[Dave McCracken]

This one I'd not heard before.....

" We have a friend who has been in a wheelchair since before our wedding 22 years ago. I got into shooting trap with him about a year ago so we could share that. I didn't grow up hunting so all this is new. Besides, it's a lot of fun"..."

The speaker had met me by chance at Range 7 at PGC today. He had a Guerini O/U with gold birds and extended chokes and an easy grin.

Those who have shot with me know I tend to ask people why they shoot. The answers have varied.

Here are a few, paraphased and censored for family values.....

"It's fun".

"Unconsciously moving the shotgun on an unknown vector to direct the shot into a target is a great way to relax".

"Shotguns are good weapons and I want to be better able to confront and defeat the Forces of Evil".

"Blasting the $$$%^&* out of something makes me feel better".

"It's fun".

"Pheasants taste way better than chicken and I don't want to mess up my chances by missing".

"This (97 Winchester) was my grandfather's. I shoot it once in a while to remember him".

"It's fun".

Everyone here ought to ask him or her self every now and then why they shoot. Or, why they aren't.

Here's my reasons.

It's fun.

It's a connection with the past.

It's great stress management. Maybe even therapy.

In a world full of dark corners and werewolves that need no full moon, a shotgun is a real comfort when things go bump.

I hunt, and it's important to take life with as little pain as possible. Ethical predation is the only kind we can afford.

It's fun.

What are your reasons?....

[Oldnamvet]

I have met most of my real friends on the skeet field. Overall, they are the most friendly, helpful, and caring bunch you would ever care to meet.

[Nitrogen]

My main reason: Read my .sig.
And yes, it's fun.
I got a lot more serious about it when I got engaged to be married, and when I promised her father that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

[PJR]

It requires my full and complete attention. When chasing clays my mind is in a good place and all the troubles of the week are left at the club gate. I'll pick them up on the way home.

I shoot with people from all walks of life. Doctors, businessmen, lawyers, mechanics, construction workers, rich and poor and we all get along because the only thing that matters is hitting that bird. Doesn't matter what you do or where you're from. We're here to shoot targets and the scorecard is the only arbiter of who's best.

And when I create clouds of airbone dust where clay targets once flew it still gives me a feeling of unvarnished joy that I can't find anywhere else. Those are my reasons.

[kudu]

I was always interested in things that shot or went bang, I progressed from BB guns, to rifles, then having hunting shotguns,and then to pistols and became absorbed with shotguns again because I had a natural knack for being able to knock down things flying in the air.

It has become more of a therapy after I got through my competition mode and was able to relax and not care if I hit every target. It's still nice to run a 50 or more straight, but I do it to relax now, before when competing it was work and began to not be fun. That was when I quit for a while to assess my situation. I realized it wasn't about being the best, but having fun and relieving stress. There are not many shotguns that I can't pick up and shoot well with, and only occasionally one that I dislike.

[Starter52]

+1 to what PJR said. I could not have expressed it better.

[Dave McCracken]

Thanks, folks. Let's see what else turns up.

[sm]

:)

[theCZ]

I shoot skeet and sporting clays not to relax, not always for fun (although most of the time it ends up that way), and not to win. I shoot because I have a little streak in me that loves being competitive, but not overly so. I love a sport that I can practice on, track my progress, and improve my skill. I really do love it though, but I still enjoy the little bit of friendly competitiveness I experience. I also found that most of the guys I shoot with are really great! Sure some of 'em might be rough around the edges, but there's almost nothing better than shooting some skeet with old retired guys that enjoy the heck out of it and laugh and smile a lot, no matter what their score. They almost always have great tips and good stories to go with it also.

Hmm, kinda a long response to a one word question!

[LeonCarr]

The first time I shot a 12 gauge shotgun (My Dad's Sears Ted Williams Model 300, same thing as a Winchester 1400), at age 13, it almost knocked me over. I have been addicted to shooting ever since, and it is fun :).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[IDriveB5]

Combination of reasons.
Its fun.
Its challenging.
Its relaxing.
Its something to do with my father.
Its a way to meet a lot of great new people.
Its an activity to do with friends I already have.
Its a great way to become confident and proficient with a
tool that might save my life or other's lives.
Its fun.

[Norton]

It's fun, is a simple explanation for me, but there are more complex things at work too.

