Today I splent 4 hours out on the shooting range with Tighe, my cousin Guy's youngest son from a second marrige. At age 11, Guy thought it was time for Tighe to learn the fine art of gun handling. Guy was several years my junior when we were kids, and he learned to shoot from me, so he thought it fitting that I teach his son.
During the course of the morning, Tighe got instruction on the little lever action Marlin, the old Ruger stadard model, and the S&W 10 shot 617. He's a great kid, and caught on fast to the art of marksmenship. Somehow, we managed to burn up the better part of a bulk box of Federals, and a lot of soda cans met thier fate. But it was the knife that got a lot of his attention.
There was the plastic package of targets to slit open, the glued shut bulk pack of ammo, and a few other things that needed to be delt with during the morning as we shot. I had my old chestnut bone peanut with me, and Tighe watched with rapt attention as I took it out to open it. When he asked about the knife, I handed it to him so he could examine it closely, and he expressed his thoughs on how cool the knife was. The carbon blades have a dark patina by now, and the bone just looks better now than when new. Carry and use seem to agree with bone handles. The small size of the penaut went well with 11 year old hands, and I think he really bonded with it. After shooting, we sat for a while at the picnic bench under the pines to have the sandwiches and cold drinks his mother made for the outing.
What was interesting, his father and his fathers brother, Uncle Dave, carries the modern folders, but Tighe was never really interested in them, but loves the traditonals. He said that the new stuff dosen't talk to him. This kid is 11 years old now, and that surprised me. He loved the Marlin, that with 40 years of use has worn bluing, worn old walnut with shallow checkering. He didn't feel anything for the newer S&W 617, but liked the 50 year old Ruger standard model. Guy had told me that Tighe loved old things, unusual in one so young. I took out the old sodbuster from the Tacoma's glove box, and he whittled with it some, and we talked abut the different patterns and old carbon steels. Tighe said they felt better to him in his hand, than his dad's or Uncle Dave's knife. So we sat and whittled on old dry pine branches and talked about the shooting, and I watched him carefully, least I have to explain to Guy and Kelli why he got stiches in his fingers. He did well, not cutting himself, and he learned well to cut away from himself.
His birthday is comming up, and I think I just may get him a peanut. A carbon peanut to be sure. We'll have to work on the patina after he gets it.
Another convert to the cult.
Carl.
During the course of the morning, Tighe got instruction on the little lever action Marlin, the old Ruger stadard model, and the S&W 10 shot 617. He's a great kid, and caught on fast to the art of marksmenship. Somehow, we managed to burn up the better part of a bulk box of Federals, and a lot of soda cans met thier fate. But it was the knife that got a lot of his attention.
There was the plastic package of targets to slit open, the glued shut bulk pack of ammo, and a few other things that needed to be delt with during the morning as we shot. I had my old chestnut bone peanut with me, and Tighe watched with rapt attention as I took it out to open it. When he asked about the knife, I handed it to him so he could examine it closely, and he expressed his thoughs on how cool the knife was. The carbon blades have a dark patina by now, and the bone just looks better now than when new. Carry and use seem to agree with bone handles. The small size of the penaut went well with 11 year old hands, and I think he really bonded with it. After shooting, we sat for a while at the picnic bench under the pines to have the sandwiches and cold drinks his mother made for the outing.
What was interesting, his father and his fathers brother, Uncle Dave, carries the modern folders, but Tighe was never really interested in them, but loves the traditonals. He said that the new stuff dosen't talk to him. This kid is 11 years old now, and that surprised me. He loved the Marlin, that with 40 years of use has worn bluing, worn old walnut with shallow checkering. He didn't feel anything for the newer S&W 617, but liked the 50 year old Ruger standard model. Guy had told me that Tighe loved old things, unusual in one so young. I took out the old sodbuster from the Tacoma's glove box, and he whittled with it some, and we talked abut the different patterns and old carbon steels. Tighe said they felt better to him in his hand, than his dad's or Uncle Dave's knife. So we sat and whittled on old dry pine branches and talked about the shooting, and I watched him carefully, least I have to explain to Guy and Kelli why he got stiches in his fingers. He did well, not cutting himself, and he learned well to cut away from himself.
His birthday is comming up, and I think I just may get him a peanut. A carbon peanut to be sure. We'll have to work on the patina after he gets it.
Another convert to the cult.
Carl.
