learn to shoot

[clarky07]

I am new to shooting and would like information on learning how to shoot. I bought a .22lr to learn with. Any information is welcomed, as well as good resources to look into. Also, I am wondering if I should get a shooting bag. I have noticed that many people use them when I am at the range, but I don't know if they are using them specifically for sighting or to improve accuracy. Is this something I should take advantage of or not.

[musicman]

Welcome to the wonderful world of gun ownership!! Congrats on your first gun. Tell us about it! We love pictures, too.

To start out, I don't really think you need shootng rests or anything fancy. Right now you should be working on gun safety, sight picture, and trigger control. You can worry about shooting flies at 1,000 yards later.

Where do you live? There are usually 2 or 3 monthly meets across the state where you can get together with the rest of the crew and learn by (sometimes poor) example. Also, you can shoot lots of different guns and learn what you like and don't like. Look in the "events and gatherings" section for the shoot nearest you.

While there is a lot to be said for reading and learning about guns, there's nothing like learning to shoot by actually shooting!

Happy Plinkin'!

[vujade]

welcome to the club clarky.

i just started recently and love it. it's the great equalizer as they say. i feel safer as more of my family members get involved also - especially in these troubled times. it's also down right fun.

my advise is to frequent forums like these and google all you can to learn about things. go shoot with some folks (as above - meets are great oppurtunities). learn all you can. it's one of the few sports that can really save your life.

[BimmerFreak]

Welcome to TGO and congrats on your .22LR purchase.

While a .22 pistol may not be as "sexy" or "tacti-cool" as some of the stuff out there, always remember that the safe shooting skills learned and perfected using your .22 transfer over to any pistol or caliber.

The fundamentals of marksmanship are universal. Learn to shoot well with a .22LR, and you will shoot well with anything you put in your hand!

** Most avid/hardcore shooters continue to practice and train with .22LR rifles and pistols through their entire lifetime.

They represent solid training platforms, and allow you to put many rounds downrange at a greatly reduced cost over larger calibers.

As far as training and building your skills, I recommend the NRA Basic Pistol Course as your first look into organized pistol marksmanship.

http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/basictraining.asp

These courses are offered all over the State, so if you will let us know what part of the State you are in, perhaps we can put you in touch with a local trainer.

Edited October 7, 2008 by BimmerFreak

[musicman]

You mean my bad ping-pong back hand will never come in handy? DANG!

[clarky07]

The gun is a remington 597 that I have been mostly very happy with. The only thing I want to change is it has a very heavy trigger. Other than that it has been great. I live south of nashville and went to last months mid-tenn meet and shoot. I was hoping to go this month as well but i have plans the weekend it is being held.

As far as the shooting alot I have been doing that. I just joined owl hollow gun club which I really enjoy and it has the added benefit of being close to my house. Really the thing is I don't want to practice bad habits because I don't know any better. I don't even really know what qualifies as a "good" group from 50 yards so I'm not sure just how bad I suck or what to strive for.

[Angus]

At 50 yards, they should all hit in the same hole.........heh....nooo

Honestly, Hero Gear ( Joe ) has the best advice here, and he is also south of Nashville. As far as that region of the state goes, I would say Hero Gear would be your best bet for a gunshop, it may be a little bit further, but it will be alot more gratifying.

Practice, practice, practice.......and again.

[BimmerFreak]

Practice, practice, practice.......and again.

Roger that.

There is NO SUBSTITUTE for rounds down range.

[towerclimber37]

The gun is a remington 597 that I have been mostly very happy with. The only thing I want to change is it has a very heavy trigger. Other than that it has been great. I live south of nashville and went to last months mid-tenn meet and shoot. I was hoping to go this month as well but i have plans the weekend it is being held.

As far as the shooting alot I have been doing that. I just joined owl hollow gun club which I really enjoy and it has the added benefit of being close to my house. Really the thing is I don't want to practice bad habits because I don't know any better. I don't even really know what qualifies as a "good" group from 50 yards so I'm not sure just how bad I suck or what to strive for.

