Taking new shooters out for the first time

[dark45]

what do you guys generally do when taking new people to the range?

I planed on having my 3 friends over and was going to take out a pistol and give them the speech of responsibility and safety. show them proper handling., how it works, and have them load dummy rounds so they understand them better, Then Answer any questions they might have. so when they get to the range there isn’t much question of what to do and how to do it. and I can be by ready to help if need be.

I was also planning on using 9mm think I should just go 22?
Think 3 people would be hard to get in consecutive lanes?
What range do you think is good for first time people open like Sacramento shooting center or indoor like the gun room?

[groovielou]

Find a local NRA Certified Trainer and have them take a class...

Lou

[D53]

I like to go to the Cardova shooting range out off of sunrise. When do you plan on going?

[Vectrexer]

I have taken several new people over to Jackson arms. Here is the outline of how I do it.

* Talk to the person or people about their current view on firearms to gauge their overall attitude. Mostly to see how well they will listen Even if they are somewhat anti-gun they still need to be able to listen and learn.


* Talk to the person or people about what to expect. Maybe even go over safety and operation before the first range day. I will also ask what their desired caliber or manufacturer is so they can have more fun after the .22. You not only want excitement, you also want to aim for enthusiasm as well. The two states of mind are the same thing.


* I will have them set aside a least two hours on whatever day they are going to show up. On range day. I will have then check in with me and then retire to a training area to over
- Personal safety,
- Range rules,
- Range safety and why what you tell them is nothing personallly about them, just about safety,
- Range courtesy for the lane and the lanes around you,
- General gun components,
- Specific familiarization for the models I bring or rent,
- Operation including checking, loading, failures, and recoil,
- The various stances.
- The various grips,
- Sight picturing including what might be different between model and manufacturers.
- Post shooting follow up and lane clean up.
- Post range personal safety and pack and go. Including hand washing and why to do it.

How many is too many? That would depend on the people. One person may be more than enough. Four people or more may be just right. It all depends on the attitudes of the people you take. I personally would prefer to stick with as many shooter as would fit on one lane and the includes me too. Why? So I can watch the shooter who is up at the line at the time and make sure they personally safe, and also safe for the other people around them. New shooters make honest mistakes. It is up to you, their instructor, to keep an honest mistake from becoming a deadly mistake. That means you have to watch and instruct them to keep the little errors, little. At Jackson Arms you are even vouching for the new people you bring so their errors also become your errors.


What is the preferred caliber to go with? .22 LR to start in pistol. The same in rifle too for that matter. I usually bring one or more larger calibers as well. This goes back to the previous talks. They might have a goal of shooting a SIG 9MM the first day out. They may also want to try a .44 magnum by the end of the day. Others will be happy plinking with a 22 all day long and just watching the people on the other lanes with the larger rounds. I have taken a BB gun to the range as well both for the fun and for comparison.


I would guess most ranges would let you rent lanes next to each other. I suggest calling ahead to make sure your are slotted in rather than just showing up and getting what they have at the time. However, I refer you back to my comments above about the number of people.


The biggest issues I have seen so far is the tendency for the new shooter's excitement to overwhelm the instruction you have just given them so that it goes out the other ear. It's usually no fault on their part since they have not have the repetition to build up good habits. It's just the newness of the first time shooting coupled with their own personality traits. The first time at the range can be a lot to take in all at once since reality is some much better than what they see in the movies, tv, and video games.

Wish I could help you with a suggestion about Sac area ranges, but I have not shot up there yet.

Training others is not a one sided experience. The outing can help to improve your own skills and awareness as well.

[D53]

other then the stupid part, I agree with Vectrexer

[dark45]

I have taken several new people over to Jackson arms. Here is the outline of how I do it.

* Talk to the person or people about their current view on firearms to gauge their overall attitude. Mostly to see how well they will listen Even if they are somewhat anti-gun thei still need to be able to listen and learn.


* Talk to the person or people about what to expect. Maybe even go over safety and operation before the first range day. I will also ask what their caliber or manufacturer desires are so they can have more fun after the .22.


* I will have them set aside a least two hours on whatever day they are going to show up. On range day. I will have then check in with me and then retire to a training area to over
- Personal safety,
- Range rules,
- Range safety and why what you tell them is nothing personallly about them, just about safety,
- Range courtesy for the lane and the lanes around you,
- General gun components,
- Specific familiarization for the models I bring or rent,
- Operation including checking, loading, failures, and recoil,
- The various stances.
- The various grips,
- Sight picturing including what might be different between model and manufacturers.
- Post shooting follow up and lane clean up.
- Post range personal safety and pack and go. Including hand washing and why to do it.

How many is too many? That would depend on the people. One person may be more than enough. Four people or more may be just right. It all depends on the attitudes of the people you take. I personally would prefer to stick with as many shooter as would fit on one lane and the includes me too. Why? So I can watch the shooter who is up at the line at the time and make sure they personally safe, and also safe for the other people around them. New shooters make honest mistakes. It is up to you, their instructor, to keep an honest mistake from becoming a deadly mistake. That means you have to watch and instruct them to keep the little errors, little. At Jackson Arms you are even vouching for the new people you bring so their errors also become your errors.


