Sniper Kitty Beats Boyfriend at Rifle Shooting

[Moonbear]

I got to shoot a rifle for the first time ever last week. A .22 with no kick...nice and easy for a beginner. So easy, I beat my boyfriend. I was going to take more than one turn with the rifle, but after I beat him the first time, I decided to claim my bragging rights and spend at least a month rubbing it in before I try again and give him a chance to beat me. :tongue: I'll have to ask him what the distance was though, because I can't remember...I was too busy jumping up and down gloating when I saw his target to remember things like distance. It was half the length of the range we were on since I was just learning...next time we'll go the full distance.

Here's my evidence:

The other people who were watching me seemed very impressed by that really big hole around 11:00 which is where two bullets hit nearly the same spot. I don't know if they were just humoring me or if that really is a good shot. I only cared that I beat my boyfriend (fortunately, he's a really good sport, so will put up with me reminding him about this until we can go back and try again), so didn't really care if the other guys were just being nice.

 

[Char. Limit]

Congratulations!

I don't know a thing about guns myself, but two bullets in nearly the same spot seems pretty impressive to me.

 

[drankin]

Women are typically better shots than man with both pistols and rifles. At least when they are competing with each other! It's all about how you pull the trigger. Some guys are lil too quick :)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I got to shoot a rifle for the first time ever last week. A .22 with no kick...nice and easy for a beginner. So easy, I beat my boyfriend. I was going to take more than one turn with the rifle, but after I beat him the first time, I decided to claim my bragging rights and spend at least a month rubbing it in before I try again and give him a chance to beat me. :tongue: I'll have to ask him what the distance was though, because I can't remember...I was too busy jumping up and down gloating when I saw his target to remember things like distance. It was half the length of the range we were on since I was just learning...next time we'll go the full distance.

Here's my evidence:

The other people who were watching me seemed very impressed by that really big hole around 11:00 which is where two bullets hit nearly the same spot. I don't know if they were just humoring me or if that really is a good shot. I only cared that I beat my boyfriend (fortunately, he's a really good sport, so will put up with me reminding him about this until we can go back and try again), so didn't really care if the other guys were just being nice.

Hey MB, that looks pretty good! However, the holes look suspiciously similar to ones made by a pencil. I would guess that you were using 50 yard targets.

You should try trap and skeet as well. That is great fun!

 

[hypatia]

Bravo! Shooting is fun, you did very well for a first time.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Bravo Moonie. I have never used a gun before but I would say that looks pretty good too. I am assuming that getting as close to the bullseye as possible is supposed to be good. ;-)

 

[Borek]

It is not only getting close to the bullseye, but getting small spread (or whatever it is called in English). Note that the same pattern of hits moved a little bit to the left will give a better score. Taking correction and aiming at different point is much easier than keeping the spread small.

 

[Pengwuino]

I was too busy jumping up and down gloating when I saw his target to remember things like distance.

Excellent firearm handling etiquette

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

It is not only getting close to the bullseye, but getting small spread (or whatever it is called in English). Note that the same pattern of hits moved a little bit to the left will give a better score. Aiming at different point is much easier than keeping the spread small.

I believe they call that (in english) "grouping", when you have multiple shots in close proximity to one another. At least that is the word I have heard used in movies and such. :-)

Moonie's shots definitely look pretty tight on that bullseye. Even that one stray is not very far off. I would definitely like to have Moonie in my bunker when the zombie apocalypse comes. She could even help study the zombies and find their weaknesses.

 

[Born2bwire]

If you want to get an even better ego boost, have your boyfriend shoot an international target and you stick with the NRA targets. Instantly get a much higher score.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Well done...and yes, the word you are looking for is "grouping".

You have explained to the BF that if he ever treats you badly, just remember that you are a better shot, I hope!

 

[turbo]

Very nice! One 8 and the rest 9-10. Now you have to alternate your .22 shooting with cross-country skiing and join the biathalon team!

 

[Moonbear]

Very nice! One 8 and the rest 9-10. Now you have to alternate your .22 shooting with cross-country skiing and join the biathalon team!

Actually, on that target, it was one 9 and the rest 10s. I did pick the biggest, easiest looking target, because I didn't expect to do so well my first try and wanted to at least hit the target. :rofl: The one that was in the 9 circle was my second shot out of 5. But you're never going to get me to start cross-country skiing. I don't do outdoor winter sports. Brrrrrrr! I told him that I wasn't allowed to keep living in WV if I had never fired a gun.

Yes, Vanadium, I have reminded him that I'm a better shot. Repeatedly. :rofl: I told him I'm not going to stop gloating for at least a month. He used to just be worried about my knife-handling skills and sound knowledge of anatomy (when we first met, within an hour or so of meeting, I had a steak knife aimed at his heart...there's a story to go with it and it was all in fun, but it's actually the thing that got his attention and really impressed him enough to ask me out after).

