Brass deflector?

[sparrky]

I am thinking about getting an M&P 15-22 for my daughter. We currently have a Mossberg 715T with a red dot scope. We also recently figured out that she is left eye dominant, and shoots much better left handed, imagine that. I was Google searching tonight, and came across images of a brass deflector for the M&P, but can't find it in a search on here. She really likes the AR feel, and wants a true AR when she is older. I think this will make a great Christmas gift for her, but am worried because she got burnt on her right arm twice today by spent brass. Any insight will be greatly appreciated.

 

[1hatchet]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-m-p-15-22/361009-sws-brass-deflector-gen-2-a.html

 

[sparrky]

Thanks, I'll look into it.

 

[Mcwsky09]

You could try a brass catcher. There are a couple different versions available. The Velcro one can be a bit tricky to keep in place while the more expensive version with a rail attachment works very well. I use it for catching .223 to reload but it would also work for catching other calibers.

 

[speedyquad]

after having a 715t, if you get your daughter a 15-22, the mossy will be sold for another smith.

my daughter is also a lefty and she likes to shoot my 15-22, except for taking the hot brass. i've thought about getting one of the sws brass deflectors, but haven't done so yet.

 

[AR-Getsome]

http://m.mechanix.com/heat-sleeves got my wife a heat sleeve from Mechanix. She is also a south paw. No more burns from the hot brass.
I can get you a pair cheaper than what the web site charges if you like.

 

[sparrky]

The heat sleeves are a great idea, and I'm going to roll those around in my head. The only complaint I can see her having is that they would be hot on a summer day.

 

[Majorlk]

The heat sleeves are a great idea, and I'm going to roll those around in my head. The only complaint I can see her having is that they would be hot on a summer day.

Any long sleeve shirt or light sweater will do the same thing at a fraction of what the heat sleeves cost.

 

[Rundover]

I always get that at the indoor ranges and Saturday was no exception. Brass just wickedly flies all over the place and bounces off the divider wall and onto the top of my arm. I'm a man so I just let it burn. Should have put the brass deflector on but couldn't wait to have fun.

 

[MostlyHarmless]

I am thinking about getting an M&P 15-22 for my daughter. We currently have a Mossberg 715T with a red dot scope. We also recently figured out that she is left eye dominant, and shoots much better left handed, imagine that.

If she's left handed and left eye dominant, great- get her a left handed setup (15-22 with a brass deflector is a fine option). But if she is cross dominant, that may not be the best solution for her.

I've coached a good number of lady shooters. Cross dominance (say, a left eye dominant, right handed shooter) is much more common in females than males. In working with women this is one of the things you learn to look for early on- if you miss it, shooting is going to be unnecessarily frustrating for her. Good on you for catching it.

Solutions are individual to the shooter, and depend somewhat on what kind of shooting the individual wants to do. If she's not likely to ever do more than plinking, tell her to pick her favorite. However if she might someday get into a "serious" shooting pursuit (high power rifle, designated marksman, etc), often the best solution is to have her shoot with her dominant hand on the trigger, and cover her dominant eye as necessary.

I keep some of these in my bag when I'm going to be teaching a women's course.

It is amazing how useful they are for cross dominant shooters, and how much (and how quickly!) scores improve as a result.

 

[sparrky]

That is the problem, she is right handed, left eye dominant, but she shoots right now equally well with either hand. Now, I may have to experiment, because at 10, she already is talking about competition.

 

[k80clay]

TC-Accessories Brass Deflector Standard AR-15: Shooting Equipment and Accessories

These are the old M16 style. Don't know how well they would work with .22 brass. If you put a "skirt" around the outside it would probably drop them straight down.

 

[MostlyHarmless]

That is the problem, she is right handed, left eye dominant

It is not a problem- just a factor to consider. And please don't let her think for a moment that it's a problem (or that there's something strange about her)!

Now, I may have to experiment, because at 10, she already is talking about competition.

And that gives you good reason to treat it properly, and give her the best solution possible.

Some things to bear in mind:

-It is not difficult to train a left eyed shooter to shoot right eyed. A shooter that does so can be every bit as good shooting right eyed as they would be shooting left eyed. However, it is an entirely different matter trying to train a right handed shooter to shoot left handed. A right handed shooter trained and taught to shoot left handed will likely never be as good as they would be if they had trained and practiced shooting right handed. Trigger control is that important.

-How she shoots best now is not necessarily a good way to tell what is the best way for her to shoot.

-If she learns to shoot left handed and likes shooting, and someday wants to get more serious about it, she will end up working with a coach. That coach may very well want to correct her position and teach her to shoot right handed. Very likely, she will HATE having to learn to shoot "wrong-handed" then. It would be a shame if shooting stops being fun at the point that she decides to become serious about it.

-Maybe the worst thing to do would be to switch back and forth. It's perfectly fine to experiment for a bit- but if she spends a while switching between the two, very likely the only habits she learns will be bad ones.


If she wants to shoot moving targets with both eyes open (trap/skeet, run'n'gun), a coach may advise and teach her differently. But if she wants to do high power, F-class, Marine sniper school, or just be better than all the boys, I would teach her to shoot right handed with her left eye covered.

 

[sparrky]

Thank you for all of the advice!

 

[johncal]

I shoot left handed and am left/right eye dominant depending on distant but just use my left eye. I shoot my rifle left handed, a hockey stick and a bat right handed. and play guitar left handed.

In other words I do what feels natural and that works great. Now if I try to do any of those things I mentioned above with the other hand,I suck, but you would think that with being as ambidextrous as I am I could convert easily.... not so.

Certain peoples brains are just wired, well...strangely. That's just the way it is. I would never try to get someone to shoot a gun or play an instrument in any fashion other than how they WANT to do it. That's half the battle of being good at something. My mind and body definitely knows how to do something better that somebody trying to convince me otherwise. Also, I shoot my 15-22 left handed all the time and it's never a big deal. Wear a long sleeve shirt if the brass bothers you, it's not that hard to do, although to be honest I never notice the brass hitting my arm anyways, but maybe that's because I don't shove my arm into the area where it gets hit.