Shooting range session in Prague (Czech Republic)
I didn’t have to totally finish growing up: playing with guns amuses me
The first time I had the opportunity to use a firearm was in Vietnam, during our visit to the Cu Chi tunnels. There it was downright Disney Land: you buy M16 or AK47 bullets in the souvenir store between the postcard stand and the “I love Vietnam” T-shirts
No security briefing, we give our bullets to an instructor who loads the weapon, gives it to us and indicates a distant target to aim at
It lasts 5 minutes, it’s quite exhilarating when it’s the first time a live-fire shot but it’s also frustrating, no way to know if you’ve hit the target (a priori no)
After that, I had the opportunity to do some shooting sessions in France (shooting range at Porte de la Chapelle in Paris). There, the practice is much more supervised. We are there to practice a sport (we talk about sport shooting) and not to make the big guns. The weapons are quite “basic” (pistols and revolvers). We are taught to load our weapon ourselves, to take our time, to aim well, … Targets with human representation are prohibited
The countries of the former Soviet bloc seem to be a paradise for those who want to play with guns. Shooting sessions were offered in Krakow where we were last month, it is also the case in Prague
There are several shooting ranges around Prague, I contacted several of them, strangely only one answered me
So it’s through the OutBackPrague website that I came by. You can choose between several packs that cost between 65 and 130 €. The higher the price, the more different weapons you will use
Even if it’s just for fun, I choose the “best of the best” pack which allows me to experiment 10 different weapons and to fire 80 bullets
Here is the impressive list of weapons
- Kalashnikov AK47
- Shotgun
- CZ Skorpion 61 S
- Glock 17
- M16
- Scorpion evo 3
- Smith & Wesson 357 magnum
- Heckler & Koch .45
- DSA SA58 (with laser sight)
- Dragunov Sniper SVD
Transportation is included in the price, so it’s at 10am that a mini van comes to pick me up, filled with a group of French people in the middle of a bachelor party 🙂
It takes about 20 minutes drive to get to the shooting range which as often is an old parking lot. The place is also used for police and special forces training
You can find the site of the shooting range here: http: //www.streleckyservis.cz/. The rates are the same as when you go through the agency (which also offers transport)
We are taken care of by an instructor who will give us a (very small) safety briefing. We put on a helmet, safety glasses and off we go
We’re clearly here for fun, not to learn how to use a weapon. We’re here to do the tricks, shooting accuracy isn’t the priority. It’s the instructor who loads the weapon, gives it to us and off we go
Contrary to what I have known in France, the target has a human representation. I’m a little ashamed but it’s more fun than a classic round target
It makes a noise, the ground is shaking. Having already a little bit of experience, it’s especially the shotgun that impresses me: the recoil is very impressive and dismantles the shoulder
It’s not a precision contest so it’s pretty fast, it takes me about 15 minutes to finish the session
It is only at the end that the instructor brings the target back to me and I discover the result, not too bad for the context
Once everyone has passed by, the instructor secures the weapons so that everyone can take pictures and selfies so they can play the kaid on Facebook
After a few minutes of photos, the instructors offer us a drink while waiting for the driver to bring us back
If you want a fun experience, I recommend this well organized and easy to contact agency. If you really want to learn how to use guns and do precision shooting, pass your way
