Being pretty new to shooting, I decided a good thing to do would be to go through the NRA Marksmanship ratings, one by one. When one of the guys from the club emailed me to see if I wanted to go shooting Thursday afternoon, I jumped at the chance because I’m not all that comfortable being there alone yet. I let my 14-year-old daughter tag along with me, it would be her first real afternoon at the range.

One of my 10 paper plates, showing my grouping for my Pro-Marksman NRA rating

Geared up with my paper plates and my trusty Buck Mark Camper .22 pistol, I set my table to the required 15 foot mark for my Pro Marksman rating. I needed 10 plates, with 5 shots each, with none closer to the edge than a half-inch. I accomplished this easily and earned my first rating quickly!

One of the other gentleman from my club, whom I hadn’t met before that day, mentioned that I should join them on Sunday for the clubs Bulls-eye Competition Shoot. “Me? Seriously? No, I’m too new at this…” His reply? “You’re a natural, see you Sunday…”

My husband and I went down on Sunday, and they talked me into trying it. Gotta say, I had a lot of fun, and, I did OK, even scoring some 10s! I was the only female there (I think I may be the only female in the club!) and I was the only person not shooting with a Red Dot sight, just me and my Buck Mark’s iron sights. We had to shoot one-handed. I’d never done that before. And the targets? They were 25 yards away– yeah, never done that before either.

I’ll go back and join them again on another Sunday. You have to attend 4 shoots to qualify for the prizes, and while I won’t be winning any prizes, I’ll be ready for the next series of shoots later this year! Now to find time to earn my NRA Marksman rating… that’s my next goal!

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For those who prefer guns and ammo to pin cushions and measuring tape, tonight is your night.

The second season of “Top Shot,” the History Channel’s answer to “Project Runaway,” debuts Tuesday night at 10pm, EST.

“Top Shot: Reloaded” features 16 marksmen competing for $100,000 and the bragging rights that come with the title of Top Shot.

In addition to the usual macho men, this year’s contestants include two women with who come armed with deadly aim.

“We are in the minority–our sport is male dominated,” Athena Lee, an oil contractor from Katy, TX, told FOX411. “If you go to the World Championships, out of 1000 shooters, maybe 100 are women. But we’re used to it.”

“I started shooting when I was 13,” Lee said, who was born and raised in the Philippines. “My dad took me to the shooting range–I went with him because I was interested in getting French fries at a nearby McDonalds. I was getting bored, so he asked if I was interested in trying to shoot a target to see if I liked it. I did, and after that I wouldn’t give the gun back to him.”

Fellow competitor Maggie Reese is from Chino, CA and makes her living as a professional shooter. “I started with my dad as a hobby–a sort of weekend activity,” said Reese, who started shooting at 18. “Then three years ago, I started shooting full-time in national and international competitions. My boyfriend is also a professional shooter, and he was the one encouraged me to audition for the show. He’s really excited for me.”

Top Shot features history-based challenges, including shooting from the back of a moving vehicle, shooting while hanging from a 125-ft. crane and even shooting while being turned upside down.

“The pressure on this show was more than I ever felt in my life,” explains Reese. “The challenges were hard and the pressure was intense. We got some really cool guns this season–big challenges and big explosions, so I know it’s going to be really exciting to watch.”

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