You take a newbie to the range, what handguns do you take for them to shoot?

Hello japle,,,

Or maybe it's a good teacher/motivated student interaction.

I do remember going to live fire in basic training,,,
I was probably one of those who knew everything already.

When I hit my first duty station though it was different,,,
I got tagged to qualify with a sidearm (S&W Model 15) for my job,,,
I did so miserably that I barely made the minimum required score to qualify.

Fortunately for me I had not angered the range master,,,
He sensed that I really did want to gain handgun proficiency,,,
Three months later I re-qualified and scored expert with 100% hits.

Aarond
 
I have 3 goals - when I take a group of new shooters to the range...

a. Safety
b. Expose them to revolvers and semi-autos
c. Make sure they have fun

I'll put a lot of info out there ...and if they're listening / if they can absorb some of it ...its a plus ....but even if they close their eyes every time the gun goes bang ....and they can barely control their shots at 15 feet on a full sized silhouette target ....it doesn't matter as long as they're safe and they have fun. The ones that come back for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th time ...etc ...is when I'll fine tune things ...( if you give new shooters more than 3 things to think about / it all becomes a blurr anyway )...

Even as an experienced shooter - the last higher level defensive handgun class I took ( 3 days, and about 5,000 rds ) by Noon on the 3rd day ...., I had enough ! I was motivated / but I was tired .... Remember how you felt after an all day class / or a 3 day class ....or a 3 hour lesson on a new hobby ...and keep it light / and fast paced and fun !!!
 
I have a small set of handguns I take for them to shoot.

SA Revolver - Colt Frontier Scout in .22 LR
SA/DA Revolver - S&W Model 18 in .22 LR
SA/DA Revolver - S&W Model 15 in .38 Special
SA Semi-auto - Ruger 22/45 in .22 LR
SA/DA Semi-auto - CZ-75B Kadet in .22 LR
SA/DA Semi-auto - CZ-75B in 9mm

Not one 500 magnum in the bunch...... I hate it when some idiot brings one and a newbie then rides him hard after he messes up wit hthe cannon.

A .22 is a fun shooter to learn on, my nieces want to shoot mine every time they come out. Hooked em now they are learning target control etc.
 
Marksmanship is never an issue on the first trip.
Main goal is to safely have fun and if the first 3 are accomplished, I am happy.
1. know and practice safety rules.
2. proper grip
3. proper sight alignment
4. Trigger pull
5. proper stance
 
Not one 500 magnum in the bunch...... I hate it when some idiot brings one and a newbie then rides him hard after he messes up wit hthe cannon.
a .600 nitro express

As I said in the original post,,,
I almost always bring the Model 629 in .44 Magnum,,,
Just in case they want to make a Big Boom with the hand cannon!

But I would never hand it to a newbie to see them fail,,,
For one thing, I don't want them dropping my gun on the ground.

I did have to laugh at one young lady,,,
We had shot a few boxes of .22 LR and some .38 special,,,
Just before we left I hauled out the .44 Mag and fired a cylinder of it.

After seeing the recoil and hearing the noise she still wanted to shoot it,,,
Bear in mind that she was about 5" 1" and was maybe 100 pounds soaking wet.

I figured she would take one shot and hand it back,,,
But no, she hit the target on the first shot and then fired five more,,,
Then she said she wanted to shoot a few more so all in all she fired 18 rounds of .44 magnum.

Next day at her waitress job she could barely lift my beer,,,
Poor thing had "Magnum Arm" so bad it hurt me,,,
All I could say was "I tried to warn you."

Aarond
 
I think bringing a 22 is all ways a good thing. Shoot the big guns till you are out of ammo then plink the rest of the day on the 22s.
 
Before the range:

Cap gun
.177 S&W 586 4" (made by Umarex)
.177 Crossman Silhouette™ PCP Pistol or a Crossman pump pistol

At the range:

S&W 617 .22
Ruger Mark III .22


Most of the times I've done this, the "newbie" has already gone out and purchased a firearm, so you have to fire whatever they have gone out and purchased, but hopefully you work up to it and they can learn and practice on something that is conducive to learning.

I remember telling someone that they should go out and purchase a .22 auto to practice on so that they could master the fundamentals and then apply that to the 9mm that they had purchased.
 
S&W 617, Ruger MkII, and a 1911 with light loads.

If there are more people I bring more guns. Sometimes I'll swap out the 1911 for another centerfire.

I like the 1911 because it seems like a big monster gun but it fits most hands. With 700fps and slower loads it shoots like a kitty cat.
I usually leave it at that. If the person wants to try more power I fill the mag with standard power rounds.
 
Youngster or Lady- Ruger MKII, Possibily a full size .38 or 9mm depending on who it is.

Grown man- Ruger MKII, 9mm, .357 w/ .38's, Smith 629 w/ 44spl's
 
Always lead off with a S&W M18, to establish mechanics and trigger control. usually 25-50 rounds, depending on the shooter.

Next is a Ruger MkII, to introduce the shooter to the difference in trigger and action between a revolver and a semi auto. Easier to go through 50 rounds as it holds 10 at a time and I have two mags (may have to re-think this and only take one mag next time, to allow some time for reflection while reloading).

Then, depending on which they show an afinity for, I will step them up to one or both of the following:

S&W M66 4", starting with mild .38 Spl and then (maybe) .357 Mag ammo.
A steel 4" or 5" 1911.

All of this is done at the shooter's comfort level. One never made it past the .38. One or two showed no enthusiasm for the .357 (I will demonstrate first, so they know what they are getting into). One did not want to try the 1911.
Those were the exceptions. Nearly all were eager to try all of the above, and did reasonably well with each.

In the last three years, I have probably taken better than a dozen new shooters. At least half of them subsequently purchased one (or more) handguns, and sevral now accompany me from time to time at the range.
 
For me the whole idea is to make the experience fun. I always start them out with my S & W 617 (.22lr). I want them to get the feel of handling the gun and pulling the trigger without worrying about recoil. I usually set up a 9" reaction target on a paper backing at five yards and tell them to aim for the center. After a while, I move them up to something in .38 special, either my S & W Model 14 or my Model 28 (but not firing magnums from that gun). If all goes well I finish off with a couple of magazines from my CZ75 B.

I've introduced a bunch of people to shooting this way (including my wife) and it's been highly successful. A couple of my "pupils" now outshoot me.
 
We lay the guns out on a picnic table, the folks shooting look em over then we offer each other shoots with the one they like, always makes me smile when Mom comes over all 4 ft 10 in of her and she goes for the big 357 mag. Eyes open wide, she toes the line and runs it dry, bullseye every shot :) she goes back into the house, she dont need no practise :) no one can beat her score, all try.

I just love it when she does that....
 
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