A few years ago, the company I worked for brought in a training consultant who taught us about goal setting, or as I imagined him saying it, GoalSetting. One thing he presented that stood out to me was a study that looked at the goal setting habits of a group of people. He claimed that only 3% of people actually write down their goals, but those who do have a higher net worth than then other 97% combined. I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve made it a habit to write down my goals in most areas, like home projects.

JP at the Eyes Never Closed blog and the Empty Mags Podcast recently waxed about his gun wish list, and it got me to thinking about my list. Like most shooters, I’ve had this vague list in my head of guns I would like to own, but it occurred to me that my list wasn’t written down. So, with this post, I plan to remedy that oversight.

My list is a little less eclectic than JP’s, but he told me that he has another list that is “more attainable and not as crazy.” Well, call me boring, but, with thanks and a hat tip to JP, and in the hope that I can indeed increase my odds of actually owning these guns, here is my list, in the rough order of desire.

1. AR-15

My plan is to build my own, starting with a stripped lower. I recently stripped and rebuilt a friend’s AR so that part isn’t a concern any more.

I suspect, however, that this choice will also move me into the world of ammunition reloading. That’s not a bad thing, though.

2. M-1 Garand

I live about 2 hours from the Anniston CMP Armory, so I could drive over and select my own M-1 from their inventory. As a GSSF member, I qualify.

3. AK-47

Image courtesy of WarriorTalk News

I go back and for on whether this is number 3 or number 1. Since I already own an SKS, an AK would be an easy addition from an ammo standpoint. I would have to see what was available at the time to decide whether I want an original Kalashnikov or a modern Saiga.

4. Glock 35

Courtesy of 3gun.se

Here the idea is to build an Open gun for USPSA. This presumes I have already moved into the ammo reloading business, since this is a new caliber for me. It also means about double the cost for add-ons.

5. M-1 Carbine

I shot one at the Blogger Shoot in May, and it was a lot of fun. Again, I could get one from Anniston easily.

6. A pair of Ruger Vaqueros

These and the two below are for my desired entry into SASS, Cowboy Action Shooting. That opens a whole other can of worms that I will be happy to fish with. It also means I definitely have to get into reloading, unless I hit the PowerBall.

I would probably get them, and the Winchester clone, in .357 Magnum.

7. Lever Action Winchester Clone

This goes with the Vaqueros for SASS, although I could also hunt with it if I had to. (Keep telling myself that . . . )

8. Coach Gun

I’ve looked at the Norinco imports and they seem quite servicable, and they’re cheap. This one has use in a home defense mode, beyond that of SASS.

Yes, there are probably more. Some are a less attainable and a little crazy. I’ll talk about those at a later date.

I was putting away my Glock last evening, after my wife and son and I got home from a quick trip out to pick up a few things, and the routine of it struck me. Carrying a gun has become an every day thing for me now. I don’t leave the house without one, and unless I am prohibited by law or some other circumstance, like I’m going to the beach, I am carrying it concealed. But I must confess, it hasn’t always been that way.

I bought my first gun in 1992, but I didn’t start carrying it. After a while I bought a fanny pack, and I would put the fanny pack bedside the seat in the car with me, just about everywhere I drove.

We lived in small towns, and I guess I never felt like I needed to carry it. I had a concealed carry permit everywhere we lived, but unless we visited a big city or a high crime area, I didn’t feel like I needed to carry. I guess I was either clairvoyant or ignorant or both.

So, when we moved back to the Atlanta area 10 years ago, one of the first things I did was get a carry permit. I carried it a little more than I did before, probably because I felt like the areas were less safe, Again, I took the gun with me in the car most places, but I didn’t carry it very much.

Looking back, I also realize I never felt 100% comfortable carrying a loaded gun. Now, I know there are some who don’t carry with a round in the chamber, and those who don’t trust the Glock without an external safety. I am not one of those groups. But I was always aware, and it made me a little uncomfortable.

Then came September 11, 2001, and my perception of personal safety changed. And so did my behavior.

Less than a week afterward I bought my first concealed carry holster, a leather belt holster for my Glock 17. And I started carrying it.

I bought a Glock 26, and a IWB holster, so I could carry in the warmer weather. Later, as things allowed, I added more Glocks and more holsters, widening my options.

Along the way, I got more and more comfortable carrying. Now it is a way of life for me. I want to say I don’t give it a second thought, but that wouldn’t be true. Because my sense of awareness changed on September 11, too, I am rarely unaware of the gun on my hip. But I don’t have a knot in my chest either. I am relaxed.

I carry a gun whenever I can carry, not whenever I think I might need it, because I don’t know when I’ll need it. I dress to allow carry, not the other way around. And when I can’t carry a gun on me for legal reasons, I have one as close as I can have it.

What caused this attitude change? Probably the change I went through, along with the rest of the country, following September 11. Before, I thought I had some sense of when and where I was safe. I know now that that was self delusion. I was just lucky. Now I’m a little more prepared.

The sign is misleading. Yes, we were shooting on a part of the range that had targets at 25 yards, but we weren’t shooting at them, we were shooting at the berm, 100 yards away.

