That sounds like fun. I've always meant to go to a shooting range and trying it out.

The 19 was very splodey

Kinda like the antiaircraft gun Mal fires in Serenity (the episode)?

I'm gonna be lazy and stick this here:

[link]

SSC (Tara DiLullo): When you are developing a series, does merchandising for the show factor into your thoughts during the process?

Joss Whedon: The answer is unequivocally, "Yes!" I grew up playing with the Marvel comic dolls and, when I say way later in life than I should have been, I'm not kidding. My best friend and I had quite a collection. I always wanted to make the kind of TV and movies that would exist beyond the shows themselves and dolls are a huge part of that. With Star Wars, I played with the action figures with my little brothers. They've always spoken to me, not just a Barbie or a G.I. Joe, nothing against them, but the ones that were for more specific stories. Making the stories myself with the aid of these little figurines is something I've always loved to do. I've always felt like if a story really registers, it deserves dolls! They actually mean more to me than I usually admit in public.

And left-handed to boot!

That's impressive.

I've shot a .38 revolver, a .44 magnum, a .357 and a tiny .22 pistol.

It was both sobering and satisfying, and you get to take the target sheets home. So that sheet where I hit 10 times but only made 7 holes? I'm going to keep it for a little while.

Target shooting is incredibly fun. Dad was in a target league at his gun club (which is where I got to shoot all his guns) and shot a .22 rifle in competition. Dad bought me these cute, tiny animal shaped, cast-iron silhouettes to shoot at home.

I may have had a very strange childhood.

Kinda like the antiaircraft gun Mal fires in Serenity (the episode)?

Almost, given the crappy way I was holding it (too tense -- my shoulders have been holding me hostage for a week or two now). The instructor said it should have less kick than the revolver, but it was leaping about in my hand, and I really had to zen out to get my groupings tight.

Still, I was pretty much 9 out of 10 for the centre mass shot, and only once went more than one zone away from centre. Satisfying, but then there's that moment where suddenly you're cold and it's all very loud and the glasses pinch (damn! I had no idea shells flew around like that -- at least two would have hit me right in the eye without the goggles -- hate to have that happen on the street) and you just have to stop.

Will be interesting to go with cops and/or krav people.

Also interesting was how the instructor loosened up when I told him I did krav. He works law enforcement, and has bumped into kravvers before, and I think it made him a bit more candid.

More Joss and dolls:

For me, it's about posing them and playing with them and making them fight and have conflict and creating more and more narrative and yes, putting them on top of each other. I'm not judging. Anybody can be put on top of anybody, that's the beauty of my shows.

That's impressive.

Definitely.

Hivemind help needed for my rusty Spanish:

"We're English" would be "Somos ingleses," right? And do I need any accent marks?

For me, it's about posing them and playing with them and making them fight and have conflict and creating more and more narrative and yes, putting them on top of each other. I'm not judging. Anybody can be put on top of anybody, that's the beauty of my shows.

I bought a sheep at Archie McPhee for Spike and Giles to share.

This may be more about my action figure habits than anyone wanted to know, but I think the sheep is still wearing Giles's sombrero.

but I think the sheep is still wearing Giles's sombrero.

The sheep needs to be smoking a cigarette.

the crappy way I was holding it

Part of this might be due to the shape of the grip and the shape of your hand. Glocks have fat grips, and I have small hands, and I always found myself trying to choke them to death because my grip felt insecure. Sigs were better, but my favorite fit is still the old 1911 Colt.

What distances and positions did you try?