Revolvers and Milk

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Is anybody going to San Antone?
Gonna channel my inner Dave Mcracken and go story mode. I love reading his stories over on the shotgun side of the house, Well here goes....

I had an itch to go shoot. I NEEDED to go, its a Sunday after church and the kids, wife, and I just had lunch with mother and sister. I went home and dropped the kids and her off so they could catch a nap,My wife tells me before I get back to pick up some milk for the kid's cereal in the morning, I nod and go out the door. I am having surgery next Friday on my lower jaw. I have been told I will miss hunting season and shouldn't be shooting anything after the surgery for about 3-6 months depending on how fast I can heal. I grabbed my .44 mag from the safe got in the jeep and went crazy down I-10. I enter the range and hear familiar voices. The shop keeps and gunsmith that know me by name, they should after 13 or so guns that I bought from them. I tell them I'm here to shoot, a gentleman looking at an AR notices the 629 smith on my belt and tells the gunsmith "he's here after bear or something" the gun smith tells him "yep he always is" a nod to the sight of a large caliber revolver on my hip more often than not.

I go to the register where the range officer is, we go back a ways. He tells me to take it easy with the .44 and not go too fast as their is a couple, their son, and two of the son' friends shooting all of them new shooters. They brought their 9mm LC9 and rented a 9mm AR to play with. I hear the familiar pop pop pop that the 9mm brings. I find the cartridge useful but like a brunette instead of a blonde or a cat instead of a dog it just doesnt do it for me. I could shoot a 1000 rds of 9mm and feel more fulfilled with a mere 50 rds of a .44 at the end of a day. I go up to my lane, and as fast as the Lord will let me pull the trigger I let loose. I hear the pops stop amid kabooms, kinda like how you stop hearing rain drops amid thunder for a second. Fireballs the size of Texas escape from my barrel, it makes the adults and kids take notice. I do this for a few more cylinder fulls, when I stop to collect my brass and put them into my range bag. I take my turn to notice them now. The parents are shooting, and two of the kids including their child take no interest in it. Theyre on their phones and looking at whatever thing is the all the rage these days, except for one kid. The curly haired one, He is intently looking at the father shoot waiting for his turn. I see almost a fire in the kids eyes similar to my own when I shot for the first time. He was addicted now, and there is no cure, no rehab for this, the only thing to do is to shoot more to chase that high that would overtake his life for the next 80 odd years.

After taking notice I go back to my lane and rip a few more bear stompers when I notice the kid (lets just call him Curly) near my lane and watching me shoot. In my peripheral I see the kids blue shirt. I unload the gun and ask him "Care to try?". Eyes widen up and sparkle Ive seen that look in maybe only a handful of moments on myself, I saw it in the mirror minutes before my wedding, in pictures take of me holding my kids for the first time after their births, and lastly in a pic of me being baptized in the guadalupe river in south Texas. He says "hell yeah" and almost trips trying to get over to me so fast. I caught him and stood him up, "becareful dont want a concussion on ya" I say. We go over a minutes instruction on a DA revolver with the warning that 1) DO NOT put your fingers in front of the cylinder gap or they will become sausage in quick order and 2) hang on for dear life cause this thing recoils way more than that ruger. I coach on his grip and his stance. He shoots a target of a criminal with a gun and puts 3 of the 6 bear stompers in the chest cavity of that unfortunate paper soul. The other three hit paper but not the target. I said "great job! thats your first time firing a revolver?" he replied "Yes sir, that was amazing! I want one of these, they can keep that 9mm". My first thought "See, there is some hope for this generation." came into my head. He shot another 20 rds and I offered to let him keep going and he said no, he wanted the others to try, they were not interested barely getting off their phones to give Curly the obligatory no nod. He thanked me profusely for letting him shoot the .44 and asked when Id be back here. I said not for a spell but when he sees me again Ill let him shoot off some more.

I load some .44 specials in the 629 and reholster. I looked around a bit and stayed talking to the clerks, I notice the range officer coming my way, He had a big grin on his face I say "whats up Tom? finally found a girl willing to date you?" He laughs "Not today, but that kid you were letting shoot wants to rent this!" Tom holds up a GP100 , Tom goes behind the counter and pulls a box of herter's .38 special off the wall, I said "Tom, he aint gonna want to shoot that after shooting some .44s, Take him those remingtons, and Tom put that on my account will ya?" Tom gives me a modest nod and I tip my hat, I got into my jeep and took off, alot less speed and a whole lot less enthusiasm leaving the range as I took getting there. I'm about three streets over when my wife calls me "Hey babe, how was the range?" she asked. I replied how well it went and how I had a story for her when I got home, "Did you remember the milk?" A heavy sigh is heard over the phone as I turn around a street before home.
 
