this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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Flinching was for sure a big part of it. I'm autistic, never liked loud noises / bangs, stuff like fireworks. Just walking in there was quite a big deal (especially because being a UK boi I'd never been near a gun let alone fired one), I remember flinching at first just from the concussions I could feel in my chest from other peoples' shots. Interestingly after 3-4 hours of this, it seemed to have dampened my flinch response substantially.
First words out of my mouth after firing the Magnum was "FUCKING HELL" haha. Big old cloud of smoke, I'd definitely go shooting again. Was fun. Managed to land all my shots on the target at 15m so will take that as a win, especially compared to all the other learner papers they showed me.
Some of the most experienced shooters still flinch. It's a thing. My natural anxiety with ADHD does not like me being at the range, so I get that part completely. It's not my shots that can make me jump a little, but the shots that I hear around me.
Quite honestly, a gun range is generally a safe place and it is great practice being in conditions like that. Maintaining concentration in what seems like a chaotic environment is an interesting experience for people that have brains like ours. It takes practice and is exceedingly healthy, IMHO.
If you are ever in Colorado by random chance, and still on Lemmy, look me up and I'll meet you at a private range I have a membership to. It's a no politics/no bullshit kind of place and the people that can afford it are extremely professional in regards to firearms. (I make my own ammunition, so that cost is negligible as well.) 100 yd indoor ranges are kinda rare too, so that is nice.
15 yds is not easy for a new shooter so if you were hitting that, that is great! Also, I am glad you had a good experience.
Thanks, that's a kind offer! I'd love to visit Colorado one day.
My friend who I went with is very stringent on safety / weapon maintenance, and I got a really serious vibe from the owner on the way in... No messing about, listen carefully to instructions, follow guidance to the letter. That gave me quite a bit of confidence knowing all the people inside would be held to that standard. Guns are serious tools and not to be fucked with, is how I felt on the way there and on leaving.
I am huge on safety as well. Like any other machine, there is a degree of respect that needs to come with operating it. Maybe even a little bit of fear is healthy in some cases. Accidents happen, but there are multiple layers of basic safety process that would need to be violated first.
Just like everyone else in this world, avid gun owners hate idiots with guns as well. Unless you get in a conversation with us, it's usually not the first thing we talk about or flaunt. Also, a joke we have is that we are not afraid of someone that owns a dozen guns. We are afraid of the person that only owns one and has never used it.
Yep. There's nothing quite so frustrating as having to sit there while a total and utter idiot drags your cause, hobby or profession through the mud.
I remember when my friend was checking his weapon / ammo, I noticed he had hollow points. I was quite shocked as in my head they were more dangerous, he explained that because he lived in an apartment, if he had to shoot at an intruder with normal bullets they'd go straight through the walls, and that hollow points were much safer for fellow residents if the worst came to the worst. Really demonstrated to me that there's a metric fuck ton I don't know about guns. So I always try and moderate my emotional reaction to 'gun issues'. Some things imo are quite obvious (like, if there's a license to drive a vehicle, then surely it's just as crucial to have some common-sense legislation to ensure people who own guns do so responsibly). But then, I don't live in a country with something like a Constitution and it's not for me to tell other people how to live in their own country!