The Couch Sniper

When it's time to take the guns away...

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:10:00 +0000

Having never really had that "dad" influence in my life I never gave any thought to what it would feel like to get to the stage where I was taking care of mine. About ten years ago, I met a great woman who soon became a great fiance and then an amazing wife. We spent a great deal of time with her parents, both avid shooters, life long enthusiasts, and instructors. Never, did I consider having to take their access to their own firearms away from them.

As we grew closer as a family, my father-in-law and I began spending countless hours at the local range together. He was a founding member and his interaction with the people at the range gate and other members made range days a fantastic experience. When we moved back to town from Idaho, we were out shooting with his new group of shooting buddies within days of our return. They are all a great group of gun "nuts." Happy to show you new or refined techniques. Always there to keep each other safe when running moving fire drills or good for a tip when learning to shoot out past 500 yards. Never would I consider telling any of these men that they had become a safety risk and they could no longer have access to their firearms.

In October, we noticed a significant change in Dad's behavior. He began to act a bit withdrawn. He was no longer eager to engage in deep conversation and began spending a great deal of time in his own room, watching TV, or reading. I figured that it might be depression. He had recently retired and the economic environment we all now share forced all of us under the same roof. He was no longer spending hours at the reloading bench, choosing instead to nap. Nothing seemed to out of place until we went for a visit to one of our shooting buddy's houses to pick up some deer meat after a fall hunt.

The interaction was, at best, an odd one. Here was one of Dad's closest shooting friends and he didn't say a single word. Normally, as the new kid, I had to fight to get a word in edge-wise. At one point, almost as if we had both received a silent signal that the enemy was approaching, we both made eye contact, looked at Dad, and realized that something was horribly wrong.

A few conversations with the ladies of the house and Dad was at the doctor's office. Even his physician found his behavior to be far from the norm and she immediately sent him to the emergency room to be evaluated by MRI, CT Scan, and EKG/ECG. What they found was that Dad had a brain tumor. Not just any brain tumor, but a big-ass stage 4 glioblastoma. A fast-growing brain cancer that can quickly bring a strong and healthy man to his knees.

After a 10-day stay in the ICU, he was released home. Over the course of the next week, we watched as this calm, peaceful, and supportive man became even more withdrawn. The tumor has attacked the portion of his brain that controls his personality and his gumption. He no longer has the energy to do much of anything and a guy who truly has a tremendous sense of humor now has only two tones in his voice. Rather than the excitement and exuberance we once knew, we now get a very solemn tone or a very angry one, rife with frustration.

The family and I, soon became faced with a need to remove his bedside pistol and place it in the safe. As his ability to move began to slip away, we didn't want to have any accidents. With his level of frustration on the rise, we began to question whether it was Dad driving, or the tumor, and I'm not ashamed to admit that we were all a bit afraid of what might happen. As a man, raised primarily in a rural area, I began to think about what I would do if I was in that situation and the farm up-bringing got the best of me. We put all the guns quickly into the safe and looked into having the massive enclosure re-keyed with a new combination.

We resigned ourselves to leaving it alone about a week later. When I say we are enthusiasts, a better term might be fanatics. Dad and I's daily conversations were about firearms. Shooting the ones we already own, building new ones to take to the range, and the things we still "needed" to acquire for our reloading room which is of course in doors in a place where most families would have a nice patio sitting room. The stuff we read together all had to do with firearms and our favorite movies are those where the shoot 'em up scenes are the most realistic. On any given day, Dad and I might have a firearm out trying to determine the best way to adjust a scope or replacing a recoil spring. Maybe just cleaning it or looking up an antique on the internet. None of us were really surprised when dad came out of his room one afternoon and headed straight for the safe.

It did, however, create a stir of concern. "Chris," my sister-in-law pleaded, "dad is trying to get into the safe."

This was an awkward situation. How was I, as the son-in-law, going to convince my shooting mentor that in his current mental state, he had no business whatsoever opening his own safe and pulling out one of his own firearms. It was clear this was to be a sensitive matter.

I should point out that out of all of us, Dad can usually get into the safe in a matter of seconds without ever having to make a second effort at the combination. To watch him open it at the height of his shooting prowess was something of a magical event. He never even looked like he was watching the numbers on the dial. We soon realized how bad things were when after 20 minutes of screwing with it, he turned to me and said in a somewhat frustrated tone, "I need you to open this."

"Dad," I replied reluctantly, "what do you want out of the safe?"

"I want an old pistol I have down there that looks like a pirate gun," he insisted. He had been watching a few hours of shooting shows on the History Channel and he was inspired to try and locate the manufacturer's marks and see what the old cap and ball hand cannon was worth. I was immediately relieved for a couple of reasons. I knew that even if he had some kind of intent on hurting himself the fact that he was unable to open a safe that he could at one time open in his sleep indicated that he didn't have the dexterity anymore to hold the pistol with any kind of accuracy let alone load it. I also knew that we don't keep .58 caliber ammunition or black powder patches on hand. I retrieved the pistol, pulled it from it's protective bag, checked to make sure it was safe to handle and turned it over to my mentor.

It was obvious that not only had we been put in the position of removing Dad's access to his own weapons, but that the tumor itself had deprived him of the ability of even getting to his own guns. I will tell you, that our shared hobby of shooting together is something I will deeply miss, but the things he taught me will always be cherished. As dad lies in ICU for a second time and his team of neurologists, surgeons, oncologists, and internists work feverishly to try and fight the un-welcomed invader that is currently living in his brain, we are all struggling to deal with the emotion of such a rapid decline. Just a couple months ago, Dad and I had taken a trip to the range to watch a tactical match and met some incredible shooter sponsored by some amazing manufacturers. Now, he spends most of his day sleeping needing assistance to get from bed to wheel chair, and from bedroom to various appointments.

It is hell to watch your favorite shooting partner decline so rapidly. That said, it is our responsibility to our sport, our past time, and our fellow shooters to address situations such as this responsibly. Even the people who preach safety and spent their lives teaching us to interact with our firearms in a responsible manner can become a danger to themselves and others. While I pray none of you ever have to keep your shooting mentors from having access to their own weapons. I pray also that God give you the wisdom to know when it is time.