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You changed that kids life. You know it, and he knows it. He’ll tell the story of this day until he’s an old man. I understand why 9mm is popular, but that boy is destined to become a man with a metal and wood 6 shooter hanging off his hip in a fine piece of leather. He’ll know his revolver like the back of his own hand, and know it’s all he needs to take care of business. Thanks for the story, and being a good man.
 
You changed that kids life. You know it, and he knows it. He’ll tell the story of this day until he’s an old man. I understand why 9mm is popular, but that boy is destined to become a man with a metal and wood 6 shooter hanging off his hip in a fine piece of leather. He’ll know his revolver like the back of his own hand, and know it’s all he needs to take care of business. Thanks for the story, and being a good man.
I didnt even think to show him the mernickle holster off my belt. I hope to G*d he never finds the forums with Revolvers vs Autos and decides he needs to be toting some plastic gizmo from toys r us. One can only hope.... When did 11 year olds get cell phones? When I was 11 I was happy to get to use the internet at the local library for 30 minutes.
 
Great story...some kid some where is an up and coming gun advocate...your wife is happy you picked up the milk...Life is good!!
 
Great story...some kid some where is an up and coming gun advocate...your wife is happy you picked up the milk...Life is good!!
I dont remember where I read it, but I do remember reading it, some article stating that todays kids are on track to becoming the most conservative generation since the 1950s, I hope thats correct. I see some hope then I see something that takes it away and then its back.
 
Thank you for sharing that! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Oh, and nicely done! We need more folks to head down this path (hey, misery loves company!).
Well that means alot coming from a much more established big bore shooter than myself. We need more revolver shooters we need even more Big Bore revolver shooters. Hope to see the kid again when I can shoot again. Auto shooters have entered the cathedral, maybe they even appreciate the stained glass beauty but they haven't sat down and prayed...
 
The Evangelist Cowboy

Never could get my kids all that interested in wheelguns as they have been of the "more ammo, more faster, more shooting" school of enlightened pistoleros! Not a problem, that is as long as the ammo holds out! And I of course totally enable them, always more than happy to be their personal gun bearer and magazine loader. Once they stop burning through the ammo (like I had access to a government stockpile), and concentrate on what they're doing, they really are very good shots (at this point while I might take credit for the fundamentals the accuracy is all their doing)!
 
The Evangelist Cowboy

Never could get my kids all that interested in wheelguns as they have been of the "more ammo, more faster, more shooting" school of enlightened pistoleros! Not a problem, that is as long as the ammo holds out! And I of course totally enable them, always more than happy to be their personal gun bearer and magazine loader. Once they stop burning through the ammo (like I had access to a government stockpile), and concentrate on what they're doing, they really are very good shots (at this point while I might take credit for the fundamentals the accuracy is all their doing)!
I was raised with Clint Eastwood as my movie "hero" I fell in love with revolvers at a young age. My son is of the opinion right now that "good" guys carry revolvers. His uncle however is evil and trying to tamper with his fragile mind by showing him James Bond films. The boy is in an eternal struggle. Revolver vs Auto, Light vs Dark. In reality as long as he becomes an ardent 2A supporter as his uncle and I we don't care which camp he ends up on.
 
Thank you for reminding me why I don't go to public ranges.
 
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... When did 11 year olds get cell phones? When I was 11 I was happy to get to use the internet at the local library for 30 minutes.

When I was 11, the highest tech at the library was a Xerox machine. A dime a copy, too expensive for a boy running a paper route.
The only computers were room-size machines at a big company, or at the bank headquarters.
Nobody had yet heard of Algore, and he hadn't yet invented the internet.

Carry a phone in your pocket ? The stuff of science fiction.
Even the phone Maxwell Smart carried was too big, he had to build it in his shoe....
 
When I was 11, the highest tech at the library was a Xerox machine. A dime a copy, too expensive for a boy running a paper route.
The only computers were room-size machines at a big company, or at the bank headquarters.
Nobody had yet heard of Algore, and he hadn't yet invented the internet.

Carry a phone in your pocket ? The stuff of science fiction.
Even the phone Maxwell Smart carried was too big, he had to build it in his shoe....
Thanks for sharing that. Takes you back to another time. Things were so much simpler.
 
Good on you, Evangelist Cowboy. :thumbup:

That boy will remember you and he will do the same someday.

My grandson also prefers revolvers over semiautomatics in handguns, but he sure loves his 10/22.

A couple of years ago I was shooting a couple of my cowboy guns at an indoor range and there was a boy there that was fascinated by my stainless Ruger Vaquero (original model) .45 Colt with a 7.5” barrel. I let him shoot it. He really liked how big the gun was. I think I made a convert. ;) His family were all shooting semi-autos.
 
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