Shotgun: Cheap Practice - BB - Gizmo - Glasses

Good Gosh Man - Wear Safety Glasses if you do this!
In my garage resides a box.  Today the box is fully in tact with a little, bitty, rubber gizmo I found in my tool box hanging in front of it.



The Box and Rubber Thingy await my arrival

The reason I have such a nice looking box is I just replaced it.  My last box looked like this.



No animals were harmed while practicing

 As you can tell, I actually practice.  Here's how it works:
1.  Stuff the box with a bunch of pieces of cardboard to stop BB's in the box.
2.  Take your handy red rider BB gun and grind the sights off.
3.  Place yourself 10-15 feet from box.
GOOD GOSH MAN PUT YOUR SAFETY GLASSES ON!!!!!!!!
4.  Shoot at your own selected little gizmo.
5.  Hit gizmo while only looking at the gizmo, don't aim.
6.  Since you can see the BB in flight and the impact point on the box, adjust hold as needed.
7.  Reflect on the days when you were a kid and thought sights were stupid.
8.  That's because sighting down the barrel of a shotgun is stupid.
9.  See, you brain cannot both look at the target and the sights at the same time.
10.  Make sure you have safety glasses, the gizmo will deflect BB's all over the place.
11.  Now you can practice your shotgun skills any time.
12.  It is particularly fun when you hit the little gizmo swinging. 
        TIP - when it is swinging, swing with it and follow through just like you're supposed to do in the field.



No Sights, "feel the shot grasshopper!"


I wish I was smart enough to have come up with this on my own.  However, this is a VERY compressed version of Leon Mesure's book Shoot Where You Look.  I'd suggest picking up a copy.  You follow the step by step instructions as offered up by Mr. Measures and you will hit a hand tossed BB with your BB gun.  I did it, you can too.

Nice thing, as Mr. Measures says, "if you can hit a BB with a BB you'll do okay with a 12 gauge."
Practice all the time so you will be ready when you get to go.

Youth Archery - Arrows - Simplicity - Pajamas

Super cool update - Traditional Bowhunter Magazine published one of my articles as a "Tip of the Week"
Here's the link: http://archive.aweber.com/tbmtotw/1Kx_I/h/TBM_Tip_Of_The_Week_Kids_.htm and, of course, you will want to subscribe.  TBM is the leading authority for the Traditional Archer.


Here's the article:

            So, back before I became all old, stodgy and set in my ways, I used to shoot any arrow that was close, any broad head, any time, any where.  I’d have spine differences of 20lb’s and five different broad heads in my quiver.  FOC be darned, I just wanted to shoot.  My longbow and I figured if it had a nock and a point we could shoot it.

            Interestingly, many critters succumbed to this strategy. 

            Then someone introduced me to real arrow tuning, matching points, arrow weight analysis to microns, and so forth.  It is really cool.  I can shoot a bare shaft as far as I want to.  Before I learned all these fancy tricks, I did the same thing.  The arrows went all sideways and such.

            Fast forward to stodgy and old about 7 years ago.  Two boys arrive under my roof by the standard means and they start shooting in diapers with the old plastic bow. (Why on Earth are most plastic bows yellow?)  Anyway, the plastic bows double as baseball bats and pry bars reducing their life expectancy.

            Being a bit psychotic I move up to light poundage bows built by Great Northern.  Immediate discussions ensue about pry bars and baseballs.  The boys love the bows and the bows love the boys.  It’s been 7 years and they haven’t died yet.  The abuse they have taken including rain and days left on the ground is amazing.

            Here’s the point of this scribble.  Let the young guys rip with whatever arrow you have.  Especially when they start out, just let them shoot.  Horrible arrow flight, you bet.  They don’t know it.  If they hit the target from 7 feet it might as well be 50 yards.  The day will come to match things up.  Or take this suggestion, piddle around with arrows, tuning over time.  They don’t need to know what you’re doing.

            Yet.

            There is plenty of time to get old, stodgy and set in your ways.  With kids, just Let ‘em Rip it.

Surf Fishing: Bite Guard - Berber - Portland - Shock Leader

Spring break 2011 in Port Aransas, Texas. The surf was it's typical spring teenager self.  Mindless swimming pool sized mats of sargassum misbehaving on the barrier island.

On the plus side, it was not Portland, Oregon.  Many spring breaks your "plan for tan" is altered.  Mist and 42 degree sand win that one. 
We who love surf fishing in Texas must wait.

