100% Cowboy Cowgirl

No, this isn't a song from Jason Meadows, it's the lovely and open minded Mrs. Borepatch trying out a Ruger Blackhawk in .38 Special/.357 Magnum. She's not a fan of revolvers, and we had intended to shoot a Winchester 1894, but there was no (!) .30-.30 ammo to be had.

But as she'd already worn her purtiest boots (and a hat!), she was game for a "cowboy" revolver. She kicked my butt:


That's her shooting, slow fire at 25 feet. Yes, that's a flier in the 9 ring (the other outlier is a "liner" - on the line - which means it counts as a 10). So my wife's a ten - this is proof.

Me? Not so much:

All over the map, vertically-speaking. The problem is the Ruger's sights.

In general, these are excellent. Clear front post, square notch in the rear, easy to align. But both front and rear sights are black, and when I aimed them at a solid black bulls eye, they simply disappeared. I couldn't tell where on earth I was shooting.

A little improvising on the back of another target gave better results, since I was aiming at something that gave me some contrast:


Still a little to the left; I must be gunning for that end of the spectrum.

So a lesson in humility, and a good one to know if I ever go hunting black hide dangerous game - say Cape Buffalo. Black isn't always the best color for your sights.