Sometimes shooting handguns is just too much fun.

[M2 Carbine]

I like shooting handguns at a little distance, so I like to show new (and old) shooters that you don't have to be at arm's length distance to hit COM with a handgun.
I have a Ciener 22 conversion on a GI 1911A1 frame. Nice setup, accurate. It's a good gun for a first try at 50 yard shooting.

Today I thought I'd introduce my friend and his 11 year old son and 16 year old daughter to 52 yard handgun shooting.

The target is a 1 foot square steel plate welded on a pole stand. Nice size to make the shooter work a little. The plate has a loud ring, even when shot with a 22.

I started them up close, 15 yards, 10 shots each, to get use to the gun, then we went to twenty five yards.

I had them each shoot ten rounds, then we would go back about ten yards.




Now at about 35-40 yards they were getting a miss or two.
The girl and her Dad were about tied for an average of a miss in 10-20 rounds. The boy was hitting about four in ten shots.




The last step back to fifty two yards and some pretty good shooting.
The youngster was getting about three hits in ten but getting close with the rest of the shots.
The girl and her Dad had a bet going. I believe it came down to the Dad winning by one shot when the girl got a nine.






All in all some impressive shooting for folks that hardly ever shot beyond fifteen yards.
And everyone agreed that we have to do that more ofter.

To reward them, I introduced them to the AK. Of course they had a ball shooting that.

 

[The Tennessean]

Great photos!

 

[Sock Puppet]

Looks like great fun was had by all!

 

[andrsnsm]

And the fact that she is wearing a Texas A&M sweatshirt makes me think she is a pretty good kid!!!

Gig'Em

 

[David E]

I sure get tired of people saying that the maximum effective range of a handgun is 25 yds (or less) What do they think, that there's some kind of rift in the space/time continuum at 26 yds that throws bullets off course?

Thanks for sharing!

 

[bluetopper]

Great story, great pics!




Rough stuff, real stuff.........whooop!

 

[M2 Carbine]

And the fact that she is wearing a Texas A&M sweatshirt makes me think she is a pretty good kid!!!
Gig'Em

Yeah, she is that.
My friend has four kids that have always amazed me. Straight A students. In all kinds of stuff in school. The two boys that are in College now were Valedictorian.
I haven't seen anything these kids can't do well. The older boy just got his pilot's license.
Big difference when I was just a lazy kid.

 

[Drail]

You sir, are a very lucky man.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Nice range and a good setup you have there.

As a fellow Texan I have been looking for some land to do the exact same setup. I would like to have my own private range. Great job!

 

[Elvishead]

Why isn't that little boy doubling up?

What?

 

[BullRunBear]

Great photos! I love the look on a child's face when they hit the target as good (sometimes better) as the adults. And steel targets are definitely the way to go.

Jeff

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Out-freaking-standing, "Uncle" M2!

 

[M2 Carbine]

Out-freaking-standing, "Uncle" M2!

How do you know they call me "Uncle Buck"?

That's OK. I call the girls Thelma and Louise.

 

[cleardiddion]

Great pictures and range trip!

 

[tasco 74]

very nice range you got there m2.... long range handgun shooting is a ball... i used to shoot the smith mod 27 at the ihmsa range at the 200 yd rams to see how i'd do..... it's surprising how well a 6" handgun will hit a steel ram at that far offhand......


LIFE IS SHORT.....

 

[David E]

I don't get the last pic. Up to then, safe gunhandling was displayed....

 

[Walkalong]

Sweet set up M2 Carbine. Very nice.

Their fingers are off the triggers, they are not pointed at anyone, and I'll bet M2 made sure they were unloaded for the pic.

Way to pass on the tradition M2.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I don't get the last pic. Up to then, safe gunhandling was displayed....

That should be on video. I told the girls to pose. They started flashing gang signs and generally fooling around. But even messing with the photographer their gun handling was completely safe.

My range has no fixed firing points, people walk with guns to and from where we happen to be shooting and we have to handle guns behind the firing line.
So everyone is aware that we must be especially careful and they do good.

Everyone, not just me, takes it on themselves to watch a new shooter.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Sweet set up M2 Carbine. Very nice.

It's pretty good but it's a work in progress.
I have to keep everything moveable until I get it the way I want it.
I bought a front end loader that makes working on improving the range a lot easier.

 

[Gouranga]

Nice! I am jealous. Would love to have a place like that to shoot. Absolutely awesome.

 

[armoredman]

Very nice, sir, I like a hot range myself, nice to see the kids with thier own holstered sidearms while shooting. I alos just got a 22 conversion, a Kadet Kit I started using with my CZ PCR, and I am looking forward to having my 9 year old try it out.
Umm, "flashing gang signs"? I am assuming that is a joke, right? They don't quite have the gangbanger look, they're clean and intelligent looking.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Very nice, sir, I like a hot range myself, nice to see the kids with thier own holstered sidearms while shooting..

I think it gives them a feeling of being trusted with a big responsibility and they respond accordingly.

Some time back when loading up to walk up the range I handed the boy the holstered Browning. I always check the gun before my friends arrive and before handing the boy the gun, I check it in front of him.
This time I just handed him the holstered gun. His father looked at me but didn't say anything. I continued what I was doing but watched the boy. He turned away and upholstered the gun, safely checked it, put it back in the holster, and put it on, without saying a word.
His father knew what I had done and was grinning.

and I am looking forward to having my 9 year old try it out.

That's great. I don't have kids but I enjoy teaching them to shoot.

Umm, "flashing gang signs"? I am assuming that is a joke, right? They don't quite have the gangbanger look, they're clean and intelligent looking.

Yeah, the girls were just messing with me.
If I had a daughter I would hope she would be just like those girls.

The other day I was bragging on the girl's shooting. They are good.
One said, "We shoot good because we are females and females are smarter than males". (In this case I couldn't argue with that, the girls are straight A students)
I told her, "No, you two shoot so good because you have a terrific instructor".

 

[Jonah71]

Great pics. The country would be a much better and safer place if every family had pics like this to share.

 

[1KPerDay]

I always enjoy your posts. Keep up the good work!

 

[OldCavSoldier]

SHEEEEEEEEEEEIT, Pardner! You are one lucky guy!! A great range, and some excellent younguns to get started out right!!

By the way, many years ago I would impress my kids by routinely hitting an 18-inch "gong" at a range of about 200 yards with my 6-inch barreled S&W M28. Of course, I did NOT tell them that it took me about ten rounds to figure out the superelevation point-of-aim in order to hit the darned thing!!!

Well done, Compadre!!