TargetTalk

i was considering buying my first air rifle and joining a club with 2 of my friends and their parents (im 15) but after visiting my local club im having serious doubts. it would be great if i had a huge garden in which to shoot in but i dont, so if i get an air rifle it has to be in this club. The club itself is a bit of a dump. There is 1 25 yard indoor range and where there was once an outdoor range there is a new range being built. But on the way home after being shown around my mum made a very valid point: wouldnt shooting at the same stationary targets night after night get boring. most of the "members" who were present when i looked around seemed to be sitting around and talking rather than shooting.And seen as im paying for my air rifle primarily myself, would i get my moneys worth or would it get boring, even with friends?
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Different sports for different people.

Like many things we try in life, some people will gravitate to certain activities while others could not be bothered getting out of bed to participate.

I have been shooting for over 40 years, OK sometimes I am not so thrilled about getting going in training but I love to compete and yeah, I enjoy the occasional trip to the podium to receive a medal. For me the challenge of competition has never gotten boring and the drive to do well gets me out to the range for training. Some of my training is done with air rifle in my basement where I am all alone so there is no social aspect to that.

There are some shooting clubs that are more an excuse to socialize with little serious advancement, there are others that place more emphasis on developing shooting skills with some socializing on the side. You have to decide which kind of club it is that you visited and if that is the kind of club for you.

Over the years I have noted what I call the rule of 10s:

For every 10 people who visit the range 1 will sign up for the basic safety and marksmanship course.

For every 10 who complete the basic course 1 will compete with the club through the end of that season.

For every 10 who complete one competitive season 1 will continue to compete for a few years.

For every 10 who compete for a few year or even through college 1 will continue to compete for a lifetime. (This last rule is probably more like 0.1 will compete for a lifetime but that is too complex to worry about.)

There is no harm in giving something a look and deciding that perhaps it isn't for you.

I am kinda going to assume the club you visited is shooting competition style air rifles. If you get one, shoot for a season and decide this is not your thing, you can usually sell the rifle and get most of what you paid for it out of it.

'Dude

Firstly, which country are you in?

If it's the UK, you cannot buy or own an air rifle until you are 18. It must be bought, and kept by an adult.

Secondly, what sort of shooting are you interested in? Formal target shooting isn't meant to be fun in the same way that an XBox is. It's about mastering technique. Some people like that, and enjoy the challenge of seeing their scores improve. Others don't.

As for the club being a dump, remember that the building will probably have been bought and paid for by the members. In the UK at least, ranges are not publically funded.

Hi, Nimarisia, and welcome to the forum.

Only you can answer your questions for yourself, but I can at least share my answers to similar experiences.

Does shooting at a stationary target get boring? The better question is to ask yourself what you want to gain from this activity. Why do you want to learn how to shoot?

A stationary target offers a number of advantages. Because the external factors are largely fixed, you can concentrate on internal factors. This lets you develop rock-solid technique, so if later you want to try i.e. skeet, you already have great competence with a long gun.

I approach shooting almost as a form of meditation-- and many of the great Zen meditation masters also used shooting (arrows) to perfect their spiritual path. These are the kind of guys who could shoot a bulls eye with the first arrow, and then shoot the second arrow so that it hits the first arrow-- in the dark.

Actually, if I remember correctly, many Zen schools doesn't even use a target for the first three years or so, the entire focus is on learning proper breathing and form....

If you want the excitement of a video game, buy a video game and chase illusions. Sugar candy for the spirit. If you want adulthood, responsibility, and the opportunity to master powerful tools with real consequences, things which can truly satisfy your soul and help you grow spiritually, buy a gun.

Ah, but then there is the club. I strongly encourage you to take a second look at it-- it may be a dump, but if they are renovating the outdoor range, then they are seriously interested in improving things. It might be better than you think.

You say you would be doing this with two friends. This is certainly another factor. A great thing about shooting is that your only opponent is yourself. Almost every other sport is some form of ritualized violence against another person. Even cycling, the riders are always "attacking" each other. Not shooting. You show one sign of aggression against another person, heck, even one sign of something which could inadvertently injure someone, and you are disqualified. Shooting is more peaceful than a shared walk in the park. In fact, if you cannot develop this inner calm, you will not shoot well.

So you and your friends will have a chance to face the same type of problems together. This is a great way to build the kind of deep friendships which last a lifetime. You noticed that most of the guys at the club were talking, not shooting. Is this a bad thing? Remember, it is a CLUB. Pulling the trigger is only part of the fun, the socializing is more important.

Next issue. Your mum. From what she said, I am guessing that she is not very familiar with guns and probably not all that comfortable with the idea. Yet she is willing to support you with this hobby. I suggest you get down on your knees and give thanks to the deity of your choice that she is so wonderful. You are fortunate to have her, and you better show her the proper gratitude and respect.

Shooting is a wonderful sport. You will grow in responsibility, in self knowledge, in your ability to focus and clear your mind, in your ability to organize and structure your activities, to set and achieve goals...

Speaking of which, I see you are already showing maturity in how you handle this. It is your money which is on the line, and you seem to be well aware of what that implies. With that kind of personality, you should do very well at this sport.

It would be very helpful to know which country you live in, as both the laws and the possibilities vary greatly around the globe.

Hey, its not that bad. I quit varsity swimming team with part of the reason that doing 200 laps every day with the same "scenery" was not enough of a motivation to continue, especially if I were not using lane 1 or 8 that day.

I joined the rugby team instead, even though it meant I got quite a few concussions.

This is a really bizarre troll/spam post. It's the 3rd or 4th time someone's posted a general "what to get?" question as their first post and having that same peculiar sig line "the god of love". What's even weirder is, if you copy and paste the first few lines in google search, you'll find the op is a simple cut and paste from an answers.yahoo.com question posted 2 years ago.....

Weird.

"I got quite a few concussions"

I DID wonder what happened to you.