First time with a first time shooter

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

ColinthePilot

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Messages
1,029
Location
I don't even know anymore
Ok, its actually not my first time taking a first timer out, but it is a situation I've never encountered before.

My other first timers were enthusiastic about going, and none were my girlfriend. I started with the assistance of another friend. I observed as HE taught the newbies the ropes. This helped me greatly when my sister wanted to go, and I had no problem being very blunt and strict with her about the rules and procedures. She did very well.

Now I want to take my girlfriend out. She isn't pro or anti. She likes the idea that I carry, but sees it as my hobby and one she isn't very interested in. Much like me with shopping.

I don't get to see her often since I moved away with the Air Force and she's still an undergrad. She's coming to visit for spring break and I told her I really wanted to take her shooting, if for no other reason than to show her what I love doing on my weekends. She agreed to go and seems a little excited. She did demand that I bring a camera.

So I've put some pretty extensive thought into this plan and I've run it by some of my shooting friends but I'd like some more feedback.

The plan is do a thorough but not overwhelming safety lesson before we get to the range. 4-rules plus a few of my own. Its a well practiced lesson that takes about 30 min.
I'm going out to buy another set of eyes and ears this week so she'll be well protected.
We'll start out on my bolt action .22LR. It doesn't get much more tame than that. I have a scope on it, and one friend recommended I let her use it. Since its next to impossible to miss at 25yds with a 3-7x scope, I think it will be a confidence builder. I don't plan on taking too much trigger time so she won't get bored.
After that, I have some flex built in to the program; this is where I could use some advice. I'll definitely be carrying my 9mm pistol, but its a compact (Taurus PT111) and I'm worried the recoil might be too much for her first time. I'm not even sure I will shoot it while we're there.
I'm also thinking about bringing my SKS. Its my next tamest rifle so if she wants to move up to something with a little more bang (and a little less plastic) she can. Again, I'm concerned that it might be too loud or kick to hard.
Total range time will probably be an hour or a bit more depending on how she's liking it. I definitely want to leave her wanting more and not wanting to leave.

BTW, when I say I'm concerned about too much kick or recoil or noise, I definitely don't mean that a girl can't handle centerfire guns. I'm more concerned that the noise and recoil could startle a first timer and turn her off to shooting in the future. All my former first time shooters have been guys or my sister, all of whom I was confident could handle the bigger recoil and noise, and they did.
I'm trying to look at this through extremely conservative and overly cautious lenses.

Any feedback would be appreciated. I'll definitely let you all know how the trip goes. Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
Have her read the Four Rules herself first and ask her to let you know if she has any questions. I do that with my friends the first time I take them shooting; it seems to give them a little more "ownership" of the experience. YMMV, of course.
 
Let me add: Sitting at the Benchrest position off of sand bags for the first time shooting. Be sure to draw what she should be looking for with sight alignment and sight picture. Even better with a low magnification scope or red-dot sight. Keep the range short and the targets big.

She should go home with one or more targets with bullet holes in the black. Something she can post on the family refirgerator. Success builds confidence and interest.
 
Good plan you have there, especially with the scope, being able to successfully engage the target and see positive results will make her enjoy the experience much more than being frustrated and give up on shooting when she has to learn the mechanics of iron sights then practice to shoot the well... Besides beginner or not we ALL know scopes are totally cool. Don't make her feel like she is doing this for you, turn it the other way around. After the range, plan a night of taking her out to dinner then shopping or what ever she enjoys. I think after a while of her getting some trigger time with the .22 you go put a few rounds out with the SKS, the mystery behind a bigger louder weapon will spark a mysterious curiosity in here that will make her want to shoot it at least once, or if for no other reason to prove to you that she can handle it and deflate your ego. About the pistol, that may take some time. Good pistol instruction and shooting technique takes time and practice, (something it doesn't sound like you have) blowing rounds wildly out of a pistol, not hitting anything, and not expecting the recoil of it may be more of a negative experience than a positive one. Because after all it makes every one feel good about them selves when they can see the fruits of their labor in the holes on target.
 
First time shooters

I do mostly handguns.

I usually start with 22 cal. I use a walther p22 22 cal. A revolver would probably would be better, but I like autos.

I have found that people quickly upgrade to 9mm, regardless of wheter male or female.

The big thing I go for is to have fun. I keep the target close so that it is easy to hit. I keep target at 7 to 10 yards.

