The beginning

[aur0ra145]

When did you first start your quest for superior marksmanship? I want to hear your story.

I've always shot rifles and handguns for fun. I hunted a great deal with my grandfather (he passed recently) and had a great time learning the art of stalking. Heck, my best memories are being pulled out of kindergarten for a "doctors appointment" which was with my dad and grandfather to go fish the local creeks because the sandy's were running. We never really talked about shooting too much passed being able to hit a minute of deer. In fact, it was common belief that shooting past 100 yards was too far for hunting and unsportsmanlike. When I told my grandfather that I was going to be competing with vintage sniper rifles at 600 yards, he barely believed that kind of shooting was possible. Not that he was incapable, he just always thought shooting centerfires were for food and 22's were for fun.

In the past couple of years I really started to get into shooting (tacticool at first, forgive my youth.) Within the past 6 months I've started reloading for every caliber I own. Now, I can't believe someone half serious about shooting wouldn't own a service rifle.

It didn't really hit me until this past week. My mother went shooting with me because I had just joined a new shooting club. She wanted to see what it was all about, and why her 24 y/o son would drive 2 hours to a range just to shoot some rifles. She asked, "are those the rounds you loaded last week?" Well, yes they are; I proceeded to explain in simple terms about how/why I loaded the rounds just how they were. Then she asked why my rifle didn't have a scope on it. Well, I couldn't really answer that beyond, "they're just better." She nodded and took it as fact. When I got into a firing position on the line, she watched me shoot and asked, "why are you sitting like that?" Well, because that's how you're supposed to shoot when sitting.

Then it hit me. The bug had bit, and I have it bad. Running my precision rifle shooting clays at distance is fun; but, wood and steel speak to me. I want to master it, and one day I hope to teach. Eventually, I hope I'm competent enough to pass this on to others. Teaching friends to plink with my Enfield in college was one thing. This is a whole other matter. To me, true marksmanship is never ending pursuit. Ya'll have accomplished feats I can only dream of. It's the stuff of fables and I want to be that good. In time. I don't have anyone to train with, this is all on my own. That's why I'm so thankful for websites like this, I've learned so much from reading here, that I've increased my ability just from reading. I couldn't imagine actually getting to shoot along side some of the shooters here. It's like an aspiring guitarist being able to speak to the rockstars about music. I appreciate ya'll without end. Thanks.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Several beginnings.

9 y/o with two Brothers 10 and 11 years older, taking me out to the field with them. Somehow that day, I managed to touch off both barrels of a side-by 12ga.

12 y/o, PAL ran a rimfire program at the local Boys' Club.

14-18y/o, off and on, H/S DCM Rifle Team, Rimfire Expert.

19 y/o Parris Island, Boot training with M-14, followed by 13mo in 'Nam.

50's y/o, local Marine Corps League Pistol Team, started handloading, move up/out to DCM Garand acquisition ('92, '93 ?), then some scoped informal 'sniper' comp. 'Serious' merged in when I started handloading.

Joined 'Hide around 2000.

Greg

 

[kraigWY]

I don't know how far you want us to go but I'll start at the beginning, giving the ideal of my start. If I see that these post want to get windy, I'll go on.

I always shot and hunted, don't remember when I didn't but my first try at target shooting got my butt whooped. My father had (which is mine now) my great grandfathers Model 3 S&W in 44 Russian. I couldn't find the gun but did find the ammo. Went down in the basement, set up some target, laid the rounds on a stump, aimed them at the target and whacked them with a hammer trying to hit the targets. Needless to say I was in big trouble when I got caught. But after whooping my butt, my father took me out and showed me how to shoot the revolver like it was suppose to be shot.

A bit later, once Christmas Eve, I got my brand new Daisy Red Ryder. Had it taken away Christmas morning. We didn't have running water or indoor plumbing so my aunt used a chamber pot at night and hung it on a fence post during the day to dry out. Well a porcelain chamber pot hanging on a fence post is just too much for a kid with a brand new Red Ryder.

It made the perfect target, BUTT, when the get hit, the porcelain chips, when it chips it leaks, after my aunt got wet feet during the night, I lost my bb gun the next morning.

Those two incidents I suppose really got me started in my career in the shooting world.

