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Shooting for the Future
Along with the Always Rules, everyone should know these Range Rules: 1. Always remember the Always Rules. 2. Always wear eye and hearing protection. 3. Keep guns unloaded with action open or holstered, except on the firing line. 4. Guns should always be pointed toward the target and away from people. 5. Guns should never be handled when people are downrange. All guns should be empty and holstered, racked or benched whenever there is anyone downrange.
The bolt-action .22 rifle has long been the favorite for beginners, with good reason. It is easy to use and, more important, easy to use safely.
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Anyone planning to hunt needs to know these Field Rules. 1. Always remember the Always Rules. 2. Keep the gun unloaded until you're on the ground and ready to hunt. Many accidents happen while transferring guns to and from a vehicle. 3. Clear the action any time you cross a fence or climb a tree. 4. Always know where everyone else in the field with you is at all times. 5. Be certain of your target and what is beyond it before firing.
Regardless of the specific rules or system you choose to teach, keep it simple and clear. Once your students understand the rules, give them an opportunity to get their hands familiar with what their heads have absorbed. Handling practice and drills (using dummy guns when working with more than one student at a time) help students begin to develop muscle memory and safely see how easily mistakes can be made.
Practicing what they will actually be doing on the firing line--loading, clearing, clearing jams and moving while holding the gun--reveals expectations and helps to relieve insecurities. Now is also the time to review practical matters such as sight picture and shooting stance rather than trying to introduce these matters in the midst of the pressure and excitement of using real guns and live ammo on the firing line.
Keep in mind that you don't want to instill bad habits such as flinching or jerking the trigger, so ease of handling and light recoil are distinct advantages for the true beginner. The lack of recoil and muzzle blast make a .22 a good choice for an introductory gun. And even when the end objective is to gain competency with a handgun (or shotgun), starting with a .22 rifle often makes sense. It is much easier to teach the fundamentals safely on a lightweight rifle. When you move your student up to more powerful guns, lighter target loads make better choices than full-house loads.
Another consideration is targets. Reactive targets at fairly close ranges give a new shooter instant feedback and gratification, plus they're a lot of fun. Clay pigeons mounted on a backboard are ideal. (Use a cut-away box as the back-board and the clay chips will stay in the box, making for easy clean-up and removal.)
Once you've introduced someone to the basics of firearms safety and gotten him hooked on the sheer fun of shooting, provide him with some resources to help him pursue the shooting sports on his own. The National Shooting Sports Foundation is particularly helpful (see accompanying sidebar).
There are thousands of people who would like to know more about firearms, firearms safety and shooting but don't know whom to ask. If you're willing to share your love of the shooting sports with others, you should find an endless supply of interested students. So stock up on ear plugs, get a couple of extra pairs of shooting glasses, and start shooting for the future.
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