First Shots Shooter Profile—Janessa Beaman, Elbert, Colorado
The tattoos, body piercings and claw-like nails might make you think Janessa Beaman found her way into the wrong sport. See her shoot, though, and all doubt is erased. She was born to do this, and she’s showing us all why.
Read MoreSkeet Shooting
Today, skeet is one of the most popular of all shotgun events. The National Skeet Shooting Association has thousands of members and hundreds of clubs in every state.
Read MoreOne-Hole Accuracy—The Sport of Benchrest Rifle
“Only accurate rifles are interesting.” Perhaps that sentiment is a bit overstated, especially if you’re new to the shooting sports, but the general desire to shoot more accurately and hit the intended target every time you pull the trigger is not, and it is just that desire that spawned the sport of benchrest.
Read MoreFirst Shots Shooter Profile: McKenna Dahl, Arlington, Washington
McKenna Dahl may not be a shooting name you know quite yet—but you will.
Read MoreFirst Shots Shooter Profile—Meet Rimfire Challenge Competitor Cheyenne Dalton
At eight years of age, Cheyenne Dalton took her first shots with a firearm. She admits that she was apprehensive at first, but the nerves quickly gave way to excitement.
Read MoreShooting Leagues are the Places to Be
If you’re wondering how to get motivated to pack up your gun and gear and head to the range, one of the easiest ways is to join a shooting league. Some of the best advice for starting any new habit is to do it with other people, who in turn come to depend on you to be there to shoot with them.
Read MoreLearning Progressive-Position Air Pistol
Looking for a sport for a budding young pistol shooter? Check out Progressive-Position Pistol (PPP), designed to take a new youth shooters from beginner to competitor. With no minimum age restrictions and with the allowance of some supportive shooting aids during competition, PPP caters to air pistol sports, with minimal investment in equipment.
Read MoreShotgun Shells Explained
The shotgun is designed to throw a group or “pattern” of many small pellets called “shot,” which makes hitting a flying or moving target much more feasible than using a single projectile, as fired by a rifle or pistol. Because it utilizes numerous pellets instead of a single bullet, a shotshell is constructed differently than a cartridge for rifles or pistols. So, instead of the rifle or pistol cartridge’s brass case that contains primer, powder and bullet, the shotgun’s shotshell consists of a hull that contains the primer, powder, shot wad and an amount of shot. There are many different shotgun bore sizes or “gauges” (much like rifle and pistol caliber size), and gauges of differing shell length, and all can be loaded with a wide variety of shot sizes. Let’s break down some of these terms so you can better understand your shotgun or make a well-informed and safe purchase the next time you head to your favorite gun store or range.
Read MoreNew Shooter Profile: A Conversation with USA Shooting’s Jessica Delos Reyes
Jessica Delos Reyes is the Media and Public Relations Manager for USA Shooting, the national governing body for the Olympic shooting sports, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A relative newbie on the job—she started on April 1, 2013—Delos Reyes is discovering the finer aspects of the sport of shooting from the finest shooters in the world.
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