When did you realize you were .... different?

[griz]

Not like the others, even different than other hunters or shooters who were not as "in to" the sport. Not looking for an out of the gun closet/safe story, just when you came to the realization that you were much more serious about shooting than lots of folks around you.

For me it happened twice.
The first time was when I found out there are people who routinely run out of ammo. I had assumed till then that everyone did as I did, when you got down to your last brick of 22 rimfire or a box or two of centerfire, you hurried to the store, or the reloading bench, for more. It stunned me when I discovered shooters who would shoot their very last round, and wait until the next range session to buy more!

The next time was the startled look I got when I refereed to the need for a "spare" gun, meaning one in case the primary breaks and you don’t have time to get it fixed. Hunting season and matches are examples of when you might want a spare. Apparently some people think this is overkill, to me it just seemed like a sensible precaution.

When did you figure it out?

[Futo Inu]

I do have a spare gun, but do often shoot my last round at the range - hmmmm - I must not be as over the top fruity as you. Actually, I will shoot all but my premium carry ammo, for example - no, I'm never completely out. It begins to dawn on me when I am able to tell my bud Will at H&H range something he didn't already know - something I picked up at TFL usually - and this ol boy knows some stuff about guns.

I'm different in more ways than just guns, though - one clue was the funny look I got from my brother and his wife a few months ago when I told him that IMO, then entire concept of shampoo is a huge scam - no one needs it - simply washing your hair once a week or so with regular soap is perfectly adequate. One small example....

[Art Eatman]

Well, I recall getting all nervous and twitchy when I was down to my last little tube of BBs for my Daisy Red Ryder.

Overall different? When I was awarded a trophy in "Infant Class" for long distance underwater swimming while wearing a gunny sack.

Art

[yorec]

I've been TRYING to be different from the masses all my life.

Not sure when I started succeeding...

[Jim V]

Shooters run out of ammo? Odd concept. I get twitchy when I get close to the bottom of the ammo can despite having another can that is full of the same ammunition.

[Brandon French]

Will is a breat guy. I bought my Bushy carbine from him and also took the CCW class from him. I like the folks at H&H, they are always on hand to offer advice. I also never run out of ammo.

B

[pax]

What, I'm not normal??!?

I've always known it.

On Thanksgiving, sitting around after the meal at my folks' house, one of the kids brought me a hat that had some frizzy strings hanging from it. Too lazy to get up and look for the scissors to cut the strings off, I pulled out my pocket knife (a 'Griptilian' from Benchmade) and took care of the problem.

My mom flipped. "What are you doing, carrying a knife??!"

"Uh, Mom, it's a pocket knife..."

"It's a really big!!! pocket knife!"

"Ummm, Mom, it's a pocket knife."

"It's bad enough you carry a gun, but a knife??? Is that legal??"



*sigh* Sometimes I think I was adopted.

pax

Anyone who clings to the historically untrue — and thoroughly immoral — doctrine that ‘violence never settles anything’ I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms. – Robert Heinlein

[Selfdfenz]

It's "all the rest" that are abnormal, and would rather work than go to the range.

What are golf or basketball but shallow alternatives for the asperation to attain and practice true marksmanship?
(sinister laughing sounds rising from the area of the PC)

S-

[MeekAndMild]

I think WE are the normal ones. The trouble is the abnormals have extremely better press and public relations coverage and have convinced the government to give them lots of grant money.

Try getting a public assistance grant to put a pistol range in a needy area!

[JeepDriver]

I thought I was different all my life. It was when I found the gun boards that I realized I was normal and every one else was different.

[Joe Demko]

I'm not different. I'm superior.

[twoblink]

When I realized that everybody called ME on 9/11 when they needed to borrow a gun....

[Seeker]

I've always been different. I am thankful that I found TFL, cuase here I don't feel so different (besides the folks here are nice).

[ENC]

I agree with Golgo.

I told my mom I was gonna get a CCW liscence. She asked why I would need to carry a gun for. I just responded, "In case my first one jams." She decided it wasn't worth the effort and changed the subject.

