may be as bad or worse, but this is the worst state. It's easier for a citizen of NYC to get a concealed carry permit than in NJ. NY State isn't bad, though, just NYC. I assume it's because knuckle-headed city dwellers and suburbanites dominate the State.

[Siamese Princess]

If you're ever in the York-Lancaster area, gimme a holler. You're welcome to come and shoot here. I have some Class III weapons that'll blow your mind.

Thank you so much. I once remarked to a shooting friend that our club will probably end up in Pennsylvania and she nodded her head in agreement. After some particular outrage in the NJ legislature regarding guns, I actually checked a map to figure out which is closer to my place of work -- NY State or Pennsylvania (NY State is). I know a number of ardent gunowners who plan to leave the State in the future.

[7.62 x 51mm]

The EPA is in the process of shutting down all indoor ranges for lead contamination, I just learned at a meeting of one of the several clubs I also belong to.

The gun-grabbers have infiltrated the EPA and DER, and will, within 10-15yrs, have most, if not all, of the ranges closed.

Being on private property, they have no authority against me. Molon Labe!