500 yard club.....

Dan B

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2002
Messages
290
Location
Armagh, PA
On Thursday I headed to the range w/ my 22-250 Savage Sriker handgun, a Mauser .243 Winchester and a young lad that likes to tag along when I go shooting. This young fella (Mark is 15yrs old) has not had much of a Dad growing up (the dad is a drunk and been in/out of jail) so I try to help Mark along and take him hunting as much as I can. I helped him harvest his first deer last fall and he can't wait for this year.

Along w/ the shooting equipment and ourselves, I had a dozen water filled, one gallon milk jugs in the truck. I've let Mark shoot jugs before (at short range) to show him the destruction a bullet can cause and he assumed we were going to do the same this time. He was suprised when we toted them to 300, 400 and 500yds...and he thought I was going to do the shooting while he watched. I did make a one shot connection at 500yds w/ the 22-250 Striker (MArk's look was of absolute amazement) then I let Mark do all the shooting.

I set him up on a short Harris using the .243 Winchester, gave him a few bench etiquette pointers, showed him how to dial in the top turret and stepped aside. This rifle is a a budget beater (Mauser action, 25" Varmint taper barrel and varmint style stock (both make are unknown), Jaeger trigger, and Tasco 6-24x40TR scope)...I picked it up at a gun shop for $200 (scopeless) after it set in the consignment rack for a year and a half. Keeping with the budget theme...I added the scope from another gun shop steal and worked up a load using RL-19 and 75gr V-Max's in reformed LC .308 brass. I was suprised when it was cluster in the .5 MOA at 100 and still under .75 MOA at 500yds!

Anyhoo...Mark snapped a few shots on an empty chamber to get the feel of the trigger then went live. He dialed the scope to 300yds and his first shot connected dead on the first jug...not very far but for a novice shooter it looked like 3K yards! Not wasting time I had him reset on a 400yd jug, he redialed the scope, setteled in and ...seconds later it exploded and he was beaming..."This is COOL!" he exclaimed.

After a little discussion I set him to the 500yd backer where he redialed the scope and proceeded to bust all three jugs in a row! He was thrilled. I also let him rattle the 8" steel gong at 500yds after the jugs were gone and after five rounds he only missed once. He said that after the 500yds shooting, the 300 and 400yd jugs were too easy. It's great to see a young person so interested in popping primers.

Too bad there is not a 500yd club for milk jugs... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Dan,

Thanks for taking the young man under your wing! You will be blessed many times over. Train up a child in the way he should go, Prov. 22: 6 You have been doing the LORDS work... One small step goes a mile. This young man will remember you and what you taught him the rest of his LIFE!
 
There is now ( a 500 yard Milk Jug club ). It's call the 500 yard MJ club (not to be confused with the 500 members of the Michael Jackson fan club.) Good story.
 
Dan,

That is a very impressive thing your doing with that young man, this may be something that keeps him on the right track the rest of his life.

Get a critter in front of him and you WILL see him get into the real 500 yard club I am sure. If he is tht consistant he will not have much trouble!!

Again, very cool what your doing.

Kirby Allen(50)
 
Hey fellas,

Mark is only one of three kids I'm working with to keep involved in the outdoors. He is the closest to me and the easiest to snag when I'm running around doing stuff...cutting wood, shooting, running outdoors errands (checking trails, stands, scouting) etc.

The other two are brothers and though their dad is trying to get them on deer, he is not having much luck. So I took them out for a day in the early fall youth season and got the oldest boy (Ian is also 15yrs old) his first deer and the other boy (Erin is 13) missed a deer.

I'm just training myself with these kids that way when mine are old enough I'll have all the kinks worked out! My daughter (Sara) will be three in November and the boy (Colt) will be one in October. I've already got Sara's first gun ready too!!
 
we need more like yah. you the man Dan!!!!!!!!!!!!!! way to go /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
I have taken a few boys out shooting and hunting myself. As I reflect on it, it is hard to say who had the most fun. Good job and Thanks.
 
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