Blank target backs

[jackh]

F Paul,
In this thread viewtopic.php?t=14346 you mentioned target backs. I'd like to tell of a youngster I worked with last Sunday. He's about 15-16, young Eagle Scout type. He knows his safety, and basics. I was shooting 10m AP on my own and stopped to introduce him and his dad to target pistols when they asked me. It was very impromptu. I gave him the basics of sighting, holding and triggering. Then we fire single rested shots with a K22 at 50' on a 50'target. Pretty soon we were firing 5 loaded from a rest. The kid caught on well. Soon I had him standing offhand still stressing sight and trigger but moved the target to 10m.

I finished the lesson on a blank target back at 10m where the kid fired <3" groups with the K22 and also with a red dotted Ruger MkII. Kids groups on a 50' bull were not all on the paper at 10m. So we shot a few more blank targets to send him off thinking about that front sight and where his eye looks. Also it showed the kid that he has no difference in red dot vs open sights at least on the blank target.

All in all the kid did good for his first target pistol session.

Meanwhile kids dad disappeared into the other room to BS with our club VP whose Ruger and K22 we used.

[F. Paul in Denver]

Thanks Jack. I think taking the time away from what you were doing to promote ISSF style shooting is something to which we should all aspire. With any luck, this youngster will take what he's learned and become "one of us"

I also think shooting on blank targets is both a great training tool and at least for me, a great way to warm up before a match.

[Fred Mannis]

Great story Jack.
A number of years ago I belonged to a club that offered classes to new pistol shooters, mainly adults. The first range session always consisted of shooting at a blank piece of paper at 10 yd with a 22 revolver, single action, iron sights. By the end of the evening most were shooting reasonable groups centered on the paper. We moved on to other targets and techniques in later sessions, but often returned to a blank paper at 10 yd for students requiring some remedial work.

Fred

[Fred Mannis]

I also think shooting on blank targets is both a great training tool and at least for me, a great way to warm up before a match.

Paul, my FP/AP warm up has been to dry fire at a blank surface during the 10 min prep and then live fire at the sighter targets to further warm up as well as establish POA/POI. I feel more confidant at the start, if I can see 9/10's on the sighter target.