Daughter has really taken to shotgun sports!!!!!

[BK7saum]

My 13yo daughter has really taken to shotgun sports. She has duck and dove hunted with me for a couple of years. This school year, the FFA put together a shooting team. She went as a Jr. competitor on the senior team for sporting clays and trap. We got her a new O/U shotgun, 12 ga., and she practiced maybe a flat of shells before going. She was high scorer on the sporting clays with 38/50, but low scorer on trap with a 14/25 and 19/25. She scored 6th place in her age group out of I think 59 competitors.

Makes sense though because we practiced the skeet positions at home with a single thrower, but never worked on the trap presentations.

Anyway, she is costing me a fortune in shells amd reloading components. lol.

We worked on trap on the home range since then. In the last 3 weeks she has shot a 19, 21, 21, and 23 in that order. We usually warm up on the straightaways and light angles. She seems to never miss the hard angles. Sometimes we just shoot for fun for 1/2 a box or so, no keeping up with score. Other times I let her warm up 10-15 shells, then shoot for score.

Super proud of her. I spent more on the shotgun than I wanted, but it is one she can use forever. It is the Beretta Vittoria (ergonomics for the women shooters) and seems to fit her pretty well. Her form is a little off, She has had a bruised cheek from time to time. I think we have that fixes now.

Just wanted to share. Proud dad and all.
Thanks for letting me share.

[xs11jack]

First let me congratulate the both of you!! you have done such a great job by bring her up the way a child in the way she should go. And to her for being the patient one to work hard to become what she has. Now adays kids have no time for anything but the internet and what a shame that is. God's blessing on the both of you.
Ole Jack

[dale2242]

My granddaughter just signed our 16-year-old great granddaughter up for young guns.
Young Guns is a shotgun shooting club.
She is one of the few girls shooting.
The boys are all shooting semi-autos while Kylis is shooting a 870 Wing Master.
They were being macho young men and laughing about her shooting a pump gun.
That all stopped when she soundly out shot them at trap.
They let her borrow a semi-auto to shot skeet.
She didn`t do so well at skeet.
I taught her to shoot trap with my Trius trap thrower.
We will have to work on more cross shots.

[pworley1]

Congratulations to both of you.

[GhostHawk]

Good on you!

If we don't bring the next generation into our shooting sports we will see them disappear shortly.

[Wag]

You deserve a congrats! Whatever it costs pay it with a smile on your face!

When a girl gets an interest like this, boys kind of recede into the background for a very long time. That alone is worth the cost. Not to mention, boys won't mess with a girl who has a gun and can hit her targets! :-)

--Wag--

[GregLaROCHE]

It’s great when young people get involved in shooting sports, boys or girls. My hat is off to you for helping her on her way. Are you reloading those hulls? If not, maybe it’s time to think about it and teach her too.

[dverna]

I will be the voice of reality.

Stay away from competitive shotgun shooting unless you have a ton of money. Shoot for fun and keep it fun if you can.

You may need a "come to Jesus meeting". Lay out the costs for a year of shooting. Does your wife go along with it? How about siblings if she has any? I have seen the consequences of families supporting one child's shooting and their siblings getting the "short end of the stick".

I shot ATA trap for many years. Saw scores of young shooters come and go. Can count on one hand the number of kids who stayed in the sport once mommy and daddy stopped paying the bills.

Shotgunnng is the most expensive venue of all shooting sports. There is no "cheap" way to practice.

Good luck.

[Texas by God]

Well done, Dad.


Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[MrWolf]

Congrats! Love hearing when youngsters, especially girls take to a shooting sport. For fun, my son and I would try and hit the bird as close to the ground as possible. Sounds like nothing more than fun, but it does help when you loose a bird in the sun and pick it up late. Good luck.
Ron

[akajun]

For a break on the cost of shells
Atk/ federal does a sale once a year for youth shooting sports
Flats of shotgun shells and 22 rounds at a good discount. Ours is through 4h but ask around and get on the program , it’s worth it.

[Calamity Jake]

My 13yo daughter has really taken to shotgun sports. She has duck and dove hunted with me for a couple of years. This school year, the FFA put together a shooting team. She went as a Jr. competitor on the senior team for sporting clays and trap. We got her a new O/U shotgun, 12 ga., and she practiced maybe a flat of shells before going. She was high scorer on the sporting clays with 38/50, but low scorer on trap with a 14/25 and 19/25. She scored 6th place in her age group out of I think 59 competitors.

