Getting Started

[newTexan]

Hi Guys!

Just moved to Texas and just started getting interested in shooting sports. I've taken some handgun classes, loved it, and sent off for my CHL. Now, that got me thinking about what to do while I'm waiting and I started thinking about long guns. I'd like to learn to shoot shotguns and rifles, but don't know where to start. There doesn't seem to be as many training opportunities for shotgun/rifle as for handgun, and I'm a bit leery about just buying something and heading to the range.

So, any advice on how to get started in long guns? Any recommended training places near Austin/Dallas? Should I just buy/rent something and go to a range? How should an adult new to the sports get started?

Thanks!

[Pinkycatcher]

Just go to a range, go up to the counter and tell him you've never shot a rifle before and would like to start out on something, try like a .22, that's good to learn basics with. Also take a hunter's education course, they cover general safety and everything.

[The Annoyed Man]

Where did you move from?

[newTexan]

Chicago, where only the criminals are allowed to have guns.

[seamusTX]

I'm a native of Chicago also, and I followed pretty much the same course as you 13 years ago.

Pinkycatcher's advice was good. I'd also mention that many CHL instructors are NRA certified instructors in handgun, rifle, and shotgun. You might ask the CHL instructor that you took your course from.

- Jim

[Pinkycatcher]

I'm a native of Chicago also, and I followed pretty much the same course as you 13 years ago.

Pinkycatcher's advice was good. I'd also mention that many CHL instructors are NRA certified instructors in handgun, rifle, and shotgun. You might ask the CHL instructor that you took your course from.

- Jim

Very true, I never even thought of that.

[newTexan]

I did check with the instructor, but they're a handgun-focused organization and only offer handgun training. The idea of just going to a gun range and asking isn't a bad one, but I guess I'd feel a little self-conscious. Does that happen very often? Should I call first?

[seamusTX]

Some range owners or workers are extremely helpful and informative. Some are jerks.

Phone calls give you the advantage of anonymity if they happen to be jerks.

I asked at the local range about shotgun instruction, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the results.

You can probably pick up a .22 rifle and do well with it if you follow the four rules. You can't learn shotgun without one-on-one instruction.

There are many members of this forum in Austin and Dallas. You should get some answers eventually. It seems like a slow day.

- Jim

[longhorn_92]

[quote="seamusTX"]Some range owners or workers are extremely helpful and informative. Some are jerks.

Phone calls give you the advantage of anonymity if they happen to be jerks.

I asked at the local range about shotgun instruction, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the results.

You can probably pick up a .22 rifle and do well with it if you follow the four rules. You can't learn shotgun without one-on-one instruction.

There are many members of this forum in Austin and Dallas. You should get some answers eventually. It seems like a slow day.

- Jim[/quote]


That is a good point....there are some that are very helpful and patient .....others.....well, they can be the complete opposite!

[stevie_d_64]

Chicago, where only the criminals are allowed to have guns.

Welcome to the promised land!!!

[Daltex1]

Welcome to Texas. You will love our gun laws.

[mr.72]

BTW, I kind of went through the same thing. I really dig shooting my dad's .22LR rifle, so much that I want one of my own. However, I didn't much like the kick of the .30-.30 nor the ammunition cost.

The thing I noticed shooting long guns vs. handguns for the newbie, is your idea of what's accurate changes. The way you shoot accurately is entirely different. If you shoot 3" groups at 7 yards with a defensive-caliber handgun, you will probably feel pretty good about it. But with many rifles it is entirely possible to shoot 1" groups at 50 or 100 yards or more. But actually doing it is a whole different matter.

FWIW I have been digging my air rifle shooting in the back yard. Check out my blog for the latest. I think .22LR is the entry point for long rifles, but if you want to practice a lot and you don't live out in the sticks with your own range, then an air rifle could really be an advantage. Just my $0.02.

[Mr.Scott]

OP, where are you located. If you want to get into this, it's best to have a friend. Unfortunately (and especially now) some dealers will say do anything for a quick buck. A lot of people here mention you should start with a .22lr rifle and that is a good idea. When you end up at a less than reputable dealer they're going to try and sell you a higher dollar .22 saying it's more accurate ect.
If you're in Dallas feel free to PM me and I can show you a few good shops and ranges.

[mr.72]

Well, for accurate guns ... as a newbie I can relate my recent experience with rifles.

One day my dad and I went out to sight in his rifles. One is a Marlin lever-action .30-.30 and the other is an old Winchester 190 .22LR. Both are carbine-length and had open sights.

At 25 yards we can both shoot them just fine but at 50 yards the targets gets mighty hard to see with open sights. Also the biggest impediment to shooting accurately with a rifle is how still you can hold the gun. This is followed by how still you can hold it while following through the trigger, watching the target the whole time. Then you begin to know whether the sights are on or not. At 100 yards, a 12" target looks like a speck. It is very hard to see and virtually impossible to hit with open sights, particularly off-hand.

Shooting from a bench rest, on the other hand, it is far easier to hit accurately at 100 yards. A scope is necessary at this distance just so you can see the target.

We went and sighted in another friend's rifles, and his .22 magnum Marlin rifle was very accurate and had a big scope. Shooting from a bench rest, it was easy to achieve 1" or less grouping with the scope. However, shooting off-hand the groups were more like 1 foot at that distance.

In my opinion, every rifle on the market from a Daisy Red Ryder on up is more accurate than a beginning rifle shooter. You have to develop some skills before you are going to even have any idea how accurate a rifle is. My .177 cal pellet rifle will easily shoot 1" groups from a bench rest or even when I am sitting and shooting with my left arm rested on my knee, but off-hand I have trouble with sub-4" groups. So I have a lot of work to do to get to where I can shoot well even with an air rifle. A .22LR rifle will give much more usable target range than my Crosman 1077 air rifle but ammo costs more and I cannot practice at home.

While a .22LR is probably the right start, and $200 will buy a fine .22LR rifle, IMHO you can do yourself just as much good if not more with an air rifle if you are inclined to shoot it more and get more practice. I promise the limitation on your accuracy is not going to be the gun at first. I have shot about 300 rounds or more through my air rifle and my accuracy is getting better but I'm still 4" groups or more at 15 yards, I hit soda cans regularly at 20 yards, and at 50 yards with a .22LR rifle (my dad's Winchester 190) nobody including me could regularly hit a 6" target when we shot it last weekend. I figure another 1000 rounds of practice with the air rifle and maybe I can consistently hit a 6" target at 50 yards with a .22.

[newTexan]

I took an introductory course over the weekend from a company in Austin (thanks to a recommendation I got on here) and had a blast. I shot 4 shotguns and 4 rifles, everything from a .22 to an AR-15 and AK-47. It was the most fun I've had on a Sunday afternoon in years.

It left me with some other rifle/shotgun related questions, but I'll ask those in a different thread since it's a different topic. Thanks again for all the good responses (both public and private).