I will leave you today with this... Spend your time with those you love, do things together that bring you joy and happiness. Never turn down an opportunity to do something you want to do with someone you respect and care about. Life is short and can be taken away from you in a moment's notice. Take the time to talk to your fellow shooting buddies and your parent's - if you come from a shooting family - so that you know what their wishes are when it comes time to limit their access to their own firearms.

Excuses for my absence...

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:05:00 +0000

It's been months since I last posted. I half expected the blog to flatline. I figured that without new material, no one would be reading the site anymore and I'd have to work even more diligently to revive the site upon my return. To my surprise, the blog has done as well in my absence as it was doing prior to August. THANK YOU.

I started this blog last January. I had been laid off from a job and forced to take a semester off from school and I desperately needed something to keep my mind busy while looking for work and moving back to Las Vegas. August found me employed again and back in school with a course load beyond full time. As I got into my classes, things began to pile up and I soon realized that I would have to take a step back from the blog in order to focus on my classes, a grad school application, and gaining a footing at work.

I intended to get back to things over the holiday break when our family was met with a tragedy of epic proportion. My father-in-law, a life long shooting instructor and friend to many, not to mention my shooting partner, was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. The last month has been a whirlwind of events with multiple hospital stays, daily radiation treatments, and a family focused on the care of their patriarch.

I assure you, my dear readers, that I will get back to this as we move beyond the loss. At this point, however, we have to stay focused on his needs. I will try to get some other posts up this week. Forgive the sad tone, but they are things that I never thought about before we began this process. I look forward to getting back to posting topics of shooting substance very soon. I must thank you all for your understanding.

New Front Sights: The Ruger GP100 Upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:33:00 +0000

HiViz Sights

Most guns come from the factory with a sighting system that is adequate enough to place shots on target. Some come with sights that have special additives that help them to glow in low light conditions. While they will get the job done, factory sights are sometimes a bit lacking. Their solid gun metal black blades making it difficult to acquire a proper sight picture, especially in fast fire conditions like that of IPSC or IDPA.

Thankfully, front sights on most weapons can be modified or changed easily enough and there are many companies that make exceptional front sights that drastically improve the speed at which a shooter can acquire the desired sight picture and improve a shooter's ability to put shots on the bull. HiViz Sights is one of those companies with an exceptional, affordable product.

I'm no gunsmith, but installation of the HiViz front sight on the Ruger GP100 was an absolute snap. The end of the barrel is fitted with a spring loaded pin that when compressed releases the front factory sight. Once the factory sight is removed, the installation of the HiViz sight is as easy as just snapping it in place. Align the dovetailed rear of the sight and snap it in place.

The HiViz comes with a tool for changing the color of the light tubes. It also comes with a container for storing the extra colors that are not in use. Simply insert the tool under the existing light pipe and slide the tube out of the front sight assembly. Chose your preferred color and slide in the new tube. The finished product is a handgun with an improved sighting system ready to ventilate whatever finds itself on the business end.

Savage Model 110: Seriously Bad-ASS

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 06:32:00 +0000

Savage Arms

On occasion, a company that may have previously left a bad taste in your mouth, comes out with something that simply rocks your world. That is definitely the case with Savage Arms and the 110.

A few years back, a friend of mine and respected outdoor writer, bought a Savage rifle with the intent of building a long range .308 "sniper" rifle. We had both purchased our rifles at about the same time and mounted the same glass on them. We were hell bent on getting the best accuracy we could get with the goal of reaching 1,000 yards with some kind of regularity.

I still have my Remington, but the Savage didn't meet muster. It was sent back to the company and after they fired it from a machine rest, they determined that "2 MOA at 100 yards was absolutely acceptable." Anyone who has attempted to be accurate at 1,000 yards will tell you, only a sub-MOA rifle is even worth the effort. There are simply too many rifles offered from too many companies that will meet sub-MOA to screw around with one that won't. The Savage was quickly traded off for something that could deliver better groups and better reliability.

Having already been soured on Savage, when our shooting buddy said he was investing more than a grand in a Savage rifle in .338 Lapua, I was more than skeptical. I had already sworn Savage off of my "to buy" list. However, this rifle is well worth the investment.

I've only shot it a handful of times and every time I pull the trigger, I am impressed by it's precision. The day the photo was shot, I placed 2 shots dead center, one on top of the other, with no sighters in the center ring of a half-size man target at 400 yards. Now, that's not all that impressive for a .338. Clearly a quarter mile isn't even testing a round of this caliber.

I have managed to hit a 15"x15" gong at 1,000 yards with it and the gentleman that owns the rifle just reported 8 out of 11 at 1100 yards on a full size man target. When you consider that a target of that size is almost impossible to see at that distance, 8/11 is impressive.

To make things even better, the recoil is well managed. Firing the Savage 110 is not unlike firing a .308. That in itself is an impressive feat for a round that propels a larger projectile with twice as much powder. If you're looking for that next piece of equipment and have a penchant for drilling steel at distances of 1,000 yards and beyond, this is an impressive tool for the job. Not only does it have the look of a well engineered tactical rifle, it delivers.

Well done Savage Arms.

Gun Review: Keltec Sub2000 and Keltec Sub16

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:02:00 +0000

WWW.KELTECWEAPONS.COM

On occasion, when you take an eclectic group of people shooting, you have the opportunity to fire a lot of different guns. Shooting at public ranges is also an excellent way to get some variation. One never really knows if the guy saddling up on the lane beside them is going to break out with a classic military bolt action, or a deer-slaying black powder reproduction. Shooting a lot of different weapons can give you terrific insight into what you may want to add to your arsenal, or those rare pieces that should be avoided at all cost.

After the 2011 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the web forums were buzzing with the introduction of Keltec's new assault shotgun, the Keltec KSG. Naturally, when a friend of mine asked for some help sighting in his other Keltec weapons, I was excited to help. We took him to our favorite shooting range, Desert Sportsman's, just outside of Las Vegas, NV near the Red Rock State Park. We set up a target at 25 yards to obtain a "battle sight zero" and another target out at 100 yards and 200 yards.

