I recently posted on the blog’s Facebook page that I once witnessed two gun range employees recommend a Glock 27 to a new, slightly built, female shooter. They then proceeded to laugh about it after she rented the firearm and fired only one shot.
She was about ready to leave when I approached her and offered her a .22LR 1911 and some shooting tips. This was one of the first times that I ever did so, and since that time, I have helped new or inexperienced shooters as often as I could.
Most of the time, I’ll see a husband and wife or boyfriend/girlfriend or group of women shooting – not shooting well, but putting rounds downrange – with some sort of centerfire handgun, and I’ll approach them and politely ask if they would like some help with shooting.
I rarely see women alone at the range, and when I do, they rarely need assistance. I am normally hesitant to approach a lone woman at a shooting range anyway, because I don’t want to give her the impression that I just want to show off or hit on her (the range is one of the few places where I have avoided hitting on women).
I am also hesitant to approach men who are not shooting well at the range, because they almost always indignantly refuse any offer of assistance or a loaner handgun. It seems to be a point of pride that they are shooting so poorly. I’m not saying that I have never done so successfully, but I can only recall a few times when guys have accepted my assistance.
Women, on the other hand, have always said yes to me. When I see a woman with a man at the shooting range, and it’s clear that neither is very knowledgeable or skilled with firearms, I ask the woman if she would like some help. I don’t seek the permission of the man she is with.
I know this irritates the men they’re with sometimes, but after a while, even they begrudgingly accept that I’m not there to steal their girl. I explain a few basic things in about three minutes, and I almost always see a dramatic improvement in their shooting – the women, and their men, who pay attention most of the time.
I’m not writing this to brag about what a great guy I am – I want shooters to help other shooters. If you see a similar situation at the range, and feel confident in your ability to safely and properly instruct a new shooter, I highly recommend stepping up and being a good ambassador for the shooting world.
I realize it is very open ended and an entire book to itself, but your article begs the question: what are the common mistakes you see, and what are the corrective actions?
Are we talking as basic as obeying the 4 rules, plus teaching them what a proper sight picture is?
Probably keep your grip out of the way of/off the hammer and slide comes up a lot too. Lean forwards, not backwards. Tiny guns are not easier to shoot. Figure out your dominate eye. Let the trigger surprise you.
Actually this seems like a good video topic, since you say you “explain a few basic things in about three minutes”.
Thanks for the great articles/videos.
I have to say that really this is the only way we can promote shooting in a friendly manner. It disgusts me that such people would recommend a petite women and new shooter a more intimidating hand gun and expect her to continue to shoot. Hopefully people like you are more common than not.
I couldn’t agree more I have done that many times myself. I really feel like it is our responsibility as experienced and trained shooters to help bring new shooters into the hobby. I think I have only been rebuffed once by a husband that snapped his wife was going to shoot the gun she was going to carry which is a valid point but only if she isn’t turned off to shooting forever. so what would be the harm of letting her have some fun with my .22 and my ammo for half an hour and then changing over to her carry gun once she had a better grasp of the fundamentals of shooting. oh well what do I know.
As much as I think it’s a good civic and neighborly duty to assist where possible, it is a good way to piss people off, and by people I mean guys. As you said, there is pride in shooting, and for newer shooters (guys) they are doing their best to accommodate their perceived machismo in not just owning a gun but in working it like a boss. Having said that, when I’ve had that rare opportunity to be able and offer a small bit of instruction, it is often well received. And I have learned to not keep offering more and more instruction/tips because I don’t want to know if they were just humoring me by accepting the one tip. I’ve also had know-it-all jackasses interfere with me instructing my mom by barking out their tips and theories. Then they feel the need to try and qualify their tips and tricks by mentioning they’re ipsc, idpa, nra, cia, and or nwa…yet they’re over at their bay tea-cupping and flinching like the worst of them. I had one jackass telling my mom she shouldn’t bother pulling her revolver from her purse before firing and that she should just aim her purse at the badguy and fire! So no wonder people are weary of receiving tips…
So… then what happened? Is she still at your place?
