First Time At The Range
My inner explorer has always motivated me to try new things, learn new skills, visit new places and overcome new challenges. The feeling of trying a new activity which I know nothing about and then putting in the work to improve and hopefully become efficient one day is invigorating. Throughout the years I have periodically thought about shooting a gun for the first time. Although I wanted to experience something new and try something I knew nothing about, is just never became a priority. Well, with everything going on in the world I figured this is as a good a time as ever to give it a try.
Walking In
I’m not going to lie. I was a bit nervous walking in the front door. Not the kind of nervous that would put my shorts in danger but nervous enough to keep things interesting. That’s good because I didn’t bring a backup pair. My anxiety was rooted in the unknown but was overshadowed by my excitement. Although I did a ton research and watched a ton of youtube videos, I knew enough to know that I was about to experience something that wasn’t even close to anything I had experienced before. I was excited because I knew this would be a pivotal moment in my life and would change my perspective on certain topics. I was a bit anxious because I didn’t know what to expect from the gun or from myself. Ok. I admit it. There might have been a thought or two that crossed my mind involving me shooting a certain part of myself that wasn’t meant to be shot.
The Overview
Next up was the introduction and safety overview from a member of the staff. This guy obviously took his job and gun safety very seriously and clearly enjoyed working with beginners. He went over everything very slowly from the four rules of gun safety, proper grip, basic mechanics to functionality and loading. I’ve been known to ask a lot of questions (especially when I’m new to something) which can tend to annoy many people. That has inadvertently turned into an unintentional litmus test to one’s expertise and patience. Well the gun guy passed with flying colors. He definitely knew what he was talking about and clearly was more patient than most. After the overview, he placed the 9mm pistol, 50 rounds and empty magazine in a bucket. I put on my safety glasses and ear protection and we headed to the range.
The Range
As soon as the second of two doors closed behind me things started to feel real. My senses were a little dulled since I was wearing double ear protection and my safety glasses were fogging. The range employee lead the way with the gun and ammo and proceeded to instruct me on how to load the magazine. It was difficult to hear everything he was saying but I thought I was catching the important parts. At least I hoped I was. Then something completely unexpected happened. Someone two lanes down fired a shot at the target. I’m not going lie, I jumped a little. I had become so focused on what my instructor was telling me, trying to soak in every detail that I forgot other shooters were in the range with me. Even with the double ear protection that was the loudest single and sudden sound I had ever heard. I had done a bunch of research prior to range day so I knew a little about the different caliber bullets. Since the 9mm is one of the smaller calibers (and most common) I figured the shot that just went off had to be much larger than 9mm caliber I was about to shoot. I mean why else would it be so loud? Well I was about to learn a lesson.
My First Shot
I took hold of the pistol with my right hand and made sure I had the proper grip. Loaded the magazine and paused for a second. The gun was still not able to fire since I hadn’t yet put a bullet into the chamber. This was my last chance to take a breath before holding a loaded and ready to fire weapon. Next I pulled back the slide and let it go, pushing a 9mm bullet into the chamber. Ok, now I was getting a bit nervous. Even though it didn’t even cross my mind to put the gun down and back out, for some reason it felt like the choice was no longer mine. I had to fire this gun. So I positioned my left hand on the gun in the proper position, double checking with my instructor, lined up the sites and slowly pulled the trigger.
Although I’m sure I was only aiming for a couple of seconds it felt like minutes. The power I felt when the bullet was struck by the firing pin, setting off a “small” explosion to project it through the barrel is indescribable. The adrenaline rush can be compared to other exhilarating activities like roller coasters, bunging jumping, snowboarding and I assume skydiving but the shear power I experienced is like nothing else. Oh, and remember when I said the shooter next to me must have had a larger caliber than the 9mm I was going to shoot? Nah. He was just shooting a little ole 9mm. I just never expected it to be that loud and powerful. After the feeling of euphoria and amazement passed, I looked up at the target and was shocked to see that my shot hit within a half inch of the center of the target. Before you get too impressed, the target was relatively close. The shocking part was, since there was so much power and the recoil in the gun felt overwhelming, I assumed I completely missed the target.
The Next 49 9s
My first shot with a gun had me a little overwhelmed, in a good way, but I needed to gather my composure for my second shot. Ok, my heart rate was back to normal. I double checked my grip, steadied my arms, lined up the sites, squeezed the trigger and bang! Explosion number 2. The power of the gun felt just as overwhelming as shot #1. Since I lined up the sites the same as the first time I figured my second shot would be just as good as my first. Wrong I was! I hit the target but it wasn’t even close to where I was aiming. It was left and well below the center. What on earth! My instructor was not surprised at all. Apparently the first shot is generally the best for new shooters because they don’t know what to expect, and therefore don’t overcompensate for the recoil. After I experienced the recoil of the first shot I subconsciously with my second shot. Subconsciously I tried to fight against the recoil, causing me to push down and to the left just as I was about to pull the trigger. With that in mind, but slightly sweatier hands and a bit more shaky, I took my third shot with the same results. Down and to the left. After watching me load another 3 bullets into the magazine, firing and hitting the same spot (down and to the left) my instructor felt I was ready to be on my own.
The rest of the hour and 44 bullets were spent trying to stop myself from overcompensating. I didn’t want to try the “trick” of pulling the trigger fast enough so I didn’t know exactly when it would fire. In that case I wouldn’t have a chance to over compensate but I would never learn the “right” way. My goal is to become very proficient with the gun and I knew that ideally, I should know exactly when the bullet is firing. That’s very important for possible real world situations. So I knew the only way was to practice relaxing as I was pulling the trigger. Bullets 7 through 20 were still down and to the left. Then I noticed my shots started to creep back towards the middle. It was very interesting to watch. I was progressively improving, seemingly with every shot. I started feeling more and more comfortable as my shots got closer and closer to the center. My last 10 shots were all within the inner circle with a couple of them being just about as close as my first shot. It took me a full hour and 49 bullets but I made it all the way back to the center of the target.
First shot was just to the left of the X. The next shots were down and to the left. Worked my way back up to the center by the end of my session.
New Insight
Before I entered the gun range and loaded my first magazine I already had a decent level of appreciation for fire arms. I respected the power contained in the firearm and embraced the responsibility of handling and potentially owning a gun. This appreciation and respect rose to a new level after my first shot along with a new perspective. Experiencing the extreme power in my hand made it more clear the amount of damage this little pistol could do. Not only did that enforce and increase my sense of responsibility and safety procedures but it also made me think about a situation where a criminal has a gun but I don’t. That imbalance of power is massive and the idea that I could be a position one day where someone is looking to cause harm to me or my loved ones and I have no defense was enlightening. This resulted in even more motivation to become as efficient and knowledgable about firearms as possible.
Will I Go Back?
Absolutely!! In fact I’m planning to go back this week and I’m planning to go on a regular basis. Not only do I want to be in a position to protect myself and find the mechanics of firearms fascinating, I love learning new skills and putting in the time and effort required to conquer my deficiencies. I have a lot of work to do and a lot to learn but I’m excited about my new journey.
Stay tuned for future posts to follow me on this journey. This is just the beginning.