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Thread: “Take Me to the Range?”

  1. #1
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014

    “Take Me to the Range?”

    I’ll try this thread again when I have the text worked out...sorry.
    Last edited by RJ; 12-14-2017 at 06:31 PM.

  2. #2
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    Ok, I had some issues in transferring text to the forum. Let me try again.

    So, it finally happened: despite my attempts to keep a low profile, a friend of mine asked me to take them to the range.

    This person is interested in carrying, but has no previous experience with handguns. I’ve suggested they reach out to local teachers, but so far they haven’t had any luck with that. However, they are still interested in learning more.

    Obviously I’m no instructor, and would never hold myself out as one, but since they asked, I feel like I can give them some advice to get started. Casting around for good sources online for a new shooter, I saw Chris Baker of Lucky Gunner had what I thought was a good introduction in his “Shooting 101” series.

    Chris gave me permission to paraphrase some of his techniques from this video. So, modeling partly on this, and adding some background from my previous training, I wrote out a syllabus for a very basic first time range visit I could use with this new shooter.

    I’d be obliged if y’all could take a look and see if there are any gaping holes in this, changes, or suggestions for improvement. In particular I’m interested in what you feel is a realistic accuracy standard for a first time shooter.

    Thanks!

    My draft syllabus will follow in the next post...

  3. #3
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    “Take me to the Range”


    Introduction

    Introduce self and student. What are you trying to achieve?

    At the end of this session, with minimal supervision, you will be able to:

    1. Safely handle, unload, and load a modern semi-automatic pistol, and
    2. Shoot 80% of rounds onto a 8” x 11” paper at 5 yards with no time constraints under ideal conditions.

    However! This is is not a substitute for formal handgun instruction with a current, qualified and capable instructor.

    Safety Rules

    Let’s cover the four safety rules:

    1. All guns are always loaded, so treat all guns like a loaded gun. Don’t leave it for someone to find. It should be under your direct control, or locked up in a secure container.

    2. Never point a gun at something you don’t want to destroy. Always keep it pointed in a ‘safe direction’. At a range, a ‘safe direction’ is downrange, toward the target.

    3. Keep your finger off the trigger, until you are ready to shoot. Meaning, put your finger straight out, or better, on the slide. ‘Feel Steel’.

    4. Identify what you are shooting at, and what is beyond it. Meaning, recognize the target, and also recognize what is beyond the target. (Note:A typical pistol bullet will travel 1-2 miles.)

    Discuss how these apply, everywhere, all the time.

    Discuss the concept of Dominant Eyesight. Do a exercise to determine dominant eye. Show why this matters.

    Basics (1)

    Discuss how to pick up a pistol and clear it: Drop the magazine (the box that the bullets go in). Discuss Magazine release (show little button that releases the magazine) and demonstrate it. Grasp top of gun at the rear of the Slide (the slide slides back and forth). Discuss the Slide Lock and demonstrate it.

    Check the chamber (where the bullets go), using your eyes AND fingers. Look inside the magazine opening. Mention how the 4 rules ALWAYS apply, even when handling an ‘unloaded’ gun.

    Do this EVERY TIME you pick up a gun, even if you just put it down, or someone just handed it to you (at a gun store, for example).

    Demonstrate a method to open a pistol slide for someone with small hands or less strength. Palm first, then grip overhand. Holding slide, push the strong hand. Try holding it close to chest, and ‘pushing’ down.

    Let’s Discuss Sights

    Explain where the sights are, how they work, and how to align them. Mention ‘building a castle’. Draw a picture.

    Explain focus on the front sight. Discuss how it will be moving. Mention a ‘sight movie’. (2) Discuss aligning the sights on the target, but focusing on the front sight.

    Close by reviewing what we just learned: Dominant eyes, clearing a gun, and how sights work.

    Review the four safety rules and do a Q&A.

    Exercise without the Gun

    Stand up naturally with hands at sides. Put weak side foot forward a bit, with hips slightly forward. Lean in slightly and put shoulders slightly forward.

