Home on the range!

Since we were both raised in pro-gun families, we decided to polish up on our skills.  Marie really wants to be more comfortable with the safety features and basic use techniques... and she needed to work on her shooting.  Plus, Connor was really excited about his new Ruger 1911 that Papa Chuck helped him find.

We decided to join the Centralia Rifle Club and Junior Division, in Centralia WA. This is the town just north of Chehalis; it is only a 10 minute drive from our house. We chose this club not only for its location, but also because it is open 24/7 and we can access it with a code at the door.  This will work best for our busy schedules...plus it is a deal - $120/year.

We had to attend the business meeting in order to be accepted as new members... and we went on a "tour" of the range after the meeting.  Then, we were finally free to unload all our weapons and do some shooting!

Connor brought 4 guns for the evening: Derringer .22, Ruger .38 Spl, Springfield XD .40, Ruger 1911 .45 ACP. 

Connor prepped our target:

The target backs provided by the range were pretty rickety... the cardboard backing was well-worn to say the least.  But, we made the best of it.

First, we shot the Derringer... Well, Connor shot it. Marie didn't quite have the finger strength to pull the trigger...except for maybe once! Don't laugh!  (The pic is the intro pic on this posting) Second, we tried the Ruger .38 Spl... This gun was lightweight and easy to shoot...but it had a lot of recoil so Marie didn't like it much.

Third, we shot the XD .40. This was Marie's favorite... it wasn't too hard to handle. 

And finally... last but not least... we tried out the new Ruger.  Connor loved it.  His only complaint is that he needs two - one for each hand.  (He is feeling a bit 007 these days.) It did some serious damage to the target!

We aren't bad shots... Don't try breaking/entering at our residence.We added a lot of brass to the bucket!  Can't wait for our next shooting date.