Setting the Keltec Sub16 up much like we would our regular long-distance rifles, we placed bags under the fore-end to stabilize the barrel and used another bag for the butt stock to ensure the rifle would move as little as possible. This particular weapon is chambered in .223/5.56 Nato and uses standard M-16/AR-15 magazines. The gun has an exceptional cool factor. The Keltec's we were firing were a lot like the weapons entry for Transformers. The butt stock folds in making it extremely compact. When you un-fold the butt-stock you have a traditional looking rifle. But wait... there's more! The fore-end can be unfolded to form a bi-pod. While it isn't the most stable bi-pod for shooting purposes, it did appear to be functional.

With the target in our sights, our first shooter began trying to put together a grouping so we could focus the reticle of the scope. He put together about a 6" group at 25 yards. Miserable by accuracy standards. Frustrated, he asked me to shoot it. I saddled up to the bench, released the safety and also assembled a ridiculous 6" group. My father-in-law was chuckling at our misfortune so of course, we had to let him have a go. He also assembled a very large 6" group. We were miffed. If it will only shoot 6" groups at 25 yards, it's more or less useless for extended ranges.

Shooting at 100 yards revealed we were right. We couldn't even tell what target we were hitting, but it definitely wasn't the one we were aiming at. We removed the scope and decided to try again with factory sights. What we found was that groups only improved slightly with each of us producing about a 4" group. To make sure it wasn't us, we saddled up behind my Remington 700 SPS Varmint in .308 and each assembled a sub-1" group at 200 yards. Clearly, this was not the fault of the shooters. While the Keltec Sub16 does offer a "WOW" factor because of it's sleak, cool design. It's useless as a gun.

My friend also had a Sub2000 he wanted to try and sight in. The same thing was true of the Sub2000. The chambering in 9mm didn't improve the effectiveness of the Keltec line. Also a transformer of a gun, the Sub2000 unfolds to resemble a futuristic sub-machine gun. While it is still semi-automatic in operation, the Sub2000 didn't shoot any better than it's big brother. If your intended target is farther away than 25 yards, it would be impossible for you to guarantee a hit even as an advanced shooter.

These things aren't cheap, either. Both tout an MSRP above $400, with the Sub16 going for just over $650. For that price, a person could have a very accurate revolver, an entry level 1911 variant, or one hell of a long range bolt gun. When it comes to Keltec, I'd save my money and go with a more trusted and respected weapon.

Improve Handgun Accuracy: Shoot With Both Eyes Open

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 16:13:00 +0000

It may sound like a no-brainer that shooting with your eyes open will improve your accuracy. For me, it was not so cut and dry. I had always been taught that I should shoot with my dominant eye, my right eye, and close the other eye. Focusing in on the front site tip with only my dominant eye open while tightly squeezing the other eye closed. My groups were satisfactory for a new-to-handguns shooter. They were not, however, very impressive.

Last Monday, I had the pleasure of shooting with a man with a ton of tactical handgun experience. As I watched his form, I noticed that he appeared to be shooting with both eyes looking down the barrel of the handgun. When I asked him about it, he confirmed that in most cases, he does try to shoot with both eyes open. To be honest, the thought had never crossed my mind.

As I approached the target, I tried to focus on the front site tip with both eyes open, I found it at first impossible to get the front site tip to come into view. I had to close my left eye, get the front site in view and then slowly open my left eye. All at once, I had a very clear view of the front site tip. As I squeezed off the first round, I decided not to even look at the target and followed up with a second shot. When I came off of the site to look at the target, the grouping was a keyhole shot. Both shots through the same hole. I re-aligned my focus to the front site tip and put together another three shot group with all of the shots touching.

Just like that, in one fall swoop, I had cut my groups down from 3-4" to less than 1". Turns out, if you shoot with both eyes open - which is a challenge - you can significantly improve your group size.

Another Compelling Reason for Firearms Ownership

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:16:00 +0000

Recently, in the place I live, the city council voted to cut funding for our public servants. The backlash is that there are now fewer officers on the streets and fewer firemen available to ensure our safety. In the last month or so, signs have been placed all over the city highlighting this fact.

I've been participating an many debates regarding firearms ownership and the meaning behind our 2nd Amendment Rights. While I am committed to not sharing the gist of these debates with you - I did promise to keep this blog free from politics - I think the presence of these signs makes a healthy argument as to one very good reason for owning and training with firearms.

I sure don't want to be a victim, thankfully I know that my family won't be either. Will yours?

Verifying Velocity: Using a Chronograph

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:47:00 +0000

THE MAN!!! J. Hall on the bench in front of the chronograph.

Last Monday one of our good friends brought out his chronograph so that we could find out once and for all just how "hot" or hand loaded match cartridges actually were. With a few clicks of the mouse and a search for 168 gr. Sierra Match King trajectory charts, I had found a website - with information again from Maj. John Plaster - that included "come-ups" or scope dial up settings from 100 yards to 1000 yards. Anyone hoping to actually hit their intended target at long ranges requires such a chart in order to be able to set their scopes correctly.

When I compared my actual shooting dial ups with the information provided on the actual trajectory chart, I found that I was shooting much "flatter" than the numbers on the chart. For example, at 400 yards the provided dial up of 6.5 minutes of angle (MOA) was a full one and a half MOA higher. In fact, most all of the dial ups were higher than what my rounds were producing. Since the rifles producing the data were similar, there could be only one real explanation, velocity.

The reported velocity of a Federal Gold Medal Match in 168 grain is approximately 2600 feet per second. Our mission was to find out exactly how fast our bullets were traveling. To do so, we used a chronograph. It's essentially a radar gun that triangulates the speed of a bullet. All you have to do is shoot the bullet through a set of three posts. The speed is determined by timing the bullet at as it passes through each post. Ours boasted an average speed just over 2800 fps. Quite a bit faster than factory ammunition, it seems our 44.5-45 grain hand loads are a good bit "hotter" than factory loads.

Ask and You Shall Receive

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 06:13:00 +0000

Today's range day was extraordinarily successful. Long range shooting requires an incredible amount of research, focus and dedication to the cause. There are countless forums on the internet devoted to the topic of sending lead over half a mile. Many, such as Snipercountry.com, snipershide.com and 6mmbr.com contain a wealth of information. Some of the available information includes the all important ballistic drop table which will help a shooter identify how much a particular bullet is going to drop at a specific distance.

