Shooting in the Rain
When we are planning to shoot during inclement weather, we prepare for it. We get our rain gear, spray protectant on our shotguns, and generally make sure we’re ready for the weather.
At the Mini World, I usually sign up by myself and therefore shoot with people from different places in our greater shooting community. I meet some really interesting people that way, and some with great personalities, too. For the four guns of the 2018 Mini World, we only had rain in two rounds, one round each of two different guns. I had my rain gear, made sure I had protected my shotgun, and thought I was as ready as I could be. I shot with four gentlemen from Mississippi. One of them handed each of us a paper towel to help us with the rain on our glasses. I started to tell him no thanks since I had previously wiped my glasses and caused them to streak. He told me to use the paper towel to BLOT rather than to wipe.
Here I am, almost 80 years old, and I had never before thought about or heard about what he had told me. What a great idea, and it works. Some of the simplest solutions often evade us!
So, the next time you’re shooting in the rain, take a dry, absorbent paper towel with you, place it in your pocket, and if you have raindrops on your glasses, BLOT the lenses, don’t wipe them.
Stay safe,
Barry Hartmann
Barry Hartmann is an NSSA Master Level and NRA Certified shotgun instructor who teaches American skeet and wingshooting. You can contact Barry at threeat8@aol.com or 918-803-2393.