Nighthawks

Home for spring break, her “let’s go to the range” request coincided with the Tuesday evening Nighthawks so I said, “Yes, if you’ll shoot your first competition.”

But neither of these is how it started.

Fall arrived two hours ago - that’s the Autumnal Equinox, when the length of the day has shortened to equal the length of the night. From here on, nights will be longer than days until next spring.

We shoot 2700s every other Sunday but this was the other, other Sunday.

Damp and chilly. Brrrr!

The humidity was high and, with the cool 58 degrees, there was a decided chill to the air as we shot the Bullseye 900 last night. Everyone wore a light jacket or a shirt atop a shirt. I “warmed up” with 22 caliber and kept its temperature-sensitive ammunition in my pocket.

Hot? Did someone say it’s hot in Arizona? And at the end of September?

Wow, what a turnout! We had a total of ten (10) shooters last night for the Nighthawks weekly event at the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club in spite of the unseasonal heat. That included three beginners and one out-of-state visitor. (Beginners and visitors is how the ranks will be built up. They are always welcome!)

It’s “traditional Bullseye 900” this coming week (Tuesday, June 1, 2010) at Nighthawks in Phoenix Arizona. Shoot any handgun (no magnums, please – range rules) and one- or two-handed as you prefer. Bring 100 rounds, more if you come early and want to practice before the match that begins at 6:30PM.

I occasionally take non-shooters to the range for their first experience with firearms. Over time, I’ve tended toward a similar sequence of presenting things but knowing the Bullseye community’s safety record, I decided to ask for their input as well. The following procedure benefits from the excellent suggestions of Fred, JC, Chuck, Sheral, Kent and George in the Bullseye-L email community, and from the shooters I meet on the line from whom I’ve learned many valuable and sometimes life-saving lessons.

I fired 2437-37X in today’s 2700.

That’s 90.26% for 270 of the 360 record shots I need to advance to Outdoor Expert.