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Slavia · Moderator

Greetings, all.

First airgun was a Daisy 1894 replica back in 1963. I wore it out. Then came a Sheridan .20 in 1976. Lots of rounds through that one - I still have it. What really hooked me was a Slavia 631 in 2002. Now names like CZ, Mendoza, Crosman, Daisy, Avanti, UMC, Hakim, Marksman, and Gamo live at my house.

I am certified as a hunter safety volunteer instructor, and a 4H rifle/pistol coach. I also burn powder (both black and smokeless), but airguns keep bringing me back.

broommaster2000 · Moderator

Hey there, welcome aboard, Slav.

Nice collection, and yeah, Slavias are great little guns, aren't they? Mr. Green

Bhargav · Veteran Member

hey.... welcome aboard. Mr. Green

thepaladin · Senior Member

The more the merrier as they say....welcome. Exclamation

2RCHA · Veteran Member

Hey there Amigo, Welcome to the forum, Nice collection you have there,,I'm really interested in your "Hakim", Did you leave it all original?, it must be nice, Did you score yours from Navy Arm's back when they were selling them?, If you could post a pic, I'd really appreciate it. Thank's, Cheer's, and Welcome to the forum, Andy.

Slavia · Moderator

I think what I'll do is start a thread in the collector/antique section.

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

Slavia · Moderator

I wish I had been there, too, Rogerflat.

What I find amusing is "the power of the patch." There is no instructor uniform, just a sew-on patch. Some wear it on their cap, some on a shooting shirt (to identify themselves as instructors during class time). But wear that patch to the range, and you would be amazed how safety conscious the other shooters become. I have no law enforcement authority. I have no more mastery of the shooting sports than anyone else. All the patch means is that I volunteer time to work with new shooters. But the effect is noticeable.

One benefit of being an instructor is that my reaction time to unsafe situations has gone down to almost zero. You know how one fumbles mentally, thinking "Should I step in?" or "Is it my place to say something to them?" I'm past that. Of course after I put the fear of the Lord in them I try to chat for a while, just to get them to settle down. I want them to leave the encounter encouraged, rather than humiliated.

If that could have helped you, I'm sorry I wasn't there.

Thump! Thump! (That's the sound of me jumping down from my soapbox.)

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

Yeah, I'm pretty safety conscious too. I don't know what so hard about "Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction at all times", but apparently it is for some people. I took a friend to the range and yelled at her for cocking my springer and removing her hand from the barrel when loading it. Not to mention she had the bad habbit of keeping her finger in on the trigger.

Slavia · Moderator

More soapbox stuff:

Human judgement is flawed. Safety rules are meant to provide a framework that eliminates that judgement. "Nothing will happen just this one time" is the time something bad happens.

I also believe that safety is not just an add-on. It is part of the series of ergonomic steps leading to projectile impact.

The best marksmen at my club are also the safest. Also the most courteous. They also pick up their trash. It's because they are disciplined.

Another advantage of being an instructor is that I get a periodic formal review of safety procedures along with the students. Never hurts.

Soapbox over and out.

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

Slavia · Moderator

I agree that there are some "one-off" situations that require the judgement borne of experience. I think it is also true that keeping established safety procedures in mind can keep those situations from ever presenting themselves.

For example, one of the "Ten Commandments Of Hunter Safety" that we teach is "know your target and what's beyond." Check out this link:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/enforcement/incidentreports/index.html

A lot of the accidents listed are due to careless target recognition (the "I thought he was a deer" kind).

"The proof is in the pudding," as they say. By teaching an established set of safety rules, the accident rate has dropped 90% in this country since the start of hunter safety education in the late 1940's.

Now, we're talking about normal people. Unrelenting stupidity is another thing entirely. My favorite accident report is from a couple years back: A guy shot his dog with a pellet gun. Then, wondering if it hurt the dog, he shot himself intentionally in the leg. (The report didn't say, but I am assuming that it did hurt.) Then he tried to dig the pellet out with a screwdriver. The next day when it was massively infected he went to the hospital, and they had to report it as a gunshot would. His parents must have taken a dip in the gene pool without a lifeguard.

thepaladin · Senior Member

My favorite "stupidity"( Laughing

) story came from a friend in WV. I can't vouch for it's truth, but the guy swore to it. It's one of those "urban myth" type stories. Supposidly a "novice hunter" tried to check in a mule as a mule deer at a station.....beyond belief, gives us all a bad name.

I grew up in the Smokies and learned to shoot young, the first thing my dad and grand dad taught me was safty. Safty, safty, safty....

Rogerflat · Silver Status Member

I read through those hunting "accidents." Boy, talk about dumb. I can almost understand getting accidentally caught in the line of fire. But it is retarded for someone to mistake you for a deer. How could you even aim your rifle if you can't discern what you were shooting at. What if you were shooting at the deers a$$?! And what kind of massive thickets are these people surounded by that are so dense you can't tell the difference between a man and a deer? It's those idiots that shoot at noises in the brush that are really scary. But then again, that's why blaze orange is mandatory during firearm season.

But you or your dog falling on a the gun and causing yourself to be shot is THE dumbest thing in the world. I mean, the safety switch should ALWAYS be on unless you are preparing to fire on a target or game. Who in the f#ck puts their gun in the case when it is loaded, cocked, and the safety is off?! And a dog being anywhere near a loaded and unattended firearm is just an accident waiting to happen.

And your finger should never be on the trigger if you are walking or hiking with the gun, even if the safety is on. You should always expect to be shot if you mishandle your gun which is why you should always be mindful of handling it properly.

I should know. I've been shot in the head with a ricochet from an air rifle (not wounded though) and was nearly shot in the leg with a 12 gauge when my friend mishandled my dad's shotgun in our living room and it went off in his hands. That incident was my dads fault for leaving the gun loaded, which he never normally did. We never determined if the kid actually shucked a shell in the chamber first, but he certainly pulled the trigger. Fortunately he had the sense to not point it toward me or I'd have gotten a hot load of number 6 shot.

Slavia · Moderator

When I took my instructor certification class we talked about ladies' underwear. Seriously. Because of plumbing differences, ladies out hunting are going to heed the call of mother nature by squatting. Some dumb-as-a-stump bubba is going to see the brown skin and white underwear and think, "A whitetail!" The point was to wear "secondary red" in addition to blaze orange. Men too.

There is a teaching tool called "Lazer Ed" that is wonderful. There is a DVD with hunting situations, and a disabled BB gun with a laser in the bore. The student "shoots" at a projection screen, and the instructor can see where the beam hits. Then you discuss if that shot at a trophy buck on the skyline was such a good idea. Or if it was wise to shoot at an animal with a house behind it. Or if the animal was even in season. Or protected. Stuff like that.

Just in case you're curious, here is a link for the hunter safety curriculum. The same material is used by all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, and New Zealand. (I'm not sure how that combination came to be, but anyway.) In Minnesota they decided that for an adult to sit in a class with 12-year-olds might be awkward, so adults can take the course on-line. They still take the written test and do the field practice with an instructor. At least in my town age is not a factor, since we usually have several parents sitting in with their kids.

http://homestudy.ihea.com/contents.htm