I haven't found that noise really is an issue with the 22cal or even the 9mm.

I have various 9mms, most people I take shooting like the SIG P226 9mm.

Personally I'm torn between my Colt 45's and my HK USPs. While the HK USPs are great guns, I just find my Colt just feels good and it is a out of the box Colt 1991A which I will eventually upgrade.

I have had a few first time shooters actually go for the 45cal, even females.

One of my best first time shooters was a Filopino girl who was just 5 feet and barely over 100 pounds. She shot best with the 45.

Of course keep it safe, but otherwise, keep things light and fun.

Nicki
 
Let me add: Sitting at the Benchrest position off of sand bags for the first time shooting. Be sure to draw what she should be looking for with sight alignment and sight picture. Even better with a low magnification scope or red-dot sight. Keep the range short and the targets big.

She should go home with one or more targets with bullet holes in the black. Something she can post on the family refirgerator. Success builds confidence and interest.
Click to expand...

Forgot to write that part. That was definitely part of the plan.

After the range, plan a night of taking her out to dinner then shopping or what ever she enjoys. I think after a while of her getting some trigger time with the .22 you go put a few rounds out with the SKS, the mystery behind a bigger louder weapon will spark a mysterious curiosity in here that will make her want to shoot it at least once, or if for no other reason to prove to you that she can handle it and deflate your ego.
Click to expand...

Hey ducktape, do you know my girlfriend?
 
You might try a reactive target (it can be as simple as a fast food ketchup packet). I've found that the visual "feedback" of hitting the target adds to the joy of a first timer.
 
Good for you! But make sure you keep an eye on her. I was just talkign on another post about how girls need supervision on the rrange. Women don't grow up around guns like lots of men do.

I read this and thought "taken out of context, it sounds bad dude. :neener:

All my former firsts have been guys or my sister, all of whom I was confident could handle it, and they did.
Click to expand...
 
Women don't grow up around guns like lots of men do.
Click to expand...

And I've found that to work in their favor. They don't act like they know everything already, and they listen when being taught. The rule, rather than the exception, is run a guy and a girl through an introductory course, and she'll outshoot him in the practical. Seen it many times. Saw it first at Paris Island. Never get in an intermediate range gunfight with a woman Marine.
 
Everyone I've ever taken shooting for the first time has absolutely adored my Walther P22 (even when several of them loaded the rounds backwards when I was setting up the target...). I'd like to get a threaded barrel for it with a suppressor; I worry that they'd try to pants it and I'd never see it again, though, so perhaps further reflection is needed.

One thing I discovered, and didn't expect, is that some people end up having a strong preference for revolvers or autoloaders. One girl I took absolutely hated my USPc in 9mm but couldn't get enough of the S&W in .38spl I'd borrowed from my dad; others (including girls) have spent a whole hour just shooting the USPc and ignoring everything else I'd brought.

Rifles are a similar story. Some friends could spend all day with a .22; others shoot about five rounds and demand (and then monopolize) the SKS.

My rule (which I'm willing to relax if appropriate) is that "first time's free" on ammo and they're responsible for range fees. I figure that helping others to understand guns is worth the $10-15 of ammo they end up using. If they want to come again, I ask them to swing by Wal-Mart and pick me up a 100-round box of WWB 9mm, .38spl, or .45; I figure I pretty much break even.
 
Look around on the Internet and you will find "pictures" of what she should see for sight alignment and sight picture. Make sure she understands the difference.

Let - her - determine when she goes from 22LR to anything else and do NOT be afraid to have her go back to the .22

First target: 8-1/2X11 piece of blank paper, shoot at "about" the middle. Then go to a regular target, then to a reactive target. The first one is to show her how easy it is, then for her to see that you can easily select the portion of the target, and then to HAVE FUN.

Other than for safety, ALWAYS make suggestions (for SAFETY, you do what is needed to keep everyone safe).
 
I vote reactive targets as well. But you might want to avoid ketchup unless you're really sure.

22s and saltines go together like PB&J. ;)
 
Last edited:
The first "first timer" I ever took shooting was a buddy of mine who is really good at having fun and being able to laugh at himself.

Anyway, we shot my Browning Buckmark .22 pistol and once he understood the basic stuff, we went to the S&W 686 4" that I rented.

After the first round, he turned back to me, keeping the muzzle pointed downrange (because I'm an awesome teacher ;)) and kind of giggled and gasped at the same time.

