Alanz Eyes

Hunting for guns

July 2nd, 2000 - Posted by Alan Howard

Wellington is certainly wild and woolly today… there's gale force winds here in excess of 120 kmh!! It's been raining buckets as well. I've got one of those lovely storm-views outside of my window. The harbour is full of white-capped waves, and the storm clouds are racing by at a great speed… wish I had a video camera.I went hunting for a gun today with a friend who's introduced me to indoor rifle shooting (it's like indoor cricket, but more exciting). We went to a gun shop owned by a friend of his who regularly lets him borrow rifles. We picked out a rifle for me to use tonight. It's only a .22, 'cause you can't shoot a heavier calibre indoors (but I'd LIKE to make that target disappear in one shot!), but it has a scope and everything… Last time I went shooting I was using a semi-automatic. The rifle I borrowed today is a bolt action. Apparently the trigger is a lot lighter and makes it more accurate 'cause the pull is lighter… so I'm seeing how I go.

Weapons are cheap here… I feel almost like I'm in America or something. .22 calibre rifles are between $300 and $1000, with the majority of them being around $400. I saw this awesome looking camouflaged shotgun for $999, with a sticker on the bottom saying "Only one lady owner" hehehe. New Zealanders are strange…

It's funny, but after getting into this new country, I'm meeting new people, seeing new sights, and getting new hobbies. Is that how it's supposed to be? I've never lived outside of Australia before, so this is my only experience with it.

I think the weirdest thing about this new shooting hobby is that Michelle seems more into it than I am!! She's talking about buying a rifle for xmas, as well as a Playstation. There's a line from Saving Private Ryan which occasionally describes my life and seems appropriate right now… "Things have taken a turn for the surreal" (or something like that).

Entry Filed under: Pre-2006