Why I love to shoot.

[8MM Mauser]

I love to shoot because it challenges me; I love it because it gets me outdoors and active. Really, I just love the shooting sports in-and-of themselves; it is a particular kind of challenge unlike those in other sports. You can't just "push harder" if you will. You really just have to practice until you get good.

I also like that guns are simple enough mechanically that I can work on them myself.

Anyway, a couple months back I was thinking about all this and wrote up a short piece about it. You can read it here: http://benjaminraber.hubpages.com/hu...-love-to-Shoot.

Once you read it; tell me what you love about shooting/firearms in general. While I do not consider this to be in any way a real "sample" i'm interested to hear your responses!

[AL45]

I can certainly relate. For me it is a stress reliever. There is something satisfying about reloading my own ammunition and then testing it at the range. While my ultimate goal is accuracy, I get a kick out of seeing how much penetration I can get out of my .45 Colt loads. I don't hunt much and have no desires to be a vigilante, but it is nice knowing I can shoot well enough to put meat on the table and hopefully protect my family.

[Bluestarlizzard]

http://gryphonkitten.blogspot.com/20...ppy-place.html

The zen of it.

It is one of those activities that I've found that can range from everyday fun to down right spiritual.

Some of the best moments of my life, best memories, happened on a range or around guns. I've met some really awesome people through this shared intrest.

And sometimes it's just so simple as it's just flipping FUN!

[8MM Mauser]

That's a really nice write-up bluestarlizzard. Beleive me when I say I can relate.

You're point about the "perfect shot" is interesting to me. A good friend of mine who can hardly keep a rifle on target at 100 yards once hit a bullseye and hasn't stopped talking about it since. I've explained to him about grouping and consistency but in his mind that was as good as its going to get. I think you start getting good (or better at least) at shooting once you abandon the idea of a "perfect shot."

Also, the nicest people I've meant (except my wife of course) I meant at shooting ranges. So many kind folks willing to share experiences and lend knowledge and firearms too!

[8MM Mauser]

AL45: I get that. I like that shooting gives me skills I might need in some sort of emergency situation. Something I didn't mention in my write up is that shooting has made me better able to understand stressful situations in general as I run over scenarios in my head of practical applications of firearms.

[Louca]

Cool thread and something to think about. My reason would be the "Zen" and relaxation of it as others have said. There is just something theraputic and cathartic about it all.

The challenges shooting poses are indeed an interesting part of it. Why when I have a full day of challenges at work am I interested in more challenges in my hobby? If I shot all bull's eyes on every target, it would become boring to me. And if I was always a horrible shot, it would be frustrating. But I think at the heart of it all is growth. I guess growing is just interesting to me.

Sometimes the challenges and growth come from construction projects: refinishing a stock, re-bluing a barrel, polishing a sear, glass bedding an action, or whatever. I am currently restoring an old Mossberg 43. At other times, the challenges and growth come from shooting accuracy. Then at other times it is the people involved.

8MM Mauser and Bluestarlizzard, I really enjoyed your articles.

Lou

[Beagle45ACP]

I agree with others who say the whole "zen" aspect of it. Long day at work? Go shooting and relieve some of the stress. Good day at work? Celebrate by putting some rounds down-range. Sitting around the house bored/rainy day? If you can't have fun shooting, then there's a bigger problem that needs to be addressed.

I also love being able to challenge myself with it. Example - one time my friend and I went to a shooting range near his house. We were on the pistol range, and while everyone else had their targets at maybe 15 yards, mine was over 25 yards away (literally as far as I could get it, it was laying against the mound of backstop material) and going for head shots instead of center mass hits like most do.

In case your wondering, I got 17 out of 20 shots in the head at that range

[8MM Mauser]

Cool thread and something to think about. My reason would be the "Zen" and relaxation of it as others have said. There is just something theraputic and cathartic about it all.

The challenges shooting poses are indeed an interesting part of it. Why when I have a full day of challenges at work am I interested in more challenges in my hobby? If I shot all bull's eyes on every target, it would become boring to me. And if I was always a horrible shot, it would be frustrating. But I think at the heart of it all is growth. I guess growing is just interesting to me.

Sometimes the challenges and growth come from construction projects: refinishing a stock, re-bluing a barrel, polishing a sear, glass bedding an action, or whatever. I am currently restoring an old Mossberg 43. At other times, the challenges and growth come from shooting accuracy. Then at other times it is the people involved.

8MM Mauser and Bluestarlizzard, I really enjoyed your articles.

