A couple of days ago Eric called up and asked if we could go the the range on Independence Day. I told him I would think about it. Did I want to get up early to beat the heat and the crowd and go to the range or did I want to sleep in and relax. I called him last night and told him that we could go and he needed to be here at six in the morning as the temps for today were forecast to be well into the 90’s.
When we got there we only saw a couple of vehicles. That was a good sign. We determined that we were going to shoot handguns first. Eric has this affection or affliction with the Dan Wesson 1911. He is like a little kid stating, “I get to take this home with me” almost continuously. Just like a dad, I continuously state, “No” as if times have not changed for 21 plus years.
Of course, he thought he should have the Ruger Blackhawk 41 Magnum as well. It shot well and was a pleasure to shoot. It is a nice firearm. I just need to go find something to hunt with it. As for the Desert Eagle, it is really a heavy Beast. It shot good as well. The recoil was less than shooting 44 Magnum in the Ruger Super Redhawk. Of course you would expect that as it weighs less.
Eric plowed through a lot of 22 as I shot the Smith and Wesson M&P .40 and .45. I really like the .45. It shoots well and I am comfortable with it. As this was the first time I had shot the .40, the trigger seemed a little gritty. I am sure it will either smooth out with a couple hundred rounds or it will get upgraded.
Of course the day would have not been complete without Eric shooting his .30-30. We also sent a lot of rounds through the Smith and Wesson M&P 15. The highlight, if you will, was shooting a few rounds out of the Savage 116 Alaskan Brush Hunter in .338 Win Mag. It Independence day and we wanted something that would go Boom. As for why someone in Southern California need a big boom stick, I have some fishing in Alaska on my bucket list. If I am in a stream or river in grizzly country, it is appropriate to have a big boom stick handy. It is also appropriate to fire on off on Independence Day. Just do not fire one off in the City on Independence Day. Unless of course you leave the front door open and a grizzly bear happens by. Have a great Independence Day.
