Shooting Lessons?

K

Kris Schaumburg

Well-known member
How many of you have taken actual shooting lessons for shotgunning? My son is 12 now, and starting to wing shoot. I'm thinking it might be worth it to suck it up and drive 1.5 hours to the nearest club with a professional instructor. This might help him get off on the right foot.

If you have taken lessons, what did you think about the results

Thanks
 
I have never taken lessons. Never had a dad or anyone else mentor me. Truth be told, I'm most likely a typical average shooter. Not sure why I never have bothered to improve myself. That said, I think getting off on the right foot with some professional instruction is a great way to start.
As long as the person doing the instructing, and yourself, are both on the same page as to what is expected, then it should be a good experience for all involved. I'd suggest a phone call or two to discuss the process and the realistic expected results, before committing to a lesson schedule.
 
I will throw in my 2 bits on this. When I first started bird hunting I was a terrible shot. In college my girlfriend (now wife) and hunting partner went to the local skeet range. First round my girlfriend hit 2 and I hit 1. One of the local old guys must have took pity on me because he came over and asked if I wanted any advise. I took him up on the offer. We went through about 3 boxes with him critiquing and adjusting what I was doing and explaining the fundamentals. I did a round after we were done and hit 19. I have been a much better shot ever since. Of course I did not have old habits to break only habits to form at that point. I found out later that the old guy was an ex Olympic shooter. The only issue with that day is my wife still likes to claim she is a better shot than me even though she has not shot a shotgun since....
 
I just took my 11 year old this morning to the local club and shot a box of ammo. Typical bunch of older men giving her pointers. We stopped after a box as she's still small, but she wants to go back. She turns 12 in January and will be able to hunt ducks on her birthday, so she is taking more initiative than expected. I'd say the local gun club is cheaper, and for me, it's only 11 minutes away. Other than drive time and finances, I think it will really depend on the instructor. The guys at my club came out to the trap field and reset the machine to only throw straight, let her stand closer to the house, and were giving her pointers. Not every club has folks who are willing to put that much effort in
 
Never took a lesson and it took years and multiple shotguns before I before I became a good shot with a shotgun.
Rifle? No problem, shot competive .22 in college back in the late 80s, and shot expert every time with an M-16.
Shotgun? Didn't get consistent until I bought my Beretta 390 in 2003.
My son took Shotgun Merit badge class in Scouts, he came away a good shot, much better than I was at 17/18.
My advice: If you can afford it and its a reasonable drive, I'd do at least a few basic lessons.
 
You should try lessons. Do a father / son lessons, gives you a break and you can see what the instructor is trying to get foward. Having a friend teach may not be good unless they are really good. Also check out different instructors, I had four who were really good, learned deifferent things from each...
 
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