Vegas 2012 - Part 4: GUNS & AMMO!!!

The last time Stacey and I were in Vegas our friend Jessica pointed out a place with a sign that said, "SHOOT A MACHINE GUN." We kinda dismissed it with a giggle. Honestly, I am not sure that any of us, being New Yorkers, I think none of us were really in the mindset due to environmental conditioning, but it seemed to have stayed in our minds ever since. Since then we've all tried out various guns, so now we were ready for the, ahem, BIG GUNS!

When it comes to shooting guns in Las Vegas, there are many options. There are ads all over the place. I did a bunch of research and found that THE VEGAS MACHINE GUN EXPERIENCE at DISCOUNT FIREARMS & AMMO had the best deals in the area. They have several package deals, and you can add extra guns for a reasonable fee. Since it was Mrs. Bax0jayz, Jessica, and myself, i wanted to try some hardware that's girl-friendly, while still being fun enough for me to shoot. We got the Double Deuce package, which has nothing to to with going to the bathroom, comprised of a .22 rifle and pistol. For the price, this was very exciting because in NYS you are not allowed to fire a pistol unless it's registered to your name. I also chose the M3A1 Grease Gun and the STEYR AUG.

The instructor, who was a wealth of knowledge and an all around good guy, started us off with the M3A1 Grease Gun. The Grease Gun, a submachine gun first put into service during WW2 was a cheap and fast to make alternative to the Thompson. The magazine holds 25 .45 acp rounds and is startlingly accurate. I have never fired anything bigger than a .22 before that day. The instructor showed me how to hold the thing, said, "Look through the sites, and hit the bulls-eye." I cocked and eyebrow, this man has a lot of faith in my ability. Okay. Lined it up, pulled the trigger and punctured red on the first bullet to fly. Outstanding! I ripped into it with glee. Even on full auto this thing is deadly accurate. Let five shots go, five shots will have deadly consequences on the target. Also, this gun has little to no recoil. I chose it especially for my ladies so that they wouldn't get knocked back. Jessica took turns with the M3A1 as well and had a ball with it. Stacey declined.

Next up was the AUG. The Steyr AUG is an Austrian bullpup design carbine. It's designed with the magazine in the back so that it shortens the overall design of the rifle so that it would be easier to manage in closed quarters / urban warfare scenarios. Along with this gun's unusual design comes an interesting peculiarity, it can only be fired as a "righty" because of how it ejects spent casings. The one on the range was a .223 or 5.56x45 NATO and was equipped with a red dot site. I think the site was a little bit off because anytime you took a shot it would hit about 2 - 3 inches below the spot you want to hit. The bark was worse than it's bite. Not a lot of kick, but the sound of the shot was a little rattling. I squeezed off a bunch and handed it over to Jessica who fired it like a boss. Again, Stacey passed.

Finally the instructor started up the double deuce package. Jessica and Stacey took turns with the rifle. The guy wouldn't even let me TOUCH that one. The girls had a good time and did a great job. I don't know the make or model on that one, but it was an impressive looking rifle with a red dot site that Stacey said was a lot of fun to shoot. Then the instructor pulled out the .22 pistol. Like I said in the beginning, in NYS you can't fire a pistol unless it's registered to you, so I have never really held a pistol, and neither has Stacey. Jessica had experience with several pistols so she took to this easily. I knew the basics of how to hold a pistol and hit red on my first shot. Sweet! Stacey was terrified to try this, but was a trooper and assumed the position and squeezed off her shots. Since this used the iron sites she had a harder time, but was still hitting the target. She had a good time with it. Then the instructor did something we didn't expect. He pulled his 9mm from his holster and allowed us each to squeeze off a couple shots. Stacey and I saw a girl learning to shoot a nine the last time we went shooting and the sound was massive, and the girl couldn't hit the target at three yards. We were expecting this to be a challenge, but after firing the .22, we were very prepared. We all did very well and had a ton of fun. 

If you're headed to Vegas and want to put some lead through a target, I HIGHLY  recommend this place!

http://www.discountfirearmsinc.com/