Ear - to - Ear!

That would be our grins as we headed home from the range today.

The family came out with me to give this month's ePostal contest a try. Eh, not bad but I can't shoot offhand for spit.

Down at the other end of the range we heard an occasional rata-tat-tat. The SCSon wandered off to see what it was. He reported back "He has a Tommy gun in a Viola case!" Heh.. "A violin case would be more traditional" I mused.

As we packed up and headed out, the SCSon stopped by the owner and complimented him on the gun. The owner replied with words we would all like to hear: "Would you like to try it?" SCSon turned to SCQueen..."MOM CAN I???"

She said they'd drop off the gear in the car and be right back.

The owner loaded up 5 rounds into the drum magazine and wound the spring. He advised the gun has very little recoil or muzzle rise. He then brought the SCSon up to the line and braced his shoulder with one hand supported the gun with the other. "Don't drop my gun" is all he said.

And me with no camera to record the event! (Ok, Your offspring unit is on the line with a Tommy gun and about to unleash a brass rainbow. What would you pay to have a camera right now? Priceless!

He reloaded for both the SCQueen and myself. When he offered it to me, I wanted to thank him and decline but I couldn't say no. Full auto invitations are slightly less rare than tax rate reductions.

The trigger was stiffer than expected, but as he said, no noticeable recoil or muzzle rise.

Full auto is clearly nothing new to the owner... He related letting an exwife try his Sten gun at some time in the past. I gather the Sten is traditionally shot from the hip. She fired a small burst "Rat-a-tat" and gasped. Then a longer burst "Rat-a-tata-tat" *gasp*. And then the rest of the magazine by which time she was positively orgasmic.

He clearly gets more enjoyment sharing it with others than he does just burning through the .45ACP himself. It's funny how that works. We thank him for sharing his toys with us.

So, I shot a 1928 Tommy gun on full auto today! What'd you do?