Introduced a high school student to rife arms

[whacko]

So....my son is 16 and has been dating a girl (15 years old) for about 9 months. She knows he hunts with me and shoots trap and is a kid that grew up around guns. He's been asking her to go to the range with us for about 2 months but her parents were always the block that said she couldn't go. I know a bit about her parents and can't say they are "antis" but they have never been around guns so I'd say they were just cautious about letting her go. She finally got the ok from her dad to go (I have even invited the parents to go in case they had concerns about it). They didn't want to come so I emailed them the club consent form which he signed for his daughter and she brought it with her. My son of course wanted to bring the m1, SKS, and a few other big rifles. I told him not a chance. She weighs about 100 pounds and is going to be nervous. Told him I'm bringing the 10-22, 2 of the 22 handguns, and start with those. I didn't even bring any of the "carry guns". We're going to start slow, shoot on the indoor range so we can teach her while it's not cold and windy so she can be comfortable. He agreed. I went over all the safety rules on the drive there in case there were others on the range so we could discuss without the noise. She asked plenty of good questions and admitted she was nervous. I told her it's completely normal to be nervous and told her if at any time she's uncomfortable we can leave. She seemed to feel better when I said that. We got there anduckiky had the range to ourselves. Started her with the 10-22 at 50 feet indoors. I let my son do the teaching while I staid close by .he did great. Patient and took his time. She did fantastic .all in the black at 50 feet and she was jumping up and down with excitement. They spent about 30 minutes taking turns with the rifle......then I offered them a turn with the 22-45 handgun. Same thing. He was patient. She had a little trouble with steadying it and I could see she was nervouse......but he was patient and let her take a break while he fired it for a bit. Then she wanted to try again......all in the black at 25 feet. Again....she jumped up and down with excitement. Then she used the single 10 for a bit and keyholed about 6 shots in the bull. She's a natural. We were there for only about an hour and I took them out for dinner. She said she would like to go back and try trap next time. Total win. I plan to call her dad tonight and offer to take them anytime they want.

Good stuff.

 

[Drix]

One does not simply "try trap"

Good job though. Wish I could find more people to get into the sport.

 

[Cars&Guns]

Great job. I have found that taking women new shooters has been a great experience. They seem to be easier to teach the fundamentals and listen better becoming a better shot faster then the guys I have taught.
Great job and hopefully you can get her parents out next time.

 

[Horrible]

Nice work

 

[whacko]

One does not simply "try trap"

Good job though. Wish I could find more people to get into the sport.

I said "try trap".....and your right......it's an addiction. My plan of she wants to try the shotguns is to bring my trailer hitch mounted spring slinger when the trap range is closed so we can take our time. I have a 410 henry lever action that woukd be perfect for a 100 pound girl to try. Id of course bring my wifes bantam 20 gauge too if she wanted to move up. Seting her loose during regular trap hours on the 16 yard line is probably not the best idea.

 

[whacko]

Great job. I have found that taking women new shooters has been a great experience. They seem to be easier to teach the fundamentals and listen better becoming a better shot faster then the guys I have taught.
Great job and hopefully you can get her parents out next time.

I totally agree. I've taught m9 primary instruction in the army and when teaching Soldiers that have never fired a handgun before it seems the females take to the instruction faster. For some reason they listen and apply the instruction faster. His girlfriend was the same way. When showing her proper grip, form, and trigger press she remembered everything and never tried to change the grip or question it. She did very well.

 

[EMTDAD]

next step.. get her to a Women on Target or Women in the Outdoors event.. best value on the BFSC.

 

[whacko]

next step.. get her to a Women on Target or Women in the Outdoors event.. best value on the BFSC.

The "becoming and outdoor woman" program that mass fish and game puts on was great for my wife. They helped her harvest her first deer and she was hooked!

 

[EMTDAD]

The "becoming and outdoor woman" program that mass fish and game puts on was great for my wife. They helped her harvest her first deer and she was hooked!

yep.. my wife went last fall.. she never had a clear shot, but a couple other women took home venison.

 

[whacko]

yep.. my wife went last fall.. she never had a clear shot, but a couple other women took home venison.

My wife lucked out and got a great guide. He had done some scouting and knew a decent buck kept coming down the same trail most mornings and set her up in a decent hide right off the trail. 20 minutes into legal light he came right to her. Perfect broadside shot at 30 yards and she double lunged him. Anchored him right where he stood! She even did all the field dressing with the guides instructions. She was emotional but "understood it" when she picked up all that meat from the butcher! Now she's hooked.

It got us some good time together even though she was huntign with a guide and I was not there. Took alot of practice at the range before the hunt for a couple months with her 20 gauge to get her dialed in. She knew her limit with the iron sights was 30-40 yards and she stayed in that range when she shot. It was alot of quality time at the club getting her ready.

