A GIRL AND HER GUN
by Anna (Katy Crabtree)
NOTE: Originally posted on Target Talk, this was an essay Katy wrote for school. It was so popular with TT regulars, we decided to feature it in our Shooter’s Omnibus.
Feinwerkbau P70 – Aluminum stock; forty-three inches long, 10.6 pounds, accented in crimson red; this gun is the most accurate rifle one could ever shoot. Who knew it could mean so much to me? It’s a conglomeration of metal and wood, built to adjust to fit any type of body geometry. Its design is a work of art. Why is it my most prized possession? No, it is not the crimson accenting, though red is my favorite color. It is not the pride of having “Feinwerkbau” broadcasted down the side of the barrel. I don’t even think that it’s the excitement of winning a match (though I can’t say I mind that at all) that makes me love this gun and sport – but how it has changed my life.
Firing a perfect shot is an intoxicating experience. That’s how many are bitten by the “Bulls-eye Bug.” The room is quiet and lit with a dimmed yellowed light to avoid fatiguing the eyes. Slight smells of lead and sweat intermingle and hang lightly in the air like a slight mist. Shots from other competitors can be heard but are easily tuned out with hearing protection. After taking a deep breath, the rifle is mounted and lowered till the front site lined up perfectly with the target sized at an inch and a quarter in diameter and placed thirty-three feet away. There is a little sway. The beats of my heart cause my body to quake. The circular sight seems to dance around the target like a child running in circles, just starting to get dizzy. Then suddenly as if by magnetic attraction the site lines up perfectly over the black dot. The perfect shot is fired.
When I fire a perfect shot a chill of elation runs through me – everything in life seems all right. It’s amazing how my day can be affected so much by a single .177 caliber lead pellet careening out of the barrel of my rifle at six hundred and sixty feet per second, right into the center of that black dot. This cannot be accomplished without my rifle.
It is hard to comprehend that over two hundred separate pieces combined into a single object could change my life so greatly. It has affected many areas of my life that seem to be unrelated to the sport. I have developed a closer relationship to my father because of his countless hours of guiding me in my pursuit of perfection. It will hopefully be instrumental in receiving a college athletic scholarship. Most importantly, my rifle has given me the confidence to achieve anything I want in life.