Worst range day ever.

[monotonous_iterancy]

Today I was having the CMP marksmanship form filled out, the last step towards me getting an M1 Garand. I had set up a some nice plinking targets in the form of a soda can filled with water, and an 8 inch shoot 'n' see stick on target at roughly 75 yards.

After firing the required 50 rounds out of my 10/22, mostly benched, I examined my results. I failed to hit the can, and the rounds I fired at the target were all grouped in a 3 inch spread high and to the right. One round at the left-most edge barely missed, but nontheless I failed to hit anything. There were two rounds that went wild, with one high and to the left, and one completely off target shot about 7 1/2 inches away.

I blamed it on the sights, repeatedly insisting that the stock sights "sucked".

Then my mom wanted to try. She's never fired a gun before in her life. At this point we were using super-cheap Remington ammo. I was running low on .22 before the panic, and this was some of the last stuff I had left.

So I briefly run down the manual of arms for firing, help her with shouldering it, and she tries to shoot off-hand.

I gave a few brief instructions about "getting this dot in that recess", "squeeze, don't jerk", and "lean into it".

The very first shot she'd ever fired in her life hit that soda can which flew up in spectacular fashion.

My mom, who'd never fired a gun before, out-shot me with her very first round, off-hand. Needless to say, I was mortified, and I'm still a little embarrassed.

I hope you all can still take me seriously.

 

[nosmr2]

Sounds like her best day at the range ever.

 

[guzzi]

Hay monotonous_iterancy, we need to start a club.

I had a 15 year old girl that had never shot before kick my tail with a shotgun shooting skeet. She just couldn't miss.

Women, they are evil. And, good shots.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Have you punched holes in paper at 75 yds before? Sounds like perhaps you were not relaxed enough when you were shooting if you have had groups on target with that rifle before. If not, then you probably need a little more paper punching time on the range.

 

[tahunua001]

please don't get mad but in my experience anyone that has ever uttered the phrase "these sights suck" is normally fishing for sympathy and trying to name excuses for why they aren't performing to standards. I've had days where I can't hit anything and there have been days where I can't miss. it has nothing to do with sights.

some sight styles are better than others but against a stationary pop can at that range there is just no sights that 'suck' enough to not hit that.

my advice to you is to get better with iron sights because with the M1, irons are your only option.

 

[allaroundhunter]

Never underestimate a beginner, or a woman's ability to take to shooting quickly. Women are much better learners and take to what they are taught faster than men, generally.

When I took my girlfriend out to my family's farm for the first time, she wanted to learn to shoot. She had never shot a gun before, so we started with a shotgun. I have a nice Beretta 12 ga that is set up for shooters of smaller stature and it fit her like a glove. After going over basic gun safety and how to shoot, we set up some clays at 15 yards. She went through them without missing a shot. After that she wanted to shoot some out of the air. I was worried because I didn't want her to leave being discourage from not hitting anything... She shot 18 straight that we threw with a clay launcher, the last 6 were ninety-degree crossing shots....

Yes, she out shot me. Yes, I was surprised.... And yes, I take her bird hunting with me

Sent from my HTC One X

 

[monotonous_iterancy]

I just checked, and it's not an 8 inch target. It's a 3 inch target. I actually shot at the exact same place with another one of those targets with my Mosin recently. My first two rounds were almost dead center. Another round was right on the edge of the target, and after that, I was kind of all over the place. I don't know what changed. I need more practice with iron sights.

 

[The-Reaver]

You are man enough to admit what happened.

That's enough for me to take you seriously until you prove otherwise ;-)

Now shake it off, and stop thinking about it. Thinking is the enemy just do what you know you can.

 

[OilyPablo]

A good (but corny) comparison might be bowling. Or anything else that involves aiming (golf?). Sometimes people with no experience whatsoever actually listen to the person showing them "how to" and score high! But the teacher has no time to relax, and or do the right things. Your teaching skills are good.

Just go by yourself and do the right things next time.

 

[Revolver Ocelot]

my wife does this to me on a regular basis, I can fire faster and get them into the same 8 inch plate but she'll make the holes touch, something I can rarely do.

 

[mf-dif]

Sounds pretty good to me.

You have to take a shooting test to get an M1 from CMP?

 

[sixgunner455]

Worst range days do not = someone outshooting you, especially not when it was your mother. That will always happen, unless you are Rob Leatham or something.

Take her out for ice cream whenever she outshoots you. I guarantee she'll go again, if you make that offer.

Worst range days are when a gun blows up, or someone gets hurt. Perspective.

 

[Ignition Override]

mon. iterancy: At least the weather was decent on your days off. It's been lousy on almost all of mine.

guzzi: Does that young girl know about the Russian lady snipers in WW2 with Mosin Nagants?

 

[pikid89]

time for both of you to attend an Appleseed shoot

 

[monotonous_iterancy]

You have to take a shooting test to get an M1 from CMP?

One of the requirements is "Proof of marksmanship". Military service, ccw permits, hunter safety classes with live fire, or a copy of results from any shooting match suffice. My hunter safety class didn't include either live or simulated fire, and while I was in a skeet match when I was 15, I don't have a copy of the results.

So in absence of those things, you can fire 50 rounds supervised by a range or law enforcement officer, or club official, and they initial and sign a form stating that it was done safely and you can safely handle a firearm.

 

[asia331]

Sounds like a great day; you recruited a new shooter! Well Done!

 

[guitarguy314]

Aw man, bad days at the range suck. But hey, it sounds like your mom is a regular Calamity Jane.

75 yards? That ain't easy (for me especially) I'm amazed anyone can get any kind of groups with that dang rifle. 3'' at 75 yards is pretty good in my book.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Excluding tragedy, I gotta crib the old fishing line (PI) of the worst day at the range being better than the best day at work.

 

[velocette]

I am a range officer at a large municipal range. It is quite common for new female shooters to outshoot their "experienced" male companions. It seems that the women LISTEN to instruction, THINK about what they are doing, while FOLLOWING the instructions. Their excellent results are far too common to be luck or chance. Too many folks THINK that they know how to shoot because they have two heads, but in fact should attend an Appleseed event or two.

Roger

 

[ACP]

My daughter's first shot ever from a scoped 22LR was dead center on a 1" dot at 25 yards. Dad was about an inch high. Sigh....

 

[Gun Geezer]

With a pistol, my Mom could out shoot anybody I have ever seen. She was dead on all the time.

After a while I just gave up!

 

[monotonous_iterancy]

Too many folks THINK that they know how to shoot...

I never claimed to be good. I'm not terrible, but I admit, I don't practice much. Even less so now that ammo is so hard to find for a lot of calibers.

 

[788Ham]

Sounds like you'd better buy Mom the M1 Garand!

 

[pseudonymity]

So when is your Moms Garand coming in?

 

[armedwalleye]

sounds like her shooting skills are such as they are as a direct result of the quality, depth, breadth and all around expert knowledge of her tutor.Were it not for your input, since she's blood relation, she'd have shot as bad as you....