Problem was......she busted my balls for months about how come it takes me most of the season out there with my buddies to get a deer when it took her 20 minutes! Lol

 

[dhuze]

I totally agree. I've taught m9 primary instruction in the army and when teaching Soldiers that have never fired a handgun before it seems the females take to the instruction faster. For some reason they listen and apply the instruction faster. His girlfriend was the same way. When showing her proper grip, form, and trigger press she remembered everything and never tried to change the grip or question it. She did very well.

I find that the males I take already "know everything" and the females are there to learn.

I've even took one female to the range who went with an ex-boyfriend who brought her once. She said he gave her a gun and said "shoot it." Then he and his friends just laughed at her. I told her if she ever wanted to go and be taught correctly I'd take her any time. She called me about a week later and asked, and had a great time.

 

[whacko]

I find that the males I take already "know everything" and the females are there to learn.

I've even took one female to the range who went with an ex-boyfriend who brought her once. She said he gave her a gun and said "shoot it." Then he and his friends just laughed at her. I told her if she ever wanted to go and be taught correctly I'd take her any time. She called me about a week later and asked, and had a great time.

That's crazy. We should be there to teach. I didn't even fire a single round last night and had a great time watching her learn and enjoy herself. I was there to teach and make sure she learned the right way and be sure she learned what she wanted to learn.

 

[dhuze]

That's crazy. We should be there to teach. I didn't even fire a single round last night and had a great time watching her learn and enjoy herself. I was there to teach and make sure she learned the right way and be sure she learned what she wanted to learn.

When I take new shooters I never shoot. They almost always ask if I'm going to and I just tell them no, I'm here to let you shoot.

I also like to take my competition AR-15 and set a target out at 200 yards. It's heavy so there is almost no recoil, they shoot it from a bench, it's accurate and according to them, "fires a big bullet". They always do quite well and get to tell people how they shot at 200 yards.
Another thing I've noticed is, no matter how many shots they take, be it 1 or 1000, if 1 shot hits the center all they see is a bullseye. I love how excited they get.

 

[whacko]

When I take new shooters I never shoot. They almost always ask if I'm going to and I just tell them no, I'm here to let you shoot.

I also like to take my competition AR-15 and set a target out at 200 yards. It's heavy so there is almost no recoil, they shoot it from a bench, it's accurate and according to them, "fires a big bullet". They always do quite well and get to tell people how they shot at 200 yards.
Another thing I've noticed is, no matter how many shots they take, be it 1 or 1000, if 1 shot hits the center all they see is a bullseye. I love how excited they get.

When we were talking at dinner I told her the next step is 100 yards with the 10-22 at steel spinners. Putting holes in paper gets boring!

 

[Penniepup1]

Nice work!

 

[Cur]

Excellent work. This is how we get the next generation "on our side".

 

[robjax]

"She did fantastic .all in the black at 50 feet and she was jumping up and down with excitement."

She's hooked....lol

The dinner is a nice touch. lol She starts shooting spinners and she'll be looking to get an FID....

 

[SKumar]

Going to the range is a cheap date-night for youngsters. Glad you put in the effort and it successfully paid off.

 

[whacko]

"She did fantastic .all in the black at 50 feet and she was jumping up and down with excitement."

She's hooked....lol

The dinner is a nice touch. lol She starts shooting spinners and she'll be looking to get an FID....

My son has a different goal. Says if he can get her to go hunting with us that's the "win".

 

[kmanick]

Nicely done, I've found that especially with new female shooter.....just stick with .22 the first couple of times out.
let them get acclimated to shooting before trying a 9mm or .45. I've sen too many guys bring their GF's or wives to the range and stick
a Glock 26 in their hands...................good luck with that , it's usually a disaster and the women are turned off.
If I have my Ruger mark III with me and I know the guy at all , I'll offer to them them use it.
I've got a Vortex Venom on mine and their reactions are night and day.
Now I've got to get my 16 year old daughter out there, for some reason she's really hesitant to go with me or to a class.
She showed more interest when she was 13 than she does now
Most of her friends are lefties and I think she's scared , she'll be outed

 

[robjax]

My son has a different goal. Says if he can get her to go hunting with us that's the "win".

shooting targets and killing little woodland creatures is a big jump. But your son is correct. If she can do that it would be a nice win. She's still a minor though. I assume her mom and dad are the deciding factor there too. Wishing all the luck.

 

[whacko]

Nicely done, I've found that especially with new female shooter.....just stick with .22 the first couple of times out.
let them get acclimated to shooting before trying a 9mm or .45. I've sen too many guys bring their GF's or wives to the range and stick
a Glock 26 in their hands...................good luck with that , it's usually a disaster and the women are turned off.
If I have my Ruger mark III with me and I know the guy at all , I'll offer to them them use it.
I've got a Vortex Venom on mine and their reactions are night and day.
Now I've got to get my 16 year old daughter out there, for some reason she's really hesitant to go with me or to a class.
She showed more interest when she was 13 than she does now
Most of her friends are lefties and I think she's scared , she'll be outed

That blows! You got your work cut out for you.