A drop chart downloaded from the internet can only be used as a starting point for your specific rifle, bullet weight and load data. I started with a ballistic drop chart designed for a .308 Winchester, Federal Gold Medal Match ammunition in 168 grains. The chart was specifically set for sea level and this particular ammunition is the highest grade, most trusted match ammunition. The chart contained data for a rifle of 24" barrel length and a 1:11 twist rate. For more information on barrel length and twist rate, please do a Google Search.

My particular rifle is a Remington 700 SPS Varmint that is outfitted with a 26" heavy barrel with a 1:12 twist. The ammunition we used is hand loaded by me on once or twice fired brass. This means, I bought a box of factory stuff, shot it through my rifle, then cleaned, polished, and neck sized the already fired brass and built new cartridges by putting on a new primer, loading the case with powder, and replacing the projectile. That's the basic way of looking at it. Specifically, for you advanced types, my cartridge overall length (C.O.A.L.) is 2.795. We are using 168 gr. Sierra Match Kings with a load worked up to 45 grains of Varget ignited by CCI primers. All loads were built with an RCBS (brand) Rock Chucker press and RCBS dies.

We went to the range today to watch a friend test the durability of a steel target against his new Savage .338 Lapua Magnum with which he hopes to reach 1 mile. We met directly with the man who makes the targets, Mr. Kurt Stone of LV Steel Targets, LLC who was willing to customize a steel setup that would be easier to move by one person. A large .5" steel target can weigh in excess of 100 lbs. We also had an opportunity to shoot on a couple of his existing designs as we may be making a purchase in the near future for our own use.

Now for the fun part, in the last couple weeks, I've had more than one person call a "bullshit" on our ability to make a 1,000 yard shots. The first video you'll see is a 650 yard shot on a 4" steel ring dead center on a 15" x 24" medium man-sized target. The distances were verified with a lazer range finder. It is approximately 80° and we are shooting to the South with a variable 0-15° mph wind coming from the Northeast. The range sits at 2,000 ft. of elevation above sea level.

For Your Viewing Pleasure
Just how far is that when compared to the naked eye?

650 Yard Shot (just under 1/2 mile)

1,000 Yard Shot (just over 1/2 mile)

To quantify this... if you watched the last season of top shot, the 1,000 yard shot they had to make was on a 48" x 48" exploding target. The shot we performed here at 1,000 yards was on a 15" diameter steel plate hanging from a rebar stand. This has also been verified by a laser range finder. Note that the target is not visible to the naked eye. The video you're seeing is shot with a Sony Cybershot 12.1 megapixel digital camera that is being held behind a 20-65x77mm KOWA spotting scope. You have seen it at 20X magnification. The scope on my rifle is a 4.5x14-40mm Nikon Buckmaster Mil-dot scope with standard knobs.

Eat your heart out non-believers. Here's video proof.

Sometimes, it's Not About the Shooting...

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:55:00 +0000

I reluctant when I started this site to purchase a domain and have a custom URL. For some reason, I just wasn't sure that anyone would read what I had to say. However, after 5 solid months of posting articles about shooting and marksmanship, we're nearing 5,000 page views and are being read in nearly every country.

I can't tell you how amazed I am by the success of this little segment of the information super highway. Thank all of you for making me proud to be a part of it. As a result, I have purchased a custom domain and within the next 2-3 days the blog will be redirected to http://www.couchsniper.com. Bare with me as we make the transition.

I'm not sure if my administrative duties will change now that we have a for real domain, but rest assured, I'll do everything in my power to learn the responsibilities quickly so that I can continue to bring you my view from down range. Thanks again my faithful readers. You make it all worth doing. NOW CLICK ON SOME ADS ALREADY!!!

Point of Aim: Choose the Right Target

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:21:00 +0000

Last week I had the pleasure of going back out to the range. Range days are an awesome way to see exactly what you are or are not capable of. We started on a longer range that extended out to 400 yards. We placed on target at 100 yards and drove the other to the far end of the range. What we had with us were small, half-size man targets. These are the discount variety that are made of a heavy weight paper with the point of aim being made up of black ink.

At 1-200 yards, these targets are just fine for whatever kind of shooting you feel like doing. The hole that is punched in the paper by each shot is easily visible as the light shining through the fresh hole is stands out, contrasting properly against the black background. At longer ranges, shots on the target were impossible to see. Even through a spotting scope, the small penetrations were not visible.

Usually, when we intend on shooting at longer ranges, we are with a group of guys who have large, man-size steel targets that are painted white with a black circle over the vital organs. Each shot causes the paint to chip off of the steel and the impact can be easily seen from well over 200 yards. The impact heavily darkening the white paint in what looks like a small splatter as the projectile completely disintegrates on impact.

Moving to the pistol range after a few rounds of shooting at 400 yards, we were just fine with the paper targets again. Each shot easily visible at the closer range. It looks like we'll be buying a large steel target. There is not point in shooting at longer ranges if you cannot see your point of impact. There is no way to adjust a shot when you don't know where it hit.

Before I Begin...

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:36:00 +0000

I am about to start writing a 200 level class for ZombieSchool.org. I intend to make this an advanced marksmanship class discussing the finer points of things like stance, dry-fire, and range practice. Because I never contend that I am the end all be all of firearm wisdom, I would like to extend this opportunity to my fearless readership to add their two cents. If you were teaching a class with the aim of building better shooters, what invaluable information would you give them? What tips would you pass on? What information do you feel is the most valuable information any new shooter could have?

Enter your comments here and I will incorporate those I feel are the most important into a 200 level course targeting new shooters.

Hot Lead for the Undead: Basics of Firearm Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Tue, 31 May 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Great news fans! Over the course of the last week, I wrapped up my very first attempt at producing an online class. The good folks over at ZombieSchool.org took a look at this blog and after several weeks of effort everyone can now take a free, web-based class on the basics of firearm safety. My standard disclaimer still applies. In no way would I profess to have all of the answers, nor would I ever suggest that this class should be taken in lieu of an actual hunter's safety course.

The opportunity to write this course, and the small possibility that a few people might take it, I see as a win for gun enthusiasts everywhere. The zombie genre, as I've mentioned in other posts, draws quite a diverse crowd. While some are incredibly experienced military vets and tenured shooters, it seems the vast majority has gained all of their experience behind the video game console. Their understanding of guns more limited than their willingness to approach them safely.

