bob the goat
04-14-2009, 01:49 PM
I thought I would share a great experience with you.
I grew up in a family of shooters. My wife did not. Her family was not anti-gun, just did not own any. We got married about a year and a half ago. We had talked about guns a few times before that. She knew I had a shotgun and a 22 rifle, but had never seen them.
When she started spending every weekend with me I showed her where I kept the shotgun and how to operate it, because I keep it loaded for home defense and wanted her to know that she was safe. Her response was “If I ever feel threatened and you are not here, you may come home to find a bunch of full shells on the ground. I’m pretty sure the sound of a pumping shotgun will scare the bad guy out of the apartment, but I don’t know if I would be able to shoot at someone.”
The next spring it got warmer and my trigger finger was getting itchy, so I called up my dad and planned a trip to the range. It would be her first time firing a gun. We go to Family Shooters Corral in Eaton Rapids. I like that place. Any range from point blank, 25yds, 50, 100, 200, and 300 yard backstops.
The week before I started with safety. I went over and over the rules and their importance. I went over some terminology. I discussed what “cease fire” meant, and what to do and not do. I gave her some basic ballistics (we played catch, and I showed her that a lob had to go higher to get to the same target as a fastball). She was ready.
When we got there we went over safety again. My dad brought his 22 (10-22), two pistols (his large frame revolver and his carry J-frame), and his Savage 22-250 for some longer range fun. I brought my 22 (Remington nylon 66). I showed her how to load and unload everything. We started with the 22’s. I started her on dad’s 10-22 which has peep sights on it. We started at 15 yards just to get her used to the mechanics of shooting.
The first shot went off and she looked at me and smiled a smile that told me she had powder in her veins. I knew she was hooked after that first shot.
We moved out to 25 yards. I had put about 30 clay pigeons out on the hill of the backstop. I started her shooting at those. I played spotter telling her where she was hitting until she started hitting them. She giggled every time she broke one. I sat down and started loading my rifle. My the time I got it out of the case and loaded she had broken all 30 of the pigeons and was grinning ear to ear.
I finished loading my 22 and handed it to her. It has a cheap little 2-4X scope on it. I showed her how to look thru the scope. She popped off all 12 rounds at the paper target at 25 yards and held about a 1” group. She was grinning, and I was giddy.
We took her over to the pistol part of the range. There was another guy there. He was laughing at how excited she was. When he found out that it was her first time at the range, he offered to let her shoot his pistol. He had some kind of auto in 45. I really didn’t want that high powered of a pistol to be her first shot, but could not turn down the kindness. She shot out the mag and said that she liked it, but it hurt her hands.
I brought her over and brought out the first pistol of my dads. It is my grandfathers old police service revolver. It is a S&W .357 with about a 6” barrel. It is heavy, but it is a tack driver. I put 38 specials in it and took her to the line. I showed her how to shoot double action, and the modified weaver stance After the first shot she said “oohh…I like this. We should get one of these.” She shot the other five shots. She held a palm sized group at 20 feet.
We let her shoot my dad’s carry gun, a small j-frame. I was proud when she said “I liked the bigger one more, it didn’t hurt as much to shoot. That’s because it’s heaver right?”
She stood there and shot nearly 100 rounds thru the bigger pistol.
I finally dragged her down to the long range. I had set up some paper targets at 100 yards, and some clay pigeons at 100 yards for her, and at 200 and 300 yards for me.
I walked her thru loading the rifle, how to operate the bolt, and how to adjust the scope for wind. I had already shot and adjusted for the slight cross wind, so at 100 yards it was dead on. We talked for a bit, then I told her to go for the clay pigeons. I showed her how to find the clay, then increase the scope magnification. She did. She shot. She bubbled up and down “I hit it! I hit it!”
Me: umm, nope, but that was a good try.
Her: I did too hit it, look, you can see two pieces still sitting there.
Me: Honey, I put out 9 clays on the backstop. 3 rows of 3. there are still 9 there.
Her: No, I broke one. The one on the top left.
Me: Let me see.
I looked thru the scope to make sure that I was not seeing two pieces as one. Sure enough the top left one was still intact.
Me: Nope, the one on the top left is still in one piece. Try again.
She shot a second shot. “HA I broke the top middle one now.”
Me: nope, I didn’t even see dirt fly, I don’t know where your shot went, but that clay is still in one piece.
Her: NO! I broke it. It crumbled into a million pieces.
Me: hun, I can see it thru this spotting scope, I can still read the text on it, it is in one piece.
She got up and looked thru the spotting scope and said. “no, not those ones, the ones on the left.
I put my hand to my forehead. She had not been shooting at the clays at 100 yards like I set her up to do, she shot at the ones at 200 yards and broke 2 out of 2.
I have never been more proud.
