The Nora Project - Darcy
Nov. 18th, 2021 03:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsBackdated: Darcy asks Kevin for some weapons training since his current form is far closer to hers for now.
A private gun range wasn't what most people expected to find in Manhattan, but tucked away behind three security firms traded on the NYSE, They'd made a bit of a stir when they'd walked in, but Darcy was quickly discovering that even as Nora, Kevin knew how to assert his authority over people. Actually, Nora might have even been more effective at it. The man who signed them in all but openly asked them both to walk on him with high heels.
Shortly, they found themselves as a side range with three tracks and a range of handguns in front of them.
"Your sheer level of badass in this form is breathtaking, Boss," Darcy said once they stopped moving. "Pretty sure I want you to teach me that. And well... anything else you think I might need or want some lessons in." She gave him a sly wink, less of a disaster now that she was more locked into her work mindset. "So I recognize a few of these, but walk me through what you want me to do today?"
"You need to take a breath." Kevin said, but in the breathy contralto that was Nora, it didn't have the same effect. "Today, we're going to find a gun that fits your hands properly and teach you how to shoot it. Unfortunately, for short women like you, they try to give you short barreled low caliber nonsense. Which is about as effective as a NERF gun in a real situation."
Darcy took a few deep breaths, instinctively listening to Kevin's instructions, even if Nora's contralto was new to her ears. "So we're going to find something useful that fits instead? Do you want me to pick up one by one, or specific order?"
"We're going to see what fits. The longer the barrel, the more accurate at range. The higher the caliber, the more stopping power. You should have the advantage of both. Try this." She put a pistol in Darcy's hand. "Glocks used to be wide-bodied, but the Glock 22 was meant for police forces, so they had to scale down their macho style. Feel it, pull the trigger a few times, see how it feels."
Darcy pulled on her ear protection, then settled in front of the target, clicked the safety off, took a few steady breaths. In, out, pull. The recoil wasn't bad, so she repositioned and shot a few more times before clicking the safety back on and pointing it down. "I'm not sure about the grip, but the recoil wasn't bad."
"You need to be sure about the grip." Nora said, a little sharply. "Be honest. Can you palm it and hit the trigger properly?"
Darcy slipped it into her palm and took aim, noting the slight repositioning she needed to do to grip properly, then did it a few more times. Drop, grip, aim, finger placement. "It's slightly off for that, but I could probably adjust for it with practice."
"No. That's not a risk you take. Here, try the Browning. It's old school, but it is my pistol of choice. Again, it needs to feel like part of you."
She set the Glock down, picking up the Browning. It was a little heavier, but the smooth grip immediately felt better in her hands. She took aim and clicked the safety off. A few shots later she clicked it back on. "Better than the Glock, even with the extra weight."
"Give it back." Nora stripped the weapon in seconds and swiftly re-assembled it. "It's a solid weapon. Stopping power is important. I've seen a guy take a 38 wadcutter in the head and keep coming. 45 ACP. No. It's a bad day." She passed the loaded weapon back. "Now, you ready to learn to shoot?"
"Yes Boss," Darcy replied reflexively. She gripped the gun, settling her weight. "Alright, what do I need to adjust, other than almost everything?"
"We're going to use an old stance. Originally developed for police. So extend your gun hand towards the target and use the other to grab your wrist."
She did as instructed, right hand forward before cupping her left hand under her wrist in a firm hold, feet shifting until she felt her weight was distributed evenly.
"Traditionally, Weaver and Isosceles stances are favoured for pistolwork. But, they cause problems for women like you and Nora because they come straight over the chest and don't account for a healthy amount of cleavage. This stance is slightly less effective, but as you can see, gripping at the wrist instead of the hand still provides stability without crushing your breasts in the process." Nora tapped her arm. "The gun is an extension of your arm. Your arm is an extension of your upper body. So, you aim with your upper body. Think of your torso as the turret of a tank. The barrel of a tank cannon doesn't move to fire. The turret does." It wasn't strictly true but it was an easy enough analogy for now.