I see this alot at the range i go too. Especially dads who bring there daughters with them. The usually show up. Ignore there girls and go about shooting. While his kids struggle to figure out what is going on.
I tend to be one of those folks who never met a stranger and the Good Lord has gifted me with an approachable demeanor and personality, so I’ve done the same many times…
I almost always have a .22 with me if I’m shooting pistol or rifle and I often offer to let others, especially gals, try it. It never fails, if they’ve been struggling with a centerfire, they try out the .22 and instantly see their kits and enjoyment improve…
The again, education is my profession, my hobby, and my business as a college professor plus being an NRA and 4H shooting sports instructor…
Dann in Ohio
I watched a guy “instructing” a new shooter by him running his race gun and having her run a conventional auto. He was trying to teach her drawing, shooting, failure/clearing drills, I could tell by the look on her face she was overwhelmed. She’d have been better off with your three minute lecture.
I once offered the woman next to me my G19 after watching her suffer with a .45. I did check with her husband first, both were appreciative.
I was offered help only once by two guys far beyond my skill level. I took their help and what they showed me has stuck with me.
Just rambling about 3 different range experiences.
I’m lucky, I can easily help a chick with shooting and get around the macho-ness of the boyfriend by giving her “girl shooting tips” which her boyfriend should probably be listening to but never will.
That being said I never approach guys. I just get ignored.
I wouldn’t ignore you if you approached me. Just saying.
Smooth Andrew, smooth…
Seems like every time I go to the range, I wind up giving someone some kind of lesson, 99 times out of 100, they take it to heart and seem to appreciate it. IMO the right approach is key to getting someone to listen.
FWIW, I’m willing to admit that I’m not perfect (not QUITE… not yet) and I’ve had people school me at the range, too. Never really had a problem with know-nothings coming up and trying to show off.
I’d probably do this, except that I’m one of the people who need the help, because I can’t hit anything. I’m still new though.
Good on you for being willing to help.
I’d also like to second JoeM’s idea that your little lecture being a good idea for a video.
I’ve been involved in shooting a long time, and while I don’t consider myself to be an expert, I have a good grasp of the fundamentals, and even some of the more advanced stuff too.
However, I recently had the opportunity to introduce a co-worker to the basics of safe gun handling. I’m sure he got an understanding of what I was telling him, but having never done this before I found myself struggling a bit to articulate what was in my mind. Having worked with him quite a while, it was easier than it would have been if we had been complete strangers out at a range somewhere.
I think having a video would help some of us (me, at least) have a better framework to use when trying to help someone else.
Thanks for the blog and videos, I’m always looking forward to the next entry.
KM
“I am also hesitant to approach men who are not shooting well at the range, because they almost always indignantly refuse any offer of assistance or a loaner handgun. It seems to be a point of pride that they are shooting so poorly.”
I have heard from firearm instructors that women are typically better students on the range than men because men bring with them all kinds of “knowledge” gleaned from films and TV, and that, cemented with pride, makes them somewhat impervious to new information. Women watch TV and movies too, but they tend to have a more teachable spirit and so they tend to learn quickly and out pace the guys. I have seen this phenomenon in classes and so I have striven to develop the same teachable spirit in myself.
I think this goes a long way to explaining the tensions over the gun shop counter between sellers and buyers that turns so many business exchanges into pissing contests.
Good advice.
I don’t like that your article reiterates main-points that I bring up on my forum. This makes me seem biased to myself when I read your writing.
Even for a very enlightened forum, there are many on there that think I’m taking it “too seriously” when my writing reflects the candor deposited in your blog. Your steering might be different, but it is quite apparent that I am travelling on lanes parallel to you, heading in the same direction. Maybe you’re driving Italian, and I’m driving Japanese. Or is it Mexican.
