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Annie Oakley, Girls and Guns - Who Knew!

Ohio’s own Annie Oakley's most famous trick was being able to repeatedly split a playing card, edge-on, and put several more holes in it before it could touch the ground, all while using a .22 caliber rifle at 90 feet!  Can you imagine that?

As a female, have you ever shot a gun?  I have.  For three years, I was a rifle and pistol range instructor in the US Marine Corps.  How in the world did I ever get that assignment?  Well, by being a good shot I guess :)  

Of all the talents a female could possess, I have to be good at target shooting??  I can honestly say that it is a natural talent and one of the few I have discovered to date.  I’m sure I have more, just trying to figure out what they are.  The first time I ever “qualified” on the rifle range, I scored high enough to be classified as an expert (my highest score ever was 248 out of a possible 250 points).  I was immediately snatched up to become an instructor.  I started out on the rifle range, teaching Marines to qualify with an M-16 rifle.  I then moved over to the pistol range and taught officers to shoot 9mm pistols. 

As I continued to get better, I was asked to join the Marine Corps rifle and pistol team where I shot competitively in various competitions at military installations and in the state of Nevada.  If only I had realized how cool that really was at the time.  I look back now and wonder what could have been….if I had pursued it more.  Maybe I could have trained for the Olympics or something, or a modern day Annie Oakley of sorts.

Anyways, fast forward to present day.  For my birthday last year, I asked my husband to go to the shooting range with me.  I wanted to see if I still had it.  Besides, he was in that “other branch” of the military (the Army) and thought he could out shoot me and so it became a little friendly competition!

Let’s just say – you never lose it.  Take a look at my shot pattern!

blog target


blog shooting


blog annie oakley

Now it's your turn, go out and try something new this week or this month!  Have fun.


Annie Oakley Picture Source: Denver Public Library, Call Number: X-22137.



Comments

Katie Price said…
Wow!! Seriously amazing story!
Tam said…
Thanks Katie! Glad you stopped by!

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