[Mrs. Hammer]

I have a female friend that has ask me to teach her how to shoot. She has been around guns but has never shot one. I don't know if she has ever been around guns when they were being shot and she wants to learn to shoot so that if she ever had to defend herself with a gun she could. How do I start her out and how do I do it without naking her scared of guns and what do I need to start her out with? Also where would be a good place to take her to teach her. If she were a child I would start her out with a 22 or BB gun and work up from there but I'm not sure that will be appropriate in this instance.

 

[ree_countrygirl]

i would still say a .22 other than that idk what to tell you... good luck!

 

[James D.]

Sure it would. Being that you're Mrs. Hammer & all, I imagine that you have quite a few firearms in your family house hold.

If it were me, I'd start on a .22 wheel gun, just to let her get used to pulling the trigger & getting a "Bang", then to a light load .38 special. And then maybe a .357 mag, & 9mm semi auto.

Once she feels comfortable with those, maybe give her a rifle, an AR in .223 would be a good start for her.

The trick is going to be the time and ammo taken for her to become comfortable with each "level". Just make sure you don't give her anything over powered to start with. A .38 +p in an air weight will greatly discourage her (as it completely discouraged me away from air weight pistols during my teenage years).

 

[Mrs. Hammer]

Yea I don't want to discourage her or scare her in any way. I think just like with my kids I'm going to start her out simple with a 22 and let her learn basics and safety and get comfortable then move up from there. 22 amo is easy to come by and is cheap so its really the most practical place to start when ya look at amo consumption and cost.

 

[Xd357]

Good idea with the 22.

 

[James D.]

Just remember that with first time shooters... the "BANG" part makes a REAL big difference in the over all aspect of shooting.

 

[smoffett]

+1 on the idea of starting with a 22 wheel gun. After the safety stuff, you start off with dry firing. Explain how the sight picture works. Then you load up a few and start shooting real ammo. Sneak in some empty chambers to see if she's developing a flinch. If so, back to the dry firing drills.

 

[Mrs. Hammer]

Hadn't thought about that. Thanks for the idea.

 

[savageshooter]

id start with a good firearms safety course and some reading on self defence. starting pistol would be a 22 revolver. Guns and Ammo had some real good articals on self defence with firearms. if your gonna carry, you have to hav ethe right mindset, or you might not survive.

 

[msredneck]

My wife and daughter had never shot a pistol till last fall.

They were started on a S&W 686 357 mag shooting light 38 specials...no problems at all.

Trigger control is what a newbie needs to learn...never let em shoot a revo single action...make em learn to press that double action trigger after learning a proper sight picture

with good muffs noise is not a factor and the 38 special in a heavier revo is pleasant.

This is how Cliff generally started out his newbie shooters

my 2 cents

 

[SilentHitz]

Kathy has a site that I think is a must read for women...and she knows her stuff. http://corneredcat.com/

I also agree the .22 wheelgun is a good place to start...as already stated, it's a great way to detect flinches by leaqving a fired case in the mix.

 

[savageshooter]

i like what i see in Kathys site, you have to have the right mindset to CCW, or you might be better off not carrying at all. pulling a firearm on someone is not for funzies or to scare them, its tooooo serious to think you are gonna bluff someone down. yea, having a good relationship with your firearm is good, but the mind needs to be ready to shoot, and if you have to shoot, eliminate the threat perminately.

 

[Reloader]

22 rifles and pistols should never be dry fired. Remember this is a rimfire and when you dry fire the firing pin hits the edge of the chamber. Eventually you will find a depression or peening that won't allow you to chamber or extract a round. If you want to dry fire, put in fired empty cases and bang on them. My second thought is will be she using this for home defense or for carrying? If it is home defense there is nothing better than a shotgun, period. No rifles. Remember you are responsible for every round you discharge and a high powered rifle will go through many walls of your house or your neighbors. Maybe even into your kid's room. Unless she has training stick to revolvers as they are easier to learn and operate. My two cents worth.

 

[jbpmidas]

Make sure the weapon fits her hand! A .22 is great, but if the grip is too big, accuracy will suffer and she may become discouraged. Dry fire is definitely the way to start. You may even let her hold and aim the weapon while you stand to the side and press the trigger for her.

 

[nonnieselman]

I enjoy teaching people how to shoot... First thing first.. SAFETY.. Once they get that down, then you can move on to the controls. a .22 is the best trainer also like mentioned. Cheap and wont scare anybody off.

i found it easier to let them just shoot a few rounds to see what they are up against with the trigger. Then explain the sight picture, grip, and trigger control..

By the time your thru with that their brain might be over worked. Best just to feed them a little at a time.

Atleast thats what ive learned.. Then stress Safety again when your thru..


BIG Thanks to Cliff a few years ago for teaching me some important info on firing a handgun correctly.. Made a huge difference.


First female i taught how to shoot, loved it.. before the day was thru she was goin tru a few magazines at a time thru my XD .40. Had to stop her before all my ammo was gone. :lol4:

 

[Mrs. Hammer]

She just wants to learn more self defense in the home if it ever came to that.

 

[savageshooter]

in the home, if it ever comes to that, she needs even more to have that mindset i was referring to. thugs know if you are bluffing or mean business.

 

[Subsonix]

It's all been said for ya, so... +1


Safety, safety, safety. Mindset. Dry practice. Start with small calibers. Close, large targets. (builds confidence and makes it fun) Let them advance at their own pace. Yada yada yada, you know all of this...

A new shooter IS a child where firearms are concerned. It sounds to me like you already know how to handle this. It's not like this is your first rodeo. Just offer the same patience and moral support you would a child. You could also hang up a funny target or something. Make it fun!

One thing nobody has mentioned is the 10/22. If I have someone curious about firearms, let them try the 10/22. EVERYBODY likes shooting a well tuned 10/22 and it's a great confidence booster. I have lit the fire inside several new shooters with my little Ruger.

I love seeing more people get into the game. Good job Mrs. Hammer!

 

[ree_countrygirl]

:goodpost: +1 on the 10/22... mine is one of my favorite guns

 

[SJ]

+1 on a 22 pistol and better yet a wheel gun for her first time.