Help With New Shooter

[mooretitan]

Are there any good books out there about teaching youth about shooting techniques. I have been taking my kids the last couple of years and they are really starting to get into shooting. I have shot all of my life but I am looking for a little information to make sure they are picking up the right techniques.

Also are there an official site that I can look up for youth shooting competition in California. I would like to go and see what they are all about. Nothing like shooting with the family to make a great day.

My oldest will turn 8 in a couple months and has mostly been shooting at 25 yards with a 10/22 and has become pretty good. She moved up to shooting the 223 and 204 this weekend and did great. The recoil did not bother her. She shot close to 80 rounds of 22 and 10 rounds each from 223 and 204 all at 25 yards.

Also if they continue to enjoy the sport what type of set up shooting off the bench would be the best set up. Right now I have a pretty have table and sand bags.

I might try to build a 20 practical for her this summer and set it up to fit her.

Thanks

 

[WildRose]

Are there any good books out there about teaching youth about shooting techniques. I have been taking my kids the last couple of years and they are really starting to get into shooting. I have shot all of my life but I am looking for a little information to make sure they are picking up the right techniques.

Also are there an official site that I can look up for youth shooting competition in California. I would like to go and see what they are all about. Nothing like shooting with the family to make a great day.

My oldest will turn 8 in a couple months and has mostly been shooting at 25 yards with a 10/22 and has become pretty good. She moved up to shooting the 223 and 204 this weekend and did great. The recoil did not bother her. She shot close to 80 rounds of 22 and 10 rounds each from 223 and 204 all at 25 yards.

Also if they continue to enjoy the sport what type of set up shooting off the bench would be the best set up. Right now I have a pretty have table and sand bags.

I might try to build a 20 practical for her this summer and set it up to fit her.

Thanks

There are lots of good videos on Youtube on the subject. Here's one from the NSSF



Very basic and clear instruction. Should help you with the kids.

 

[geo4061]

Glad to see shooting techniques brought up. WildRose the other day you mentioned moving your free hand from the rear bag to the top of the scope. You then applied downward pressure. This improved your groups with the new smoke pole. I thought this was a total no no?

 

[WildRose]

Glad to see shooting techniques brought up. WildRose the other day you mentioned moving your free hand from the rear bag to the top of the scope. You then applied downward pressure. This improved your groups with the new smoke pole. I thought this was a total no no?

As a rule it generally is but as I explained I'm shooting a heavy recoiling lightweight rifle.

Because of the limitations I have with my left shoulder I can't rotate my arm out to a regular supported position under the forearm so I have to do what I can.

I'm not pushing down on it, just using the weight of my hand and arm on it to help control muzzle rise a little and to help then with keeping the recoil coming straight back into my shoulder.

If I had a taller rest what I would do instead is to loop the sling around my arm and under my elbow and brace my hand against the forearm which would help to do the same thing but with this set up I can't.

You would not want to put any great downward force on the scope though because that can create stress and cause contact between the end of the forearm and barrel unless you have an extremely stiff stock.

The longer you shoot the more you will see that there is no perfect form that works for all situations and all shooters and sometimes we just have to experiment a bit to find what works best for us with a given setup.

 

[mtwarych]

Maybe the NRA has something that can help you out with proper positions and mounting the rifle.
When I started with my children one aged 5 years old and one at seven.
We worked with chipmonks and peep sights until they were ready for a scope.

Have a great time mentoring your young shooters. I am almost jealous because I won't be able to do that kind stuff with my children.

Come on grandkids!

 

[WildRose]

Let's see if this video works.

 

[FearNoWind]

I don't know where you are in California but the Yolo Sportsman Club in Woodland has a good youth program and there is another at both the Sacramento Valley Shooting Center and the Lincoln Rifle Club.
Here's a list of scheduled 2015 Hunter Education Programs in California:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/huntered/classes.aspx

 

[FearNoWind]

... The longer you shoot the more you will see that there is no perfect form that works for all situations and all shooters and sometimes we just have to experiment a bit to find what works best for us with a given setup.

I agree entirely. I have worked with some novice shooters who, after much effort on everyone's part, cannot/will not make adjustments to achieve good shooting form. For those I have adopted a philosophy that if they do something incorrectly, at least be consistent. Using that approach they eventually find their personal form "accuracy node" and become a much better shooter. Not match winners, of course, but certainly capable of good scores and of striking the kill zone on game they're hunting.