I almost have her converted now. Almost

[MessedUpMike]

And not me relatives.

There's and ongoing battle between a co-worker of mine and me about what constitutes "normal" and different and at what point I should have been remanded for psychological counseling. Therefore I'm reassured at least once every four days that I'm "different"

If that didn't do it the third arm growing out of my forehead, and the voices in my head telling me to cook the cat are dead give aways.

Mike

[CAP1]

Never wanted to be like ANYbody else for as long as I can remember.
For shooting up the last round, there are always more back at the house. But I do ALWAYS leave at least 1 magazine full for the ride home, or wherever else I might be going until I get back home. What's the use of all the shooting I do and guns I own if I'm going to go around unarmed?

CAP

[MeekAndMild]

If that didn't do it the third arm growing out of my forehead, and the voices in my head telling me to cook the cat are dead give aways.

You said that as a joke but it really isn't. The really scary part is that if you really thought you had an extra arm and heard voices chances are nearly 100% you'd be a lefty and an anti and vote the straight Democratic ticket.

At work I see a lot of really messed up customers, criminally insane folk, homeless druggies and pathetic losers so bollixed up they can't survive without external help. In the last 2 decades of doing business with thousands of them I can count the dedicated gunnies amongst them on the thumbs of one hand. He was a nice old guy who'd been a target shooter and reloader before too much alcohol and not enough B vitamins fried his brain.

[Standing Wolf]

I ran out of cigarettes once in 1969. Haven't run out of the important things in life since then. Any time I find the ammunition supplies dropping below about 2,000 rounds, it's time order more .22s and head for the reloading bench.

[TexasVet]

Standing Wolf... You ran OUT of cigarettes??? If I ever do, my wife better hope I'm out of ammo too, cause I'm gonna kill myself in about 30 minutes! (on second thought, there is all that insurance and the suicide clause is long out of date....she might... No, she wouldn't...)
Naw, never happen, there is no OUT of either in this house, ever. Just like there are no hours with single digits in the morning since I retired. I think that's a law now, or something.

[Hardtarget]

I was about 14 when I realized there was a slight gap. I was at my Grandparents (with many cousins) and found I was the only one with a gun. In fact, I had three. Just found it hard to believe they would come to the "country" without their firearms.
Mark.

[Hkmp5sd]

Got this way honestly. Inherited it.


And my favorite quote, "Why be normal?"

[Zundfolge]

I realised I was different when I heard a report of one of those "arsenels" being confiscated by the police and it was only 500 rounds!

I made the comment "Arsenel?! Hell I shot up that much last time I went to the range!"

Got some funny looks by the rest of the group. Most people acted as though if you had 2 10 round magazines there was no point to own more then 20 rounds of ammo.

Went to the gun shop a few weeks later with one of the guys in this group ... he was amazed when I bought 4 boxes of ammo.



As for shooting all your ammo, I just make sure I don't take all my ammo to the range (besides to take all of it would probably strain my back or something).

[Dex Sinister]

Hmmmm.... I think it was when the poor UPS guy rolled his dolly up to the front door with 200 lbs of ammo on it.

[Don't look at me like that, it was only 7,500 rounds, damit.]

OTOH, it might have been the time when I emptied the gunsafes to move them and turned around to put the last rifle on/around the bed and thought, "Oh my - I didn't realize we had THAT many!"

Dex

[Dex Sinister]

I told my mom I was gonna get a CCW liscence. She asked why I would need to carry a gun for. I just responded, "In case my first one jams." She decided it wasn't worth the effort and changed the subject.

<LOL> My mother was just agast when my wife and I got CCW's - actually, she was agast at me owning guns at all - but she's gradually adjusting, I think.

When she recently asked that perenial holiday question, "Are you still wearing 'X' size pants?" and I replied, "No, I'm wearing 'X+2-inch' size pants, because my pistol holster fits better," she hardly skipped a beat.

Dex

[Jim March]

'Round about the time I filed my SECOND lawsuit against my sheriff over how he handles CCWs...