Anyway, after shooting 25 rounds at an NRA target from 10-15 yards, he had hit paper ONCE.

We had plenty of laughs about it, and it turned out to be more memorable than had he been in the black all day.

So depending on the type of person, completely missing can still be a fun time. :D

He came back maybe a half dozen times and got pretty good with 9mm autos. We usually kept things even between range fees and ammo. It was a good experience for all.
 
Well, thanks for all the advice, folks!
We went out on saturday, but I was waiting for her to send me the pics from her camera before I posted the success thread.

We went out to the 25yd range with my above mentioned scoped .22lr Stevens 300. We discussed safety and then I posted the targets (one big diamond in the middle, and 4 small diamonds in the corners). I used the "Shoot-n-see" reactive targets since the range frowns upon other-than-paper targets.
She picked up the safety pretty quickly with very few corrections. Once she got used to it and I got the seat and sandbags adjusted for her, she was shooting consistent 3" groups, which I thought was pretty good for a first timer (and I told her so). She really liked the shoot-n-see stickers.

After about 40rds of .22lr, I pulled out my handgun and unloaded a magazine myself, then let her try it. She didn't like the recoil so one mag was enough. Some more time on the .22 and I pulled out the SKS. I again put 10rds through to show her how everything worked, then let her have a go. She thought it was too heavy (stupid me, I offered it at a standing position without thinking about the weight). So back to the .22.
At one point, she actually said "THIS IS GREAT I LOVE THIS!"
We spent about an hour and a half at the range, and she immediately started calling people from the car (dad, roommate, etc) to tell them how well she did. I told her to put the target up on the fridge.
I doubt she'll really get into it or buy her own, but she had fun, and that was the mission.
 
I'd stick to the .22 rifle, 50 rounds, call it a day. I think the last thing you want to do is overwhelm her, or set her up with something that is going to pop her shoulder, or be too loud, etc (yeah, including .223 or 762x39).

I always cringe when I see a guy bring his gf to the range, and she is jumping at each shot because her ear plugs aren't fitted well... long ago, I started always bringing an extra pair of muffs to the range, and more than once, have lended them to a newbie who isn't having a good time due to a lack of adequate hearing protection.

Seems like I took my ex to the range once and she did well with a 9mm pistol, now that I think about it. Guess I blocked those memories out for other reasons. :rolleyes:
 
Just last week i took a first timer shooting. I started her off on a scoped 10/22 at close range and we shifted into a Walther P22. She like the rifle but she had more fun with the pistol. After we ran out of ammo for the .22's (we shot about 250 rounds or so, mostly her shooting) we shifted to my AR. She seemed to like that a lot as well, I think mostly because of it's look and how much louder it was than the .22's. I then took out my HK P2000 and she shot one mag through it but she didn't like it's recoil so she was done with that. All in all in went well and she had a good time.

My advice to you is to just make sure she has fun. That's the most important thing. I've seen a lot of people put pressure on new shooters and they seem to not enjoy it very much. If she has a fun experience she may pick up the hobby.

Edit To Add: I now noticed that you already took her, but my advice still stands for anyone bringing new shooters.
 
Last edited:
Good ideas presented above; reactive targets, start small, run through the 4 rules EVERY TIME you pick a firearm up, and I would add one. Do a complete "dry run" with each gun you're using, so she knows what each control does and where it is, and what squeezing the trigger actually feels like without any of the recoil.
 
Pics are here!

Here are the pics of the range day with the girlfriend.

n1720044334841009539rb0.jpg

By colinthepilot at 2008-03-20

Her with the .22.

n17200443348410048584nx2.jpg

By colinthepilot at 2008-03-20

This one was just cool!

n17200443348410121799lr5.jpg

By colinthepilot at 2008-03-20

mine was the top target, hers was the bottom. Looks awesome.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

David4516
  • Locked
Took Girlfriend to the range for first time...
Replies
11
Views
1K
David4516
David4516
B
  • Locked
Grace's first time. (pics and range report)
2
Replies
33
Views
3K
f4t9r
F
W
  • Locked
Girlfriend's First Time... sorta
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
DWARREN123
D
G
  • Locked
Took the wife shooting for the first time
Replies
24
Views
1K
erict
E
O
  • Locked
Range Time
Replies
2
Views
363
OneBigDude
O
Back
Top