Chapter 17: Practicing with the Gun

Jimmy stopped shooting, and Noah practiced shooting by himself nearby. Noah’s marksmanship was excellent, with a very high hit rate on the 15-meter head target during rapid fire. In contrast, Jimmy’s shooting was quite dismal; at 10 meters on the chest target, about half of his bullets missed. For a first-time shooter firing so many rounds, this was understandable, but it was honestly a disgrace to the police uniform he wore.

Bored, Jimmy picked up various pistols from the table to feel their grips. He was most interested in revolvers—after all, he had seen so many movies where revolvers were the quintessential pistols. On the table lay two revolvers: a Smith & Wesson .38, once a common handgun for American police, with limited ammo capacity and inadequate power, but still in use due to habit; and a Ruger GP100, currently issued only in some precincts.

Once his arms and wrists had mostly recovered, Jimmy picked up the Ruger GP100, loaded a single round, and fired, hitting the left chest, heart area, on the 10-meter body target. Noah stopped practicing and told Jimmy to load several more rounds. Then he taught him the correct way to hold and fire a pistol, emphasizing that the experience of shooting a revolver was completely different from that of a semi-automatic pistol.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

Including the very first shot, Jimmy fired five rounds: four hit the target, two landed in the heart region. Noah looked thoughtful and asked Jimmy to pause.

After a few minutes of reflection, Noah approached the range administrator and requested more guns. After a short wait, the administrator returned carrying a basket filled with revolvers.

Noah took one, loaded it, and handed it to Jimmy. “Try this one. Fire all the rounds.”

Jimmy aimed and fired; the recoil was strong and the muzzle jumped violently. After six shots, five hit the target, with one striking the heart.

Noah switched to another revolver, loaded it, and handed it over. Without being told, Jimmy aimed and fired. Six shots, five on target again, but none in the lethal zone this time.

Noah handed him the next revolver. Suddenly, Jimmy’s accuracy dropped sharply—only three shots hit the target.

Noah told Jimmy to stop; this was a clear sign that his arms and wrists could no longer control the pistol’s recoil.

After collecting all the guns and ammunition, Noah led Jimmy away from the shooting range.

Back at the precinct, after returning his patrol gear, Noah drove Jimmy home, then immediately returned to the station. He went to the chief’s office to speak briefly with Chief James before heading home himself.

Once home, Jimmy quickly stripped off his clothes and threw himself into the shower, rinsing his arms with warm water and massaging them with his left hand for a long time to relieve the soreness.

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Muscle soreness was nothing new to Jimmy, who had trained for years. But this was the first time he had experienced such pain from shooting. Guns, after all, were fascinating to many. Many Chinese visitors to the United States sought out legal shooting clubs or ranges for a chance to shoot, but for Jimmy, this was a new professional skill, not a hobby. He had to master it quickly for real-life application, which added considerable pressure.

The next morning, Jimmy woke with some lingering soreness in his arms but was otherwise fine. He bought a hamburger and coffee, then took a taxi to the precinct. His residence was quite far from the station, and he hadn’t yet bought a car.

Noah was still his partner today. The plan was to patrol in the morning and return to the shooting range in the afternoon. That morning, all the radio dispatches were for minor disputes, except for one high school fight that was resolved on-site.

In the afternoon, at the range, Noah asked the administrator to bring out the same revolvers from yesterday for Jimmy to try again.

After a day’s rest, Jimmy’s arms had recovered. When he shot the revolver again, his handling was noticeably smoother and more accurate than the day before. He fired three consecutive rounds, all hitting the 10-meter chest target, with four shots striking the heart area. This accuracy far surpassed his previous performance with the semi-automatic pistol.

“Jimmy, it seems you have a natural talent for shooting. Take a break, then try the Beretta 92F.”

Noah returned to practice nearby while Jimmy sat on the shooting bench, looking at the guns. After two days of use, Jimmy felt a stronger affinity for revolvers—a subtle but unmistakable closeness. Looking at the revolvers on the table, he no longer wanted to use semi-automatic pistols.

Noah fired two magazines, then stopped and came over.

“Jimmy, which one feels more comfortable to you?”

Jimmy picked two. “Both are fine.”

Noah looked at the two revolvers. “Smith & Wesson M627 and Ruger GP100. How do you feel about them? Which do you prefer?”

“In terms of shooting, the Ruger GP100. But in terms of feel, the M627.”

“I see.”

Noah asked the administrator for another revolver. “Try this one—the Smith & Wesson M686.”

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Jimmy switched guns and fired a round. After ejecting the spent cartridge, he examined the revolver carefully. “I like this one.”

“Yes, I believe this is the only one of its kind here—a short-barrel M686 chambered in .357 Magnum. There’s also a long-barrel version, but it’s not here. Try this gun more.”

Noah handed Jimmy ammunition and organized the other guns and bullets before returning them to the administrator.

Jimmy shot intermittently for nearly an hour. As he became more accustomed to the recoil, he found the revolver increasingly comfortable and natural.

After finishing the day’s training, on the way back, Noah said, “You need to speed up your pistol training. Next up are the shotgun and the M16. Later, you should buy your own gun and register it with the precinct as your carry weapon. The Beretta 92F issued by the precinct isn’t really suitable for you.”

“Okay. By the way, do I need to apply for a concealed carry permit?”

“No, in our state, police officers are allowed to carry guns off duty. As long as you’re still a cop and carry your ID, there’s no need to apply.”

“You mean some states don’t allow off-duty officers to carry guns?”

“Right. The POST commission is established by each state individually, so the rules vary.”

“Okay, I’ll buy a gun later. For now, I’ll use the precinct-issued one.”

“Noah, our precinct’s rules are really that relaxed? The guns don’t have to be standardized? If I bring my own, how is ammo handled? Do I buy it myself and get reimbursed?”

“What are you thinking? That’s impossible. If you don’t use the precinct’s issue, you might get a small firearm allowance, but you’ll still have to spend a lot yourself. Using the issued gun avoids all that hassle. But based on your shooting over the past two days, you clearly have a talent for revolvers—the hit rate is much higher than with the 92F.”

“I understand. I’ll practice some more before buying one. I want to try different guns and see where my shooting talent lies.”