Did my part Sunday to help corrupt New York's liberal youth, and spark another young mind to think of firearms in safe and enjoyable terms. Yelled down to my fourteen year old son to get off his XBox, and that if he and any of his friends wanted to go shooting, that now was the time. He came up from the young-man-cave and said his friend Dave wanted to go, and that it was OK with his mom (Go mom!). So we loaded up and headed out.
Dave had never touched a real gun before, and I assured his mom that we were all about safety, me being an NRA Instructor and all. We headed out to the plinking range and set up some gallon plastic jugs and some cat litter boxes for targets, then uncased the first two rifles, a Browning "takedown" .22, and my old Winchester 290 Deluxe with the scope. We went through a full safety discussion and familiarized with the guns, their parts and how they work (all of which at this point, my son can just about recite without me...), then we loaded up and took aim.
Now as I said, Dave had never so much as touched a real gun before. Well, here's where the "Halo Effect" kicks in, and I've seen this with other friends as well. With all the video games, these kids are spectacular at lining up and aiming a shot. After a couple of shots when he realized that .22s don't kick, he just zeroed right in, even with just the irons on the Browning. After a couple of tube magazine's worth in the "traditional" guns, we broke out the GSG and my AR with the CZ .22 setup. These both have red dots, and the GSG is set up to co-witness. The kids are even more familiar with this sight picture, and between the two of them, my son and his friend tore those bottles and boxes to shreds.
Dave was a great "student", listening to everything I said. His muzzle control and trigger discipline were excellent for his first time out, and he picked up quickly on the controls and handling magazine changes, etc... We even had a few misfires, and he patiently waited for me to help him clear the chamber and get running again. We all had a great time, and Dave really appreciated the experience.
Add another player to our side...