Warout Lau is a piano tuner. But he doesn’t play the piano nor is he mesmerized by its crisp sounds. He is fascinated by the sound of something else, the gun.
In 2003 Warout got hooked on practical shooting. This kind of air gun shooting activity requires you to accurately shoot all the targets in a simulated scenario in the shortest possible time. The gun holds a certain magic for Warout who loves machines. “From the first shot to the second and third shot, how fluidly and accurately they are executed is what fascinates me.”
Warout is interested in how machines work. He started taking toy guns apart to study them when he was young. Later, with the support of his father, he started a shop after secondary school to repair and modify air guns. After 3 years his business went downhill. To make a living he decided to learn to be a piano tuner at a music store. He eventually took up work as a piano tuner.
He has been working as one for over 20 years. He feels the gun and the piano have something in common. “How to make them work fluidly is my main area of work. With the piano you don’t just hit a key to make a sound. It’s important to make sure it works normally when you continue to play. It’s the same with guns. Once the bullet
is fired you let go to allow all the parts return to their original place so that the second shot can be fired.”
Warout loves practical shooting but he has not been able to make it his career. His dream is to promote this activity so it will be recognised as a sport. This is the only way shooters can become professional athletes or instructors.
人稱「蝸牛」的劉璟林，是一位鋼琴調音師，但他不懂彈琴，亦沒有被清脆的琴音迷倒；能夠令他著迷的，是另一種聲音──槍聲。
蝸牛2003年開始迷上實用射擊，這種氣槍射擊活動，是要用最短時間，準確地完成模擬場景內的槍靶。熱愛機械的蝸牛笑言，槍對他來說有一種魔力：「由開第一槍到第二、第三發子彈射出，如何流暢及準確地進行，最令我著迷。」
蝸牛對機械操作很有興趣，年紀輕輕已經將玩具槍拆開研究，後來更加得到爸爸的支持，中學畢業後就開了一間專替人修理及改裝氣槍的店舖。開店兩三年後，生意開始走下坡，為了生計，他走去琴行當調音學徒，最後更轉行當鋼琴調音師。
調音師這行業，一做二十多年，對他來說，鋼琴與槍有共通點：「我的工作範疇是令這些機械運作暢順，彈鋼琴時，並非只是打一下琴鍵，而是連續幾下都操作正常；槍亦一樣，子彈發射後，放開手，零件返回原位，再打第二發子彈。」
蝸牛鍾情實用射擊，但這活動卻未能成為他的職業，他的夢想是推廣這項活動，令實用射擊成為體壇認可的運動，射手可以成為職業運動員或教練。
