First off, major props to TCGC for having an absolutely kickass facility. There is absolutely no question where the membership dues are going, because they are constantly working on improvements and upgrades. We already have covered ranges going from plinking and pistol all the way out to 200 meters, a shotgun range where construction is underway for full skeet and trap shooting, covered pavilion, newly constructed classroom buildings, real bathrooms and an archery range. And as members, my husband & I can come out any day the range we want is open (which is most days), from sunrise to sunset, and bring any number of guests with us.
As for Women On Target...I was a little leery at first. I've been shooting since I was eight, and few things irritate me more than some good ol' boy patronizing the 'little girl' by telling her how guns work, but I was pleasantly surprised. The TCGC guys were, by and large, really good about showing us the different firearms, and when I told them that I had experience shooting, they stepped back and let me do my thing.
I got to shoot everything from .22 to .357 & .45, in revolver, semiauto and rifle, as well as the AR-15, which is essentially the semi-auto version of the M-16 used by our military. Me likey (and I put eight shots into about a three inch cluster at 25 yards (yes, the distances were short, but the classes are aimed at introducing women to firearms...I *did* outshoot my husband with his M1 Garand a couple of weeks ago, including 2 bullseyes at 75 yards), but getting one would require buying still another type of ammunition.
The sheer variety was the selling point for me, as I'd never gotten to fire that many different types of guns in one place, and it helped me decide that it's time to switch from my Rossi .44 special revolver that I've carried for over 15 years to a semiauto .45. I also fell in love with a .22 target rifle that the Russians use to train their Olympic teams. Accurate? OMFG!!! Can I afford it? Hell, no.
I do have the Mosin Nagant that the hubby bought me when I first expressed an interest in precision shooting, and I think that once I get used to the extra kick from the bolt action, we're going to get along fine. Even met a police officer for a local Emergency Response Team who is being trained as a sniper and who agreed to pass along some pointers.
Having my husband out there as a Range Safety Officer was definitely a plus, too. From some questions I've gotten from friends, I gather that some guys get threatened if their wives/girlfriends start getting competent with firearms. Not my sweetie. When a veteran female police officer (who used to be a crime scene investigator & has a collection of handguns that would make your jaw drop) announced that she'd take me as a partner any day, he was grinning from ear to ear (again, we were shooting at really short range, so I took most of the compliments from the men with a grain of salt...they were there to encourage us, after all...but that one felt good).
I did get invited out to the monthly International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) shoots at the range by at least two of the guys, so I guess I did reasonably well. Still plenty of room for improvement, though.
It made for a very long day, and even though they fed us lunch, we were seriously hungry by 4pm, so we wandered into Chili's, where the hubby got a kickass steak, I had a steakhouse sandwich with LOTS of horseradish (yum) & topped it off with a splurge on their molten chocolate cake dessert.
Then home, where I soaked out my soreness in my whirlpool tub (worth EVERY penny we spent on that baby), then settled back in bed with the hubby to share tequila, limes and salt and watch Stardust
, which is, IMHO, the best fantasy/romance since the Princess Bride.Damn good day.
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