And, as for Pengwuino, I was not holding the rifle while jumping up and down. I think the range master would have had fits if I had! My boyfriend went second, so he had the rifle in hand when I was jumping up and down.

Oh, and this was after I had both a capuccino AND an espresso after dinner (the range is in the basement of the club where we had dinner, which is why they only have .22s there). There were other women shooting too, and I beat them as well. One of them needed an eyepatch because she couldn't manage to close the eye she needed to close to shoot, so her date (don't know if he was a boyfriend or husband) took a picture of her wearing an eyepatch and holding a rifle...looked like a pirate. I guess she's likely right handed but left eye dominant. Both of them drifted way to the right. They were also using a different rifle, so it's possible it wasn't sighted accurately. My boyfriend made sure everything was fair...same rifle, same target, same distance. I don't think he expected that I would be able to beat him, though he knew the pressure was on when he saw my results. Everyone was asking if it was really my first time shooting. Though, the woman doing coat checks also said that the women always do better than the men, because they listen to instructions better. Though, my boyfriend was NOT trying to shoot too quickly (because he really was trying to get a perfect score to beat me...ha ha). He was very slow and methodical. The other men shooting at the range were definitely just shooting too fast and not taking time to really line up the target. Maybe next time I'll let my boyfriend go first to take some of the pressure off.

 

[Integral]

I am assuming you shot a rifle, were you free standing or shooting from a bench?

Good shooting either way, but great shooing if you were standing.

 

[Moonbear]

I am assuming you shot a rifle, were you free standing or shooting from a bench?

Good shooting either way, but great shooing if you were standing.

If by bench, you mean that they had a ledge to lean your elbows on, then yes, from a bench. The range master didn't give me a choice about that. Maybe part of their liability rules or something, or maybe just because it was my first time shooting and he wanted to make sure I was as careful as I could be.

 

[Cyrus]

Nice job! (Now let's go off and buy some guns! )

 

[drizzle]

Impressive moonbear! I think Sniper kitten going to be a bit afraid of being fired!

 

[turbo]

Consistency is key in target shooting, and especially so in hunting. Consistency in stance, breath control, hold, and trigger release. Years back, I had bought myself a nice single-shot rifle in .45-70 caliber (trust me, Moonie, you would NOT want to shoot that!) and dragged my father out to the range to check the accuracy of the sights. I shot from a bench, hand-holding the rifle, but bracing my elbows on the bench. I shot from 75 yards distance, and after my first shot, my father (with my spotting scope) said about 1/2" high and 1/2" to the right. After my second shot, he said "you missed the entire target". I knew that wasn't true so we walked up to the target to find the fattest, shortest "snowman" hole you could imagine, perfect in horizontal alignment. Good enough. I have often thought of getting another Ruger Model One, but in a smaller caliber to avoid the "tenderized" shoulder that you'd end up with after competing with the heavy loads.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/ruger_number_1.htm

 

[rewebster]

nice shooting MB...


(a '10' is anything completely inside the inner most circle and not breaking across, into or touching the white circle border surrounding it----others say, if its over 50% inside the white ring border, its a 10)

--that's how I was taught anyway

 

[Ivan Seeking]

MB, I assume that you and your boyfriend are getting pretty serious. It takes a lot of trust for a guy to let a woman hold his gun.

 

[hypatia]

Oh Ivan, that's so not true. I've had men beg me to hold their gun.

 

[Borek]

Oh Ivan, that's so not true. I've had men beg me to hold their gun.

Obviously they trusted you.

 

[rewebster]

"This is my rifle, this is my gun. This is my rifle, this is my gun. This for fighting , this is for fun ...

 

[Moonbear]

MB, I assume that you and your boyfriend are getting pretty serious. It takes a lot of trust for a guy to let a woman hold his gun.

Oh Ivan, that's so not true. I've had men beg me to hold their gun.

:rofl: I think he's been asking for that since our very first date.

 

[Dr Transport]

Not a bad shot. Now having been a drill instructor in the service, I can tell you a couple of things about your shots.

When shooting, any variation in a vertical direction is indicative of breath control. Variation horizontally is indicative of trigger squeeze or lack of squeeze, i.e., jerk.

Now, given you grouping, I'd say you have the basics down and you need to work on both just a little.

When I taught marksmanship years ago, we taught the fundamentals and shot grouping before we taught getting all the shots in the center of the target.

 

[Moonbear]

Not a bad shot. Now having been a drill instructor in the service, I can tell you a couple of things about your shots.

