TargetTalk

My 14yo daughter has expressed an interest in air pistol. How should I get her started and keep her interested?

She has some shoulder strength from years of softball, but my IZH-46M is a bit much. Should I start her off benchrest shooting my IZH or proceed directly to offhand shooting with a light junior air pistol? What are the lighter junior air pistols on the market?

Also, she tries lots of things and doesn't stick to most, so I'd like to buy her a "try it and see if you like it" pistol before I invest in a quality entry-level pistol.

Don in Hawthorne, CA

p.s. Yes, I'll also teach her handgun safety

Don90250 wrote:My 14yo daughter has expressed an interest in air pistol. How should I get her started and keep her interested?

She has some shoulder strength from years of softball, but my IZH-46M is a bit much. Should I start her off benchrest shooting my IZH or proceed directly to offhand shooting with a light junior air pistol? What are the lighter junior air pistols on the market?

Also, she tries lots of things and doesn't stick to most, so I'd like to buy her a "try it and see if you like it" pistol before I invest in a quality entry-level pistol.

Don in Hawthorne, CA

p.s. Yes, I'll also teach her handgun safety

The best thing to do is to start her off of the bench with a junior air pistol like the new TAU-7 Jr.

New shooters should start in a rested position on a blank (backward- no bullseye) target. Starting with an aiming mark can be a distraction. They need to get used to focusing only on the front sight and letting everything else (rear sight, target) go blurry. The relationship between the front and rear sight (sight alignment) and good trigger control are the most important factors to learn. Shooting off the bench gives them more time to work on a smooth trigger release and proper sight alignment. Make sure she is moving the trigger straight to the rear in a smooth and consistent manner without stopping.

Talk to Pilkington about the TAU - (931) 924-3400. If she looses interest you can shoot it - it's not that small. The TAU is CO2, and works best on Powerlets in my opinion.


Jay V
IL

Jay V:
I have the same problem
my 14 year-old daughter doesn't have as beginning, I believe that the TAU-7 jr is a good option, using the 12gr bottleto reduce the weight.
Since the jr pistold weighs alone 200gr less than the big ones.
my 8 year-old son directly can not shoot air pistol, I have bought an air rifle izh61 so that he gets used to the 2 times of the trigger and the alignment of sights.

If you look for other option, please send me an e-mail,

Nano
ezamora@fps.gov.bo
La Paz, Bolivia

Get her out to the Air Pistol match at the 1984 Olympic range at Prado near Chino, I think the next one is late october.

Go out and watch the event, meet the people, see the equipment etc. You might get to let her try some of the guns.

Find out if she is interested.

Then get her to train 4-5 hours a day 4-5 days a week for the next 4 years and that Ukrainian girl will be nervous in Beijing!

We "might" bring a team out from AZ to that match.... we'll see.

Later

Poole
http://arizona.rifleshooting.com/

Hi Don,
You might want to try out the South Bay Rifle Club air gun
shoot at the LA Harbor Pistol range.

http://www.mac1airgun.com/safety.htm

email Tim to see if the range repairs have finished.

thanks
jim cowan

Hi Don,
The NRA has just created a new "Progressive Position Air Pistol" program, with juniors in mind. As the name suggests, it begins with two hand shooting off the bench, then progresses to two hand standing, and finally to one hand standing. I assume, based on their qualification courses, the progressions are score based. However, this is more than that, as it will be part of the National junior championship next summer. I suggest you contact the NRA for the location of a local club sponsoring junior shooting to find out more.

Morini have got all you´ll ever need.
I´ll recommend a MECHANICAL M162 short.
Just plain shooting reliabilty and fun. No gimmecks, no flaws, no gadgets, no electro, no cheap scrap.

A serious beginner to the sport should not start out with anything less than the best.
It´costly, yes, but it´worth every euro. Well,- eh, I would say dollar.

According to an expression I heard down southwest some years ago: "The cheapest wheat is what has passed trough a horse".

Had a lot of success with the LP2 compact for junior shooters. It is very easy to configure the pistol for junior shooters grip, angle, trigger and the balance/weight is excellent. The price is very competitive and nothing competitive is lost.

The balance is very similar to a 25m pistol so a good progression pistol for ISSF ladies sport pistol as well. Weight can be added to improve the simulation and progression should this be required. Regrettably in the UK, the young shooters will need to travel from the mainland to shoot ISSF sport pistol.

As it is a no-compromise pistol, I suspect second hand values will be maintained. In the UK, we have the pony club and the is always a demand for high quality small grip pistols, the weight and balance have previously been a serious problem, this appears to address this market well. PM me if you want any pictures but I recall the Steyr web site now has this model.

I must confess I am a Morini fan myself but in this instance, having used them both (a short base Morini) for training shooters of this age, the Steyr is more optimal for the task and progression. In the UK the street price is some $300-$400 less.

I hope this is constructive.

