This is reaching back a long way. Over 50 years. I was six.
I was on a camping trip with my father and brother and a couple of other dads and sons, up near Mt. Jefferson. This was in the early 60s. We had carried in Kiskey dried foods. If you remember that, you are old. (Like me)
We had hiked up to Table Lake and had camp there. That water is coooooold, even in summer. We climbed up Mt. Jefferson, my first actual mountain. We hiked over to Hole in the Wall, now called Hole in the Wall Park. And then started to head back down to the trailhead.
At camp that night, my father brought out his Ruger Blackhawk .357 magnum. It was awesome. I had seen it in the glass gun cabinet he built into the wall, but had never touched it. His rules at the time were treat every gun as loaded until you know otherwise, and don’t point a loaded gun at a person. (Yes, things have changed. We morphed the two rules into four. See previous post.)
No hearing protection. Just aim and ROAR. He asked each person if they wanted to try it. I was sure I wasn’t going to be asked. But it was finally my turn. I held the grips very tightly, my dad cocked it (single action), and the I aimed as carefully as I knew how and jerked the trigger back. ROAR!
I have no idea where that bullet went, and I am appalled at my age now that this was done this way. But I was hooked. And had my ears ringing.
No more shooting that day, but when we got home, I was given a Marlin pump .22 that had belonged to my great grandfather on the farm. He used it to remove pesky rabbits. We joined a shooting club on W 13th that was in two Quonset huts. (Another indication of being old.) and I got pretty good at it.
My father died some years ago, and I was given several black powder rifles, and the .357. Since then I have had the pleasure of having three friends use that gun as the first they would fire in their lives. All of them over 40. I do explain that this is not a great first gun for learning to shoot, but there is a sort of poetry and history about using that for me.
But before we shoot, they have to tell me the four rules of gun safety. And then after the .357, we move to something a little less intimidating.
Best regards, and keep the four rules,
DaveJ
You do such a good job editing these, but you missed something on this one.
ReplyDelete"And then after the .357, we move to something a little less intimidating."
Should read: "And then after the crying, uncontrollable shaking and ice cold diarrhea from shooting the .357 as their first, we move to something a little less intimidating, like a .454 Casull derringer."
Big grin.
And I thought I was cavalier starting people on 9mm...
Thanks for another good post. I enjoy them.
OTL