First...Listening to the dawgs just isn’t the same without Larry growling “Loran...Whaddya Got?” followed by the smooth voice of Loran giving a sideline report.
Regarding the article..like most other Georgia boys I started out with a Daisy pump. In order to move up into the adult world of the .22LR...one had to display responsibility along with enough marksmanship to not be “That Kid” who got outshot by girls.
My father taught me the responsibility and general skills part. My only other form of instruction to me and several other country boys was a certain WW2 vet whose hard upringing in Tennessee forced those who wanted to eat meat how to shoot.
He taught us basics like the difference between aiming in long range and short range shots. How to relax and breathe while waiting for that squirrel head to pop around that tree so the .22LR would hit true. How to breathe and relax when that first deer found our sights.
Those lessons served us well just like they served him well from France to Germany.
Yep, growing up in Louisiana and starting with my Red Ryder BB gun and learning about bullet trajectory watching the bb arc in at longer distances...and shooting black birds when the flocks flew in. Then moving up to .22’s and Mom buying a brick of ammo a week to keep me going. Paid off after all the years of military then after military duties. Who’d a thunk? Keeping the tradition going....
I'm ashamed to say... I'm one of those guys. My wife is one of those girls... She is a natural at it. The woman can hit 12" gongs (consistently) at 250 yards on a beat up old Nagant with iron sights... I kid you not. I think she could likely do even better, but I don't have a place to shoot beyond 250. You should see what she can do with the 40x !
I can't even SEE 250 yards anymore; I'm helpless without optics these days.