My Thursday, Kids Creating Memories, & Gun Range

[runco]

My kids are on Fall break, and I took off 3 days this week from work, so my two older boys (age 10 and 9) and I were suppose to have gone squirrel hunting and target practice yesterday (Thursday) on a my uncle's farm up in Sevier Co.   My father was under the weather, so I scrubbed the idea.  The kids were disappointed.  Then an idea popped in my head, heck, just take the boys and some guns down to the local indoor shooting range.  I shoot there often, never seen any kids, and honestly never considered taking my own there.  Its dirty, poor lighting, and sometimes busy.  Its only $5. 

 

When we got there, no one was on the range.  :pleased:   After the boys were given a quick dos and donts on the range, and after they stopped playing with the target switch on the panel :rant:, we started off shooting an Anschutz 1450 (youth 22LR) with a 5 shot mag and with a hunting scope.  I made a competition between the three of us.  That was a blast.  Next up, they wanted to shoot some handguns, I brought a Glock 17, Sig P228 and Glock 20.  I hadn't shot the 20 in sometime, and I wanted to try some reloads that I worked up.  No the boys did not even try.  In fact, after shooting the 22LR rifle for 30 min, they were gun shy to try the 17 and 228, so I ended up shooting those, but heck, it was fun anyway.  I wished I had brought some 22LR pistols.  Then we moved on to the Colt M4.  Dang it, my Eotech batteries were dead, and I had no extras with me.  We shot a partial mag only, that was fun.  Then I had one more gun to shoot, it was 410 O/U that my oldest son had been given, so we shot that a couple of times, and this gun sure does kick harder than I expected for a 410.  So much so, my son complained in a good way, and the stories of how his gun kicked like a mule, should say kick like a goat since it was 410, were born, and I think he told 5 people later that day. 

 

After we ran through the guns, we went back to the Anschutz and finished out another box of 50 rounds.  After we were done, I asked the boys if they had fun, and got the group "yes".  What really made my day, several hours after our trip, my oldest son asked what we were doing tomorrow, and I said I don't know why, fishing, hiking, or something, he said because I want to go back shooting, and Dad can you bring a 22LR pistol this time?  :woohoo:  So unless the wife has a plan, I am taking the boys back to the same indoor range, and we are going to shoot 22LR pistols, and I am bringing another set of 22LR rifles, with open sights! 

 

Just like that Trace Adkins song, "She Thinks We Are Fishing", my boys think we went shooting yesterday, what really happened, the boys made great memories by spending a day with Dad, Guns, Bullets, Smoke, and little lead, what a unforgettable memory was created in their noggins!  Men spend time with your kids!!!!

Edited October 10, 2014 by Runco

[musicman]

Thumbs up, man. My childhood memories with Dad were different, usually involving the ocean, boats, jet skis, and snorkeling, but the effect is the same. Glad there are still some parents out there that don't leave their children to be raised by cell phones and Xboxes!

[rugerla1]

Awesome Runco!!

[Djay3]

Turned a sows ear of a disappointing day into a silk purse!

"Then I had one more gun to shoot, it was 410 O/U that my oldest son had been given, so we shot that a couple of times, and this gun sure does kick harder than I expected for a 410. So much so, my son complained in a good way, and the stories of how his gun kicked like a mule, should say kick like a goat since it was 410, were born." ... : ) ... The kick of any gauge shotgun is sure more pronounced shooting at a pattern target, but swing it at a flushed upland bird or a flying clay and "kick"? What "kick"? : ) Edited October 10, 2014 by Djay3

[btq96r]

Good stuff, Runco.  I remember those kind of special days I had with my father where we just had fun doing real activites, not just sitting around.  I'm sure your boys will, too.