"They are only a dollar..."

[sm]

Firearm Related Items.

Everything in this store is a dollar.

I am not a shopper per se'; I know what I want, and go get it.
Kids...moms, dads, grandparents and myself checked out the place where everything is a dollar- we needed some Firearm Related Items.

Hoola-Hoop, got a couple of them, from bigger to smaller to smallest. These are great for tracing a circle to shoot patterns on a pattern board.
One can swing these for moving target practice as well.

Paper plates, nine and six inch ones for targets and of course the stapler "with free staples" just had to be tossed in the basket too.
Staples and staple guns just seen to always be at the wrong end of a shooting range - ever notice that?

Beef Jerky because Everyone Knows [tm] a stick of Jerky makes one a better shooter...no matter what one shoots, or what one hunts.

Moleskin. Great for raising the comb on a shotgun stock...

Stuffed animals.
Now we set up tin cans with a stuffed animal next to them, and the idea is for the kids to hit the can, and not hurt the stuffed animal.

Except...there was this purple critter, and...well...reminds one of a certain dino, and ...
Put it this way, there will be some competition amongst the kids and the winner gets to have a good old time blasting this purple critter to smithereens.

"We want one toOOooo!!" - This would be the moms carrying on and embarrassing everyone.
Can't take moms anywhere without them showing out you know...

So, I and the kids will really have to come up with a serious competition for the moms.
I do admit, one kid's idea of a cookie/ brownie competition amongst the moms does sound pretty good to me...real good. Pretty much a done deal...

Balloons, gotta have balloons...
Spray paint to paint over spinner targets with dings..."You know, if you kids would miss the spinner targets, we would not have to buy paint to cover the dings".

"Tough! We are not going to miss - deal with it and get over it" .
I cannot wait to see how this yellow paint and lime green paint look on a spinner target...

Just my luck, they had jelly beans.
Let me explain, kids set out a jelly bean "umpteen bazillion" yards downrange, give me .22 shorts most times, and I can use any of their guns I want to hit the jelly bean.
Oh I sometimes get .22 long rifles, still does not help. I cannot see the jelly bean, I do get a hint as to the general location.
"Okay, see that leaf that just moved, go more right and look w-a-y past it."
"bang"
"He missed again..." *snicker* *laugh* *giggle*

They do Helium balloons at this place...oh dear, last time we did helium balloons was a hoot.

Balloons dancing in the wind, and the idea was to hit targets, and not hit the helium balloons.
Some pretty good Shoot/No Shoot lessons come out of this.

Ping-Pong balls, gotta have these teaching shotguns with a BB gun.

Had to have a another trigger sprayer for garden hose, garden hose is another tool for teaching shotgun stuff.

Biggest problem at the moment, is them mom's fighting over that stuffed purple dino animal.
Had to take that stuffed animal and lock it in Grandparents trunk. Mom's showing out like they were...had to separate 'em.

Grandpa popped his daughter on the butt,lightly and "daddy!" seems it has been awhile since she got popped on the butt for misbehaving - surprised her to say the least
This got the other mom's to behave [read :bust out laughing] and
"you girls behave, or no chocolate after supper" grandpa and grandma said.

I wish you could have seen these moms straighten up and behave...
Us kids just busting out laughing...

"They are only a dollar..."

Steve

 

[Turner]

Stuffed animals?

You sir are a genius. I will be picking up a couple dozen of these before I go shooting again.

 

[Aaryq]

Good story, friend. And you gave me quite a few really good ideas to get my wife (and when their old enough, my daughters) into shooting and to give find a fun way to teach good shooting lessons and habbits.

Good job. Nicely written, and it's good to see you have your whole family involved.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Good suggestions

Necco wafers make good targets too.

Last time I was at the dollar store I picked up some really nice rectangular plastic storage bins for empty brass. Really helped to organize the reloading area.

 

[Archer1945]

Are Necco wafers still being made because I don't remember seeing them in ages? I remember reading somewhere years ago about using them as targets for air/bb guns.

 

[Archer1945]

Moleskin is also good for putting on a sore trigger finger after two much shooting and when you want to spend even more time shooting.

 

[Pax Jordana]

I want to sit on SM's floor as he balances a mug of coffee on his generous belly, leans back in his chair and tells me a story about the good old times when men were men, women were women, kids were kids, coffee was thirty nine cents a gallon, gas was a dime a cup, and you couldn't toss a dead cat without hitting a trophy buck.


Yes, they still make necco wafers (the black ones are still gross). I love the stuffed animals idea -- but I like the Three Kings version better.

