I’ve spent so much time over the last few years teaching new people the basics of shooting that I’ve not really had time to practice on my own. Alas, I seem to have lost quite a bit, and need to practice more.
Saturday was supposed to be a big group shooty time, but we had 5-6 people either cancel at the last minute (one due to feeling ill, so that’s ok) or simply not show up (turns out that they had partied a bit too hard on Friday night, and were still sleeping it off). As such, it was just Doug, Louis, and I who went to the range.
Doug had been working on a small, programmable microcontroller for a few weeks. His hope would be that when the chip detected a sharp sound (e.g. from a gunshot), it would fire an IR LED with the proper sequence to trigger the shutter on a Nikon camera. We wanted to get some pictures of bolts cycling, as human reaction time is just too slow to get satisfactory pictures. Unfortunately, the microphone was a bit too sensitive, and the wind kept triggering it, so we abandoned that plan and just ended up shooting all day. Oh well.
I had a fair bit of .223 piled up (~400 rounds), so we decided to run it through both of my ARs. Both the 16″ and 20″ ARs handled Federal XM193F, Ultramax 55gr, and Prvi Partizan M193 flawlessly. No failures of any sort out of the 300 or so rounds we actually fired.
It’d been far too long since I was behind a trigger, and I admit that my technique has degraded a bit. While rusty, I was consistently rusty. So long as I maintain that consistency, I think I should be able to improve quickly with some more practice. For practice, I think I should find a specific, standard type of ammo (like Prvi M193 or something), zero for it, and
In addition to the standard paper targets, we also brought my Do-All-Traps spinner target that Sarah had given me for Christmas. According to the box, it’s rated to handle 9mm Luger all the way up to .30-06 Springfield, so long as one uses soft point bullets. Alas, I have no soft points, and factory loaded SPs are considerably pricier than FMJs. Previous tests with various bullet types seemed to indicate that the two “spinner” targets could handle .223 FMJ with no damage, while the “reset” target developed a small dimple, as it didn’t have the same range of motion as the spinners. We figured that so long as we shot the spinner targets with .223 FMJ, it’d be ok.
Unfortunately, this previous testing was done with my medium-powered handloads, and not the hot, mil-spec Federal XM193F stuff. One of us (I think it was Doug) goofed and shot the reset target with one of these speedy little bullets, resulting in a grape-diameter dent in the steel and there’s a substantial bulge on the back of the target. Wowzers, this is some hot stuff. A few shots later to the spinners resulted in one of the spinners breaking in half and sending a semi-circular chunk spinning a few feet downrange.
Evidently when the manual says “No FMJ”, they mean it. It applies double to mil-spec FMJ. Who would have thought? Oh well. Anyone in Tucson have a welder? It’d be nice to re-weld the target and put some heavier steel plate on there so I can shoot FMJ at it without a problem.
As .223 is expensive, we also did some rotations on the suppressed 10/22. Alas, the spinner target is too heavy and .22 won’t flip them up. Even so, the targets go “ping” and bounce around, which is fun. When we went downrange later, there were a bunch of flattened out lead disks around the spinner — evidently the .22s flatten out almost completely and just lie around the target. We weren’t able to find any .223 fragments, not even pieces of the jacket.
As fun as the ARs are, I think I’m going to need to spend a bit more time behind the 10/22 to get back in practice. Inexpensive ammo is wonderful, and .223 is anything but inexpensive.
Between school, trying to get in shape (both in general and for the wedding), and work, I don’t have all that much time for range trips, but I see about making some time, possibly over the summer. Maybe get involved with some regularly-scheduled things like silhouette or action-shooting matches. We’ll see.
Category: Shooting
Planned Shooty Goodness
Myself and several others are planning on going to the Tucson Rifle Club this Saturday for some shooty goodness. It’d be great if any readers wanted to come along.
The current plan is to bring 1-2 new shooters, and possibly one anti-gun individual, so if you decide to come along, be nice. 🙂
Current plan is for personal friends to meet up at my residence, go over safety and basic gun-handling, and leave around 11:30am-noon. The plan is to arrive between about 12:30pm and 1pm. If any readers wish to come along, send me an email and I’ll provide contact information so we can coordinate.
Sorry for the short notice, but this was put together at the last minute.
New Shooter Ammo Fund
The costs of running this blog are extremely minimal, about $20/year or so. Well within my meager student budget.