When shooting, any variation in a vertical direction is indicative of breath control. Variation horizontally is indicative of trigger squeeze or lack of squeeze, i.e., jerk.

Now, given you grouping, I'd say you have the basics down and you need to work on both just a little.

When I taught marksmanship years ago, we taught the fundamentals and shot grouping before we taught getting all the shots in the center of the target.

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Anything that might help ensure I keep getting better to keep beating the boyfriend is advice well taken.

 

[Senjai]

It is not only getting close to the bullseye, but getting small spread (or whatever it is called in English). Note that the same pattern of hits moved a little bit to the left will give a better score. Taking correction and aiming at different point is much easier than keeping the spread small.

Correct, that is very well done moon, the aim of the game is to keep your shots close to each other. And correct your sights after each round as needed to adjust for the distance...

very well done... and yes... every real man has been beaten at shooting at least once by a girl.. including me :P bravo :)

 

[turbo]

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Anything that might help ensure I keep getting better to keep beating the boyfriend is advice well taken.

SQUEEZE the trigger smoothly. If the sear breaks cleanly (well-tuned trigger mechanism) it will certainly help improve horizontal spread. Also, I find it helpful to take in and release a couple of pretty full breaths, and then take in and hold a 1/2 capacity breath for the shot. It's a little routine that becomes automatic over time.

On old friend of mine (now deceased) was on the Maine pistol team about 45 years ago, and he competed with .22s and .45s. He used to practice in his bedroom with a .45 Colt model 1911. He'd "muzzle-load" the gun with a pencil shimmed with a bit of paper and tape, and make a "target" on a piece of paper tacked to his bulletin board, hold the muzzle almost touching the paper, and squeeze the trigger when he had the bull lined up in the traditional lollipop configuration in his sights. The firing pin would hit the eraser and bounce the lead against the paper. His aim was to control his breath, stance, and trigger pull to minimize the diameter of the spot that he would create with multiple shots. Very quiet and inexpensive practice sessions. I could beat him at rapid-fire contests, but he'd out-score me routinely at slower, more deliberate competitions. My wife and I rented an old farmhouse from him and we kept it occupied and heated while he had it remodeled to his wife's satisfaction, and the first thing that we did was create a little indoor shooting station out of what used to be an outhouse in the back of the farm's milking parlor.

 

[Pythagorean]

from her target scores it seems like she's already squeezing pretty good.

Excellent grouping, moonbear. Try a .270 next. Once you're anticipating a kick, it becomes a little more difficult to squeeze.

 

[turbo]

from her target scores it seems like she's already squeezing pretty good.

Excellent grouping, moonbear. Try a .270 next. Once you're anticipating a kick, it becomes a little more difficult to squeeze.

Do not try a .270. Hyper-powered small-caliber round with a kick that belies the small bullet. You have to work up from small calibers to stronger rounds gradually, lest you develop the dreaded "flinch" which can ruin your accuracy. I doubt that you're going to jump into target-shooting right away, much less jump into larger calibers, but be warned.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Hey MB, if you ever get out this way, come on by and we'll do some drinkin and shootin.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8479/mybasement.jpg

 

[turbo]

Hey MB, if you ever get out this way, come on by and we'll do some drinkin and shootin.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8479/mybasement.jpg

I had to deliver a gun to the business of the editor of Small Arms magazine a number of years ago, and he asked me if I wanted a tour of the "vault". I said "Hell, yeah" and we spent the next couple of hours reviewing class III firearms in a reinforced concrete cellar with a bank-vault door. Among other treasures, he had the AK47s used in the movie Red Dawn, the mini-gun used in the movie Pedator, and lots of other "famous" guns. The whole vault was filled floor-to-ceiling with firearms and other weapons that were fully automatic, silenced, or otherwise prohibited for possession without paying licensing and registration fees to the ATF, and LOTS of paperwork. He had modern fully-automatic weapons that were probably not even in current production, yet. What a wonderful tour. He has since moved from Maine to a desert climate in the SW to protect his investments from corrosion and reduce maintenance costs.

 

[Moonbear]

Hey MB, if you ever get out this way, come on by and we'll do some drinkin and shootin.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8479/mybasement.jpg

:tongue2: Now that looks like fun!

 

[Cyrus]

Hey MB, if you ever get out this way, come on by and we'll do some drinkin and shootin.

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8479/mybasement.jpg

Damn, this is impressive! It reminds me of an old kings palace called Afifabad Garden in Iran. You can tour upstairs and see the inside rooms, or you can tour the basement, which is converted into a weapons museum full of guns, knives and swords.

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6641/irangarden.jpg

Parked in front of the main entrance walkway on either side are two old tanks.

 

[Oerg]

yay, now you can try firing from a prone position!