 

[Advokaten]

I was 11, worked all summer to earn enough to buy a Diana model 25 air rifle, before that I know I was four turning five that spring being out moose hunting with my father as he took a moose calf with a majestic shot, I apparently was tugging his coat like a mad man, shoot, shoot, shooooot dad, still he managed too pull of the shot.
Since that day I was determined to out shoot my father, in my mind I still have not done that even though I know in real life I have and will do it every day and in any disicpline of shooting.
That Diana I got was the beginning, today I am having it restored for my future generation, more than 10 000 air pellets has passed through it. I took my first kill with it and one of more memorable ones as well.
Still that is how it started, been with him hunting since I was old enough to keep up in the woods and now thinking about it, I will just have to give dad a call to tell him how important he is to me.

Shooting has been a part of me since I could pull a trigger and just last weekend, midsummer huge deal back here, I did manage to introduce all my friends children to the shooting sport with a air rifle, made me proud as hell to be allowed to do that.

/CHris

 

[Sugarbug]

Right now is my beginning, really.

Dad taught me to shoot with iron sights when I was around 10 years old. But only shot a few times. 10/22 and his Browning Lever Action 30-06. He wasn't really all that much of a shooter, but enjoyed the outdoors and pretending he was hunting.

Last year I started buying my own guns, but the emphasis was on pistols. I just don't have the time or money to go to the range to "practice" with a pistol and blow 1000 rounds in one go.

Precision shooting is by no means cheap, but I think it requires more patience, skill, and determination (no offense to you pistol shooters!). So, right now I am reading everything I can, bugging the shit out of the precision shooters I know, and piecing together my first "precision" AR. In hindsight, I'm wishing I had gone with a bolt gun, but anything I piece together will be more accurate than I am for a long time.

Currently reading "The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters" by Linda Miller and Keith Cunningham. Waiting to find a used copy of Nancy Thompkins (sp?) book or someone willing to let me pay one forward.

Shooting a friends 223 Rem 700 in a local 600y match in a few weeks. Will be my first time ever shooting beyond 100y and I am really looking forward to it.

 

[wilecoyote]

1) when my father teached my w.a air gun, and at 5yrs. I don'understanded why it was so serious handling "again" a rifle,even if only little more than a toy_
2) a woman
3) my first handload, and it was really a BAD self-learned and self-inflicted handload_
4) when, compelled to discard my first cheap & bad 4x scope, mounted on thinkin' that it WOULD(!) better my shooting, I've seen my first tiny .308 group on paper, w./irons, and I've started to ask me "WHY?"_ from here, the addiction_
5) when I've seen the behaviour of my best Adversaries in comp.,and they NEVER quitted, until the end_
6) when I've discovered that I'm surprisingly not bored to read the apparently ever-the-same-answers of two senior members, here, and I know that next time I will try again, and something better WILL happen_
...a big thank to Col.Cooper's "The Art of the Rifle",too, even if ,at today,I've never "fully" understood why_

and now you hear that,not-so-seriously,of course:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w85sZdkL-eY

(p.s.: the beginning is now! )

 

[Kasumi]

I can trace it back to one person, Nick P. I blame him and credit him for my addiction.
I’m 57, been shooting mostly AR15 rifles since I was 18, quite content with the black rifle. Then I meet Nick P. at the college where I work, he was a student and a Marine Corps competitive shooter. I had a membership at a shooting club and offered to take him, it was then I was exposed to quality equipment, marksmanship skills and training. In addition to trying an armorer built service rifle, he had also purchased a TUBB2000 upon returning from a deployment, topped with Nightforce glass. With his reloads it was X ring accuracy 9 out of 10 rounds. I started searching around and found the SnipersHide, then GAPS website, you can see where this is going, soon a Crusader was in my hands and it was GAP vs TUBB whenever we could find the time.
Nowadays time at the range is a high point of the week for me, fun, challenging, relaxing and always followed by a Pint of great beer. I shoot with two other HIDE members most every Friday, at least 20rds for score. Falconer & Rupert, shooting with a Mike Bryant custom .308 and a Savage 12 F-Class.
I’d have to thank Nick for coaching me along, imparting with me good fundamentals and a passion for improving my marksmanship.

I'd also have to add that this website and meeting up with the guys that host the Odessa NY F-Class matches have helped my marksmanship incredibly too!

 

[Mike Radford]

Being competitive, I remember shooting my Uncles 22 Savage pump, from my Materal grandfather, before I got my scoped Daisy in 1959, age 6. After a few shots behind the house, my Uncle placed a penny on an oak at 10 paces. He hit it on shot 2. He placed another and I hit it on shot 3. Been shooting rifles for accuracy ever since.

