Last night I went to Take Aim in Sarasota to take part in a shooting competition. I've not done this type of thing before, and thankfully it was mainly for fun. They set up a course at the range with the object being to shoot the targets without hitting the hostages, and move as quickly as possible. To do the course, you needed 3 magazines, a holder, and a holster for your weapon.
The first round consisted of two places of cover and three sets of four targets. I started off in the middle, fired two rounds into each of the four targets, then moved to the right, did the same thing, and moved back to the left. My score showed just how nervous I was. Although I got several good shots in, I did much better on the second round.
The second round started off seated at a table with my weapon in front of me. When the buzzer rang, I loaded it, fired two rounds into each of the four targets. Next I stood up and while moving had to fire two more rounds into the next set of four targets. Finally I had to duck behind some cover and fire 2 more rounds into the last set of four targets through a hole in the cover. This one was quite a bit more dramatic because for some reason my gun started jamming at the start. Thankfully I had the ten round magazine to start out with or I wouldn't have had enough rounds to finish.
We only did two rounds because they had a party planned for someone's birthday. Part of the party was watching someone take apart a spongebob squarepants piñata using an MP5 a shotgun. This has always sounded like fun to be but I have never had the chance to do it or even to watch someone else do it.
As everyone was chatting and having a good time, the man who owns the MP5 offered to let others fire it so long as we used factory ammunition. I resisted the temptation until the end of the evening when I had about 30 rounds left. The MP5 was chambered for .45 which happened to be what I was shot night. It took a good ten minutes to get the magazine loaded by hand, but it was well worth it. Austin took video of me firing this thing off and it was easily in the top ten of the coolest things I've done. Shooting that thing on full auto makes me want one even more.
Last night was such a blast, and I can't wait to do it again. Everyone there was very nice and made me feel very welcome. This is going to be a fun hobby and of course and excuse to spend more money on accessories.