As I've discussed over at APS, the last couple of years have been challenging ones. My type A personality has not been a successful match for my current teaching position and I've been bearing a lot of stress thanks to being the irresistible force meeting an immoveable object and not being able to find a solution.

Unsurprisingly my health has suffered.

When I shoot, particularly clays, I am committing a singularly selfish act that allows me to do something that I enjoy immensely, challenges me physically and mentally, and puts the responsibility for success or failure squarely on my shoulders. I find it cathartic to put myself through the paces of chasing the elusive 25 straight birds without the pressure of HAVING to hit them.

I feel better after shooting clays, regardless of how many I actually hit. The few moments of absolute serenity when going through a round of trap relaxes me from the 8+ hours I spend with America's little futures ;) .

Eh....like I said, complex and probably non-sensical but it works for me. :p

[Broadbill]

This may not be the place for this but I had to relate.
I myself shoot clays because I find it more fun and I'm better at it than rifle shooting. My dad always bests me with a rifle.

I took two of my sons out for some informal shooting yesterday, to try out my new 390.
Just me, Joseph 16, and Nicholas 11, and a launcher.
Joseph and I had alot of fun with the 390 you guys were right, what a gun. I was very pleased.
Nicholas however is kinda small and was having a hard time with the H&R 28ga.
I know the 28 is an exceptional gauge but with that small gun and short barrel none of us could hit.
I asked if he wanted try the Beretta.
I screwed in the improved choke and went over the loading procedure.
He had a little trouble holding it, since its almost as long as he is.

Well you all know the rest. He started banging birds and the looks of glee went full circle on all of our faces.

I went home and started scrounging around. I put together an 1100 with a youth stock and 26" skeet barrel. He should be sudden death next time.

Next week we're gonna drag Grandpa out and see what three generations of shooters can do.

There is nothing more fun than shooting together.

Broadbill

[TrapperReady]

1) Fun (This one really can't be overstated)

2) Zen (By this I mean that I've participated in a lot of sports, and read a lot of books and articles on the mental side of competition. They've never much made any difference, for me. However, with shotgunning, I recognize that the mental aspect is very, very important. Concentration is paramount... and I like that.)

3) Accomplishment (As I stated above, I've partcipated in a lot of sports, usually exceptional only in the degree of my mediocrity. However, it appears that I have some decent skills with a shotgun.)

4) Outdoors (Given a choice, I'll choose to spend time outdoors each and every time.)

5) Teaching (I truly enjoy introducing new shooters to the sport, especially those who've never shot any kind of gun before, and watching their faces when the first targets fly apart)

6) Family (It's a sport I can enjoy with my wife and kids. Friends too.)

7) Fellowship (With rare exception, the people I meet shooting sporting clays are some of the friendliest folks I've ever been around.)


Good thread, Dave. As always! :D

[redneck2]

Never tall enough for basketball, too little for football. Anyway, I grew up on a farm and never really had time for sports. Too much time baling hay and milking cows.

No matter how old you are, you can still shoot. With either rifle or shotgun I can typically do pretty well compared to most of the guys I shoot against. Pistol, not so much, but it's still fun.

There's something almost magical about pulling the trigger and hitting your target 40 yards away or 400 yards away. To this day, I still remember my shot with my 22-250 on a fox at 420 yards when I was 16. May not seem like a big deal now, but in the 60's that was pretty much unheard of.

[Smoke]

I guess I have to be the only original one on this.....


I'm from Texas, it's fun. 'nuff said.

Smoke

[cavman]

My friends were going to go "blasting" at the gravel pit in Maine and I needed/wanted to get my own. Bought the 12ga. and really liked it. Bought a .22 last Fall and have been enjoying it and immensely.

Friends and having a good time.
2nd Amendment: no one is going to tell me that I can't.

have a great day
cavman

[Juna]

1. FUN!: It gives me a level of excitement and satisfaction every time I squeeze a trigger.

2. Fun to learn: I enjoy continuous learning, and with shooting I can always learn more (pistols, rifles, shotguns, etc.).

3. Fun to teach: I can teach what I know about firearms to my family and friends.

4. Security/Protection/Self Defense/CCW/Home Defense: Self-explanatory. You never know what's gonna happen.

5. Second Amendment: I have the right to own and bear firearms, and I'm damn well gonna do it (before some wacko politician takes even more of my rights away).

