why do you shoot

[bamaranger]

There is a very eloquent discussion, an entire chapter, on this very topic in Jeff Coopers book, "The Art of the Rifle".

I shoot because it is just sort of a lifestyle for me. All males of my acquaintance in the family were hunters and I followed suit. Later, firearms became an aspect of my employment as well. Retired now, I don't shoot as much as I thought I would, but I still hunt as much as I can stand.

My circle of close friends are all shooters and about half of them hunt as well.

[vito]

I used to enjoy shooting a lot more than I do now. I'll admit that it no longer is much fun for me. Between my diminishing visual ability, arthritis in my hands making recoil less pleasant, and damage to both shoulders which makes it hard for me to hold even a lightweight handgun as steady as I need to be, shooting is just barely more than a chore. I still belong to a pistol club, and go to their to shoot at least once a month to try to keep my shooting skills at least up to a minimally acceptable level. But I do this because I rely upon my handguns for home and personal protection and don't want to get so out of practice that I might not be able to hit my target when I need to do so to defend my life.