I got to spend the day doing a wonderful thing — introducing a young man to the world of firearms.

Background

Back when I studied Kuk Sool, Dusty did as well (he outranks me, been studying far longer than I). He taught me, we trained together. He’s a good man. One of his sons, Collin, just celebrated his 14th birthday. Some months ago Dusty contacted me because he knew I was an NRA Certified Instructor. As a surprise for Collin’s 14th birthday Dusty wanted to introduce his son to firearms. Why? Dusty is not against firearms; spent some time with them as a kid, but nothing serious. Dusty’s wife (Collin’s mother) is no-guns. However, she understands that guns are a reality of life. They know their son is growing older, that he’ll be exposed to more things, he’ll need more ability to make his own decisions in life. Dusty’s goal was to provide his son with some basic information about firearms, how they operate, how they function, and most of all, how to be safe with them. So I constructed a day-long course just for Collin.

The Morning

We started at my house and spent a couple hours going over the basics. I took the basic shape of the course from the NRA Basic Pistol course. Talked about safety, not just “the rules” but also things like health safety (eye and ear protection, lead exposure, etc.). Gave a basic overview of firearms and how they work using pistols but also demonstrated how different firearms worked: bolt action rifles, semi-auto rifles, pump shotgun, revolver, and so on. I wanted him to get a broad exposure today, nothing too deep other than the safety aspect.

Then we worked on basic skills such as trigger control and sight alignment/picture. Stance, grip, breathing were also discussed. We worked through dry fire of the firearms using dummy ammo so both Collin and Dusty could get a feel for how each firearm worked.

It was a lot of information crammed into a couple hours, but I did sent Collin home with some NRA student booklets to help him remember and reinforce what was learned today.

The Afternoon

We loaded up the car and had lunch at Patsy’s Cowgirl Cafe. Driven by there many times but never ate there until today. Dusty bought lunch (that’s all I asked for in return). Then it was off to the Austin Rifle Club.

I’m happy for how the new action bays are assigned for us to use for I was able to do all of our shooting at 2 bays (one for pistols, one for rifle and shotgun) and very close to each other. If not for the way the actions bays are set up, today would have been far more cumbersome.

We started shooting pistols. It’s always wise to start small, light, and close. So we set up paper targets at about 7 yards. We started with a Browning Buck Mark .22 LR pistol. Every time we started a new firearm we’d ensure familiarity with the firearm itself, then load and go. Focusing on fundamentals and focusing on being safe. After the Buck Mark we went to a Springfield XD-9 Tactical (5″ barrel). This of course was a step up in recoil and noise, but certainly manageable. I also let them shoot a few out of my customized XD-9 to feel the difference. One thing they may not have consciously noticed but certainly did feel were the vast array of triggers; it’s something that will make more sense to them later on. Then we finished out the handgun shooting by shooting the Smith & Wesson 442 snub nose revolver.

After the handguns we moved to another bay and shot long guns. Note in the pictures that they’re doing a quasi-benchrest. It’s somewhat limitations of the bay rules as well as trying to take some of the complexity out of the equation for the new shooter… go with me here. We set the targets at 25 yards. Started with a Bushmaster AR-15. More recoil, but not as much as was expected. We then moved to the Savage 11 bolt-action rifle. That had the most recoil of all so far, but it wasn’t too bad due to the excellent recoil pad. Unfortunately we didn’t get to shoot the .308 as much as we wanted because time was running tight. So we moved on to the Mossberg 500 12 gauge shotgun. Let them shoot some birdshot, then some buckshot, then some slugs. Yes, shoulders were sore and it didn’t take a whole lot. While they may have felt a lot of kick and may have a sore shoulder in the morning, the smiles on their faces were just priceless to me. Nothing like a little recoil… it’s good for you. 🙂

I asked what they liked. Seems the AR and the Buck Mark were the big winners. I can’t say I blame them, especially with the Buck Mark. That’s just way too much fun for 1 gun.

The Aftermath

All in all, a good day. A lot was presented and a lot was done. Again, the goal was to provide a broad introduction to firearms, with an emphasis on safety with a side of fun. I know at times I rambled on and went on about things, but I love what I do and so sometimes I can go on a bit. I also know that I missed a few things… probably were some things I wanted to talk about but didn’t, I know there were some pictures I wanted to take but forgot to. If Dusty sends me some pictures, I’ll post them here.

It seems that a good day was had, and an enjoyable birthday present was given. Collin, you handled yourself quite well. For a first time shooter, you shot well. You understand the rules, now you just have to put them into practice. I can tell from the day we spent together that you’re a fine young man and have the family and foundation necessary to grow into a strong, responsible man. If I can be of help in the future, never hesitate to drop me a line.