Learning with Both Eyes Open

The day my brother got a bbgun was the day he became a man! (at least in his eyes) My family lives in the mountains so he would just walk out the back door and go shoot some squirrels. He has actually gotten very good at hitting what he aims for. This being so, I decided to ask the expert (Ethan) to teach me how to shoot his bb rifle. Eager to show off his knowledge, he agreed.

Ethan started by showing me how to load the gun. It's not as easy as it looks. You have to get the bb in the right place, shove it forward using the lever at the side of the gun and then pump the gun up. After a bit of practice (with the impatient teacher watching over), I had the knack. I can now successfully load that thing!!

Then came the actual shooting. Luckily, though, I have seen the Disney movie Pocahontas and I know to "Keep both eyes open" if I want to hit what I aim for. First shot went wide.... Looks like I need some help. If you look on top of the gun above, there is a scope. It is really useful! If you keep your target in the cross hairs, you are almost guaranteed a hit unless it is windy. 

Ethan gave me a few pointers and soon we were both destroying targets. 

Our soda can targets looked a lot like this

Points to note while shooting:

• Allow for the wind. If the wind is going left, aim a little right.
• Put the target in the cross hairs 
• Pump about five times. Pumping too little won't shoot the bb out fast enough
• Make sure nobody is in front of you when you pull the trigger!!!
• Be sure that when you pump the gun the safety is on
• For a target further away, pump the gun more

So if I am ever trapped in the wilderness with nothing but a bb gun, I can hit non-moving targets. Let's hope the deer are sleeping...

SQUIRRELS BEWARE!