When I got my Daisy 12/25/59 my first shot at about 20 yds, hit a squirrel's tail. I could see the blood coming out of the POI. By age 10 or so, I had a CZ pellet rifle that was the most accurate air rifle in my neighborhood, and the most powerful. It would go though both sides of an old steel can while a daisy would not go though the first layer. Rifled barrel and kick butt accuaracy, it was king of the neighborhood. It also had a magnet to hold a BB but accuracy was deminished.

Age 13, I got a Mossberg lever action 22 and it was very accurate. Been shooting for accuracy ever since, not to mention the M16 in 1972.

 

[Dracozny]

when I was 9 my mother and I went to Germany for almost 2 months. while we were there my Great aunt and Uncle took us to some sort of carnival not far from Munich. among a great many of the carny games was a tent lined up with bb rifles. now you may think to yourself hell we have those here in the states whats so special? At this tent it was not lined with poker cards to shoot the little star out, but a series of dime sized targets that were mechanically linked to various animatronic. one target caused a pepsi can to fly up a string and back down again, another would make a small airplane fly around a mountain, etc. there were maybe 50 or so targets you could hit. it was a blast and as soon as I realized what I was supposed to aim at, I did damn well hitting them. My mother was impressed and she was only one point shy of qualifying expert when she was in ROTC, so that meant something to me.

I will say for me any projectile weapon is a chance for marksmanship, slingshot, blowgun, bb gun, throwing knives, you name it, I will try and figure out how to be consistently accurate with it.

 

[hrfunk]

As someone who has trained for many years in Asian martial arts, I can say with some certainty that precision shooting is no less a martial art than those that are practiced in dojo's around the world. The interesting thing about all martial arts (to include precision shooting) is that for those persons predisposed to strive for mastery, the pursuit very quickly transcends mere attempts to improve one's combat abilities. Rather, the serious practitioner soon realizes that in order to master their art, he or she must master him or herself. In essence, through discipline and rigorous training, the body is conditioned to respond precisely to the command of the mind; and only through the perfect synthesis of body and mind can the perfect technique be achieved. So it boils down to this, efforts at improving one's skill at precision shooting is nothing less than a search for perfection. Achievement of absolute perfection is, of course, impossible. Nevertheless, we glimpse it occasionally; we sense its presence and bask in the fleeting revelation on those rare days when angels seem to guide our bullets to the absolute center of the target; and then its gone. The desire to glimpse it again, however, is overwhelming. So we go back, again and again. Training, analyzing, tweeking, recording, and then doing it all over. All in search of that which is unobtainable. Perfection.

HRF

 

[ArmyJerry]

Growing up in NJ, my dads hobby was raising racing pigeons, he had a nice coop with about 80 very expensive imported birds, I went out to feed them on a cold morning just before Christmas, seems a stray cat squeezed itself through the bars on the one way bird entrance and killed almost all of them, it was a blood bath, parts of birds all over the place. Went in and got my dad, he came out and surveyed the mess, told me to go inside while he cleaned up the mess and went off to work. When he came home from work he bought me a pump Crossman pellet gun and told me to kill every stray cat within a mile of the neighborhood and dont get in trouble doing it. I went to town all year. I was 9 years old. Been shooting since, 20 mm Vulcan's, Stinger missiles, four deuce mortars, all individual issue weapons in the Russian inventory, the US inventory, the UK inventory, and the West German inventory. To be honest, I like reloading as much as I do shooting. All in all its a cheaper habit than my motorcycle habit so its a win win for me.

 

[Joop]

Great thread!

I was raised in rural Minnesota. Hunting and shooting are pretty much a way of life for every country boy up here (as with most places in this country). I had my first Daisy lever gun at about 6 or 7 years old. However, the main focus in our household was duck hunting. We lived for it. Pheasant and deer a close second and third, but the area where we lived was not open to rifle hunting. So, most of the firearms around our house were shotguns, spare the occasional visit from my grandfather who would bring his old Springfield .22 rifle out to do some plinking. But, I probably spent most of my childhood/adolescence learning how to shoot with a Crossman pellet rifle. I tried various cheap air rifle scopes on that Crossman, but they never seemed to hold a zero, so the open sights were pretty much the order of the day. To show off for our friends, we perfected the art of shooting army men at 50 yards. At the time, we thought that was pretty extreme and, I guess, considering the weapon being used and our age, it's probably pretty good accuracy, now that I think about it.

