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Thread: “Take Me to the Range?”

  1. #11
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    @Wendell My Range is minimum of 5 yd.
    @BJXDS Excellent point on accountability. I’ll add that.
    @okie john thanks I will add follow through.
    @Peally no, she’s just a friend. The Syllabus is more for me to be honest.

    All - Great suggestions and comments. I read and appreciate all of them.

  2. #12
    For the first couple of shots, load 1 round only. I've seen beginners fire their first shot and excitedly turn towards the onlookers with the gun in their hands and their finger on the trigger.

    Position yourself where you can block the shooter's movement if they try to do that.

    Overall, it looks good!
    Last edited by peterb; 12-15-2017 at 12:55 PM.

  3. #13
    Site Supporter Jesting Devil's Avatar
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    “Take Me to the Range?”

    Couple things I've had good luck with

    First, I really like to try and pre-load some of the information into their head. Repetition, especially with a gap to process it, is what locks info in. If you have a good video on basics, send it to them. Then you’re reinforcing and building on something they’ve already heard.

    Along the same lines, I really like to start with a SIRT if you have one, go over and have them demo safe gun handling, pressing a trigger etc. without any real danger. If possible with a friend, I’ll do this at home before the range day as well, keeps it lower key and limits the number of new things going on at once. A blue gun can work for that too or even dryfire.

    Last, more dryfire at the range. I love the idea of a .22 to start but I don’t have one, and with or without, I always have new shooters try things dry several times before using live ammo.

    Hope something there helps and be sure to have fun!
    Last edited by Jesting Devil; 12-15-2017 at 01:42 PM.

  4. #14
    Looks like a well laid out plan to overwhelm a new shooter and to take something fun and turn it into homework.

    I'd have them watch the Clint Smith 4 safety rules video on YouTube, then tell them to point the gun where they want the bullet to go.

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by peterb View Post
    For the first couple of shots, load 1 round only. I've seen beginners fire their first shot and excitedly turn towards the onlookers with the gun in their hands and their finger on the trigger.

    Position yourself where you can block the shooter's movement if they try to do that.

    Overall, it looks good!
    This ^^^ Peterb beat me to it.

    Going over basics before the range instead of trying to do it at the range is highly recommended.
    Last edited by HCM; 12-15-2017 at 03:13 PM.

  6. #16
    Depends on what you want to make of it.

    This has evolved over the years, but I take a rather informal approach to introducing people to shooting. There are only two things that I want to demonstrate. (a) Shooting is enjoyable for normal people, not just [fill in your stereotype]. (b) I take safety seriously. (c) I take training seriously.

    On that note, some random thoughts.

    - I call "Take me to the range" time a hands-on demo, or a test drive. While I may be teaching you stuff, it's not really training. An analogy: NASCAR Experience is not the same thing as HPDE. You'll learn enough about a race car and get in and drive it a few laps, but it's not really training you for anything. In the same way, I'm going to give my friend just enough info to operate it safely and hit a modest target. Copy paper at a few yards seems reasonable.

    - For this outing, I'm not terribly concerned with Law of Primacy regarding technique. I want her to do the 4 fundamentals just good enough to accomplish her modest task of hitting a generous target. As long as she's hitting the target then I don't care about optimum technique Fixing that is training.

    - I don't think most non-gun owners are aware that there are safety rules. I want her to see me taking the 4 safety rules seriously. Introduce and reiterate them. Call her out, call yourself out for safety violations. Don't be an ass about it.

    - Do dinner the night before the range outing. Do all the intro and before the range stuff there over a bottle of wine. Don't use a real gun. I no longer display guns at the house to newbies. I think it demonstrates a undesirable casualness. Use a demo gun (blue gun, even a toy gun from Wal-Mart) at home. You probably don't have a proper backstop in your condo. It makes it tough to convince people that you take the 4 rules seriously if you trot out your pistol and aim it at your wall. Whether she recognizes it or not, you create cognitive dissonance. Secondly, you can do things with a demo gun that you can't with real gun, like point it at her, or yourself.

    - Show her how to manage the gun safely. Let her practice with the toy gun. Don't for get rule 5: Don't try to catch a dropped gun.

    - At the range. Try to avoid peak times. Let her borrow your fancy electronic earpro. Double plug anyway. You use the crappy range earpro.

    - The range briefing should cover safety rules. Reiterate them at the line.

    - Regardless of how tough he or she is, I much prefer to introduce with .22LR. Rent if you have to. Only move up to 9mm if she's displaying good technique and confidently approves. I'd much rather her only shoot .22LR if there's any question of recoil sensitivity. By no means universal, I've had several females loose interest quickly once you move up to 9mm. Again, this is demo, not training.

    - At the line, with an unloaded gun, do an abridged version of the Intro and Before the Range stuff. (No wine this time) Dry practice it a few times.

    - I like the load one round at a time. Do it several times. Follow it up with two, then three round loads before going full magazine.

    - Keep an eye out for "OK, that's enough." Pack up just before that.

    That's it for now.
    David S.

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by David S. View Post
    This has evolved over the years, but I take a rather informal approach to introducing people to shooting. There are only two things that I want to demonstrate. (a) Shooting is enjoyable for normal people, not just [fill in your stereotype]. (b) I take safety seriously. (c) I take training seriously.
    Right. You can be serious about safety without being solemn. If you use the Serious Face and Serious Voice the whole time the fun goes away.

    My weakness is the tendency to dump more information than a beginner needs. Stop, ask open-ended questions("How did that feel?"), listen.

  8. #18
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    Thanks guys. Awesome input.

    I will definitely incorporate some of these ideas. I’ll look into whether I can get my hands on a .22 rental as I don’t have one.

  9. #19
    Rich,

    One more idea for ya, I am not sure if you mentioned this before, but have you considered A Givens Instructor class ? After all you are an instructor now.

  10. #20
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
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    Jan 2014
    Quote Originally Posted by BJXDS View Post
    Rich,

    One more idea for ya, I am not sure if you mentioned this before, but have you considered A Givens Instructor class ? After all you are an instructor now.
    Ha!

    But it has run through my mind though. I have a background in Instructional Systems Design, so the concepts involved in knowledge and skills transfer are interesting to me.

    I went so far to see what it would take to get a NRA Basic Pistol cert, but didn’t pursue it beyond some web searches.

    My training budget is already spent for 2018, with Tactical Conference in March in Little Rock, and a Gabe White class in September.

    I’ll definitely go look at Tom’s ID class though, that’s a very good idea. Taking his Defensive Pistol class this summer in Everett WA was excellent for the basics, and I really like the Rangemaster approach to instruction.

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