Lou

Hey lou! Thanks, I'm really glad you enjoyed it; I agree about the challenge aspect of it. I feel like shooting is a sport at which there will always be room for improvement. It great to challenge yourself shooting too. For example I never shoot rifles from the bench unless I am sighting in. I just don't see the point. I'll spend time in different firing positions: but they are all ones I could easily assume in the field. I figure I will never have a bench in the field and an improvised rest would be a blessing but not something to count on.

I'm sort of the same way with pistols; I fire one mag slow fire when I first get to the range; then a couple mags rapid fire; then I set up two targets and double-tap them one after the other in rotating order. BANG-BANG; BANG-BANG. I would like to get some steel targets to make this easier to manage. Most of the people at my range go slow fire their Glock or 1911 all day; burnign through $100s without getting any practical training in.

[8MM Mauser]

I agree with others who say the whole "zen" aspect of it. Long day at work? Go shooting and relieve some of the stress. Good day at work? Celebrate by putting some rounds down-range. Sitting around the house bored/rainy day? If you can't have fun shooting, then there's a bigger problem that needs to be addressed.

I also love being able to challenge myself with it. Example - one time my friend and I went to a shooting range near his house. We were on the pistol range, and while everyone else had their targets at maybe 15 yards, mine was over 25 yards away (literally as far as I could get it, it was laying against the mound of backstop material) and going for head shots instead of center mass hits like most do.

In case your wondering, I got 17 out of 20 shots in the head at that range

I tried to explain the "Zen" aspect of shooting to a friend of mine. He just didn't get it. To him it means drawing or building furniture; we are all different. Me, you get me behind an old Mauser at 100 meters (105 yards) and some range space all to myself, I could shoot all day, and I leave as relaxed as I ever am. For me that's amazing, I know everybody is busy, but I think I certainly hit at the top of the list; I work full time for a Xerox affiliate, go to school at night, I have a two-year old and a lovely wife (who is a web manager and just as busy as me), plus a decent sized yard to take care of. Stress is usually a way of life for me, but shooting and hunting for me drives that all away. When I'm behind a scope or Iron sights that is my whole world for a couple hours. It's just me, a sighting system and my prey/a little black dot with an "X."

Shooting just so consumes every ounce of concentration. I love it!

[Dashunde]

I love guns, but could almost care less about shooting anymore.
I'm not recoil sensitive, but I dont care for it either, same for the noise, but oddly a 22 is somehow unsatisfying.
Maybe I just got bored with shooting??

Some time ago I got accurate enough to satisfy myself, same for ccw speed and accuracy.
I really like looking at them - appreciating a nice 1911, AR or even a Glock - and I appreciate our right to own them and I think that right has helped mold America in a positive way.
I also really like the secure feeling that my home and family would not be easy victims.

When I shoot nowadays its usually ~200 hundred rounds thru my carry pistols to stay in practice. Aside from the ccw's I almost feel guilty and stupid for wasting so much money unless I'm shooting the (formerly) cheap 22lr.

Maybe I just need a new gun, a new type of shooting? A .17 might be fun...and cheap'ish

[8MM Mauser]

I started as a utilitarian shooter. Just good enough to hit a deer with a rifle or an attacker with a pistol. After a good year of shooting I began to really fall in love with it just for the sake of it. It's been hard for me since none of my friends are really shooters. One or two own guns but practically never shoot them. My brother in law hunts but only shoots a couple rounds a year to sight in his rifle.

I've had some boring sessions shooting in the past, mostly when I didn't plan properly for it or only brought one gun. I usually bring at least one rifle, one pistol and one shogun. It helps that my shooting sessions are about all I do (besides dabbling in writing, but that mostly to stay sharp when I'm off of school) to "relax." It's the only thing that's really "my" time.

[Louca]

I love guns, but could almost care less about shooting anymore. I'm not recoil sensitive, but I dont care for it either, same for the noise, but oddly a 22 is somehow unsatisfying. Maybe I just got bored with shooting??

Dashunde,

You may really enjoy airgun shooting. Although powder burners are probably the most popular guns spoken of on this forum, airgun shooting is one of my favorite activities. Clean, quiet, no recoil, very accurate, relatively inexpensive ammo - and ammo is available. If you haven't tried it, I would recommend it. But maybe it's just not your thing. If you do not care for .22s, maybe airguns is a suggestion in the wrong direction. Just FWIW.

Lou

[Dashunde]

I've had a RWS Model 54 since 1996.
Its one of my all-time favorites

[Louca]

Yes! Then you already know what I am talking about. My favorite spring piston gun is my RWS 75 T01.

For even more excitement, you may want to try going to the "Dark Side" and playing with a PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) gun. There's no going back from there, trust me.

