Need advice on how to teach new-shooters

[.cheese.]

My cousin and his girlfriend would like for me to take them to a range to go shooting. Neither has ever held or fired a firearm before. I'm more than happy to take them shooting, but I want to do things right.

I don't want to take them to a range that has a "shady" appearance or is in a not-so-great area. I don't want that to influence their opinion of shooting, plus I want them to have fun rather than worrying about the guy next to them (who is probably a regular Joe, but I remember being nervous the first times I went shooting at a "shady" looking range - which was also the first time I shot a pistol).

Anyways, that narrows my ranges to two, but I really want to take them to an outdoor range, and the outdoor range nearby is in a very scenic area (right next to the Florida Everglades), so that's where I want to take them.

To shoot at that range, they have to pay $5 in addition to the $8 range fee, the $5 being because you have to be a "member" - which requires them to take the range safety/rule course.

I've taken the course, and know that all it really covers is the rules of the range, and also it's my opinion that the course is just a tax in disguise anyways ($5) - it's a county run range.

So - before I hand them anything to shoot, I want to teach them proper firearm safety. That part I have done before when teaching my parents to shoot.

However, I feel when teaching my parents, I failed to teach them how to shoot properly. They were safe, but I couldn't quite get them to understand proper grip, stance, etc.

For those of you who have taught shooting, could you perhaps either lend some advice, or point me in the direction of an online source that outlines some things that might help me teach this material?

I'm just going to have them shoot a Walther P22 and .22 cal rifle (probably 10/22), so that recoil doesn't scare them away.

I want them to have fun and enjoy themselves, but I also want them to learn things properly. I'd be doing them a disservice by simply handing them a gun and telling them to pull the trigger.

I've been fortunate enough to attend formal training and courses on the subject, but I had some great instructors. I want my cousin and his girlfriend to learn at least the basics, but my experience teaching is limited to none.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[only1asterisk]

Thank you. We all need to be teaching everyone we can.

Honestly, I'd let the first range trip be about having safe fun. You can give them some "helpful hints" to get them on target. It really doesn't matter if their grip or stance is a little off (or way off at first) so long as they are safe and have a good time they will want to go again. Then you can work more on proper form.

David

 

[sm]

If can , meet with them before going to the range together at a home.
Bring printed copies of Four Rules of Safety, Club rules, eyes and ears, the firearms and ammunition you intend to take.

Sit down comfy visit to get any questions answered, go over the rules, understand eyes and ears and the gun themselves. Alleviates some first time butterflies.

You also want them to KNOW you have their Safety in mind and want them to have fun.

This required club safety course and fee, is a club required for insurance reasons. Which it is, and present this as something responsible firearm owners do for everyone, and everyone's safety - not as a "tax".
Trying to keep the whole experience positive and upbeat.

If club allows reactive targets, mention these to these new folks. Spinner targets (got one, bring it with you at this house meeting) are fun! Heck I like shooting these.
Balloons are great, yeah I still like popping balloons too.
Tin cans [err I do this still as well..]

I try to get all the butterflies minimized before heading to shoot in a private setting first.
Then of course hopefully new folks do not feel like "new folks" and can better feel safe, have fun and having the trust of their safety being in mind - in the private setting beforehand - I find to go a long way toward earning at the range and subsequent visits.

Ladies remember have special needs. Closed tops ( no low cut tank tops, or blouses with low fronts that button - hot brass hurts and ladies are built different.)

So do address clothing, such as shoes, shirts, and all.

s

 

[.cheese.]

Safety will be the big word of the day for sure. I've even got a pamphlet for each of them to take home with the basic rules of firearm safety (the ones that come with Glock pistols) and am going to see if my local dealer has anything in print that is more comprehensive (hopefully free pamphlets or flyers of some sort).

 

[.cheese.]

oh - good point sm about ladies. His girlfriend does tend to wear open top type shirts and I can see a hot piece of brass making it's way in there (her shirt extends fairly far forward near the top making for a big opening - if you know what I mean ). I'll be sure to tell her to wear something closed top.

