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Le Français
11-18-2011, 05:01 PM
It is quite possible that within the next few days I will have the privilege of introducing a young lady to shooting. She comes from a European country, and she has, as far as I know, absolutely no experience with firearms whatsoever. I would like to know what you all think I should include in what will likely be a one or two hour range session. Here are my initial thoughts:

> Safety rules

> Basic marksmanship with semiautomatic, lightweight, red dot sighted, adjustable LOP .22 rifle (grip, stance, cheek weld, trigger control, breathing)

> Basic marksmanship with ruger mark 2 (black on black notch and post sights, very light trigger)

After this, we could move up to a Glock 17, if she wants to.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated.

ACP230
11-18-2011, 05:36 PM
I started my children out with an air rifle.
They shot my Ruger 10/22 fairly soon after that but it was single loaded for a while.
Might be something to consider.

seabiscuit
11-18-2011, 06:08 PM
I started on an air rifle as well. A single shot action helps you focus on the fundamentals, instead of just pulling the trigger again when you screw up.

Start her off with prone or benchrest, that will eliminate some variables and help her focus on the fundamentals.

Also, iron sights are good to start with. They help correct cheek weld problems and focus.

I'm assuming you're using a 22 AR given the adjustable LOP.

Keep her goals in mind. The above advice is based on the assumption that she actually wants to learn to shoot. If she just wants to have fun, the fundamentals are still important. It's not much fun if you can't hit anything.

Le Français
11-18-2011, 07:43 PM
Thanks guys.

An air rifle is a good idea, but I don't have a suitable one.

The rifle is a heavily modified (for light weight and compactness) Ruger 10/22, and it has no iron sights. I'm thinking that a rifle would be easier to start with than a pistol, but I also agree that starting with irons is a good idea. I also have a single shot .22 rifle with irons, though, so maybe I'll have her use that at first.

Starting off on the bench is another idea I hadn't thought of (principally because I hardly ever shoot that way), but it does make sense. The added steadiness will help her see accurate results on paper early, and boost confidence. Then she can move on to standing.

I'm thinking of starting off with paper targets, and then switching to clay pigeons as her accuracy gets better.

LeeC
11-19-2011, 08:03 AM
Practice as many things as possible before you get to the range where so much will be new to her. It is harder to hear and there are many distractions. Much easier to teach while the student can hear and focus.

JeffJ
11-19-2011, 08:37 AM
I agree, take as much "classroom" time as you need to get the safety rules and basic gun manipulation down. It also helps to explain the policies, rules, procedures, range commands of the range that you are going to. And, this more important for an indoor range, foam plugs under muffs (electronic muffs are ideal) you might just me shooting a .22 but the guy two stalls over with a snubby .357 or .50bmg can really disturb a new shooter.

ToddG
11-19-2011, 10:36 AM
Not to sound snide, but step one should be "get instructor credentials." While the NRA programs have become so big and profitable that lots of people walk away with no real qualifications except the paper NRA gives them, the instructor courses themselves really are worthwhile for folks who want to learn and take the lessons to heart.

Beyond that, some things I would definitely keep in mind:


Watch the shooter carefully for safety issues. This is the #1 job of the instructor with a first time shooter. Muzzle in a safe direction always. Finger never on the trigger when talking or thinking or anything other than pulling the trigger. Etc.
Correct big things and get them right before worrying about little things. Someone leaning way back and closing her eyes before she pulls the trigger each time doesn't need a dissertation on how much finger should be through the trigger guard or whether her feet are in the perfect place.
Load the gun with only one round at a time until she is clearly comfortable with it. Repeat this for each new gun. That way, if she gets excited or scared, if the spins around or drops the gun, it's empty.
New shooters enjoy fun more than anything. If your range allows it, bring some balloons or falling steel targets. Shoot-n-See (or whatever they're called) targets are a decent second choice. Don't create tension or challenges that are beyond her ability to achieve on her first day with minimal instruction. You can't make her a marksman in a few hours so instead try to instill a desire to become one.

nidan11
11-19-2011, 12:15 PM
Beyond that, some things I would definitely keep in mind:


Watch the shooter carefully for safety issues. This is the #1 job of the instructor with a first time shooter. Muzzle in a safe direction always. Finger never on the trigger when talking or thinking or anything other than pulling the trigger. Etc.
Correct big things and get them right before worrying about little things. Someone leaning way back and closing her eyes before she pulls the trigger each time doesn't need a dissertation on how much finger should be through the trigger guard or whether her feet are in the perfect place.
Load the gun with only one round at a time until she is clearly comfortable with it. Repeat this for each new gun. That way, if she gets excited or scared, if the spins around or drops the gun, it's empty.
New shooters enjoy fun more than anything. If your range allows it, bring some balloons or falling steel targets. Shoot-n-See (or whatever they're called) targets are a decent second choice. Don't create tension or challenges that are beyond her ability to achieve on her first day with minimal instruction. You can't make her a marksman in a few hours so instead try to instill a desire to become one.


