Intro to competitive shooting advice

[yoohoo]

I’m interested in getting into some local competitions for my son and I. He’s 11 and has picked up shooting fairly well. Most importantly he loves it. We ride dirtbikes as our father son hobby but he seems to be gravitating towards shooting. I’ve grown up shooting for fun/hunting. I’ve never had any formal training. So for now he’s just learning my lackluster talent level. I poked around some on the webs about it but figured some local knowledge would be best…. Or at least more helpful. I’ve got a safe full of guns but nothing like what I see in the competition events. Looking for any advice or direction, as I am completely ignorant to the competition stuff.
Thanks
Nick

 

[palmettomoon]

https://appleseedinfo.org/ for helpful instruction on three position marksmanship. If you're thinking of high power or light rifle type comp.

For 2-gun, 3-gun and pistol shooting? Check local clubs for "local matches."

Looks like you're rightly located for participation at more than one club's matches.

Youtube can be helpful too for watching different disciplines.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Zip code 30004 is Alpharetta.
If you're in Alphy, it's not too far to go to the RiverBend Gun Club's
"100 Yard Reduced Highpower" rifle match. If y'all want to shoot semi action or bolt action magazine-fed repeating rifles.

It's suitable for .22 rifles, since all the shooting is from 100 yards.
But, IRON SIGHTS ONLY. No scopes. No red dot optics. No laser sights.


Some is shot standing, some sitting or cross-legged, and some prone.
Some is slow fire (one minute per shot) and some is timed and rapid fire (with one mandatory reload of your magazine "on the clock."
It's part match, and part instructional clinic.
I've been attending it once or twice a year going back 15 years.
This "match" is open to non-members of the Club, but you pay a little bit more ($20 vs. $15, I think is the difference).
Look for it on the calendar at RBGC.ORG

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

If you and your son want to and need to shoot scoped rifles, there are other kinds of matches there.
I've done a few of the "Light Rifle" matches myself.
With a slightly-modified Ruger 10/22 wearing a $80 deer rifle scope set to 6X, and the A/O adjusted for the parallax error for the 50 ft. or 50 meter shooting we were doing at the time.

 

[Rambler]

Action Pistol match at River Bend. Very easy 30 round stages, no drawing from the holster. Great match for beginners. It's on the 3rd Saturday every month except January. If you go to rbgc.org website, all events in blue on the calendar are open to the public. If you have any questions, feel free to message me.

 

[Red Dawn]

I’d look into some of the rimfire competitions local to you … get out there with a 22lr and learn some good fundamentals at Project Appleseed and enjoy the day. You can find local Rimfire competitions in Canton, Cisco, and Bremen meeting great like minded helpful patriots that can help you along the journey. If you want some advanced competitive training CBeck may be able to work out a good time and schedule a training class with you.


https://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/threads/intro-to-long-range-rimfire-matches.3012881/

https://appleseedinfo.org/schedule/

https://nrl22.org/

 

[yoohoo]

I’m actually in 30028 now. RB is about 15 minutes from me. I didn’t know they did matches. I shot there probably 25 years ago when some friends had a membership. I thought it was some secret handshake place so I never looked into it for myself.
I own some land out in Hancock county that we shoot rifles on but it’s not an easy place to get to all the time.

 

[87KJH]

• One of the most widely known youth shooting sports organizations in the state is Georgia 4-H’s SAFE (Shooting Awareness, Fun and Education) Project. With teams for youth as young as the 4th grade, 4-H offers multiple shooting disciplines for students across the state, with an emphasis on safe handling and use of archery and firearms, as well as life skills and youth development. Starting in 7th grade, students may participate on their county’s shotgun team, competing in either Modified Trap and/or the American versions of trap, skeet, and sporting clays. To find out more about Georgia 4-H and what SAFE teams are available in your county, call your local county UGA Extension office.
• Another organization is the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). A part of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Federation (SSSF), SCTP is a nationally known organization with chapters in every state, including Georgia. SCTP offers youth the opportunity to compete in American trap, skeet, and sporting clays, as well as some of the internal disciplines. For more information about SCTP, including active teams in Georgia, visit https://mysctp.com.
• Both the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) and the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS) offer shotgun as a lettering sport in their member high schools. Starting in 2013 and 2014, respectively, GA DNR partnered with these school organizations to help them develop and grow their programs. Year over year, both organizations have seen an increase in both the number of participating students as well as in the level of skill each team brings to district and state competitions.

 

[Torn]

I’m interested in getting into some local competitions for my son and I. He’s 11 and has picked up shooting fairly well. Most importantly he loves it. We ride dirtbikes as our father son hobby but he seems to be gravitating towards shooting. I’ve grown up shooting for fun/hunting. I’ve never had any formal training. So for now he’s just learning my lackluster talent level. I poked around some on the webs about it but figured some local knowledge would be best…. Or at least more helpful. I’ve got a safe full of guns but nothing like what I see in the competition events. Looking for any advice or direction, as I am completely ignorant to the competition stuff.
Thanks
Nick

I would recommend taking him to a couple of matches as a spectator so you both can learn together the range rules, the match commands, see how the match stages progress and he won’t be overwhelmed. There is a lot going on and seeing how things progress will make his first time participating more enjoyable. Good luck.

 

[yoohoo]

I would recommend taking him to a couple of matches as a spectator so you both can learn together the range rules, the match commands, see how the match stages progress and he won’t be overwhelmed. There is a lot going on and seeing how things progress will make his first time participating more enjoyable. Good luck.

Excellent advice. Thank you. I was just talking to the wife and she was really pleased about this potential endeavor. He killed his first deer this year with a 243 his grandfather gave him and he’s been hooked on shooting since. He was doing respectable 10yd groups with my 5.7 pistol last week at the range. He usually shoots his 22 bolt and his mp 15-22. Occasionally shoots one of the 9mm.


The whole point of this or whatever we endeavor is that he builds confidence and learns that everything takes effort. Nothing is free and positive results don’t come from sitting on your butt.