Double shooty

This was a good weekend. I went shooting twice.

When you consider the round count, however, it doesn't look like much:

• 60 rounds 7.62 NATO


• 60 rounds 5.56 NATO


• 18 rounds .45 ACP


• 5 rounds .22LR, plus another 95 for Miss Tacticute

The important thing, however, was that I was in good company while I was shooting.

Friday night was Rifle League at West Coast Armory. It was my first time participating, although I had been gearing up to do it for a while.

The course of fire was simple: double taps on all targets, first two targets fired under a table, then three targets at the next location to the right, two more targets firing around the left ride of a barrier, mandatory mag change, three more targets, show empty then transition to pistol for the last three. In between shooting, congenial conversation with the other participants.

I took it slow and just worked on being careful. I did discover that a head mounted light doesn't work well in the dark scenario, but I was able to use a optical cortex trick of the Binden Aiming Concept to get the reticle from my ACOG (which I couldn't see through properly due to the glare off the rear lens from my headlamp) to appear in my right eye and appear to be superimposed on my left eye sight picture. Not a good operating plan, but I hit all the targets and hit no no-shoots.

One of the participants had an N.D, and I'd like to highlight how a heavily armed individual took this. The rules are clear: any N.D, and you're barred from participation for four weeks. Well, he dropped his magazine while he was transiting from position three to four, and with a round in the chamber, touched the trigger while reloading. He shot a barrier, and the bullet likely went into the ceiling. Everyone stopped, the rangemaster called for him to clear his rifle and pistol, and they checked the damage. Meekly and with no histrionics, he packed his gear and went home. Amazing; according to some, he should have started a shooting spree at this little setback. Not so amazingly, such people live with counter-factual internal model of how real people behave.

The second shooting even was Sunday, for the long awaited range visit with Miss Tacticute. As usual, the other guys at the range were utter charmed by the little seven year old with her pink AR-15. Here's how she did at 25 confidence boosting yards:



Here's how I did at 200 confidence deflating yards:



Miss Tacticute herself took that last picture, moving me around like an Oleg Volk protege to get the picture she wanted. It doesn't matter, I still look overweight, which must be a trick of the light.

I readily admit that I screwed up that shooting. I was shooting high to begin with, so a couple clicks over and I was shooting worse. I got the Up/Down mixed up in my sight adjustment. By the time I finished, I was getting a consistent 2" high shot placement right above the bulls-eye. Well, I can adjust for that.