when your good, (or lucky)

grumpyvette

Administrator
Staff member
I think most of us have seen videos that were taken, that show some guy making a spectacular long range shot.
guys tend to post those videos far more often than one showing the results of a very poorly placed shot/

but keep in mind that the guy posting that video might have video taped a dozen far less impressive tries,
he made previously, too do something, correctly with far less impressive results.

before he pulled the shot off on a video, the way he wanted too, to show off his "SKILL ??"
yeah! you'll see the video where some guy head shot an elk at 700 yards but I bet the same guy erased the dozen previous videos he might have recorded.(and never mentions the game crippled or wounded)
a video, or two made where he wounded an elk or deer and it ran off.
If he had the bullet hit the elk between the eyes at 700 yards while aiming at the heart 30" away from the intended impact point do you think that would be admitted, or the video just posted?
I figure you guys might enjoy a true story from my past .

yes a great deal of CONSISTENT practice, and familiarity with your handgun of choice is a huge asset
(I'm 74 now)
that illustrates the point that not every spectacular shot made could be easily duplicated.

back in about 1968-1969 I had purchased a 7.5" barrel ruger super
blackhawk revolver in 44 mag caliber and a quick draw holster some what similar to these pictures.
I had been into hand loading and casting bullets and Id had a great deal of practice.
(several years of wasting at least some ammo on most trips to the everglades learning to shoot fast and reasonably accurately shooting at rocks and stuff at long ranges 200-500 yards with a handgun)

Id spent months practicing , for hours every day or so, until a consistent smooth fast gunfighter draw was something I could do.
(I was not lightning fast , but I was reasonably accurate)

,as a result, I could hit beer can size targets out at 50 yards more times than not with mild hand loads.
and yeah, I learned if you aimed just a bit low at the base of the can, there was a bit better chance as a minor (miss still hit)

the empty cans, I used for target practice,back then, hand loaded ammo was mostly a 240 grain cast bullet at about 900fps/
I thought I was rather good. Now the area we practiced shooting at , during this time frame was well out in the everglades at a place where two canals make a 90 degree intersection.
There was a 20 foot tall berm with a road on its crest on the side of each canal.
the berms had the roads that were built placed on top of them,were made from the fill pulled from the canals/
The canals allowed water to drain freely , from the areas they bordered.
The roads gave access to the areas, as they were 20 plus feet higher than the surrounding area. most of the canals were dug and roads built back in the early 1920s-1930s to drain some areas on the outside edge of the everglades,
So this meant we could place targets on the inside facing slope angle, on the slope of the 90 degree angle on one leg and drive down to the intersection and drive down the intersecting berms road so we can shoot diagonally across the intersection safely from the other road.
This making placing targets easy. As it just required a quick drive down the two connecting 90 degree legs.
we usually brought both rifles and hand guns on these trips and placed targets out at fairly long range for the rifles but for pistols we just threw targets out at fairly close range.
rugerbhr.jpg

qdholster.jpg

Now picture this, Im about 19-20 years old at the time and have spent a great deal of time practicing my fast draw with the revolver to the point I am reasonably fast, and accurate. When we get out to the area and place targets out at about 250 yards down one leg of the two berm slope angles/
WE then drive back to the intersection, turn and drive about 250 yards or so down the road to a point where we can clearly see the targets from the road we are on, this places the targets about 325-350 yards out from our shooting position, but allows us to safely shoot across the low swamp area into the raised berm road shoulder where we have placed targets
( which were mostly 1 lb tin coffee cans painted florescent orange).
As we get the truck parked after setting out the targets, a car pulls up, and an older guy who looked to be in his 50s gets out, and seeing we were about to shoot, he asked what were were using for targets.
I point out the dozens of orange cans on the far slope berm and hes amazed, as he can barely make out the brightly painted cans at that distance.
I assure him that thats really what were shooting at and ask if he might like to try a few shots with his scoped 270 win, well he says he has never shot past 100 yards, but yes he would like to try.
During the next 20 minutes I watch him shoot and try to give him some idea where hes hitting, because I doubt hes hit even once within 20 feet of the targets.
Eventually he turns to me and says, "no one could possibly shoot and hit targets that far out".

(now remember IM a wise ass 19- 20 year old at the time).
I say, " youve got to be kidding me, I could do as well as your doing with my pistol".
Well all my friends have also been watching this, transpire and hear me say that ......and start egging me on to prove it.
and
yes about that time my few working teenage brain cells start to say "NOW WHAT DUMMY"
but even I get flashes of inspiration if I mentally panic at times , sometimes, rarely maybe.. even good ideas

Now if you had ever gone out in the everglades back then you would have constantly seen these small black birds that flew very rapidly catching dragon flies and such just over the swamp cat tails and I had an idea!
I knew from past experience that if you shot at one they instantly folded their wings and dropped like a stone into the cat tails for protection/
I also knew this guy was very unlikely to know that and there were dozens of these birds constantly flying by, so I pointed out one that was flying about 100 yards out and pointed it out and said... see that bird! I then fast drew the ruger in my best johnny Ringo, or mat Dillon, gun fighter impersonation, and fired from the hip in a blur of movement.
knowing or at least expecting the bird I just shot at would instantly drop, and I could claim , damn only nicked him!
But to EVERYONE'S amazement (INCLUDING MY OWN) the bird exploded in a burst of feathers!
My friends were all laughing their butts off!
The guys face expression was priceless!
My friends had almost instantly figured out the intended deception/ scam, AND the amazing unexpected results, :facepalm: :like:

but the old guy just quickly packed up and left!
 
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Would loved to have been there to see the expression on everyone's faces !!!

I'm sure your face didn't give one bit of evidence, what was going on in your head! :lol:
 
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