Taking a first-time shooter to the range

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exflatlander

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I have a friend that has never shot before. In fact she has never even held a gun before.

I have been working on a plan that would teach her the basics while still making it fun. (She is a teacher herself so I am hoping she will appreciate this approach)

I am going to start at home with the basics on safety, handling, loading and unloading each. Explain SA and DA using a revolver and a full-size 9mm. Let her hold and dry fire each and demonstrate the mechanics of a semi-auto's slide.

Then a quick ride to the indoor range with:

6" S&W 617 .22lr (borrowed)
3" S&W 36 .38 special
Beretta 92s 9mm
DW Guardian Deuce .45 or Ruger P345

Start with single shots using the .22, progress up to a 5-shot cylinder, DA and SA firing. Move on to single shots with the .38 in the same manner and then the 9mm.

The .45 will only come out after I see how she handles the Beretta, I am leaning towards the 1911 because of it's weight and less recoil than the Ruger.

I also have access to a Mod 41 with a red dot but I think that would just complicate things.

Any suggestions?
 
That's great that you're going to initiate someone new into the game. My only concern would be that maybe you're covering too much territory. Covering the basics at home is what I do also so that you don't have the noise and distraction of other shooters. But I would limit the actual shooting to the .22 and maybe one other gun. And I would find a smaller .22 than a 6" model 617 if I could. Unless she's big girl, she'll probably get tires of holding it up.
That's just my 2 cents. YMMV. Best wishes for your shooting session. Let us know how it turns out.
 
+1 on the smaller revolver suggestion.

However, I'm also not sure a j-frame .38 would be the best gun for a new shooter. Having neve shot one, I'd say test it yourself first, decide if the recoil is bad.
 
and remember you will not touch a gun while you are with her.
She does all the shooting. She asks to move up to a bigger gun.
She declines to move up .

And NEVER say "here's how it's done"

And yes, make sure it's fun.

AFS
 
I recently took my 11 year old nephew to the range for the first time. The night before, I went through the basics, the four rules, proper stance, and what to expect recoil wise.

I had him shoot our SR-9, My .30-30, and the 12ga (slugs only at our indoor range), and he performed well with the instruction I gave him.

I agree with the previous posters that maybe you're covering too much territory. The 92 is great for a first time shooter. It's recoil is right in the middle of the spectrum, and it's easy to handle.

You've got the approach spot on, though!! Always start off with one round in the mag, then go to 2 or 3, then 5-7, then a full mag. That's exactly what I did with my nephew.
 
I had 2 ladies from new york city visit my church a while back and over heard me talking about doing some shooting later in the day. They had never shot or held a gun but asked to go along. I took a 32 and a 45 (1911).
The 32 was a walter style. After basic watch where you shoot and finger placement the ladies asked to try, they both were unfazed by the 32 and enjoyed seeing holes in the paper at 10 yards. They asked about the other "one" and I told them it was much bigger but they persisted.
My instructions were it is a tool, like a hammer you swing hard and it responds, expect a response like hitting a big nail.. dont drop the "hammer". The response was suprising...
They really liked the big boom and felt like they were accomplishing something with the 45. Their conversation going back to the house was the "little " one was OK but the big one is what they wanted. Go figure.
Tim
 
I'd stick with the .22 on the first outing, and make sure she can repeat the rules of safe gun handling, and follows them with the goal of them being a habit eventually.
If she wants to try something with a bigger boom, fine, but I would only do that if she indicates she wants to.
 
IMHO, taking a new shooter to the range is more fun than shooting....well...just as much fun at least.

I agree with the above posters. Keep it simple and fun the first time. I would shy away from the snubbie. (My J-frame hurts MY hand and my hands are STEEL!)

It's like a fishing trip. First, gently get them to bite, then SET THE HOOK!

If you let her know there are more guns to try in the future, after the fun first time, she might ask to go again to try some other guns. Then you let her shoot the REALLY FUN STUFF! TA-DA! She'll be hooked!

If her hand hurts after the range, and she's already shot all your guns, she's not as likely to ask to go again. No incentive.

I'd reccommend the 617 for the whole thing, then when you're ready to leave say, "Hey. I've got this Beretta that's a little bigger. Want to try a few rounds before we go?" Then popping off a few magazines. If she hates it, her shooting experience isn't spoiled and you can say "Well, we can try some other stuff next time." If she loves it, you can say, "Well, I'll have to bring some more ammo for our next trip." She might even say the .22 is too small even after a few rounds. Then you have the 9mm to fall back on. You never know.

Either way, she'll probably want to go again.

I took my cousin Beth to an indoor range, and after about 30 rounds out of my Buckmark, she said, "This just goes pop. Do you have anything that goes BANG?" So she fired my full size .45 and that's all she wanted to shoot the entire time. I was surprised because she's got tiny little hands. But she liked it. Each shooter will have their preferences, so there is no stereotypical gun owner.
 
Let her choose what to shoot. Start her on the 22 & then go from there.

My wife moved away from the 22 quickly to shoot the larger guns.

On Suggestion. Gets "shoot & see" targets, yes they are expensive, but she will like seeing where the bullet hits.

Have fun. post pics.
 
