Guns As Tools
I was just now rereading Bob's article at Competitive-Shooter.com (here) about shooting with iron sights. He makes the point that one doesn't need fancy optics to shoot and shoot well. My comments here are not about tactical competition (of which I know nothing, that's Bob's world) or shooting zombies. I just went back to his blog because last night I found that I needed to use an iron-sighted firearm as a real tool, just as one would use a hammer to drive a nail. And, I was amazed by what's possible if one is reasonably skilled in just how to shoot. Yes, the fundamentals. No gunfight, no ninja climbing over the roof. Just old Elmer Keith stuff.
I'm not bragging, this is just fact. I have been trained by the best (Gabe Suarez and his crew at SI), been shooting for over 40 years, but honestly didn't really think that a gun could be used for something other than shooting something "to the ground" (to quote from Gabe). Yes, if one wants to make a burn barrel for trash and ventilate a 55 gallon drum, it's fun to do so with a 45 ACP, but this situation was different. We had some friends stop by, which is pretty rare for us, being way up on the side of a mountain. While we're all sitting around the campfire, a yard light, halogen light (not sure of the correct name) starts arcing all over the place down below. As this is sure not an area to try to call a utility company in the middle of the night, but it damn sure is a spot where a forest fire can cause a lot of damage, we all started looking for ways to turn the power off to the light. No such luck, it's direct wired way up on top of the telephone pole. The guy who was visiting starts pitching rocks at the light hoping to knock it out. No luck, it's about 30 feet up.
Meanwhile, my lady kind of suggests "can you shoot a wire off of it?" Really? I had no idea. But that's what I did, with one round from an old Browning Hi-Power 9mm while holding a flashlight in my off hand. That's after aligning myself so the pole would "catch" the bullet. Turned off the light and stopped all the sparks.
There is a hell of a lot to be said for shooting fundamentals like breathing, using iron sights and trigger pull, perhaps more than I had even thought in the last few years. This very odd situation sure opened my eyes. I've been pretty strong lately on telling new shooters to grab onto some advanced techniques, but I think now that I have been wrong. Fundamentals first. If not for those, we may have had a big mess up here last night if that nightlight had continued burning and throwing sparks. Now, do I have the skill to place a three-shot group on the top of a pole within 1/4 inch of each other? Hell, no. Was it a lucky shot? Hell, yes. Does this mean I would not attempt it again? Of course I would. Firearms, I have just learned, are not always about killing. Seems sometimes they are about doing something from a distance. With precision. And if I can do it, anybody can.
Bob, well done on your article. I sure miss you.
I'm not bragging, this is just fact. I have been trained by the best (Gabe Suarez and his crew at SI), been shooting for over 40 years, but honestly didn't really think that a gun could be used for something other than shooting something "to the ground" (to quote from Gabe). Yes, if one wants to make a burn barrel for trash and ventilate a 55 gallon drum, it's fun to do so with a 45 ACP, but this situation was different. We had some friends stop by, which is pretty rare for us, being way up on the side of a mountain. While we're all sitting around the campfire, a yard light, halogen light (not sure of the correct name) starts arcing all over the place down below. As this is sure not an area to try to call a utility company in the middle of the night, but it damn sure is a spot where a forest fire can cause a lot of damage, we all started looking for ways to turn the power off to the light. No such luck, it's direct wired way up on top of the telephone pole. The guy who was visiting starts pitching rocks at the light hoping to knock it out. No luck, it's about 30 feet up.
Meanwhile, my lady kind of suggests "can you shoot a wire off of it?" Really? I had no idea. But that's what I did, with one round from an old Browning Hi-Power 9mm while holding a flashlight in my off hand. That's after aligning myself so the pole would "catch" the bullet. Turned off the light and stopped all the sparks.
There is a hell of a lot to be said for shooting fundamentals like breathing, using iron sights and trigger pull, perhaps more than I had even thought in the last few years. This very odd situation sure opened my eyes. I've been pretty strong lately on telling new shooters to grab onto some advanced techniques, but I think now that I have been wrong. Fundamentals first. If not for those, we may have had a big mess up here last night if that nightlight had continued burning and throwing sparks. Now, do I have the skill to place a three-shot group on the top of a pole within 1/4 inch of each other? Hell, no. Was it a lucky shot? Hell, yes. Does this mean I would not attempt it again? Of course I would. Firearms, I have just learned, are not always about killing. Seems sometimes they are about doing something from a distance. With precision. And if I can do it, anybody can.
Bob, well done on your article. I sure miss you.
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