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This is the third in a four part series of articles from AWA .50 Caliber Sponsor Ruger
By Abby Jackley
One of the questions I’m asked the most is “how old were you when you started shooting,” shortly followed by “how can I get my child started in shooting sports?” Whether you’re an adult wanting to try something new or a parent looking to teach your child safe firearm handling, often the opportunity is closer than you think!
I often recommended starting with a location that is local and familiar. Many people in the shooting sports love introducing new people into the shooting community and it’s best to learn from those who are involved and in your area. If you have to drive too far to a range outside of your town, it can often be intimidating to walk in. But if you have a local sporting goods store you like to go to, don’t be afraid to ask if they have connections to classes or recommendations for where matches are held.
If you’re looking to get a young family member involved in shooting sports it may be far easier than you think. There are many programs for kids that start with basic firearm handling. A great place to start is your local Department of Natural Resources for hunter’s safety courses, or more target focused programs like Scholastic Action Shooting Program and Scholastic Clay Target Program. These organizations focus on youth development while teaching safety and confident gun handling skills to youth, mostly middle school through college age, with hands-on instruction and supervision with local, state and national level competitions in steel target action shooting or a variety of shotgun sports. The organization I started in and now coach for is the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, the governing body of SASP (Scholastic Action Shooting Program) and SCTP (Scholastic Clay Target Program). And don’t forget to check in with groups your child may already be active in such as Scouting and 4-H. Scouting and many 4-H programs have categories like archery, gun safety and participate in many range and target activities.
If you’re an adult looking to advance your basic skills from gun handling to competition, or your child is ready for that next step up in the shooting sports, a great place to start is your local range’s website for a calendar of events, or even just drop by on a weekend when the most members will be there and start asking questions. This is what I did with my dad! After a few years of participating in SASP I wanted to do more competitions, so I checked out our local ranges website and reached out to the match director of an upcoming USPSA match by email. I later learned the gentleman who responded to me and who first introduced me to USPSA was the late Tom Palmer, a well-known USPSA Range Officer, he and his wife had both volunteered for years at regional and national level matches. Everyone was so welcoming, they let my dad and I ask a ton of questions and gave us recommendations on getting started. A key take-away was to not jump in and start buying a bunch of specialized equipment. Everyone said start with what you have, get a feel for what you like and go from there! Great advice that I still pass on when asked!
A good way to find out which range holds what type of events is to look up matches in your area on the PractiScore website. This website allows you to look at a variety of matches in different styles of shooting in your area. You can filter selections by match style such as USPSA action shooting, Steel Challenge speed shooting or even specialized revolver only matches. Once you find a match that you’d like to check out, don’t be afraid to walk into the match and watch everyone shooting. My first match I attended was to watch a 3-Gun match at our local club. While there, several of the people asked if we had questions, showed us equipment and encouraged us to come back. Just showing up to watch a match is a great way to start!
Whether you are new to shooting, introducing a new shooter to the sport or getting back into it after a while it can be intimidating to decide what program to join, what style of shooting to do, USPSA, vs Steel Challenge, Rimfire Challenge, or 3-Gun. Finding something that fits you can seem hard, but it can be easy if you break it down into researching what’s out there, checking out your local clubs and programs, and best of all showing up on the range to take it all in. And don’t be afraid to reach out to the match director, let them know you’re new to the sport. They will do a new shooter safety brief and often put you on a squad with members that are welcoming to new participants.
We all want to see the shooting sports grow and most of us like to talk about our sport too, so don’t be afraid to ask questions and give it a try!
About the Author:
Abby Jackley, 19, competes in USPSA and Steel Challenge events as part of Team Ruger, holding several national titles. She coaches the local SASP youth shooting team and actively supports young girls and women in shooting sports. Abby began writing at 15 for Junior Shooters, a youth magazine covering shooting, hunting, and outdoorsmanship. In 2021, she earned the Toyota Let’s Go Places award from the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) as a young outdoors writer.
Thank you, AWA .50 Cal Sponsor, Ruger!
