I always love introducing new shooters to our hobby. I've taken my girlfriend as well as a couple other people who haven't shot before, and feel good about giving others the opportunity. But those times, it was more about trying something new for those people, and they weren't necessarily concerned with learning anything.
Today I took a friend and co-worker to the range. He has his pistol permit and had purchased a gun, but had only shot it once, and just a few times. For all intents and purposes, this was his first real range trip and his first time shooting guns other than his.
He brought his Chiappa Puma 1911 chambered in .22LR. I brought my Walther PPS 9mm and HK45 .45ACP, along with plenty of ammo. We started out with his .22, with targets set up as close as our indoor range supports, which is now about 10-15 yards. He put one magazine through, and didn't hit the target.
He had several failure to fires, and one double feed. He understood that he bought a cheap gun, and did so with the intention of getting his feet wet and learning, so no big heartbreak here. I looked over the spent casings and observed an almost non-existant primer strike. Whether this is due to a defect in the firearm or one in need of cleaning, we're not sure, but we kept moving forward. Consistent failures persisted throughout the session.
I shot his .22 next, to see if it was shooting to point of aim. It sure wasn't easy with a black rear site, black front site, on a black target, but I managed to get on target and shoot a 2-3" group a little left of center.
Next he fired both of my guns, with the same results, no hits. They seemed to be hitting below the target on the backer. At this point, I showed him the proper grip, stance, and how to "press" the trigger. I had him dry fire, and we both noticed how right as he pulled the trigger, the barrel moved down. We also talked about flinching, which he seemed to think he was doing. After practicing that a little, he tried again, and this time hit very close to the center, with both guns. Definitely had an easier time with the 9mm, but thats to be expected.
Moving back to his .22, he produced a nice group in the center of the target. Over the next 50 rounds or so, he covered the target in holes, mostly centered around the middle, with more than a couple in the center ring. The difference in his shooting was very noticeable, and he had a great time.
It was a great feeling to take someone who couldn't hit the target when we walked in, and get them shooting groups in just a short amount of time. I understand what some instructors mean when they say they get into this for the feeling of satisfaction when they see these results.
When I got back to work, my boss ran into us and we talked guns for a while. Now he wants to bring his Glock 23 out during lunch some day; he hasn't shot it in 4 years!
Good good stuff, just thought I would share!
Today I took a friend and co-worker to the range. He has his pistol permit and had purchased a gun, but had only shot it once, and just a few times. For all intents and purposes, this was his first real range trip and his first time shooting guns other than his.
He brought his Chiappa Puma 1911 chambered in .22LR. I brought my Walther PPS 9mm and HK45 .45ACP, along with plenty of ammo. We started out with his .22, with targets set up as close as our indoor range supports, which is now about 10-15 yards. He put one magazine through, and didn't hit the target.
He had several failure to fires, and one double feed. He understood that he bought a cheap gun, and did so with the intention of getting his feet wet and learning, so no big heartbreak here. I looked over the spent casings and observed an almost non-existant primer strike. Whether this is due to a defect in the firearm or one in need of cleaning, we're not sure, but we kept moving forward. Consistent failures persisted throughout the session.
I shot his .22 next, to see if it was shooting to point of aim. It sure wasn't easy with a black rear site, black front site, on a black target, but I managed to get on target and shoot a 2-3" group a little left of center.
Next he fired both of my guns, with the same results, no hits. They seemed to be hitting below the target on the backer. At this point, I showed him the proper grip, stance, and how to "press" the trigger. I had him dry fire, and we both noticed how right as he pulled the trigger, the barrel moved down. We also talked about flinching, which he seemed to think he was doing. After practicing that a little, he tried again, and this time hit very close to the center, with both guns. Definitely had an easier time with the 9mm, but thats to be expected.
Moving back to his .22, he produced a nice group in the center of the target. Over the next 50 rounds or so, he covered the target in holes, mostly centered around the middle, with more than a couple in the center ring. The difference in his shooting was very noticeable, and he had a great time.
It was a great feeling to take someone who couldn't hit the target when we walked in, and get them shooting groups in just a short amount of time. I understand what some instructors mean when they say they get into this for the feeling of satisfaction when they see these results.
When I got back to work, my boss ran into us and we talked guns for a while. Now he wants to bring his Glock 23 out during lunch some day; he hasn't shot it in 4 years!
Good good stuff, just thought I would share!