Since those of us who enjoy firearms would like to live long enough to keep enjoying them, I felt that breaking in the younger would-be shooters with a course emphasizing "safety first" was in order. If you are interested in having a look at what's been eating up all of my time, follow the link here: Hot Lead for the Undead - 101. I feel fairly comfortable assuming most of you are already familiar with the requirements of safety, but one can never be too sure about when the zombie's will strike. You may want to have a look around all of the zombie school.

There's been a tremendous amount of time, money, and effort thrown at the zombieschool.org. If you're a musician looking for an audience, campus radio might trip your trigger. If you're a person with a penchant for community service, the school honors organization Zeta Epsilon Delta (ZED) might be more your thing. Those ready and willing to give their all for the benefit of every survivor might consider the coming ZROTC group brought to the school by the National Zombie Brigade. There's even a campus book store for survival items and texts on various subjects.

It may seem far-fetched, but zombie enthusiasts seem to be one hell of a fun-loving group. I think we might even be able to bring their masses into the fold of safe and responsible gun enthusiasts.

Just Another Day at the Range...

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Fri, 27 May 2011 08:59:00 +0000

On Tuesday, I ventured back out to the range. I knew it wasn't going to be an incredibly serious range day. My father-in-law and I were performing a bit of an experiment. We had loaded his brass for his H&K Model 91 to a similar recipe as my Remington 700 feeling that if the 700 liked it, and the H&K would tolerate it with decent groups, we would have only one .308 recipe of importance to remember. Turns out, the H&K liked it just fine.

In the meantime, we set a target out at 400 yards since that was the maximum on the particular range we were on. I spent a box of rounds trying to hit the long range on a half-size man-size target and grew increasingly frustrated at the fact that no one piece of spotting optics we had with us were capable of seeing a hole in a tiny target at that particular range. Have you any idea how hard it is to adjust dial-up when you have no idea where the bullet is striking?

Eventually, I grew so tired of the unknown that I put my wife behind the trigger. There was just enough humidity in the air that with the Kowa spotting scope we could watch the bullet's trace. I was able to see where the military sniper belief that the more experienced shooter is the spotter in a sniper team. I was able to watch the trace and adjust the scope based on impact.

While it wasn't my best day on the range, really nothing of interest to speak of, I was contented by the fact that I did come away with a new understanding of a process. Next time, I won't be so quick to spend a box of shells before making that call. Two to three shots, whether you can see the holes placed on the paper, or whether you have to watch the spiraling air current, are all it takes to get enough of a sight adjustment to place your shots where they belong.

So Much Has Happened...

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:45:00 +0000

Fearless readers, I appreciate your patience. I know that blogs loose their "cool" when there is nothing new posted and I have no excuse for neglecting you. Since my last entry I have spent over 40 straight days moving and within that time there have been some incredibly exciting developments.

The world of the Internet is a strange and wondrous place. The ability to connect with people from all cultures and sub-cultures allows us to be in more than one place at a time having a hand in many different projects. Sometimes, it seems, all it takes for one to be invited into them is a little bit of exposure. This is certainly what has happened here.

In an effort to gain more readers, I have been following the recommendations of nearly every search engine optimization blog that I can find. Many of their suggestions involve being active on forums that may or may not be related to your immediate topic or focus. As a recreational off-road enthusiast I am a member of TTORA.com and the FJcruiserforums.com. As a gun enthusiast, the high road, and Boise Shooters. All of these places have brought in an incredible group of readers who have been more than kind in their feedback. It left me one burning question, "HOW DO WE REACH THESE KIDS?"

As it turns out, there is a growing zombie enthusiast sub-culture that is inherently interested in our beloved shooting sports. As they plot their survival plans for the - undoubtedly - looming zombie apocalypse, many of them use their limited video game knowledge of firearms to come up with lists of items they simply must employ to outlive the undead hordes in our coming dark days. This inspired me to try and share a bit of knowledge with a few of the more prominent groups and as a result, yours truly, has been asked to create a class on firearm safety for a spectacular creation, The Zombie School (zombieschool.org).

As an entry level safety class, I will be doing everything in my power to share what I feel are the most important facets of beginning firearm knowledge and safety in an effort to bring this motivated group of would be zombie slayers into the fold as responsible and safe gun owners. If you have spare time, check out the zombie school. The class should be completed, reviewed, and posted within the month. While this may seem a bit out there for those grounded completely in reality, it is a fun escape from the day-to-day. The kids at Zombies Eat People are pretty amusing, too if you can handle foul language and constant drug/sex references.

At any rate, know that I have not forgotten about you. I am doing everything I can to add to our numbers and bring more readers to the site. As the moves wind down and we settle into our new location in Vegas, I'll get back out to the range and bring some more exciting shooting posts. In the meantime, if you are in Vegas and looking to hire someone who CLEARLY has too much free time on their hands, give me a ring or shoot me an email.

Cut Shooting Costs and Improve Accuracy: Consider Reloading

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:49:00 +0000

With the current state of our country and the employment situation for many leaving a lot be desired, cost can be a huge deterrent to the hobby of shooting. Not only must one consider the price of the firearm, there are ancillary costs including ammunition, targets, fuel to get to the range, range fees, etc. Of these costs, ammunition can be the largest factor. My .308 runs between $18-$50/box of ammunition. Match grade ammunition made to tighter tolerances utilizing high end projectiles, brass, and primers can really break the bank.

Oddly enough, one way to reduce costs can also improve your shooting accuracy. Most ammunition can be reloaded. Like any other man-task there is a small startup cost involved to acquire the equipment; a press complete with die set specific to caliber, tools for mounting the various dies in the press, a powder scale and hopper, a good set of calipers for measuring to exacting tolerances, a case trimmer, and a brass tumbler. It is a good idea to have a reloading manual from a trusted source such as Sierra. A reloading manual will outline the minimum and maximum requirements for your reloads so that you have a start and end point for working up the perfect bullet combination for your specific firearm and caliber.