Also,

Discuss and demonstrate and have her demonstrate the handling of the firearms before you go to the range. The range can be loud. On that note try to go during a slow time at the range.

Good idea with the .22. I cannot tell you how many times I see new shooters at the range I go to get started on .45 or .357's. I can see the pain and fear in their eyes, its terrible.
 
I started my wife out on a .380, but then again that was all i had at the time. She still loves that gun.
 
Stand by her all the time, keep a sharp eye for safety. I taught my kids with .22's on a bench, safety on, safety off ,fire, safety on, etc. Find a gun that fits her hand well be it a .22 or a 38 and concentrate teaching shooting safely and not a perfect target group. After she knows and safety aspects then go for the target grouping.
 
Thanks for all the tips. I shot them all tonight paying extra attention to recoil (it is funny how I never pay attention to it normally).

I am definitely going to start with the 617 .22. It may be a little heavy but it recoils like a pellet gun.

After that I am going to just go with the Beretta 9mm.

I'll have the 1911 with me too if she does well with the other two and wants to try it. I'll stop by the shop this week and see if I can find some lighter loads than the usual 230gr FMJs.

I think the Ruger and .38 may actually fit her hand better but their light weight really ups the recoil amount.
 
I'll be going over the slide mechanics during our dry-fire session. The range I belong to also has a lot of good poster-sized safety diagrams on the wall that I can reference while we are there.
 
You should start off a new shooter with a .22 and let them get used to that and move up if they can handle a bigger gun.
 
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Another thing I noticed is that new shooters have this misconception that 45 is super powerful and are therefore afraid to even hold it. I think next time I take a newb I'll just ask if they want to shoot the 9 or 11 instead of having them "work up to" a 45. The 617 is great and comes with me to the range every time.
 
I had a 617 years ago and let it go in a trade of some sort.

My father picked up this one in some kind of deal 4-5 years ago and never fired it (which means I may not have to give it back :)).

This is a newer one with the silly saftey key but it shot just as good as the older model.

I get bored quickly shooting semi auto 22s but I enjoyed the revolver.
 
IMO you are using too many guns at one outting.

I would start with a single action .22 only on the first outting.

When the time comes for semi autos hand her one bullet at a time, and have her load the mag, cycle the slide and fire the round.

New people tend to get a bitt TOO HAPPY when they hit a target, and the next thing they do is forget everything anyone ever taught them and turn sticking the gun in you chest!

They have a big grin on their face because they did well, and then they sure don't understand why suddenly you are yelling!
 
When I taught beginning shooters we used air pistols to start. That way they could concentrate on sight alignment, gun safety and the mechanics of shooting without the distraction of noise, recoil, or gun fit. Plus you don't need to go to a range. You do need a target trap or safe backstop. An airsoft would probably be good too.
 
I started my wife, who had never shot a pistol before, on my 6" S&W 629.
The first day she was shooting she was chucking 240 gr hunting loads into the target.
She now carries a .44 spl snubby and a .45 1911 compact.
Bring an assortment... let her shoot what feels right.
Took our boys to the range last weekend, 11, 12, and 14.
The .44s and .45s got a good workout.


Jim
 
A good pellet pistol would be good for some at-home work.

"I am going to start at home with the basics on safety, handling, loading and unloading each. Explain SA and DA using a revolver and a full-size 9mm. Let her hold and dry fire each and demonstrate the mechanics of a semi-auto's slide.

Then a quick ride to the indoor range with:

6" S&W 617 .22lr (borrowed)
3" S&W 36 .38 special
Beretta 92s 9mm
DW Guardian Deuce .45 or Ruger P345

Start with single shots using the .22, progress up to a 5-shot cylinder, DA and SA firing. Move on to single shots with the .38 in the same manner and then the 9mm.

The .45 will only come out after I see how she handles the Beretta, I am leaning towards the 1911 because of it's weight and less recoil than the Ruger."


I agree with the at home prep on information (why waste good range time). Last time I seen it where I shoot, I could hear the guy over .38s and .45s telling the guy "the revolver is . . .blah blah blah, the automatic" and he was about 4 stalls down from me! I would have wanted to allow the new shooter to shoot more and listen to me jabber less!
I've watched many different shooters come in and shoot. For the first timer, I'd set them down and have the shoot off the bench if possible (single-action) and see what kind of accuracy they are capable of with the .22 (rifle or handgun, mind you). Then go from there and try offhand. That way you can explain, and the shooter see the difference of supported and unsupported efforts.
Go from there as she feels comfortable. Would a .22 Rifle be an option for her to try first?

My cousin has been shooting a variety of guns where she shoots, and I find it interesting her observations on the feelings from the different guns. Rather be there shooting with her, or at least better knowing what she's shooting, oh well. She shot her own lightweight .38 w some Factory American Eagle and was a bit surprised of the recoil vs the light reloads she'd been shooting. The other guys, she said, was trying to shoot it all up themselves.
 
Get the NRA Publication "The Basics of Pistol Shooting" handbook. The best material I have ever seen for first time shooters. Buy a couple of extra copies and one for yourself as a reference. It's that good, covers everything a new shooter needs to know and maybe a few things you may have forgotten.

Also, stick with .22 until at least the second range visit. It is too easy to overwhelm a new shooter.

Good luck
 
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