The ONE SHELL per shot is a very good idea in a brand new shooter who may become excited when first starting out. This will better assure that nobody gets hurt. As soon as you are comfortable with their safety, then progress to multiple rounds.

When I teach newbies, I generally start them out on a BLUE GUN (or an empty air pistol) prior to getting to the range. I show them the basics of holding the pistol and moving the pistol from point A to point B.

When the shooting commences, I stand directly behind them within arms reach so that I can stop any dangerous moves prior to the danger. I inform them that I will be back there and that I may touch them on the shoulder to give them advice. I focus FIRST and FOREMOST on the safety aspect. I put the pistol target at 10 feet to start and progress outward from there. I like using the SHOOT-N-SEE targets so that the 0.22 rounds show nice and bright. It helps their confidence.

I have taught a lot of women new to the art and they tend to get excited, yet are also very cautious with the weapon because it tends to frighten them a bit.

TGS
11-19-2011, 12:48 PM
I would consider doing less in the way of marksmanship. If it's the only time she's ever going to shoot a gun, then I wouldn't want to make it a lesson that takes all the fun out of it with her feeling she needs to be making a standard or working on something. There's nothing wrong with going over safety, supervising her, and letting her blast away with a minimum on how the proper way to shoot accurately. I'd want to make sure it's (1) Safe and then (2) fun. Don't make it unfun with making it a lesson. Are you there to show her some fun, or to build a rifleman? What does SHE want to do?

Also, check out The Cornered Cat (http://corneredcat.com/Contents/) section on teaching others to shoot.

IME, I've helped 2 ladies on the range. One is an competitive ultra-marathoner friend that wanted to get good...so when we shot together I was always showing her something new every couple mags to make small, incremental, and realistic improvements over a 2 hour session. This was fun to her, because she has her own gun and is coming out to shoot and get better again and again. Shoots aluminum framed 4" 1911's, Beretta PX4's, .357's, everything and anything.

The second girl was a girlfriend. She just wanted to go shoot and see what it's like. I started her off with my S&W 19 with light .38 loads. At home, I showed her the gun and how to unload/load it, and also what the sights are and how they work. I went over safety with her, as well. At the range I showed her how a range works, went over safety again, rehashed how to hold the gun without hurting herself, and did the 1 shell at a time thing at the advice of the Cornered Cat. Then, I let her load it up and blast away while I supervised. She didn't need to know anything beyond what a sight picture looks like and how to safely shoot. She didn't need to know anything about stances, weaver vs isosceles, ect. She just wanted to see what a gun felt like when it goes bang and check out what this whole shooting thing is about. There's no reason to make incremental improvements and turn it into a lesson on how it should be done.

TGS
11-19-2011, 01:05 PM
Correct big things and get them right before worrying about little things. Someone leaning way back and closing her eyes before she pulls the trigger each time doesn't need a dissertation on how much finger should be through the trigger guard or whether her feet are in the perfect place.

New shooters enjoy fun more than anything. If your range allows it, bring some balloons or falling steel targets. Shoot-n-See (or whatever they're called) targets are a decent second choice. Don't create tension or challenges that are beyond her ability to achieve on her first day with minimal instruction. You can't make her a marksman in a few hours so instead try to instill a desire to become one.



I like these points. Emphasis added by me.

Al T.
11-19-2011, 01:05 PM
Keep it light and fun. Some of us (me) forget that shooting is recreational for most folks. :)

Other point is to bring a good camera. Lots of folks like to see pics of themselves shooting, especially if it's new or a one time thing.

peterb
11-19-2011, 02:14 PM
It's good to mention that the ear protection and range noise may mean you have to yell, and the fact that you're yelling doesn't mean you're angry.

