Local Adventure #3: Suffolk County Shooting Range

Another weekend of pleasant weather means another outing for the People Scouts of America, one in which I try desperately to earn my gun-totin' merit badge and gun safety diploma. Will I, or won't I? Read on to find out in about five seconds.

It was a trick question, because neither of those things exist.

The Suffolk County Shooting Range (possibly aka Suffolk County Skeet, Trap, and Sporting Clays) is about 2 hours from our native Brooklyn by car, in a town called Yaphank on Long Island. After a brief stop at Wendy's for some expectedly disappointing fast food and exceptionally terrible beverages (raspberry Coke? A near-gallon of "iced coffee" that looked and tasted more like sweetened iced milk?) we got started at the shooting range.

According to Matt, the place was unusually busy, and we had to wait for a golf cart to use for our game of sporting clays as well as a rental .20 shotgun for me. That ended up taking too long, so once a golf cart became available I figured I'd just give the .12 a try, I mean how bad could it be?

It wasn't really that bad. It was heavy, and I am woefully out of shape, and my arms got tired from holding it after about four minutes or so, but, I didn't blow my shoulder off or anything, so thumbs up.

I got off to a pretty rocky start, but hey, gimme a break, I've only shot a gun like three other times in my life, and I don't think laser tag counts.

For anyone who doesn't know (like myself before I arrived at the shooting range) sporting clays is a "game" sort of like miniature golf but with guns. There are about a dozen stations set up with a place from which you shoot, and the sporting clays come flying out from different places when your partner pushes a button attached to the station (on command of "pull" just like in movies!) And you shoot them in mid-air. You're free to do the stations in whatever order you wish.

After some expert tips and a lot of patience from Matt, I did eventually get the hang of it. Turns out station #2 was my jam. And while my gunmanship (actual word??) needed a lot of work, my skill at maneuvering a golf cart was beyond question. I am a pro. Even at driving in reverse.

I learned a lot about guns and shooting on Sunday, including "trigger discipline" and "muzzle awareness," important concepts that will definitely come in handy when we're all drafted to fight WW3 against the evil insect overlords.

Now please enjoy this 15 second video I made before Rihanna's lawyers come after me.

Suffolk County Trap, Skeet, & Sporting Clays
165 Gerard Rd
Yaphank, NY 11980