When you take a friend to the range for the first time

[88GT]

What handgun do you hand him for his very first experience?

Be as specific or explanatory as you feel. I'm testing a theory and satisfying a curiosity.

Thanks.

ETA: let's assume that all the other details about taking a newb to the range for the first time have already been covered. We're just focusing on the point when you hand him the firearm and say, "Have at it?" What is it.

 

[billybob44]

Ruger Single Six

For me it usually is a Ruger Single Six, with ONE .22LR. in the cyl.
For my thinking, I want to see how they react after touching off the first shot-do they "sweep" me, another , themselves-or do anything that I do not want a loaded gun to do??
My second choice would be my Ruger Mark II-One round in the mag. they rack the slide+fire the first shot+then the same as in the first paragraph. I know everyone will have a different system, but that's mine..Bill.

 

[Sureshot129]

Walther P22 with the target up close so they can see there hits. Let them enjoy.

 

[lovemachine]

Depends which caliber handguns you have. For me, I'd start off with a 9mm Glock 19. Then move up to a Glock 45.

 

[eldirector]

I've used my Walther P22. If they are really unsure, then one in the mag, Let them rack it, thumb the safety, and shoot. Then, hand them a full mag and pop away.

 

[johncarbaugh]

For me it usually is a Ruger Single Six, with ONE .22LR. in the cyl.
For my thinking, I want to see how they react after touching off the first shot-do they "sweep" me, another , themselves-or do anything that I do not want a loaded gun to do??
My second choice would be my Ruger Mark II-One round in the mag. they rack the slide+fire the first shot+then the same as in the first paragraph. I know everyone will have a different system, but that's mine..Bill.

Same thing I was thinking. Make sure they are safe before you let them at it. Once they prove they are safe and responsible see how they do with some larger calibers. I would never just say "Have at it" to a new shooter.

 

[Ahgo]

I took a former student (female) very petite to the range because she wanted to buy a gun. I brought a 45, 9, 38, and 22. I started with the 45, because I thought it would be to much and we could get that out of the way. After that, I gave her the 9, then the 38, then the 22. As I figured, she liked the 22 the best. She still hasn't bought a gun. I think the price is a little intimidating since she only has a part time job and full time apartment payments. Hope this helps your research.

 

[teddy12b]

Usually when I've taken first timers to the range I cover all the safety aspects in a pleasant conversation on the way to the range. Once there I give them a visual demonstration of everything we've talked about and go over some more safety info that you just have to see. For a rookie I follow drug dealer rules, in that the first time is free and on me. I pay for all the ammo, range fees, and whatever. After they get addicted then they can start to pay.

With handguns or rifles I start people with a 22lr. My 22lr pistol is a ruger mark III and I also follow the one round in the magazine rule for the first couple rounds. It makes people not only be more aware of the shot placement but also how all the controls work on the gun.

The biggest mistake I ever made, was telling a couple of the regulars that I had a first timer with me. Before I new it I had two other guys standing next to me filling my guys head with all kinds of info on advanced shooting tactics and equipment before he's even fired a full mag. Their intentions were good, but on a persons first day at the range they don't need 3 or more people correcting their every move.

Once I've watched them safely handle the 22lr, then I work them up in steps to the largest guns I have.

 

[JohnP82]

I usually start newbies out with my Walther p22. I also for the very first shot only load only one round. That way no matter how they may react I know they will have an empty mag. I also only load one round only when I move them up to a larger caliber for the same reason. I have just always done this. I have also watched many people at the range and see them load a mag all the way up and have the first time shooter go. Too many times they fire one round and either almost drop the fully loaded gun if it was a large caliber they were not ready for, or turn around and sweep everyone with the muzzle. I just prefer for the first shot to be one and empty.

 

[Jubba]

22, 38, 9, 40, 357 mag. The one round deal sounds like a good idea.

 

[remymartin]

P22 KEEP IT POINTED THAT WAY !!!!!!

 

[88GT]

22, 38, 9, 40, 357 mag. The one round deal sounds like a good idea.

Which one do you hand him first?

