Shooting Lessons - part 2

Our first shooting lesson was just Rachael and I. This afternoon it started with oldest daughter Robyn and I, and Rachael joined us later.

Once again, I set up a short target range in the back yard using a blanket for a backstop, and clothespinning a couple of paper targets to it. Robyn and I went over the same basics that I’d gone through with Rachael, and soon enough it was time to start shooting.

Robyn was much more calm about the whole thing, and her attitude more accepting. At one point, after she’d fired 10 or 15 shots at the targets, she looked at her shots all over the paper and said she was a rotten shot. I then did something I’d never do with Rachael. I stood in front of the targets (after making sure the gun was safed and pointing in a safe direction), and asked Robyn how many holes she could see. “None,” was her answer, and I said “exactly”. I continued, “If you absolutely had to shoot at someone to protect yourself, you just hit him every time. Maybe not bullseye shots, but each shot you made was close enough to count.” She appreciated that, I could tell.

Robyn also mentioned that the target shooting was relaxing for her – a nice way to de-stress. Towards the end, she was enjoying it a lot, and also said more than once that we should go to the pistol range and do some real shooting.

Rachael came out towards the end, and also did a few groups of five. Her form is better than Robyn’s at this point, and she’s definitely a more accurate shot (which bugs her I think). They did a friendly competition which Rachael won handily, including one smack-in-the-center bullseye.

Altogether, we probably fired around a hundred shots, and had fun doing it. Next up, my wife.