[fabsroman]

Okay, light guns have their pluses and minuses. They are great for carrying in the field. However, while hunting you only take a couple of shots.

Light guns are terrible for target shooting because they do not help with recoil. A heavy gun tends to absorb recoil because the recoil energy has to be used to move the gun before it can move the shooter's shoulder.

If I were teaching you, you would either start with a .22 rifle or a .410 shotgun, two of the smallest guns around. Then, you could use a light gun and not have to worry about much. The .410 I used as a kid was a single shot, so there wasn't much mechanics to the shooting of it. Open barrel, put shell in barrel, close barrel, pull back hammer, and pull trigger. My dad still has that gun and he is looking forward to teaching my kids with it. Problem is that I will probably be doing the teaching.

Start small and work your way up through the calibers. The .410 and .22 have very little recoil, and there are other rifles (e.g., .17's and .22 centerfires) that have very little recoil with slightly more power. The same goes for shotguns. Once you use the .410, move up to the 28 gauge, then the 20 gauge, and finally the 12 gauge.

Good luck and I truly hope you enjoy it. It is always nice to hear about somebody taking up the shooting hobby, even if it doesn't involve hunting.