Whisch is a pretty disgusting title for a post but whatever.
I spent last evening at what is called a 'night shoot' meaning much of the activity took place after dark.
After dark? You ask. Yes. After dark. It was a technology thing. The shooters had night vision devices and they are simply amazing. Maybe more on that later.
Anyway there was a Barrett there chambered in .50 BMG which is a real cannon. For those that are not shooters, .50 BMG means .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun which is what Ma Duece is chambered in. Ma Duece was used in B-17s and all sorts of other aircraft. It's also used by the infantry today and is mounted of various vehicles.
It is extremely LOUD and if you are in the immediate area you can feel the concussion. It's noy your daddy's deer rifle. They're generally used for very long range shooting matches. They're also expensive as hell to shoot, in the $4/round area.
It's considered good juju to warn people around you before you crank one off so thay cam make sure their ear protection is fitted a little more snugly than usual and often get some distance from the shooter.
Generally the guys are pretty good about that but at a shoot like this one has to be prepared. Occasionally a .50 shooter gets wrapped up in what he's doing and lets fly with no warning. It's not too bad if you're maybe 20 or more feet away but it's kind of a shock when you're really close.
Now as an older guy I tend to try and outthink people a bit as somewhat of a form of self-protection. I approached the owner of the Barrett.
"Hey, listen to me for a second," I said. "I'm an old man and I feel a wicked dump coming on that I'd like to hold until I get home. Would you give me the courtesy of warning me before you let fly with that thing? You don't wanna see an old man $hit himself, do you?"
He laughed and promised to give me fair warning and he did.
He laughed and promised to warn me before he fired and he did, too.
Sometimes you gotta think a little outside the box to make sure things get done. I know he probably would have warned people but I just took out a little insurance.
That would be a good place to be if constipated. sr
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