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User:DaTombsie
My name is Daniel Tombs, I'm only 16 years of age, born of the November the 11th, and firearms probably my biggest interest in life. I'm living in gun-free Australia, so I don't often get the opportunity to handle firearms, though I have handled two Steyr AUG A3s, one with a 40mm Grenade Launcher, an FN Minimi, an FN MAG, a Carl Gustaf 84mm Rocket launcher, and an M2 Browning, and I've been able to actually fire a 9mm Glock 17, .44 Magnum Ruger Super Redhawk, .45 ACP Glock 21, and a .357 Magnum Ruger GP100, all at an indoor firing range. I'm very pro-gun, spend most of my time studying firearms, and plan on leaving Australia to live in the US some day, where I can actually enjoy freedom, though I can't do that anytime soon. Aside from firearms, I have only a few other interests, like motorcycles. Please, don't let my age fool you, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to guns, I'm just near-incapable of actually getting my hands on any.
I can't remember exactly when my interest in firearms sparked, but I still perfectly remember how, and it's a very small and simple story. A friend of mine had brought a cap gun into our school for a project, and he wanted to know what it was based off of, though he eventually decided it was based from a Glock. I was intrigued, I knew enough at the time to know that it wasn't a Glock, but I wanted to find out what it actually was, so I then spent that whole night researching until I finally found an image of a Smith & Wesson Model 5906, it looked exactly like the cap gun. At that point, I guess I realized something about guns, which prior, I just didn't care about, I realized that there were different types, categories, brands, calibers, and my intrigue just grew along with that realization.
What started out as a slightly-more-than casual interest in guns grew after a school trip to an Army Expo, where vehicles, equipment, and so much more from the Australian Army were on display. In one small area, several of the firearms used currently used by the Army were on display, unloaded and chained to a table. At first, I ignored them, thought they were just props, though I was later asked to pose with the rocket launcher for a photo, so I did. For a prop, it seemed pretty heavy, detailed, and functional, and then I questioned why a prop would need to be so secure. After simply asking one of the men running the event, I was informed that everything there was, in fact, quite real, so I went back and got a good feel for every last one of the firearms there. After that day, I found myself spending every last bit of free time I had just studying guns, you could call it an obsession if you'd like.
My first time pulling a trigger, a 9mm Glock 17.
Second gun I fired, a .44 Ruger Super Redhawk.
Third gun I fired, a .45 Glock 21.
And the fourth gun, a .375 Ruger GP100.
The greatest gun-related moment I've ever had was on my sixteenth birthday, where I was taken to an indoor firing range and got to fire four handguns, though they were all tethered, forcing their muzzles to stay pointed downrange, I think quite possibly reducing recoil, too. The first gun I was pointed to was the Glock 17, which came with two magazines. As I loaded the first mag, I couldn't help but notice and cringe at one of the other guys at the range, who had tried to load the magazine in backwards, though it didn't bother me for too long. I was careful to keep my finger off the trigger as I lined up the sights, pointing towards the paper target downrange, before firing my first shot, which hit the far upper left of the sheet, nowhere near where I had hoped to hit. I remember not blinking at all, seeing the slide rush back at me and back forward again within a split second, the fireball rushing from the end of the barrel vanishing in a blink, seeing the spent casing ejected out the side, I suddenly felt so proud of myself, despite having missed horrifically. I emptied both magazines pretty quickly, didn't give it much more thought, but I loved it. Next up was the Ruger Super Redhawk, the .44 Magnum revolver, which the Instructor had mistakenly claimed was the very same gun in Dirty Harry. I took hold of the gun and noticed it was quite weighty, despite being tethered, though it wasn't too much at all. I had only been given six rounds for this gun, so I decided to use them well, once again I kept my finger off the trigger while I lined up my sights, which I remember for being really good. I aimed right for the center, pulled the hammer back and set it to single-action, then flinched as I pulled the trigger, causing me to hit off to the left of my intended point of impact. The recoil was noticeable, though I personally think the tether dampened it quite a lot, and I remember the muzzle flash clearly, massive, deep red. The remaining five shots, I fired them all in single-action, though I never flinched after the first shot, and as a result, I hit the bullseye each time. Next up, was the .45 caliber Glock 21, the gun I think I disliked the most. I don't have much to say about it, the recoil was snappy, and at one point, I failed to notice my ear pro had slipped back off of my left ear, and fired a round. It was loud, obviously, it brought yet another realization upon me; gunshots are way louder than TV shows, movies, video games, and media portray them. I didn't flinch after that, though, I calmly kept the gun pointed downrange, finger off the trigger, and moved my left arm to fix my ear pro back over my ear. The final gun there, the GP100, was kind of fun. I fired my first six rounds in double-action, and despite how inaccurate I was, I loved the feel of the trigger. I fired my second lot of six rounds in single-action, and was only a bit more accurate. After it was all over, I was asked if I wanted a photo taken, so I accepted the offer. To be allowed to have that photo, the gun had to be unloaded and pointed downrange with both hands holding on. I didn't get to choose the gun, so I had to go with the Glock 21. That day was the best day of my life so far, and if I could do it again, I already would've.