Who taught you to shoot?

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My Pop started my older brother and I in the Junior NRA when I was 8, bought us our first .22 target rifles that Christmas. My OB and I had BB guns up until we got a little older 13-14, Pop had us shoot his rifle, 99, .300 Savage to see if we could hit anything with it, I loved that rifle, was left to me 3 1/2 years ago when our Pop passed on. Pop and his Dad were very good shots, they both taught us how to shoot these rifles growing up. I shot Expert in the Navy back in '67, had a fun time qualifying too, damned Marine DI's. LOL I've hunted and shot since then, have several pistols and revolvers, my most fun revolver is my 629 6" SS, a beauty. I have several rifles that I shoot frequently, .223, 22-250, '06. I sure miss Pop out at the range though, man he could still shoot at 76, we had a lot of laughs even when I did out shoot him, which wasn't often.

WC145, tell your son thank you for serving this great country of ours, and thank you for raising a son like you have! Semper Fi;)
 
Although my father taught me many things, guns weren't one of them. I had to beg for months to get a BB gun in my teen years. My first introduction to a firearm was a friend in 6th grade who let me shoot his 22 rifle, plinking on his family's land. Fast forward 16 years later another friend let me shoot his Glock 27 at a local range. He taught me some basics of shooting and it had me hooked. Since I was married by then and my wife is pro-gun, it was only a matter of time until we acquired our own firearms and shoot regularly together. We befriended the range officer at our local gun club who more directly taught me how to shoot.

I am fortunate to have a wife who not only accepts this hobby, but is enthusiastic about it herself. In fact, the other day I told her I was considering purchasing a 1911 and she said "well, if you do, you better get a 22 conversion kit for it too!"

I love my wife :)
 
B.S.A. (Boy Scouts of America)
It was a merit badge: summer camporee. Wouldn't you? There were a lot to get to qualify all the way to Eagle.
22 LR bolt action with a peep-like sight I have never seen since. Shame too, I'd love to have one on my 10/22.
Got my marksman achievement that summer, I was 12 or 13.
 
i'm jealous

no guns in my house growing up
japanese mom irish dad from new york both antigun.
i learned late from a variety of folks many of whom i met at clark bros who took the time to show a new guy how not to hurt himself and then the basics. i had way too much time and income as a young man spent a lot of it on that range. had a ton of military friends and hunted in va and wva
 
who taught you to shoot

My first air gun was a Crack A Jack. Like a 94Win but you pushed down on the barrel to load it. Next was Win 67,22 single shot my Granny gave me and I still have it 60 years later. She called it a pea rifle. Then I was given a 303-22 by my Dad, great rifle. Then back to a Krico 22 Semi Auto. After that 25-20, 303, 12gauge. Now I wish I still had all of them.Plenty of room in the gun safe. Oh yeah, I had a 1885 bolt action 12 gauge, maker unknown, and I'm hunting it down. Memories eh! :D
 
I taught myself to shoot. Bought a BB gun when I was 9 or 10. Got my first firearm when I was 12 (Savage 22/410). Since there was no one around to teach me, I taught myself. That was like 1965 and we lived in the country...a totally different era.
 
I pretty much taught myself when I started shooting at 17. None of my parents or other people in my family had firearms or if they did they never went to the range with them. As stupid as it may sound but most of the basics about stance, grip, trigger control I learned from the internet. In my country most shooters only train for sport shooting competitions. When I first started going to the shooting range they always tried to tell me I have to hold my pistol one handed, stand sideways and all that crap. Kinda like this

They just couldn't understand why I wanted to shoot more rapidly and with both hands or why I even bought a gun with non adjustable sights:eek: Also shooting under 25 meters is frowned upon on many ranges :banghead: That's pretty much why I started looking up videos of IDPA/IPSC or other more practical/combat oriented shooting styles on Youtube to learn from them. I also started visiting American online forums because you guys know there's more to shooting that 25m pistol and 100m prone rifle shooting :D
 
3 people: Me, myself and I. That is until I signed up with Uncle Sam's Army. Since way back then I'm still in learning mode. I will occasionally watch shows and read about the latest and greatest forms of shooting. I take what works for me then discard the rest.
 
Self taught on my first BB gun at 10 years old, then a few more air rifles and pistols through my teens. I didn't get my first real firearm until I was in my early 20's, after the USAF had given me some professional instruction and (mostly) broke me of a few bad habits.

I'm still learning, actually. I pick up something new every time I take a class or go to the range.

R
 
Funny you should ask! My dad let me have a gun when I was 14. When I became 14, he asked what I'd like to get (I had saved up my lunch money, he was going to "sign"). I told him I wanted a pistol. He replied, "What the hell you want that for? You can't hunt anything with a pistol!" Well, he signed for a CYQ German P-38, which I just had to have, and it cost $55 in 1966. I couldn't wait to go out and shoot at the best target available: a one gallon empty paint can.....my dad was a house painter. You guessed it........I couldn't hit the can consistently at 15 yards. I was SURE it was the gun!:rolleyes: I was pretty depressed. Dad loved to hunt, but had no interest or experience with pistols (although he owned one for defense), and I couldn't admit that he was right, so I never asked him to show me how to shoot it. I had been pretty good with his .22 single shot rifle, and fair with an H&R 922 revolver, but this 9mm was TOO much. While at the next gunshow (to buy 9mm ammo, I think foreign surplus ammo was about $2 a box, and the vendors didn't care how old you were:)), I saw a small hardback "pocketbook" about general marksmanship, shooting, etc, and it had a pistol section. I forget the authors name, but he was one of the respected author/shooters of the 1950's-eary 1960's. The book taught trigger control, sight picture, breathing, follow through, etc. I started to hit the can, then started putting ALL the shots on the can, then progressed to moving back to 25 yards as my groups kept getting smaller. It wasn't rocket science, but it did take self-discipline, and determination. With limited funds, I had to make every shot count. I feel like I still have the same overview and discipline today. Thanks to whoever wrote that book; any one of 10 famous gunbook writers of the day.
 
My Dad.

Started out with my first BB gun at the age of 5, graduated to a .410 bolt action at 10, and from there it was a .22 (browning) at 14. I was extremely fortunate to come from a family of outdoorsmen and have property in the country to hone my skills. By the time I was 14 and running around with that .22 I would go through a brick of ammo a weekend. When you shoot that much you can't help but get proficient. In 1998 the USMC put the finishing touches on my shooting skills with more long distance training. Still learning more every day :D
 
My college rifle team taught me to shoot rifle ... back in the day when colleges had such things.
A number of professional trainers taught me how to shoot handguns.
And my father-in-law gave me some pointers with a shotgun.
Taught myself how to shoot a compound bow.
 
Dad taught me rifle and then BSA taught me shotgun. Shot my first pistol in the navy and been hooked ever since.
 
Sky--
Your dad sounds like a fine old gentleman. Enjoy the time you get to spend with him. It is a lesson I learned too late.

My dad got me started, but wasn't around long enough to get too far. It was enough--he let me shoot his 1911 when I was eight or nine. :)

Forty-five years later, I'm still learning, and still shooting 1911s.
 
Going to take him out to eat on Wednesday and then to the range for his first AR experience. Thanks
 
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