One of the things I like to do on Thursday after saying Mass is clean guns on the porch. It's relaxing and you know what they say, "A clean gun is a happy gun." As opposed to a gopping, miserable piece of non-working liability.
With that in mind, I snaked out my old SMLE Mk.III sporter and felt good about it. That rifle's proved itself handy in the field and at the range and I'm proud of an amateur 'smithing project that went right.
Speaking of guns, I just read The Red Circle by Brandon Webb, in which Webb describes his time in the SEALs and, especially, his work as a SEAL sniper. It's an easy read and when I put it down I thought, "LSP, this guy's forgotten more about shooting than you're likely to ever know."
Humbling and at the same time an incitement to learn more. Excellence in all things, not least shooting, being the catchphrase.
Mind how you wave that saber.
LSP
4 comments:
I know very little of sniping and the dark arts, but speculating on the topic of stalking and sniping, I think that you'd learn most of it on your own (if you lived long enough) in the field. It's simply that you never need do those things to take down a dove, pheasant, feral razorback or buck deer.
Stephen Hunter's books (Bob Lee Swagger series) are quite good on sniping from a novel perspective. There are things that he gets wrong - but not many.
For sure -- rudimentary stalk and shoot is all I need and that out to, at most (prob) 200 yards.
Still, I'd like to have a better handle on ballistics etc.
Will check out the Hunter books.
Thx.
When I was young, I used to ride out of the small country town where I lived and out into the mountains on my horse, rifle in scabbard. I'd hobble the horse and go stalk -- whatever -- while the horse ate. During season, I took archery with me.
That exercise in patience and discipline and in learning to smell the target in many cases before you see it, served me well in my adult life.
Stalk on.
Post a Comment