Got a buddy hooked on guns today!!!

[BugDude]

So a buddy of mine asked me to go look at a VW Van for sale for him today. I said sure, I'm on my way to the range and it's close by. We can go look at it and you can come with me to shoot if you want. So we checked out the VW, and we head to the range. We've been going to car shows since I moved here, some ball games, etc. We've talked guns, and he has a couple of old ones that are less than stellar, but has basically never shot a handgun before.

I have my Bersa Thunder 9uc, Taurus PT709, S&W 649, H&R 922 snub, Browning Buckmark .22, and Remington Fieldmaster pump .22 rifle. We got 2 lanes, I went over all of the range rules, safe handling instructions, etc. and I showed him how to shoot. We went back and forth from lane to lane and had a blast. At first, he was high and right. Flinching pretty hard. It wasn't long before he was putting them in a circle the size of your hand at 7 and 10 yards. He shot the PT709 better than any of them. We were there for 2 hours and shot 700 rounds total.

For me, it was the first opportunity to shoot the 649 and Buckmark (had to get it sighted in) and they were without fail. I shot from 7, 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards. My previous Buckmark I had dialed in perfectly. I used to shoot golf balls from 25 yards with factory open sights. This one, I was hitting a 3"x3" post-it note with it from 25 yards with factory open sights, but just could not get a good group or consistent placement inside of the square with it. I've got some work to do to get it fine-tuned, but I'm sure it is me and not the gun. The 649, DA trigger pull I was dead centering the 3"x3" post-it note from 15 yards. Buttery smooth!!!

So, when we finish we head out into the gun store part of the range and my buddy LOVED IT. He startes asking me how to get a permit and I tell him the process. He waves one of the guys over and signs up for the class on 8/30 and pays them up. Then we start looking at guns and we check out a multitude of brands and types and he liked the Bersa Thunder CC .380 and the Bersa BP9CC 9mm. He couldn't decide, SO HE BOUGHT THEM BOTH!!!

I was so proud, we went to a little local dive and sat outside and had seafood and a cold beer and listened to live music...MY TREAT!!! The least I could do for my new 2A supporter. We talked about 2A, carry laws, lethal force, and I gave him some websites (including DC) to check out. The only bad part is after the money he spent today his old lady might not let him hang out with me on Saturdays anymore. But hey, there's a lot worse things he could have spent his money on.

PS. Oh, and I fell in love with my Taurus PT709 all over again. Dead nuts on shot after shot from 10 yards. Shot the center out of the target. That's 2200 trouble free rounds through it now. Same thing with my Bersa Thunder 9uc. Shooting it is like painting with a brush. LOVE THOSE GUNS!!!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[AZJD1968]

Awesome story! Well Done!

[burttrans]

Good job bugdude! I have gotten several of my customers over the years interested in guns and hunting its a good feeling. My daugther got married a year ago and my son-in-law never had guns in his house growing up his mom was "too afraid of guns." He now hunts and shoots clays and now shooting handguns. He now wants to get permit to carry; I am glad I convereted my son-in-law to a gun owner!

[Ionracas]

Friends dont let friends not try guns

[DrahtDog]

His ol lady is sure to be pissed at you! Two new pistols and a concealed carry class. Ha ha. I love it. Good job.

[Hiram25]

Yep, sounds like he's addicted! Another shooting partner.

[Brad426]

Nice work. Also, I'm with you on the PT709... that's a great little gun that gets dismissed by a lot of folks because it's a Taurus.

[darbo]

Sounds like you had a great day! I'm another fan of the PT709. It's my EDC, Accurate, 1400+ reliable rounds, good trigger, I love the gun.

[GH]

That's great! Good work on your part. Keep it up.

[nedrgr21]

Very cool. BTW, when the time comes to defend yourself, and you will have to, and you mention "other ways" he could have spent the money - prostitutes is probably not a good venue to bring up . Just sayin'.

[BugDude]

Very cool. BTW, when the time comes to defend yourself, and you will have to, and you mention "other ways" he could have spent the money - prostitutes is probably not a good venue to bring up . Just sayin'.

I agree. Well, he didn't blow the $9500 on the VW Westfalia Camper Top Van. In my opinion (after crawling around under it, checking everything, driving it, comparing others online, etc.) I think the Van was worth about $5-6K tops. So, considering what I saved him from spending, he came out pretty good.

[miller_man]

Man, nice work BugDude! You really do a great service for spreading the appreciation of 2A and CC.

Can I send all my friends and aquantances to you?

I dare almost anyone to go to the range and safely shoot 700 rnds from some qaulity firearms and not have fun!

[BugDude]

I love taking people to the range. That's one way I can justify having a lot of diverse handguns. That's 2 friends I've met here in FL that I've taken to the range and they have purchased firearms and are getting their concealed permit.

My buddy and I were talking later and I told him, "You know, there aren't many countries left in the world where we could do what we did today. And if it weren't for a lot of people fighting the fight and the political pull of organizations like the NRA, we wouldn't be able to do it here either." That really resonated with him. We are going to plan regular range trips going forward...and invite more buddies to go with us. Word of the day is Freedom...spread the word.

[peckman28]

I like it. The more recreational shooters are out there the better our chances when some legislators come up with idiotic ideas for gun control laws. They become a lot less scary and threatening when you understand them, and for those who aren't terribly concerned either way, getting them into the shooting sports can sway them from "neutral" to our side. Plus, having more shooting buddies is always a win.

[rammerjammer]

well done