Le Français
11-19-2011, 02:23 PM
Thanks everyone; you all raised good points. I'll make sure I ascertain what she would like to get out of it, and work from there in the balance of fun and learning. One round at a time is also wise advice, especially with a semiauto or a DA revolver.

As for your point about instructor credentials, Todd, I completely understand what you're saying, and I agree that it would be ideal for every new shooter's first range session to be in the company of an instructor. However, I don't see it as necessary at all, especially if the goal is more "fun" than "skill". As long as the person instructing can convey and enforce basic safety rules and techniques, and keep it fun and realistic, it's a shame not to introduce someone to shooting.

ETA: The range in question is a members only outdoor range, and it is very likely that we will have the place to ourselves.

jthhapkido
11-19-2011, 08:38 PM
I agree with the:

1) Safety
2) Fun!

crowd. If this is their first time, and you only have a couple of hours, they aren't going to be great no matter how you teach them. So, building strong safety instincts, and making sure that they have fun (for example, picking targets they will be successful with that blow up nicely) is probably the best thing to do.

I also strongly suggest started with the firearm on a bag (not a pro bench rest, just a bag) so that they don't have to worry about stance or anything---just sights and trigger. After that seems easy, have them stand but brace their support arm on a post/tree or something. After that---offhand shooting at fun, larger targets.

When I start new shooters with pistols, I never use red dots (which some people disagree with). Dots mean that people watch the target, and ingraining that early means they have a REALLY hard time later getting any sort of front sight focus. I tend to stick with iron sights on rifles for the same reason, though it is less of an issue considering how many rifles are shot these days with scopes and dots of various types.

Joseph B.
11-20-2011, 07:24 PM
As with anything, being safe and learning how to stay safe should be the first steps. I use a lot of examples of safety violations, related accidents and humor when getting the rules of safety across to the new shooter. I also like to set up a target (melon, tube of hamburger, ammo can full of water, etc) and shoot it, I do this to drive home the dangers involved with firearms and why safety is so important.

As for instruction on the fundamentals, make it as fun as you can. Try and keep it just you and the new shooter (keep the know-it-all and their advice away). Keep the instruction short and sweet, don’t over load the shooter with information or bounce around with too many topics. The idea is to make it a safe, fun and an accomplishment type experience. Always finish the session off with an easy, rewarding course of fire that allows the new shooter to walk away with an outstanding performance/experience to remember. If their interest grows from there, than by all means pile it on and pass on every bit of knowledge you have. However, if the experience was great but the interest is not there, at least you know you did everything you can do to spark it.

I wish you well with this and thank you for taking the initiative in preparing and introducing a new person to shooting.

Le Français
11-21-2011, 12:38 PM
As with anything, being safe and learning how to stay safe should be the first steps. I use a lot of examples of safety violations, related accidents and humor when getting the rules of safety across to the new shooter. I also like to set up a target (melon, tube of hamburger, ammo can full of water, etc) and shoot it, I do this to drive home the dangers involved with firearms and why safety is so important.

As for instruction on the fundamentals, make it as fun as you can. Try and keep it just you and the new shooter (keep the know-it-all and their advice away). Keep the instruction short and sweet, don’t over load the shooter with information or bounce around with too many topics. The idea is to make it a safe, fun and an accomplishment type experience. Always finish the session off with an easy, rewarding course of fire that allows the new shooter to walk away with an outstanding performance/experience to remember. If their interest grows from there, than by all means pile it on and pass on every bit of knowledge you have. However, if the experience was great but the interest is not there, at least you know you did everything you can do to spark it.

I wish you well with this and thank you for taking the initiative in preparing and introducing a new person to shooting.

Thank you very much, Joseph.

The range session is a go for this afternoon, and I'll let you all know how it went. One thing is sure: it will be much better than it would have been if I had not started this thread. For that I'm grateful.

ToddG
11-21-2011, 04:09 PM
So with absolutely no intent to direct this toward Le Français or anyone else in particular, I just spent 90 minutes at the range reinforcing my believe that far too many unqualified people think "bring a friend to the range" is cool without ever giving a moment's thought to safety.

First, apparently there was a big gun show this weekend. If I'd known that, it would have been the final straw breaking my already weak motivation to hit the range today in the first place. The first day (Monday) and evening (Wednesday) that the range is open after a gun show is like a carnival of the absurd. I finally left after the fifth person pointed a gun at me. Fifth. Five. One two three four five people in an hour and a half.

