Lunch Time Rifling

No … that’s not a pimple I popped, but rather the result of me popping a few high caliber rounds earlier this afternoon.  And this scratch, which you can hardly call a flesh wound, isn’t from some scary mishap like a stray bullet or a ricochet … nor was it from something dull like running into a tree branch.  I’m sure for rifle enthusiast this is probably a familiar sight.  But for those who might not be as familiar, this is what happens when a 132 grain, 270mm caliber round recoils the rifle scope into your head.  Ouch!

I don’t own a gun, but nor do I shy away from the chance to shoot some lead.  And because of my lack of rifling time, I committed the one rookie mistake of being too close to the scope.

It was an unexpected event when my friend and colleague, John, popped his head over into my cubical and said, “Hey!  Wanna go shoot some guns?!” It’s unprecendented for me – shoot guns for lunch.  But with near by Left Hand Canyon and National Forestry, it certainly was do’able.  And so after a quick drive through McDonalds we found one of John’s favorite spots along the highway outside a cozy little mountain town called Jamestown.  We were up there long enough to set up targets and fire off more than a hand fulls of rounds before we were back in our cubes an hour and half later.  You gotta love living in Colorado!

Firing my second round is what sent the scope plowing into my brow.  There I was trying to line up the sight and target and didn’t realize how close I was to the scope itself.  A rookie move, I admit.  But rookie or not … I was a pretty good shot on this beautiful, sunny, Friday, winter afternoon.  Temps got into the 50’s today and it was too pretty to be inside anyway.  So the timing couldn’t have been better.  And when you checkout the three bulls-eye I clocked in today – that’s me on the bottom – you may not be necessarily talking rookie.

Though this was only at about a 60 yard range, it’s still not bad for someone who’s last time shooting a gun was back in 2005 (Guy’s Weekend at Joe’s Cabin 2005).

This bump on my head feels bruised.  But it’s a good reminder of the force and power of a gun.  John says my little mishap is nothing to be embarrassed about.  “We’ve all done it at least once …” he noted.  Perhaps it some sort of rite of passage. I still don’t own a gun and I likely still won’t anytime soon.  But every time I get back from one of these excursions, I’m left itching to change that.  One thing I do know is I thoroughly enjoyed it.  And if there’s anything I enjoyed more than pulling the trigger, it’s the thought of knowing this is how I spent my lunch break today.  Uuuu-rah!

[ Lunch Time Rifling Gallery ]