However, ammo costs a fair bit of money. While I wouldn’t think of asking readers to contribute money for my own personal ammo budget, I’d welcome any assistance that readers might be able to offer to help me provide ammo for new shooters that I take to the range. None of the ammo funded by such donations will be used for my personal use, though I may shoot a magazine or two so as to demonstrate things to new shooters.
I’ve put a small PayPal button in the right column where people can donate, if they wish. Of course, this is entirely voluntary, and nobody should feel the least bit compelled to donate. If you do donate, please let me know if you’d like your name (or pseudonym) and URL mentioned in posts, and I’ll gladly give you credit in the new shooter reports. Those who wish to stay anonymous will have their wishes respected.
I feel very awkward asking for donations of this type, and hope that nobody feels any less of me because of it. Unfortunately, donations to the New Shooter Ammo Fund are not tax deductible.
…..
Update: I also thought of a different option: if people would be more comfortable donating ammunition itself rather than money, please contact me and I can provide my shipping address. The top priorities are .22LR (both super- and subsonic, though subs are preferred; Winchester Dyanpoints work excellently with my suppressor, are subsonic out of a 16″ barrel, and are not nearly as expensive as purpose-made subsonic ammo) and .223 Rem/5.56mm NATO (62 or 55 grain bullets are fine — I’ll gladly take even “cheap” stuff like Wolf). For safety purposes, I’m only willing to accept factory-new or commercial reloads (like Ultramax or Miwall), not individual reloads or handloads. Cheap imports are fine, so long as they’re safe to use and meet relevant specs (e.g. SAAMI, NATO, etc.).
Lower priority but still important are .30-06 Springfield (M2 Ball spec only, as it’s being fired from an M1 Garand which has very specific pressure tolerances), 9mm Luger, and .45 ACP.
In certain quantities, I may be able to help pick up part of the UPS shipping. Contact me for details if you’re interested.
New Shooter Report
Over the winter break my friend Diego and I took his cousin from Brazil out to the local shooting range. The cousin had fired some BB guns as a kid, but otherwise hasn’t fired a gun in years.
After clearing up a few misconceptions about guns in the US that many foreigners seem to have (everyone has guns, machine guns are common, people need licenses to own guns, etc.) and going over the safety rules, we headed out to the excellent Chabot Gun Club in Castro Valley, California. Alas, I had left my guns in Arizona, so Diego brought his .45 Colt lever-action rifle, a .44 caliber blackpowder pistol, and Diego’s new Walther P99. We had also brought Diego’s 12ga double-barreled shotgun, but forgot to bring slugs. Since shotshells are not permitted on the rifle and pistol lines, we were unable to use it.
While I had some difficulty explaining the various techniques due to a language barrier — Diego’s cousin speaks Brazillian Portuguese and has an academic knowledge of English, he has not had much experience with native English speakers, and so his practical English is only moderate…I don’t speak any Portuguese at all — Diego, who speaks excellent English, Spanish, and Portuguese, helped translate some of the more troublesome parts and all went well.
Diego’s cousin (whose name I don’t recall, unfortunately) had an excellent time, and quickly improved his shooting skills. I’d post some pictures, but Diego’s cousin has all the pictures on his camera. I’ll have to talk to Diego to see if I can get copies, as the cousin is back in Brazil.
Someone remind me not to loan my car keys to Diego when he goes to get something out of the trunk — he ended up locking my keys in the trunk, and so I had to call my insurance company’s roadside assistance to come unlock the door so I could open the trunk. It turns out that the doors to my car are trivially opened using a small wedge to open a small gap between the door and the frame and a long metal rod with a small hook on the end to reach into the cabin and flip the locking tab near the door handle. Never again will I leave even remotely-valuable items inside my car.
…..
Today my friend Alex (who has accompanied me on several range trips) and I invited Alex’s girlfriend Ayla to accompany us to the Tucson Rifle Club.
She was eager to come, as she’s been looking at getting a gun or two of her own in the next year or so after she gets out of college and will be living on her own. Without having handled any in the past, she expressed an interest in a relatively simple and reliable handgun like a GLOCK, but found that the mainspring in such a gun to be difficult to manipulate, and has ruled out such guns for the time being. I have no revolvers for her to try, but she enjoyed my Ruger MkIII .22LR pistol, even if she found holding the gun out at arm’s length to be somewhat tiring. We’ll no doubt find her some handguns she likes, but for the time being, she’s much more comfortable with rifles.
