From: thaanuj@prism.cs.orst.edu (John Thaanum)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Stupid shooter tricks
Date: 15 Aug 92 02:47:49 GMT
Organization: Oregon State University, Computer Science Dept.

In article <9208140007.AA13895@appserv.Eng.Sun.COM> fiddler@concertina.Eng.Sun.COM (steve hix) writes:
#I think that it might be useful to present some of our dumb
#mistakes as learning material.  I'm sure that most of us
#have done something or other while shooting that might have
#been avoided if we had been thinking about it, or more
#observant of what we were doing.
#
#This migh help others learn to avoid potential trouble by
#someone else's experience (that is, less painfully).
#
#I'll start out with one of my own:
#
        <brief story deleted>
#
#Anyone else, or am I to be left out to dry?

Don't worry about that, I think I have a topper...

About five years ago, during Christmas break of my freshman year in college,
a friend of mine dropped by.  We grew bored, went out to the garage, and
loaded up about a hundred paraffin-bullet loads.  Just a .357 case, small 
primer, stuffed full of wax.  

We were shooting them at a cardboard box about 20' away.  The wax would 
occasionally make it through both sides of the box, but most just stopped
inside the box.  After a while, my stupidity took over.  I was wearing 
my Levi's jacket, the kind with a fleecy liner.  I took a large piece of
corrugated cardboard, and folded it over, so it was three layers thick.  I
turned around, and held the cardboard over my back.

"Aim for the middle of my back.  If you shoot my hands or head..."
"No problem, tell me when you're ready"

The wax hit me right on one of the points of one of my middle vertebrae.
The pain was incredible.  I started to scream, but then forced myself not
to.  I knew if my dad heard, he'd find out what we did, and then I'd have 
a REAL GOOD reason to scream, if you get what I mean.  I ended up with a welt
about the size of a 50-cent piece, and about 1/4" high.

I'm sure you all think this is about the stupidest thing a sane person 
would ever do.  But I managed to convince my friend that it didn't hurt that
bad, and that fair is fair.  He fell for it.  Similar result.

#
#--
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------
#Of making many books there is no end...  |  What's wrong with chasing 
#                       -- Eccl. 12:12    |  nebulae till 3 am?  |-(
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------

BTW, paraffin bullets are quite fun, and are only about as loud as a solid
clap of the hands.  Accuracy isn't too great, and they goober up the 
bore.  But when it's cold and rainy outside, and you just gotta shoot
something, they do the trick.  And I recommend a garage or someplace where
ventilation is good.  Vapors from spent primers can do nasty things to you.


-- 
      +--------------------------------------------------------+
	   John Thaanum          thaanuj@prism.cs.orst.edu
	"A better tomorrow takes your best today..."  -Triumph
      +--------------------------------------------------------+

[MODERATOR:  Ahh, yes.  At first I thought you were about to recount a
different story, about missing the cardboard...  The one I was thinking
of  (and did not participate in... :-) is at least captured on tape.  It
was done by a group making a video about firearms, and specifically about
body armor.  The subject dons said jacket, and gets set up at close range
to be shot in the belly by an AR-15, to demonstrate the high quality of
the vest.  Having great concern not to hit outside of the body armor, his
partner fixed a *scope* to the rifle, so he could precisely aim at dead
center on the vest......
 .... well can we all guess what is wrong with this picture?  Too bad for
these guys.  Remember an AR-15 scope sits 'way up top, and at very close
range the line of sight is 'way high of the bullet path.  Yup, a graphic
demonstration of one man shooting the hydraulics off the other... *ouch*.
Okay, okay, Your Humble Moderator will toss in (one of his many) stupid
shooter stunts, which in fact occurred last week and reminded him of the
above story.  Guess how YHM managed to drop five rounds through the PACT
sensors of his chronograph... (hey, but they still work.... :-) ]