Range & New Shooter Report

Well it was only a quick stop for Brendan, his girlfriend Julia, and myself this afternoon. I had Brendan shoot the scoped Marlin 336, and the Remington 870 with iron rifle sights. At 25 yards the shotgun was shooting a bit high for Brendan, yet we had it sighted for 50 yards. I would have thought it would be shooting a bit low. Still it was good enough for deer from 25 to 50 yards away Besides that I was getting it pretty much right in there at 25 yards unsupported. The rifle was shooting a bit low for both of us, and that was as it should have been because it was sighted for 50 yards and we were shooting at 25 yards. It was about 1 to 2 inches low, good enough for government work if we see a deer that close, and I am sure it will be right on at 50 yards. That fairly inexpensive Tasco scope on the Marlin has taken some quite bumpy rides in the trunk and always remains zeroed. By the way, it is a Tasco from a few years back before the business name was sold to the present company, so I am happy it works well as the lifetime warranty on it is no longer in effect since the old company went under.

Julia, Brendan's girlfriend, came along, and since they do not allow spectators at this range, I paid the range fee for her. She had never fired a gun before, but we gave her some fairly basic instruction (especially safety stuff) and allowed her to shoot he Marlin if she wanted to do so. She was very hesitant, worried it would hurt, worried she would drop the rifle, and I guess just afraid because it was a gun. She did take one shot, and as far as I could tell it was right in there with all the rest of the holes on target. Next time she comes along we should have more time to shoot, and will probably have a .22 rifle for her to shoot. She said the Marlin kicked and hurt somewhat, but she figured what she did wrong, which was not holding the stock against her shoulder correctly. To me it sounds like she would like to shoot again if she uses a 22, and I think I can make that happen. I guess Brendan and I are in the process of developing a NEW SHOOTER and that is a very good thing.

All the best,
Glenn B