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Confidence building with the 1911, Savage rifle, and clay targets

Rossignol

Rossignol

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I've mentioned a little in the past about my youngest, now 11, and some of the things she's been through and issues with self esteem, etc. We're beginning to get into shooting and I'm trying to tailor her experience based on what I'm seeing in her as we shoot. We began with standard paper targets but what saw, despite her first shots being very near the bull, she was looking at it like that's not enough because it wasn't ON the bull. She wasn't getting just how well she did which was far better than I had done for years.

I've had a lot of help along the way, Water Monkey has taken a lot of time helping me with the basics of pistol shooting. So I'm trying to share that with my daughter as I've learned, as I'm still learning. So based on her first experience with paper targets, I began thinking of alternative targets and clays seemed perfect as they're reactionary and give instant feedback, and she can benefit from that and build confidence as she works on the basics. The video is brief and what it shows is more than beginners luck but the work she has already put in to it by dry fire practice and rehearsing before ever firing a live round.

 
Great job.

To you both.

The best way is to learn the "correct way" from the beginning.

It's a lot easier than going back and trying to re-learn later.

And looks like she's off to a great start.

Balloons are another good reactive target.

Helium balloons on strings are a lot more challenging because they move with the wind and are good later on once she feels comfortable with where she's at.

Have you seen the magpul pistol series? They're pretty good.
 
Reactive, that's the word I was looking for, rather than reactionary. I knew that didn't sound right.

Yeah, I think she is off to a great start and she doesn't even realize it! She doesn't get that I couldn't hit a bullseye with a handful of magazines and neither could her sister. We used to put up clays and couldn't get close enough to even chip the edge. We had no idea what we were doing and thought something inherent to the design of the pistol caused it to shoot low (and often left as well) because we both shot the same way. In truth, it shot that way because we both were using the exact same terrible shooting techniques. The old cup and saucer style for example, or weaver with bent elbows and wrists. Too bad I still see guys teaching their kids the cup and saucer grip when the internet is at their fingertips.

Anyway, she can't shoot the 1911 for too long at a time because it's a bit big for her hands. She wants to shoot but has to take a break and give her hands a rest. We still have yet to get a carry gun for Jenny (my wife) so when we do, I expect that will be a better fit.

She's in there though, she's got it and as long as I'm not steering her wrong, she'll continue to do awesomely. Rifle shooting will be soon, maybe tomorrow after church even.

@Water Monkey if we bottle the awesome, would that be "awesome suace"? lol
 
Brad,

I think Rob Leatham, in this video, is spot ON as far as developing a critical pistol shooting fundamental. Dry fire practice until at the trigger break the gun says motionless is critical before anyone can get significantly better.

Aiming and front sight comes later.

 
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But am I REALLY IMPRESSED that a dad and his daughter of eleven are shooting a 1911 together instead of some BB gun???

Hell yeah!
 
nitesite said:
Brad,

I think Rob Leatham, in this video, is spot ON as far as developing a critical pistol shooting fundamental. Dry fire practice until at the trigger break the gun says motionless is critical before anyone can get significantly better.

Aiming and front sight comes later.

Click to expand...

^^^thats a good point. It's something I practice and for some reason, I haven't thought to tell her about that yet. She's doing well by slowly pulling the trigger until it breaks, but we haven't talked about pulling the trigger without the sights moving from target.
 
Another first, this time on the rifle! She hit every clay at an actual distance of 105 yards! The video isn't super impressive because you can't see the hits on target. I've got to figure out getting another camera downnrange to record if we keep doing this.

She said she was nervous, kinda scared, but she did it! She thought there'd be more recoil and it might knock her over or that it would be too loud. But she sighted in and put her finger on the trigger and counted it down and hit every time she fired.

 
She is that, and she's at least 3" accurate at 100 yards as well! :D
 
That little girl is stylin and profilin!

Better dig up Randy Savage cause I got's the case to scream.... OH YEAHHHH

 
Lol, it's been awhile since I've heard that! And now I want a slim Jim.
 
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