Wallpaper, And Bragging

November 25, 2008
5:00 AM CST

Boomershoot 2005

Our setup: Rem 700 (.308 Win); Swedish M96 Mauser (in camo case); T/C Encore (.243 Win).

I need to do just one more brag about my Son&Heir’s shooting ability. With the Rem 700, he shot the very first boomer that year, a split-second after the “Shoot” horn sounded; shot a couple more, then after getting four-in-a-row chest hits on a metal silhouette out at the 600-yard mark, he pronounced shooting with a scoped rifle “boring”, and spent the rest of Boomershoot ‘05 shooting at 400-yard (4"x4") boomers, with the iron-sighted Swede. He got, to the best of my recollection, about a dozen (one boomer just wouldn’t die/explode, so he put five shots into it).

To give you an idea of what this means, here’s a pic of him spotting for one of Gene Econ’s Army kids—a bona fide sniper, with combat tours in Afghanistan—using the same rifle. The 400-yard boomers are at the berm, just in front of the ploughed field.

The Army sniper couldn’t get one boomer with the Swede (although I have to admit he got a lot of near-misses).

The Son&Heir hardly ever shoots rifles anymore—of course, all his practice time is spent on Air- and Free Pistol competition—but when I can coax him out to the range with me, he still shoots the eyes out of the targets, at any distance. Even with my 1911 or Smith Mod 65 revolver, he gets tiny groups shooting one-handed (far better than my two-handed groups at the same distance). With any of his .22 pistols, it’s game over—if he gets one outside the 9-ring at 50 feet, he shakes his head in disgust. (And of course, all my guns’ triggers “suck”, compared to his super-duper target stuff.)

With the Swede, he gets similar groups at 400 yards to what I can get at 100 yards—a classic example of how the rifle is almost always more accurate than the shooter.

The only time I can shade him is in “tactical” drills—IDPA, house-clearing and similar—and that’s only because a.) it’s a totally different shooting skill set and b.) I’ve done them all a jillion times to his “hardly ever”. If he practiced at that (which he’s totally disinterested in doing), he’d kick my ass all over the range.

He has a natural skill, to be sure: but he also has endless dedication to his craft, practicing several times a week, doing his daily drills at home into the wee hours of the night, and keeping himself sharp for the next tournament. (3X in Colorado, in early December, is his next national competition, his last as a Junior.)

If he misses out on the 2012 Olympic team, it will not be for lack of application or dedication to the job: and that’s all you can ask of anyone, isn’t it?

I should also add that he’s getting As at college in Trig, Government and Philosophy, plays drums in a band over weekends, and helps out with his Catholic youth group on Sundays. And then there’s that Eagle Scout thing.

Yeah, I’m proud of him.