I think I hooked my Dad.

[GigaBuist]

My extended family is rife with hunters, with the typical assortment of firearms for such purposes among them. I'm not a hunter myself, largely because my father wasn't either. Something about running alongside deer in his younger years in a peacable manner that put him off to it.

Never the less, he's still got a shotgun laying about and always did like busting clays back in the days of his youth. Keeps its use down to woodchucks that invite themselves into the family greenhouse.

The old man and I don't have much in common these days, since I gave up competitoin in running events, but he always did have fun destroying clay birds. As luck would have it I got into the sport recently.. so I invited him out.

Took a few weeks to make it happen. One day he forgot, and ended up working the whole day away from his phone. The next week he ran off on a vacation without telling me. After that he threw his back out so bad he couldn't barely walk, so shotgunning was out of the question.

This week? Well, everything was in order. Told him not to bother bringing his own gun, which is of an unknown origin, 20 gauge, apparently from pre GCA '68 days. Not saying there's anything wrong with it, but I've got better stuff for him to use. Nothing fancy, just an 870 Wingmaster with a chipped foreend.

So, I fixed him up with ear plugs, eye protection, a shotgun, some ammo, and paid the range fees. He was slightly put off by the last part but I reminded him the he paid for my college education.

We hit the line, my buddy with his 870 Wingmaster, my dad running my 870 Wingmaster, and me with a NEF 20 gauge. Well, dad beat me both times. He did accuse me of giving him blanks after the 1st two stations though.

Good times... and after seeing his bruise while swimming about in the pool afterwards we laughed a bit. He's definately got that shotun shouldered wrong. He's geeked about doing it again though... and that's good.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Good deeds rarely go unpunished. Next, you'll have to do it again.

And time spent with your Dad shooting is well spent. Trust me on this.

Is he Net savvy? Point him here...

 

[GigaBuist]

Oh, I intend to do it again. He protested slightly when I paid for the range fees but I reminded him that he paid for my college education. Got a good chuckle of of the older fellow running the register that day.

Trust me.. time spent shooting with my dad is priceless. That's sorta why I posted this. I'm just geeked about having something we can do together again. I'm not living at home and we're not doing 10 mile runs together anymore like we did in my youth.

He's not real net savy, but if he ever took up the gun stuff as a hobby I'd point him here. He was a bit confused as to how he manged to hit stuff he thought he'd miss. I explained that that 12 gauge patterns out a bit more than his 20 gauge. He still gave me a bit of crap over beating me... him with the 12 gauge and me with a 20 guage.

Shoulda reminded him of me wearing him out doing 3 mile runs when I was but 12 years old.

Its always a competiton, but that's just how we're built.

 

[TimboKhan]

You know, in my younger years, my old man and I came at odds pretty strongly over some issues, and I ended up having very minimal communication with him from about 15 till I was about 22 or so. My dad is a good guy and I regret being so stubborn and isolating myself from him for so long over issues that now seem so petty. As cheesy as it sounds, one of the very few things that we could talk about once we started really getting to know each other again was guns. I am 33 now, and even though in the time since we have managed to find more common ground, despite the fact that we are very different people with very different philosophies and perspectives on alot of things, we still talk guns constantly. Recently (about a month ago) my dad and I went shooting together for the first time since I was 14 or 15, and I have to tell you that it was probably the most fun I have had on the range, ever. I honestly don't know if my Dad and I will ever get to do it again. I hate to think that we won't, and its even worse because we live very close to each other now, but between my school schedule and his volunteer/grandad/sleeping on his chair schedule, its hard to find three or four or five hours out of the day to make it out to a range and shoot. Whatever the case, Guns played a large part in rebuilding what is now a very strong and close relationship, so even if we never get to shoot together again, I know that my Dad and I will always have something to talk about.