2018 was nothing a little recoil therapy can’t cure

What better way to usher in the new year than to get out to the range with a couple of rifles, maybe a handgun or two, and a truckload of ammunition?

After a long year of things maybe not going quite the way you wanted them to, get out to the shooting range for a little bit of recoil therapy.

Even if last year was good to you, a trip to the range is a great way to kick off the new year. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, go get some shooting practice in.

I can always use some recoil therapy. Over the weekend, I went out to the backyard range with my .270, my .243, and my .30-30, as well as my .45 and the 12-gauge. I put about 300 rounds downrange with the rifles, then I moved closer to get some work with the handgun. When my wrists started to sting from the 1911’s recoil, I moved over to the trap thrower and ran through four boxes of shotgun shells.

In part, I was working out my frustrations from another year that didn’t go exactly the way I had hoped it would. There’s definitely something cathartic about the kick of a high-powered rifle, especially when you’re shooting targets that vaporize when you hit them. I have a friend who does pottery as a hobby, and he gives me all his mistakes. He’s a pretty good potter, so he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, but I’ve collected a good-sized box of his outcasts over the years. And let me tell you, a chunk of hardened clay has a very satisfying reaction when it’s clobbered by a .270 or .45 round.

But even after a good year, or just a good day, a trip to the range is still a great way to spend a few hours. You can practice your shooting, make sure your sights or scopes are still in alignment, and also get the benefit of that soul-soothing recoil.

Here’s to a great 2019 – a year we hopefully don’t have to shake off with a day of recoil therapy. But here’s hoping 2019 still brings you plenty of opportunities to go to the shooting range.