New shooters spazzing at sound of first shot?

[MatthewVanitas]

I've only seen this happen a few times, but thought I'd see if anyone has any ideas.

Maybe three times while coaching newbies at the UT range, I've had new shooters shriek loudly and spazz out after firing their first shot. In all cases, it was a small female shooter.

One girl, who seemed pretty peppy and assertive otherwise, fired a shot from a .22 (we only have .22), jumped a foot off the ground. At the same time, I lunged forward to grab her hands to keep her from turning to the side, which she was beginning to do. A few days later I had a very similar girl shooting for the first time, so I was ready to grab, but she simply jerked but didn't turn.

Note: I do generally avoid touching a student without asking, but I'd argue it's definitely appropriate if someone is moving in an unsafe way.

I've taken to having jumpy-seeming shooters load a mag with just one round for their first shot, to prevent an ND on the second round. Is this the only way to deal with the issue? Do some male shooters do this too, or is this mainly a female pschological trait?

Have had no real problem with female shooters in general: a few have trouble with slide operation, and a handful have had zero clue how to use sights and shot _over_ the target. I now go over sight alignment during each brief, though 90% of shooters know it from video games or simply intuition.

Male shooters usually just have trouble shutting up and listening to instruction, and taking correction for unsafe behavior.


Any other techniques I should try with the especially skittish? Perhaps firing one or two rounds myself, telling them "okay, now we'll hear what a gun going off sounds like. Just relax and listen to it, nothing's going to happen."

Having a .22-only range diminishes the problem, but doesn't eliminate it. Thanks for any info,

-MV

 

[toivo]

I've taken to having jumpy-seeming shooters load a mag with just one round for their first shot, to prevent an ND on the second round.

That sounds like a good idea for ALL new shooters, at least until you're sure they know where not to point the gun.

 

[Metapotent]

I've seen first-time shooters overreact to the recoil/muzzle blast multiple times, and not just woman.

Funniest thing I ever saw was when a first time shooter fired a 12gauge slug from a single shot folding shotgun. He was so shaken and scared by the sound and recoil that he immediately lit up a cigarette and started pacing back and forth.

Some people are just wussies.

 

[rangerruck]

sound is the big thing here, give them both ear plugs, and muffs.

 

[Crosshair]

Do you shoot a mag first, then give them one bullet? Mabee they need to get used to the sound first.

 

[Sylvan-Forge]

Two words:

Sound Suppressor

 

[CNYCacher]

Rampant Assumptions

I think it's likely that she was expecting the little POP that you hear in the movies.
Witness Vin Diesel in the movie Triple-X grab a shotgun and shoot it into the wall of a diner in the middle of a conversation and no one in the room reacts at all. In real life, everyone would be rolling around on the ground holding their hands over their bleeding ears. Okay that's an exaggeration, but the point is, I think people confidently underestimate how loud guns really are, and they are scary when you first shoot them.

I went from BB guns to 12-guage. First time I shot the 12, I had no earplugs. Talk about a surprise!

 

[ezypikns]

I myself have 'Spazzed Out'.........

when the fellow in the next lane began firing bursts on a fully automatic weapon. Just not something most of us civilians hear evey day.

 

[madmattmd]

I think you've got it mostly right.

.22 caliber, one cartridge only loaded. I do support your suggestion to have an experienced shooter fire a few rounds to show not only the volume of the shot being fired, but also proper technique. Perhaps allowing them to fire an airgun first, as a technique developing excercise, would get folks more comforatable.

For those that think starting a new shooter with a large caliber handgun or 12 gauge shotgun, I respectfully submit you're doing more harm to the sport than good. Do you also hold swimming classes where you take the novice out to the middle of the lake in a boat and then throw them overboard? If they make it back to shore, they've proved thay can swim? Most folks will never try it again. Aren't we trying to encourage new shooters? It's hard enough to get people to show their interest in firearms in today's world, why frighten them off?

As an example, my wife has her own .22 revolver and is a very good shot. When I asked if she would like to try a K frame .38/.357 revolver, she said No. She didn't like the noise and flame which she perceives to be too harsh. I have tried to show her the moderate recoil of the .38 spl cartridge, but she's not interested. That's OK, she shoots what she wants. I suppose I could have started her out with the .357 , 1911 in .45ACP, or a .44 magnum, but I like to sleep with my eyes closed and don't want to be on the evening news for whatever diabolical way she would devise to pay me back.

