Shooting pistols and M1 Carbine from seated position: Lesson 1

Best range buddy and I went to Sandhills Rod & Gun Club on the banks of the Pee Dee River on Friday, Jan. 18 for my first range trip since release from the hospital on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

Range is on the upper end of Blewett Falls Lake in an area known as Grassy Island here in Richmond County. No towns nearby, but closest one is Ellerbe, NC.

It was time for my first outing to learn how to shoot from a seated position my new Sig P239 SAS Gen. 2 .357 Sig subcompact, my new NAA Black Widow .22 Magnum single-action 5-shot derringer and my Auto-Ordnance M1 semi-auto carbine.

First up is sight-in of P239 from seated rest, attempting to remove human error from slow-fire shooting, usual average social-encounter distance of 7 yards. I was shaking like a dog passing peach pits, so the targets weren't pretty. More like patterns than groups. But all were on paper of the 8" targets, so good enough.

This is me seated in my new Cadillac wheel chair, letting the P239 rise way too much in recoil, but gotta start somewhere in adjusting to new circumstances. I wasn't using my usual two-hand grip in order to get as much of the front end of the 239 on the improvised rest. Next time I'll have my genuine pistol rest with me.

Next up is NAA Black Widow. Same deal, bad shakes, but all shots on paper.

Finally, after sighting in my Carbine with new adjustable rear sight installed by best shooting buddy, time to try it out with stock folded in rapid fire. All shots into the berm at 25 yards. Good enough. Day done after some 4 hours.

Good Lord it felt good to get out in the sun, mid-50s, another beautiful day on the top side of God's good green earth!

After 4 hours, I felt like Nixon in '68 as he launched his return to politics: "Tanned, rested and ready!"

Many more range trips lie ahead as I learn to refine the new skill of firing handguns and long guns from the seated position.