Greetings all,
New guy here from the Nashville area. Not new to guns but new to LR/precision shooting. I have mostly shot ARs, Hunting rifles and pistols. I am especially fond of 1911s. I am 24+ years military but nothing swoopy or high speed. It has all be aviation going back to the days of the Hueys and Cobras moving into Blackhawks and Apaches. My last tour in AFG was in 2012 with a DUSTOFF unit supporting Uncle Sugars Misguided Children down in the Helmand area. I am currently in the TN national guard continuing my career as long as my old body will hold up.
I have been dabbing in precision shooting for the last year with no formal training and much of it trying to teach myself what to and not to do. I am not really getting anywhere but I am going there at a pretty good pace. Obviously I am not afraid to admit shortcomings. My local range goes out to 200 yards flat but I can get a few shots out to about 266 if I am going up the bank into the woods. With my AR I have been shooting pool cue chalk at 100 yards and golf balls at 200. Obviously these are small targets but at these distances there is not much consideration for wind and other conditions. While it has helped me with things like breathing, trigger control, follow through and such it really lacks in others areas of the discipline like considering atmospherics. I recently decided to make the plunge into larger bore rifles for other than deer hunting purposes. I like the 308 caliber because of its wide availability of factory rounds and availability of reloading components. In my area there is not really a lot of opportunity to go past 1000 yards so I don't really see the need for the expense of a larger caliber to go much past that. Maybe one day but not yet.
I do have an appreciation for some of the finer things in life such as custom guns and high end glass. I can't always afford the best but I get what I can when I can get it. A few years ago I came by a deal on a custom 1911 and while I had been shooting over the counter 1911s for a while the difference between fit, feel and function of a custom over a OTC pistol was impressive. Like many others I have said "the gun shoots better than I do" and yet upgrading the gun also improved my performance so I came to realize that is not always true. Sometimes but not always.
I would like to get into some formal and informal training close to home to start and get a good foundation to build on. Locally there is a new range "Strategic Edge" about an hour and a half away and while they hosted an intro class back in January it fell on a drill weekend so I was not able to attend. I have not been able to find any other formal classes without going 4+ hours away. In that circle I could get to BangSteel in VA or Atlanta Firearms Training. Maybe even a few more I have not found yet. I would like to meet up with other local/semi local shooters and get some practice at some longer ranges and maybe a little coaching.
I am not a sniper, and I am under no impression that a few classes is going to turn me into one, and I don't want to be one, I personally don't have the patience for the fieldcraft aspect of the job. That being said, I always want to improve my shooting skills. If you are not getting better, you are moving backwards. There is always room to be a better shot and if you are not shooting to get better than you are just turning money into smoke and noise. I get to do that at work enough with helicopters.
I have rambled on enough. I am glad to be here and hope to receive a warm welcome and some sound advice on moving forward.
Ray
New guy here from the Nashville area. Not new to guns but new to LR/precision shooting. I have mostly shot ARs, Hunting rifles and pistols. I am especially fond of 1911s. I am 24+ years military but nothing swoopy or high speed. It has all be aviation going back to the days of the Hueys and Cobras moving into Blackhawks and Apaches. My last tour in AFG was in 2012 with a DUSTOFF unit supporting Uncle Sugars Misguided Children down in the Helmand area. I am currently in the TN national guard continuing my career as long as my old body will hold up.
I have been dabbing in precision shooting for the last year with no formal training and much of it trying to teach myself what to and not to do. I am not really getting anywhere but I am going there at a pretty good pace. Obviously I am not afraid to admit shortcomings. My local range goes out to 200 yards flat but I can get a few shots out to about 266 if I am going up the bank into the woods. With my AR I have been shooting pool cue chalk at 100 yards and golf balls at 200. Obviously these are small targets but at these distances there is not much consideration for wind and other conditions. While it has helped me with things like breathing, trigger control, follow through and such it really lacks in others areas of the discipline like considering atmospherics. I recently decided to make the plunge into larger bore rifles for other than deer hunting purposes. I like the 308 caliber because of its wide availability of factory rounds and availability of reloading components. In my area there is not really a lot of opportunity to go past 1000 yards so I don't really see the need for the expense of a larger caliber to go much past that. Maybe one day but not yet.
I do have an appreciation for some of the finer things in life such as custom guns and high end glass. I can't always afford the best but I get what I can when I can get it. A few years ago I came by a deal on a custom 1911 and while I had been shooting over the counter 1911s for a while the difference between fit, feel and function of a custom over a OTC pistol was impressive. Like many others I have said "the gun shoots better than I do" and yet upgrading the gun also improved my performance so I came to realize that is not always true. Sometimes but not always.
I would like to get into some formal and informal training close to home to start and get a good foundation to build on. Locally there is a new range "Strategic Edge" about an hour and a half away and while they hosted an intro class back in January it fell on a drill weekend so I was not able to attend. I have not been able to find any other formal classes without going 4+ hours away. In that circle I could get to BangSteel in VA or Atlanta Firearms Training. Maybe even a few more I have not found yet. I would like to meet up with other local/semi local shooters and get some practice at some longer ranges and maybe a little coaching.
I am not a sniper, and I am under no impression that a few classes is going to turn me into one, and I don't want to be one, I personally don't have the patience for the fieldcraft aspect of the job. That being said, I always want to improve my shooting skills. If you are not getting better, you are moving backwards. There is always room to be a better shot and if you are not shooting to get better than you are just turning money into smoke and noise. I get to do that at work enough with helicopters.
I have rambled on enough. I am glad to be here and hope to receive a warm welcome and some sound advice on moving forward.
Ray