6. Fellowship: It's fun to meet, speak with, and shoot with other firearms enthusiasts. I find you guys to be an intelligent and thoughtful group of people with some interesting perspectives on things.

7. History: This country was founded by people who fought for their freedom and independence from an oppressive government using their own firearms. So many people forget that, and it's a shame. All of the freedoms that we enjoy (that are so rapidly being taken away) are a direct result of this. Soldiers are dying every day to protect what our forefathers fought for, and certain politicians and lawyers are desecrating and undermining it almost constantly by whittling away our rights.

8. Outdoors: I love all things outdoors, and if it's done outdoors I'm gonna at least try it if not do it all the time.

[Tiny in Ohio]

For me, I am shooting the shotgun my grandpap taught me with. I inherited it on his passing, and I feel it connects me with him when I smoke a bird. He was an excellent shot, and taught my father, myself and my younger brother the right of passage into firearms. My brother and I went shooting last Sunday, .22s and had a ball. I shot trap Tuesday and had a ball. I have a modest collection of firearms, and love them all. But the 12ga I inherited means more to me than any other thing I own. So for me it is fun, but it is also a connection with the past, fond memories of a loved one, and connection to current family members and friends.

[Len]

Keeping in mind that my reply comes on the heels of thinking my shooting days were over [found out that total hearing loss in right ear was not related to shooting, and it's actually coming back with medication!,]...

PJR "smokes it" for me, too. I like the fact that it focuses the mind and spirit on something totally "other"...

It's a sport in which you can take an appreciation for a well-made, beautiful piece of work, the gun itself, combine it with the fun of shooting, compete against yourself, see improvement...all in the company of a singularly like-minded and friendly bunch of men and women.

The best part of the whole deal? It's a combination sport. Take a love of shooting, the outdoors [rain or shine!,] fine guns, camraderie...mix in the fact that it naturally leads in to a sport that I can combine my other [bigger] love, field dogs; what more can you ask for?

The sitting around part at the end of the day, with sleeping dogs, the young guys good-naturedly making fun of the sleeping old men [don't know which group to put myself in!,] in front of a fire, swapping lies, insults and laughter, and sharing an excellent bottle of bourbon...I can't think of a single, more complete package!

[frenchwrench]

Shooting (anything) motorcycling,and reloading.All of these, use all your attention and give you....peace.

[Dave McCracken]

Wow! Some of us are quite articulate when we go after Ultimate Truths.

Here's a couple reasons to shoot not much covered so far.

One cannot control the shot until one controls oneself.

Like other Martial Arts, shooting teaches valuable lessons. These include patience, committment and the importance of "Doing it correctly".

Weapons are Power Tools.

And....

Power without Knowledge is Chaos.

Power without Responsibility is Tyranny.

And Power without Control is useless or worse than useless....

[azflyman]

I love firearms. I love the form and function. The lines, the fit, the finish. My guns are like sexy women to me. I love to shoot and do it well. It is precious, focused time I get to spend with my wife and son teaching them how to shoot well. It gives me joy, peace, and balance to do something I control that is predictable and constant. Knowing that I shoot well and keep my family safe is extremely important. I guess these things are why I shoot.

az

[Juna]

One cannot control the shot until one controls oneself.

Like other Martial Arts, shooting teaches valuable lessons. These include patience, committment and the importance of "Doing it correctly".

Weapons are Power Tools.


I couldn't agree more. About the only thing I've loved right from the get go like I love shooting was martial arts. I find it takes similar traits to succeed--self-discipline, patience, technique, commitment, respect, and confidence (to name a few).

I never thought of them as power tools before, but that's an interesting point. :D

[Technosavant]

I began because I wanted to know how to protect myself and my loved ones. Call it empowerment, call it self defense, call it social work; whatever.

I jumped in wholeheartedly because it is fun. It's nice when practicality meets fun so well.

['Card]

I love sporting clays almost entirely because I'm not what you'd call 'serious' about it. My life is full of entirely too many things I have to take seriously.

But shooting clays for me is a social event, and one that I always enjoy.

My father and my sons and me in a group. We walk the stations, tell stories, tell jokes. We laugh when we shoot well, and laugh more when we shoot badly. It's a timeless connection, an interest that spans generations. It's a pat on the back, a "Good shot!" or a "Did you grab that box of blanks by accident?" It's well-worn oft-heard jokes about how hard it is to eat one of those clays, anyway. It's memories of quality time with their grandfather that my sons won't realize are priceless until they're my age. Good-natured ribbing and pencil-whipping and forgetting who is supposed to be keeping score.