Good luck with your classes and a big Thank You from us for your efforts with new shooters. It can be very rewarding.

Take care,
Matt

 

[Aguila Blanca]

You could start them with .22 shorts, if you use a revolver. Or even .22 Colibris -- the ones with no powder, only a primer. Then work up gradually.

As to sights -- why would you even consider letting a first-timer shoot without explaining exactly what the sights are and how they work? Would you let a new driver start the car moving without explaining how to use the brakes and steering wheel?

 

[Linda]

I brought this very subject up in my CCW class I taught Sunday during the safety talk long before we went for range time. Explained, that all too often have been at the public range and in the next lane, the person fires off their first shot and then goes crazy afterward pointing the gun in all the unsafe directions. We had no one in our class ever display any unsafe practices.

This is a quote from one of the ladies who had never fired a gun in her life...,"this course removed my fear of guns"!!! That statement right there was worth the 12 hours I spent with my class. That's what it's all about!

 

[taliv]

i take a slightly different tact. i try to get new shooters to shoot as fast as they can pull the trigger. get as close to full-auto as they can. they all get big goofy grins after the first mag and all the problems go away. after about 3 mags of rapid fire, we settle down into tryign to actually hit something.

 

[Zero_DgZ]

That's about the right idea. But I guess different people are... well, different.

My first gun was a 12 ga Mossberg pump (my vaunted 590, I've still got it) and beyond airsoft, air rifles and pistols, and .22's it's the first 'real' gun I'd ever shot.

Well, I went down into the woods, stuck a glass bottle on a stump a dozen paces away, loaded a round of buckshot, and lit that sucker up. Well, I'm a pretty small guy (I still only weigh 135) and that shotgun just about put me on my ass in the dirt. I got up, dusted myself off with a mile wide grin on my face, and did it again (but I was ready the second time).

Never looked back. My nephew was the same way. My ex-girlfriend, though, never got over the flinch, even with air pistols. Like the gun was going to turn around and bite her or something.

 

[hso]

I've taken to having jumpy-seeming shooters load a mag with just one round for their first shot, to prevent an ND on the second round. Is this the only way to deal with the issue?

Yep, I do it for every new shooter regardless. I also do it for the step up from .22 the the next higher caliber tried. I also stand at their weak side shoulder so that should they start to turn I can apply gentle pressure to that shoulder in resistance. They never seem to turn to the strong side, almost as if they're moving away from the gun in that hand.

 

[Waitone]

I assume a noobie will jump. To get around the problem I familarize them with the grip necessary to hold the handgun by shaking hands. Firm grip not loose and not hard. Not a death grip, just a firm grip.

Sound--make sure the double up.

Think for a moment how much the noobie has to absorb about shooting the first round. Rule of safety, noise, brass flying around, "evil guns now in my innocent hands", breathing control, finger placement, slack takeup, sight picture, stance, grip, . . . . . . . An insane amount of information has to be processed with the first shot.

First few rounds--forget sight picture, aiming, trigger control, breathing and all that other irrelevant stuff. I have them just point the handgun down range and pull the trigger. After they gain a feel for how the gun acts we then move on the shooting technique. 10 rounds should eliminate the first levels of panic.

 

[quatin]

Start them on a single shot rifle?

 

[orangelo]

I've found suppressed handguns are great for newbies to start with. There is no flash or blast and the report is muffled as well. The extra weight helps tame the recoil too.

I brought a friend that had never shot handguns before to the range and started him on a suppressed H&K .45acp
He said it was alot easier to control and aim than he imagined.

If someone started me off on a .357 magnum, I would probably be turned off too. With the blast, recoil and spray smacking a newbie in the face it'd be close to traumatic.

 

[DesertShooter]

Several of my shooting buddies wanted me to teach their wives/girlfriends how to shoot handguns. This was during the Y2K hysteria.

Instead of going directly to handguns, I taught them how to shoot a bolt-action .22 rifle first. It would give the "newbies" their first-ever shooting experience, and since .22 rifles have a bit less "bark" than a shorter-barreled .22 handgun, that first-ever shot that was fired by them was a bit more tame in the decibels. Add to that, the bolt-action rifle would only allow them to fire one round at a time, and even if they "spazzed" and turned around, they would have to work the bolt to fire a second round.