Makes sense though because we practiced the skeet positions at home with a single thrower, but never worked on the trap presentations.

Anyway, she is costing me a fortune in shells amd reloading components. lol.

We worked on trap on the home range since then. In the last 3 weeks she has shot a 19, 21, 21, and 23 in that order. We usually warm up on the straightaways and light angles. She seems to never miss the hard angles. Sometimes we just shoot for fun for 1/2 a box or so, no keeping up with score. Other times I let her warm up 10-15 shells, then shoot for score.

Super proud of her. I spent more on the shotgun than I wanted, but it is one she can use forever. It is the Beretta Vittoria (ergonomics for the women shooters) and seems to fit her pretty well. Her form is a little off, She has had a bruised cheek from time to time. I think we have that fixes now.

Just wanted to share. Proud dad and all.
Thanks for letting me share.

Don't know where your located in OK. but if you can make a trip to the OKC gunclub located 3 miles north of Arcada Ok we have and excellent
trap/skeet range with very good instructors.
SG range is most always open, even week days

[Half Dog]

If you ever get to the Dallas area look me up. We can make many shells.

[lightman]

You have good reason to be proud of Her! Tell her, Go Girl!

[Duckiller]

Get the girl a shooting vest with a PAST pad installed. If you can't find one look for just a Past pad. You/she are shooting light loads but eventually they will get to you/her shoulder and nerves. She doesn't need a beat up shoulder or a FLINCH. With protection and no flinch she wiil always have good memories. Good luck to you and her.

[BLAHUT]

Great JOB dad. Feed the addiction. Suck it up and smile. The cost will give you must pleasure in spending time with her. You may only have 10 more years with her before she grows up and starts a life of her own, So smile and enjoy your time with her. If she should get real good, a collage sclorship is possible.
I trained my sons to shoot. Every other day of the week, a different venue. 3 of my boys lost interest. One holds 8 national Reckords. Your smiles will repay you for the rest of your life. Again, GOOD JOB. I have trained many junior shooters over the years, they have set many national Reckord's. ( I lost count at 43 national Reckords ). Now, I will be starting with grandsons, soon. Look into Federals ammo for junior shooters. Check with all the other ammo makers. Watch how you source your support for her, if you think there might be an Olympic possibility? Get a copy of their rule book, and understand it.

[BK7saum]

Thank everyone fir the encouragement and input. She has been shooting with a Past pad. Aside from poor form on placement of rhe buttstock, I think that the Past recoul pad exacerbated the issue of the cheek slap. Buttstock too high pushed the comb up under recoil. With the extra 1/2 of pad, there was not any firm contact on the butt to stay in the pocket. No big deal. we are keeping the past pad for extended sessions, and the corrected form stopped the bruised cheek.

[MarkP]

Great Job! 38/50 is a great score in SC for a newer shooter. If you load shot shells try some lighter payload 12 ga loads with smaller shot. (3/4 oz - 7/8 oz - #8.5's @1,300 ish)

[BK7saum]

I have loaded some 7/8 oz 7½s and 3/4 oz 9s for closer range skeet and 16 yd trap loads.

I had about 175lbs of shot anout 2 months ago. Not nearly that much now. Going to build a shot dripper just to see if I can. Always on the lookout for shot, but not much in stock and prices are high

[35isit]

Cheek slap is from a poorly fitted gun. Find a good gun fitter in your area and let them help you. I have a $800.00 gun with a $500.00 release trigger and a $1500.00 stock. But I got a very experienced shooter to help me set up my stock. With ounce and a quarter shell I have very little recoil. Recoil reduction and the way it is managed is the key to good scores.

[BK7saum]

Cheek slap is from a poorly fitted gun. Find a good gun fitter in your area and let them help you. I have a $800.00 gun with a $500.00 release trigger and a $1500.00 stock. But I got a very experienced shooter to help me set up my stock. With ounce and a quarter shell I have very little recoil. Recoil reduction and the way it is managed is the key to good scores.

We have corrected the cheek slap issue by correcting her form. I am sure that there are minor adjustments to the stock that couod be made, but she has had no issue with cheek slap for the last 4 or 5 shooting sessions since we addressed the butt stock location in the shoulder pocket and cheek location on the comb

[frkelly74]

We did violin lessons for many years. Kids are a good investment usually. Don't sweat the cost too much.