    Now make a fist with your strong hand, and join your hands together in front of you. Extend strong hand pointer finger front of you.

    Raise hands to dominant eye, keeping elbows slightly bent. Focusing on thumbs, and imagine pressing a trigger straight back.

    Add the Pistol

    Sit back down and relax.

    Show how to grip: Firmly place pistol deep into web of strong hand, as high up as possible, extending the pointer finger on the slide. Wrap strong hand fingers around grip. Point out the ‘gap’ that will be filled by the weak hand.

    Then with weak hand angled down, try to ‘fill the gap’ on grip with weak hand palm, wrapping the fingers over strong hand. (Check trigger reach at this point). How hard do you Grip? Pretty hard.

    Stand up as before, with non shooting foot slightly forward. Hips slightly forward. Shoulders forward of hips. Grip at low ready (discuss how pointing a gun at someone is a felony in some states).

    Discuss trigger control. Discuss how Trigger control is a big component of accuracy in shooting. ‘Line up the bumpy things on the top of the slide and press straight back.’ (3)

    Raise gun to dominant eye, line up sights (build your castle) and, watching the front sight, press trigger straight back in one continuous motion.

    Note: push student rearward gently. Correct stance as needed.

    Close exercise by reviewing what we just discussed: Grip and stance.

    Review the four safety rules and Q&A.

    Before the Range

    Cover what to wear to the range: Long sleeve, closed front shirt, closed toe shoes, long pants and a brimmed hat if possible. Cover the why: hot brass, potential for splash.

    Discuss eye and ear protection, and provide some suggestions on purchasing, vs. what is available at the range. Cover what to expect at sign in, including needing photo ID. Discuss how long the range visit will last (about an hour)

    Discuss equipment that will be used at the range. Discuss Magazine loading. Use a snap cap to show how a Magazine Loader works. Have student practice loading a magazine snap cap both with and without a Mag Loader.

    Discuss Targets that will be used. Discuss how loud some ranges can be. Mention electronic ear protection and why it is used. Discuss double plugging. Discuss range table set up and how target carriers will work.

    Discuss importance of washing hands after range visit. Mention first aid equipment that will be at hand. Discuss emergency procedures. Discuss double doors and why they are used.

    Discuss range etiquette, and helping Range Safety Officers to make everyone safe. Discuss having a goal for each range visit, and what the goal is for this one.

    Finally, discuss recoil and how we’ve set ourselves up to manage it. Mention slide lock back on empty.

    Discuss what we just covered: Range information, equipment and the range experience.

    Review the four safety rules and a Q&A.

    At the Range

    Sign in. Listen to range brief. Locate the restrooms. Review the four safety rules.

    Enter range and set up equipment on bench. Show light, target carrier. Show carrier controls for fwd and back. Perform a demonstration of everything the student is expected to do: Load 1 round using mag loader.

    Grip, Raise gun to dominant eye, line up sights (build your castle) on the target, then press trigger straight back in one continuous motion.

    Congrats! You just center punched the target! Repeat A/R.

    Range clean up. Target removal, sweeping brass forward. Exit, wash up. After range discussion and Q&A. Review the four safety rules. Discuss getting further training and the CWFL process.

    Credits:

    1 This approach is based on Chris Baker Luckygunner’s Shooting 101 Video series, and is used with permission.
    2 Credit Gabe White for the “sight movie” term
    3 Credit Tom Givens

    Version 1.2 12/14/17
    Last edited by RJ; 12-15-2017 at 08:07 AM.

  4. #4
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    Here is the target I plan to use:

    uspsa_body_ver1.pdf

  5. #5
    Some ranges might limit the minimum distance to the target. Assuming that I can shoot from whereever I want, I'll start a brand-new person at a much closer distance - like one yard - and have them shoot an as-tight-as-possible group on a blank page (or an IPSC or IDPA target). Continuing with a very small target, such as dot torture, and having them strive to keep every shot within the stipulated dot, reveals (and teaches) more in a very short time than does a larger target at five yards (or further) in my opinion. As they demonstrate proficiency, we'll move out, progressively.
    Last edited by Wendell; 12-15-2017 at 08:38 AM.