Once you have all these items in place, you can start saving money at the range. As I mentioned before, Gold Medal Match Grade Ammunition for my rifle runs over $40 per box or approximately $2/per shot. Every time I pull the trigger on factory ammo, I'm sending $2 down range. To make matters worse, even the best factory ammunition has produced at best half inch groups from my rifle. Thanks to reloading, I have been able to reduce the cost of pulling the trigger to around ¢.39/per shot reducing the price of entire box to about $10 (20 rounds). Accuracy improves because you reload the brass that is fired from YOUR rifle. The brass is form fitted to your chamber when you fire a round and in most cases only has to be "neck" sized after being cleaned in the brass tumbler. Think of a tailored suit, a reloaded round from your rifle has been tailored for that gun. With reloaded ammunition, the best recorded group to date was .375" shot by my wife at 100 yards.

In addition to saving money and improving accuracy, reloading is a great activity, done indoors, that can be shared by the whole family. The exacting tolerances, precision workmanship, and time invested in creating every individual bullet is a great bonding experience between shooter and sport and really give you an appreciation for the entire process of sending a round to its intended target. If you're struggling with costs, consider reloading your ammunition. If you shoot once a week, the investment in reloading equipment will pay for itself in less than a year.

Trying Out Wordpress

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:01:00 +0000

Fearless readers and followers, in an effort to curb any confusion, I have created a mirror of this site on Wordpress. As it turns out a company I would very much like to go back to work for requires designers to be able to create pages in Wordpress. To accommodate that request and make sure that I am not technically inept, I have redone this site in Wordpress. You can view the mirror site at http://couchsniper.wordpress.com.

I don't know that I will completely transfer over unless my readership demands it. So by all means, feel free to have a look at the wordpress version and leave your comments as to which format you like better. I have a few better options with Wordpress than we have with the blogger format, but I hate to abandon all my effort here. So let me know what YOU think. Afterall, I'm not writing this for my health.

Unbelievable Shot, Hitting at 1,000 Yards

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:38:00 +0000

I've wanted to try my hand at making a 1,000 yard shot since I bought my rifle. Truly, hitting at 1,000 yards was what originally motivated me to buy the rifle I bought. I read forum after forum taking in every bit of information I could about what would be a good, accurate, affordable platform to start building a budget long range rig. I settled on a Remington 700 SPS Varmint in .308. It has a 26" heavy barrel and the trusted Remington 700 action that has been utilized by the armed services on their sniper platform for decades.

Throwing a piece of lead more than half a mile down range is an incredibly difficult task. In my case, I would be trying to put 168 grain Sierra Match King boat tail hollow point (BTHP) on target. What we find when we look at a ballistics chart is that a 168 gr. Sierra BTHP will fall over 262 inches at 1,000 yards. That's over 20 feet of bullet drop. A 10 mile an hour wind will cause the bullet to drift over 75 inches and a 20 mile an hour wind will move the bullet over 155 inches or more than 10 feet! These are HUGE changes on bullet travel when you consider that a 10 mph wind at 100 yards only has a half inch effect on bullet travel, a 20 mph just over 1 inch. From 1" to 10' is a MASSIVE shift. Compounding this effect, it's impossible to tell what the wind is actually doing more than half a mile away.

At close ranges, it's easy to see a target without optics. Even a half-size man target at 100 yards is still viewable without a telescopic sight. In fact, you can still see a man size target at over 600 yards. However, at 1,000 yards you can't see the target unless you use optics. I learned this on Monday as I had an opportunity to join some incredible marksmen at an un-named range. A local prankster had placed a target at 1,000 yards and only a handful of people even know it exists. We had searched for it on previous outings and never located it. This particular trip, one of the guys I was with had brought along a particularly high-end spotting scope and managed to locate the 1,000 yard target in a few minutes. A couple minutes later, lead was flying down range and we were all absorbed in attempting to get a shot on steel.

I am proud to report that I placed five shots on that target on Monday out of an attempted 24 shots. Many of our misses were near misses falling barely shy of the goal. On of the most amazing things about shooting at 1,000 yards is that a shooter has more than enough time to take the shot, recover from the recoil, place the cross hairs back on target and watch as the bullet impacts. It made it much easier to see exactly where shots were falling and adjust the dope for the follow up shot. I was blown away by how long it actually takes a bullet, traveling over 2800 feet per second, to reach the target at 1,000 yards.

All of the guys I was shooting with were shooting rifles chambered for .308 or 7.62 NATO rounds. We all put shots on target at 1,000 yards. We also shot some closer ranges between 200 and 650 yards. After going for 1,000, 200 yards is hardly even a challenge. To compare what we were doing with the top shot challenge from last week, a .50 caliber BMG at 1,000 yards will drop comparably, but is less effected by wind. In no uncertain terms, we were shooting at a smaller target, with a smaller bullet which suffers more from wind effect. Eat your heart out Top Shot. The pictures on this post were taken through my scope. The small orange target is the target sight picture at 1,000 yards. The small white target is at 650 yards.

Arrogance Will Cost You More than the Respect of Your Peers

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:49:00 +0000

By now I am sure you have all figured out that I am a fan of the History Channel's, Top Shot. As much as I enjoy the show's shooting challenges and commitment to marksmanship, the producers seem to feel that a truly good show must include all of other non-sense that comes with the "reality television" mentality.

Each week we have become more and more focused on BS high school social drama and less focused on what matters, hot lead moving down range. This week could have been one of the coolest challenges ever, a .50 caliber BMG 1,000 yard shot. Instead of getting into the thick of just exactly what the Barrett .50 M82A1 weapons system is all about, we focused on George acting like an arrogant prick.

In my limited shooting career, I can tell you that I have spent many first days, on the range shooting with strangers. Some of them I could out shoot, some of them I wanted desperately to learn everything I could from them in the hope that I might get invited back out again. Regardless, here's a tip. Be respectful of everyone you shoot with. If you know more than they do, share your wisdom with them. You might just bring another shooter into this amazing brotherhood/sisterhood of firearms enthusiasts. If they know more than you do, don't be afraid to ask questions, but be respectful.

Watching George and his arrogance has not only tainted my view of snipers as a whole, but it has tainted my view of the Air Force. The buy-in of the other service members with George's attitude problem has tainted my view of the Marines as well. Some of the primary characteristics of these branches of the armed services are honor and integrity. What I've watched on Top Shot this week is neither honor, nor integrity. Regardless of his fame or skill, George is not a human being I would allow on the range with me. In fact, I think I'll make some home-made George targets for my next outing.