As usual, the suppressed Ruger 10/22 was a hit for starting out, particularly when shooting at a set of steel swinger targets (given to me by my lovely fianc?e for Christmas). Ayla rapidly moved up through the MkIII, through both of my AR-15s (though, as I expected, she preferred the adjustable-stock M4gery as she could adjust it to fit her comfortably), and finally to the M1 Garand (Rita, who has been a long-time range companion, called Ayla and insisted that she try the M1). While Ayla developed a bit of a sore shoulder from the M1, she really enjoyed it.
Here’s some pictures from the day:
As always, clicking on the image will enlarge it.
The spinner targets are supposedly rated for 9mm-.30-06 softpoint ammo, but I started out by shooting .22LR at it. The .22s made the spinners bounce back and forth, but didn’t actually spin around and lock in the up position. I fired a few 9mm Speer Gold Dot JHPs at the spinners (I don’t have any SPs), but had difficulty hitting it 30 yards away (each target is only about 4″ in diameter), but eventually did to great effect. While the manual says not to shoot FMJ ammo at it, I risked a few rounds of 9mm FMJ with no damage (not even any dents) to the targets. I even went so far as to shoot .223 FMJs at it, which rather soundly flipped the spinners around and didn’t have any deleterious effect on the free-moving spinners, but which left a small divot in the reset target which is very nearly fixed. I’ll avoid FMJs on the reset target, but it looks like the spinners will handle .223 FMJ without any problems…I certainly won’t toss .30-06 FMJ at it anytime soon, though.
I’m impressed at how bullet-resistant steel is, even against rather pointy .223 FMJs moving rather quickly. I may have to see about welding or clamping on heavier steel plates, at least on the reset target, so I can shoot FMJs at it with confidence.
Unfortunately, the trip suffered from an acute ammo shortage: I thought I had an extra 250-round can of Lake City M2 Ball .30-06 ammo, but it turns out I had only a few clips left. I’m also down to the last three magazines of .223 (turns out my goal of loading ammo for one magazine a day didn’t pan out), though I have components for a few thousand more rounds. Even my supplies of .22LR (~2,000 rounds) and 9mm (~600 rounds) are running low. Don’t even ask about 12ga or .30-30. Fortunately, while money is tight, ammo supplies at most vendors are also low due to high demand, so even if I had the money to buy more ammo, it wouldn’t be there to buy. Hopefully supply catches up with demand about the same time I get more money. 🙂
New Shooter Report
My friend Teresa was complaining that she hadn’t been shooting in about a year, and that this state of affairs was intolerable. She also wanted to bring her boyfriend Chad, a stringer for a local news company (alas, I forget the details), who had never been shooting before. We decided on going to the range on Saturday, December 6th.
Rita, a fellow student of science and friend of Teresa and I, seems to have a long-running love affair with my M1 Garand, and so insisted on coming. BeMasher, a friend, co-worker, and amatuer photographer came as well. My girlfriend Sarah, also came to the range, but had various work from her students that she needed to grade, and so didn’t shoot. Everyone reviewed (or learned for the first time, in Chad’s case) the four basic safety rules prior to arriving at the range, and again before we started shooting.
Chad started out, as all new shooters who come with me do, with the suppressed Ruger 10/22. After getting the feel for it, he moved up to the Ruger MkIII .22 pistol, then the Sig Mosquito belonging to BeMasher’s brother, and then to the Glock 19. With the extended 33-round magazines, the Glock seemed to go over well with everyone.
Everyone else had a good deal of experience with the different guns I have, and so got started shooting the other guns I brought while I instructed Chad. He’s a quick learner, and rapidly got the hang of things.
Teresa really enjoyed the suppressed 10/22, and spent quite some time draining my subsonic .22LR supply.
The stock on the 10/22 seems to be a great compromise in size — people both large and small seem to be able to shoot it comfortably without any issues. The Trijicon Reflex II red dot sight is also excellent (“put the dot where you want to shoot, then pull the trigger”). The fact that it requires no batteries to illuminate the red dot is a major plus.
Even though BeMasher spent a lot of time photographing, we managed to steal the camera from him from time to time, and got a few pictures of him shooting.