I never owned a centerfire rifle until I was a young adult. I've always been a WW2 history nut, but the allure of owning an SKS and, later, AK rifles, was just too much to pass up at that age. At first, I never gave any serious consideration to exploring the real accuracy potential of those weapons. The propaganda that we were fed while growing up (and, unfortunately, that's still being spread) had told me that such "commie" weapons were only good for "minute of barn door", at best. That, coupled with the idea of having thirty rounds to blast off, in the same short amount of time as my attention span, wasn't conducive to accuracy (or any good shooting habits). It wasn't until I started buying bolt action milsurps and shooting them that I came back to the SKS and AK to start finding out what I could really do with them, if for nothing more than the sake of comparison. I found that the SKS and AK were actually a hell of a lot more accurate than most people would have you believe. Shooting milk jugs and coffee cans at 300 yards was "the next level", at that point in my life. However, it was at that time that I started to bounce back to the bolt actions. I mean, if I could hit a gallon jug at 300 with an AK, what could I accomplish with an "accurate" rifle. And, by "accurate", I'm talking about 8mm Mausers, Finn M39s, etc.

By this point in my life, I had a successful career and some disposable income. I first bought a Romanian M69 .22 trainer rifle and made it a point to shoot it every day. I was living in a house out in the middle of nowhere which had open fields for two miles in one direction and I was free to shoot any time I wanted to. I made it a point to shoot something, every day, even if it was only one or two shots. The little M69 took me back to basics and I probably learned more from shooting that little rifle than from anything before it. But, I didn't stop there. I expanded my milsurp collection and started to buy more expensive semi-autos, as well. I bought a Century CETME sporter and must have been lucky to get one of the good ones, because it ran flawlessly and was actually quite accurate, too. But, the real clincher was a Springfield "Loaded" M1A. Compared to the Mausers, Mosins and AKs, this thing was like stepping out of a Pinto and into a Cadillac! But, at that time, I only had one rifle that was scoped that I considered to be "seriously" accurate. It was a Browning A-bolt in .30-06 with a BSA Contender scope. I could hold MOA with it at 100 yards and I thought that was nothing short of amazing, at the time. The only drawback was that it kicked like a frickin' mule. The irony is that I never shot it past 100 yards. I was still too young and naive to really know what to do with it and I ended up trading it towards a bringback K98 (not a bad trade, really).

Fast forward a few more years and I was listening to my cousin, who lives in South Dakota, tell me all about this "prairie dog" hunting business. I was immediately interested, but when he told me I should be able to hit a pop can at 400 yards, in high wind, before trying it, I thought he was just bragging. Well, I put together an AR that I thought was up to the task (complete with NC Star scope!) and set out to give it a try. As it turns out, he wasn't bragging and was only trying to prepare me for something that I really wasn't ready for. It was humbling, but a learning experience, for sure. I learned quick how to play "connect the dots" with the mildot scope to make follow up shots. All this "MOA and dope" stuff was still a foreign language that I didn't think applied to me. And, only an idiot would spend more than $150 on a scope, right? Well, the next year I was a little better prepared. I had started handloading in the meantime (about ten years too late, but you live and learn!). I moved up from the NC Star to the Millett (well, a step in the right direction, even if far from perfect) and I started to give some thought to what those turrets actually do, even if I was still pretty much clueless on how it actually worked. But, at the same time, my closest hunting buddy was one step ahead of me. He had gone out and bought a Savage 10FP in .308 and this strange, complicated device known as a "Mildot Master". I must admit that I had my doubts. However, I seemed to do better that year with my AR, so I was moving in the right direction. I even made a few hits out to 500 yards. But, the moment that changed my life forever was about to happen on a hilltop in western South Dakota. My friend finally pulled out his new .308 on the last day we were there. He pulled out that Mildot Master thingamabob, did some figuring, turned the turrets on his scope and got settled in for his shot. The target was a large prairie dog, skylined at 500 yards away, on the next hill over from us. This big, proud dog thought he was safe, being so far away (the big ones get big by being smart enough to keep their heads down when you're pounding away at 0-300 yards). With a single, cold bore shot, my buddy cut this dog in half! This was like a revelation to me and I turned to him and said, "I'm getting one of those!". And, I did. A month later, I had a Savage 10FP in .308 and all the reloading supplies that I needed to get started with it. I was hooked and hooked bad!