Choosing A Couch Sniper's Hide: Important Considerations for the Most Important Purchase of Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 06:32:00 +0000

Any sniper relies on their "hide" or sniper hole to keep them safely protected from the watchful eyes of the enemy. The hide is their resting spot, their tactical response location, and the one place they spend their time to engage a target before moving on to the next high profile kill. In the field, it's highly important to find a spot that allows the shooter to survey the field from a wide range of angles and take in the largest amount of space. It has to allow the shooter to be close enough to the enemy to make the shot while keeping them far enough away from patrols that they can make a hasty escape when the going gets rough.

As a couch sniper, choosing the "hide" is even MORE important. It must be firm, yet pliable. It must support without causing pressure points. It must be fluffy enough to absorb an entire days worth of stress and still strong enough to provide strength when emotions run deep. When a couch sniper falls ill, the hide may be inhabited for days. If a couch sniper finds him/herself unemployed, it may be the only piece of furniture to see action for a much longer period of time. Truly, selecting a quality couch may be the most important purchase you ever make.

An experienced couch sniper, I have experienced MANY couches. There were tacky, old, western themed numbers with wooden frames and horse pattern plush velvet cushions. The cushions were always separate pieces and comfort could only be obtained by getting the top to ride properly on the bottom cushion which always seemed to have a need to be pushed slightly forward in order to obtain the proper geometry to support my lanky frame in that perfect way that invites sleep, but volunteers itself for hours of intelligence gathering operations involving a television and bag of chips. There were antique-ish, hide-a-bed numbers that were always FAR too firm to ever find comfort. There have been countless leather models that always seem to be a good idea until a hot afternoon and pair of shorts quickly remind the user that skin on skin is only fun during sex. A startling jolt feels as if it has removed layers of hide as one leaps from the comforting leather only to find that the leather + heat + shorts = really bad idea.

There were the early years of couch sniper freedom when I had finally escaped the confines of my parent's house. I quickly commandeered a futon, no stranger to the necessity of a couch. It served me well, although completely uncomfortable for a guy of 6'2". The stiff fabric resisted sheets making it useless as a bed, and the rough form and odd dimensions made it useless as a couch. Truly, a futon should only be embraced as a stepping stone to a real couch sniper's hide.

Once I was married and embracing life in a partnership, it became apparent that we needed to select a proper sofa. We embarked on the most miserable of all recon missions, searching every available channel for the perfect spot to rest our weary asses. In Las Vegas, we quickly found that there are approximately 2.4 million wannabe furniture stores that all proclaim to offer the very best wares. We searched high and low until the enemies exhaustion and apathy began to take their toll. Finally, we found that the JC Penney home store offered some extraordinary sofas. We sat in everyone they had when finally we came upon the gem that has since become my only resting place. It's plush and pillowy microfiber suede welcomed my hands to touch it. The fluff it offered hugged every part of my body that it touched. Not too hard, not too soft, yet the under-frame was sturdy and easily supports my rifle. A few thousand bags of chips and four moves later, it's still my preferred couch sniping post.

The moral is, that whether you are in the field in deep cover trying to scope a high-profile target, or in your living room, remote in one hand, pistol in the other working on your couch-sniping form with dry-fire exercises, finding your hide is what will keep you safe for years to come. Take the time to make the right choices...

Oh yeah... and happy APRIL FOOLS DAY. The couch sniper is still relocating. We'll return to our regularly scheduled posts shortly.

Moving the Couch Sniper's Hide: Field Craft for the Front Room

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:05:00 +0000

Over the course of the next week, we will be relocating. The move has come swiftly and as usual we will miss the incredibly cool and knowledgeable people we have met while we were in Idaho. However, opportunities wait for no man or woman, couch sniper or not. While posts haven't come as frequently as I would have liked the latter part of the month, there is good reason and I must thank you all for your understanding.

Moving with firearms presents some unique challenges. Every state has a different set of rules one must follow when traveling with firearms and it's important to recognize those laws before setting out on the road. Idaho, is rather lax with regard to projectile weapons. Other states can be quite confusing.

First and foremost, make sure your weapons are safe. This means ensuring they are unloaded and the ammunition packed separate from the gun. They should be packed in approved weapons cases and or holsters. It is important to keep your weapons protected for their benefit. Approved cases will keep them from being scratched or damaged in transport. Special care should be used for any weapons fixed with telescopic sites or advanced optics. Lenses can scratch easily and mounts can loosen from being jarred and bounced around. If locking cases are not an option, do what you can to cover cases (in accordance with state laws) so that they are not obvious if you must step away from your vehicle. It would be a tragedy to lose your firearms to theft, more so if they were later used in a crime.

When you arrive at your new location, secure your weapons first. A safe is by far the best choice, but isn't always an option. With a little common sense, and by doing the necessary homework regarding gun laws, moving your couch sniper hide can be an easy task that prevents few obstacles. While I move mine, know that I'll be busy conjuring up new ideas for posts upon my return! Happy shooting.

Sighting in Your Rifle Scope

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 01:02:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of helping a friend sight in a new rifle and scope on Thursday. I remember buying mine and being so new at the whole idea of this that I stayed up for three or four days reading thread after thread from the long range shooting forums, snipercountry.com, snipershide.com, and anything else I could find in a Google search. What I found confused me more than anything. Opinions are a plenty on the internet and reading thread after thread, I wasn't sure whether I should be zeroing the rifle at 100, 200, or 300 yards. Some even suggested further.

What is this zeroing that I speak of? The process of zeroing involves aligning the reticle - or crosshairs - of your scope with the actual bore of your rifle or handgun. It is necessary to zero your firearm in order to ensure that what you're aiming at is actually what you will hit when you pull the trigger. It's incredibly important to to get your zero right if you intend on doing a lot of target shooting. It is specially critical if you want to hit the bull's eye as you step at out distances beyond 100 yards. The slightest variation at 100 yards will double at 200 yards. As you step out to 1000 yards, a .25" variation becomes over 2.5". It can mean the difference between hitting your target or missing entirely.