 

[Bruce333]

Yes, Necco wafers are still made. Got a roll of them sitting right here. The hard part about using them is keeping the kids from eating the targets!

 

[scout26]

Staples and staple guns just seen to always be at the wrong end of a shooting range - ever notice that?

No Steve, it's in the range bag (with only 3 staples), which is STILL in the trunk of the car, or it's sitting on the work bench back home in the garage, or if you remember to put the staple gun back in the range bag, then the full box of staples is still sitting on the work bench were I left them. :banghead: :banghead:

Yes, I own more then one staple gun, in fact I buy a new one everytime I'm at the hardware store. Yet, no matter how many I buy and stuff into the range bag, they all crawl out immediately prior to the bag being loaded into the car when we head out to the range.

"Hey Buddy, can I borrow your stapler and I'll give you a buck for all the staples I use."

El Tejon may have a backyard full of broken anvils, but I've got twice as many staple guns hiding from me in my garage.
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

But back to the orginal post.

We normally scrounge up all the unshot rabbits out on the Sporting Clays and five stand courses at my club (We shoot on Sunday afternoon's, Sporting Clays and Five Stand are only open only on Saturday's so those ranges are closed when we do our scrounging.) They're normally in nice, neat piles and there's lots (hundreds) of 'em !!!! (and they're Free !!!!) They make great .22/BB gun targets for the kid's. (Heck, even adults like to shoot 'em. ) Once they get the hang of Rabbit's we move on to either Saltine or Ritz crackers.

What's a Necco wafer ???? (nevermind, Yahoo search is my friend). Oh, now I remember those nasty things. Yep, they deserve to get shot, right after the crackers.

 

[Starter52]

+1 on the Necco wafers. 2 rolls for a dollar at my local dollar store.

Two rolls + one gluestick = great fun at the .22 range. Stick 'em right to the target over the bullseye. Only problem: they melt too soon in the summer.

Necco wafers: Another fine product of the New England Confectionery Company.

Stuffed animals? Not at my range! Who cleans up the mess?

 

[sm]

...yeah I had walk uphill both ways to school and back barefooted in snow in the heat and humidity of the Deep South in August when I was a kid...

Clothes-pins. Picture Hanging kits, Weed-Whacker line,
Umm these are wooden springy-thingies one uses to hold clothes on a clotheline.
Wikipedia is your friend.
I had to walk uphill both ways ...barefoot...snow...to look up stuff in the Library...

Targets - pay attention here.

1. Using the picture hanging kit, take the hardware and on sides of target stands, at top and bottom, attach so the picture hanging wire - or - weed whacker line, runs across from one side to the other, horizontal , level, and parallel to top and bottom.

Attach targets with clothes pins.

Alleviates having to use staple gun, look for staples when you run out, or looking back at firing line and the staple gun waving and going "you forget something?".

Naturally adjust to fit targets you use.
By "clipping" top and bottom, target stays put, real nice and "tight".
Easy to remove and for instance if a kid shoots a coloring book animal target, animal from a magazine, even store bought targets, no worry of tearing when removing staples.
Some kids keep targets, have a scrapbook...etc.

2. Don't hit the Target Targets.

Kids learning Geometry can use compass to make circles.

Smaller kids can trace whatever size hole they need for skill level from Coffee cans, vegetable cans, Vienna Sausage cans...etc.

What we do is use Printer Paper [8.5" X 11"] or Cardboard from a scrap box, and spray paint it white once cut out.

Clothes-pin to stand as above.

Now the deal is, when they shoot, and "hit the center" there are No Holes in target, except the middle which was cut out on purpose.

--Note--
I should have mentioned this earlier sorry.
Most target stands are cardboard "brown" or some folks use drywall "white".
In shooting these Don't hit the Target Targets, we use a spray paint, in black , most often bright Neon Orange, or Neon Green background. Poster board works and we have seen construction paper this color. Spray Paint is just easier, and handier.

Now these Don't hit the Target Targets, are Great!
Real challenge to see how long they can shoot and keep all shots "going into hole".
Saves a lot of walking back and forth, especially if range is muddy and all.
Set the targets up, and kids, adults have shot all range session with this one target.
They undo it, and write down how many rounds they shot. Some keep shooting at the same target to see how long they can go.

Really does help with focus.

We do a lot of fun reactive targets, still these targets really do get the kids to hunker down, and focus.
Skill levels improve and "uh oh, I have a smaller hole to shoot through now".