Whenever there’s a group at the range, I seem to assume a sort of supervisory role, and don’t get to shoot much (terrible, I know!). Everyone insisted that I get some trigger time, so I did some shooting with my new DPMS 16″ M4gery.
As expected, it’s accurate and pleasant to shoot. The adjustable stock made shooting from the prone much more comfortable than a fixed stock, particularly for those of smaller stature.
Unfortunately, some of my reloads caused some problems (the bullets weren’t entirely round, a side effect of being pulled from de-milled military ammo), so I substituted my 20″ Bushmaster AR in while I was clearing the 16″. This worked out surprisingly well — at the relatively short (25-50 yards) distances we were shooting, the points of aim of both rifles were close enough to be indistinguishable.
Unsatisfied with the light recoil of the AR, Rita decided that she’d be satisfied only in shooting the M1.
For being such a tiny person (she’s only 5’2″), she handles the recoil of the M1 far better than many of the larger people I know. Shooting the M1 prone is a pain, as it seems to recoil directly into one’s collarbone, yet she was able to handle it extremely well. I suspect that if there was ever a zombie attack, one could give Rita an M1, a few bandoleers of ammo, and some high ground, and she’d take care of the problem.
I observed a rather amusing quirk to her shooting style: whenever she’d fire from the prone, her legs would flex rapidly at the knees, and her feet would jump about a foot in the air. This didn’t seem to affect her accuracy, but was quite amusing to watch.
Teresa also fired the M1, but preferred to shoot it standing.
Upon seeing his girlfriend shoot the M1 (and exclaiming that the muzzle blast was quite a bit louder than the ARs), Chad decided that he too would have to shoot it.
My lovely girlfriend was listening to her iPod headphones underneath a set of earmuffs, and so graded all her documents without being troubled by the gunshots occuring nearby. She had a secondary duty as Keeper of the Ammo, and frequently provided fresh AR magazines, M1 clips, and boxes of .22LR as needed. Between that and her love of tasty beer and football, I must be the luckiest guy in the world.
I bet her students have no idea what was going on while their papers were being graded.
Once again, a beautiful December day in Tucson, and a great day at the range. My record of “everyone leaves the range with a smile” continues unbroken.
The only problem I’m running into is that I don’t know many non-shooters, and so I’m not able to take more to the range.
If you’re a non-shooter (or know some) in the Tucson area and want to learn to shoot with a bunch of physicist-astronomer types, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d like to particulary encourage (in no particular order) women, minorities, journalists, and politicians to learn to shoot with us in a fun, safe, and encouraging environment.
Legal Stuff
All photos are copyright BeMasher and are available in their original form at his album. Photos are mirrored by me for consistent hosting, so as to avoid dead links and images in the future, and are displayed here in accordance with BeMasher’s licensing of the pictures under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license.
New Shooter Report
Today was a glorious day in Tucson. With a high of 79F, low winds, and a clear, sunny sky, it was a perfect day to go shooting.
L, an astrophysics student friend of mine, brought our mutual friends (more his friends, my acquantiances [though we’re rapidly becoming friendly]) J and A. The two of them are the inspiration for the “how to win over new shooters” post I recently wrote. J had never been shooting before, and was rather skittish about firearms. A had fired shotguns at clays many years ago, and got the crap beaten out of her shoulder by the gun.
We arrived at the range around 1:00pm, unloaded the car, paid our fees, and got our targets set up. The range was a bit busier than we’ve normally seen it — on previous outings to the range, we’ve normally gotten the entire bay to ourselves. Today, there were a few other people on the 100 yard line, but it was by no means crowded.
After getting situated, we briefly reviewed the safety rules (we had gone over them in much greater detail back at the house, so this was just a quick refresher), went over the basic operations of the suppressed Ruger 10/22, and started J and A off with two magazines of .22LR Winchester Dynapoints (accurate, subsonic, bulk-pack .22LR ammo). I think I had them hooked with the first magazine. 🙂
Among other things, we fired the Ruger MkIII .22LR pistol (alas, we couldn’t put the targets any closer than 25 yards — it is a rifle range, after all — so that was not nearly as satisfying as it should have been), both my 20″ and 16″ ARs, and A tried the M1 Garand, which she found fun but a little rough on the shoulder; J opted not to shoot it due to recoil concerns.
