Outside My Windows V - R9 Friends Unite

[DTM_39]

How did they get it up there?

[Richard S]

How did they get it up there?

Very carefully, I would imagine -- unless, of course, the photograph is fake.    

[Brenden]

I've stumbled onto this great one-bedroom, high-rise condominium on the island of Oahu.  Admittedly, it lacks a few amenities, such as indoor plumbing, and occupancy is not recommended during tropical storms.  However, the view of the ocean is said to be teriffic!    

Richard,
That is a pic of my secretly located Deer blind!!
I would appreciate it if you do not share anymore..

That is a great pic for sure..

Brenden

[R9SCarry]

Posted this on another board having found the pic - not sure if I posted it here before or not - anyways, just an old man's nostalgia!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rifle shooting with Parker Hale tweaked target Enfield MkIV.  Nice adjustable aperture rear sight, blade front.

Found I had a pic - see below - which is a score sheet from a score book (one of three) I still have, going back to when I shot in UK at Bisley ranges.  I was still at school (last year) but in what was the equivalent of ROTC - and this was a competition shoot April of 1963 when I was 18.

This was part of my intro to shooting really and most enjoyable.  We shot 200 and 500 and this was the record of hits at 500.  I recall with a smile, the spotting was done by the CO ( his writing was distinctive) - who we called ''Major Jump" - because he liked to catch folks out at odd times and say -''Ahhh - made you jump'' LOL!

Anyways - this was my average score - we did two sighters and seven to count - using issue Radway and Green std ball .303 ammo.  I never got a ''possible'' ever - but did manage fairly consistent 32's and 33's (ex 35) and so did my bit!

I am surprised I have any hearing left - as back then ear protection was (if lucky) a twisted piece of cleaning patch in each ear!!!




.

[Richard S]

Chris:

Wow!    

If the U. S. Army or Marine Corps recruiters had gotten their hands on you then (1963), you would have been assigned immediately to "Sniper" training and shipped directly off to Viet Nam.  

[R9SCarry]

Never struck me as all that remarkeable Richard really - tho I guess because our team members (Shooting eight)  all shot well it was all relative, one to another!  We did win quite a few awards between 60 and 63.

I must say, the MkIV was really a very fine long range rifle and capable of very close grouping.  That 500 target was IIRC about 4 x 6 feet in size, so pretty big.  Forget bull dimensions - guessing about 10" - but at that range it still all looked like the usual postage stamp

[MountainMan]

Chris,

Speaking of hearing protection we never even thought about it when I was young and shooting .22s.  Luckily it was mainly rifles - if it were pistols I would be in really bad shape.  When our ears rang we knew it would stop in time -never realizing that any ringing is a result of damage.  Now they never stop ringing - something I live with - somedays worse than others. Now I even use hearing protection cutting grass.  When I shot I use both plugs and muffs.

Then say with all the iPods type devices we a breeding many future hearing aid users.

I think what hurt my ears most where the many hours on the tractor without protection for over twenty years.

Now what got me on to this ........

[Richard S]

Chris,

When our ears rang we knew it would stop in time -never realizing that any ringing is a result of damage.  Now they never stop ringing - something I live with - somedays worse than others. Now I even use hearing protection cutting grass.  When I shot I use both plugs and muffs.  

If misery welcomes company, I also have constant tinnitus.  My physician attributes it to many of the same reasons you describe for yours together with ear infections I regularly got each summer as a teenaged lifeguard and some ear damage I later incurred while SCUBA diving.  Like you, I now wear ear plugs and muffs when shooting in an effort to prolong the inevitable move to hearing aids.

This thing called the aging process has its drawbacks, but it still beats the alternative.  

[BigD]

Many men my age (54) seem to have this, including me. My Doc says it's pretty much unavoidable. It's not alot of fun, but fairly easy to adjust to.  

As a hint to any young guys out there... when in doubt - wear hearing protection, even when just doing simple things "like mowing the lawn".    

[Michigunner]

I also have a bad case of ear ringing, almost certainly from gun fire when I was young.

It's no fun.

I recommend everyone consider wearing  both foam ear plugs and ear muffs.

Bill

[R9SCarry]

Reading you guy's telling about your tinnitus etc makes me realize just how darned lucky I must be at 61!!!!

When shooting the MkIV it was less the noise from actually being the shooter - as when it was my turn to spot for another guy - and then the blast on my right ear was pretty savage!

Funny too tho - it is my left ear that has some loss - not too severe but enough that I do not interpret speech easily - it comes over not so much muted as unclear.

Guess I am just plumb lucky - and of course shoot with hearing protection and have done for last 25 years.

[BigD]

Congrats! You are very lucky!  

[Rocnerd]

Tinnitus sufferers unite!  Yeah, count me in.  I think mine is more a result of fireworks with too short fuses, or maybe I just held on too long.  I'm sure the mowing the lawn at age 16 with the walkman turned up full volume didn't help either.  Oh yeah, and the constant ear infections as a kid that led to 40% hearing loss before I had the tubes implanted.  
I have learned to tune it out, but there were times when that was impossible.  I was in Montana in the middle of nowhere a couple years back and it was quiet.  There was no noise from cars or planes or people.  It was beatiful, except for the ringing in my ears that made me happy for the breeze which muffled it some.  I was never more aware of the ringing than that day.  I now wear earplugs while doing anything with loud noises.  I'll do whatever I can to try and keep it from getting worse.

[Richard S]

Tinnitus sufferers unite!  Yeah, count me in.  

Hear, hear!  (Pun intended.   )

There's even an association for us tinnitus victims -- for what little help or comfort that may be.

http://www.ata.org/about_tinnitus/

[Michigunner]

Richard,

Thank you for that excellent link regarding ear ringing.

Bill