I had the chance to spend the day at the range with my son and my brother-in-law last week. When we arrived at the range, there were a half dozen or so other groups there shooting, and we had to wait for a lull in the action – a cold range – so we could go put our targets out to shoot. Normally, we use zombie targets and bullseye targets at 25 yards or closer.

But since we got impatient, I took out my reborn Ruger 10/22 and started shooting at targets on the berm, 100 yards away. Using some pieces of paper, I was able to dial in the scope within a few shots, and soon we were making those pieces of paper dance.

Soon, we broke out the AR-15, and found out that it was already sighted for 100 yards, and we made the paper dance with 5.56×45. My son’s grin as he made shot after shot at 100 yards was a big as his face.

Then, out came the Browning Buck Mark with the Tasco red dot sight. Within a few shots, I was able to adjust the sight on it to hit the paper at 100 yards. My brother-in-law Mike, the new shooter, thought this was very cool. He was right.

I was able even to get good long range shots with my Glocks, once I tried it, and held over the right amount.

After a while, the range went silent, and we put out the zombies and bullseyes at the 25 yard target holders. Then, on a whim, we put out a few clay pigeons out on the berm.

Then we started shooting the zombies, but, after a few minutes, we went back to shooting the long shots. On the 10/22 I dialed the scope out to 6x, and I was able to break clay pretty consistently. Even the AR-15 and SKS made good hits. We chased pieces of paper all over the berm.

For most of my shooting “career,” the long distance shot has been a mystery. Frankly, sometimes even a 25 yard shot is a mystery. I know why – bad shooting fundamentals. Near perfect sight alignment and trigger control are essential. And I know why I haven’t been able to improve these – I don’t practice them enough.

So, a day of fun – discovering that I, and a first time new shooter for that matter, can make 100 yard shots with a .22LR pistol – had led me to a commitment to practice the long shot more. One range near me has a 300 yard rifle range with steel targets. I see a lot of ringing steel in my future.

Lord knows, my USPSA and GSSF scores will improve, without the Mikes on the 25 yard targets. Plus, I suspect my shooting will be even more fun, because I know that when I improve on the long shots, those shorter shots will be a lot more fun, too.

I had originally written this post as a straightforward review of an old pistol that my brother-in-law Mike inherited from his father. But, like a lot of things in life, it is turning out to be something more.

Mike came over the other day, and he and I and my son went to the shooting range for Mike’s very first shooting session. To say he enjoyed himself would be an understatement.

When he arrived, though, he handed me an old paper bag, and said “Here’s something I’d like you to take a look at.”

In the bag, in a worn leather holster, adorned in a few places with my late father-in-law’s name, was a Beretta Model 1935 pistol, chambered in 7.65mm, or .32ACP. My curiosity was piqued. After a quick visit to Youtube, I took it to the work bench and took it down, and except for some rust on the spare magazine, it isn’t in bad shape at all.

My late father-in-law was in the US Air Force during the Korean War, but spent his time in Europe. This wasn’t unusual, given that the prevailing suspicion at the time was that the Korean assault was merely a feint by the USSR and China, in prelude to an attack on Europe.

While there, he acquired the Beretta pistol from a European officer, by means of which neither my brother-in-law nor my wife are aware.

Being the Family Gun Guy, Mike brought it to me for a couple of reasons. First, he wanted to see what kind of shape it was in – could he still shoot it, and if so, would it make a good defense gun?

My inspection showed that the gun is in good shape. Some of the bluing is worn in the pbvious places, like where the barrel cycles and where the hammer falls. But none of the surfaces show undue wear, and there is no corrosion or rust on the barrel, chamber, or rails. A few shots of Gun Scrub and a nylon brush cleaned the workings, and a light oiling and wipe down made it look very nice indeed. If I had the time, I think I would look at replacing the springs, just to be sure, but I think the gun is safe to shoot.

Second, he was worried. Since my father-in-law had brought it back from Europe, Mike was concerned that the gun wasn’t licensed. There, I was able to allay his fears.

Fortunately for us, Georgia does not require registration or licensing of guns. And, after questioning him, it was clear to me that Mike had nothing in his past or his record that would prevent him from owning the gun. All was cool.

As an aside, I am continually frustrated by people I meet who are convinced that all guns are registered, or should be registered. Moreover, when I tell them that very few states require registration, or licensing of shooters, they don’t believe me. This is why I encourage everyone who shoots to join the NRA, SAF, and other gun rights organizations.

So, back to our story, we packed up, and headed to the range. On the way, we stopped by our local favorite gun store to buy some ammo.

Yikes. It turns out that .32ACP was selling for $40 a box. (I’ve since found it on line for half that.) Mike decided to hold off on shooting it. Instead, he shot everything else I brought to the range, and fell in love with my .22LR Browning Buck Mark.

The next day, Mike came by the house, and he was still talking about our range trip. He asked me to look into selling the Beretta and getting him a Buck Mark or other .22LR pistol. He’s obviously smitten, and I have gained another range buddy. I can’t blame him. $20 for 500 rounds of .22LR beats $20 for 50 any day.

So now begins my quest to trade or sell this quaint Italian masterpiece. Give a holler if you have some leads.