Gunslinger

Not going to lie, when my shooting partner and I arrived at the Silverdale Gun Club a few weeks ago to shoot 4 different guns for the first time, I was unexpectedly terrified. Already able to hear the shower of shots going off as we drove down the Niagara region back roads, the reality of how vulnerable I was sunk straight to my gut. It didn’t help that as we pulled up to the muddy lot we saw an old guy fly up, out and flat on his back from the kick-back of a shotgun. Jeepers. Why had I wanted to do this again?

As a kid at the CNE or annual Brantford Carnie, the game where you blew up a balloon or sent the ‘whatever’ to the top of the pole by shooting a water gun was my immediate go-to. Unlike the frantic tossing, squashing or ball rolling games, I liked that shooting was silent, steady, focused. Anyway, after we got set up and our incredible guide eased my fears with his endless knowledge, I was ready to light up some lead!

We started with a 10/22 semi-auto rifle which shot off 10 smooth rounds really quickly. This was my favorite gun of the day. Secondly, we shot a M1911, single action, semi-auto handgun designed by John Moses Browning. This model was used in WW1, WW11, the Korean and Vietnam wars. It kicked! There was another, lighter tempered handgun, a 9mm Lugar and finally the 22, semi-automatic, pump action shot gun that brought Duck Hunt to life! I didn’t manage to knock out a skeet, but by this time I was just so fired up that anything was a treat.

We ended the day with an appropriately gourmet meal at Swiss Chalet. We were sun soaked,
burnt out and blissful. Call me wimpy, but it really felt like I’d discovered some serious courage which is never a bad thing (unless you’re a psychotic egomaniac living in the US with access guns at your local Wal-mart!) While I’m now relatively fearless of shooting, I’ll reserve my killer skills for water guns and fuzzy prizes.