Interesting encounter at the range yesterday,,,

A

aarondhgraham

New member
I was happily involved in sighting in of two 22 rifles yesterday,,,
A mid 30's couple pulled up and asked if they could shoot beside me.

They are brand new members of the club and weren't sure about protocol.

They had each purchased one of the Model 10's that Buds has in stock,,,
The guns looked pretty rough but proved to shoot just fine.

They were popping away at 15 yards,,,
Niether one was doing great,,,
But not badly either.

Their daughter (11 years old) tried shooting the .38,,,
But the recoil was just a bit too much for her,,,
I offered to let her shoot my model 63.

Mom and dad agreed so I loaded it up for her,,,
The first thing I did was draw a picture of how the sights should look,,,
Then I placed her in a Weaver stance and got her into a decent two handed grip.

I showed her how to thumb the hammer back with her left hand,,,
Then I knelt behind her and simply let her have some fun,,,
She was truly enjoying shooting the little J-frame.

Long story short she did very well,,,
At 15 yards she was keeping most of her shots in a 10" paper plate,,,
Her parents were very surprised but I told them that kids often had very good eyes and concentration.

Now Mom and dad have to buy a third handgun for their daughter,,,
They gasped when I told them how expensive S&W 22 revolvers can be,,,
So I turned them on to the concept of a Heritage single action revolver for her.

This wasn't an earth shattering experience,,,
The little girl didn't channel the spirit of Annie Oakley,,,
But she did display a good attitude and obeyed the safety rules.

Hopefully Mom and Dad can find a nice little starter gun for her,,,
Who knows, she might turn out to be the next Jessie Abbate.

Aarond

.
 
I hope you went home with a warm and fuzzy feeling for helping a child.

My daily prayer is that I make a difference in the life of a child.

Thanks for sharing.

Bob Wright
 
As everyone can tell by my post count vs join date, I hang out here a lot but don't post often.

But, I must finally comment on Aarond's posts. I always get the "warm and fuzzies" from your actions kind sir.

Thank you for being such a fine fine example of the best of our kind (Gun owners)

It is an honor to share a forum with you.

Rodger
 
A sincere "thank-you" goes a long way !!

Teaching others, shooting/gun skills brings much satisfaction. I guess that is why I truly enjoy being a Hunter Safety Instructor. I can teach all stations but prefer the M/L station that my teaching partner and I, set the curriculum. Our state is farrly flexible on what we can teach. Two experiences that really come to mind are;

1) While teaching an all womens class, I was able to earn enough trust to give one young lady, the courage to shoot a .50 Side-Lock. Prior to coming to our M/L station, she refused to shoot at the .22 rifle and shotgun stations. Soon after the smoke had cleared, I observed that she was crying about her success. Did not expect that and did it ever make my day.

2) In all the years of teaching, I've recieved letters of appreciation from two young students. I have recieved service awards before but these letters mean more to me than anything else. ... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
One thing I forgot to mention,,,

I had to give Mom and Dad a small lecture on eye and ear protection,,,
Neither of them were wearing plugs or earmuffs,,,
I urged them to buy decent muffs and glasses

I had spare glasses I let the girl use,,,
I also gave her a pair of el-cheapo ear plugs,,,
She wore them under the spare muffs I had her wear.

Thanks for the kind words my friends,,,
I do enjoy helping people new into the sport,,,
If a handful of .22 ammo gets someone started,,,
I've done my part that day to promote 2A and the sport.

Not to mention all the help I got when I got back into shooting,,,
The members of my Rifle & Pistol club were very hospitable to my old self.

Besides, you should have seen her smile. :D

Aarond

.
 
Well done Aarond.../ I try to help out new shooters when I can ...but you do a lot of it ...and its important.
 
Great story, and I commend you as a great gun owner/advocate. 2nd amendment people, this is the way to help your cause. I gurantee what aarondhgraham did is going to make a good lasting impression on that whole family! Thanks for sharing...
 