"Lock my aiming elbow, or leave it loose? And should I be head on in this stance, or more angled along the body?" Darcy turned as she asked, and when she had trouble keeping grip on her wrist assumed she'd answered her own question. "Head on it is, then."
"Lock your elbow. Keep your arm at sight level along the pistol. Move around a bit, get a feel for your waist and feet putting you into position."
Darcy did as instructed, careful to only point down range while she walked and paused. A few minutes of that, and she was still, one leg forward, knees slightly bent. "Shoot?" she asked, turning her head towards Nora.
"Soon, Lewis. Be patient." It was odd to hear Kevin's tone and cadence coming out of the woman's mouth. Nora pressed a button on the range and brought the paper target to mid-range. It was a classic head and torso profile in front of her. "A couple of basics first. You always aim for centre mass. A bullet in the chest is usually just as deadly as to the head and it's a hell of a lot larger a target. When we shoot, we want to focus on grouping, which is getting your shots to land as close to each other as possible. The tighter your grouping, the more likely your target goes down for good. And never even think of shooting to injure or something stupid like taking them out at the knee or the hand. If you draw your gun, it's with the intent to kill. Period. If not, you don't draw. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am. Aim for center, keep shots close, don't fuck around."
"Good. Now sight along the weapon, look for your target. Take a breath and as you let it out, I want you to squeeze the trigger. Don't jerk it. It should be a smooth motion."
Darcy looked down the sight, focusing on the target. A few deep breaths and she squeezed on an exhale, jerking slightly upwards and putting a hole through the throat. "Again? I know I moved."
"Again. Get used to the recoil. Feel where the shot point on the trigger is at."
Settle. Breathe. Squeeze. Another slight jerk. Again. Darcy repeated the motions until the muscles in her arms were trembling and the clip was empty. She flicked the safety up and pointed the gun down, taking a step back and giving her back and arms a shake. "How's the target look?"
"See for yourself." She pushed the button and the target came down the track for her. The shots were scattered, about half of them finding the black. "See this." Nora pointed to three holes, near the bottom of the target but roughly within a couple of inches of each other. "Those were your last three shots."
"Well, good to know I can poison someone with intestinal leakage, if I'm lucky." Darcy's voice was dry, face unimpressed as she traced the pattern of the shots. "Again?"
"Many times." Nora passed over a full clip. "I've signed you up. Twice a week, you'll be down here to fire off two hundred rounds."
Darcy glanced down her body. "Even with the convenient boob pocket, I'm struggling to think of how I could stash two hundred rounds on my person. This is what, 15, 20 rounds per clip? Although if I need to shoot that much the situation is definitely already FUBAR." She ejected the empty magazine and reloaded it with the clip, took position, and focused. Breathe in, shoot, repeat. This round was slower, more methodical as she focused on keeping her grip steady and not jerking upward or out when she fired. "Look better?"
"It's eleven rounds in the clip. Next time I come here with you, you better be able to tell me how many shots you have left at any point I ask." Nora said, showing Darcy just what she signed up for asking for Kevin's help in this area. "You'll fire two hundred rounds each time as training. So in the field, you only need one or two. And you're still trying to ride the recoil before it happens. Trust your grip and support."
"I expect nothing less from you, Boss." It was murmured, but Darcy was sure the other woman would hear her. She slid another clip into the magazine and got into position. Focus. Steady breathing. Aim. Inhale. A slow squeeze for the full exhale. Better, do it again. Breathe in, squeeze out. Nine more times. Press the button to pull the target in. Her head tilted, a silent inquiry in Nora's direction.
There were still multiple misses, but the groupings were better. Shots solidly in the black at chest level.
"Better. After two or three thousand rounds, you should have an idea where you're aiming." Nora said. "I'll come down next time for your first real session. For now, let's call it a day on a solid first outing."
"Thank you for taking the time, Boss." She flicked the safety back on, setting it carefully on the bench with the other options, and flashed Nora a grateful smile. "Useful to learn this from a body type similar to mine."
