Monday, June 20, 2011

Wimped out.

I had planned to go to the range today, but I punked out.

I'll go in the subzero cold and the blazing sun, and I'll go in fog and misty rain, but I won't go when it's pouring down in buckets because:
  1. There is no virtue in suffering.

  2. Slippery footing and slippery guns are just buying trouble.
I'll take the lost hardcore points and deal with it.

13 comments:

  1. I did that during the USTC Basic Pistol class. We shot in the rain after the thunderstorms left. I had a poncho with both sides open.

    It really sucked. I tried to stuff the poncho into the rear pockets of my jeans. No joy. Added to that was the fact that magazines were being dumped into the gravel dirt only to be used again. They all sounded like cement mixers after that.

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  2. I'd mostly rather not be out in the cold, but there isn't anything short of motorcycle riding I wouldn't rather do in the pouring rain. Driving, shooting, hunting...

    Damned near everyone in my family but me has been directly or indirectly hit by lightning, too, you'd think I'd be warier.

    WV: Marrythe. Not going there, having already gone there twice

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  3. I went to a range today... tossed four grenades and came back with all ten fingers. I call that a success.

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  4. Motorcycling *off-road* in the rain is pure HEAVEN! I'd be more put-off by the awful sweaty humidity you guys in the Midwest have. Rain is just 100% humidity in that case.

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  5. Ancient Woodsman12:52 AM, June 21, 2011

    I had a photo album once about the "Rangers at the range in the rain" and drew some negative comments about making the boys shoot in inclement weather.

    I told them then: if you're going to carry firearms outside in all kinds of weather, it pays to learn to do so safely...outside, and in all kinds of weather. The clothing is different, the environment is different, and the safe & effective use of your tools is therefore different.

    No disrespect meant towards your post, especially if you have a choice about carrying outside in the bad weather. Forcing someone to train so in such a case might have some training value; but with the choice, why be miserable doing it?

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  6. What is this rain you speak of? Can I haz some of it? Please?

    Texas needs about 60 inches to get caught up, but I'd settle for a cool 2 inches a day for three days, a two day break, then three more days, just like that....

    Worst for me was Thunder Ranch and shooting in the snow. Yep, it started snowing, in Texas, and we kept right on shooting. Good news...I received damn good training and I figured out how to shooting a 4" GP100 with and without gloves when your fingers are freezing.

    -Rob

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  7. It takes one lesson to learn how to be miserable. I figure you have already had that lesson.

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  8. Get yourself some of these.

    You'll never slip again.

    Mike James

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  9. long ago and far away, my unit was coming to the end of a budget cycle. a use it or lose it situation. it's raining sideways. we're on guam. charlie company has to go to the range to use up all of our battalions training ammo. we went thru mag after mag some on full auto. only took a few hours. came back to camp soaked to the bone. I don't even remember cleaning weapons that day. must have had a typhoon inbound. what a good time!

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  10. Oddly, some of the best rifle shooting I've ever done was a cool day with solid overcast and very light rain falling; I'd made the trip, started just before i got there and I was damn well gonna SHOOT that day!

    Iron sights on an old Mauser, and I've never shot as well with a scope as I did that day.

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  11. I read that at one of the NTI shoots, one of the stages had you starting with your hands in a bucket of dishwashing type soapy water.

    I'm thinking a better version would be hands smeared with BBQ sauce from pork ribs. If nothing else, it would teach one to keep your shooting hand as clean as possible when eating out!

    Will

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  12. Mike James,

    I COULD be mistaken, but I seem to recall that Tam is indeed in possession of a similar product. I find them great on ice but not so much for anything else.

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  13. Realistic training is realistic, but a lot of us old folks have to work ourselves up to the full nastiness of it.

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