Funniest thing we did, was make a hole about the size of a Quarter.
Grandpa sets out a target at like 50 yards. Has his Model 29 and shoots a full cylinder.
Range clear, and the kids all run to get his target.
Every single shot "Must have gone into the hole - WoW!.

So Grandpa used primer only ctgs, it sure "looked good" , Grandpa was walking about 3 feet off the ground. Believe me when Grandpa shared -"yeah kids, it takes quality practice with correct basic fundamental to do that..."
Kids were all eye and ears, paying attention to how important getting the basics down, gun fit, breathing, sights, trigger control...

Tin cans with both ends cut out. Now this is a fun challenge and tricky.
Depends on kid, and skill level.
Just use the wire from the kit, or weed-whacker line and "cinch" down onto a board, or whatever.
Trick here is to shoot through the can.

My "can" was a soda can with a pull top and "OK, you have to shoot through the little hole, and you cannot cheat because we can tell by looking at the bottom if you used a real cartridge ".

Seems the kids learned later about Grandpas trick, and was afraid I might try it.

NO,I blew it. I hit most everything but the hole in the top...

Do try the clothes pins with targets, works real well.

 

[craig]

here's one that's lots of fun.

Plastic Action Figures.

my wife and i got some from the local goodwill one day and shot them to pieces.

she hit one of them in the chest with her .45 and it's head must've went 10 feet straight up. she lost it laughing, and had to stop shooting for a while. she still laughs about it, and it's been 6 months.

we left the pieces out by the backstop for a few weeks, and when our friends came over to shoot the looks on their faces were priceless.

 

[Sylvan-Forge]

Thanks for posting that, sm.

 

[jeepmor]

+1 on action figures and stuffed animals.

First time my wife hit a target with her 9mm and hollowpoints was a stuffed something or other. The backside blowout from the shot was pretty impressive visually and encouraged her to shoot more.

Making it fun keeps the interest. If necco's get too big, try peanut M&Ms, cheap, easy to find, but they might get devoured.

 

[Plink]

SM, great post. That reminded me so much of my own childhood that I had moist eyes. As you might can tell from my nickname here, I'm not much for formal target stuff. Light hearted fun with plenty of laughter is what makes it all worthwhile. I haven't taken any kids out in a long time. I'm going to remedy that!

 

[Nicolai]

Lots of good ideas here, and, although not gun-related, your hula hoops can multi-task as targets for casting with fishing gear.

 

[sm]

If I have cast a Johnson, Heddon, Zebco 33, ABU Garcia 5000 ...etc.,fishing set up once at a hula-hoop, or bucket, or coffee can once, I've done it...as the kids sayumpteen bazillion times

Sure fishing is firearm related. My thread, I said so.
How many times do folks go out and incorporate fishing with hunting, plinking down on the farm, and then fishing in a farm pond...Dove hunting and fishing for bream...?

--
Play Money, in particular coins.

Now tape a play quarter onto a target. You want to see a kid hunker down, get focused, to shoot, do this.
"You hit that thing, and I will give you a real quarter".

Dots.
These bright color self stick dots, where labels are sold are great.
These come in various sizes, and they do assist with eyes of any age seeing the "bulls-eye".

Watch these kids...kids are real darn sneaky.
Sharpie markers also come in "Ultra Fine Point".

Kids will write money amounts, or have a number meaning a place to eat or prize of some kind.

Understand WE adults do this...just watch the [strike] little brats [/strike] when they set up targets.

One kid hit a dot about the size of a Silver Dollar. $100 had been "scribbled" on that dot.
Actually the zeros had been added by the kid...

Kid was funny "how about ten bucks?" he says(scratches through last zero)
"How about $1" we said scratching through the other zero.

"Oh well, can't blame a kid for trying...." he said.
We all had a good time with this...all in good fun.

Have to watch adults too on this...one lady wrote "dinner" on her dot, and she hit it.
Husband and wife carrying on about how HE was supposed to take her to dinner.
Kids don't get to come, thats what Grandparents are for.

She got her night out on the town without kids btw...

 

[rxraptor02]

they sell large cans of shaving cream.

 

[Cliff47]

Remember the bag of charcoal briquettes from last summer? They make great targets, cheap, biodegradable, light, and they give off a satisfying puff of black when hit. Just remember to get a fresh bag for this grilling season.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

i found a manecan (spelling) in the goodwill dumpster one time and it made an awesome target. also a junk tv that was no good was fun to shoot as well as the ever popular milk jugs full of water. i may have to check out the dollar store for some more creative things to shoot.