A private gun range wasn't what most people expected to find in Manhattan, but tucked away behind three security firms traded on the NYSE, They'd made a bit of a stir when they'd walked in, but Darcy was quickly discovering that even as Nora, Kevin knew how to assert his authority over people. Actually, Nora might have even been more effective at it. The man who signed them in all but openly asked them both to walk on him with high heels.
Shortly, they found themselves as a side range with three tracks and a range of handguns in front of them.
"Your sheer level of badass in this form is breathtaking, Boss," Darcy said once they stopped moving. "Pretty sure I want you to teach me that. And well... anything else you think I might need or want some lessons in." She gave him a sly wink, less of a disaster now that she was more locked into her work mindset. "So I recognize a few of these, but walk me through what you want me to do today?"
"You need to take a breath." Kevin said, but in the breathy contralto that was Nora, it didn't have the same effect. "Today, we're going to find a gun that fits your hands properly and teach you how to shoot it. Unfortunately, for short women like you, they try to give you short barreled low caliber nonsense. Which is about as effective as a NERF gun in a real situation."
Darcy took a few deep breaths, instinctively listening to Kevin's instructions, even if Nora's contralto was new to her ears. "So we're going to find something useful that fits instead? Do you want me to pick up one by one, or specific order?"
"We're going to see what fits. The longer the barrel, the more accurate at range. The higher the caliber, the more stopping power. You should have the advantage of both. Try this." She put a pistol in Darcy's hand. "Glocks used to be wide-bodied, but the Glock 22 was meant for police forces, so they had to scale down their macho style. Feel it, pull the trigger a few times, see how it feels."
Darcy pulled on her ear protection, then settled in front of the target, clicked the safety off, took a few steady breaths. In, out, pull. The recoil wasn't bad, so she repositioned and shot a few more times before clicking the safety back on and pointing it down. "I'm not sure about the grip, but the recoil wasn't bad."
"You need to be sure about the grip." Nora said, a little sharply. "Be honest. Can you palm it and hit the trigger properly?"
Darcy slipped it into her palm and took aim, noting the slight repositioning she needed to do to grip properly, then did it a few more times. Drop, grip, aim, finger placement. "It's slightly off for that, but I could probably adjust for it with practice."
"No. That's not a risk you take. Here, try the Browning. It's old school, but it is my pistol of choice. Again, it needs to feel like part of you."
She set the Glock down, picking up the Browning. It was a little heavier, but the smooth grip immediately felt better in her hands. She took aim and clicked the safety off. A few shots later she clicked it back on. "Better than the Glock, even with the extra weight."
"Give it back." Nora stripped the weapon in seconds and swiftly re-assembled it. "It's a solid weapon. Stopping power is important. I've seen a guy take a 38 wadcutter in the head and keep coming. 45 ACP. No. It's a bad day." She passed the loaded weapon back. "Now, you ready to learn to shoot?"
"Yes Boss," Darcy replied reflexively. She gripped the gun, settling her weight. "Alright, what do I need to adjust, other than almost everything?"
"We're going to use an old stance. Originally developed for police. So extend your gun hand towards the target and use the other to grab your wrist."
She did as instructed, right hand forward before cupping her left hand under her wrist in a firm hold, feet shifting until she felt her weight was distributed evenly.
"Traditionally, Weaver and Isosceles stances are favoured for pistolwork. But, they cause problems for women like you and Nora because they come straight over the chest and don't account for a healthy amount of cleavage. This stance is slightly less effective, but as you can see, gripping at the wrist instead of the hand still provides stability without crushing your breasts in the process." Nora tapped her arm. "The gun is an extension of your arm. Your arm is an extension of your upper body. So, you aim with your upper body. Think of your torso as the turret of a tank. The barrel of a tank cannon doesn't move to fire. The turret does." It wasn't strictly true but it was an easy enough analogy for now.