Clarky, I am in Brentwood, working..and I have weekends free usually. you're welcome to PM me on a friday and I'd be happy to meet ya on saturday and we can shoot. I would be happy to give you pointers!

22's are great at 50 yards..but if you practice enough, you'll see just how good you are at the 100 yard line! I've been working with my wife on that one...and she's getting better at putting them right where she wants them!

keep in mind, everything I learned, I learned either from military training..or from my brother (mark@sea) who was on the navy rifle/pistol team.

[clarky07]

Well, I have been practicing with plenty of rounds down range this week. My best group from 50 yards is just under 1". I'm certainly not satisfied with this, but it is an improvement

[musicman]

Hey, that's good! What type of ammo are you shooting? Scope? from a bench? If that's with iron sights, you're doing very well.

If you're shooting bulk ammo (like the Federal, Remington, or Winchester 500+ boxes, or the cheaper 50 rd boxes) then you're doing really well. Try some match grade ammo like the Wolf or Eley stuff. The bullets are greasy feeling and the ammo is much more consistent. It really does make a difference. I didn't believe it until I shot some of the stuff in Jason F.'s and EasilyObsessed's guns at a meet awhile back.

Glad you're havin' fun!

So what kinda' gun do you want to buy next?!

[Angus]

1" groups at 50 yds and your not happy?...dude....measure a squirrels butthole...you are doing fine my man.....keep it up.

[musicman]

HAHAHAHA!! Squirrel's butthole!!! That's rich!!

[clarky07]

its with a scope, from a bench, with a makeshift bag as a rest. I am not unhappy with the 1" groups per say, its more that those are maybe 1 out of 8 groups :-) 1" is certainly not the average group.

[musicman]

That's still good. After you spend more time around the rest of us, you'll start to feel pretty good about yourself!!

[Angus]

Where do you shoot? Can you put up your own targets? Personally, I love steel targets, I love to hear the "plink". If you can afford one, go to Wal-Mart or Basspro, or wherever and get a rabbit or squirrel sized steel target. I know groupings are important, but the "plink" gives you the reward that you hit the target everytime.

[musicman]

Hey, if you have a friend who owns enough property to shoot on, or you can find a range that will let you shoot stuff, golf balls are a lot of fun! Bowling pins, too, but I won't shoot .22s at bowling pins... they bounce back sometimes!!

[Guest RISC777]

Opinion: Stay away from the Winchester bulk ammo (from 597 experience). Remington bulk is okay. CCI is a bit more, but will feed without issue.

As stated, the main thing is time spent just shooting, while practicing and maintaining safety. (A lot of years with an old Remmy hard sighted .22 chasing squirrels, to me, as a kid is invaluable. Add the love of things that go boom and fire and things that blow up and Uncle Sammy letting you play with toys and . . .) Stick to enjoying shooting. Stick to safety. Shoot as often as you can.

Bags are good for steadying the rifle, use one/them if you want to. If you go hunting for small game, shooting for riddance of varmints, etc., will a bag be there? Probably not (but a tree limb might). Owl Hollow should be great for you, it's outdoors and still has the benches. (Too bad we can't just wander a bit through woods with whatever we want to carry and shoot at whatever we want to? heh To those that can? EnJoY it for we who can't!)

When you're certain the trigger pull is not to your liking there are the VQ etal hammers as upgrades. I agree the action isn't as smooth as Remington can put out, but for the cost you've got a nice rifle.

The next items for me and the boys are an upgraded scope, bipod and a rest (for range shooting), VQ hammer, trigger shoe, sling, finish camo painting it, and maybe a recoil comp. Oh, yeah, a bore snake is a good investment.

[clarky07]

yeah, i definitely plan on getting the vq hammer to ease the trigger a bit. after that i think i'll be pretty pleased with it. I got to shoot my friends m1 and mosin nagant today, and that was a ton of fun. we shot some clay targets for a bit of fun. I think an m1 and a box of clay targets could keep me entertained for a long time :-)