Friday, 2 July 2010

Blogger Loses Gunfight

Round One: Gun 1 - Blogger 0
Can you guess what happened? It all started innocuously enough, Goofy Girl and Stonecutter (you'll meet them later) had set me up with a 'play date' with GG's friend Ean, and his pal Mike. I was to be inducted into the great american tradition of 'heading to an out of town quarry to fire guns'.

Ean: "Ever fire a muzzle loader? This one I fire prone, we're allowed two shots or two guns so I take the other one along for a follow-up shot." Hmm "I fire prone" Hmm maybe there was clue there?
Ean: "Ever fire a thirty-aught-six? Care to?"
SBW: "Does the pope shit in the woods? Is the bear a catholic?"

Notorious on my side of the pond for having a fair amount of bark, the 30-06 also has a bit of clack to it, but it didn't seem as hard a recoil as I'd been led to believe. Old school steel butt-plate was a bit alarming though!
Ean: This one seemed appropriate. 

Another treat the chaps had laid on for me was a Rifle No5 Mk1 AKA the .303 Jungle Carbine. Highly point-able and a svelte 7 lb. 1 oz. (3.2 kg) I really  liked it. It would definitely make an excellent deer stalking rifle, although some people use the .303 for larger game.
The boys had some new toys they were keen to test out
I could hear the delighted laughter even through the ear plugs and over the sound of gunfire, 
this is one Chinese import that appears very popular, offer excellent value and does what it says on the tin.
So that's what it's like to be a hollywood action hero
Rumours that I'm a fat Jason Statham will be hotly denied, as usual.
Mike thought I should expand my firearms experience 
As American as Apple Pie - the S & W 1911
.50 cal Muzzle loader off the 'pod: I'd struggled to get my eye lined up with the scope, I 'thought' I had the pad against my shoulder, the sight picture cleared and I was ready to let one go, when.....
It bit me! (OK a sheepish, fat, Jas.....) 
Claret everywhere! Smarted a bit too. Fortunately most of the bruising was to my ego. The cut was nicely placed to be beyond the sewing talents of the junior doctors that work emergency rooms. My policy is that I don't mind going to hospital if A: someone is carrying me and/or B: I'm unconscious at the time. Ean, who has the confidence inspiring air of the ships surgeon about him, produced a seriously well appointed first aid kit and patched me up. One of the good guys.

The last word goes to Mrs Ean:
"That's how we do it at our house. It's not fun unless someone-almost-gets their eye poked out."

Your Pal


Anonymous said...

By far the best case of scope eye I've seen in a long time! Nice work :-)

Le Loup said...

Putting a scope on a muzzleloader is sooooo wrong.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

Le Loup
Now you tell me!

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

Um er thanks

Leigh said...

Glad to see you are still smiling! :)

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

Well, as Goofy herself would say it beats the alternative

Brigid said...

I odn't have anything with a scope other than the AR's and the Panther Arms 308 Tactical. So I have no experience with that, but OWWW!!!!

Glad all is well, if a bit dinged up.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...


Best keep it that way LOL

Tovar said...

How many grains of powder were in that frontstuffer?!? A muzzleloader sure doesn't have to kick that hard. Or maybe it was just the prone angle, with your peeper right up behind that scope. Ouch!

NorCal Cazadora said...


I've heard it happens to everyone eventually. I'm not eagerly awaiting my turn.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

I seem to remember Ean putting at least a couple of those little 'powder pellets' into it. he did tell me that the most he'd ever used was FIVE.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...


Tovar nailed it, getting my face so I could see through the scope was difficult, I must have been WAY TO CLOSE. Slid back a bit too, I was spitting sand afterwards.


R. Gabe Davis said...

I agree with your feelings about emergency rooms.... but would add that I would also go if I am carrying a part of me in a ice filled bag. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Ken and Joanne said...

Now you know what "scoping something out" means. Hopefully the something isn't an eyeball. Good story. Good pics.

GoofyGirl said...

Well, now I know what I'll be for Halloween. I'm just going to have to get hold of a bunch of black & blue eyeshadow....and find my old recipe from college for copious amounts of (fake) blood.

er...uh...and a popped collar ;p

The Suburban Bushwacker said...


Very true, that's a reasonable exception

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

Goofy Girl

I've heard that you've got 'form' on the Halloween front.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...


High praise indeed

PS It's been a while since you told us a story

Phillip said...

Show up with a scope bite, and everyone has to point and grin.

That's because many of us have already been there, and the rest of us will. If it's any consolation, my only real scope bite also came from a muzzleloader. Eye relief, eye relief, eye relief... That Schmidt & Bender scope you put up on the slug gun post would be most appropriate for the smokepole too.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...


black eye is nearly gone now, not a good look for a plumber.

Anonymous said...

Once again The Suburban Bushwacker reaches into the underpants of macho culture and scratches at the itchy gonad of fun. And boy, is it itchy. It's the hot weather, you see, with the humidity playing it's own tune.
And next, how about the world of spearfishing? Guns and fishing orbit the world of sea and bikinis.

You heard it here first. Probably.

your faithful reader, Rudy Van Winkler

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

You should write a blog Rudy - or failing that at least a spear fishing report as a guest post

Anonymous said...

LOL, I got the same scar myself SBW! Not only that, I did it in the same prone position as you only I was in snow.


The Suburban Bushwacker said...


LOL smarts a little eh?

Good to hear from you, hope you're well

Shooter said...

how come i hear about it from your blog. You've written so many poss it takes months to read em all.

The Suburban Bushwacker said...

Well you're hardly likely to make funny squealing noises so where's the fun in showing you