thrillhill
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My eldest daughter (16 years old) is kind of my mini-me. It's awesome. She has her own gun safe in her bedroom and plenty of her own guns. She open carries (home-school) most days when doing yard wok or walking in the woods to find wild edibles etc. Thanks to a couple of awesome friends she got into competing in the 2 gun rimfire matches for a couple of years and did really well. She deer hunts and squirrel hunts, and she cleans what she kills. Heck she even cleans mine for me sometimes now. Same thing with with fishing. She catches and cleans. Pretty cool kid if I do say so myself. She is really comfortable with firearms.
But now I've ran into a bit of a brick wall when it comes to teaching her.
I can't seem to teach her wing-shooting. Probably because I kinda suck at it myself.
I swear it sometimes seems like I grew up with a shotgun in my crib. But it was never about wing-shooting. It was all about buckshot (deer hunting/home defense) and some squirrel hunting. I'm fine with both of those.
But when I go dove hunting (which is the only bird hunting I have ever done and plan to do) sometimes I can limit out and sometimes I fire 50 rounds to hit 3 birds. I am fine with that. Problem is, I can't explain it to my daughter when I do good because I don't have a clue what I am doing. Sometimes I aim and sometimes I don't think I do. Sometimes I think about the shot and try to talk myself through it and sometimes I don't. I mainly do it to have fun and I feel like if I try to get really good at it or at least consistent it will be more like work and less like a social hunt activity.
So, she has been dove hunting about 4 times now. Not very good fields but she was able to get off a few shots each time. But she hasn't hit one yet, and although she loves eating doves her interest in dove hunting has certainly waned.
The first couple of times she went I let her use my older Wingmaster 20 gauge. 26 inch barrel, modified choke. The last couple of times she took her 20 gauge sided by side coach gun with 20 inch barrels. So she does not have a dedicated dove hunting shotgun.
I'd like to maybe buy her a more appropriate gun. I no longer have that Wingmaster, so we are gonna be a fresh slate in that regard. Her LOP is longer than mine on rifles so I assume the same would be true on shotguns. Not sure where to start on getting her a shotgun. What I don't want to get at this stage is anything fancy that can only be used shooting clays or doves. I would like her to learn on something fairly utilitarian. I would like to get her a shotgun that she could dove hunt with, or turkey hunt if she decides to take that up. Or do any other number of things. I know 870s and I know utility side by sides. That's it. I don't know anything about semiautos or Beretta or Benelli or Franchi or over and unders. I had a Stoeger one time and liked it but didn't keep it more than a year.
I love the understated utility of 20 gauge. But should I get her a 12 instead? She ain't scared of recoil. Would a 20 be unduly handicapping her?
And I also figure it is time for "outside instruction".
I looked up the "shotgun shooting school" closest to me geographically.
Shotgun instruction is $100 per hour.
If I want to take it with her it is $150 per hour.
The guys here at work say that a couple of hours probably would not be enough to accomplish what I want.
Problem is I can't afford more than that.
I do have a friend that has an electronic thrower of some sort at his house so his son could practice for the FFA shooting team at school. Should I just get her a shotgun that I think will work and take her over to his place a few times?
What advice would y'all give in regards to picking out a gun for her?
And should I stay away from the backyard shoots until I can afford formal instruction or what?
Thanks
Bill
But now I've ran into a bit of a brick wall when it comes to teaching her.
I can't seem to teach her wing-shooting. Probably because I kinda suck at it myself.
I swear it sometimes seems like I grew up with a shotgun in my crib. But it was never about wing-shooting. It was all about buckshot (deer hunting/home defense) and some squirrel hunting. I'm fine with both of those.
But when I go dove hunting (which is the only bird hunting I have ever done and plan to do) sometimes I can limit out and sometimes I fire 50 rounds to hit 3 birds. I am fine with that. Problem is, I can't explain it to my daughter when I do good because I don't have a clue what I am doing. Sometimes I aim and sometimes I don't think I do. Sometimes I think about the shot and try to talk myself through it and sometimes I don't. I mainly do it to have fun and I feel like if I try to get really good at it or at least consistent it will be more like work and less like a social hunt activity.
So, she has been dove hunting about 4 times now. Not very good fields but she was able to get off a few shots each time. But she hasn't hit one yet, and although she loves eating doves her interest in dove hunting has certainly waned.
The first couple of times she went I let her use my older Wingmaster 20 gauge. 26 inch barrel, modified choke. The last couple of times she took her 20 gauge sided by side coach gun with 20 inch barrels. So she does not have a dedicated dove hunting shotgun.
I'd like to maybe buy her a more appropriate gun. I no longer have that Wingmaster, so we are gonna be a fresh slate in that regard. Her LOP is longer than mine on rifles so I assume the same would be true on shotguns. Not sure where to start on getting her a shotgun. What I don't want to get at this stage is anything fancy that can only be used shooting clays or doves. I would like her to learn on something fairly utilitarian. I would like to get her a shotgun that she could dove hunt with, or turkey hunt if she decides to take that up. Or do any other number of things. I know 870s and I know utility side by sides. That's it. I don't know anything about semiautos or Beretta or Benelli or Franchi or over and unders. I had a Stoeger one time and liked it but didn't keep it more than a year.
I love the understated utility of 20 gauge. But should I get her a 12 instead? She ain't scared of recoil. Would a 20 be unduly handicapping her?
And I also figure it is time for "outside instruction".
I looked up the "shotgun shooting school" closest to me geographically.
Shotgun instruction is $100 per hour.
If I want to take it with her it is $150 per hour.
The guys here at work say that a couple of hours probably would not be enough to accomplish what I want.
Problem is I can't afford more than that.
I do have a friend that has an electronic thrower of some sort at his house so his son could practice for the FFA shooting team at school. Should I just get her a shotgun that I think will work and take her over to his place a few times?
What advice would y'all give in regards to picking out a gun for her?
And should I stay away from the backyard shoots until I can afford formal instruction or what?
Thanks
Bill