Some pictures were taken (with J doing most of the photographing), but most of the day was spent shooting, so we have a lot of pictures detailing a few very short time periods (like 37 pictures of A shooting one 8-round clip from the M1). Here’s a smattering of some pictures (hover your mouse over them for a brief description):
Once again, a fantastic day at the range.
Note to self: buy some sort of weighted felt-like material to lay on the concrete bench, so as to not have the concrete scratch the finish of the guns. Also, I should buy a few sandbags and a spotting scope.
Anyone have any advice on spotting scopes? I was looking at this one, as I’m a fan of reflector optics (one of the benefits of knowing a bunch of astrophysists who geek out about optics all the time), but I’m not sure.
I think I need to start referring to people by their first names, rather than merely their first initials. It’s not so bad if you have friends with names that start with “L” or “R”, but when they start with common one-letter words like “A”, it can get confusing.
Small World
I was at the range today with a few friends (including two new shooters — post and pictures coming soon), and when we were winding down at the end of the day, we started chatting with a few of other folks at the range.
The topic of taking new shooters to the range came up, and one of the gentlemen we were talking to said “Hey, this blog I read had a good post on getting new shooters to the range…have you heard of the Arizona Rifleman?”
I was stunned. Indeed, I felt like Obi-Wan Kenobi when Luke Skywalker asked:
Luke: You know him?
Obi-Wan: But of course I know him. He’s me.
After mentioning that I was, in fact, the blogger in question, the conversation became quite a bit more animated. It turned out that this gentleman was a reader (hi Richard!), and had emailed me about getting in on some of the group buys for AR magazines.
Perhaps it’s not really a small world, as we were both in Tucson, but for having <50 readers subscribed to the RSS feed, randomly running into one is, nevertheless, fairly unlikely. Very cool.
How to Win Over New Shooters
I’m a firm believer in getting non-shooters to the range. Every single new shooter I’ve taken to the range has had a safe, enjoyable time, and about 80% have been shooting with me at least once after the first time (most of those who don’t are simply acquaintances or friends-of-friends, and we don’t often spend much time together).
Most people are perfectly willing to give it a shot (pun very much intended), but there are always some tough sells: whether the person is anti-gun, gun-neutral, or nervous, it can require a bit of effort to convince them to come. I’ve come up with a few tips for interacting with these people:
Getting Non-Shooters to Come to the Range
- Don’t be crazy. Nothing turns non-shooters off more (and makes the rest of us look bad) than crazy people with guns. Somehow, I doubt the UN has listening devices in your walls or stealth helicopters following you around. Knock it off. Really.
- Don’t bring up politics. This can be a major turn-off.
- See rule number 2.
- If politics cannot possibly be avoided (such as someone asking about the 1994-2004 Federal AWB, or a particular candidate’s stance on a certain issue), be objective, be calm, and be brief. Never be the first one to bring up politics, and try to steer the conversation to a non-politicial topic as soon as practical.
- Know your stuff. The “AR” in “AR-15” stands for “Armalite model 15“, not “Assault Rifle”. If someone asks about “assault weapons” and you have an AR-15, be prepared to demonstrate the various features (flash hider, bayonet lug, etc.) that the now-expired ban covered. It might be good to mention that guns not mentioned by name and lacking the specific features were perfectly legal to buy during the ban, and that the banned guns were functionally identical to non-banned guns (AR vs. Mini-14, for example). Make a point of not using the term “assault weapon” when describing such firearms.
- Understand your audience. Last night, I spoke with two female university students about gunny stuff. Both are very intelligent (one is triple-majoring in Physics, Astronomy, and Math and has a 4.0 cumulative GPA). Both were intrigued by the various steps involved in reloading, and I explained it to them and demonstrated the process using scientific terms. If they were not scientifically-minded, I’d adjust the explanations accordingly. When we were talking about different styles of guns, I mentioned that many military-based firearms tend to be designed for people of larger body sizes (i.e. men), and guns with these dimensions can be uncomfortable for some women and smaller men; the collapsible stock allows one to adjust the rifle such that it’s comfortable for people of a wide range of body types to shoot. They both seemed to appreciate this feature.
