How Did You Learn to Shoot?

[4runnerman]

Wow.so many years to look back Started with a sling shot(home made back then). Jumped to a Red Ryder BB gun(remember those could put 750 BB's in them at once). Finally got a pellet gun,then a 22 then numerious shotguns. Then finally moved up to rifles and been shooting since. so pretty much tought myself over years of doing it. What a walk down memory lane. Thanks for the post

 

[C0untZer0]

My dad wasn't a hunter but he enjoyed the art of shooting, the way some people are perfectionists about bowling or throwing darts, or curling, my dad was that way about shooting. While we shot air rifle and air pistol he told me stories about the M1 Garand and how MacArthur could have won the war if the politicians had let him do what had to be done...

When I got to my permanant duty station I was fortunate that my platoon sgt did a lot of shooting. It wasn't a far stretch to take what my dad had taught me on the air pistol and apply it to large bore. I would practice on weekends with my H&K P7M8 and my Plt Sgt's 686.

A lot of the unit training is left up to the Plt Sgt and he started scheduling a lot of time for us on the .45 and M16 ranges. It was a lot of fun firing those M1911s they were horrible. I know that I was doing everything right - from shooting the 686 and my H&K - but on the 45 range the rounds would land 6" apart. But it was fun anyway.

Probably the biggest thing though was getting to be freinds with the head of the marksmanship training unit. He was a cantankerous guy to most of the units that came through the range, part of it was that he was always shouting. But once you got to know him he was a really nice guy. I found out he was almost deaf, you wouldn't know it because he usualy just got in front of the soldiers and barked out the instructions and everything - and if anyone had a question, he'd make them shout it out, it was like being back in basic. People thought he was being a hard ass but really - he couldn't hear. He was just hanging on for his last few years to get 20 in. He had a standing bet to anyone who complained about their rifle that he could score expert using their rifle. In a sense he cheated, I know there were rifles that had problems and needed to go back to the armorer, but he was such a good shot and knew so many tricks he could use windage and whatever to hit the targets. I'm sure it baffled the guys who thought there was something wrong with their rifle. He taught me a lot about how to use a sling, taught me tricks about exactly how to position my body in the prone, and even tricks on firing from the foxhole.

We signed up for every shooting match there was and that really got me a lot of range time also, with the. And all of this was completely on the Army's dime. They supplied EVERYTHING, weapons, the ammo, the range, transportation (Duece & a half). I got a little spoiled, I still chafe at having to pay range fees.


One of the funnest matches was the commander's cup match where we had to run 2 miles in gear and then step up to the line as a team. It's so hard to control your breathing - it's an experience trying to calm your breathing and control it.

 

[NickySantoro]

How Did You Learn to Shoot?

Army, 1968.
Turned out to be a useful skill almost immediately.

 

[Eghad]

Where have you been soldier?
Training, sir.
Training, sir.
What kind of training?
Army training, sir.
Army training, sir.

 

[BarryLee]

Father, Grandfather, Boy Scouts, NRA...

 

[BarryLee]

BTW, do they do much of this anymore? Just curious.

The Boy Scout camp near us still has a range and they shoot a lot of .22s each summer. When I was young they had NRA certified instructors, but not sure who handles the actual training now. Just a side note they also do archery training.

 

[Steel Talon]

Grandfather and father. Started at age 5 with BB gun and progressed from there.Killed my first Elk by age 11 By the time I turned 18 I had taken Elk Antelope Mule Deer Coues Whitetail, Mountain Lion, Bear and Turkeys . Plus countless small game.

Then Uncle Sam continued my education in small arms After the Army. I went on the job and became a certified firearms instructor and ultimately got involved in competitive shooting.

 

[austinjking]

Started with a Red Ryder, mostly self-taught. Parent's were around to ensure safety, but for shooting fundamentals, I had to go off the Daisy manual and practice practice practice.
Got to Scout Camp a few years later and the first merit badge I went for was Rifle shooting. Spent more time on that badge than any other by far, by the time I qualified, I was in the 'dime club', 5 shots at 50 yards in a dime. Shotgun Shooting was next year, did well there too.
Parents signed my brother and I up for a handgun class when I was fourteen or fifteen, it was an indoor range, pistol only. It was the closest one to the house, and my parents got into shooting soon after, so the family would go to Bulls Eye in Tacoma once or twice a month. I've put much more time on handguns than rifles, but I've been catching up in the military.
Kept up with handguns through most of my teen years until I got a job and could start buying my own guns. Found a rifle range about an hour from the house and after six months of savings, got an M1A standard. Wasn't the first center-fire long gun I had shot, but it was in a long time and definitely the largest caliber. 308 isn't bad though and soon there after a WASR-10 joined my growing collection.
My real rifle marksmanship training (as in, not on the bench) came in boot camp and subsequent Marine Combat Training. That training revolves around the M16, but I still apply the necessary fundamentals to my other guns. I came home on leave actually knowing how to use those iron sights on the M1A, so that rifle is shooting a lot straighter now.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I have no idea. It was long before I can remember.

 

[TailGator]

My dad taught me to shoot, with a .22 bolt rifle, on his brother's farm. Target was an old tin can on a stick. I was seven or eight. I will be inheriting that rifle pretty soon, I am afraid. My uncle has been gone a few years, and my dad is not too well these days.

 

[Drummer101]

Bought myself and airsoft pistol in middle school. Plinked in the back yard at pop cans from 10-15 yards.

