S.A.F.T. Academy and First Shot Personal Protection are having our first-ever ladies only outdoor shooting day on the range, and guys… you can’t come! That’s right, we said it, Ladies ONLY! No guys allowed! This is a chance for the ladies to come out and enjoy a day on the range, have some gourmet hot dogs and hamburgers (prepared by yours-truly and Larry) and have a lot of fun!
When: Saturday, May 17, 2014
Where: Walkertown, North Carolina
What there is NOT:
- long boring classes
- sitting around doing nothing
- having no fun.
What there IS:
- One-on-one instructor time with participants.(if you desire it)
- Lots of fun!
- A chance to win prizes.
- Skeet shooting.
- Pistol shooting
- AR-15 shooting!
- Free food!
- Did I mention lots of fun?
Event Cost:
$50 for either part of the day, morning or afternoon.
Time slots:
- Morning (All the time you want between 8 AM and 1 PM)
- Afternoon (All the time you want between 1 PM and 6 PM)
Event details:
As instructors, we all agree, ladies are more fun to shoot with than men. Traditionally they don’t come to the range with a lot of pre-conceived notions and they can put their pride aside and ask for instruction where men, well…we just can’t do that. Not to mention, and this is really true – ladies almost always shoot better than men! This is chance to integrate some one-on-one instructor time with anyone that wants to come shoot and maybe get a little more proficient with their firearm. It’s all about having a good time, so you don’t have to have any kind of instruction at all, but we will be there to make ourselves available if you want it!
There isn’t a “format” so you don’t have to arrive at a certain time. We’re going to open the range at 8 AM and let whomever is there start shooting! The idea here is fun with a slight dose of education, not education with a slight dose of fun.
Mary Brannon, our female instructor, will be on the range all day with us to help ladies that request it learn a little more about their firearm, improve their shooting, and help with training you if you need it. Larry Holder and I will be there for the same purpose, to help ladies that might want to learn to shoot a little better. (Ok, in reality we were volunteered into kitchen labor to cook lunch by Mary, but we’ll appreciate the break to help a little if asked!)
Why we’re doing this
There are many factors that go into becoming a proficient shooter and let’s face it, it’s much more fun to do something when you’re good at it. As instructors, we love helping people learn to shoot and learn to shoot well! Learning safety and learning the mechanics in the classroom is one thing, and is something we encourage for everyone, but learning on the range with the firearm in your hands is an entirely different experience, and one that will stick with you long after your day on the range is behind you.
What will you do on Range Day?
It’s up to you. There isn’t a specific goal we have for anyone, except to have a good time on the range. Maybe you have a revolver but have always wanted to fire a semi-automatic pistol? We’ll have a few you can try out in various sizes.
Try something new
Maybe you’re thinking of purchasing a gun but don’t know how to tell what kind of gun fits you best. Check out the selection we’ll have on-site that day. See what other’s are shooting. Pick up and hold a couple different kinds you’ve never thought about and our instructors can help you with suggestions that might assist you when making your decision. (It’s important to note: None of us sell guns. None of us have any incentive to refer you to any kind of gun. This means we can give you honest opinions on what we like, why we like it, and what may be a good fit for you if you’re in the market yourself.
Shotgun and Skeet Shooting
Have you ever shot a shotgun, or wanted to do some skeet shooting? We’ll have three shotgun instructors on-range that day to give you the chance to try it out yourself. (And BELIEVE ME, if Mary and Larry can teach a one-eyed left-handed shooter to hit the skeet in ten minutes, you’ve got NO problems out there!)
Shooting skeet is one of the most enjoyable and affordable things to do. All the accessories are really inexpensive and you can have LOTS of fun for less than $30 in an afternoon. If you’ve never shot skeet, or just want to learn how to do it better, this is a chance for you to come have fun and maybe learn a few tricks to make it more fun.
On a side note, ladies REALLY love when they out-shoot their husbands and boys with shotgun. Wanna show off your prowess? This is the day! Maybe you just want to accompany the hubby during duck season. We’ll give you some pointers and let you blow away some clay pigeons in the process!