"Lock my aiming elbow, or leave it loose? And should I be head on in this stance, or more angled along the body?" Darcy turned as she asked, and when she had trouble keeping grip on her wrist assumed she'd answered her own question. "Head on it is, then."
"Lock your elbow. Keep your arm at sight level along the pistol. Move around a bit, get a feel for your waist and feet putting you into position."
Darcy did as instructed, careful to only point down range while she walked and paused. A few minutes of that, and she was still, one leg forward, knees slightly bent. "Shoot?" she asked, turning her head towards Nora.
"Soon, Lewis. Be patient." It was odd to hear Kevin's tone and cadence coming out of the woman's mouth. Nora pressed a button on the range and brought the paper target to mid-range. It was a classic head and torso profile in front of her. "A couple of basics first. You always aim for centre mass. A bullet in the chest is usually just as deadly as to the head and it's a hell of a lot larger a target. When we shoot, we want to focus on grouping, which is getting your shots to land as close to each other as possible. The tighter your grouping, the more likely your target goes down for good. And never even think of shooting to injure or something stupid like taking them out at the knee or the hand. If you draw your gun, it's with the intent to kill. Period. If not, you don't draw. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am. Aim for center, keep shots close, don't fuck around."
"Good. Now sight along the weapon, look for your target. Take a breath and as you let it out, I want you to squeeze the trigger. Don't jerk it. It should be a smooth motion."
Darcy looked down the sight, focusing on the target. A few deep breaths and she squeezed on an exhale, jerking slightly upwards and putting a hole through the throat. "Again? I know I moved."
"Again. Get used to the recoil. Feel where the shot point on the trigger is at."
Settle. Breathe. Squeeze. Another slight jerk. Again. Darcy repeated the motions until the muscles in her arms were trembling and the clip was empty. She flicked the safety up and pointed the gun down, taking a step back and giving her back and arms a shake. "How's the target look?"
"See for yourself." She pushed the button and the target came down the track for her. The shots were scattered, about half of them finding the black. "See this." Nora pointed to three holes, near the bottom of the target but roughly within a couple of inches of each other. "Those were your last three shots."
"Well, good to know I can poison someone with intestinal leakage, if I'm lucky." Darcy's voice was dry, face unimpressed as she traced the pattern of the shots. "Again?"
"Many times." Nora passed over a full clip. "I've signed you up. Twice a week, you'll be down here to fire off two hundred rounds."
Darcy glanced down her body. "Even with the convenient boob pocket, I'm struggling to think of how I could stash two hundred rounds on my person. This is what, 15, 20 rounds per clip? Although if I need to shoot that much the situation is definitely already FUBAR." She ejected the empty magazine and reloaded it with the clip, took position, and focused. Breathe in, shoot, repeat. This round was slower, more methodical as she focused on keeping her grip steady and not jerking upward or out when she fired. "Look better?"
"It's eleven rounds in the clip. Next time I come here with you, you better be able to tell me how many shots you have left at any point I ask." Nora said, showing Darcy just what she signed up for asking for Kevin's help in this area. "You'll fire two hundred rounds each time as training. So in the field, you only need one or two. And you're still trying to ride the recoil before it happens. Trust your grip and support."
"I expect nothing less from you, Boss." It was murmured, but Darcy was sure the other woman would hear her. She slid another clip into the magazine and got into position. Focus. Steady breathing. Aim. Inhale. A slow squeeze for the full exhale. Better, do it again. Breathe in, squeeze out. Nine more times. Press the button to pull the target in. Her head tilted, a silent inquiry in Nora's direction.
There were still multiple misses, but the groupings were better. Shots solidly in the black at chest level.
"Better. After two or three thousand rounds, you should have an idea where you're aiming." Nora said. "I'll come down next time for your first real session. For now, let's call it a day on a solid first outing."
"Thank you for taking the time, Boss." She flicked the safety back on, setting it carefully on the bench with the other options, and flashed Nora a grateful smile. "Useful to learn this from a body type similar to mine."
