Need advice

[Bryan Simon]

I have alot of baby sisters (5) and three of them are interested in competition shooting that could possibly lead to a collegiate shooting team. Two of them are teens (14 and 16) and have been competing in steel challenge matches with a Ruger 22/45 and a Ruger P89 they are slow but accurate. One is just getting started with my air rifle at age 8. I've been ALL OVER usashooting.com and cannot find anything on what types of pistols and rifles are being used.

I'm deployed to Afghanistan for the moment but will be back on the range with them around the end of February. They tell me they really want to get serious about shooting when I get home and hopefully make a collegiate team.

Any advice on firearms, training, and types of matches we should be shooting would be great. Thanks

 

[Jim Watson]

Check with the NRA at
http://www.nrahq.org/compete/coldir.asp

I think that pistol shooting at the college level is pretty limited, most is smallbore rifle, air rifle, and air pistol, some shotgun. There is a little highpower here and there but teams are few and far between. A friend's niece is on the varsity air rifle team at Birmingham Southern with a small scholarship.
http://www.bscsports.net/index.asp?path=rifle

Have your older sisters got an idea of where they might go to college? The athletic department would have information on which (if any) shooting was in their program.

If they want something more strenuous, USPSA has a Junior program, but no college is likely to support it.
http://www.uspsa-juniors.org/

 

[Bryan Simon]

Actually they're looking at UAB, Birmingham Southern, and Jacksonville State. We're from that area.

Thank you for the help.

 

[Jim Watson]

UAB does not list a shooting sport on their website but NRA shows them to have women's air rifle. Who knows which site is correct and up to date?

Jax State has a rifle team, apparently air rifle and smallbore.
http://www.jsugamecocksports.com/sport_front.asp?sportid=217

And, as said, Birmingham Southern for sure. Friend's niece was a walkon with little previous experience beyond a little plinking with brother and uncle. All coaching and equipment is provided, and they use the good stuff.

Note that all this is of "conventional" target shooting. That is, fire slowly and carefully at a bullseye at known distance. Not a lot of excitement.

 

[Bryan Simon]

Okay, I've found some name brands. Anschutz, Feinwerkbau, Steyr, Hammerli, Morini...sounds expensive

 

[Jim Watson]

You don't have to spend a ton of money for a match (air) gun to get started with. I am hesitant to recommend makes and models, a friend is going through tremendous difficulty with a name brand bought for his grandson. Another friend practices daily with a Daisy similar to the current model 853 Avanti. Holy Moley! That thing is more than $300 now! But it keeps him sharp for NRA Highpower shooting.

 

[Bryan Simon]

I'm going to send off a couple of emails to the B South and Jax State coaches and see what they think. I don't know how they're going to do with slow fire paper punching. They really enjoy the run and gun type steel challenge matches. They may get bored.

I wonder how receptive a team would be to starting a pistol div, if the girls supplied their own pistols and equipment?