11-21-2025, 11:27 AM
Standard disclaimer: This thread is not intended to be an endorsement of the use or ownership of firearms. I'm not about to mount a shotgun holder to my CB1100.
So, back in May, the Orange County CA Distinguished Gentleman's Ride ended at a location in the city of Westminster called "Hotrods and Handguns". I was curious. Other than training in the service and a few casual times since (our my honeymoon, in fact), I had never really given much thought to the use or ownership of a firearm. Hot Rods and Handguns turned out to be an ideal location for the DGR ride gathering. It's a private shooting club that is also an event venue. On one side of the street is a large building housing the owner's private museum of muscle cars and dozens of vintage Triumph motorcycles, with a bar, food service area and dining section. Outside is a large lot that was used by the DGR sponsors and organizers. A great place.
On the other side of the street is the shooting club, and the staff was offering tours to the DGR riders. Taking the tour, one got the impression that if Ernst Stavro Blofeld owned a private shooting club, this would be it. Upon entering the lobby, you are greeted by a waterfall with steel and brass surroundings. As you pass through the meandering property, you come upon the "1911 Room" featuring a vast collection of collector-grade pistols, a luxury shooting supply store, a courtyard smattered with motorcycles and hot rods, a two-story firing range, and a restaurant. Heading upstairs, you come upon another private restaurant, the billiard room, cigar lounge, whiskey room and a few conference and meeting rooms.
It is opulent to say the least. After the tour, we were given a one-day pass to come back and take a closer look at the club. Mrs. G and I went recently, and she asked more questions than I did. Her main question was:
"Who would be your main customer base here?"
"People who don't golf, mam."
We were shown the price list to join the club after our tour. Eye-watering to say the least. It was a nice place to visit. Walking past the Range Rovers and BMWs in the parking lot on the way to our Honda, Mrs. G and I talked about firearms in general, and she mentioned, without endorsing, "You know, I can see you enjoying something like that, being a mechanical object that demands respect and care."
A few days later, I met up with a good friend for dinner. I pulled up on my Triumph as he stood outside the restaurant. He is incredibly inquisitive about everything, and my motorcycle guided much of our dinner conversation.
"What would you say gives you the most joy when riding?" he asked.
Thinking for a bit, my answer was "Ya know, I know I must have some kind of adult ADD. My mind goes all over the place, but when I'm riding, my mind is focused on one thing. Particularly when I'm lane-splitting in traffic, I feel a sense of laser-focus that nothing else gives me. I really enjoy that feeling."
He mulled a bit and said "You know, you should join me at the firing range on Sunday. I'll bring the pistols and ammo, you pay for the range time, we'll see what you think."
I did, and very interestingly, I felt that same level of focus. Everything narrowed down to my eyeball sighting down the length of the pistol at a target. I was drowning out the distraction of other guns being fired in the neighboring lanes (yes, I was wearing hearing protection). It was as if I was sighting down the opening between lanes while splitting gridlocked traffic. Everything else rolling around my brain... my job, whatever else I needed to do later that day, just melted away for that brief time.
We had lunch afterwards, and my friend and I discussed our experience. He gazed at my CB1100 gleaming in the parking lot.
"I imagine that motorcycle requires a lot of care, and you obviously treat it well. I imagine you'd give the same level of care to a pistol." He didn't give any statement of "You need to go get one right now!", but he knows how I think.
Needless to say, I've done some shopping, and now have something that needs care and respect, but that I can take to my local range and get that laser-focus. My riding has changed with my job change, and I'm not riding in traffic every day. I try to find time to ride whenever I can, but that built-in brain exercise went away, and this new hobby puts some of it back. I didn't join the Blofeld club.... I joined a club near my house that is much more austere, but hey, I don't smoke many cigars anyway and my whiskey lounge is my living room.
So, back in May, the Orange County CA Distinguished Gentleman's Ride ended at a location in the city of Westminster called "Hotrods and Handguns". I was curious. Other than training in the service and a few casual times since (our my honeymoon, in fact), I had never really given much thought to the use or ownership of a firearm. Hot Rods and Handguns turned out to be an ideal location for the DGR ride gathering. It's a private shooting club that is also an event venue. On one side of the street is a large building housing the owner's private museum of muscle cars and dozens of vintage Triumph motorcycles, with a bar, food service area and dining section. Outside is a large lot that was used by the DGR sponsors and organizers. A great place.
On the other side of the street is the shooting club, and the staff was offering tours to the DGR riders. Taking the tour, one got the impression that if Ernst Stavro Blofeld owned a private shooting club, this would be it. Upon entering the lobby, you are greeted by a waterfall with steel and brass surroundings. As you pass through the meandering property, you come upon the "1911 Room" featuring a vast collection of collector-grade pistols, a luxury shooting supply store, a courtyard smattered with motorcycles and hot rods, a two-story firing range, and a restaurant. Heading upstairs, you come upon another private restaurant, the billiard room, cigar lounge, whiskey room and a few conference and meeting rooms.
It is opulent to say the least. After the tour, we were given a one-day pass to come back and take a closer look at the club. Mrs. G and I went recently, and she asked more questions than I did. Her main question was:
"Who would be your main customer base here?"
"People who don't golf, mam."
We were shown the price list to join the club after our tour. Eye-watering to say the least. It was a nice place to visit. Walking past the Range Rovers and BMWs in the parking lot on the way to our Honda, Mrs. G and I talked about firearms in general, and she mentioned, without endorsing, "You know, I can see you enjoying something like that, being a mechanical object that demands respect and care."
A few days later, I met up with a good friend for dinner. I pulled up on my Triumph as he stood outside the restaurant. He is incredibly inquisitive about everything, and my motorcycle guided much of our dinner conversation.
"What would you say gives you the most joy when riding?" he asked.
Thinking for a bit, my answer was "Ya know, I know I must have some kind of adult ADD. My mind goes all over the place, but when I'm riding, my mind is focused on one thing. Particularly when I'm lane-splitting in traffic, I feel a sense of laser-focus that nothing else gives me. I really enjoy that feeling."
He mulled a bit and said "You know, you should join me at the firing range on Sunday. I'll bring the pistols and ammo, you pay for the range time, we'll see what you think."
I did, and very interestingly, I felt that same level of focus. Everything narrowed down to my eyeball sighting down the length of the pistol at a target. I was drowning out the distraction of other guns being fired in the neighboring lanes (yes, I was wearing hearing protection). It was as if I was sighting down the opening between lanes while splitting gridlocked traffic. Everything else rolling around my brain... my job, whatever else I needed to do later that day, just melted away for that brief time.
We had lunch afterwards, and my friend and I discussed our experience. He gazed at my CB1100 gleaming in the parking lot.
"I imagine that motorcycle requires a lot of care, and you obviously treat it well. I imagine you'd give the same level of care to a pistol." He didn't give any statement of "You need to go get one right now!", but he knows how I think.
Needless to say, I've done some shopping, and now have something that needs care and respect, but that I can take to my local range and get that laser-focus. My riding has changed with my job change, and I'm not riding in traffic every day. I try to find time to ride whenever I can, but that built-in brain exercise went away, and this new hobby puts some of it back. I didn't join the Blofeld club.... I joined a club near my house that is much more austere, but hey, I don't smoke many cigars anyway and my whiskey lounge is my living room.
You know what? I actually would like a pickle.
