Shotgun Shooting Advice for Kids?

[lnester]

My 13 year old girl just got a new 20 gauge semi auto, and will be shooting it for the first time next weekend. Any tips or advice for her?

Was going to start with clays that are still. Then move on to moving clays going away, then start clays side to side.

[cva34]

Get lighter loads...wear hear protection /glasses...Pop can with clay on top//clean up mess..Maybe shoot a Poster board at 20y or so she can see the pattern the BBs make

[Walker]

Going away clays are harder to hit than passing clays unless you have a "trap" gun. The bird has to got out of sight in the barrel or she will shoot under. To be honest. I don't remember how I started my kids. I think we jumped strait into the fire at the skeet range. I'm also not a fan of shooting stationary clays. Much more felt recoil doing that.

[Rubi513]

Both eyes open. Focus on the bird not the bead at the end of the barrel. Keep swinging.

[1longshot]

Keep a good cheek weld to the stock, a sore cheek is worse than a sore shoulder sometimes. Might even look into a gel pad for her cheek weld, could help to better fit the gun to her also.

[RS3]

Hire a coach.

[SmTx]

Point, don't aim.
Swing through
New shooters will most likely always be behind the target. When you think it's enough lead, lead some more.

[Drycreek3189]

Hire a coach.

This is a good idea. When I first started shooting sporting clays I had been shooting a shotgun for close to forty years if not more. I considered myself a pretty good shot. My first round was a miserable 66 birds broken. Ugh ! I gradually got better but the real breakthrough came when the guy who owned the course gave me just a couple of little hints as to what I was doing wrong. I immediately went from a high 70s shooter to a high 80s shooter. Someone who is not behind the gun and knows what he’s doing can be a great help. Good luck !

I might add that when I got to be a low to middle 90s shooter dove hunting wasn’t as much fun. I was through shooting too quickly !

[mkk]

X2 on an instructor, they will make sure the gun fits and she gets started right.

Gun fit should be high on the list so the gun shoots where she’s looking and a gun that is fit properly won’t punish her

.........did I mention gun fit?

Good luck and get your checkbook ready!


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[3ChordTruth]

X2 on an instructor, they will make sure the gun fits and she gets started right.

Gun fit should be high on the list so the gun shoots where she’s looking and a gun that is fit properly won’t punish her

.........did I mention gun fit?

Good luck and get your checkbook ready!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

X3 on first the shooting coach. Holding the gun properly, stance, sight picture, head position, follow through, etc. etc., a coach will go over all this. Then start with some light loads, these still kick and go boom. Then follow some of the other good suggestions on this thread. Hope you have many years of shotgun shooting fun with your daughter.

[S-3 Ranch]

Hire a coach.

My dad did the sink or swim method, handed me a new 20ga and a bunch of shells, I think I shot 1 bird pure box , really didn’t get the hang till I did a skeet lesson @ bandera gun club

[jerp]

I was at a shotgun shooting clinic and watched an instructor teaching some youngsters about lead. Each kid took turns holding garden hose with a spray nozzle. He would throw a volley ball like a crossing shot and the kid was supposed to hit it with blast from the hose. They figured out quickly that you had to spray where the ball was going to be, not directly at it. He compared the spray of water to the shot string from a shotgun.

[docmay]

Go to a gun club or skeet range abd have someone help with proper mounting of the gun, swing and lead. You can always start the basics at home. When I was a kid I was horrible with a shotgun. One day I was at a skeet range and one of the employees came out and helped me. He told me how far to lead each target and how to keep the barrel moving. I can now hold my own when shooting birds or clays.

[nativeaustin]

only 1 shell in the gun at a time.

[Tbuck1]

Practice and vexing coachable are always good


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