I'm off work today, and I intended to spend a sweet hour or two at the local air rifle range.
In honesty, my heart (but not my head) was set upon an additional gun to my collection: a pre charged pneumatic I'd seen and shot last week, but that's an aside and by luck it had sold already, leaving me time to concentrate on my shooting with my spring air rifle.
It's a good range. It's friendly and the first half is indoors, and the rest .. today... in pouring rain.
When I arrived a family of father and sons, estimate age from 19 to 13 I'd guess. They were chatting in the gun shop and out they went to the range across the way. I sat with the gun shop owner, a hot tea in my hand and we chatted about shooting in general. Good times. The family had come on the suggestion of their friend who is a local gun rep, supplying air rifles and clothing to gun shops, and they had struggled to find somewhere friendly and helpful, without intense scrutiny on their motives for membership, nor pressure to buy a gun or three.
This did put some sorrow in my heart tbh. How will entire families join in with a new sport if it's so hard to just try it? I know it's a daunting thing to go and take your whole family to a new sport. Either way, they chose well.
I unloaded my HW80 and some paper targets and waited until they'd all expended their 10 shot magazines and listened to really friendly family banter. Then it occured to me that the three sons were all shooting PCP's (charged with compressed air... no recoil) and dad was shooting a faily low grade springer (old style, cocked y pulling the barrel down to compress the spring.. lots of recoil. Not painful.. just wobbly for accuracy)
frankly they were handing him his arse on a plate. Not surprising... their borrowed guns were £400 + each, .... Dad's was £95
I was sat next to junior and his shooting stance on the table rest was bad. I asked if he'd like help? He did.. yes please. 10 minutes later.. good student to be honest.
We all finished our targets, made the range safe and swapped paper targets again. Excellent banter and very safe. I taught the father to break the barrel of his gun a little to show it was safe.
I wandered among them a little and realised just how MUCH I wanted to teach them all !! Quite a shock to me, my desire to help them all. Many of you know I don't struggle to stick my oar in.. so I asked if they'd LIKE more of my help? Pretty clear "yes please" :-)
Firstly I suggested changing to some of my other pellets for the father. His .22 choice (made by his sons, with all innocence) were SMK Spitfire pointed pellets. Without being too subtle, I showed them how badly malformed many of them were. Pointed pellets deform easily. Ones with twin skirt rings more so. Combine that and you've got a disaster. I stuck 10 H&N diablo (from the middle son's borrowed PCP) in front of Dad and groups tightened.
Next.. stance. Much is online about artillery hold.. I'll let you research it, but suffice to say, if a gun wants to recoil you have to let it. SO long as you let it recoil the SAME WAY every time, then you will hit a lot more.
Mammoth improvement. Then I swapped him to flat headed wad cutter's. Useless at long range for hunting, but up close on paper targets... many air rifles prefer them. Crosman were good but RWS Hobby were perfect. Group's tightened.
And this father got quite proud.
Around him his sons were improving, with and without my help.
I suggested the two "girls with compressed air cheating guns" stand up and stop leaning on the kitchen table joke was taken very well and they tried. Was funny watching them try to hit anything at all A standing shot is HARD on a small paper target.
Then I suggested the two older sons try the gun Dad's using. NO WORRIES... in they jump. Utter failure.
Dad shoots the PCP.. and does exactly what I knew he'd do... hits the target first time, shakes his head and says "it's not so much fun... it's too easy"
3 hours later.. and I've perhaps shot only 20 myself... and they've recharged over and over and emptied tins. But oh the smiles
Met back in the shop, much smiling and thanking, and off they went happy as a family can be. Shop owner suitable pleased and grateful, and Zak wanders home swelling with the inner pride of a job well done, voluntarily and sufficiently I hope to bring a family into shooting.
A lovely afternoon