The tip today is a bite guard.  It is not a shock leader as most people who never learned functional nomenclature, may refer.  You need an abrasion reducing tool to insure the lures come back after being eaten.  Seeing how the lures have hooks, we logically ascertain the fish come back on the hooks, on the lure, attached to said abrasion resisting bite guard.  Teeth and other stuff can be hard on said abrasion bite tool guard thingy.  This fancy gizmo can be wire, cable, or most commonly mono filament / fluorocarbon heavier than your running line.  It's still a bite guard.  But if you want to call it a shock leader, hell, go ahead.

So, later on - armed with a Shimano Curado 200 full of 12 pound line you roll up on food chain activity:

You add an arms length of 50 lb Trilene Big Game - please note in this photo the 50 lb is NOT arms length.  Your comments are not necessary to correct that.  It is called an example.

Throw into the birds you may catch  a bunch of big fish like this.  (I only took two quick photo's because the fish were biting......)

Back to reality, The surf is currently full of homeless grass, winds are predicted to be over 25 miles per hour for the next eternity, give or take an eon, and these pictures are from last October.  Sorry, I have a hard time standing on the beach, bite guards ready and useless.
Screw the surf, I am going Turkey hunting.  Seeing how I lack prejudice, if hogs come along, then it is a hog hunt with the intent to shoot a turkey. 

Youth Rifle 30.06 Ammo Test - Final Zero

Our final rifle test came with cool conditions and bright sunshine off the porch of the ranch house - "it doesn't get any better than this!"  Or so they say.  Starting off where we left off, (see report from March 10 for an explanation "why" this all began.) we had a quarter sized group at 50 yards.  Caleb shot that group and started the zero process, I figure he should finish it.  Boys gotta learn sometime.  First group - 100 yards away with the best ammo ever - MANAGED RECOIL! 

Not too bad for a 12 year old working zero.

Let's see how regular old 150 grain, off the shelf deer ammo matches up.  Just in case the day comes I run out of Managed Recoil.

The deal is sealed.



Looks like this old gun doesn't really care what you stuff down the pipe (please test drive yours to make sure results are the same but I bet they will be.) 

I ran the elevation down 3 clicks to center this group just above the bulls eye.  (I like my deer rifles sighted in 1" high at 100 - my grandfather taught me to do it that way........I do it that way.) 

Small boys, like me, think paper punching is boring.  So we pulled out some Tannerite to make sure she was on the button.  She was.

Final test, hog hunting.  Thomas and I took his 30.06 out in the field for two afternoon's but no hogs showed.   Caleb, our 30.06 final zero shooter, took the .223 to the front of the ranch and had the same results.  The hogs must have seen the groups he punched and got scared!

Maybe next time.

Youth Rifle - 30.06 Mods - 8 year old friendly

Your scribbler is the owner of two 30.06's and two boys.  Caleb, my older boy is shooting a 30.06 I modified using a mercury cylinder and Remington's FANTASTIC manged recoil ammunition.  He is very happy thank you.

My son Thomas killed his first deer at 5 1/2 with a .223 mentioned in earlier posts.  He now has three more deer and three big hogs to his credit...with the .223.  Like any boy, he wants to move up to "a gun like his brother has" and he knows I have a second 30.06......which creates a situation....so to speak.

Already knowing Managed Recoil is fantastic....see a theme?....and knowing Thomas is still pretty small, I decided to tame the beast by calling Hank Fleming, Gunsmith here in Austin for a muzzle brake.  That only took two weeks - the gun is in hand.





Yoga Mats are highly recommended for gun work

Well, the next thing - most 8 year olds lack adult length arms.  So, I took the old recoil pad off, pulled out the old craftsman saw and trimmed the stock one inch.  Yeah, In know, crazy.  But, hey, you can buy a stock later on.  I installed a standard issue Sims Recoil pad.  (Of note, if you cut off some of the stock, pre-drill the new screw holes, I cracked the toe of my "custom" stock...my high school wood shop teacher Mr. Burney would be yelling at me if he knew).

Handily, my older son Caleb was a bit ill for school earlier on this fine day.....it just happened to be a fine day to take this rifle to Best of the West Shooting Range just north of Austin.   When I mentioned "rifle range" he perked up and agreed to go through the hard work of sighting in his brothers gun. 

I took a couple shots to test the new rig's recoil.  It is at worst a soft .243.  No muzzle jump at all.  Just a smooth shove straight back.  NICE!