- Relate to your audience. One of my female friends is a proficient shooter and scientist, and works wonders at getting women involved as she can relate to them in a variety of ways. If politics comes up (see Rules 2-4), I’ve found that my pro-rights-in-general leanings tend to go over well with most college-aged students, as well as people in most groups. Don’t do all the talking; get to know who you’re talking to, try to see things from their view, and relate to them. A friend if mine is very much interested in gay and womens rights; a mention of the Pink Pistols and Babes with Bullets proved a vital link between her interests and my own, as well as establishing that we were both concerned with rights.
- Avoid talking about self-defense until you understand the person better. Not everyone is comfortable with violence, even in self-defense. If the topic does come up, be objective and intelligent about it…don’t start talking about what rounds are the best for “ventiliating” bad guys.
- Don’t be patronizing. Shooting tends to be a male-dominated activity, and can be intimidating for many new shooters, particularly women. Many people have misconceptions about gun owners (that we’re all uneducated, unsafe, uncouth, redneck men); by being polite, knowledgeable, safe, and attentive, you can gently change their minds. Don’t be a pig.
- Realize that you were a new shooter once. Think of how they feel.
- Be sure to emphasize that shooting is a safe, fun, and enjoyable activity enjoyed by millions of people from diverse backgrounds.
At this point, the non-shooter should be interested in going to the range. If so, schedule a time that works for both of you. If possible and desired, try to arrange for a few other people (new shooters, until-recently-new-shooters, and experienced shooters) to come with. Group activities tend to be more fun.
If the non-shooter remains uninterested, not a problem. Don’t insist on anything. It’d probably be a good idea to change topics and not bring up guns at this time. Perhaps you’ll have better luck in the future.
At The Range
- Before your journey to the range, make sure that everyone understands the rules of gun safety and some examples where one might inadvertently violate them (e.g. if a pistol malfunctions, many people turn it sideways to examine it, sweeping the firing line — doing so violates Rule #2). If the range has specific rules, be sure to go over them with the new shooter(s).
- Be sure to bring food and drink, as appropriate. Also ensure that people are appropriately dressed, both in regards to clothing (open-toed shoes and low-cut shirts tend to be magnets for hot brass) and safety equipment (eye and ear protection).
- Start every new shooter off on a .22LR, preferably a .22 rifle. I recommend outdoor ranges, as the noise is not as intense as indoors.
- DO NOT START NEW SHOOTERS WITH HIGH-RECOIL FIREARMS. .357 Magnum is not an appropriate beginner’s firearm, nor is .30-06. Even a 9mm Glock 17 may not be suitable for some people. In keeping with Rule #3, I always have a .22LR rifle and pistol when I go to the range, and they make ideal guns for new shooters to start on. Recoil causes new shooters to develop bad habits like flinching, and may turn them off from the shooting sports entirely. If possible, avoid shooting lanes next to people with high-recoil/high-noise firearms…a blast from a .50 BMG’s muzzle brake will ruin your day.
- At first, demonstrate everything before you ask the new shooter to do it. They’re probably not familiar with the gun’s controls, how to load magazines, how to properly shoulder the gun, etc.
- Be sure to emphasize safety, relaxation, and shooter comfort. If they’re able to hit the target by holding the gun in a particular way, that’s fine (so long as it’s safe), even if it’s not how you hold it. Be sure that the new shooters understand that sights can be adjusted, and that being consistent is more important than where the bullets strike the target.
- Having reactive targets (metal gongs, plates that fall over, etc.) can be much more rewarding than simply putting holes in paper.
- Don’t be overbearing. Obviously, you should step in when there’s a potential safety violation, but avoid micromanaging their shooting. If you have suggestions or comments on their technique, wait until an appropriate time (say, after they’re done with the magazine).
- Stay away from crazy people. See Rule #1 from above. If the guy at the next lane is jabbering about black helicopters and the New World Order, ask to move to a different lane or politely ask the other person to stop. Same thing with patronizing people. You’d be surprised at how obnoxious some people can be when they see a woman shooting a gun for the first time.
- If you possess a variety of different guns, bring them to the range. Once the new shooter is comfortable with .22LR, introduce them to other calibers starting with the least recoil (say, .223) and eventually moving up to higher-recoil arms. I’ve often found new shooters enjoy shooting .30-06 from my M1 Garand, even on the first day…but they have to work up to it. If the new shooter is not comfortable with the ergonomics of a particular gun or the recoil of a specific caliber, do not force them to shoot it. Move on to something else.
