Dirty Harry once famously lauded the .44 magnum as the most powerful handgun on the planet.

That's no longer the case, shooting instructor Rod Carter told a group of high school students standing at rapt attention on a warm recent morning at the Roanoke Rifle and Revolver Club.

But, Carter said, the gun is still plenty powerful.

With that he turned, pointed the pistol at a plastic milk jug filled with dyed water, pulled the trigger and blew the jug to shreds in a shower of red spray.

"Good God," marveled Becca Wade, a 16-year-old Hidden Valley High School sophomore.

The 35 students were at the range for a field trip offered as part of a 10th grade physical education course that focuses on individual and dual sports.

The optional trip provides the students with a taste of the reality of guns. It includes instruction on safety and history, and also provides students a chance to shoot a variety of handguns, rifles and shotguns.

"Most of the youth here have never done it," said Harvey Bulaski, who coordinates the club's youth training program. "If you don't teach it, it becomes a fascination."

It's better to learn about guns in a controlled environment, Bulaski added, rather than without close supervision or training.

"With the water jugs, you impress upon them what can happen," said Bulaski, who takes vacation from his job as a technician with Verizon to help with the classes. "They see stuff on TV and they don't understand."

The P.E. class provides instruction on a variety of activities, including archery, caving, golf, mountain biking and tennis, and includes other field trips.

"But this is absolutely their favorite thing," said teacher Lisa Sink-Morris, who has been teaching the course for 16 years.

Sink-Morris has 55 kids in the class this term, but had room on the trip for only 35 students.

"The day after I handed out the permission slips, the trip was full," Sink-Morris said.

George Gingrich signed up for the class after he heard about the shooting field trip from his sister, Hollie, who is one year ahead of him.

"This [field trip] is the reason I took this class," said George, who said he had shot before the trip but doesn't own any firearms.

Shooting and gun safety instruction is included in the curriculum at the other Roanoke County high schools, too. On Wednesday, students from William Byrd were at the range. The club hosts nine such training sessions in a typical year.

Sarah Sink, Sink-Morris' mother, helped start the program when she was teaching physical education at Cave Spring High School.

The shooting block consists primarily of classroom instruction on safety and shooting, and some indoor target shooting with BB guns. Then comes the trip to the range for the students who choose to participate.

Even though Sink was personally most interested in dance and gymnastics, she said she felt it made sense to include recreational shooting in a class about individual and dual sports.

"We're not in this to teach people to go out and hunt," said Sink, who was also an avid target archer. "But shooting is something you can do for a lifetime, as opposed to something like football or basketball."

Her daughter said the field trip has generated little controversy.

"In 16 years, I think I've had two complaints from parents," said Sink-Morris, again stressing that the field trip is completely optional for the students.

The course attracts a wide variety of students, said Sink-Morris, who also heads up the school's archery and badminton clubs.

"Some of them have parents who hunt and shoot," she said. "But some of them have never touched a gun before."

Before ever touching a firearm, the students spend hours learning about gun safety and operation. Then, they shoot low-powered but accurate air guns at targets.

Sink-Morris grades the targets by measuring the size of the five-shot group, which can be as small as a single ragged hole for the best shooters.

The best performers, she said, are often students who don't participate in other sports.

"I have a girl who's not into other things and this is her niche," Sink-Morris said. "When I say, 'Wow, look at that target,' she just glows."

Volunteer George Scruggs sees a pattern at the range.

"The girls out-shoot the boys two to one," he said, smiling.

Breanna Butterworth is one of the aces.

"I've gotten an A-plus on every graded target I've shot," the 16-year-old said with a modest smile.

Most of the girls were even willing to try shooting a 30-06 rifle, a high-powered rifle with a pretty good kick.

"Don't let me fall over," 15-year-old Carrie Baum asked her friend, Erin Dowling.

Carrie aimed at the distant metal silhouette target and shot, the bullet clanging when it hit.

"Did I hit it?" she wondered.

When she was told yes, Carrie smile broadly and turned to her friend.

"Your turn," she said.

"I'm not doing it," Erin answered.

"You made me do it."

"That's because you're braver than me."

Classmate Ashley Spangler said her father, Cave Spring High School principal Steve Spangler, had good things to say about the course.

"He said it was really fun," said 15-year-old Ashley. "And I think it is fun."

Still, Ashley admitted that shooting probably wouldn't be a big thing for her in the future.

"I enjoy it and it's something different," she said after shooting at flying clay discs at the club's skeet range. "But I don't think I'll continue."

Sink-Morris doesn't mind hearing that. After all, the point is to introduce the students to shooting, then let them decide whether or not to continue.