A few old threads you may want to read:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=179079 (someone who did it right)
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=183624 (someone who did it wrong)
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=173337 (someone who nearly got killed doing it)
My tips:
As others have said, go over range safety
first. Do that away from the range, so they are able to hear you easily and ask questions. What's the safety briefing?
First, talk about
The Four Rules. If you cannot recite them yourself, from memory, you aren't yet ready to take a newbie to the range by yourself. Learn them! A few days before your range trip, hand your newbie a printed copy of the four rules and encourage them to memorize the rules. Tell them you'll quiz them on the rules later.
Rule One: All guns are always loaded. This rule means that
no matter what, you will
always treat a firearm with the respect you would give it if you knew it was loaded. You never do anything with an unloaded gun that you wouldn't do with a loaded gun. This is the most basic rule and all other safety rules follow naturally from it.
Rule Two: Do not point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy. This rule applies whether the gun is loaded or not! (See Rule One...) Do not allow the gun to point at your toes or your lower leg after you fire. Do not allow the gun to point at your abdomen or left arm while you rack the slide. Do not allow the gun to point at other shooters, no matter what you are doing with the gun and no matter where the shooters are standing. Do not allow the gun to point at the sky because you don't know where the bullets would land if the gun fired.
Rule Three: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target. Make sure your newbie understands that they will probably need to be reminded of this rule more than once, and that if you remind them, it isn't anything personal. Most new shooters have a hard time teaching the trigger finger to do what the brain knows to do, so there's no shame in being reminded.
Rule Four: Be sure of your target and what's beyond your target. Make sure there's nothing between you and your target, too -- and if you're not
sure the area behind the target is clear and will stop a bullet,
don't fire.
Other talking points:
In going over the rules, make sure your newbie understands and agrees that you will stop him if he's about to do something unsafe. Explain that it's part of the learning process and that you don't mean anything personal by it. If the newbie doesn't seem to be taking this part seriously, stop right there and don't take them to the range with you. (This really is a matter of life and death ... possibly
yours, because you're the one who'll be standing the closest if something goes wrong. They don't have to take it as seriously as you must, but if they blow you off, don't keep pushing. It's not worth the risk!)
Tell them that if they are shooting and you say, "Stop," they need to
stop moving and stand still, not turn around to see what's wrong. Tell them you probably won't need to do that but that if you do, it doesn't mean anything except that you are taking care of keeping them safe. Tell them that you might tap them on the shoulder to get their attention, but that if they are holding a gun
they must not turn around.
Talk about the safety gear you'll wear -- eye protection, hearing protection, hats, high-collared shirts. Explain that sometimes people get hit with empty brass cases. Explain that hot brass isn't really dangerous by itself, but that sometimes people do dangerous things when they're hit with brass, and that they need to trust their safety gear rather than freak out if a piece of brass hits them. Add that even if a piece of brass goes somewhere it's not supposed to, that they
must keep the gun pointed downrange at all times ... and that it's best to set the gun down on the bench if they need to get rid of a piece of brass.
Discuss rules specific to your own range -- eg, stay behind the yellow line during cease fires & don't touch stuff on the bench while folks are downrange. Explain that range rules are different from one place to the next, and that the specific range rules are posted so they don't have to work too hard remembering that kind of stuff.
Then and only then, you can discuss shooting basics: sight alignment, grip, trigger squeeze. Try not to overwhelm your newbie here. If their eyes glaze over by the time you get to this point,
stop. The only really important thing you need to make sure they know is how to be safe. Everything else is just gravy.
Things to bring with you to the range:
* Ear muffs for you and for them. Electronic muffs are best because then you can hear what they're up to.
* Ear plugs for them, to wear in addition to the muffs,
after the safety briefing is over. Remember you'll have to holler to be heard over doubled-up hearing protection, but it'll help them avoid developing a flinch.
* Eye protection for both of you. Basic prescription glasses are not generally good enough; get a pair of protective glasses that fit over the Rx ones. Make sure the eye protection has decent side shields.
* Hat with a brim for both of you. The side shields and the hat brim prevent brass from dropping in behind the glasses, an important issue especially with a newbie who cannot be expected to keep the gun pointed safely downrange when in pain & distress.
* Shirts with high collars. Esp if your newbie is female, make sure to warn her to wear a shirt with a high collar. The hot-brass dance is
dangerous.
