It was a dark and dreary day in Abu Dhabi, when our editor walked up to our desk, put his hand on our shoulder and said ‘you should go shoot off a few rounds.’ We hung our head in despair and replied, ‘Killing dragons or taking an arrow in the knee isn’t going to mend this broken heart.’ Naturally we assumed his was an invitation to play video games with him and his wife. It wasn’t. Ode to the joys of living in a city, where one can simply head to the nearest shooting range when in need of letting off some steam.
Now we were not completely green to the ways of the gun when we visited Caracal Shooting Club at the Armed Forces Officer’s Club & Hotel. Our previous experience with a piece had been very loud, confusing and a little boring to be honest. But this one was a game changer, which was destined to leave us with a taste for the recoil.
Caracal Shooting Club was the first commercial shooting club in Abu Dhabi, and has been around since 2008. You’ll find on your very first visit that there is something of a family atmosphere between the staff who work there and the regular members. The instructors show genuine concern over a member’s progress and are quick to share stories of their student’s achievements with pride. They are also extremely passionate about their work, and keen to explain the weapon which gave the club its name.
The Caracal F is a modern semi-automatic which packs 9mm bullets and an 18 round magazine. Made in the UAE, it is aptly named after the Caracal wild cat, which is native to the region and is now considered an endangered species. The club offers a diverse range of weapons to shoot with, ‘but people mostly tend to come back to the Caracal,’ said Aswathy Joseph, who is the members and guest liaison officer at the club. ‘It’s such a good gun.’ We’re a little surprised, having assumed that all boys would have a penchant for big, scary weapons. ‘Actually the rifles are easier and safer to handle,’ she explained. ‘In fact, as per the government law, children from the age of 12 years are allowed to shoot here. But until the age of 15 they are only allowed to use .22 calibre rifles. From age 15 onwards they can shoot pistols.’ So it’s the smaller pieces that are more challenging.
Up for a challenge then, we ask for a Caracal. After a quick safety briefing we don a pair of goggles and protective earmuffs and head over to the 25m shooting range. Our instructor for the day is Kenneth, who is a very good teacher that won’t let the truth get in the way of a good lesson. If we tell you what he does, that’ll give the game away and spoil things for you, so we won’t. We will tell you though, that his methods are very effective and his feedback invaluable. This is what made our lesson at Caracal stand out from our previous shooting escapades. We were given clear explanations, one to one feedback and personalised instructions on everything from improving our posture to gripping the weapon. We were also instructed on how to load the bullets and remove/insert the magazine.
Our first shot hit the 9 mark, surprisingly close to bull’s-eye. This, Kenneth told us, was not beginners luck but stupid, ignorant confidence. Actually the words he used were different, and ‘relax’ featured heavily in his vocabulary. As the shots that followed went off in every which direction, some even missing the target, we eventually understood why. ‘Your aim is good,’ Kenneth said. ‘You just have to relax and pull the trigger slowly.’ For the next round we took heed of his advice, wielding that gun with confidence, enjoying the deafening sound and growing to enjoy the jolt of the recoil. The result was a dramatic improvement, with a cluster of bullet-holes gathered all around the 8 and 9 marks on the target. Kenneth was proud of us. We was proud of us. And we walked out of Caracal Shooting Club feeling calmer, cooler and with our target sheet held high for all to see.
Caracal Shooting Club, Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel, on Al Khaleej Al Arabi St. opposite Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (02 441 6404).