That's a blast! I've started newbies like that too and it's a great feeling!
Once, a 5y.o. came up while practicing and asked if she could shoot a 22. I looked at the parent who nodded Ok and found she already was safety oriented. Later, she said she had been shooting the 44mag, but it 'was wearing on her'.:D
She probably weighed 50 #.:D
 
Hello Tinner666,,,

Later, she said she had been shooting the 44mag, but it 'was wearing on her'.
She probably weighed 50 #.
Click to expand...

One of our members whose name I can't quite recall,,,
Has a young daughter whose favorite gun is a Raging Bull in .44 Magnum.

She is a slender lass as well,,,
The pic he used to post was awesome,,,
IIRC she sneered at the wimpy little rimfire cartridges.

Perhaps he will read this and post her picture again.

Aarond

.
 
Bartender, set that man up a round on me. An open act of kindness (especially to a child) is a rare thing nowdays, and don't kid yourself that that child won't remember it for a loooong time. As your signature line starts off "Aarond is good..." How True.
 
Well done Aarond!

One of our members whose name I can't quite recall,,,
Has a young daughter whose favorite gun is a Raging Bull in .44 Magnum.
Click to expand...

Some young and small folks shoot big guns just fine. I saw a pic somewhere onine of a teen looking girl shooting what looked like a 454 Cassull pistol and an Automag, and having fun. She was also packing a sixgun on her belt, and didn't look like a beginner. I poached the pic since it looked cool, and could be inspirational to female shooters. I've been reluctant to post it anywhere, not knowing who it was, but I guess if it was posted somehwere else, it would be OK.
 

Attachments

  • Girl with gun 3.jpg
    Girl with gun 3.jpg
    147 KB · Views: 54
  • Girl with gun 2.jpg
    Girl with gun 2.jpg
    122.6 KB · Views: 51
Last edited:
I always like to read Aronds posts. Good going for you sir. My hats off to you for all the young shooters you introduced to this sport. Didnt you also give a young man a 22? That was a huge gift and shows you are of the finest kind.
 
Hello markj,,,

Yep, I gave my young friend Mike my old Ruger 22/45,,,
It was their most basic model with 4.5" barrel and fixed sights,,,
It was the first pistol I bought for myself after I got my grown-up job.

Mike and I had been to the range together many times,,,
He was still an undergrad and struggling to feed and house himself.

This is him reading the transfer letter I wrote for the gun.

MikeSmiling.jpg


I'm not rich enough to buy guns for all the young folk I take to the range,,,
But there are a special few who really showed a liking that I will do that for again.

Sarah will soon earn her BS in industrial Engineering,,,
She is absolutely in love with my Model 18 and Model 15 S&W's.

I'm going to get her a handgun of some sort when she graduates in May 2013,,,
It probably won't be a S&W because I've not found an afordable one,,,
But I'm looking at a gently used 4" Charter Arms Pathfinder.

People, I honestly don't post these things fishing for kudos,,,
I really do hope to inspire more people to help the young folk out if they can.

I'm a single man with no family but have a decent professional income,,,
I can afford to pay for the ammunition to let them shoot a bit,,,
And thanks to help from the Evil Pawn Shop Guy,,,
I occasionally find a bargain gun.

Three months ago I fronted the money for another young man,,,
He purchased a gently used Ruger MK-II target pistol,,,
Evil Pawn Shop Guy sold it to me for $225 OTD,,,
Lucas hasn't missed a $50/month payment,,,
Only $75.00 more and it's all his.

I guarantee if you do this once or twice,,,
You will experience some extreme personal satisfaction.

One website says there are approximately 40-45 million handgun owners in the United States,,,
If each of us got one young person started shooting a year we could double that number,,,
And if they each did the same, well it's like Arlo Guthrie said,,,
We would have ourselves a "Movement".

Aarond

.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top