Improve your pistol shooting
There are many ways to improve your pistol shooting and contrary to what most people think, most of the errors aren’t between your eye and the gun sights. This is a chance for you spend some time with instructors that REALLY ENJOY their jobs who LOVE seeing shooters get more proficient!
Whether you’re already proficient or completely scared of the recoil and can’t hit the paper with a baseball bat, we’ll help you get better! You’ll learn first hand how to stand depending on what kind of shooting you’re doing, how to grip the firearm properly, how to aim, where your hips go, where your head is supposed to be, and in general: how to improve your own shooting long after you leave us on range day.
If you’ve had some questions about how to draw, how to shoot, how to even hit the target, ask away! We’re here all day with only two goals; to be sure you have fun, and to see you do better when you leave than when you arrived!
One of the things you don’t get often is a chance to see others improve. You will learn a lot just watching what others do well, and how they improve on that. You’ll recognize things about your own shooting and see first-hand how others like you adapt to certain things; such as right-hand, left-eye dominance, double-eye dominance, body position, having weak hands or fingers, etc.
Good Home Cookin’
Now I can’t speak for Larry, but I make a mean burger if I do say so myself! Come out and enjoy some home-cooked food. We’re going to do hamburgers, hot-dogs, and all the trimmings. There’s no set time to eat. We’ll be cooking from late morning to the middle of the afternoon so you can chow down with us at either time.
We’ll have plenty of chips, drinks, and accessories on hand. We wouldn’t want to have to stop all the fun just because you get hungry! Take a break and eat anytime. This is half range day, and half back-yard barbeque – Carolina style!
What do you need to bring:
There are a few basic supplies every shooter needs to bring with them anytime they shoot. Here are a few things you DEFINITELY need to remember:
- Safety Glasses
- Hearing Protection (Ear plugs or other hearing protection)
If you don’t own the proper safety equipment, we have a good list of things online that we recommend based on price and value (meaning we’ve used them ourselves and they’re good for the money, but most everyone can afford them.) Feel free to pick up supplies as your local WalMart or sporting goods store, but if you can’t find them there, we know they’re in stock on Amazon. View the Range Supplies List.
Clothing Considerations:
If you’re not familiar with shooting, you might not know this, so here are a few tips on clothing for shooting day.
- No open-toed shoes/flip-flops, etc – Wear good solid shoes that are comfortable but that cover your entire foot. (You do NOT want a piece of hot-brass falling on your feet!)
- Don’t wear a low-neck blouse – Every time someone fires a shot, a piece of burning-hot brass is ejected into the air. As funny as the “owie owie” dance is, we don’t want to see anyone doing it! If an ejected casing flies down the v-neck of your blouse, it could very well leave a scar. Not to mention there are two guys on the range that day and you don’t want to be the one ripping your shirt off in front of everyone because there’s a 500 degree bullet caught in your bra! Wear something that comes up close to the neck if at all possible. A good t-shirt is fine, but leave the v-necks at home this time!
- Hat – Again, this is only a recommendation for your safety, and it’s not required, but a hat with a brim is a great safety item to wear when shooting. (Take it from me… it happened to me!) Everyone wears glasses on the range, and I’ve personally seen a piece of hot brass fly up and come back down between a shooter’s glasses and face. (It was me.. hurt like the dickens!) Wearing a hat makes it much less likely a piece of brass can come back to land on your head, hair, or face.
- Pockets are a plus – If you’re going to be shooting skeet or shotgun, consider something with pockets. You can only hold 3-5 shells in your shotgun so the extra pockets will help you carry more ammo. Likewise a fanny-pack isn’t a bad idea. You can keep all your ammo together and with you while you’re moving around the range.
- Belt and holster? Maybe – This day is purely about fun, but we’re also there as instructors if anyone wants it. If you want to practice your sidearm, it might be good to have a place to put it when you’re not firing it. Or if you want to work on drawing and shooting, whether from your purse or your hip, then bring your purse, etc. There’s no better time to practice than when you’ve got instructors around to help you learn new stuff!
Tommy Jordan, Mary Brannon, and Larry Holder