Now for the big boys.  MP-5.   The weapon of choice for many gamers and special ops (like SWATie guys).  It’s heavier than it looks and there was a lot more safety explanation.  I listened, I learned and then I took the gun

I braced my feet far apart, left hand on the front bit (hey, I know it probably has a name but I don’t know what it is), left elbow on the shelf for support, stock braced against my shoulder, my trigger finger off the trigger.  I thumbed the safety off.  Closed my left eye.  Put my finger on the trigger.  Held my breath.  Listened to my heart beat in my chest, thumpidy-thumpidy-thump.  Breathed out.  Squeezed the trigger.

Boom!  Jolt.  Flash.  All at once.  (with ear protectors, it sounds like a big boom, not a crack.)

Bullseye.

“Good shot!” says the attendant.

Fucking right it was.  Big ass iron sights.  Easy to line up.  Made a huge difference that I could brace myself, left elbow on the shelf.   Bang.  Boom.  Bang-bang-bang.  Shells shot over my head.  Pinged off my chest.  Landed at my feet.  I flew through the magazine like I was being attacked by a horde of zombies.  Semi-auto.

Then, I was shown how to reload, I put the new magazine in, braced myself and went full auto.

There is no other way to describe it than holy fucking shit.  I mean, wow.  WOW!!!   It was simply awesome!

I had a hard time keeping the shots on target, though.  First few, sure, but as it kicked and kicked, my aim went farther and farther off.   Easy to hit the target when I was shooting one shot or shorts bursts.  Damn hard to hit the bullseye when it’s bucking in your hand.

Still, what a rush! (That goofy picture of me just doesn’t quite do the whole experience justice.)

Then I moved on to the M-4.  Seemed lighter than the MP-5 but I’m not sure that’s true.  It may be a balance thing.  But hey, this one had a red-dot sight.   Put the little red dot on the target and whammo, you hit the target.  No balancing out front and rear sights.  Point and shoot.  Just the way I like it.

Now this was my gun.  I dunno why but it was.  I shot the hell out of the target and even got so cocky as to have it moved farther and farther back.   Plus, I was now getting use to this whole gun thing.  The smell of gunpowder, the noise (oh man, the NOISE), the jolt of the gun as it’s being fired, the shells rattling all around me, the flash… everything.

But when I went full auto on this one, I had even more trouble keeping it on target.  I did 2, 2 second bursts, which doesn’t sound like much but that gun can spit out bullets about 12-15 per second and I’m not entirely sure I didn’t shoot the ceiling at some point.

Still, when I was done, I was so amped up, you wouldn’t believe it.   A part of that was at least having some success with the bigger guns.  But a part of that was the pure, brutal fun of shooting a gun.  I admit it.  I’ll say it.  FUN!!!!

Best experience in Vegas so far.  I MUST get my license when I get home.