Every so often I throw out the mat in the backyard and snap in with my service rifle. I did that day before yesterday and as usual nobody that saw me If anyone even did they said nothing. Neither of my neighbors are idiots.
Before I did this I slipped a piece of plastic into my bolt carrier group that wound enable me to pull the trigger and block the hammer from hitting the firing pin.
While I was doing this it reminded me of a funny story I heard from a fellow shooter back in the 90s that happened to be a police officer. He got called as a backup when some apartment dweller was seen doing the same thing I was doing out in a quiet spot.
Apparently some bird watcher or something saw him and went into a panic and called the police. Needless to say practically everyone on patrol at the time headed that way. Donnie, my friend, arrived in second place.
The non-shooter, Larry, was on the ground and the first officer was shouting "Push the rifle away from you slowly! If you don't I will shoot you!"
Donnie heard the threat and Larry shouted back to the other officer "I can't. The rifle is attached to my arm and the sling is too tight for me to remove it. Goddammit! If you're going to shoot me then do it and get it over with. Put it in the base of my skull so I don't suffer, pull the goddam trigger and DON'T BOTCH IT!"
Just then Donnie recognized Larry, turned to the first responder and said, "I got this. Here. Hold this." and handed him the shotgun he was carrying.
"Larry, what are you doing?" Donnie asked.
"Thank God it's you," replied Larry. "I was just snapping in. We got another match coming up and I'm about two points from shooting a high expert/master score."
Donnie turned to the first responder and pointed a few things out to him. There was no ammunition in sight, there was a small paper target about 25 yards away. He told Larry to unsling and show him the bolt carrier group and pointed out the firing pin block to the first responder and explained what Larry was doing and told Larry to call in and have everyone resume patrol as two other cars showed up.
When Donnie was telling the story he laughed and said he told Larry to use his back yard to snap in on and to check in with his wife.
I forgot if Larry ever broke a 470 and made Master. His job had him transfer to Phoenix if I recall correctly. Someone said he found a league in the Phoenix area and joined it and continued shooting.
Donnie had a stroke a couple years back and still occasionally shows up at matches and fiddlefarts around here and there but I have not seen him lately.
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