  6. #6
    The only thing I will add is this: ROUND ACCOUNTABILITY!

    What I mean is, The one shot that does not hit your intended target in the intended location can be more important than the ones that do. AS the level of training and proficiency increases so should accuracy standards.

    I can't tell you the number of times I have heard, well that's good enough, when referring to lets say 5 hits in the A zone and one pulled elsewhere on the target. Well is it really!? on the square range no harm no foul, elsewhere, it could have dire consequences.

    OKAY, one other thing, Are they really interested in putting the time, effort, and expense in training to accomplish what needs to be done. If not you may just have some fun plinking at the range with no real expectations of being able to effectively use the firearm for self defense. Nothing wrong with that either.

  7. #7
    You left out follow-through. Other than that, it looks pretty solid.

    Grip is the hardest thing to teach, but Kyle DeFoor has good pointers on it.

    Also, right before a new shooter fires the first shot, I tell them, "You have a loaded gun in your hand. It won't do anything that you don't make it do." Kinda hammers the point home for some of them, especially if they're not totally pro-gun.


    Okie John
    “The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
    "Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's

  8. #8
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    Rich, it looks like a decent plan to me.

    I'd advise to pay attention to the, "what do you want to achieve" discussion. IMHO, it's easy to overload new shooters with too much information. If you see their eyes start to glaze over, I'd say it's better to just make sure they're safe and have fun on the first range trip. I still try to cover the fundamentals, so hopefully they get an idea of how much they don't yet know, but following that with "but we won't worry about that for right now, let's just get used to shooting the gun" is sometimes appropriate. OTOH, some people are sponges and can handle lots of detailed coaching early on, it just depends on the individual.

  9. #9
    Member Peally's Avatar
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    Wisconsin, USA
    Is he paying you a bunch of money to train? If not you don't need a doctorate level syllabus written up, if he's new he probably can't even pull the fricken trigger without ganking the whole gun towards the ground.
    Last edited by Peally; 12-15-2017 at 10:50 AM.
    Semper Gumby, Always Flexible

  10. #10
    I am no instructor.........

    Yet I have helped a whole lot of individuals as well as cops at work over the last few decades. For brand new shooters as well as those that have developed bad habits, I have found a .22LR semi auto to be a huge asset to teach the raw basics. It takes recoil pretty much out of the picture and allows the student to focus on the sights and trigger. Once they are confident and center punching with the rimfire, we move on to the center fire.

    This may or may not happen in one session.

    Quick story: I had this one cop that was shooting in the 60s and couldn't qualify. The department range instructors were using too brutal of an instruction and he was getting ticked off with them, with himself, and was in danger of getting his badge and gun pulled. They told him to come back tomorrow and he had one last chance.

    Pressure off the map!

    He called me very upset and I told him to meet me at the local gunshop/range and to relax........that it would be no problem to get him passing the qual but to carve out at least two hours of his afternoon. We met up and I brought two .22 pistols.

    Once the basics were coming together, we moved on to the duty piece.

    A calm, relaxing, no stress instruction was and is the method I use. Last thing I want is a nervous student with a deadly tool in their hand.

    He learned the raw basics, sight alignment and trigger press......and I gave him a couple of drills to work on that night.

    Next day he went for his last attempt. My phone rang an hour later.......

    "DUDE!!!!!! I SHOT A 98!!!! I ONLY MISSED ONE AND THAT WAS REAL REAL CLOSE TO THE BLACK!!!"

    The department instructors were dumbfounded........how a guy could go from 60 to 98 (expert) in just a few hours. He told them who helped him which ticked them off since I have outshot all of them too........and they never forgave me and kept me from going to the instructor course. lol

    Nice and easy. If you see nerves developing, take a break and do something to get the nervousness out. It allows focus....and focus is key.

    Regards.

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