NRA Basic Pistol Course

Dorinda and I took the NRA Basic Pistol Course this past weekend. Its a 2 day class at Target World taught by local PA Game Commission officer Bryan O'Pella. First day was classroom only with basics on pistol safety, nomenclature, storage, cleaning, and shooting fundamentals. I'm not ashamed to admit I learned a few things even with many years of shooting. Dorinda even scored better on the test than I did LOL (98 vs 96)- however I did shoot better.

Monday nite was range time for 2 hours. I shot both my Ruger Speed Six .357 (using .38 SPL) and my S&W 9mm semiauto. We rented a S&W .22 revolver for Dorinda. They started us out at 5 yds and we put 10 rounds into a target, then progressively moved to 10-15-20, then back to 5. The object was that as we shoot farther we get steadier, so when we move back to 5yds the target seems really close and our aim improves.

2 things I learned- #1 if you have a round that doesnt fire when you pull the trigger, you may have a hangfire and should keep the gun pointed at the target for 20 seconds in case the round goes off. #2 that even though I am right handed, I am left eye dominant. Focus on a small object about 20 feet away, make a circle with your index finger and thumb of both hands and move your hands close to your face while still focusing on the object. Whichever eye your circle ends up at is your dominant eye. When aiming a pistol you should have both eyes open focusing on the barrel sight and your target.

Bluetooth GPS in vehicle

I finally got my Ipaq working with Street Atlas for handhelds and all mounted in my Pathfinder. The mount clips into the vent and sits in nice position on the dash. The bluetooth receiver sits on the dash near the windshield. I took a few pics with and without flash. It works great once you learn how to use it. You can create routes on desktop and import them to the ipaq or do it right on the fly. If you start to get off track, it calculates a new route to get you back on. Biggest downside is you have to decide which area you want available and move it to the ipaq. I have about 2 counties and its 12 MB file so if you dont have much room it can be an issue...