For zen in my life, I have my kayak and whitewater to run with it. For competition I have my pistol and my recurve. For my connection to nature and the outdoors I have hunting season. But nothing beats my old 870 and my father and my sons and a lazy afternoon shooting clays for a social connection.

[waterhouse]

When I was growing up my dad wore bifocals. I don't know anything about wearing glasses, but they apparently made it pretty difficult for him to focus on the sights of pistols and rifles.

From a fairly young age I could outshoot him with handguns and rifles, but he was always better with a shotgun. He used to joke that I was a good hunting partner because he could fill my limit too. So other than the fact that it is fun and I really like walking around a field with good pointers, I do it because someday I hope to be as good as he was at it. I doubt it will ever happen, but it's good to have goals.

[Leif]

Beats the pants off golf for fun and relaxation, at least for me. More egalitarian, too, at least depending on where you shoot.

Besides, I'd rather use a shotgun than a golf club if I actually ever had to defend myself.

PGC = Prince George's County clay range (I forget the actual name)? I was there this past weekend. Nice range, very friendly people. First time there (I'm moving to the area and was scouting about). Actually, I think I also met the guy with the gold-bird Geurini, assuming we're talking about the same place. Beautiful gun; guy was early 50s maybe? Small world if true.

[LCSNM]

Fun
Proficiency
A test of myself to bring my mind and body into form to hit the target, group shots as close as possible and feel confident about my abilities.

[Fred Fuller]

Why? Well, because...

...when I was a kid, it was taken for granted. Shooting was no big thing, it's what anyone and everyone did as a normal part of life, like working or driving. No big thing. Us kids got introduced by elders to how-to's and why's and wherefore's, to safety and good sportsmanship by being taken along on family hunts when we were too young to shoot. We got vaccinated with the excitement first, then we got started on the training- though we didn't _know_ it was training. We got started on BB guns and went on to single shot shotguns and .22 rimfires as we learned and grew into full fledged roles in family hunts and in taking care of any other aspect of life that involved shooting something that needed to be shot. We grew up with guns at hand, if not in hand.

The only claybirds I ever shot were thrown off a spring trap in the pasture. Mostly we shot at things that were edible, if not at things that were trying to eat the stuff we wanted to eat- crows in the corn, foxes in the henhouse etc. We were lucky to be well enough off not to HAVE to hunt to eat, but game was always a luxury and not to be taken for granted. Squirrels, rabbits, doves, quail, woodcock, wild turkey and deer found their way onto our table. There was a wild duck- once. It was not a hit, and no further efforts were made in that direction.

Every house I knew growing up had at least one gun- be it single shot .22, double barreled shotgun or whatever. And you could pretty well bet that most everyone local you ran into could shoot whatever firearm their family owned with some degree of proficiency.

So different there and then from the here and now...

lpl/nc

[Dave McCracken]

Some things here touched deep places.

One of the bennies I get from shooting with the Geezer Squad is we all let out the small boys that still live in old men and have fun together.

"Card got close to it with his post about shooting with family. The Geezers aren't family, but the difference isn't that great.

Leif, more than one Guerini lurks at PGC, but you may have met the guy.

Dunno when I'll get back tp PGC, but look for a big guy with an 870 and a button that says BA/UU/R.

One things about shotgunning versa other Martial Arts. Getting better is fun as much as work.

Lee, as kids we ate darn near everything, though we drew the line at possum. Coon, muskrat and beaver are good.

Duck needs a gentle hand. A slow roast with orange marmalade on the outside and apple slices inside does it with most species.

Back on topic. I started shooting before 1st Grade.

How many here started as adults?....

[Leif]

I'll keep an eye out next time I'm there, which probably won't be until after the close of June when I move. It's not too close to where I'll be living, but it's close to where my friend with whom I was shooting and will continue to shoot lives. I'll be the 30ish guy with glasses and a Browning BPS who gets lucky and hits a bird now and then. :D

I started as a kid, sort of. I started with shotguns in middle school, an NEF 12 gauge single-shot. My father took my brother and I upland hunting occasionally, but not very regularly, and we would shoot hand-thrown clays on occasion, but again with no great frequency; most of that went away as I attended college and graduate school, not to mention moved around an awful lot for the past 10 years. I hadn't gone to a formal trap range until last year, and I hadn't done much rifle or handgun shooting until last year. Now I'm doing all three on a regular (usually weekly) basis, though I've pretty much stopped hunting altogether, while my brother turned into an avid waterfowler. So, I guess you could say my rebirth at least was as an adult.