As for the tax/insurance thing. I call it a tax just because when I took it I was surprised at how little they covered about safety. It was all about what line to stand behind when the range staff says what command, "Yellow line vs red line" and to keep your guns on the podium action open and empty when everybody ceases fire, etc".... which are safety related, but I would have liked to have seen it cover more safety than just range rules - I guess they assume that people know what they're doing - which is a bad assumption IMO.

Could have just been an off day though. I don't know. I do know that I have never been swept at that range, which is a good thing that I can't say about most other ranges.

 

[Batmaxwyo]

There is a film; "A Woman's Guide to Firearms" that is real good. Found it on Amazon for around $12.50. It is pretty old, but covers everything step by step before and up to shooting the first live round. I started a lady friend who had never seen or touched a gun on this film and a heavy S&W 357 using light 38 loads. Now her favorite iron is a Colt Anaconda 8" barrel .44 Mag.

The key elements are to cover good safety and range rules, and not to start off a new shooter with a big bruiser of a caliber, and have fun.

 

[pacodelahoya]

Make sure the first time they shoot, especially the hand gun, that there is only one round in the magazine.

I can't count how many times I have been swept when a newbie hits what they were aiming at and turns towards me in their excitement with that "Didja see that!" look on their face!

I agree on the four basic rules and keep it fun the first time.

 

[loki.fish]

Check out the THR member pax's website. The Cornered Cat

 

[ceetee]

Keep the ranges short. I'd say no more than 5 yards for the handgun, and 15 yards for the rifle. You can always move the targets back further if they shoot better, but it's very de-moralizing to have to pull the targets in closer because the good hits just aren't coming.

If you've ever had any formal training, think back to the basics of what the instructor taught you. Grip, natural point of aim, sight picture, trigger squeeze. A first outing should be all about the basics, and having fun. Once they see how much fun it is to shoot, they have the rest of their lives to work out the details...

 

[pax]

Here is a longish how-to article about taking newcomers to the range.

http://www.corneredcat.com/Newbie/Newbie.htm

pax

 

[.cheese.]

Thanks guys. Good info here.

I don't think I'm going to be able to take them out this weekend, but probably next weekend.

 

[Leif Runenritzer]

A few things i've read on teaching handguns:
Keep the sights on target as you pull the trigger (especially a problem when the grip is too big).
Don't "squeeze" the trigger, as if with the whole hand, but pull it steadily with the trigger finger.
Pull the trigger smoothly and steadily; no yanking.
For self-loaders, the part of the finger between the tip and bend should touch the trigger.
Use the weaver stance so that the arms don't get tired too quickly.

Now if my lazy friends would go shooting with me, i could try this out on them.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Wife's First Time

Before I took my wife out for her first time (at the range, okay?) I picked up some aluminum dummy rounds (Zoom, I think).

These are rounds that allow you to demonstrate loading the magazine, working the action, and trigger pull, all without hazard. Another brand is Snap Ammo. Make sure, if you get dummy rounds, that you get full-length .22 LR (not short or long) dummies, as the full-length ones will feed correctly from the magazine and the shorter ones won't.

I showed her how to load the mag, how to charge the pistol (working the action), and how to hold the thing while squeezing off a shot.

All of this was at home in the comfort of our bedroom without "strangers" looking on.

By the time we got to the range, she already knew ammo and mag handling, knew proper grip, and knew that the muzzle points downrange.

Saved us a lot of range time and allowed us to focus on shooting and hitting her target.

She shot over 70% in the "ruin your day" portion of the target.

Positive experience. We're going again as soon as the bleedin' weather lets up.

 

[antsi]

keep it fun

Beyond safety, don't try to over-instruct or set unrealistic expectations for success. For new shooters, the goal is to have fun and make sure everyone leaves with a sense of success.

Making sure everyone enjoys their time is a lot more important than making sure they do everything "perfect."

For safety, one essential is: only one "live gun" per instructor. It's okay to have two newbies and one experienced shooter, but only one of the newbies should be handling guns or ammo at a time. As the experienced shooter responsible for these folks safety, you can't be watching two shooters at the same time.