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University of Tennessee Sustainable Technology through Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (STAIR) PhD Program |
Keffer Research Group at the Shooting Range
Norris, TN, July 18, 2013
 The range is located out in the woods in Norris State Park, accessible only by a narrow gravel road. The range was empty when we arrived. Shooting here is a relaxing experience.  We began in the pistol range at a distance of 10 yards.  Nethika Suraweera (PhD, Chemical Engineering, Dec. 2013) tries her hand with a Ruger .22 pistol. This was her first interaction with a gun. The .22 pistol is a fun, target practice gun.  Qianping He (PhD, Chemical Engineering, Dec. 2013) also shot the Ruger.  Marshall McDonnel (PhD, Chemical Engineering, 2015), who served two tours in Iraq in the US Army, decided to start with the Glock 9mm.  Dr. Orlando Rios also started with the Glock.  Nick McNutt (PhD, Chemical Engineering, 2016) opted for the Ruger, which is the most accurate of the handguns that I brought.  Intent on improving her score, Qianping shot the Ruger several times.  Nick made his way to the Glock.  Orlando shot the Ruger.  Qianping also was pretty accurate with the Glock.  Orlando was the first to shoot the Smith & Wesson .38 revolver.  The shooting competition was friendly.  Nick shot the Smith & Wesson too. (I think everybody had a chance to shoot all three of the handguns I brought.)  Nethika shot the .38 and then we moved over to the rifle range.  I brought a .22 bolt action rifle with a very modest scope. At a distance of fifty yards, we shot targets and empty shotgun shells that we picked up off the ground.  Nethika concentrated so much she would forget to reload the chamber.  The scope is for helping the shooter identify where they hit the target.  The surrounding forest is quiet, punctuated by the report of the rifle.  I think everybody that tried was able to knock down shotgun shells at fifty yards, which is a satisfying feeling.  We shot most of our ammunition.  We stayed about three hours or so, which was pretty good considering it was about 90 degrees and Tennessee humid.  We had a great time.  You are looking at the bright future of multiscale materials modelers! |