Dave Hoback
01-04-2023, 03:56 PM
My mother came to me recently & said she was interested in learning to target shoot with a rifle. She shot 22lr as a child & enjoyed it, but neither her or my father ever had any firearms while my siblings & I grew up. But they were both always PRO 2A. I’ve told the story before of my father serving in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, ‘69-‘70. He was also on the Honor Guard and stationed at Camp David, under Nixon. (One day, Nixon asked to borrow the 12ga shotgun in the guard booth from my father, to which he replied: “I’m sorry Mr. President. No, I can’t allow you to use any of my firearms.” Of course Nixon knew that. It was just him joking with one of the marines helping guard him. My father said Nixon was likable & joked with him & several other Marines at times. Any-hoo.. I gave my dad his first handgun as a civi. The Colt Combat Elite clone I’ve shown, that I built & gave him for Fathers Day. That was the first firearm in their home aside from a pump 22LR my dad had when they were newly weds, but got rid of before any of us kiddies came along.
Sorry for the longer back story, but felt it necessary to explain that they weren’t anti-gun.. just wasn’t their thing. They were all in favor of me learning when I was 12yo, through a battalion group in my church at the time. (Much like Boyscouts) Fast forward now & my momma at 70yo, now wants to learn & go target shooting. I think the 93R17 will be perfect for her. I know she isn’t going to want anything with recoil. Not even 223, although I’ll likely have her shoot my AR’s at some point. But to start, and with the prices of both rifles & Ammo, I think the 17HMR makes the most sense. Nor recoil, accurate & it’s in the price point she wants. (Of course my she has sticker shock of most things… but she knows it, LOL!) She is not fancy in any way. My mother is very humble, married since she was 18 & had 7 children. When all but two of her children were grown, (my younger brother & one of my sisters), she went to college & did a nursing program. She became an incredible dialysis nurse ultimately becoming a supervisor for Devita Home Dialysis training. My father passed away over two years ago she just retired the same year. I guess, now she is doing many of the things she never had a chance to. Although I offered to take her shooting whenever she wanted, from 2008, while I was an active Firearms Instructor even! She just was not interested then. So that’s the plan now.
Sorry for the longer back story, but felt it necessary to explain that they weren’t anti-gun.. just wasn’t their thing. They were all in favor of me learning when I was 12yo, through a battalion group in my church at the time. (Much like Boyscouts) Fast forward now & my momma at 70yo, now wants to learn & go target shooting. I think the 93R17 will be perfect for her. I know she isn’t going to want anything with recoil. Not even 223, although I’ll likely have her shoot my AR’s at some point. But to start, and with the prices of both rifles & Ammo, I think the 17HMR makes the most sense. Nor recoil, accurate & it’s in the price point she wants. (Of course my she has sticker shock of most things… but she knows it, LOL!) She is not fancy in any way. My mother is very humble, married since she was 18 & had 7 children. When all but two of her children were grown, (my younger brother & one of my sisters), she went to college & did a nursing program. She became an incredible dialysis nurse ultimately becoming a supervisor for Devita Home Dialysis training. My father passed away over two years ago she just retired the same year. I guess, now she is doing many of the things she never had a chance to. Although I offered to take her shooting whenever she wanted, from 2008, while I was an active Firearms Instructor even! She just was not interested then. So that’s the plan now.