Diana Cottrell is licensed to thrill
Mention shooting and you immediately provoke mixed reactions. I once went with my husband to a pheasant shoot in England. There it is as much about the camaraderie of pals on a shoot as doing down the feathered ones. Hot soup, scotch and sandwiches precede a restoring lunch before the guns are out again. He had acquired an interesting banana-and-apple-coloured shoulder from the kickback of the shotgun by teatime. And we went home with four pheasants. After the day out, I reckon there were about nine million survivors at a rough count.
Guns, as everyone knows, are a divisive issue in the US, and a powerful lobby too. The huge number of Americans who shoot not for the pot, but for fun, have created an enormous leisure industry. And now it has crossed the Atlantic and arrived here. I have been taking lessons in "international practical shooting" at a facility in Warsaw, which is described as an "elite club" with more than 500 members, judges among them (I wonder if they are just being careful, given remarkable events in court-land these days), and lots of lady shots, too.
If you're picturing target practice with bull's eyes that pop down when you hit them, well that's all tame stuff and not for the big shots in practical shooting. What you should expect is, well, the unexpected constantly popping up at you. Multiple targets, moving targets, ones which react when slugged, others which carry points-awarded penalties, plus obstacles, unexpected hazards, camouflage. Tackle all that and you'll be fit for Iraq.
By the rules of the sport, set by the headquarters association in the US, only what is described as "full power" handguns (this means 9mm or larger) are allowed. This is because most shooting takes place at close range; the longest you'll be expected to tackle, according to Kazimierz Wawrzyniak, founder of practical shooting here, is about 45 metres. I quickly realised that mastering a full power handgun is not at all like the things you see in Hollywood films because there is quite a recoil, which makes the business of hitting all those whacky targets while you are on the run exceedingly difficult. Oh yes, and it's a spectator sport too. You generally have a critical audience watching every shot (or slip) you make.
The Great Outdoors is part of the deal. Loads of fresh air to clear the cordite, exercise, training for limb and brain, and yes, that kind of camaraderie which goes with the pheasant potters in the deepest (and I remember, wettest) English countryside. Interested? Here's what you need to do. Having supplied the necessary proofs of good health and your addiction to responsible social behaviour, sign up at the local IPSC for your basic training to acquire a shooting certificate. You will be zł. 400 lighter after paying your subs to the international confederation and the local club, and then, bang, you're away.
For information on everything about practical shooting, the man on the spot is Kazimierz Wawrzyniak. Tel. 600 958 232 and e-mail kwawrzyniak@ipscp.pl. Or you can log on to the web site at www.ipsc.pl.
Guns, as everyone knows, are a divisive issue in the US, and a powerful lobby too. The huge number of Americans who shoot not for the pot, but for fun, have created an enormous leisure industry. And now it has crossed the Atlantic and arrived here. I have been taking lessons in "international practical shooting" at a facility in Warsaw, which is described as an "elite club" with more than 500 members, judges among them (I wonder if they are just being careful, given remarkable events in court-land these days), and lots of lady shots, too.
If you're picturing target practice with bull's eyes that pop down when you hit them, well that's all tame stuff and not for the big shots in practical shooting. What you should expect is, well, the unexpected constantly popping up at you. Multiple targets, moving targets, ones which react when slugged, others which carry points-awarded penalties, plus obstacles, unexpected hazards, camouflage. Tackle all that and you'll be fit for Iraq.
By the rules of the sport, set by the headquarters association in the US, only what is described as "full power" handguns (this means 9mm or larger) are allowed. This is because most shooting takes place at close range; the longest you'll be expected to tackle, according to Kazimierz Wawrzyniak, founder of practical shooting here, is about 45 metres. I quickly realised that mastering a full power handgun is not at all like the things you see in Hollywood films because there is quite a recoil, which makes the business of hitting all those whacky targets while you are on the run exceedingly difficult. Oh yes, and it's a spectator sport too. You generally have a critical audience watching every shot (or slip) you make.
The Great Outdoors is part of the deal. Loads of fresh air to clear the cordite, exercise, training for limb and brain, and yes, that kind of camaraderie which goes with the pheasant potters in the deepest (and I remember, wettest) English countryside. Interested? Here's what you need to do. Having supplied the necessary proofs of good health and your addiction to responsible social behaviour, sign up at the local IPSC for your basic training to acquire a shooting certificate. You will be zł. 400 lighter after paying your subs to the international confederation and the local club, and then, bang, you're away.
For information on everything about practical shooting, the man on the spot is Kazimierz Wawrzyniak. Tel. 600 958 232 and e-mail kwawrzyniak@ipscp.pl. Or you can log on to the web site at www.ipsc.pl.