Caleb took over, we made a few adjustments at 50 yards.  Results were not bad!!!

This weekend, off to the ranch.  We'll button her up at 100 yards then a real life test on the local hog population.

Hang in for Updates! 

Youth Rifle - Recoil Issues Email to friend

I sent the following e-mail to a friend of mine.  From what I can tell, his son is having a few challenges with recoil.  Though he is only shooting a .243, he's a good old fashioned pre-teen kid - skin, bones, and energy playing sports all the time.  You may think he should be able to handle a .243  (scroll down for another view of this topic).  Let's smooth this a bit.  How about we let Mike Tyson blast you in the face about three times.  If you make it to the fourth punch - I bet $100 you flinch and I hope you actually try to get out of the way!!  Or, be introspective the next time your 12 gauge dry fires.......that isn't a flinch bud, it's a yank.  Somehow with rifles, taking a beating is something that is supposed to happen.....hmmmmmmm.
ANYWAY -
Kids are smart enough to duck the punch.  Recoil hurts and flinching is natural.  Put the two together and you will have poor field shooting.  I guarantee it!

I will never stop posting on this subject because it is the #1 problem with youth shooters and easily resolved.  Look for updates, I will post solutions.  One of my 30.06's just came out of the gunsmith with a new muzzle brake.  Ready to try it.

Pat,

Okay, well, there are alot of angles on the gun thing.

First, I dont' give a hoot in hell what any one says.  It is true.  If you hit them correctly they die.  Arrows have NO expansion nor ballistic shock and are lethal.  I have tested our .223 with 55 grain soft points, ball ammo, and ballistic tips on deer and hogs over the last 4 years, it has cleanly taken over 40 animals.  ( I prefer soft points )  Solid shoulder shots on deer, head shots on hogs get the same results, critters.  Your son's .243 is more than adequate for Texas deer hunting.

The problem, most often, is recoil.  The kids are flinching.  Add adrenaline and it's a crapshoot on bullet placement.  Personally, I went with a really heavy rifle and a .223 seeking 0 recoil because that is the only thing I can control.  The second most likely issue is looking up.  A person who wants to shoot well has to stay down on the gun.  If they (or any grown man) looks up - accuracy will suffer.  You have to spend time shooting to train it out. Now, recoil can cause both a flinch and looking up.   I had this problem for years due to the 30.30 I started with.  10 years old, steel butt plate, fire breathing Model '94 and scared to death of it.  My first four deer, basically wounded to death....shot in the spine under 50 yards.......this became a common fear or all "deer rifles" when I was younger.  I vowed my boys would not have the same experience. 

I also don't give a hoot in hell what anyone thinks about the type of gun.  Our little H@R Ultra Varmint Handi Rifle single shot is rock solid despite being inexpensive and not a fancy pants name brand.  It shoot's nice - almost 0 recoil and ammo is relatively cheap so we shoot it ALOT.  I can back this recipe up with multiple shooters on the same gun getting the same results.  Tom started hunting deer when he was 5 1/2, first doe, right in the heart. 



TIC TAC TOE



Finally, shot placement is always hard to kind of describe.  See attached Tic Tac Toe pics courtesy of Cross Trail Outfitters http://www.teamcto.org/.  Here's how it works.  Tell the kids to think about a line across the back, line along belly, two lines up each leg, when you got that - then shoot the middle box.  Trust me - you get results.  With your .243 and 100 grain soft points like Remington Core Lokt's it's perfect.  If I had to guess from what you tell me, the shooting issues your boys are having in the field.....the combination equals inexperience with the rifle and they don't like pain.  Which is totally understandable.  I HATE recoil.  Favoring a .410 these days on the skattergun side.  I have seen this at the ranch with multiple kids.  Their dad gave them a .270 when they were 10 and since kids are smarter than we are, they flinch like crazy bracing for impact.  Oh, yeah, don't tell anyone but most grown men when they inadvertantly dry fire, pinch paint off the stool they are on.  It's called pucker factor....but not flinching, men hate it when you say flinch......interestingly if you get on internet message boards - no one flinches.  Oh, yeah, and a .223 won't kill an ant either.   98% of them have never tried or tested 98% of the hot air opinions in the field. 

We can talk sometime soon.  Don't buy another gun until we do.  I've made all the mistakes, there are some modifications you can make on gun rests, bipods, recoil pads, lots of stuff to make them shoot better. I use these tricks as much as I can.

Troy