Pellet gun at 15ish went to the back yard and plinked some more until it was illegal were I live, learned that I have to shoot lefty from eye dominance.

Traded the pellet gun for a 22lr and went with some friends a few times a year to plink.

Now am trying to do more clays while at college. (hoping at least every other week... not that much )

Parents had nothing to do with it and discouraged it.

 

[Single Six]

Primarily, with a Daisy BB pistol, the ubiquitous Model 188. It barely had enough power to penetrate a sheet of cardboard, but I shot it virtually every day from about age 14 to age 21. I got to the point of being able to knock bumblebees out of the air with it. My perusing every copy of Guns & Ammo that I could get my hands on didn't hurt, either. Still, it was my daily use of the 188 that taught me basic marksmanship, and also enabled me to out-shoot my firearms instructors in Basic Law Enforcement Training. I still have that gun, and even though it's nearly 30 years old, it still works just fine.

 

[TheGoldenState]

Growing up dad was a PD Detective. Guns were always everywhere, so I learned to not be inquisitive at a young age. My shooting days began at about 6yo.

 

[Ltriker]

My youth was split between city and farm, weekends and summers were on the farm, rest in mid size town(100,000 pop) for school, then a job.

Dad taught how to shoot, hunt, and fish while teaching us to farm.


I still shoot as often as possible, hunt some, and take the grandkids shooting as often as possible.

 

[Tachi]

Grandfather taught me on the family farm.
Age 4: BB gun.
Age 6: .22 and tincans, then 22-250 and prarie dogs, then 20ga and clay pigeons.

What I remember most is the close up examination of what happened to the prarie dog with a vivid elucidation of effects on a human. The next day I accidentally swung a loaded shotgun across him. He punched me and caught the shotgun as I fell. I've never forgotten gun safety since.

I've had quite a bit of formal training since, but those formative years started it all.

 

[Scouse]

I learned whilst visiting Tennessee (from the UK). An old tube fed .22 semi, which was a joy to shoot, a tiny Henry youth model .22, Walther P22, Glock 17L, Sig p229 .40, S&W j frame .38 with laser grips and finally one of the carry size Kimbers in .45 ACP.

I discovered I instinctively like rifles, and love 1911's. The Kimber was frankly awesome, the single action trigger, great ergonomics and that brilliant pushy but manageable .45 recoil made it my favourite hands down. Hardly surprising really considering the cost of the things!

Since coming back home I have joined my uni rifle team and taken up clay pigeon shooting. I also got the chance to go to an NRA open day this year at Bisley to shoot a variety of centre fire rifles/shotguns/black powder handguns, which was amazing. Spent most of the day shooting Lee Enfields 'til I was out of money and my shoulder was jelly!

These experiences have convinced me that shooting is the hobby for me; I would love to own a Lee Enfield (pre-1915 MKIII to hang on the wall and a good No.4 to shoot preferably!) and a good government model 1911. My friends in TN have promised to take me deer hunting next time I am there too!

 

[gstone]

Learned to shoot

I started with a Red Ryder BB gun when I was about 8-9 years old. Went to the woods with friends who also had BB guns and learned basic marksmanship there.

Shot my uncles pump .22 rifle on his ranch in West Texas after my Dad went over the nomenclature with me. Shot a lot of jack rabbits in the watermelon patch and bull frogs in the stock tanks.

Bought my first rifle from my boss who owned a grocery story across the street where I lived. I worked there during the summer when I was about 13 years old. It was a .22 semi-automatic that he fired out the back door of the store to show me how it worked. Went hunting in the woods not far from my house with a friend who had a single shot Stevens .22.

Joined the Marines in ’59 and qualified expert with the M1 Garand and the Colt .45. Also fired the BAR, 30 cal. machinegun, .50 cal. machinegun, 3.2 rocket launcher and others.

Bought my first handgun (Hi Standard .22 revolver) while in the Corps. Was stationed on a US Naval Ammunition base as a Marine guard and got to shoot a lot of ammo at no charge.

Now I own many handguns, rifles and shotguns and enjoy going to the range with friends and family and out in the field during bird and deer season.

 

[WANT A LCR 22LR]

Mid teens I came across a BB rifle, shot that a bit behind the garage 'till Mom found out, gun went away.

My Uncle was a avid camper / hunter but the subject of guns never came up.

It wasn't until a year or so ago and in my mid 40's that I got to shooting real guns. ( The need for PD arose ) I knew most of the mechanics of how a revolver worked and was given some shooting lessons by my then lady friend. Ran through 1000 + rounds a month ( mostly in a LCR ) for 5 months getting up to speed, haven't shot at all in the past few months.

I found the so called " hired expert " that trained said lady friend wasn't the be all to end all. They put her 97 Lb 5 ft 2 in frame into a SW 340 PD, needless to say the recoil was just too much and the gun went away once we started comparing notes.

And yes, I'd like to see a LCR 22LR as a trainer for new PD shooters. Low recoil, cheap ammo, quiet.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I never thought about it until I started reading the replies, but I think I got my first BB/Pellet gun after I joined the US Air Force. (No it was not issued by them )

 

[Kestrel4k]

I can't even imagine growing up without my Dad teaching me about shooting. He gave me my first .22 (a Rossi Model 62) when I must have been about 8 (I still have it, after tens of thousands of rounds it's the smoothest gun I have ever handled). That and the Crossman 760 my big brother let me use, although I admit I lusted after my friend's Daisy Red Ryder due to that colossal magazine capacity.