Gun fun for girls

[bnelson2943]

I would like some advice as to how to make a day at the range for a group of 14 to 17 year old girl’s fun. I have been asked to take a church group of 20 to 25 girls on a shooting outing. A little background….I’m a former LEO with a big city dept. and was a assistant range-master at the academy for over time. I also have recruited four of my friends from the dept. range staff to help. So all the safety things will be covered and the girls will be very well supervised. I just want some ideas as to how to make the day fun and entertaining as well as educational. We will be shooting .22 semi handgun, .22 semi rifle, 20 gauge shotgun (trap loads), 9mm handgun, and I am thinking of my AR for a high power rifle with little recoil. We have rented a rural range for the day so we can do pretty much whatever we want. So let’s hear the ideas. These girls today will be the girlfriends and wives of us gun nuts tomorrow!!

 

[mlandman]

1 gallon water jugs w/food coloring for the AR or 9mm, they will think that's cool!

 

[never_retreat]

Reactive targets are really fun for the kids. I guess it’s that instant gratification thing that kids like. So whether it's steel plates that make noise or soda cans/ bottles full of water that explode on impact, they get to see results. Plus hitting things like jugs of water can be shown as more of the real life (this is what you will do if you play around with guns) type thing.

 

[hso]

Orange clays make great reactive targets for any type gun. You can hang them to swing, stand them up on a rail, roll them along the ground by letting them roll down a ramp, ...

Shoot'n See targets are very reinforcing.

 

[DF357]

balloons are cheap and they can blow them up.

 

[ZeSpectre]

Pink guns?
Hello kitty targets?

<grin>

 

[blackhawk2000]

What State are you in?

 

[bnelson2943]

State

I'm usually in a state of confusion while I live in Colorado.

 

[BobCav]

Try these: http://www.championtarget.com/products/targets/OtherPaperTargets.aspx

http://www.kitterytradingpost.com/product.php/pid/31/sid/181/tid/833/prodid/4982

 

[TimboKhan]

I say unto thee: "Tannerite". All the above suggestions are great, but if you can find some of the exploding tannerite targets, they are without a doubt the coolest reactive targets there are. A little pricey, but they are definitly worth it. I also found a link (that has a video on the welcome page that you can watch thats pretty good) for something not quite as loud, and less pricey per target than tannerite. It's called "Tru-shot". Here is the link

http://www.true-shottargets.com/welcome.htm

$69.95 for 24 targets.

Tannerite is here:

http://www.tannerite.com/

Tannerite is so loud and concussive that I will guarantee that the girls will squeal when they hit. Heck, I squeal when I hit them, and I am a 35 year old former Marine! Plus, it is 100% legal in all 50 states, very safe, and very easy to prepare. The .22's will not set off the tannerite, but that .223 sure will.

Also, where in Colorado? If your close, I would love to help out. I am not a firearms trainer, but I am a high school teacher and therefore have experience with teaching kids. Also, while in the USMC, I actually was shot, and that seems to have an interesting effect on kids when you tell the the story. Everytime I have taught someone to shoot, I bring that story up, and it has a good effect.

 

[Rocketman56]

grocery store

Head for the local grocery store and talk to the produce manager..

Ask him to save all the fruits and vegetables he was going to throw away
that day and you'll pick them up..

A plus, all the stuff is biodegradable which makes clean up easier..
(and there will be a lot of very confused and very full animals that night!)

Enjoy and have fun!
Steve

 

[psyopspec]

Take Rocketman's idea and use it for a nifty little skeet competition.

 

[strat81]

Stop by Walmart or Sam's Club and pick up a few cases of generic soda in cans. Shake them up and let the lead fly.

 

[Afy]

eggs, grapes, watermelons, melons, tomatoes and apples...

Anything bio-degradable.

Also shooting a Watermelon with a 20 GA can have spectacular results...

 

[FerFAL]

Try going by the grocery and picking up some fruit that is starting to get a bit too old and freeze it.(don’t like the idea of throwing away good food in a world where kids die of hunger every day)
It explodes nicely and it’s biodegradable.

FerFAL

 

[bnelson2943]

Thanks

Thanks for all your suggestions. Keep em coming. Many things I didn't think of. I'm online now tracking down some of the suggested stuff. And thanks TimboKahn for your offer of help but I think were covered. You and I share the distinct pleasure of being human targets. Not fun but makes for a good story eh?

 

[hksw]

Are you shooting outdoors? Here's a spinning target not made out of metal (which should be a little safer).

http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=92018

Other targets:

http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/browse.aspx?c=75&s=9

 

[expvideo]

Get a few 12 packs of knock-off coke. Shake them up, and set them out there. They're a lot of fun to hit, and my fiancée really enjoyed shooting them. They're cheaper than water jugs too.

 

[10 Ring Tao]

Any kind of reactive target you can think of.

 

[Furncliff]

Zip-lock containers....fill with H2O and freeze, remove target, repeat til your freezer is full. Independent survey has concluded that the round ones hit with a .22 explode better than the oblong shape container.

...................

And they do explode

No clean up.

Red food coloring (pink) may be added for the girls.

 

[Legionnaire]

Reactive targets are best, but do take along a set of the biggest Shoot'n See targets so the girls can see where they are hitting relative to point of aim. Once they know they are "on," move to the reactives.

I'm partial to cans of cheap soda (Sam's Club, etc.). Just have a big trash bag along to pick up the waste.

Also effective (for .22s) are soup cans placed upside down over the top of a steel stake. They rattle nicely when hit, but don't have to be set up again ... until they are completely shredded.

For precision, cut a groove in a 2x4 wide enough to stand Ritz or Saltine crackers in the groove. They shatter nicely, and are biodegradable.

 

[jestertoo]

Range report, with pictures of exploding fruit!

 

[jac714]

Charcoal Briquettes.

Hit em with a .22 and they turn into a puff of black smoke. Cheap clean and biodegradeable.

 

[stevemis]

The guys on Guns & Ammo TV shoot cans of shaving cream a lot. It makes a white cloud of foam... bang for the buck is certainly there.

I think you want the traditional foam cream, not the gel.

Steve

 

[Fly320s]

Golf balls, tennis balls, baseballs, softballs, bowling pins (get 'em free or cheap from the local bowling alley).

Ask the girls to bring old stuffed animals or toys.