Help! I'm afraid to shoot a long gun.

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Like everyone else said... a .22 riflr (preferably bolt or lever action) is the way to go, if you want to start rifle shooting. If you want to learn shotgun, it is a whole different set of skills than rifle. The following range used to offer skeet and trap lessons very inexpensively, when I lived in MD.

Prince George's County Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays
10400 Goodluck Road
Glenn Dale, MD 20769
Phone: 301-577-7178
Contact: Mark Biggins or Chen Sun
Open seven days a week. Sporting clays, five stand international trap and skeet, clubhouse.

It was a great facility, and they used nice, soft shooting semiautomatic shotguns for lessons.
 
I'd second what Biff said. I took my sister on Saturday to Bull Run Shooting Center in NoVA for the first time to learn wobble trap. She has only gone shooting with me once before and only pistols. Bull Run staff have a safety course they run for about an hour for new shooters. She used my Grandfathers 1100 in 20 gauge and didnt have a problem.

She shot a 2/25 and a 10/25 in wobble trap on Saturday. Today, I took her again and she shot a Browning over/under Citori Featherweight in 12. Shot a 5/25 and then 11/25. She did say it was easier on her than playing lacrosse.

Proper stance and learning to brace correctly make a big difference. The same thing happened with my GF's 9 year old daughter and her 870 Youth in 20.

I wish you luck and hope to see you at one of the THR group shoots at either Bull Run or PG.

John
 
For what it's worth, long gun recoil is generally less of a problem for small people.

They tend to "give" against the recoil which means that they don't have to soak as much of it up. A big, solid person tends to move less when the gun recoils which means that they have to absorb more of it.

Whatever gauge shotgun you shoot, just make sure that you're using the light target loads.

Shotgunning is pretty fun. If your first experience is like mine, you won't even notice the recoil. I shot about a hundred rounds of trap using a 12 ga and didn't even feel it. I was a tiny bit sore that night, but not enough to stop me from doing it again!
 
Do NOT do what I did!

I gave a non-gunner (sizable guy) a 12 gauge with 1oz slugs. Slapped four of them in there to let him try it out. Told him to hold it tight, and he did. Shot one round (previous gun experience: my 9mm)... took one shot and said "F---- that thing!" Jokingly, but he wasn't all about the abuse.

I'm 5'9" 145lbs... and I don't take my 12 gauge out much. It's a whole other story if you load it up with shot instead of slugs though... the slugs just push STRAIGHT back. Hurts more. My barrel is rifled though so I've only put 5 shot rounds through it just to see how it'd pattern. Not a good idea, but I did it. Shoot me :D

Like others have said, LEAN into it if you're afraid of recoil. It'll help. I take a stance that looks like I'm wrestling when I shoot mine, and it'll rock me straight upright.

You won't actually get hurt, unless you do something stupid like put the thing on your chin instead of your shoulder. Shooting off a couple of rounds shouldn't even leave you sore.

OTOH... I took my MN m44 out for 50 rounds Sunday and I'm still sore :D
 
Girlwithagun

The main thing to remember when shooting a long gun of any type is to pull it in tight against your shoulder and lean into it slightly so your center of gravity is slightly forward of center.

If you hold it to the shoulder loosely, the recoil will take up the slack. This allows it acceleration space and that is what gets you hurt.

If you stand with your center of gravity over normal center, the recoil will rock you back.

Also start out with "low base" loads.

Have fun and fear not.
 
sorry yo, I don't think I agree with anyone, I'd say start off with something like a 12 guage or 3006. I had an ex-gf that was about 5'6" and 120lbs that shot a 12guage the first time I took her shooting (also the first time she shot) If you want, when my wife comes back from Cali, you can come down and I'll let you shoot my 300 ultra mag


oops, agree with that last guy about the holding it tight against your shoulder, the only gun that's ever hurt me in the slightest was a 40mm, those really hurt if you don't hold em tight
 
I spent a lifetime as a 20 guage shooter in an effort to avoid 12 guage because of recoil fear. I was till a skinny teenager when I started shooting 20 guauge. Somehow I got it in my brain that I was too little to shoot 12 gauge like the men. For about 25 years I shot a Browning semi-auto 20 guage before finally giving in and buying a 12 gauge Rem. 870. Boy, did I feel silly. The heavier 12 gauge 870 did not recoil nearly as badly as my light 20 gauge semi-automatic.

You have gotten good advice here. The other thing to consider beyond fit and form is that weight is your friend when it comes to recoil. A heavy steel shotgun is more likely to dampen recoil for you than a light shotgun with an alloy receiver.

Shoot one and then be fearful if you still wanna, but don't waste years like I did only to find out that your fear is without basis.

RJ
 
As my girlfriend and I would say jokingly. "You can do it, Put your back into it!!!" :) Congrats on the new toy!

.22s are alot of fun!!!
 
My youngest brother was 8 years old when I cajoled him into shooting the 12ga. 3" magnum.:D He wasn't expecting the KICK !!! but his reaction was "I WANNA DO IT AGAIN !!!" It's been said many times now, keep your weight forward and the shotgun butt in tight to your shoulder and you'll do just fine. :)
 
Then there was the time we had half a dozen kids over to the pistol range. After they were getting on paper with the .22s, I asked them if they wanted to try the .38. The bravest one volunteered to take one shot. He fired and I asked him if he was still alive. YEAH! Two boxes of .38 and a box of .45 ACP later and I was explaining to some parents why we were late getting them home.

Bye
Jack
 
Or do not do what my stepfather did to me......

First experience with a shotgun was his 10 guage dbl barrel stoked with 2 each 3 1/2" #2 shot loads. Dad says, "Go ahead tough guy, pull both triggers at the same time". So, cocky little 12 year old with a big ego who could barely hold the shotgun up pulled both triggers at the same time.

OUCH!!:what:
 
Perfessr has excellent advise = get your own stuff & tailored speciifically for your body style. Length of pull = the long gun fitting you makes a huge difference in shooting comfort.

Too, if shooting a long gun itself seems to be problematic, absolutely DO start off with a .22 rim fire rifle. The recoil is so non-exestent as to be, well, non-existent. You will love it. Absolutely The Best Training Platform Available - bar none.

I would advise shooting any long gun with anything other than a .22 rimfire first if there's any trepidationat all.

First things first & that is to develop a "it doesn't have to hurt"-thing.
 
Well missy I don't think you should shot that big bad shotgun. You need to stick with some a little more girly, like a .22 or .25. I don't believe you can handle something that big, you better let a man shot that for you.

I had to take an antagonistic approach, every one else was being so supportive. Anticipation is usually worse then the act itself, and in the case of the 12 gauge that is true.
 
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