Fire Away!

Every Friday night I trudge through my small town to the same place. After a long day of school I ride home on the city bus. After relaxing and eating dinner with my host family, I walk to the Schießkeller.

The name means shooting basement, which at first sounds like something out of a horror film. But really, it’s just a range where the older men of the town get together and practice shooting. 

I normally arrive around 7:30 at night. I’m always greeted with familiar faces and new jokes about U.S. politics. Jan, who brings most of the guns, always gets me ready to shoot. Here, we use 4.5 mm pellet guns, but they are a lot different from a toy BB gun. Each gun costs well over €1,000. 

After securing my gun from its locker (as even pellet guns must be locked up in Germany by law) I enter into the shooting room. Its bright lights burn my eyes at first as it’s a sharp contrast from the cozy hang out space that we sit in between shooting. It’s a massive room with five long ranges. The targets sit 10 meters away from the rifle stands. 

The gun I use is a Walther (same company that makes James Bond’s pistol) rifle with a wooden stock. After every shot, a new pellet must be loaded in the breech of the rifle. 

After shooting, I’ll come out and get my shot report. Then I can see how I did. Rolf, a man who I assume is in charge, always explains to me the rules and how points work. The best you can shoot is a 10.9 (this is based on millimeters). In a set you shoot 3 groups of 10 shoots, or 30 shots total, making the highest possible score a 327. Rolf himself once shot a 321, which in all actuality is good enough for the Olympics. My highest yet is 288, or an average of 9.4 points per shot. I’ll take it. The guys claim I should do better, since I’m an American and all.

The majority of my Friday evening I spend chatting and listening to conversations. It is a relaxing way to end the week. Here in the Schießkeller, I put my feet up, sip my Coke and chill for a while.