Four of the five were either brand new shooters there to have fun with an idiot "instructor" whose idea of safety was little more than "I aint never shot nobody on accident." The other was a patron who, for the third time in a row, had to receive severe remedial attention from the range staff because he just literally cannot get it through his frakking head that pointing loaded guns at strangers on the range is BAD.

Mr_White
11-21-2011, 04:15 PM
So with absolutely no intent to direct this toward Le Français or anyone else in particular, I just spent 90 minutes at the range reinforcing my believe that far too many unqualified people think "bring a friend to the range" is cool without ever giving a moment's thought to safety.

First, apparently there was a big gun show this weekend. If I'd known that, it would have been the final straw breaking my already weak motivation to hit the range today in the first place. The first day (Monday) and evening (Wednesday) that the range is open after a gun show is like a carnival of the absurd. I finally left after the fifth person pointed a gun at me. Fifth. Five. One two three four five people in an hour and a half.

Four of the five were either brand new shooters there to have fun with an idiot "instructor" whose idea of safety was little more than "I aint never shot nobody on accident." The other was a patron who, for the third time in a row, had to receive severe remedial attention from the range staff because he just literally cannot get it through his frakking head that pointing loaded guns at strangers on the range is BAD.

What do you think it would have taken for any of the aforementioned muzzlers to get booted? Or is there no hard and fast tipping point and it's all range staff discretion?

JV_
11-21-2011, 04:26 PM
So with absolutely no intent to direct this toward Le Français or anyone else in particular, I just spent 90 minutes at the range reinforcing my believe that far too many unqualified people think "bring a friend to the range" is cool without ever giving a moment's thought to safety.=

I was pretty close to hitting the range today, I'm glad I didn't.

ToddG
11-21-2011, 04:30 PM
What do you think it would have taken for any of the aforementioned muzzlers to get booted? Or is there no hard and fast tipping point and it's all range staff discretion?

I'm not privy to that information. If they have a bright line, I've never personally witnessed it. The repeat offender today was so bad that I actually went to the ROs and tattled on him rather than waste my time (again) trying to deal with it myself (again) so instead the ROs talked to him (again) and then the very next thing he did was put his loaded gun down on the table pointed right at me. So I complained (again). And they told him to be careful (again).

There may have been threats of ejection with the final RO visit, however, because the offender shaped up and behaved the rest of the day until he was done, when he then muzzled everyone (including his shooting buddy) every time he put a gun away in his range bag.


I was pretty close to hitting the range today, I'm glad I didn't.

Yes, you are.

Nephrology
11-21-2011, 06:26 PM
I'm not privy to that information. If they have a bright line, I've never personally witnessed it. The repeat offender today was so bad that I actually went to the ROs and tattled on him rather than waste my time (again) trying to deal with it myself (again) so instead the ROs talked to him (again) and then the very next thing he did was put his loaded gun down on the table pointed right at me. So I complained (again). And they told him to be careful (again).

There may have been threats of ejection with the final RO visit, however, because the offender shaped up and behaved the rest of the day until he was done, when he then muzzled everyone (including his shooting buddy) every time he put a gun away in his range bag.



Yes, you are.

This is also why I have become EXTREMELY selective with the ranges that I choose to patronize.

I was going to be bringing a few newbies shooting today (and fear not, I am over my new shooters like a hawk and take every one of their safety violations to be one of my own) but I learned that the range I wanted to attend was closed for a steel plate shoot. There are easily a half-dozen other ranges within the same driving distance but I had zero confidence in their ability to provide a safe environment, so I rainchecked. It is already nerve wracking enough for me to take newbies out to the range, I don't want to have to watch both their behavior and the other dumbasses as well.

Le Français
11-21-2011, 06:55 PM
So with absolutely no intent to direct this toward Le Français or anyone else in particular, I just spent 90 minutes at the range reinforcing my believe that far too many unqualified people think "bring a friend to the range" is cool without ever giving a moment's thought to safety.

First, apparently there was a big gun show this weekend. If I'd known that, it would have been the final straw breaking my already weak motivation to hit the range today in the first place. The first day (Monday) and evening (Wednesday) that the range is open after a gun show is like a carnival of the absurd. I finally left after the fifth person pointed a gun at me. Fifth. Five. One two three four five people in an hour and a half.