Don,
I beiieve it's USA Shooting rather than the NRA that is developing the new Progressive-Position Air Pistol program although I know the NRA has had a lot of input.
Here is the page on the USAS website that discusses it and lists the rules etc.:
http://www.usashooting.com/Youth/YouthP/Youthp.cfm
The program has various classes, groups etc for the different ability levels, equipment levels, etc.
What makes me excited about the program is that they are tying into the huge pool of kids in the 4-H shooting sports program.
I could go on and on!
I'd suggest you contact you local ag extension office or 4-H group. If you can't find one you can start one.
Good luck!
JLK

It is the USA shooting JR program that has the bench and two-handed competition (for state level only not national matches). We had our JR Olympic pistol match in Ohio this weekend and only had one shooter do the two hand Air. While only one Junior shot this program about half of the junior there came because they had this choice. The comment from the event organizers was that though few took advantage of the program it defiantly increased the turn out over past years. The only down side was that USA shooting Failed to send out the awards for the match winners and only sent participation Pins. When we have events like this the awards make a bigger impression on the young shooters when giving out at the end of the match in front of their peers.

As for the original post I would suggest the Tau 7 JR pistol. USA shooting is promoting this expanded Jr pistol program with a reduced cost on this pistol. Individuals can purchase for, I think, $375 and clubs can purchase for even less and pay in installments. See the USA shooting web site for details.

Hi Don

I don't think most of the responders read your original post very well except maybe the man from AZ. To begin with you stated she often does not stick with things she tries. I teach 4-H pistol and this is a common occurance. Usually less than 50% want to go beyond the basic pistol course. They try it and like it, but not enough to go beyond the basics. That is pretty normal. before you buy see if you can find a local club and let her use their equipment for a "basic" class. If after that she still is interested then you are in the market.

Things that need to be determined are #1 which is her master eye? Pretty important in determining whether you are going to get a right or left handed grip or perhaps at least an ambidextrious model.

Unless there is a physical problem avoid shooting from a bench. It is good for pellet testing but at the early stages she will not be able to do this so it serves no real function except easing fears that she will be able to hit the trap. If that is a concern simply move the trap closer.

Since your gun is a IZH-46 I assume (and you know what that does!) that you are interested in a gun that costs less than your own. The lightest weight gun I have found that has a decent trigger and adjustable sights for around an even $100 is the Lovenia "Lov-21". While it looks cheap it does shoot pretty well. But even this I would wait on if there are club guns available for her to try.

Someone mentioned a top of the line morini. Too me this would be the same as buying a Steinway Concert Grand Piano for a first time student who is learning "chop-sticks". Actually the equipment is one of the smallest factors for a beginner. Good coaching would be the most important.

If you cannot find a club locally and will end up being her coach, let me know and I can help you out for starters. Keep it fun or she will be on to something else and whatever you spent will be too much. (4-5 hours a day 5 days a week, eek! definitely only 1 in 100,000 will be interested in this routine!)

Good luck! Find folks that listen to you when seeking good advice, a good coach listens.

Don90250 wrote:My 14yo daughter has expressed an interest in air pistol. How should I get her started and keep her interested?

She has some shoulder strength from years of softball, but my IZH-46M is a bit much. Should I start her off benchrest shooting my IZH or proceed directly to offhand shooting with a light junior air pistol? What are the lighter junior air pistols on the market?

Also, she tries lots of things and doesn't stick to most, so I'd like to buy her a "try it and see if you like it" pistol before I invest in a quality entry-level pistol.

Don in Hawthorne, CA

p.s. Yes, I'll also teach her handgun safety

another good 'starter pistol' is the rohm twinmaster action. a few teenage girls at my local gun club have started with these and have had good results. i shoot a twinmaster sport which i would also recommend but it comes down to how much you want to spend.

If you have the NRA courses 'Home Firearm Safety' and 'Basic Pistol' available near you, they are good classes for beginners. Basic Pistol includes some gun time. We find that Basic Pistol graduates (especially women who don't have a lot of macho impediment) often can qualify for unsupervised range use at the club without further practice.

Kids often have short attention spans and in these days of instant gratification, you need to provide success to keep up the interest. Shooting your IZH from a rest is not only a good way to teach basic sight and trigger control while making a decision on a gun for her, it is also a method used by many serious competitors and world class pistol coaches to build skills and trouble shoot problems. It is also a good way for her to get a few 10's to brag about while she is learning.

Lots of people complain about how heavy the IZH is. It is a bit ungainly in balance, but a teenager with good upper body development should be able to get off a few shots one-handed. You might consider a few shots each session, one-handed at a blank target just to help build shooting muscle strength. Few people are used to holding a weight at arms length when they first start shooting. Don't over-do it. Early strain injuries are certainly possible.

Suggestions have been made by others as to what to do long term about a gun for her. All have had merit. You can always keep the gun as a backup or sell it. Target pistols tend to hold their value better than most sporting goods. USA Shooting has just announced a program to help juniors get started by offering the Tau-7 for $375. If you aren't a member yet, you should join. They have some interesting youth initiatives.

So if she was my daughter, I'd get her to class riight away. I would have her shoot the Izh from a rest ( with me using a rest too) while awaiting deivery of her USAS Tau-7.

Larry