She is already pestering me to get out this spring.
I grew up in a family of shooters. My wife did not. Her family was not anti-gun, just did not own any. We got married about a year and a half ago. We had talked about guns a few times before that. She knew I had a shotgun and a 22 rifle, but had never seen them.
When she started spending every weekend with me I showed her where I kept the shotgun and how to operate it, because I keep it loaded for home defense and wanted her to know that she was safe. Her response was “If I ever feel threatened and you are not here, you may come home to find a bunch of full shells on the ground. I’m pretty sure the sound of a pumping shotgun will scare the bad guy out of the apartment, but I don’t know if I would be able to shoot at someone.”
The next spring it got warmer and my trigger finger was getting itchy, so I called up my dad and planned a trip to the range. It would be her first time firing a gun. We go to Family Shooters Corral in Eaton Rapids. I like that place. Any range from point blank, 25yds, 50, 100, 200, and 300 yard backstops.
The week before I started with safety. I went over and over the rules and their importance. I went over some terminology. I discussed what “cease fire” meant, and what to do and not do. I gave her some basic ballistics (we played catch, and I showed her that a lob had to go higher to get to the same target as a fastball). She was ready.
When we got there we went over safety again. My dad brought his 22 (10-22), two pistols (his large frame revolver and his carry J-frame), and his Savage 22-250 for some longer range fun. I brought my 22 (Remington nylon 66). I showed her how to load and unload everything. We started with the 22’s. I started her on dad’s 10-22 which has peep sights on it. We started at 15 yards just to get her used to the mechanics of shooting.
The first shot went off and she looked at me and smiled a smile that told me she had powder in her veins. I knew she was hooked after that first shot.
We moved out to 25 yards. I had put about 30 clay pigeons out on the hill of the backstop. I started her shooting at those. I played spotter telling her where she was hitting until she started hitting them. She giggled every time she broke one. I sat down and started loading my rifle. My the time I got it out of the case and loaded she had broken all 30 of the pigeons and was grinning ear to ear.
I finished loading my 22 and handed it to her. It has a cheap little 2-4X scope on it. I showed her how to look thru the scope. She popped off all 12 rounds at the paper target at 25 yards and held about a 1” group. She was grinning, and I was giddy.
We took her over to the pistol part of the range. There was another guy there. He was laughing at how excited she was. When he found out that it was her first time at the range, he offered to let her shoot his pistol. He had some kind of auto in 45. I really didn’t want that high powered of a pistol to be her first shot, but could not turn down the kindness. She shot out the mag and said that she liked it, but it hurt her hands.
I brought her over and brought out the first pistol of my dads. It is my grandfathers old police service revolver. It is a S&W .357 with about a 6” barrel. It is heavy, but it is a tack driver. I put 38 specials in it and took her to the line. I showed her how to shoot double action, and the modified weaver stance After the first shot she said “oohh…I like this. We should get one of these.” She shot the other five shots. She held a palm sized group at 20 feet.
We let her shoot my dad’s carry gun, a small j-frame. I was proud when she said “I liked the bigger one more, it didn’t hurt as much to shoot. That’s because it’s heaver right?”
She stood there and shot nearly 100 rounds thru the bigger pistol.
I finally dragged her down to the long range. I had set up some paper targets at 100 yards, and some clay pigeons at 100 yards for her, and at 200 and 300 yards for me.
I walked her thru loading the rifle, how to operate the bolt, and how to adjust the scope for wind. I had already shot and adjusted for the slight cross wind, so at 100 yards it was dead on. We talked for a bit, then I told her to go for the clay pigeons. I showed her how to find the clay, then increase the scope magnification. She did. She shot. She bubbled up and down “I hit it! I hit it!”
Me: umm, nope, but that was a good try.
Her: I did too hit it, look, you can see two pieces still sitting there.
Me: Honey, I put out 9 clays on the backstop. 3 rows of 3. there are still 9 there.
Her: No, I broke one. The one on the top left.
Me: Let me see.
I looked thru the scope to make sure that I was not seeing two pieces as one. Sure enough the top left one was still intact.
Me: Nope, the one on the top left is still in one piece. Try again.
She shot a second shot. “HA I broke the top middle one now.”
Me: nope, I didn’t even see dirt fly, I don’t know where your shot went, but that clay is still in one piece.
Her: NO! I broke it. It crumbled into a million pieces.
Me: hun, I can see it thru this spotting scope, I can still read the text on it, it is in one piece.
She got up and looked thru the spotting scope and said. “no, not those ones, the ones on the left.
I put my hand to my forehead. She had not been shooting at the clays at 100 yards like I set her up to do, she shot at the ones at 200 yards and broke 2 out of 2.
I have never been more proud.
She is already pestering me to get out this spring.