AmericanLongRifles Forums

General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Osprey on July 17, 2016, 04:02:31 PM

Title: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: Osprey on July 17, 2016, 04:02:31 PM
I had one of the best days shooting I've ever had last weekend and I didn't even fire a gun.  Took my 10 year old neice to her first ever muzzleloader shooting match  I've shot BB guns with her and once a .22, but she'd never fired a bigger gun before.  She was excited to go with Uncle Dave though, so I borrowed a pal's baby Beck rifle, a 2/3 scale .40 percussion Beck he built years ago for his son when he was young.  A LOT of kids in our club have gotten started with that rifle.

We had a X-sticks match for the day, but kids get to shoot off the bench so I got her set up, went over some basics and safety stuff, then started being loader/gun bearer for her.  I wish I had those young eyes, cause she's a crackerjack with a gun!  This tiny little girl who spends most of her time in dance and ballet class was ripping X's and animal targets like a pro.  She got 7th place out of 11 shooters, humbling some of the experienced older guys, had fun and wants to go again!

And of course she wants me to make her a gun of her own, so guess who just jumped to the front of my winter build list??  :D
Title: Re: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: wattlebuster on July 17, 2016, 04:05:36 PM
Good on you. I love to see kids getting involved in what anymore seems to be our old man sport
Title: Re: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: nosrettap1958 on July 17, 2016, 04:37:53 PM
"But Dave I need that rifle for my once in a lifetime hunt in Alaska!!"

"Sorry pal you've just have to wait!!!" "A very important customer just showed up."


Good one Osprey great story!!!
Title: Re: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: hanshi on July 18, 2016, 01:14:39 AM
That's the way to fill up our ranks.
Title: Re: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: Candle Snuffer on July 18, 2016, 02:15:10 AM
That's fantastic! Good on both of you!
Title: Re: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: Don Adams on July 18, 2016, 03:50:17 AM
Awesome!
Title: Re: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: The Baron on July 18, 2016, 03:07:57 PM
That is great!  It would be cool to take a nice photo of each youngster who got their start in BP posing with a smile and that gun, and do them all up in a little leather bound album to go with the gun.  A great story will grow behind that little rifle. 8)
Title: Re: High hopes and Awesome Day
Post by: bones92 on July 18, 2016, 05:59:39 PM
Good on ya!  Now see if she can tell her friends about it, and then offer to bring them all out to shoot, and of course, invite the parents to come along.  Never know... might be more muzzleloaders waiting in the woodwork...

I've introduced a number of youngsters to muzzleloaders.  I find that kids instinctively like it because they understand how it works (with just a couple minutes of explanation).