Best gun for noobs (especially antis) at the range?

[CalBear]

I think most of us will agree that it's our duty as gun owners to help introduce beginners to, and educated them about guns. It's particularly important when we can get folks who are anti gun, or on the fence, to see what a joy shooting is, and how predictable and controllable guns really are.

What is your weapon of choice when introducing someone to firearms. I'd think ideally, it should be fairly easy to explain, easy to shoot, and lots of fun! Obviously this can describe so many guns, but some more than others. What say you? You don't need to get too specific, categories are perfectly reasonable. Eg:

Bolt action rifle w/ scope
AR-15 w/ scope
Semi auto handgun
Revolver

etc...

[Milsurps]

Bolt action, single shot 22LR FTW.

Edit Add:
Simple, non-confusing, low recoil, light weight, Single shot.
I always start nubies with it. YMMV

[CalBear]

Bolt action, single shot 22LR FTW.

I should also mention, if there are any strong reasons for why you chose a particular gun, let us know why you picked it.

[Jyruiz]

When ever I take a new shooters to the range, wether anti's or not, I have them start with the 22' rifles and pistols. Once I see how they do, I might let them move up to the 9mm handgun, AR stuff, maybe even the 45.

[Iskra]

New shooters, including my kids and friends' kids all go through this progression with me:
1. Single shot .410 shotgun
2. 22LR bolt-action scoped small rifle
3. 22LR revolver (Colt Frontier Scout)

Nobody has ever said they didn't want to do it again

[robcoe]

Depends on who I am dealing with

An Anti: Henry .22lr lever action, easy to use, doesn't look scary, and it's not semi-auto so they dont freak out with all the "semi-auto = puppy and baby killing murder machine" nonsense they have been fed.

just someone new to guns: either a .22 pistol/rifle(usually my 10/22) or a big scary revolver like my GP100, but with less powerful rounds like .38Specials(looks big and scary, but is really easy to shoot).

[Vacaville]

Bolt or lever action .22lr rifle. Simple, fun, and non-intimidating.

[mossy]

dont start with a AR, antis see them as evil, start them with a .22LR rifle or handgun. then move them on to the more hardcore guns when they are hooked.

[Stonewalker]

I vote for a lower-power cartridge bolt-action. .22 is nice, but maybe bring something else along if they want to try something more powerful. A .38 wheelgun would be good probably. My personal favorite for new shooters though is the M1 Carbine. Super low recoil, fun and light. I've taught many new shooters to shoot with my Underwood M1 and everyone of them enjoyed it. I always bring the M38 Mosin-Nagant for reference though

For an anti, you might want to start with a bolt-action though.

[blakdawg]

Bolt action .22LR or semiauto .22LR pistol loaded 1 round at a time - I've seen new shooters freak out after 1 shot and then point the gun somewhere dangerous, so if that happens, I want it to be empty.

Typically that's it, on the first trip to the range - if they enjoyed it and want to go again, then move on to 9mm or a light .38 Special load. If they're not going to freak out over the appearance, that's also a good time to make friends with the AR.

[paul0660]

.22 kadet kit on my CZ 75.

[jl7422]

When my father taught my kid-brother how to shoot, he used a single shot .22 rifle; his reasoning being ". . . that way the kid can only shoot me once!"

[stix213]

AR-15 & Glock 17C - both are easy to shoot, and have good ergonomics, plus both are fairly low recoil.

I'll probably use my M1 Carbine as soon as I get the bugs worked out of it.

[LNTT]

I personally was introduced to real shooting with a 12 gauge... People will see that it truly is a fun sport!

In reality though, I agree with the others, a bolt action .22lr would be a great start. Shooting at soda cans or something.

[iareConfusE]

AR-30 in .300 Win Mag rental at the range.