- Same thing with different optics, if you have them. I’ve found a red-dot sight to be ideal for new shooters to start with (“Put the red dot on the target you wish to shoot, then squeeze the trigger.”), but have guns with iron sights and telescopic sights handy for when they wish to try something else.
- Above all, be safe and have fun.
I’ve followed these simple tips for years, and have introduced over a dozen people to the shooting sports. Everyone, without exception, has enjoyed themselves and left the range with a big smile. Several have ended up buying guns of their own and nearly (with the exception of friends-of-friends who I don’t see on a regular basis) have gone back to the range with me again.
A few dollars spent in ammunition and range fees (I always pay for a new shooter’s ammo, and nearly always pay for their range fee) can go a very long way at getting new shooters exposed to the sport, correcting common misconceptions about guns, shooters, and the shooting sports, and generally improving the RKBA.
It’s also really fun!
More Shooty Goodness
On Saturday night, a few friends and I decided that we hadn’t gone to the range in a while. Clearly, this needed to be rectified. Additionally, my friend’s girlfriend (hereafter referred to as “J”) had revealed that she had never been shooting, but wanted to learn.
So, on Sunday afternoon we went to the Tucson Rifle Club, paid our fees, and spent about three hours shooting.
Once more, my suppressed Ruger 10/22 proved to be an excellent rifle for teaching new shooters, as well as a fun one for the more experienced shooters. The M1 Garand and AR-15 were also big hits.
Some of the highlighted photos follow the cut. The entire album can be viewed here.
For those who can’t be bothered to click for more pictures, the whole trip can be summed up as follows:
Need I say more?
Continue reading “More Shooty Goodness”
Range Visit: Elsy Pearson
Last weekend I took part in a Fark Party, an event where members of the website Fark.com get together in person.
In this case, we decided to visit the Elsy Pearson range in Casa Grande, AZ. The aerial photograph is a little old, as there is now a range in the upper left where there appears to be cars parked, as well as a range in the lower-right. There’s also a chain-link fence. According to the range description on file with the NRA, it has a 250 yard rifle and pistol line. I eyeballed our range at 150 yards, but I could be mistaken. There was a few other ranges in the complex that may have been longer, but we left to get food before I could investigate further. There was also a shorter (maybe 50 yard) range where a bunch of NFA folks were shooting.
It’s an unsupervised range, with no safety officers. The rules are printed on a big metal sign — there was about six rules, all basically saying “be safe, don’t be an idiot”.
The range is run by the Casa Grande Parks & Recreation Department and is free for public use (having grown up in the San Francisco suburbs, this is nearly unheard of for me!). There’s a nearby range for police use only, but it was much the same as the public range. There is also the Casa Grande Trap Club about a quarter-mile north, for those who prefer shotguns.
The public rifle range is simple and spartan (metal roof, concrete benches, and not much else), but well-maintained. Large berms serve as backstops, and there’s a Big Honking Hill beyond the berms to catch any stray bullets. Unfortunately, air moving down the hill created some gusty winds at times, but not much cross breezes, so it didn’t really affect accuracy.
I didn’t look closely, but the range doesn’t seem to have any “facilities” — no bathrooms, no soda machines, etc. I don’t know if the range even has electricity running to it, but I doubt it.
There doesn’t appear to be any restrictions on the type of firearms used (though I wouldn’t be surprised if they restricted tracers and incendiary rounds for obvious fire safety reasons) — there was a bunch of folks with full-auto at range just north of us. From the look of things, it was a bunch of NFA owners having fun on a Sunday afternoon, rather than a match. No police cars were evident and a variety of guns (from heavy machine guns to MP5SDs) were being fired, so it didn’t seem to be cops either. It was refreshing to see so many NFA owners out there.
It’s a bit out of the way, but if you go South on South Isom Road from the intersection of West Arcia Road for about a half mile, it’ll be on your left. The Google Maps are accurate, as was the GPS (Garmin StreetPilot c330 — a device worth its weight in gold!) directions taking me to that intersection. Both Isom and Arcia are unpaved roads, but are smooth and well-maintained. My Toyota Camry had no trouble, nor did the Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Tiburon belonging to other members of the party.
If you find yourself in the vicinity of Casa Grande, the Elsy Pearson range is a well-maintained, clean, and free place to shoot. It’s nothing fancy, but ranges don’t need to be.