Since then, I've bought a couple more "precision" rifles and it's an addiction that I will never be able to kick. Not that I'm complaining, though. However, at the same time, I always manage to get back to my old warhorses and this long range addiction steered me towards vintage sniper rifles. In particular, the Mosin 91/30 snipers, of which I have many. I have also started shooting in CMP matches in the last few years and have found it to be a very rewarding, if not humbling experience. I thought I was a pretty good shot (and I may be), but shooting in a match, under the pressures of time constraints, various positions and the muzzle blasts of the others on the line, is a whole different ball game and it will put you in your place mighty quick. I've never thought of myself as the competitive type, but I've really grown to like the CMP matches (and, truthfully, you're only competing against yourself). Last year, my brother and I shot our first vintage sniper match with 91/30s and got the top score. This year, we've shot one match and got second. Next week is the last one up here for this season and we'll see how it goes, but I know that it will be fun, no matter what happens and, most importantly, I will learn something. Every time I shoot, I learn something and I think that's what makes it so rewarding and addictive, at the same time.

John

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Beginnings

My story has a couple parts----don't worry, I'll keep it brief. First, when I was a kid, my oldest brother had a BB gun--no idea what kind, and we never had BB's for it. I wasn't supposed to play with it, but I snuck it out whenever i could, and tried my hand at it. Mostly, my friends and I fashioned "pistols" out of short pieces of pipe with a plug on one end, and "whipped" stones out the open end, trying to hit all manner of impromptu targets of opportunity. Some of us got pretty good at it, considering that every stone was a different weight and BC.... I spent every spare hour I could in the woods, growing up. I hiked all over the mountains of New Hampshire, and some in Maine and Vermont. I met all manner of wild life on these excursions, even having a staring contest with a bull moose whose rack was nearly 4.5 feet wide, from about 15 feet apart----by far one of the coolest experiences I have had to date.

Fast forward to my early 20's. I purchased a Ruger Mini-30 and a couple S&W Revolvers, one .38, one .357. I did a little sand pit shooting with those, but didn't really get into it even still.

Then, the year I turned 38, I had a job in a somewhat dangerous environment. There were stories of other workers being dragged out of their trucks and beaten, and left, back broken, in the ditch at the side of the road, left for dead----it raised quite a stir in several local news papers. I decided to get a CCP, and to get a semi-auto pistol and a "home-defense" shotgun. Spending time and money in the gunshop proved to be a mixed blessing. I decided to pursue a life long desire and get a hunting license. I got the book, studied it, and took the hunter safety test that evening---I aced the test, and shortly got my hunting license. Then, I had to purchase a bolt rifle, as semi-auto's are not legal for hunting in PA. I got a nice used Rem 700BDL in 30.06, and named her "Liberty." That fall, I shot a bear while hunting. I got too excited, and didn't place the shot very well, and instead of a heart shot, I got it in the hind leg, severing the femoral artery, and shattering the femur bone. It made it about 70 yards before my friends put it down in a firestorm fit for a battlefield. The meat was excellent, I made roasts, steaks, and lots of sausage of all sorts with it. I like the chili made with hot Italian sausage from the bear best.
That fall, I got talking with my nephew, a Marine Scout Sniper Veteran, and he offered to help me to learn to shoot long range. Ever since being a child, I had a dream of one day being able to "reach out and touch something" with a rifle. The journey to this has been a long but rewarding journey. I purchased a Remington 700P in 338LM, and my friend, Kevin Neitzel of Accurate Sports in Arentdsville, PA rebuilt it for me. It is finished now, except for a quality bipod, and her name is "Justice."



She necessitated my taking up the art/sport of reloading. I have since started reloading nearly every ammo that I shoot. I also took on more calibers, as I found range brass for free, and "needed" to have a pistol to shoot the ammo made with said brass....

Early in 2012, I joined the Sniper's Hide. I didn't know what a wealth of information and good discussion---not to mention how large a money-pit---SH could be. Last winter, I had quite a bit of time on my hands, so I took to reading voraciously. I decided that I wanted a semi-auto in 30.06, so I posted a WTB for an M-1 Garand, whose name is "Freedom." 218bee from New York very kindly sold me one of his----hey Dan, I hope you read this---and I was hooked at first shot(excuse the mixed metaphors, but those of you who collect service rifles will understand what I mean.) I couldn't hit the target for a bit, having never shot iron sights on a rifle before, but the "need" to master it overcame the frustration, and I am starting to improve---I can hit the paper at 200 yds now. My Swiss uncle, Denis, has a K-1911 made in 1917, which belonged to his father, who was a competitive shooter in the Swiss Army. I bought some brass and made some rounds up for him. On my way to Maine to visit him, my wife and I stopped at a friend's place in New Hampshire. This friend is a gun dealer, and he had a Swiss K-31 which formed an instant attachment with me, and followed me home. Her name is "Freiheit", or Freya for short. She also has iron sights, and I just recently got a 2.5MOA @ 200 yds. I am proud of this improvement, as I couldn't even see the aim-point on the target-I just went for center mass each time.



