Practice Makes Near-Perfect

Connan lead Jessica out to a field. It was still night, but the stars blazing overhead made visibility not an issue.

Stopping in a wide grassland, about 40 meters away from a massive oak tree, he muttered "Here'll do."

jessica looked around "sure quiet out here?2 sh said watching the tree line

Connan shrugged. "I like the quiet."

Taking a pistol from a hip holster, he said "This is a Smith and Wesson magnum .38 revolver. It's got more of a recoil than I like for a beginner, but it also shows you what a gun is, no illusions. When you hold one of these, you know it's lives in your hand."

Holding it with the barrel pointing to the ground, he showed her the safety. "If you have to carry it loaded, carry it on safe. If you can't do that because it's too risky in the circumstances, carry it instead of holstering it- if it's holstered and it fires, it will hurt like hell. I carry mine loaded, so I have to take the safety off to fire; it's a metal catch that stops the cylinder from rotating. If it can't rotate, it can't pull the hammer, and it can't fire."

Jessica stood watching his every move as a school girl would watching her teacher

Showing her how to load it, he said "Knowing this stuff matters; you might be a crack shot, but if you can't reload, what good are you in a fight?"

After a time, he handed it to her, keeping the barrel facing down and away from them.

"Alright. You may as well start two handed, because the recoil on this is a bitch. Also, you're three times more likely to hit a target firing two handed. Sometimes you just don't have the luxury of two free hands to do so."

Sizing up the target - the old oak tree - he said "Feet shoulder width apart, dominant hand on the trigger, but don't squeeze your thumb on the bill - grip with your third and fourth fingers. Rest the other hand under the butt of the gun and supporting the knuckles on your trigger hand - all the shock will go into your wrist, so have your fifth and fourth fingers on the second hand bracing your firing wrist. Feet shoulder width apart, eyes on the furthest sight on the gun, breathe in slowly and squeeze - squeeze and not pull - the trigger. Your aim is to hit the tree."

Jessica held the gun in her hands just as he had said taking a deep breath she aimed , placing her finger on the trigger she squeezed, hearing a loud bang she found her self landing on her butt on the ground missing the tree complacently.

Connan helped her up.

"See what I mean? No messing around with guns. That shot tells us some things though. One, you don't have the musculature to support a shot that way, so instead of shoulder width apart, stand one an angle, one leg forward, one leg back, to brace."

Checking the gun, he said, "How's your hand?"

Jessica looked down at her hand and saw a red line " wha ?" she said "how did that happen?"

"Most likely the movement. A recoil is like a snap; your wrist turning out of alignment at that snap is called 'breaking' it; not because bones break, but because it loses it's solidity. If you want to shoot straight, you need to keep that wrist locked."

Connan took a second revolver from the opposite holster and mimicked her previous stance. Waiting until he knew she was watching him closely, he cupped the gun, focused on the sight, and fired a shot.

The shot broke the stillness of the air as the force rippled through the muscle in his forearm; but his wrist stayed aligned - locked - and the bullet hit wood with a dull thud of steel on wood.

"So you want your wrist, if it has to move, to move up and down, not left to right. The less it moves, the better."

Jessica took the gun again this time changed her stance standing more side on and tensing her wrist this time when she pulled the rigger she stood her ground listening to the bullet thud as it hit the old oak tree in the distance.

"Very nice. Now it's a matter of adjusting to what feels right; as well as that, the grip on that gun is probably too big for your hands, which won't help your shooting, but it'll do for an intro. Take another shot; I'm going to go and look at where you hit."

Jessica watched him "but i might hit you?" she shouted to him now nervous at him leaving

"Don't fire 'til I wave, alright? You can fire before I get there- I'll be walking a long way afield of your scope of fire."

Jessica nodded and waited her hand on the trigger but the gun pointed down to the ground.

Connan got to the tree, and checked the shot - it was about half a meter left of straight, but with no defined target, still a good shot. Nodding, satisfied, he took the knife out of his boot and sheared off a square of bark, the wound in the tree shining white on dark brown, new flesh on old.

It also made a perfect target, about the size of an A4 page, it was bigger than most targets, but good for a beginner, and visible from that distance.

Taking several steps aside, he motioned to the square, knowing she'd see it as a target, then waved, telling her to fire.

Jessica saw the white square and nodded to him she had seen it , taking her stance again she aimed this time as she pulled the trigger she exhaled keeping her wrist steady. The bullet cracked into the white square.

Connan didn't have to check the shot to know it was good. The contrast of the white showed him where it had broken.

He waved again; if she could hit it again, he'd be surprised.

Jessica saw him wave again, she pulled back the hammer and took aim again this time she aimed for where the white had gone from her first shot, taking in a deep breath she squeezed the trigger and heard the crack as she built hit the wood.

Connan raised his eyebrows, and waved again.

Jessica sighed "I must have missed " taking aim again she repeated what she had done before and again heard the crack of the bullet as it hit the same mark " now i know that hit" she said marching over to him " i guess two out of threes not bad" she said

Knowing she'd have to reload, he walked back over. Quietly, he said "Three shots within ten centimeters of each other on your first ever clip. You have incredible muscle control, it seems."

Jessica raised her eyebrows "Never been told that before " she said with a smirk as she handed him the gun.

Instead of taking the gun, he handed her a box; bullets.

"Go for it; see how long 'til you miss. Your muscles will tire, and that's when shooting becomes hard. In a fight, you might get to the point where you're exhausted, so having the muscle capacity to do this without thinking is useful."

she took the bullets and reloaded the gun with him watching , she moved back to her first point and began firing , after ten minuets her arms ached but she kept on firing suddenly she let them drop, dropping the gun "I can't fire any more " she said sitting down on the grass.

"It's fine. Strength builds, over time."

Sitting next to her, he picked up the gun, unloaded it, and flicked it on safety.

"So," Connan spoke, voice strained even though his words were quiet. "Now you know how to kill."