Going Ballistic: Part 2

 She Shootin'

As a part of my birthday weekend, I finally got myself together to visit the Maryland Small Arms Range (MSAR). I'd been talking about this for months now, but I couldn't get over there due to schedule conflicts. My Golden Birthday was the time for no holds barred activity. And I put it on my agenda and hoped that everyone that had talked about going throughout the year would actually make it out.

MSAR is located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. It's a dusty old building with inadequate parking to handle the crowd that came on that Monday. I'm ashamed to say that I went shooting on MLK Day. Trust, my cousin called me out on it.

I need to thank Victor Johnson of VTerrance Photography. He's a friend and gun owner. He came out and was prepared to help my guests become familiar and as comfortable as they could around the firearms.

Speaking of comfort, I jumped every time a round was fired when I first stepped into the range. Protective gear is necessary. So, I got all suited up- that means protective glasses and noise cancellation headphones. The range was cold, so I was glad I wore my long sleeve sweater. Next time, I'll wear layers. It would have kept the chill off.

But I promise, the thrill of the gunplay (I recognize the seriousness of this word) was enough to keep me warm. I knew going into MSAR that I wanted to shoot two different types of weapons. Ladies, they'll encourage you to work with a smaller weapon; (a 9mm)  but I knew I wanted to feel the power of a 45 caliber.

There are about 10 booths at MSAR and my crew got the middle three. I was treated to bullets as a birthday present (thanks Dave) and headed inside to see how good of a shot I was. My Line Sister and her husband joined us as well and I ended up shooting Mo's 9mm pistol. It was sleek, attractive, and light. But it was difficult to load and to cock. He went through all the procedures with me. How to check to see if the gun is empty, how to load the gun, pull the first bullet into the chamber and how to fire.

Getting your stance is important. You're a danger if you think you can shoot the way they do in gangsta movies or rap videos.

 Trying to be cute, even with a gun. SMILE

The 9mm took some adjustments, given the difficulties I outlined above, but I seemed to be pretty precise with the weapon. Firing took some getting used to. I couldn't rapidly fire the gun, concentrating on precision and accuracy. I recognized that I would squint my eyes to try to focus on the two dots on the guns' barrel and matching them up with the other dot (yes, my descriptions are fuzzy at this point).

I took my time to shoot. I know I wasn't a pro like the gents around me. But I feel pretty good about my ability to shoot a target at close range. Many of the ladies that came out with me stuck with the 9mm. I can understand that. I'm partial to the 45. Bigger gun, more power.

So I roamed around the range making sure that everyone got an opportunity to shoot. It was too much for some; but overall, the ladies who came out *Monday is Ladies Day at the Range* had a really good time and want to be more familiar with firearms for self protection.

Here are more pics!

My Sorors! 

Thanks everyone for joining me on this long awaited adventure. Toward the end of the day, I grabbed the .45, pushed the target a little farther than we had been shooting and I tried my hand at more intense, precise shooting. And I'm happy with the outcome.  Basically, I'll say, watch out for me. Don't push me...I'm close to the edge. And I could hitcha too! She Shootin'


OG.