The Thing, Which Must Be Done, Has Been Done.

I have a new shooter report. After a rather lengthy absence from bringing new folks to the range, I have brought another new shooter into the fold. It happened completely out of the blue; I was contacted mere minutes before I was heading out to the range by this new shooter. He was interested in just what it was like going to the range, and asked if he could come along.

In case you hadn't guessed, I brought TheBoy shooting.

I had long planned his first trip to the range. I had the Ithaca M-49 all picked out for the first firearm he would shoot, a heavy single shot rifle that would allow him to get the basics down and demonstrate proper gun safety before moving on to anything else. Perhaps the bolt-action Remington 511 might come along as well; perhaps even the Colt Official Police .22LR trainer.

As they say, the best laid plans of mice and men...

I went to the range with my new Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 and the mystery T&E gun with the intention of running them through their initial paces. When TheBoy expressed interest in going, I saw it as a golden opportunity to get him acclimated to the shooting range - the flash of the muzzle, the roar of the gun firing, the smell of the cordite, etc. I tend to be pretty methodical when testing a new gun, and it can be pretty boring - fire a couple magazines, take notes, take pictures, then fire a couple more magazines, etc.

We were lucky when we got to my gun club - we were the only ones on the pistol range. This allowed me to take a little extra time setting up, getting some shots on the shooting line, etc. There wasn't anyone else there to ask to pause shooting while I took pictures downrange, etc. Well, TheBoy was good as gold. He kept a respectful and safe distance. He didn't interrupt me while I was shooting. He collected my brass for me. He behaved perfectly.

Towards the end, he asked if he could shoot one of the guns - now, there's no way on G-d's green Earth I was going to hand a pocket 380 to a 10 year old who has never shot a gun before; I'm not a complete farmer. I rummaged around in the range bag and managed to come up with my Sig P226 - which, fortunately, had the .22LR conversion kit still installed. I figured that was a pretty good first gun to try - yes, it's got a wide grip, but he's a pretty big kid.

I started him out with one shot only. He was a little nervous at first, not really knowing what to expect. I gave him a brief overview of sight picture, a few pointers on how to hold it, then cocked the hammer for him and let him take his first shot:

He's a natural!

Not too bad for his first time ever!

After that, we went to two rounds in the magazine, then three. Once TheBoy demonstrated that he could handle multiple shots (which he did perfectly, obeying all Four Rules to the letter), I loaded up a magazine and let him shoot it all. Once he finished the magazine, he was ready to call it a day, but before we left, I had to take one quick shot:

One Happy TheBoy

He's hooked.

Later that night, after BabyGirl G. had gone to bed I hauled out the box 'o' cleaning supplies and sat down to clean everything up. TheBoy came over and took a look, smiling at the Sig as it sat ready for a scrubbing. He inquired about the Colt New Frontier single action .22LR that was also being cleaned (from a previous outing) and asked if he could shoot that sometime, too. I told him that I could arrange that (understatement of the year right there).

I figure his next trip will involve a couple .22LR rifles - definitely the 10/22, and either the Marlin 39A lever action or the Remington 572 pump action - as well as the Sig with conversion kit and a .22LR revolver. I might even bring my steel spinner and let him take a try at making it spin around - nothing like the *ting* of a hit to really get him hooked on shooting. No matter what we bring, or what we shoot, I know he'll be safe and have fun.

And who knows? Maybe he'll be attending the Fourth Annual Northeast Bloggershoot...

That is all.