How do you zero? We'll assume that your scope is mounted. The bases have been secured to the rifle and the scope situated in the rings with enough distance from your eye that you can still see through it, but that it won't make contact with your face under normal shooting circumstances. With the scope secured, the eye-relief appropriate, walk a target out to 25 yards. Start with a five shot group. Measure the distance from the center of your group and the dead center of the bull's eye. Let's pretend your group is 2" high and .75" left. Most scopes adjust at either .25" or .25 MOA with each click. It will be stated on the turrets of your scope. Assuming you have a scope that adjusts .25" with each click you will need to adjust 8 clicks down and 3 clicks right to center the shot on the bull. Continue to shoot 5 shot groups, making adjustments to center, until your five shot group centers on - or around - the bull.

Now walk the target out to 100 yards and repeat the procedure. Shoot five shot groups and adjust until your shots are on bull. You will likely find that your shots are falling high at 100 yards with your 25 yard zero. They would be pretty close - with most calibers - to dead on at 200. For the majority of shooting purposes, a 100 yard zero is ideal. It will allow you to dial up properly to other distances with accuracy.

That's all there is to it. Plan to take at least 1 box of ammunition with you to the range, preferably 2. Good luck. Take your time, remember to breath, get a good clear scope picture, squeeze the trigger in a very controlled manner for each shot, and FOLLOW THROUGH. If it's a windy day, you may want to re-zero at 100 yards on a day without wind.

New Toys: The Couch Sniper Facebook Page

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 05:54:00 +0000

To make life easier on those of you already fully immersed with facebook, I have recently created a facebook fan site. You are welcome to be a part of that community. Post your likes, your dislikes, make suggestions much easier than posting comments here. I love to have your comments, but I am writing this for your benefit and I want to make it as convenient as possible. Also, thanks to RSS Graffiti, our posts will automatically feed into the new facebook page and link back here! THANK YOU for your continued support.

Focus, Precision, and Accuracy: Developing the Ability to Call Your Shot

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:26:00 +0000

I participate on some other forums that surround some of my other hobbies. One of them is the Toyota Territory Off-roaders Association or TTORA for short. One of the members happens to be Jamie from the History Channel's "Top Shot." Not only is he a stand up guy on the show, he's a stand-up guy on the forum and from what I understand, in real life, too. On the forum, we've had a lot of conversations about the show. Today's was more about why they are throwing tomahawks and playing with blow guns on a show about shooting.

When I thought about it, it made sense to me that the show would step professional shooters outside of their comfort zone as way to see who had what it takes to shift their focus and still be able to visualize their shot in order to deliver that precision and accuracy. This, my motivated readers, is what becoming a better shooter is all about. First, we apply the fundamentals. We make sure our firearm is empty. We remove the live ammunition. We aim safely into a direction where we can be sure of what lies beyond it.

The rest is about developing the ability to call our shot. We focus on the target, then shift to the front site tip. We breath consciously, noting the rhythm and pacing ourselves for the hold. When the time is right and the site picture agrees with our breathing pattern and our stance, we slowly squeeze the trigger. The drop of the hammer, the strike of the firing pin, slightly startles us. We embrace the follow through focusing our eyes solidly on the front site tip. Where is it facing? Where the tip lands on follow through is generally where your shot ended up.

That's two paragraphs worth of focus that leads to better shooting. It is those same two paragraphs worth of focus that make us more precise and more accurate and tightens groups no matter what the weapon is. It leads to smaller spreads with rifles, handguns, or more shattered clay pigeons with shotguns. It's the same focus that allows precision marksmen to move from their area of expertise to throwing a tomahawk or blowing a dart out the end of a blowgun.

The truth is, being able to focus and visualize are two key elements of success in any field. Pilots are taught to visualize take-off's, landings, and complex maneuvers. Chemists are taught to focus and visualize their procedures so that their measurements are more precise and their experimental results more accurate. In any part of our lives where success is imperative, focus and visualization, the primary elements of being a couch sniper, or a REAL sniper, will be a huge benefit to you. You never know when you're going to be out of your element and asked to be good at it. Just step back, repeat the steps, focus on the task at hand and visualize the outcome. Then step up and call your shot!

Training Our Musclesto Get the MOST Out of Shooting

noreply@blogger.com (Percy) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:30:00 +0000

I had an experience this last week while I was looking forward to shooting the next couple rounds of the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program that I feel compelled to share. Now, it may result in multiple people commenting that I need to pass in my man-card. However, in the effort of keeping this blog real, I want to share it none-the-less. The first couple rounds of the qualification program are shot with a traditional shooting stance. As we progress, we move into one-handed shooting stages that involve both the strong hand as well as the weak hand. This is where the fun begins.

I recently acquired a Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum revolver with a 6" "heavy" barrel. The use of the word heavy signifies that this weapon has a "full lug" under the barrel which adds a bit of weight. The added weight is beneficial. It helps dissipate heat from the barrel and stabilizes your shot. While not an imperative feature on any weapon, my rifle has a long heavy barrel and I love the accuracy so I wanted to stay consistent with that mind set as I started moving into the handgun realm. With a regular strong hand/two handed grip, the added weight isn't a problem.

My pistol weighs in at 46 oz. or nearly 3 lbs. This doesn't sound like much and with both hands, it's not unwieldy. With one hand, and the shooting arm completely extended with the elbow locked, 3 lbs. dangling on the end of three feet of arm, is a whole different story. Leverage makes a huge difference and it's almost as if you're holding the entire weight of your arm as well as whatever is in it, namely a loaded pistol. To put it bluntly, my pathetic couch-sniping ass has spent TOO MUCH TIME ON THE COUCH. Stabilizing a weak hand, one handed shooting position with that 3 lb. handgun in tow was nearly impossible. I was shaking like a leaf after only a few seconds of this exercise. That's NOT going to cut it when it comes to trying to qualify for the upper level certifications in the sharpshooter or expert rounds of qualification.

Time to start working out. In order to build some strength and to set ourselves up for success, my wife and I have embraced doing the much revered P90X program. This is not a joke. We shopped for healthy groceries today, cleaned out our cupboards and refrigerator of junk, and took the physical fitness test. Both of us did very well - for being completely out of shape. Tomorrow, we begin the program. With any luck, 90 days from now, wrestling the heaviest of firearms and keeping the position stable should be a piece of cake.