New Shooters and the NRA lesson plan.

A

Al Thompson

Staff Alumnus
Hi all,

Last weekend I attended a two day class that certified me as an NRA instructor. I have some experiance at this and did not expect to learn much.

I was mistaken. The methods they teach are very well thought out and would be valuable for anyone who teachs newbies.

As George Hill pointed out, when you take an inexperianced shooter to the range, your the teacher.....

Face it, either we start getting inexperianced folks out to the range or we'll continue to lose ground. Eliminating the mystery of firearms can get a fence sitter on to our side of the fence.

Simply put, you start out with the safety rules, progress to having the beginner shoot off a sand bag (one round at a time) to shooting five at a time from a bag to shooting two handed.

One of the concepts is "link the simple to the complex".

Couple of things to remember - the less recoil the better, keep the target close (5-15 feet recommended). The benchrest position as a first step lets the shooter deal with one issue at a time and build confidence. High quality ear and eye protection eliminates another new shooter concern.

I've also found that a laser pointer helps educate new shooters to the danger of a wandering muzzle..

HTH!

Giz
 
Well, that answers a couple of my questions. I am trying to get my wife to the range still. We had planned on going a few weeks ago and some other stuff came up and we had to postpone the shoot. Should I maybe take her to the rifle range and let her shoot my .22LR Winchestor rifle? I would think with the little recoil (none) and the quietness of it, she might get more comnfortable with handling guns. She tells me now that it still makes her sick in her stomach to handle a pistol so maybe this would be a good start. I need to build her up to the point that she can handle a pistol and be effective with it.
 
I think the rifle is a great idea. I would get her up to speed off the bench first.

With significant others, it's best to be a "coach" and work hard to avoid imitating a drill instructor. In fact, it's a lot better to get someone else to do it..

Giz
 
I agree with Gizmo. The rifle is a good idea as it has less recoil, is easier to shoot, and is easier for you to control the muzzle.

Also, it would be best if you found someone else to teach your wife. When I teach couples, I separate them.

Jared
NRA Certified Instructor
 
Thanks guys, I have thought that over myself. How about my Dad? He's calm, level headed, experienced with firearms and they get along. I don't have any friends here that shoot except for family, so the only other possibility would be my cousin. I guess I could still go along but just let them handle the instruction part of it right. It's an indoor range and they have the rifle and pistol ranges seperated so I could go play with my toys :D . I really appreciate the tips.
 
Sounds OK to me.

The problem is that you and your spouse have a "partnership". The teacher to student relationship (especially with firearms) is a different beast. As a teacher you need a more distant and authoritative relationship. Switching these roles is neither easy nor wise...

Hopefully, your Dad will be distant enough that he can fill this role without POing your wife.

Giz
 
As you know I have only been shooting once back in October. JeffOTMG showed me all of the guns and the mechanics of them before we hit the range. At the range I had excellent hearing protection, so that helped keep me 'calm' from the bangs. The first one I shot was a .22, I had no problems with that at all. We just kept moving up with bigger guns until I didn't feel comfortable. Well we got through them all, didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Although that .45 threw off my aim a little that was about it. The AR was one of the best, IMO. There was barely any recoil, its just loud :D. I would recommend that as a choice. When I walked in there I *liked* the guns and was all ready to shoot. When we left I *loved* the guns and couldn't wait to shoot again. :D Good teachers=good students :)

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