I was in a similar situation a couple of years back. My son shot his first Action Pistol Match at River Bend when he was 9, he will be 13 in April. We shoot 8 or 9 of the 11 AP matches every year. Highly recommend it.
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Intro to competitive shooting advice
- Thread starter yoohoo
- Start date
I would start him in a rimfire division in steel challenge. There's pistol or rifle. No movement, no drawing. Everyone loves ringing steel. RBGC has a great steel match. You can find the registration on https://practiscore.com
Pretty much every match in the metro area uses it for sign ups.
As an aside all of the matches at RBGC are open to the public.
Pretty much every match in the metro area uses it for sign ups.
As an aside all of the matches at RBGC are open to the public.
Sounds like he is on the right track and the lesson and experience will last him the rest of his life.
When you go, get to the range 20-30 minutes before the match (it may be busy) but find the match director (they’ll be the one herding cats) , introduce yourself and tell them you want to watch and learn. When I direct matches I like to know who the first timers are and those there to observe so I can explain the range rules, make sure they have eye/ear protection, quick description of the match and introduce them to the regulars before the safety briefing.
Then during the match a lot of shooters waiting to shoot or afterwards will come over to you and answer any questions you have and can explain things like start commands, stop commands, scoring etc. I think you both are going to enjoy it and I am so glad to hear you are teaching him the safe, right way to enjoy the shooting sports. My hat is off to you.
Sounds a lot like the peewee Mx crowd. He’s been racing Mx for three years but he seems to have taken a genuine shine to shooting. I love motorcycles, guns and whiskey but he’s a decade off of joining me for a nice 18yr single malt. So for now we will enjoy the first two. The wife is on board with this so that helps tremendously. Men raising men seems to be a rapidly dying thing….. sadly.Sounds like he is on the right track and the lesson and experience will last him the rest of his life.
When you go, get to the range 20-30 minutes before the match (it may be busy) but find the match director (they’ll be the one herding cats) , introduce yourself and tell them you want to watch and learn. When I direct matches I like to know who the first timers are and those there to observe so I can explain the range rules, make sure they have eye/ear protection, quick description of the match and introduce them to the regulars before the safety briefing.
Then during the match a lot of shooters waiting to shoot or afterwards will come over to you and answer any questions you have and can explain things like start commands, stop commands, scoring etc. I think you both are going to enjoy it and I am so glad to hear you are teaching him the safe, right way to enjoy the shooting sports. My hat is off to you.
shotguns/rifles/pistols???
all of the above...
all of the above...
I started shooting competitive trap in 1966....I was 13....shot some prior to that, don't pass on shotgun shooting, it's fun, and can be enjoyed by all. There are shotguns that can be fitted to him, like they were to me....no big deal....shooting moving targets is fun!!!
I don’t intend on passing on shotguns. He’s just more comfortable with the pistol and rifle. He has a 410 pump but he gets nervous with it. Not unsafe nervous just isn’t real keen to it. I made the mistake of pushing him too hard with the bikes at first and it was not the right move looking back. If that makes sense.
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