The time was Summer, 1972.
I had owned a .22 single shot J.C.Higgans rifle, and 16 ga Stevens SxS shotgun since I was a pre-teen. Never had a handgun. Went in the military when I was 18 and ended up selling both the rifle and the shotgun as it was simply to much hassel to try and keep them with me as a young airman in the Air Force.
Well, I had spent 1971 in 'Nam, and came back to an assignment in West Texas. I made friends with one of the guys in my section who was firearms enthusiast of the nth degree. I bought a 12 ga Ted Williams 300 with polychoke from him and started dove, quail, and duck hunting. I was a married NCO by this time and had no problem owning firearms.
One day he came to me and asked if I'd like to go do some handgun shooting. I said sure. So, that weekend we went out into the West Texas desert and burned up a lot of ammo. Most of it .22. Then he brought out two larger revolvers. A .357 Blackhawk and a .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk.
Having never shot one before, I was curious, a little apprehensive, and quite willing to take it on. We started with the smaller Blackhawk and shot .38 special for a while. No problem. In fact, it was a lot nicer than the damn snub nose .38s that I carried as a combat air crewman. Those damn things hurt any time you shot them. Then we moved up to .357s. Again, quite a bit more recoil and noise, but fun, fun, fun. Then came the Super. He shot it first while I watched. Then came my turn. I loaded it up, aimed at the cans we had set up, and squeezed off my first shot. The gun was heavy, and I missed the cans completely. I almost dropped the damn thing. But I survived it grinning. He coached me a little how to grip it properly, and to use two hands (I was be a cowboy with one). By the time we were done, I was a confirmed "big" handgun shooter. Later that night, my hand was still hurting as I had probably put close to 50 rounds through the Super. Plus another 100 or so through the smaller Blackhawk. And three or four boxes through the .22s.
I learned how to shoot one after almost dropping it and hurting myself. I learned that when you're shooting the real heavy stuff, moderation is a nice was to go. I learned that learning to master the necessary control for shooting a large caliber handgun was an extremely satisfying past time.
I didn't get my first big handguns for a number of years after that. Bought a lot of .22s, a few .357s, and a number of .25, .380, and .45 autos. In the late '80s, I discoved the 10mm. Fell in love and even bought a few .41mags .
But, I'll never that Saturday afternoon, in the hot West Texas desert, killing all of those bad guys (tin cans and a vivid immagination). It was one of the best times I'd ever spent before, and I've ever spent since. After the guns were put away, we went to a local bar, had a few, and BS'd about the day.
Sorry for the ramble. Once I got started, it just seemed to flow. Hope I didn't bore anyone.
SgtSam