What is the preferred caliber to go with? .22 LR to start in pistol. The same in rifle too for that matter. I usually bring one or more larger calibers as well. This goes back to the previous talks. They might have a goal of shooting a SIG 9MM the first day out. They may also want to try a .44 magnum by the end of the day. Others will be happy plinking with a 22 all day long and just watching the poeple on the other lanes with the larger rounds. I have taken a BB gun to the range as well both for the fun and for comparison.


I would guess most ranges would let you rent lanes next to each other. I suggest calling ahead to make sure your are slotted in rather than just showing up and getting what they have at the time. However, I refer you back to my comments above about the number of people.


The biggest issues I have seen so far is the tendency for the new shooter's excitement to overwhelm the instruction you have just given them so that it goes out the other ear. It's usually no fault on their part since they have not have the repetition to build up good habits. It's just the newness of the first time shooting coupled with their own personality traits. The first time at the range can be a lot to take in all at once since reality is some mouch better than what they see in the movies, tv, and video games.

Wish I could help you with a suggestion about Sac area ranges, but I have not shot up there yet.

your comments gave me a new look on it thanks im sure it will be fine they are all vary calm respectful people. but i can see it being a bit much. i will probably take them all but maybe as you said one lane at a time and work with them. especially as you said the reality vs tv. i guess first things first get to know them how they are around guns. and go from there. anyone else methods would be appreciated as i plan on taking others after this bit of people. i definably want to at least take my friend and her boyfriend together.

[aplinker]

Indoor or outdoor range?

I've actually found fewer (maybe 1 or 2) is better indoor - too hard to manage indoors with more.

Outdoors I've taken 6+ and had no issues. The key is to do things (safety, how the action works, loading, firing) with people one at a time,with everyone watching, and then move onto the next. By the 2nd and 3rd person they'll have seen it and be ready for their turn. See below on what to do... Don't make them too nervous too soon with a bunch of stuff to do.

Bring guns easy to shoot. Start smaller caliber and let them tell you when they're ready to try something else.

If handguns... The biggest suggestion I have is to focus on safety first, then comfort with shooting, then on the fundamentals. Just pulling the trigger in the general direction of the target is good enough to start for a mag or so. Everyone is nervous about the shot the first few times. Have them get a feel, then work on sight alignment with no ammo, then have them dry fire a bunch so they can see how bad they flinch and get it under control. At that point most people can start making hits. If not, do it again a few times.

If rifles, keep them benched and with optics. Nothing succeeds like success. Reactive targets are addicting (metal plates, fruit, cans, etc.)

[audihenry]

There's really no need for a sermon. Just explain the basics and get shooting.

I guarantee that if you spend one hour explaining the intricacies of the blowback mechanism and all the useless details, that will be the only time they'll shoot with you.

In a few sentences:

"Always keep the gun pointed downrange, never cross the line into the firing range until everyone else does so, never put your finger on the trigger until you're about to fire, always make sure that there are no remaining cartridges in the gun when you're done."

Anything more than that and you quickly become a boring, if safe, friend.

[sorensen440]

before even going to the range they get a safety and mechanical instruction

[Kingofthehill]

before even going to the range they get a safety and mechanical instruction

YUP!... good advise here... get them familiar with the firearm they will be using so they don't go swinging it around innocent people.

JOe

[trinydex]

for 3 people, especially first time shooters you don't wanna spread them out across more than 1 lane, maybe at most 2 lanes. you need to watch them and slap their hands when they put their finger on the trigger while making to point the gun at you and other knickknack stuff like that so they don't develop bad habits.

no matter how much time you spend beforehand they're still going to be clueless when it comes to doing the deed. constant observation and coaching is the way to go imo.

[peekay331]

I prefer to start new shooters off a .22 bolt action rifle. To a veteran shooter, it is second nature not to point the gun at anyone. But for whatever reason, newbies have a tendency to do that no matter how many times you tell them not to beforehand. With a bolt action, it's not nearly as dangerous and you get to yell at them without risking your life. Plus, it's harder to carelessly turn around with rifle than handgun.

Lastly, bolt actions have less chances of FTE or FTF.

[ZRX61]

On Sunday some people turned up to shoot next to me..... They set up a target down range about 150ft or so & were using an SKS & something else to shoot...
Then some pistols came out & one of the morons started shooting (at about 80deg to downrange) at a cardboard box about 10ft from my damn truck AND I was between the box & my truck...

So if you see these idiots.... move!

[Greg-Dawg]

I would teach them everything I learned from my NRA basic handgun class.

As for caliber, see their body type and strenght and work from there.

[Greg-Dawg]

Find a local NRA Certified Trainer and have them take a class...

Lou

Groovie beat me to it.