My "cityfolk" cousin, who has never shot a firearm before...
We started him with my old (my first rifle) Springfield Bolt-Cocker single shot .22 and 50 rounds of ammo...
taught him the basics, and had him on paper pretty good in those 50 rounds... (at 50 yards, none the less!)
moved him to my scoped 10-22 International, and SLOWFIRE exercises, and he got pretty good...
then we let him handle some .22 handguns (my Hi-Standard Double-Nine, my Ruger MkI, and my buddies Ruger MkII) at 7 yards... got him doing pretty well...
He also shot a Remington .22 Semi auto, on the Browning patent (bottom eject), my Nylon 66's, my Henry Lever action, and mt Henry AR-7... (we also had my god-children shooting, so it was mostly a .22 day... what fun we all had!)
all morning he was ITCHING to shoot that "mean looking assault rifle (I TRIED to corect his image of it) meaning my SKS...
SO, after about 400 rounds of .22, and him getting decent, we let him have at the SKS...
his groups were "less than stellar" but they stayed inside an 8" smallbore target, at 50 yards (my best was a 30 shot group about 3" diameter, at the 100 yd mark)
Then he asked about shooting something that had some "Kick"...
We had (me and my buddy) been practicing some shotgun skills, and I had a selection of 12 Ga. shotguns...
Evil me, one was my VERY lightweight IGA-Stoeger Coach-gun, with 3" chambers... and it's original hard plastic buttplate... (and a slip on that i use)
I dug into my range bags... and there they were... my 3" #4 Remington "Hevi-Laods" for turkey hunting... these things pack a whollop... BIGTIME...
Since we were nearing the ned of the days festivities, I uncased the Stoeger (slipping off the recoil pad) and loaded both barrels (showing my buddy what I was doing)...
then when my cousin asked if it would hurt, I "bit the bullet" and offered to fire 1 barrel to let him see what happened...
I pulled the stock in hard, and let rip... DAMN that kicks... and I"m a big guy...
but I smiled as I handed the lightweight gun over... even told him how to lessen the hit...
(he's a beanpole, tall, but skinny...) he sighted up, and shot it...
it staggered him back 2 steps... but he remained upright...
here, 2 days later, both his and my shoulder look nasty... (but I haven't shown him mine... he doesn't need to know how much I hurt...)
He did however ask to go shooting again, but declined the chance to shoot some heavy loads in my single shot 12 Ga. OR to shoot my "featherweight" Mod. 70 Winchester in 300 H&H... I wonder why!
As of Sat am, we have another shooter in our midst... and I am taking him shopping for a Ruger 10-22 and scope this afternoon! (he thinks he needs one!)
he learned the 4 rules, and ALWAYS wore the ear/eye protection... so he'sstarting out right!
We started him with my old (my first rifle) Springfield Bolt-Cocker single shot .22 and 50 rounds of ammo...
taught him the basics, and had him on paper pretty good in those 50 rounds... (at 50 yards, none the less!)
moved him to my scoped 10-22 International, and SLOWFIRE exercises, and he got pretty good...
then we let him handle some .22 handguns (my Hi-Standard Double-Nine, my Ruger MkI, and my buddies Ruger MkII) at 7 yards... got him doing pretty well...
He also shot a Remington .22 Semi auto, on the Browning patent (bottom eject), my Nylon 66's, my Henry Lever action, and mt Henry AR-7... (we also had my god-children shooting, so it was mostly a .22 day... what fun we all had!)
all morning he was ITCHING to shoot that "mean looking assault rifle (I TRIED to corect his image of it) meaning my SKS...
SO, after about 400 rounds of .22, and him getting decent, we let him have at the SKS...
his groups were "less than stellar" but they stayed inside an 8" smallbore target, at 50 yards (my best was a 30 shot group about 3" diameter, at the 100 yd mark)
Then he asked about shooting something that had some "Kick"...
We had (me and my buddy) been practicing some shotgun skills, and I had a selection of 12 Ga. shotguns...
Evil me, one was my VERY lightweight IGA-Stoeger Coach-gun, with 3" chambers... and it's original hard plastic buttplate... (and a slip on that i use)
I dug into my range bags... and there they were... my 3" #4 Remington "Hevi-Laods" for turkey hunting... these things pack a whollop... BIGTIME...
Since we were nearing the ned of the days festivities, I uncased the Stoeger (slipping off the recoil pad) and loaded both barrels (showing my buddy what I was doing)...
then when my cousin asked if it would hurt, I "bit the bullet" and offered to fire 1 barrel to let him see what happened...
I pulled the stock in hard, and let rip... DAMN that kicks... and I"m a big guy...
but I smiled as I handed the lightweight gun over... even told him how to lessen the hit...
(he's a beanpole, tall, but skinny...) he sighted up, and shot it...
it staggered him back 2 steps... but he remained upright...
here, 2 days later, both his and my shoulder look nasty... (but I haven't shown him mine... he doesn't need to know how much I hurt...)
He did however ask to go shooting again, but declined the chance to shoot some heavy loads in my single shot 12 Ga. OR to shoot my "featherweight" Mod. 70 Winchester in 300 H&H... I wonder why!
As of Sat am, we have another shooter in our midst... and I am taking him shopping for a Ruger 10-22 and scope this afternoon! (he thinks he needs one!)
he learned the 4 rules, and ALWAYS wore the ear/eye protection... so he'sstarting out right!
