Re: Rifle or pistol? Which is better to start newbies with?
Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:40 pm
I've also had some success with teaching some kids how to shoot and I've always started them on rifles usually rimfire but lately air...
mekender, what recoil on a rimfire while the recoil is pronounced and the noise of a fully charged air gun is louder, at ignition, then a .22 LR is...So pronounced that air gun scopes have to stand up to the recoil equivalent to big bore magnums/Nitro Express rounds so they are built differently, internally!
Why air? Firstly, because it makes then stay focused through follow through which is critical in air and not so in cartridge...Secondly, it can be fired indoors but the clincher is indoors of your own home...Thirdly, ammo cost is at least 1/3 less but good (not great) target quality guns are more expensive as is a compressor and a couple of S.C.U.B.A. tanks....
Rifle, rimfire, because I have one that I converted for my oldest daughter by taking 1" slabs off the butt of the rifle (keeping legal OAL in mind) that I had drilled two ¼" holes through, first, one just below the top and one just above the bottom that would go through all the slabs that I will cut...I then inserted a ¼" threaded female adaptor glued in place and had some long ¼" steel rods that I threaded on one end and had cut to various lengths, so that it would screw into the female in the stock...
When she (now they) were little, I would start with just the stock and butt plate and as they grew older, I'd screw in the first set of the two rods, slip on the next piece of the butt and mount the butt plate (friction fit) and would continue changing the length of the steel rods and adding additional slabs as they grew older and bigger and longer of reach until they could use a standard length rifle...It has six slabs, six sets of rods and one buttplate which makes it from 7¾" to 14½" as there are some extra shims (12) made from sheet vinyl showroom display samples cut out for the different lengths, to guarantee a custom fit...
I still start them on that but now with all the adjustable stocks available, it almost isn't necessary except when they're really young say four to seven years old...and of course I can't start them indoors with a rimfire...
With rifles at least you can prop it up on something, a sandbag atop a block of wood, three four sandbags or a steel RTB (return to battery) table rest with a proper sand bags where, while it can be done with a pistol, it's a little too tiring for young shooters to hold let alone hold on target...After they have developed their arm and especially wrist muscles, say by age nine or so then pistol is much simpler to start as they have the basics of sight alignment, breath control, slow squeeze and follow through from the rifles now it’s just refining the control…
My daughters, their friends and the neighbour kids practice nightly in the basement on the 5 lane, 10M range we built and there is a safe next to the area so they can leave their guns here if they want to…I believe everyone of them, now, has a 10M range in their basements for practice and now they’re able to switch around so not one family is inundated with swarms of teenagers and worse still near teenagers (11½ to 13 yrs) who’ll eat and drink their way through your larder quite quickly…
I let the youngsters try out the pistols from when they first start shooting, so they are accustomed to them, somewhat and they get to do what the big kids are doing—big psychological boost right there…My two youngest shoot more pistol then rifle as I can’t get any stocks to fit them properly, because of their builds and lack of rifles for them…
Regardless of what you use -- even bows & arrows, start them VERY close to the target, 5 feet, yes that’s feet, is fine and let them see their hits and let them then start worrying about group size but not score…once they have a good group in the black, move back another 5 feet and do it again and keep doing it until you get to 30 maybe 35 feet and then start to move back ten feet at a time but not until the groups, in the black are small—that’s your goal…By seeing the hits on the target it builds confidence, makes them happy and wanting to continue, wanting to do better, trying to figure out how to move that group from the eight ring at three o’clock to the centre…Keeping it to 30 feet before making a change, gives them 6 sets of targets that they have practiced on and were able to finally get all in the black or the ten ring…now the challenge is a bit farther forcing them to delve deeper into their reserve, steadying themselves and by the time you get to 25 yards, your final destination, you’ll have a solid mid 90s, 4x or 5x shooter on your hands and with practice, coaching and good equipment (that they can trust) especially sights and a 1,000 100x shooter is a strong possibility!
mekender, what recoil on a rimfire while the recoil is pronounced and the noise of a fully charged air gun is louder, at ignition, then a .22 LR is...So pronounced that air gun scopes have to stand up to the recoil equivalent to big bore magnums/Nitro Express rounds so they are built differently, internally!
Why air? Firstly, because it makes then stay focused through follow through which is critical in air and not so in cartridge...Secondly, it can be fired indoors but the clincher is indoors of your own home...Thirdly, ammo cost is at least 1/3 less but good (not great) target quality guns are more expensive as is a compressor and a couple of S.C.U.B.A. tanks....
Rifle, rimfire, because I have one that I converted for my oldest daughter by taking 1" slabs off the butt of the rifle (keeping legal OAL in mind) that I had drilled two ¼" holes through, first, one just below the top and one just above the bottom that would go through all the slabs that I will cut...I then inserted a ¼" threaded female adaptor glued in place and had some long ¼" steel rods that I threaded on one end and had cut to various lengths, so that it would screw into the female in the stock...
When she (now they) were little, I would start with just the stock and butt plate and as they grew older, I'd screw in the first set of the two rods, slip on the next piece of the butt and mount the butt plate (friction fit) and would continue changing the length of the steel rods and adding additional slabs as they grew older and bigger and longer of reach until they could use a standard length rifle...It has six slabs, six sets of rods and one buttplate which makes it from 7¾" to 14½" as there are some extra shims (12) made from sheet vinyl showroom display samples cut out for the different lengths, to guarantee a custom fit...
I still start them on that but now with all the adjustable stocks available, it almost isn't necessary except when they're really young say four to seven years old...and of course I can't start them indoors with a rimfire...
With rifles at least you can prop it up on something, a sandbag atop a block of wood, three four sandbags or a steel RTB (return to battery) table rest with a proper sand bags where, while it can be done with a pistol, it's a little too tiring for young shooters to hold let alone hold on target...After they have developed their arm and especially wrist muscles, say by age nine or so then pistol is much simpler to start as they have the basics of sight alignment, breath control, slow squeeze and follow through from the rifles now it’s just refining the control…
My daughters, their friends and the neighbour kids practice nightly in the basement on the 5 lane, 10M range we built and there is a safe next to the area so they can leave their guns here if they want to…I believe everyone of them, now, has a 10M range in their basements for practice and now they’re able to switch around so not one family is inundated with swarms of teenagers and worse still near teenagers (11½ to 13 yrs) who’ll eat and drink their way through your larder quite quickly…
I let the youngsters try out the pistols from when they first start shooting, so they are accustomed to them, somewhat and they get to do what the big kids are doing—big psychological boost right there…My two youngest shoot more pistol then rifle as I can’t get any stocks to fit them properly, because of their builds and lack of rifles for them…
Regardless of what you use -- even bows & arrows, start them VERY close to the target, 5 feet, yes that’s feet, is fine and let them see their hits and let them then start worrying about group size but not score…once they have a good group in the black, move back another 5 feet and do it again and keep doing it until you get to 30 maybe 35 feet and then start to move back ten feet at a time but not until the groups, in the black are small—that’s your goal…By seeing the hits on the target it builds confidence, makes them happy and wanting to continue, wanting to do better, trying to figure out how to move that group from the eight ring at three o’clock to the centre…Keeping it to 30 feet before making a change, gives them 6 sets of targets that they have practiced on and were able to finally get all in the black or the ten ring…now the challenge is a bit farther forcing them to delve deeper into their reserve, steadying themselves and by the time you get to 25 yards, your final destination, you’ll have a solid mid 90s, 4x or 5x shooter on your hands and with practice, coaching and good equipment (that they can trust) especially sights and a 1,000 100x shooter is a strong possibility!