Four of the five were either brand new shooters there to have fun with an idiot "instructor" whose idea of safety was little more than "I aint never shot nobody on accident." The other was a patron who, for the third time in a row, had to receive severe remedial attention from the range staff because he just literally cannot get it through his frakking head that pointing loaded guns at strangers on the range is BAD.

Wow. That's rough. This sort of thing makes me glad that my range is quiet, relatively rural, and has very few members. Plus, they are, for the most part, safe (and skilled) in their weapons handling.

Update on new shooter: I wish I had more experience teaching new shooters, because I do think I could have done a better job. Despite this, the session went very well. She started from the bench at 50 feet with a single shot .22lr rifle and iron sights, shooting at a 5 inch circle on a sheet of paper. She has had some limited experience with an air rifle, and, after safety instruction and a quick refresher on how to line up the sights (complete with multicolored diagram :)), she put every shot inside the circle. We then moved to standing, and she had trouble keeping the gun steady, so I adjusted her grip and shortened the distance. After she was able to hit consistently that way, we moved on to my custom 10/22, with which she was very accurate. One inch groups at 20 feet became the norm with that gun, and I was impressed.

Next came pistols. I explained the thumbs forward grip, and the importance of having a high grip on a pistol. She started with a Ruger Mark II, and immediately was making hits on paper, followed by hits on clay pigeons as we moved to more reactive targets. It was her first time ever running a pistol, and already her grip was good and she was hitting clay pigeons easily at 20'. Just the sight of a brand new shooter with a proper grip on a pistol was enough to bring a smile to my face. That's not something you see every day. Because she was doing so well with the Ruger, I set up some clay pigeons and had her do a walkback drill, stepping back once every time she hit. She had clearly grasped sight alignment, because those things kept breaking.

After that, we moved on to a Glock 17. I made sure she understood that there would be more recoil, more noise, and a longer trigger pull than with the Ruger. Then I made a stupid mistake. That Glock has 2 dot night sights, and I told her to put one dot on top of the other to aim. She got confused and missed a few times. When she asked me to explain, I just told her to treat them like the Ruger sights, and, voilà!, she was back to hitting everything again.

As the sun set, we moved to a Beretta 21a in .22lr (not a beginner-friendly gun), and she was accurate with it at 15 feet. She stopped to tell me that, even though the sights were tiny, the front sight blade was very thin, and thus allowed precise aim. True enough.

We finished by the light of a Surefire flashlight, shooting the G17 until the darkness and the cold drove us back into the car.

All in all, it was great. Her performance was outstanding, and she was clearly delighted by the experience, expressing desire to continue shooting in the future. Thank you all for your help; I really appreciate it.

Al T.
11-21-2011, 07:49 PM
Good stuff!

Had some new folks on the range today (75 degrees here :)). I'm tough on safety and usually go over the four rules by having the new folks (adults) role play each and every one. (Thanks Todd!)

MDS
11-21-2011, 10:32 PM
Been watching this thread with interest. As a relative noob myself, I don't have much advice to offer, but I do want to thank you for thinking this through and giving a new shooter the kind of positive introduction that is so rare. There are few things as satisfying to me as showing a new person how to safely and competently handle a gun, and then have them walk away smiling. Reading this thread was just as satisfying.

Good work!

LeeC
11-22-2011, 12:58 AM
So with absolutely no intent to direct this toward Le Français or anyone else in particular, I just spent 90 minutes at the range reinforcing my believe that far too many unqualified people think "bring a friend to the range" is cool without ever giving a moment's thought to safety.

First, apparently there was a big gun show this weekend. If I'd known that, it would have been the final straw breaking my already weak motivation to hit the range today in the first place. The first day (Monday) and evening (Wednesday) that the range is open after a gun show is like a carnival of the absurd. I finally left after the fifth person pointed a gun at me. Fifth. Five. One two three four five people in an hour and a half.

Four of the five were either brand new shooters there to have fun with an idiot "instructor" whose idea of safety was little more than "I aint never shot nobody on accident." The other was a patron who, for the third time in a row, had to receive severe remedial attention from the range staff because he just literally cannot get it through his frakking head that pointing loaded guns at strangers on the range is BAD.

