With the Boys

I used to go shooting with the boys. It was great. I took it for granted. Someday, I’ll probably look back on those range days as some of the best days of my life.

In The Game of Thrones, there is a line in Season 1. Maybe even Episode 2 or 3. Old Nan says to Bran after his fall, “Oh, my sweet summer child”. She is pointing out that he had not yet been through hard times. He had never seen winter. Sometimes I look back at my life just two years ago and say that of myself.

Sweet summer child.

Back then, a box of 1000 9mm rounds was $205 including shipping. June of 2020, the same box (if you could find it) was $850. Things were harder. We all know that.

Back in the summer, I would go to the range about twice a month or so. When I bought my gun, I promised myself to never go more than 3 months without training with it. It’s a big responsibility, after all, and you need to be sharp. I thought once a quarter would be a big ask. Turns out I loved it and liked getting better. I went a bunch. Most times, I brought friends. One friend would get a new gun and we would go. Another friend would upgrade his new gun and we would go. Another friend would sneeze and we would go. They all went with me because I had steel plates to practice on, and I was always down.

Steel plates are better than paper. Hearing the lead strike the steel is a sound you can’t ignore. It is the sound of success. Not all wins are so succinct. Satisfying, to say the least.

We would go for 2-3 hours. We started out using 300 or so rounds per person, Towards the end, I was using more like 125 rounds per day. I got better. I would usually pace myself by how sore my thumb was. After loading hundreds of rounds into magazines, your thumb would get sore. Then I went home.

We would egg each other on while shooting. Come up with challenges. Sometimes even drill each other.

“Ok, so first put two into the gong with your rifle. Then, transition to pistol and I’ll call out left or right on the tree. Then reload. One in the gong with the pistol. Transition back to the rifle and One in the chest of the silhouette. I’ll time you.”

We would start out measuring the distance to our targets. 7 years for this one, 10 for that one. Sometimes 100 for that one. I tried to keep the targets painted with fresh paint so that you could see your hits. I was kind of like the mom of the group in that way. I hope that they continue to shoot together without me. Thinking about that breaks my heart.

Darwin loved his .22’s. While he was ex-military and had this one really cool, rare H&K P7 9mm, he loved small bullets. He would bring a brick of 5000+ rounds and his .22 revolver speed loaders, and go to town. Once time, we shot out of my wife’s car and over her hood. I found casings in the area at the base of her windshield wipers years later.

Ben had guns, but didn’t really like shooting as much. We went a few times, but you can’t trust anyone who has a .380 for self defense.

Casey was the first of my friends to get into shooting, but also the poorest. He picked up a .40 caliber pistol for $300 before any of us knew what we were doing. Down the road, he almost never shot that thing. Casey always was farming, and often couldn’t come out because he was repairing a fence or plowing a field. This is true, and is not hyperbole. He does a lot of man’s work. I play a lot of boy’s games.

Colter and I shot together the most. I could write a book about our shooting trips. They hold a special place in my heart. Colter bought me an Enhanced Concealed Carry class when I first bought my Beretta M9. We ended up going together, and it was so much fun. We used to talk strategy all the time. He would say things like, “I’m learning this new way to draw on Youtube” and “push out and squeeze as your hands are coming together”. He has an incredible P30L. The same one from John Wick. He also has a 4-piece suit that we had custom made in Vietnam. It is John Wick’s suit. One year, I bought him a compensator for the P30L. This was after he bought me the sweater from The Big Lebowski. He means a great deal to me.

My most prized guns were my Beretta and my PSA AK-V. The AK was a 9mm. This gun was incredible. It was also illegal due to the stock modification. It was supposed to be a pistol, not a rifle. I ended up selling the AK and I miss it daily. I gave the Beretta to Colter to take care of. I couldn’t bring it with me, but I couldn’t let it go. Such is life.

The main picture on this post is of our last outing. This was July 3, 2021. Taige had bought me 300 rounds for my birthday after a long drought due to the Coof. Casey, Colter, and I went to the desert out past the big power lines south of Gowen field. I was keenly aware that this was the last time we were going shooting before I left for Panama. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I almost cried a bunch of times. I am crying now as I write this, and I bet my family is wondering if something is wrong with me. When we finished up for the day, we took a picture, even though we didn’t usually take a lot of pictures. I don’t think those guys know what it meant to me.

Even though it was only 89 days ago, it feels like a lifetime.

Times change. People change. Plans change. Seasons change.

I moved to a place where there are no seasons.

Sweet summer child.