Range Trips as a Form of Meditation

Jim Downey over a Guns.com has a good post on “recoil therapy.”  He’s obviously more of a handgun guy, and I’m more of a rifle guy when I need some zen time, but to each their own.  I have used pistols for recoil therapy sessions, but that’s largely because the rifle lanes of the closest outdoor range are pretty popular and tend to fill up quickly.

One thing he didn’t talk about in selection for the proper medication is what action your delivery system uses.  While I’ll be right there with you guys grabbing my semi-auto rifles when the zombies come, they’re honestly not my first choice for this kind of shooting.  It’s like the difference between driving a manual transmission and an automatic.  Sure the automatic transmission is the more convenient and probably more practical way to go, but it also is that much more of a separation between you and the machine.

There’s something about cycling my lever actions that makes me happy inside.  It might be the images of the Wild West that they conjure up.  Also, It can offer faster fire rates than a bolt, but I’m still part of every step in the process.

Then there’s my bolt actions.  Every step is deliberate.  Pull the bolt back, push forward to load the round, place finger on trigger, aim, squeeze, assess, repeat.  I can choose .22 for when I want to really concentrate on my breathing, or I can ramp it up to my Ishipore Enfield when I need some .308 to pound the stress away.

I find myself doing similar on the pistol range.  I have some great examples of modern semi-automatic pistols, but I seem to keep going to my .22 SAA clone for meditative sessions.  The action forces me to slow down, take my time, and be in the moment.

Oh, and for these exercises, I prefer tube, cylinder, or non-detachable magazines over detachable magazines.  Don’t know why, but loading a detachable magazine always seems like a chore, while loading directly into the firearm is part of the process.