Anyway, the story continues. I have told the beginnings of each of the phases of my journey so far. Thanks to the members of Sniper's Hide for all the invaluable information they have shared. Also, thanks---I think---to those who have sold me materials etc. (I say this, as I have spent quite a bit of money here, which I am not sorry for, but maybe I should be- )
Thanks also to LowLight for hosting the site, and to the OP for starting this thread. Keep the stories coming, and Safe Shooting!

 

[majvret]

My earliest was remembering my Dad taking me out to our friend's ranch near Lingleville, TX. One of the friends was home on leave from VN. I was in 3rd or 4th grade so this would have been about '67 or '68 (this is approx, been a long time). He was working on a new sniper scope that was quite unique. We went out to one of the canyons by the house and he and his brother helped me set up and dial in a premeasured 18" target at approx 775 yards. Got the model 70 on rests, set, and let me shoot. First round hit dead center. It was amazing for me at that age who normally was regulated to .22 and m1 carbines prior. Got me hooked. The Captain's name was James Leatherwood and his brother Charley. These were the ART scopes and the cam ranging system system. The first ones worked great, but initial mass production in large amounts had shortcuts taken by the producer that caused problems. Later ones were better. I learned a lot from them, went on to multiple pistol and rifle teams and a 22 year career in the Army. James has passed, but Charley is still close friend.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

the ol' man was always in the basement (reloading). it was just a way of life. so there i was next to him "helping" getting bitched at for "helping too much"

the weekends were: camping / fishing friday night, saturday or sunday after church was for shooting.

so it started with him, a bearcat .22, and lots of ammo. around 6/7 years old was the .45 1911 (i still have a small mark on my forehead from it). then rifles, a stevens 46, graduating to .308, 7mm -08, .3006, .270 before i was 10, with help from a crosman 10 pump 2100 bb gun in the basement in the winter (oddly, still my favorite rifle!). then into magnums shortly thereafter.

never had real paper targets, shot at bottles, cans, bottle caps shotgun husks, shiney little things that glowed in the sun. the ol' man dragged me with him on every hunt, I beat every bush along the way for grouse and rabbits, and he taught me how to sneak around when need be.

shot at least 1 deer almost every year from 12-24, when getting them at longer ranges, it was time for archery. didn't touch a sporting rifle for 12 years afterward.

then the ol' man passed, i inherited all this stuff. 30+ rifles, 15 shotguns, numerous pistols - and a good share of ammo to go with them. so in order to "get rid of" the ammo, i went to the range to "dispose" of it. in the mean time i really had no gumption to start shooting again - been there done that - now i'm an archery guy - when getting deer & turkey compounds became predictable, i went to recurves.

in the mean time i sold off many things (except for the sentimental favorites) as i was an archery guy, that i now regret. disposing of that ammo with whatever i had left got me hooked again.

he never competed, though he was one of the top shooters in the area. i don't even think he weighed his charges just using lee dippers, but his groups were lengendary, even with the most humble of rifles and optics. he never boasted, or waited for a big buck as you "can't eat the horns". i never could understand how he could walk through brush without making a sound - he'd just appear out of nowhere.

now it's 13 years since he passed, still with every shot i take today whether on the range or before filling a tag, i know the ol' man is looking over my shoulder, coaching. with every round that goes through his rockchucker, i can almost hear him tell me to take one last look at before putting it in the holder.

tomorrow is his birthday, i usually click off 6 rounds through his .44 S&W model 29

so i owe just about everything to my father, whom i didn't realize till after he was gone that he really was a dad, and all that BS he was cramming down my throat all those years was indeed for a reason.

so to make a long story short, i guess my precision shooting started with the second shot i ever took - just trying to get them together in the same little area, or make disappear those little shiney things on the bank with the first shot with the .22 some 35 ish years ago.