Pertaining; I have long stopped trying to help out people at the range. Women will just think I’m hitting on them, men will just exacerbate their egotistical ignorance-gathering to a higher degree. I am generalizing, of course. I don’t think you expected a disclaimer, but there it is.
When I volunteer my help towards the shooting community, I do it at events. Recently, I directed NRA’s “Take your daughter to the range day”, here in Austin, TX, at my local range. I work outdoors for the city at a nature center with high-functioning kids, teaching them to cave, rock climb, shoot bows, etc. so it was again, rewarding for me to help out the younger, less zombie-fantasizing crowd.
For those of you who are pretty jaded by idiots in the firearms world (after all, they are just people who own guns), volunteer your time at events that help shooters. They will be more receptive to corrective and proper help. Avoid idiots at the range. And public ranges, if you can help it. Peace.
It’s funny with this sometimes, because all of the things we have to teach new shooters to do first, it what we end up throwing out the window when you become proficient.
-let the trigger surprise you
-don’t anticipate recoil
-get a clear front sight picture
-make sure to follow through the trigger and hear/feel the reset
Then when you can break a clean trigger you have to manage recoil, make deliberate trigger actions, speed up reset, not wait for it, and know what range you need what amount of sights (i.e., 7 and in, all you need to see is hands, 10, slide, 15 front sight, and so on.
But we would never tell a new shooter that all they need to see is their hands in front of the line-of-sight at 7 yards and let er eat. But i guess you have to do it the right way 10k times before you can start skipping steps.
I strongly disagree with that “let the trigger surprise you” crap. You need to know exactly when your trigger is going to break, it shouldn’t be a surprise. You think a cop trying to take a shot on a hostage taker should be surprised by his trigger break? No, I didn’t think so.
A Glock 27 is even worse than the hand gun that I most often see recommended to female shooters; a small framed revolver in .38 Special. A revolver is simply a harder weapon to shoot and shoot well than a semi-automatic pistol. The lack of a grip tang, the heavy and unforgiving double-action trigger, and generally their very light weight (in this case).
I wouldn’t even carry a Glock 27. Why? Because I could shoot better with the 26. Considering the negligible difference in terminal performance between .40 S&W and 9x19mm defense loads, I don’t see why anyone would recommend the 27 in place of the 26. Even if you can handle the 27 without issue, you will be able to put more practice rounds downrange with your 26 for less money and you’ll have slightly more ammunition on tap should you ever have to use it for defense. The only good reason I see for the 27 is as a back-up to the Glock 22 so loved by law enforcement. That makes some sense.
Why do you always criticize me so harshly at the range, and then be so nice to others?
Andrew, you are a great guy. Also, in my very brief experience with teaching basic trainees how to shoot at USAF combat arms school, I observed that the female trainees were much more receptive to instruction and advice and much more readily applied the instructions given to them than the male trainees. Must be a machismo thing I guess. The females who couldn’t hit paper at first were shooting one hole groups by the end, the males were lucky to be able to offer suppressive fire.
As a big, bald, tough-looking guy with a fair bit of shooting under his belt, I will go on record as saying that I will listen to anyone offering me advice at the range. I may not use their advice (like that of the guy who was shooting cup-and-saucer style), but I will listen.
Stop trying to look ‘hard’ when you’re at the range. If you’re into guns, you’re among family at the range. Be nice.
I’m not a “new shooter,” but I mostly “grew up” shooting the way I was taught to shoot. Getting back into shooting as an adult, and shooting with other people who are better at it than I, there’s a lot I don’t know. So I’m generally thrilled if somebody takes the time to show me what I might be doing wrong, or what I could be doing better.
But, when people have offered to let me shoot their guns, I’ve always said no. I’ve been breaking other people’s toys since 1970. As much as I’d like to take the opportunity to shoot something different than what I have, I feel uncomfortable with it.