Well Qualified

Today I went to Total Firearms and did my qualification for the concealed carry weapon permit. I passed. This means that after sitting through 10 hours of class and taking a 50 question test I am well on my way to getting a permit for something I will likely never do.

So, the qualifying was basically going and doing some shooting with a certified instructor. He had us (Mark and I) go through a series of 10 stages shoowting 10 rounds at each stage… shooting standing, kneeling, facing left & right, left & right hand etc. We think this part is variable depending on the instructor – all they have to do is be convinced in the end that you are safe / accurate / not a nut.

For our last stage, he moved the target back and forth and we had to shoot when it was closer than 15 ft, but further than 3 (at that point you’re dead). When Mark went he shot the paper and all was good. When I went, I first had some trouble getting the magazine to seat correctly, so the first time no round went off (oops, not acceptable in a real life situation).

The second time, we did the same thing. Now, I was not present for Marks run, so I didn’t know how it went. I was still under the impression that we were doing 10 rounds per stage. So, as the target came toward me I unloaded one of the fastest 10 round bursts in my history (and certainly the fastest out of a non rimfire gun) on the sheet. Apparently, this was a slight surprise to the instructor – and everyone else in the range. I’d say oops again, but despite the surprise, it did not seem to concern / disappoint them, so good.

All in all, it was a good time and I suppose I can be humble enough to admit that I did learn a thing or two. Other than the last stage, I only missed 1 round in all, and it was the first round shot left handed so I feel alright about that. I really wish I could have personally seen the instructors reaction to that last stage of mine. Plus, it was far from my normally indecisive M.O. – although I guess that goes for most of my shooting since I tend to shoot very fast (or Mark shoots very slow).