When Small Distances Really Matter

The events of the past week have brought home the fact that even the smallest units of measurement make a gigantic difference when magnified by life. Had Donald Trump not turned his head ever so slightly at the precise instant he did during his Pennsylvania speech on Saturday, the nation would have found itself in a considerably different situation. But he did.

A tragedy still happened. One innocent bystander was killed. Two others were seriously injured. But a nationwide catastrophe was likely avoided.

Now, politicians conducting a presidential campaign only the most optimistic would dare describe as “rancorous” before Saturday are running from their words and telling their followers it’s time to dial down the discourse.

I’ve been told that tonight’s RNC speech by the former President will be a call to unity, not an assault on his opponents. To me, that’s testimony that a close call with eternity can modify one’s earthly perspective. And further evidence that his constant demonization by political opponents might not be woven out of whole cloth. He’s certainly not your average politician, but that’s never been why he’s resonated with voters.

The average voter has already seen more than enough discord and dysfunction. We’d all like to see some results and feel some relief. And, yes, rational people do realize that whatever an election’s result, no single candidate’s election will “end democracy.”

Unfortunately, the rational don’t create most problems. It’s the irrational. The disenfranchised. The desperate. And, unfortunately, the angry looking for an excuse to drop a thin veneer of civility and do something that moves them from anger to insanity.

For them, the constant cry of “WOLF” is excuse enough do things they might only otherwise dream about doing.

When the shooting happened, I was in Barneveld, Wisconsin, at the headquarters of Vortex Optics. The occasion was a long-distance shooting event organized by the MidwayUSA Foundation and their sponsors.

As we scoured our phones, feeds, and the web for details on the attempt on Trump, it wasn’t lost on us as shooters that it wouldn’t take long for some to start blaming us — as in gun owners in general — for the actions of someone likely influenced by their hysterical rhetoric. As another attendee had observed just hours before, voters were encouraged to get past the debate and “put the bullseye” on Trump. In hindsight, it was either another cosmically poor choice of words or a mobilization call to the crazies.

But there we were.

When my phone pinged with the message “He’s OK,” it was a terrific relief. Not just for the political process, for the potential fallout from the assassination of an already polarizing figure. Being old enough to remember the turbulence of the 1960s, it’s not something I’d like to see happen again. Today, the outcomes would likely be entirely different..

That near miss brought home how minuscule measurements and small movements influence life and shooting results…even at the relatively close distance Saturday between the former president and the shooter.

Touring the Vortex facilities we saw time and again just now small the measurements involved in precision manufacturing (and shooting) really are. When shooting at long distances, it seems the new standard for minimal performance is now 1,000 yards. Despite what you might see on TV or in movies, that’s a very long distance.

We don’t realize the equipment that enables accuracy at those extreme shots relies on precision that’s just the opposite. Unlike federal deficits and long range shooting, they’re almost too small to comprehend.

Take the micron, a unit of measurement the equivalent of a millionth of a meter. That’s 1/70th the width of a human hair, 1/500th of the size of a grain of salt, or 1/1000th the thickness of a paper clip. That’s the standard to which optics components are designed. Manufacturing to that level of exactness is essential to build optics that enable average shooters to minimize their inabilities and hit long-range targets.

What does all that exactitude add up to? Bolt guns and over-the-counter optics that are capable of making 1,000-yard plus shots with relative ease.

The knowledge to correctly dial in scope adjustments for the distance and ballistic characteristics of the chosen round is where the art and science converge. Fortunately, Vortex Edge instructors were on hand to do the hard part. They calculated holds, we dialed them into our riflescopes and the precision instruments from Ruger, Vortex and Silencer Central (Banish 30 suppressors) did their work.

Everyone made at least one hit at 1,000 yards and picked up their challenge coin.

More on the science and technology we picked up at the event later. Today, just random thoughts as to how we were able to make multiple hits at long distances and still be thankful for a near-miss fired at considerably closer range.

Life, like shooting, is sometimes best measured and most appreciated in small increments.

We’ll keep you posted.