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C U STO<br />
G u N TALK -<br />
By Dave Dawson, DAWSON PRECIS-10'.<br />
info@damonprecision.com<br />
Pay Attention lf The Blue's A Little<br />
Worn<br />
A new shooter walks up to a crowd;<br />
it's his second match in as many<br />
months. The crowd is talking to each<br />
other about something but the new guy<br />
could care less what the subject is. He<br />
hopes to get the crowd to notice his<br />
beautiful hi-tech blaster. Admiration<br />
should soon follow! He saunters in<br />
closer, waits a minute or so, but nobody<br />
notices. They are tallcing to this<br />
older guy, patting him on the back like<br />
his wife just had a baby. It's obvious<br />
that without coaxing this crowd isn't<br />
going to notice his beauty of a pistola.<br />
Just then the new guy notices the<br />
older guy's gun, hanging in a wellworn<br />
holster. It doesn't look like much<br />
at a glance — almost dull hard chrome<br />
or nickel — but when he looks closer<br />
he sees what had to be the ugliest gun<br />
in the world. Obviously well-used,<br />
even the rust was worn smooth, with<br />
bluing still left in parts that would be<br />
impossible for a holster or human hand<br />
to touch. The front strap was checkered,<br />
although it looked to be filled in<br />
with something.<br />
Curious, the new guy butts right<br />
into the conversation, "What did you<br />
use to fill in your checkered front<br />
strap?" Older guy replies with one<br />
word, "Skin," and continues his conversation<br />
with the rest of the crowd<br />
through muffled laughter.<br />
The new guy is now embarrassed,<br />
and still nobody has noticed his new<br />
pistol. Desperate times calls for desperate<br />
deeds so he interrupts once<br />
more. "I know where you can get your<br />
pistol reblued. They finished mine and<br />
did a great job." He then points to the<br />
masterpiece in his holster. Finally<br />
everybody is looking at his pistola, yet<br />
nobody seems impressed. Then some-<br />
one in the crowd speaks up. "Hey kid,<br />
this gun and this gentleman just won<br />
the State Championship," pointing at<br />
the older man. "And if you gave him<br />
your beautiful new pistol it would look<br />
like this in two weeks," again pointing<br />
this time to the Champ's pistol. "Practice<br />
and pretry don't mix. So kid, pay<br />
attention if the blue is a little worn."<br />
Hard-learned lessons are usually<br />
the ones remembered and that guy in<br />
the crowd was right. By the way, I wore<br />
that blue off the gun in two weeks.<br />
Now I often look past the finish to see<br />
the real treasures in life! Three I found<br />
in Texas. Although the blue's a little<br />
worn on them, their stories are classics.<br />
I won't say how old these people are,<br />
but they all qualify for the super senior<br />
category in USPSA.<br />
Marisa Hogan<br />
A wonderful lady, Marissa has no<br />
problem telling you what's on her<br />
mind and has a heart as big as Texas.<br />
She evidently wasn't getting to shoot<br />
enough, so she bought all the steel to<br />
run a steel challenge match. She now<br />
runs one every month. Just don't bring<br />
major loads — she might beat you up.<br />
Her skills are not only in shooting.<br />
She's quite an artist so she's called<br />
upon to paint cool stuff at some bigger<br />
matches in Texas. Also a worldrenowned<br />
horsewoman, she was a<br />
household name in dressage. She really<br />
does know how to make a horse<br />
dance.<br />
Bob Jung<br />
Here's a quiet man who has a story<br />
to tell. Involved in the invasion of<br />
Normandy Beach, Bob has lived quite<br />
a life. He's a real cowboy. He rode<br />
horses because he had to. That's how<br />
it was done, in the saddle from sun up<br />
to sun down. He brings his ‘‘ork ethics<br />
to the local club in Waco, Texas. He's<br />
there daily, fixing everything from<br />
props to the tractor, and when the<br />
work's done, Bob shoots. Practice<br />
makes perfect and he is no slouch. The<br />
man can hang with the best. There's a<br />
rivalry that somehow got started between<br />
Bob and Marisa. Okay, maybe I<br />
was involved. I know it didn't take<br />
much to get it started. Marisa's pretty<br />
competitive as you all know.<br />
The Colonel<br />
Last, but not least is the Colonel -<br />
Colonel Bill Blankenship (Ret). He<br />
wrote the book on field artillery for the<br />
United States Army - literally. He's<br />
knowledgeable about everything from<br />
handguns to cannons, and can tell you<br />
how far your bullet drops in 50 yards<br />
without firing a shot, or how much velocity<br />
it lost from the muzzle in the 10<br />
feet it took to get to the chronograph.<br />
I will tell you he sees things in black<br />
and white. Right is right, and wrong is<br />
wrong. The thing that bugs me is he's<br />
usually right. I've been in Texas for<br />
nine or 10 years, and I haven't been to<br />
many matches where he wasn't scoring<br />
or doing something to help. He also<br />
loves to shoot! If you happen to R.O.<br />
him you'll notice scoring is pretty easy.<br />
If the hits aren't touching they're<br />
pretty close together. Look, I am not<br />
saying he is cheap, but I think he does<br />
it to save on pasters. The man is accurate.<br />
These are people that I have had<br />
the pieasure of shooting, picking on,<br />
and enjoying over the past decade.<br />
Every one has a life story that interests<br />
me. They also motivate me with their<br />
"never quit" attitude. I hope you too<br />
can find the true treasures in life. Remember,<br />
pay attention if the "blue's a<br />
little worn."<br />
<strong>Jul</strong>y/<strong>Aug</strong>ust 2002 • FRONT SIGHT 51
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