Ending 2012 With A Bang

Actually, many bangs. I had an email over the weekend from a friend who's gotten interested in shooting recently. He was letting me know he had picked up a SIG P232 in .380 ACP. I arranged to meet him at the range this afternoon. I was already excited to be able to introduce a new shooter to the sport, and then he text messaged asking if his wife could come along and bring her new SIG Mosquito .22. "Sure, the more the SIG the merrier" I responded. "Okay," he replied, I'll bring my SIG 1911 too."

Now, many readers know I am an unabashed SIG Sauer fan, and this was getting truly exciting. He was bringing not one, not two, but three, brand new SIG pistols. Add my two into the mix, and we had quite a nice looking bench!

We arrived at the range and had to wait just a few minutes for an open bay. I started out by going over the 4 rules of gun safety, emphasizing very clearly that I did not want to see any guns swung my way. Next, we went over the features of the guns and their operation. Moving to the firing line, I worked with both the new shooters on grip and stance. Once we got to the actual shooting both of them were shooting decent groups at 5 and 7 yards.

When I take new shooters to the range, I plan to focus on their shooting, not my own. But of course, this trip I made sure to shoot the new SIGs too. I hadn't gotten to shoot a 1911 SIG previously. The 1911 Scorpion shot very nicely of course. I also let my friends shoot my guns. And as it never fails to do, the P226 impressed them both. I don't find it hard to imagine that a 226 will be added to their collection soon.

Introducing new shooters to the thrill of the sport, and helping them move toward self-defense independence was a great way to spend an afternoon. That it was a SIG Sauer-focused event was an additional thrill for me. I really can't think of a better way to finish out the year. I'm looking forward to shooting with these friends again in 2013.

After this afternoon's fun it's time for a movie and some snacks with my family. And of course a good beer to cap off the year.