A lot of Americans call this holiday the Fourth of July. I call it Independence Day because, for me, this day is a celebration of the ideas that make the United States of America a great nation. For many of you, this day means no work, shopping, fireworks and cool beverages on a hot day. All those things are fine. However, I need something deeper from this national holiday. I need reinforcement of what it actually means to be free to make my own choices. That’s why today, I packed up some of my guns and went to the range.
I spent about four hours practicing marksmanship. First, I worked on the 25-yard pistol range. I shot my Kel-Tec P-32 first. The P-32 is a fun little gun, but I would hate to find myself in a situation where my life depended on it. It’s quite accurate for hitting a human sized target in the chest area at the 25-yard distance – I can do so with about 90% accuracy. The problem with the Kel-Tec P-32 is that it (mine at least) jams quite frequently. I was using PMC .32 Auto ammo and it is possible that the pistol simply doesn’t like that round. Since PMC is out of business, I’ll try switching to something else next time. The Kel-Tec is a great ankle carry, but only as a backup until I figure why it jams so much.
Next I shot my HK .45 USP Compact. The USP Compact is a well engineered weapon, with no useless “safety” features at all. It’s highly accurate at 25 yards. I managed to put 9 of 10 rounds in the target today, but I pulled one round by breathing while pulling the trigger. Darn it! If I had to pick any single handgun to be stranded on an island full of cannibals with, it would be my HK .45 Compact. Why? It never, ever jams. The trigger pull is just right, and I like the factory sights. It’s as accurate for me as my longer barreled SA XD .40 Tactical at 25-yards. Let’s move on to that weapon.
I love the way the XD .40 Tactical feels in my hands except for one thing – the stupid rear safety. A grip safety is completely unnecessary for experienced shooters. If I don’t have a good grip on the pistol, then I deserve what I get when the trigger is pulled. I wish Springfield Armory would remove this “feature.” The only safety needed on a pistol is a good trigger guard. I don’t mind the trigger safety as much, although I prefer pistols without it. I am not going to drop my pistol or accidentally catch the trigger on something. The XD .40 is fun to shoot though, and it’s accurate enough to make a good primary carry weapon. I would stake my life on the pistol any day. I hit 10 of 10 at the 25-yard mark today with the XD.
Last but certainly not least, I fired about 75 rounds through my Bushmaster Varminter today. I warmed up at 50 yards and shot five groups of five rounds each. Then I went out to 200 yards and squeezed off another 40 rounds. Every one hit my Big Burst target, although I didn’t have very tight groups at 200. I’ll get better once I buy a spotting scope so I can adjust my shots better from one trigger squeeze to the next. The Varminter is my favorite weapon to shoot. I love the way it feels and the confidence it inspires at 500 yards.
The right to privately own guns is the one that keeps all the rest in place. Today, on Independence Day, I reminded myself of that fact. I was all by myself on the range, and that kind of worries me. I wish more Americans realized that without guns in private hands, good intentions wouldn’t be enough to keep us making most of our decisions without some bureaucrat constantly interfering in the name of someone else who has no stake in the life he or she is interfering with.