* Big targets. And you're going to put them close rather than far away. You want your newbie to experience good success. If your range allows it, use reactive targets, things that pop or fall over or make a noise when shot, because reactive targets don't keep a record of misses the way paper targets do.
* Small caliber guns. A .22 is ideal. 9mm is better than .45 -- at least in this context!
.38 special is a good choice too. Stay away from super-lightweight guns, however. Basically, you want a heavy gun and a small caliber, so recoil is minimized. Your newbie may or may not mind the recoil, but their shooting will definitely be better in the long run if they start out on something mild.
* Hand wipes to clean up with. You can talk about lead contamination some, but full instruction about that isn't necessary unless & until they become shooters themselves.
* Your most patient attitude. The newbie is going to do some things "wrong."
Don't try to fix everything at once! Focus only on safety issues -- those are the only issues that really matter for the first outing. Your first priority is to keep them safe. Your second priority is to help them have fun. Everything else is a distant third behind these two goals.
Things to leave at home:
* Your own plans to shoot. The first outing is all about your newbie. If things go well, you
might have a chance to shoot a little; if they don't, you won't. Understand that going in and you'll be a lot happier if your newbie needs more hand-holding than you expected.
* Arrogance. The attitude you want to convey is that you want to share your world with them, and that safety is important --
not that you know everything there is to know about guns and that you are the source of all shooting wisdom. If they ask you a question you don't know the answer to, tell them you don't know.
When you get to the range:
Put the target close.
Set out only one gun; if you've brought more than one, keep the others boxed up until your newbie is ready for the change. Set out only one magazine. Don't put the ammunition out until after dryfire (see below); when you do, set out only one kind of ammunition. Avoid confusing your newbie with clutter!
Show your newbie how to hold the gun and how to stand. Do NOT make this complicated. Stick with the basics of keeping their thumbs out of the way of the recoiling slide or their fingers away from the cylinder, so they'll be safe. Tell them they'll need to grasp the gun tightly. Don't talk too much about recoil, but do mention it in passing as a reason to hold the gun firmly.
Before loading the gun, show them the gun's controls, and have them practice racking the slide if they need to. Show them how to put the magazine in and take it back out again. Show them how to lock the slide back, or how to open the cylinder. Show them how the ammunition feeds into the gun. Explain again about brass. (This whole step can be done at home, if you've got a safe place for it -- but do it again on the range anyway.)
Let them handle the gun a little bit themselves. Watch the trigger finger and remind them to keep it alongside the frame rather than on the trigger, even while they are dropping the magazine or working the slide. Be especially conscious of muzzle direction and remind them of it if necessary.
Have your newbie dry fire a little bit. While they do that, talk to them about what the sights look like and how they are supposed to line up on the target. Draw a quick sketch of that if they seem to need it, otherwise don't. Watch their trigger finger while they dry fire, and remind them that the instant the gun comes down, the finger goes off the trigger.
Show your newbie how to load ammunition into the magazine. Have them watch you while you fire one or two rounds, so they know what to expect. Fire very, very slowly so they don't try to imitate you shooting fast.
Have them load only one round to begin with. Later on they can load the magazine full. You do not know how they are going to react to the first shot firing, and you want to familiarize them with the gun in any case. So have them load one, shoot one for at least 10 rounds. Watch their trigger finger.
Stand just barely behind their strong-side elbow, within easy reach, while they are firing. A surprising number of newbies
will turn around to look at you immediately after the first shot fires -- be ready for this and prepared to stop them if necessary.
Watch their hands, not the target and not everyone around you. The target will still be there when your friend is done shooting. Esp for first few rounds, watch the weak-hand thumb. Some folks
will put it behind the slide sometime during that first trip to the range. For revolvers, watch to be sure no fingers are getting too close to the cylinder. Both types, watch the trigger finger. Nag about the trigger finger if you need to, but do it politely.
Give them praise. If they are doing well for a newbie,
say so. Say so again. And then again. Don't say anything bad about their marksmanship; you weren't all that hot the first time you shot either and marksmanship is
not the name of the game today anyhow. First priority it to be safe, second priority is to have fun. If they are doing both those things, they are doing very well.
After they've fired at least 10 load one/shoot one rounds, they
may be ready to load more than one at a time. Some folks take longer; don't suggest they move up to that until you are convinced they can do so safely.
Suggest that they take their first target home to keep. Sign it!
And invite them back -- not "sometime again," but for a specific date and time.
HTH.
pax