My wife and I were shooting from noon to 1 PM today at NRA HQ range. There was an incident down around the middle of the range where a senior patron yelled at some folks to his right to stop pointing their guns at him. An RSO was out a moment later to investigate the altercation, and the same senior patron told the RSO that he had already told these folks to keep their guns down range, but they just weren't getting it. The RSO went and spoke with the offending patrons for a few moments.

There was an incident that happened a few weeks ago that I hadn't seen before. I was down around lane 14 and another [undisclosed forum member] was reloading around lane 9. A very attentive RSO was instructing someone around lane 11 or so, facing down range. [undisclosed forum member] is reloading, facing his table with his back to the range, like I am. We both see someone around lane 6 decide that it is time to pack up, so he totes his naked rifle across the safety line, all the way across the room to a table in the back where his case is, to put it away. [undisclosed forum member] keeps looking at the RSO, like I am, thinking she's going to finish any second and see this guy, but she doesn't. No slight on her, although before this incident I was convinced that she actually DID have eyes in the back of her head because she doesn't miss much. [undisclosed forum member] was fortunately comfortable with tipping off the RSO so that she could remind absent-minded patron of basic range safety rules.

Last week I was just getting setup to start shooting, and a mature couple took the two lanes to my right. They pulled their tables a few feet behind the safety line, parallel to me, and start unpacking. They each stapled up a life-sized silhouette target that had "Department of Homeland Security" printed across the bottom. I'm thinking that they look fairly experienced, and they did shoot reasonable, medium pizza-sized groups at 3 yards and then 7 yards. But the lady takes her .45 SIG out of the case and puts it up on the table to start loading up magazines. At least the muzzle was pointed down range, but the slide was closed and a mag was in the well, six feet behind the safety line. I'm looking at the gun on the table and then at her, then back at the gun, thinking she'll get the non-verbal queue. Nope. Then I point out that she can't have a gun behind the safety line unless it is in a case or holster. Somewhere along the way, a dim light of recollection or deduction came on, and she pushed the table up halfway into the safe zone. I didn't see any hint of an "oops" response though. It was kind of strange.

So, I don't travel much and haven't been to a range outside the state of Virginia. But of the half-dozen or so ranges that I have been to, none allow handling of firearms outside the safety box. Are the rules different elsewhere, or do people just forget? Maybe they get some training and shoot for a while, but then don't go to a range for months (years?) and forget the basics? Maybe people need to "re-qualify" more frequently or at least be reminded. Gun safety posters?

ToddG
11-22-2011, 10:24 AM
I don't worry about whether people are violating the NRA Range's rules. That's the job of the ROs. As long as muzzles are in safe directions, all the rest -- eye and ear pro, guns behind the line, loaded guns on tables people hitting walls, etc. -- isn't worth worrying about. I care about the four cardinal rules and as long as folks obey them, it's absolutely none of my business what they do.

RangeDS
01-27-2012, 10:19 PM
I don't see it mention here yet...There are some incredible simulators in production and available now. Real firearms are modified to accommodate high quality laser and air operated functions. The look, weight, feel and function of the weapons are maintained but no projectiles to threaten. Target systems are calibrated to such high tolerances even an amateur shooter won't complain.

Instructors at the range we completed in Oct. '11 are using the simulator as a part of their curriculum now for classes like Handgun 101, Concealed Carry, etc.

Anyone interested in knowing about the manufacturers worth considering, PM me. I'll mention that the quality of the shooting simulators is now to a level that LE and military's around the world are buying these tools to train their forces too. Uruguay, Republic of Georgia, are buying these things by the dozens to catch up with the times. Thankfully they are in more several hundred U.S. Embassies and military installations around the world as well. ....anyway, shooting simulators are great for both beginners and seasoned shooters.

HeadHunter
01-27-2012, 10:35 PM
When I teach newbies, I generally start them out on a BLUE GUN (or an empty air pistol) prior to getting to the range. I show them the basics of holding the pistol and moving the pistol from point A to point B.

This approach has proven to be very successful in the NRA classes I have co-taught. We were amazed at how much better the students shot when their first experience was with a blue gun as compared to even an empty real pistol.

derekb
01-27-2012, 10:57 PM
This approach has proven to be very successful in the NRA classes I have co-taught. We were amazed at how much better the students shot when their first experience was with a blue gun as compared to even an empty real pistol.

Do you suppose this is because when you hand someone an empty gun, they immediately become uncomfortable, but when you hand them a blue gun they're not thinking about how dangerous it might be?