After all of the girls had fired 6 rounds through the .22 rifle, I moved them up to shooting a .22 revolver. I had figured on the "bark" of the revolver effecting them, so I stepped directly behind each shooter and cupped their shooting hand with my own. If they had "spazzed", I would have been able to control their shooting hand/revolver from being turned on the others. Fortunately, no one "spazzed".

By the end of the day, the most petite female (4'10" tall, 90 pounds dripping wet) had worked her way up to shooting .357 mag revolvers and .45 ACP autos! The other girls all moved up to .38 special revolvers and 9mm pistols without any problems. They just didn't "like" the mag revolver or the "horrendous" blast of the .45 auto.

While you might not think that it's "kosher" to touch a new shooter, I think that you may have the idea that it could be deemed as being "sexual harrassment" (?) Well, forget that! When I cupped my hand over the females shooting hands, I explained beforehand that it was for "safety" reasons. They all understood that, and after they fired their first couple of rounds with the handguns without "spazzing", they were on their own.

By the way, a long-time revolver shooter got the "itch" to buy a .45 auto. He had never fired a semi-auto pistol before, so the rangemaster offered to "proctor" him, but the offer was turned down. The shooter carried his new pistol out to the firing line, loaded the mag, and charged a round.
BANG! It turned out to be the LAST time that man ever fired a handgun! The recoil caused the pistol to lift, and the hammer collided into the mans forehead! Massive injury to his head, which caused his demise! The man was NOT a "newbie" to shooting, but a "newbie" to the semi-auto pistol!

 

[bender]

is this thread about .22LR ?

 

[XDKingslayer]

If they become jumpy and visibly startled to the point where they become a safety risk from a .22, then maybe they should find a different hobby.

My 9 year old daughter shot for the first time this past weekend with a .22 and her reaction was deadpan. Her only bad reaction was when I told her it was time to leave.

 

[bender]

yeah, when my 7 yr old son shot .22s, he wasn't all that impressed. I think he was expecting something.... "more"

 

[dragongoddess]

I think what you are experiencing is the reaction to doing something that people have been told never to do or did not realize that they could actually fire a weapon. Its a personal barrier that they have overcome and therefore the reaction you see.

 

[CornCod]

New People

New people not only underestimate the loudness of firearms but the weight. I guess they see John Wayne firing an M1919 from the hip in one of those silly WW2 propaganda films and just assume that firearms are as light as a feather.

 

[pax]

IME, a certain percentage of new shooters will not just jump or get tensed up or get shaky hands -- they will cry when they begin shooting for the first time. I think these are normal, physiological responses to an adrenalin dump, and not really something to worry about either as a newbie or as a teacher. They will usually settle down if you remain businesslike yourself. I only comment on it when they tell me about it out loud ("Good grief, I'm crying!" said in a worried voice), and then I calmly reassure them that it's a normal reaction. Which it is, even if slightly uncommon.

My advice? Regardless of sex of new shooter:

Load only one shot at a time (load one - shoot one) for ten rounds.

Stay where the student can see you without turning around. By preference, that'll be a half-step back and slightly to the right of the new shooter. Don't crowd them, but do be sure you can reach & control the gun if they do something unexpected.

Stay businesslike. Don't get panicky or emotional yourself. If they comment on their own emotions, briefly reassure them that it's a normal reaction. Be sympathetic, but don't make a fuss about it.

Listen to the newbie. If she tells you she wants to quit, tell her it's her decision and don't argue with her (but don't suggest it yourself, either -- let her request it if she wants). For the most part, knowing she can quit is often all she needs to keep going.

My .02.

pax

 

[armedpolak]

my GF...

spent 15 minutes at a shooting range with ear plugs and "head phones" on to get used to the noise. i explained to her that it is save and nothing will happen, she just needs to get used to the big bang (no silly ideas here).

then she watched me shoot 1911 .45, and after the second mag she was begging me to let her try it. keep in mind she is 5'2" and 95 pounds. she unloaded 3 mags from a friggin .45, then moved on to 9mm ruger and beretta. after than, some quality time with M16 and AK47 (actually hitting a target from 25 yards !!! ), and we finished the day with 12g pump where she hit 5 out of 6 flying clay disks. that's when I knew I was looking at the mother of my children

all on her first day with guns! now she's hooked and can't wait to move to FL (this weekend !!! ) and get her first handgun