The best shooter I’ve ever known
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 2:06 pm
I met Bill about 20 years ago. He passed away four years ago at the age of 94. He was a bomber pilot during WWII and I always respected him for that.
But what really amazed me was his shooting abilities. No he wasn’t the best at the range. What was really amazing is his eye sight was bad and at the end he was nearly blind. Yet he could outshoot me.
A group of retired folks like myself shot every Wednesday and then ate lunch together. That is where I really got to know him. He could not walk alone and needed eyes to point out obstacles in the path. I was his eyes whenever I could be just to talk to him.
His shooting really was amazing and was often the topic. I wanted to know how he could shoot so good not being able to see the target. His reply was you don’t need to see it but you do need to know where it is at.
Watching him shoot was like watching paint dry. He always shot offhand standing and most likely he was shooting a high end bolt action .22LR rifle. In two hours he might only take ten shots but every shot was in the ten ring. He always shot at 25 yards.
He would stand there aiming for ten minutes or more before taking a shot. He knew the range well and had been a member since the 1950’s. Yes he knew almost every tree and stone. He would analyze his relationship to those objects and depend on muscle memory to aid his limited vision.
His lessons have given me sometimes wonderful results. One day I can’t hit a five inch group and the next I’m sub-inch. The concentration that Bill has taught me has been the biggest single factor and when I’m shooting and thinking of him I shoot my best.
But what really amazed me was his shooting abilities. No he wasn’t the best at the range. What was really amazing is his eye sight was bad and at the end he was nearly blind. Yet he could outshoot me.
A group of retired folks like myself shot every Wednesday and then ate lunch together. That is where I really got to know him. He could not walk alone and needed eyes to point out obstacles in the path. I was his eyes whenever I could be just to talk to him.
His shooting really was amazing and was often the topic. I wanted to know how he could shoot so good not being able to see the target. His reply was you don’t need to see it but you do need to know where it is at.
Watching him shoot was like watching paint dry. He always shot offhand standing and most likely he was shooting a high end bolt action .22LR rifle. In two hours he might only take ten shots but every shot was in the ten ring. He always shot at 25 yards.
He would stand there aiming for ten minutes or more before taking a shot. He knew the range well and had been a member since the 1950’s. Yes he knew almost every tree and stone. He would analyze his relationship to those objects and depend on muscle memory to aid his limited vision.
His lessons have given me sometimes wonderful results. One day I can’t hit a five inch group and the next I’m sub-inch. The concentration that Bill has taught me has been the biggest single factor and when I’m shooting and thinking of him I shoot my best.