Lou

[Huffmanite]

Why I enjoy shooting? Well, for me, I enjoyed hunting when a teenager, had my own deer lease and etc. But, two years in army (68-70) and then marriage ended hunting/shooting for me. I retired around 6 years ago and one day I opened a box stored in a closet, looking for something. Found some ammo in the box, I'd bought for my two rifles before going into the army in 1968. What the heck, went to a public range to shoot it and had a hoot doing it. Sooooo, now I'm a member of a low cost private shooting range and one or two days a week, usually Sunday mornings for sure, I'm shooting with several of our ranges board of directors and having a darn good time. Had learned how to reload ammo when a teenager in garage of family across the street from me when growing up.....so, after a 40 year or so absence, I began reloading again. I just have a good time, tinkering on rifles, making a rifle stock for me or a shooting friend, reloading, and shooting.

[8MM Mauser]

Well I'm glad to hear you are back in the sport! As a college student my participation in events and clubs is severely limited by time and money, but once I'm done with school I plan on becoming much more involved!

There is a local club at which you can "work off" your membership dues by working there in the weekends. Sounds like a win-win to me! They host IDPA event and the occasional ISPC event too. Plus on Wednesdays they have competitive skeet shooting... Not that I would "be" competitive with my 18" Mossberg 500 anyway. Still fun though!

[8MM Mauser]

Not to necro my own thread, but the article I wrote about in this thread has been moved to another location: http://therepublicofbenjamin.blogspo...-to-shoot.html It is now on my blog instead of the article hostign site I was using. The old link will probably work for some time, but this is the latest version.

I will take this opportunity however, to repeat my original question: Once you read it; tell me what you love about shooting/firearms in general. While I do not consider this to be in any way a real "sample" i'm interested to hear your responses!

[4runnerman]

relaxing is the key word here. Great article you wrote. A day at the range is passed by nothing.

[8MM Mauser]

Thanks!

I agree about the relaxing nature of shooting. People get this idea in their head about guns because they are loud and constantly seen on TV in "action" scenes that shooting must be some intolerably strenuous activity. A guy I work with asked me how I had the energy to go shooting with everything on my plate.

These folks have never tried it, when I leave the range, even after a bad day at the range, I feel more relaxed, my muscles have let loose, my mind feels clearer... It's a relaxing "zen-like" experiance.

[RBid]

I'm 36 years old. When I was younger, I was extremely passionate about basketball and skateboarding. Each of those activities involve skill elements that can be improved upon, though never truly perfected, through constant refinement. That the goal was consistency of high level performance was appealing. There are no ends to these journeys. There is no point where you say, "It is perfect. I am finished."

There were snags with these activities, however. Chief among them is age. These are sports that your body will eventually take away from you. Time intensity and facility/environmental needs were other factors. I became a father at 23, and could no longer burn so many hours on the courts.

Ultimately, I needed an activity that I could pick up or put down as windows of time presented themselves. If I could fine tune without needing to leave home, I knew that I would have even more time. I wanted an activity that I could do all year. I wanted a passion that I could pursue into advanced age. I wanted something I could do socially, or alone. I am also practically minded, and appreciate activities that produce benefits in life.

Shooting has given me all of that. When my kids go to sleep, I can break out the Snap Caps, and work on trigger control via dry fire. I can practice my draw while watching TV. I'm a member of a gun club with an indoor range, so I can buzz myself in any day of the year, regardless of weather. I can go alone, or go with friends (or better, my lady!). I can do this until my days are done. Along the way, I've learned skills that help keep my family safe, and have benefited personally from being prepared.

When I'm at the range, there are many things that keep me excited. Pursuit of the perfect shot, every time I pull the trigger. Rapid fire strings. Maintaining accuracy while moving or transitioning targets*... There are so many ways to challenge yourself!



*you can do this at a static range. Grab a target sheet with 2 or more targets on it. Use chop steps to do figure 8s in your lane, while cycling through the targets. I do this at 50 feet at the gun club. When I go elsewhere and get to move & shoot up close, it feels like cheating.

[8MM Mauser]

RBid, I can somewhat relate. In High school I played football as well as track and did competitive powerlifting. I never really stopped working out; though my routine has changed considerably in purpose as well as application. However, while I used to work out because it was fun, challenging, competitive; now do it more as body maintenance. I run, stretch, lift, and hit a punching bag to keep myself from getting out of shape rather than for enjoyment. Believe me when I say; there is often little enjoyment getting up at 5:30 AM to go run 4 miles in the dark, especially in winter when it's about 10 degrees at that time of "day."

In a way, shooting has taken over for weightlifting for me. I realize, like you, that I will be able to continue shooting, and well (probably much better!) into old age, while my ability to slap 500 lbs on my back will fade away. Great response by the way, you really got me thinking!