 

[whacko]

shooting targets and killing little woodland creatures is a big jump. But your son is correct. If she can do that it would be a nice win. She's still a minor though. I assume her mom and dad are the deciding factor there too. Wishing all the luck.

She has eaten a ton of venison and rabbit at our house and knows where it came from. Says it's interesting to her to see how we get food from the woods. So there is hope.

 

[robjax]

Nicely done, I've found that especially with new female shooter.....just stick with .22 the first couple of times out.
let them get acclimated to shooting before trying a 9mm or .45. I've sen too many guys bring their GF's or wives to the range and stick
a Glock 26 in their hands...................good luck with that , it's usually a disaster and the women are turned off.
If I have my Ruger mark III with me and I know the guy at all , I'll offer to them them use it.
I've got a Vortex Venom on mine and their reactions are night and day.
Now I've got to get my 16 year old daughter out there, for some reason she's really hesitant to go with me or to a class.
She showed more interest when she was 13 than she does now
Most of her friends are lefties and I think she's scared , she'll be outed

I took my younger (early 20's) to the range. Brother and sister. He brought his shotgun and I brought and AR15 and an AR10. He did ok. He shoots trap and sporting clays a lot but at 100yds.....she kicked his butt with both rifles....lol She loved the .308, but what's not to love when it's sighted nicely and the target looks to be 3 inches away with the scope....lol But I have taken other females to the range and it was a one trip thing only. I guess a 30-30 can be a bit much....lol

My 15 year old daughter took the class but is reluctant to get her FID for the same reason...lots of lefty friends and she doesn't want them to know. And since some of her friends dads are cops in the town she would be outed quickly. She still likes to go to the range but we are not allowed to talk about it in front of her friends. I told her I have no problem with it but if your friends don't accept you with your differences they aren't really your friends. It's tough at her age.

 

[robjax]

She has eaten a ton of venison and rabbit at our house and knows where it came from. Says it's interesting to her to see how we get food from the woods. So there is hope.

Sounds like she is on board. That is great to hear. Now she needs to get out there and hunt (with you guys)...lol

 

[whacko]

I took my younger (early 20's) to the range. Brother and sister. He brought his shotgun and I brought and AR15 and an AR10. He did ok. He shoots trap and sporting clays a lot but at 100yds.....she kicked his butt with both rifles....lol She loved the .308, but what's not to love when it's sighted nicely and the target looks to be 3 inches away with the scope....lol But I have taken other females to the range and it was a one trip thing only. I guess a 30-30 can be a bit much....lol

My 15 year old daughter took the class but is reluctant to get her FID for the same reason...lots of lefty friends and she doesn't want them to know. And since some of her friends dads are cops in the town she would be outed quickly. She still likes to go to the range but we are not allowed to talk about it in front of her friends. I told her I have no problem with it but if your friends don't accept you with your differences they aren't really your friends. It's tough at her age.

It's very very tough at their age. I'm with you.

 

[whacko]

Sounds like she is on board. That is great to hear. Now she needs to get out there and hunt (with you guys)...lol

My wife has told her anti hunting co workers and acquaintances (she's a teacher) about my son and I hunting. If they make comments that are negative she tells them "how can a woman not find it attractive that her man can go in the woods for a few days in the fall and fill a freezer with food?" Some react with raised eyebrows and some think about it for a second and kind of get it.

My wife hunts with us too......but she does like the freezer full of meat that we fill. We've been 4 years in a row now with successful harvests of deer and also many rabbits. My wife loves that we can do that......as for me......I don't understand how a woman can't find that a bonus that her husband can do that and I would not want anything to do with a woman that didn't appreciate it. Call me "old school".....I don't care I'm not changing for anybody and I don't suger coat it.

 

[robjax]

My wife has told her anti hunting co workers and acquaintances (she's a teacher) about my son and I hunting. If they make comments that are negative she tells them "how can a woman not find it attractive that her man can go in the woods for a few days in the fall and fill a freezer with food?" Some react with raised eyebrows and some think about it for a second and kind of get it.

My wife hunts with us too......but she does like the freezer full of meat that we fill. We've been 4 years in a row now with successful harvests of deer and also many rabbits. My wife loves that we can do that......as for me......I don't understand how a woman can't find that a bonus that her husband can do that and I would not want anything to do with a woman that didn't appreciate it. Call me "old school".....I don't care I'm not changing for anybody and I don't suger coat it.

It all makes sense to me.

 

[CLW42]

You mean you didn't give her your .357 snubby or a shotgun with deer slugs? Maybe at a plate shoot then.

 

[whacko]

You mean you didn't give her your .357 snubby or a shotgun with deer slugs? Maybe at a plate shoot then.

Not yet! I only give 12 gauge slugs to new guys getting ready for 3 gun!