doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Starting a new shooter

I've started my grandsons(9&10)shooting this summer. I looked quite a while until I found a gun that would fit them. I picked up a youth model Charles Daly semi-auto in 20 ga that is near perfect with short stock and 21" barrel.Price of $279.00 wasn't bad either. I loaded up some low recoil loads and started them on the Skeet field. The first outing dealt mainly with safety, gun handling and etiquette and a short session of shooting. The oldest went to it like a duck to water. The younger not so. The recoil was not pleasant to him, so I switched him to a cutoff .410 which didn't fit the bill either. He decided he would pass on shooting for awhile and I didn't press the issue.
The older grandson loves it and is an unusually quick shot, especially on high 2 and low 6. Where he does stuggle is on low 7!!....I have yet to figure that out. We've gone through about 5 flats so far and I have learned a few lessons.
1. Kids are eager to please and get discouraged quickly if not breaking targets.
2. They will shoot until there fatigued if you let them.
3. It is best to bypass those windy days if possible.
4. Take breaks often and let them describe there shots amd what they are seeing.
5. Always end up on a good note, make them pickup there hulls and wipe down there gun.
5. Although my son loves to hunt, he never really cared for target shooting. Now I've got a clay busting machine!!!!

PS The younger grandson let me know he's ready for another go at it! They've got that brother competition thing going on!!!

If he is having trouble on low 7 make sure he is actually moving his gun up through the target on follow through. My grandson was just trying to ambush that target with a motionless gun. The reverse also happens when the hold point is too low or the barrels dipped, then the shooter makes a big effort to catch up and over runs the target.

Agree with Jim on safety. My instructions with family is absolutely no tolerance errors. We just good heartedly put the gun away for the day. Lesson's over. No hard feelings ever. They do get the message.

When things are straightened away, choose a gun with least recoil and lightest loads and let them shoot, have fun. It might take 10 shots on easy clays but that first one, bits or smoke, provides confidence, wow, I can do it.

Go from there. Same as training a puppy. Make it pleasing for student and teacher, always reinforcing it's no place for complacency.

Thank you all so much for the ideas. This is a great site because of just this kind of thing.

I agree completely with the fun factor. It must be fun whether it’s a new woman shooter or a kid.

Safety is also paramount and while I was focusing mostly to shooting technique, When I teach a Hunter Safety class with a lot of novices, I shoot a 2x4 at three or four feet with a shotgun. It really makes an impression. I think some folks think shotguns aren’t dangerous.

Concerning choice of guns, I’ve tended to stay away from semi-autos because of both the forward weight issue and the fact that most won’t function with ¾ oz loads. Does the Daly function with Trainers?

I think the ideal gun is the Mossberg Bantam in 20 gauge with Fiochi Trainers or a similar shell. The gun will function with anything, it’s very light, you can add weight to the butt as I mentioned in an earlier post and I find kids can operate it easier than single shots because of cocking the hammer. So the revised list is:

• Go over fundamentals of gun safety and demo with the 2x4
• Check eye dominance
• Build the shooters gun mount
• Using a mirror, check gun fit
• Explain the importance and demonstrate proper stance
• Fire POA shots on a board to see if the shooter has a concept of pointing
• For first shots on a flying target, chose an easy going away target with a long hang time before the target begins to fall

As the shooter begins to shoot at his first targets stop and explain fundamentals while keeping the session fun:

• Explain how a broad awareness of the area the target will appear in shifts to tight focus on the target when it appears.
• Explain that the focus should be on the target with the barrels in peripheral
• Explain the concept of follow through
• Explain the fundamentals of lead and how to begin to estimate it
• Begin moving the shooter further (right and left) from the trap to demonstrate changes in lead.
• End the session before the student gets too tired
• I try to end the session with a series of confidence building targets and try to let the last target be a broken target.

What do you guys think about shooting at a point of aim target before shooting flying targets? I see merits both ways.

Thanks again

I really like your idea of aiming the gun into a mirror so you can see how they are aligning. I am somewhat afraid of your shotgun at a 2x4 demonstration. (I teach Hunter Ed as well to about 600 students per year). The reason I don't like the 2x4 is wood is tough enough to get some shot bounce back. We even had it come back and sting the shooter from accidental hits on wood of target table used to support a cabbage. We do that now with a sharpened wooden stake supporting the cabbage which minimizes opportunity for bounce back. I have become exceedingly cautious the last few years because of the number of incidents we have learned about from others and a few of our own incidents as well.

The cabbage is a great idea.