On Target

This week I met up with Welsh International Shooter, Coach Morris for my final training session for The Pistol Shooting Challenge. But would I be on target?

The range we're using for practise is slightly shorter than the ones at a standard firing range, some would say this makes it slightly easier (those of you who shoot, for instance) but bare in mind that less than 2 months ago I'd never even seen a gun before.

This is a pic from a previous training session, before the beard came off

The aim of the evening was to get some final preparation time, make any minute adjustments needed to the sights of the pistol, and talk through range etiquette as well as the format for the event.

Range etiquette may sound a little like it's all about being polite and minding your manners, and in a way it is: this set of rules includes things like not pointing your gun anywhere other than towards the target wall, and never leaving a loaded weapon alone at your shooting point - seems obvious but as these unusual looking guns could be lethal then I for one am not willing to take any risks with one.

Coach Morris used the evening to go over the event in fine detail as well as see how I managed in a distracting environment, often talking all the way through my shots; while the range will not be full of people chatting, it will be full of my competition firing their pistols as and when they please during the 1hr 45 minutes we'll have to take 60 shots.

My personal goal for the evening was to shoot what I thought of as a 'clean card' - I'd never once shot all 10 pellets through the black centre of a target card (any hole that touches the black centre, counts as a 7 and above - the 'bullseye being a 10).

I shot 4 cards that evening, Coach Morris adjusted the sights twice. When it came to my final shot I looked down at the target, which was showing 9 'clean' shots and took a deep breath as I raised the gun...

Yahtzee!!!

I'd bagged a clean card in my training sessions at last, and with my final shot!!

As a reward Coach Morris allowed me a few rounds with the rapid fire mag in the pistol; 5 pellets slot into the loading chamber at once, when you've got your sights lined up you shoot all of the pellets in quick succession.

Blasting the hell out of the target felt great - better than any shoot 'em up game I'd ever played.

Here's the result:

As rapid firing goes I'm told this is pretty darn good for a first go - and that's coming from a Welsh International Shooter!

The Pistol Shooting Challenge will take place on Saturday 28th May at The National Indoor Shooting Centre, Wolverhampton.  I'll be ready.