So there I was, enjoying a nice dish of strawberry shortcake after dinner and checking out my new AR-15 when my son grabbed a picture of me with it. ‘Nice dad,’ I thought. So I posted the pic on facebook to show it off a bit.
That’s when my liberal buddy asked “What on earth do you need that for?”
My response is worth repeating here.
What do you mean? I love strawberry shortcake.
“Jill” is a Bushmaster M4 model, 5.56 cal. I don’t feel I need one, but since the anti-gun hysteria has gone berserk, I decided that I wanted one. Picked it up at Academy Sports. Comes with a 30-round magazine. Glad I got it, was lucky to get it, they are in such high demand. And Academy isn’t price gouging. $999.99 w/o the sight system. These are going for twice the price at gun shows, if you can find one.
Took it out shooting yesterday for the first time (private property in the county, legal). Compared to a shotgun, which I also have (had that as a kid 50 years ago), the recoil is girlyman. It is light and easy to handle. A petite lady can shoot one with no ill affects.
And that scary looking thing on my left hand is protection from a hot barrel. After shooting a few rounds through it, the barrel does get hot. When the weather improves I hope to get it out to the range to dial in the sights. They’re accurate right out of the box, but I still want to dial them in and I need the range facilities to do that.
Come with me sometime. It’s fun. Bring your guns if you have any. You can shoot mine if you don’t. And if you don’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if you want to get one afterwards. I have them because I like them, and in the unfortunate case that I need one for protection, then I’ll feel like I’m on a level playing field with the bad guy.
Every time I carry, I pray that I won’t “need” it. It is better than needing one and not having it. Besides, it is my constitutional right to decide for myself what I feel I need to protect myself. Which, is another reason I bought a few extra 30-round magazines. The politicos don’t have a right to tell me what I feel I need to protect my rights, family, and property.
When it comes to taking lives (abortion), the same people are pro-choice. But when it comes to saving lives, they want to take my choice away.
It’s fun to shoot at a target and meet the challenge to hit the bullseye. Few people hit the bullseye consistently. What most people try to do is to improve your shooting skill to make a smaller ‘group.’ Let’s go shooting, I’ll show you what I’m talking about. I have extra ear and eye protection if you need it. It is required at the range.
Since that time, I’ve been to the range and dialed in the sights. I’m not an expert marksman yet, but I managed a four-inch group at fifty yards, and a two-inch group at twenty-five. Needless to say, I really like Jill. What I’ve found out though is that each time I use it I’m learning more about its, and my own, capabilities and limitations. I guess that’s what ‘shooting’ is all about. It’s all fun recreation. And like any hobby, you can spend on it as much cash as you have, and then some. For example, the laser sights are fine at 50 yards or less, but not worth a dam at 100 yards or more. One day at the range showed me that to extend its reach with equal accuracy, I’d need a scope with magnification. I’m fine with what I have. After all, it’s not a sniper rifle.
