Several months ago instagram’s “suggestions” kept putting this lady, Riflenumber13 up on my page. I ignored it for a good while until one of the suggestions was a video of her in a bikini jumping up and returning in a heavy shooting jacket with an AR15. Not many non-shooters would be in a heavy shooting coat let alone have an edited short video done in one. They are stiff, hot, heavy and just downright uncomfortable. I was intrigued as to why she would showcase one.
After perusing her page I saw that Riflenumber13 was a serious shooter as well as a woman who was proud of herself and her accomplishments. She posted photos of her shooting, photos just relaxing and even showed photos in various bathing suits; including bikinis. All of the photos were classy and portrayed her and shooting in a positive light, something that cannot be said for a lot of the internet.
Over the months I commented and had brief email conversations. More and more I realized Riflenumber13 was a good role model for new shooters, kids, and she was someone other women could relate to. We had a few more serious conversations and she agreed to do an email interview.
So who is Riflenumber13?
She is Eva Barin, the mom of a teenage son and a cat. Eva is far more than the world gets to see in her photos. She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is an avid shark tooth collector. These things, like shooting let her relax and get away from the daily grind.
Eva first shot when she was 10 years old at summer camp, shooting BB guns on paper targets. It would be 6 more years until she shot again. This time she was in high school at a private girl’s school. She heard the private boy’s school across the street had a rifle team. Actually she saw the boys carrying their cased rifles into school which piqued her curiosity. As hard as some younger readers may find it to believe, we used to do this (sadly it is a freedom lost). She went over and talked to the shop teacher who was the coach. She told him she wanted to try out. Shortly after, Eva was the first girl to shoot on the boy’s varsity team. The rifle that she was loaned was Rifle Number 13.
Apparently the shooting bug stuck with Eva, 30 years later she started shooting High Power Rifle. That was 3 years ago, in one year she was classified Expert. In a discipline with many technical aspects, nuances and specialized gear, that is quite an achievement. During her first year shooting, Eva went to Camp Perry; the pinnacle event for precision shooters. It is here she realized that, to be successful, advice was needed from someone who knows High Power Rifle’s intricacies. More importantly, get advice from someone or a group of folks who want to help you and see you succeed. Not only should you seek good advice, but seek out a coach who can teach you the fundamentals and how to improve your performance. Eva credited her success to the folks she met, her coach Steve Trent, and the group she is proud to call friends. When seeking advice, watch out for those with ulterior motives, they will ruin things for you.
Before we close, I am certain you all want to know what Eva competes with. As you might guess, it is an AR15. However it is not one you buy at your local big box outdoor store. When she needed a rifle, Coach Steve; a High Master and Distinguished Rifleman, graciously assembled a masterpiece for her. The rifle was built using a White Oak Armament Upper Receiver, Shilen Rifles Barrel, Geisele Hi-Speed National Match Trigger (2 stage), Spikes Tactical Lower Receiver, Magpul UBR Gen 1 Adjustable Stock and the most recent addition a Nightforce Optics SR1 4X scope to replace her iron sights. She tells me this rifle is a proverbial tack driver. If her primary rifle has issues, it is backed up by a Rock River AR15-A2.
Eva does not limit her shooting to High Power Rifle. If she wants to save money, Eva owns several 22s. When we first started this project, Eva had a left handed Benelli Montefeltro on order. It has since arrived and she has had a blast shooting it. When given a chance she likes to shoot handguns as well. She recently added a Ruger Mk IV and wants to add a Smith & Wesson M&P9 to her collection.
I am proud to know Eva and to have her share her shooting advice and ventures with us. Hopefully this will help other ladies and for that matter guys to take a risk and shoot “out of their comfort zone”. You should peruse Riflenumber13’s facebook and instagram pages you will see, Eva embodies my usual closing; shoot safe, shoot accurate, and have FUN.
Photos by Eva Barin