 

[ralphb72]

p22

 

[CountryBoy19]

handgun: Ruger 22/45. Great, malfunction free gun that is very simple to operate and .22 is low recoil so as not to intimidate any new shooters that may already be intimidated enough by just being around those awful guns. rifle: almost any reliable rimfire rifle... when my wife was just starting out she absolutely loved to pop water bottle with my 17 hmr. IMHO the 2 absolute worst things you can do for a new shooter is hand them a gun that isn't reliable or has too much recoil. Either of those things can make their experience bad and turn them off of guns for good.

 

[bwframe]

Non shooter?

I'd hand them my favorite .22lr rifle to start with. We'd shoot a lot of targets near and far. Lots of steel, because it's instant gratification. (No charge for the add, Bobcat.)

Then we'd move to the MkIII 22/45, same deal.

At the end of the day, insist that they go get professional training.

 

[Colt556]

I will usually start someone off with a .22 revolver. It has very little, if any, recoil and is safer to use for a novice than an autoloader IMHO. With a revolver the 2nd shot has a longer more deliberate pull of the trigger whereas with a semi auto the trigger pull is usually shorter and lighter. After trigger control is down pat I then move to a ,22 semi auto. After shooting the .22 progresses I then move up to a .38 revolver. After the .38 comes a 380 or 9mm semi auto pistol. If the new shooter is progressing well and feels comfortable I'll offer a .357 revolver up next or maybe a .45. This system seems to work pretty well when I've used it in the past. I hate it when a person hands a new shooter a powerful handgun for their first shooting experience and then laughs as the person jumps/flinches from the recoil. I think this is counter productive in teaching proper shooting technique. A lot also depends on the person that is learning to shoot as well. If it's someone who is terrified of guns but wants to learn to protect themselves I would start out slower and spend more time with the .22s and slowly work up to the other calibers. If it's a person eager to learn and shoot then the progression is a little quicker. This has been my experience and YMMV.

 

[hickuleas]

Start out with something with a light recoil. I let people begin with a 22 LR revolver.

 

[Bill of Rights]

Suppressed, laser-sighted P22 (edit: or 10/22, no laser) with one bullet and a close target, preferably a reactive target like a Shoot-n-See. If I was at an outdoor range, I'd do the same, but the target would be an unopened soda can or a melon of some kind, the idea being I would want something that would really "react" when it was hit. When I last took a new shooter, I didn't have the can for it or the laser on it, so it was just the P22 and a shoot-n-see at 3 yards. One round for the first five or so, until the new shooter both demonstrates good safety and expresses readiness for more. When we go to more, I'm very close so that if the new shooter does something unsafe, I'm both near enough to stop it and also near enough to not be in front of the muzzle.

It's all about making it both safe and fun. Misses are discouraging and a new shooter isn't going to pay attention to the little details like how close the target is or that it's reactive, they're just excited to have hit it. Once they're "hooked", a miss is less important because they know they can hit because they have hit.

Blessings,
Bill

 

[Jay]

I start, by having them watch me shoot the first few rounds. That gives them an idea what to expect in the way of noise, and what the gun is going to do. Then I hand them a S&W 617 with a 6" barrel. The weight and barrel length of that gun makes recoil virtually nothing for any size shooter. As skills and technique improve, then various calibers can be introduced smaller to larger. I'll be standing right behind the shooter's strong shoulder, to enable myself to gain control of the gun if need be. I mostly use a private range, so I don't have to worry about any cannons going off next to the new shooter.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I try to start with my Buckmark with one round as others have noted. I usually give them one of my EDCs with no rounds first and have them dry fire a bunch of times and make sure they practice good trigger discipline and muzzle direction control before I hand them a live gun. This summer was an exception, I was visiting a friend in Vermont and she had some housemates that wanted to try shooting, so we started with her single shot .22 rifle, then my Walther PPS .40 since it was the only gun we had available. In all cases they watch me shoot first. I start them at a distance of 10' and then work them back as they get comfortable. I'll have them run 50-100 rounds of .22lr before we move on to higher power guns.