Have you watched the movie "
Bucketlist"? Inspired by that movie, I have one of my own too. But, mine has a twist: Someone else has to initiate it so I'd appreciate it more and I don't get tempted to cross them all out so easily. It has long been on my bucket list to try gun shooting. Finally, the day has come when little sister and I went to
Stronghand Shooting Range to go for it.
Coming from faraway (Manila area), we were not familiar with the place so we passed by it without realizing and had to make a U-turn. Other than the signage, you can't view its store front because it is found in the basement.
After going through the squeaky clean staircase, you will instantly see the shooting range, the reception and their cafe.
We were asked to register. Range Fee and Firearm Rental for guest is 500 php and 500 php.
There's a guideline of the rules and a waiver at the back.
They also offered courses (1,000 php) which was convenient for newbies like us.
We had the instant or quick
The Proper & Practical Pistol Course which lasted about an hour by a certified NROI Range Officer and PPSA Member Benjamin Aura.
They have function rooms for groups so this is were we had our lessons.
We were provided a locker room which is free and inclusive of their rates so we could leave our stuff there before going in the shooting range.
We were assigned our own shooting kit which includes
HS XP Point and Shoot Semi-Automatic 9mm Pistol (exclusively distributed by
Stronghand Shooting Range), Ear Muffs, Eye Glasses and Toxic-free ammunition (30 php each). You can bring your own gun but only their special toxic-free ammunition can be used in their shooting range.
The shooting range is clean and has a special mechanism for ventilation. That's another key to their toxic-free range feature. There's a lot of slots too. There's a color coded red mat so you know where you can stand, unload and clear your gun.
The table there is anti-slip so everything you put there especially your gun and ammunition will not accidentally fall-off.
We were also assigned our personal range officer who assisted us, made sure safety is in check and recorded our shots. We had our 10 bullets at 5meters and then the other then at 10 meters.
So this is our score sheet. I got a total of 76 points (A section = 5 points x 11, C section = 3 points x 6 and D section = 1 point x 3). I may not be a sharp shooter for this first time. But, I didn't miss either. Making 1 miss will cost you 10 points. So if you have 5 misses that's an instant -50 points and it will be difficult for you to get reach the perfect score of 100 for a round of 20 ammunitions like ours.
We saw
Robin Padilla's target board plastered on their memo board. A little more practice and I bet we can all be as good as him right?
This experience taught me a lot. I learned how to hold a gun, take a stance and shoot. Seeing how guns are handled in the movies made it look so easy. The
HS XP Point and Shoot Semi-Automatic 9mm Pistol we used was one of the lightest guns because it was half plastic. But, we both found ourselves quite exhausted after our round. We both didn't give up though. Even my little sister who is young, thin and frail did her best. We were so glad we decided to take this challenge. We feel so proud that we've accomplished this and now that we know how to handle a gun, we can use it to defend ourselves if necessary. I'm sure fear and shock of it's weight and look will not be our impression upon holding one again but more of familiarity.
Fellow lady shooters, you can try visiting them on Wednesday to avail of the 50% off Guest Range Fee (so the 500 php will be 250 php)
Check out more information about
Stronghand Shooting Range by visiting their
website.
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