Hello all,
I am a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I really am a terrible shot. I inherited some guns from an uncle who passed away (I'm 35 years old, by the way) and I had never fired a gun until I recently took some of his guns to a friend's land for some shooting. No one else in my family owns or shoots guns, so I guess the opportunity for practice never really came up.
I'd really like to get into deer hunting, but I can barely hit the paper with a 30-30 from 25 yards away while standing. My friend put two nearly in the bulls eye, so the rifle is fine...and while it was my first time ever firing a rifle, it doesn't seem *that* hard to hit a 24'' target from 75 feet away. And my misses weren't consistent, so it didn't seem like I was making the same mistake each time.
I also shot his little pocket-sized Taurus .380. It's got a looong trigger pull, which I didn't know, and the first time I pulled the trigger, I flinched so much I might've shot myself in the toe (not quite, but it was quite the flinch) had I actually fired the gun. I was a bit more accurate with a .22 Single Six, but I was far, far from competent.
I'd really, really like to become more competent...especially since I'd like to go hunting this fall. Plus it just sucks being so bad at it. Any advice on what I can do? I am planning to practice, but practicing bad habits doesn't seem all that helpful. One of the guns I inherited was an old Marlin .22, so I'm planning to use that primarily because the ammo is cheaper. I also now possess a Single Six .22, a Blackhawk .44, a Marlin 30-30, a CVA muzzleloader, a Remington 870, and a Ruger Lite 22/45. Not sure if that's relevant, but those are the tools I'm working with.
Thanks for any and all suggestions!
CM
I am a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I really am a terrible shot. I inherited some guns from an uncle who passed away (I'm 35 years old, by the way) and I had never fired a gun until I recently took some of his guns to a friend's land for some shooting. No one else in my family owns or shoots guns, so I guess the opportunity for practice never really came up.
I'd really like to get into deer hunting, but I can barely hit the paper with a 30-30 from 25 yards away while standing. My friend put two nearly in the bulls eye, so the rifle is fine...and while it was my first time ever firing a rifle, it doesn't seem *that* hard to hit a 24'' target from 75 feet away. And my misses weren't consistent, so it didn't seem like I was making the same mistake each time.
I also shot his little pocket-sized Taurus .380. It's got a looong trigger pull, which I didn't know, and the first time I pulled the trigger, I flinched so much I might've shot myself in the toe (not quite, but it was quite the flinch) had I actually fired the gun. I was a bit more accurate with a .22 Single Six, but I was far, far from competent.
I'd really, really like to become more competent...especially since I'd like to go hunting this fall. Plus it just sucks being so bad at it. Any advice on what I can do? I am planning to practice, but practicing bad habits doesn't seem all that helpful. One of the guns I inherited was an old Marlin .22, so I'm planning to use that primarily because the ammo is cheaper. I also now possess a Single Six .22, a Blackhawk .44, a Marlin 30-30, a CVA muzzleloader, a Remington 870, and a Ruger Lite 22/45. Not sure if that's relevant, but those are the tools I'm working with.
Thanks for any and all suggestions!
CM