Shootin’ Buddies

I’ve been graced with many shooting buddies.
Some persons with whom I’ve shot were not buddies.  If they drank, were drunk, or just unsafe, I opted not to shoot with them, again.
But others…
Many gunnies speak of their dads as shooting buddies.  I wish that were so in my case.  My Dad taught me how to hold a pistol one-handed and line up the sights. (At age 6).  No eye or ear protection.  Even .25s are loud!  That was about it for him.  His passion was fishing.
When I acquired my first gun, I acquired my first shooting buddy.  You know him as Dave, the genius.  (Not to be confused with Dave the artist).
Dave was a friend of one of my college roommates, and it turns out, technically skilled and mechanically inclined.
It was Dave and I who took the S&W Model 39-2 out for her first paces, sans hearing protection.
WHAT?  That has changed.  He eventually acquired his own collection of firearms, built his own AR, and keeps and has his CCW permit.
Dave is the guy who did the mechanical work on my car.  
This in addition to his regular job of repairing Airbus A320 (and other) airplanes for a major carrier.  Genius.
I did a separate post a while back about Chip.  He and I were shooting buddies for a time, and, when he was a State Prison medic, he ran me through the Prison SWAT team qualifications.  But, as it turned out, he was a sociopath, and we parted company.
A long-time friend was Bud.  We met in high-school, sang on the choir together, and became friends.  He was an avid hunter and shooter, and introduced me to the world of people like Jeff Cooper and Robert Heinlein.  And libertarian politics.  And we used to shoot together alot.  I was Best Man at his wedding.  Sadly, we’ve grown apart (something I’m 50% responsible for) and I don’t see him anymore.
Another lost friend and shooting buddy is Steve.  Steve, I always used to say, was the younger brother I never had.  And, he copied me, rightly or wrongly in many ways.  It was Steve who fired his Model 60 with the magna fireball boom-boom .357 pressure loads!  Later he traded me the 60, and surprisingly, nothing was wrong with it.  He was Best Man at my wedding.  We, too, have had a parting of the ways.
Two good men.  They’re missed.
I purchased my first 1911 from Bob H.  He is a long-time friend with whom I’ve worked as a PI, and at the gun store.  I’d shoot with him anywhere, he’s that good.  
There were many shooters at The Major Credit Card Company.  Some became buddies, some students, some both.  Dan, Robert, Glenn, Gavin, Lee, Jim, Bob P., Tomi and a few more.
I met Mark at The Major Credit Card Company.  He’d done some shooting, and wanted to learn more.  So, we went shooting together, and he became a student.  He further enhanced his collection and is now another gunnie.  I couldn’t be more proud.
Mark is the other guy who worked on my car with Dave, and helped me acquire the needed parts.
Let’s not forget the women.
Usually women I dated.  (I married one.)  I figured if we were going to be together, they should be at least familiar with firearms and safety.
In no particular order:  Ardith, Mary, Roberta, and Judy.  (I’m leaving out the ones who didn’t even try shooting- sadly, there were a few).   Both Roberta and Judy acquired their own collections, and became a gunnies in their own right.
We always need more women shooters and gun owners.  They usually haven’t learned their mistakes from TV, so they’re better students.
It’s good to know I still have buddies with whom to shoot.