[Norton]

How many here started as adults?.

Bought my first gun, a .38 Taurus, one day after my 35th birthday nearly four years ago. Fired a shotgun, for real, for the first time the day that you and I spent that frozen winter day at PGC a little over 3 years ago. Look at me now.....:D

[mswestfall]

I shoot because it it more me than anything else I do.

It was in my father and his father.

I hunt meat that I eat and share with people that really appreciate a unique "gift" of something that didn't come form the store.

I shot in my third (in the last six weeks) ATA registered shoot this last weekend. I have run into people that are generally good. They spend time with me to teach me because we share a mutual passion for something we both want to prosper.

I take time to work with a new shooter (especially the young ones) that comes to my local club.

It is a basic instinct!

Hope this wasn't too corny.

[sm]

.

[PJR]

I learned to shoot as a kid and did lots of shooting in my teens. Moved to the big city and didn't pull the trigger for almost 20 years. Got back into the shooting game in my mid 30's when I moved into a rural area and am most definitely making up for lost time.;)

[byf43]

Why?????

1. Because this is America, and the 2nd Amendment gives me the Right to.
2. Shooting takes my complete attention.
3. Great way to get rid of a headache. All of your attention is on shooting, not on what gave you the headache. (See #2.) Very theraputic.
4. Great way to spend time with your kids.
5. Great way to spend time with your friends.
6. I love the smell of burnt Red Dot in the morning. It has the smell of. . . .fun! :)

[Spot77]

1. I like that it gets a rise out of my bedwetting associates.

2. Well, number one is really enough I suppose. :D


I shoot a lot because I CAN. I'll never be a marksman and I don't really care to be. I rarely hit a clay (in the air at least. I sure can bust them at 100 yeards with a rifle fair nuff') I shoot because so many people tell me that I shouldn't and they work so hard to make it so that I can't shoot.

[Dave McCracken]

Spot said it best. Because we can.

The folks that decry shooting and gun ownership are really saying that gun owners cannot be controlled, and that's what bothers the heck out of those people.

Everyone likes to call the shots, to be in charge. For some people, it's an obsession. They wiil sacrifice everything and everyone to get power. Lots of those people end up in government for obvious reasons.

EVERY oppressive government that ever existed has limited the power of its people to possess arms.

"Power comes from the barrel of a gun"Mao Ze Tung.

Free people are armed. Slaves are not.....

[client32]

It's fun.

Actually, my reason is because of those afore mentioned pheasants. I have made it to every opening day with my dad and brother since I was 12. Even the years that we saw a total of one rooster. That is my main reason.

The other big one, I really enjoy functional art. The simplicity or copmlexity of the gun. The engineering envolved. The precision of it. Doesn't seem right to allow all that to just sit around.

[John G]

-It's Fun

-It's a lifesaving skill, like applying a field dressing, driving, or performing CPR

-I enjoy simple machines

-Guns have history

-I love to indroduce new shooters to all of the above :) (see this thread for more: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=200798 )

[9mmMike]

Great thread!


Broadbill said There is nothing more fun than shooting together.


Amen brother! I just went out with my father, two brothers and their boys for an impromtu reunion and it was just so cool. None of these guys are really shooters but I must say that I cannot remember the last time we all did anything together. Of course one brother is from CA and the other now resides in VA but, man, what a great time.

I spent a couple years shooting pistol every week with my bride and, while it was fun, once we started bustin' clay together, we've rarely looked back at paper punching.

IMHO, all married folk should shoot clays with their spouses. A round of sporting clays takes a couple hours and it's all quality time, especially if you can walk the course.

I shoot mostly with guys from my church and/or a buddy from work who had never shot before I took him out for some hand-tossed. Now we hit the SC place on most Saturdays (rain or shine) and Thursday nights during the Summer for "steak-nights". Mmmmmm.

I've found no "sport" that builds better relationships. Period.

Mike