Re: New Guys/ Tired Of Hearing This?
I learned to shoot with a single shot Winchester .22LR sporter that had been in the family for decades. I was a member of the PAL rifle program at the local Boys' Club. I joined the HS Rifle Team and shot Mossberg 44's in practice and in Intermural matches. I earned my letter and made Expert.
The next rifle I had to shoot was an M14 issued to me by The Corps. I shot OK it but not stellar, and then went about 25 years without firearms in any manner.
I joined the Marine Corps League in the early '90's and got involved with the pistol team, then took over as captain, helped establish the MCL shooting program on the (NJ) state level, and got involved in Highpower N/M shooting (at Cherry Ridge). Somewhere in the midst of all that, we inaugurated the Carlos matches.
So helping folks get into shooting and get competitive was something I learned the hard way.
Shooting skill is developed in stages, and the emphasis has to be on fun, or it all dies stillborn.
Learning basic firearm operation and safety does not require a match-capable rifle. Marksmanship is best learned in a context that has easy access and requires less expense and less in the way of vast facilities. .22's on a 50ft indoor range does just fine, and will do so for quite some time. It will take some time for the challenge of getting the. 22's full potential to pale and wane.
Only then will a centerfire rifle make best sense, and again, the match-capable rifle is an option that is probably best indulged only once the more basic, probably .223 and bolt action, firearm is mastered to its full potential. Iron sights before optical sights is probably the better educational order.
The match-capable rifle would be a good time to inaugurate handloading, that kind of rifle gives a better return for the handloading effort. I'd still stick with .223 at this stage.
Wring good performance from that combination, and then the rest of the rifle marksmanship spectrum becomes more practical.
The point here is that one starts simple, reaches potential and exceeds the challenge of that level of accomplishment before one justfies advancing to the next stage.
Jumping the gun between any of these waypoints simply complicates the process and sets the stage for confusion and frustration; neither of which is useful to the primary task.
Greg
