Instructing a CCW Wanna Be....

[Adam Helmer]

I am an NRA Certified Instructor for rifle, pistol, shotgun and muzzleloader. In the past, I took 2 or 3 newbies, at a time, to my local gun club for introduction to handguns. I finally realized, one novice at a time is better when one realizes the awesome liability an instructor assumes with a novice.

For the past three weeks I have been instructing a fellow, on Thursday mornings, on handguns here at the farm. He wants to apply for a CCW and purchase a revolver. Joe never fired a handgun before our training sessions began. He started on a .22 revolver and is now shooting a DA .38 Special. In another week or two, he will be finished with "basic." All shooting is at a silhouette target at 10 yards, or closer when running drills.

I think new shooters are best served with a DA revolver because all the adults I teach "fired" cap guns and water pistols in the past and the muscle memory is there. After the trigger squeeze and hand/eye coordination is "grooved", the groups begin to shrink and we have another shooter in our ranks.

Adam

[buckhunter]

Have to agree with ya Adam. A DA revolver is the way to go when teaching newby's. Most new shooters in our area arm themselves with the lastest and greatest semi-auto 40 or 45 thinking this is easy as seeing it on TV. Sure. Anyway keep training them. I recently added my 9 year old grandaughter to this list of new shooters. She had a ball with a 22 Ruger 10/22 and Marlin SA. She really liked seeing the skeet's bounce around on the backstop. Naturally a good scoped gun gained her confidence.

[GoodOlBoy]

Yep I agree, I carry a DA snubbie in 38 +p, and will hoepfully soon be upgrading to a DA 44 spec or 45 colt(if I can ever find a 45 sheesh). For new shooters it is a WHOLE lot better than trying to figure out 15 grip safeties, thumb safeties, etc.

GoodOlBoy

[Rapier]

Adam,
I actually always start a new shooter with a single action 22 revolver. I keep them on that revolver until they learn it inside and out, safety, loading, shooting and unloading. Then I go to a 19 or 66 with light 38spl loads. The last thing they handle is the auto. I never have liked the idea of a new shooter having a gun in hand that upon firing is ready to go again by just pulling the trigger. The DA revolver takes a bit more work to pull the trigger that a SA auto gun.

It is like the 22 rifle. I always start with a Rem 510 single shot because it automaticly goes to safe when the bolt is worked. The new shooter must get used to working the bolt and the safety, before they fire.

So many folks trying to teach a new shooter jump over safety and go right to shooting and safety is the cornerstone of a lifetime of shooting fun and sport. Safety is no accident.
Ed

[Adam Helmer]

Rapier,

I agree with your training methods. Actually, we started on a SA .22 revolver and then went to the M-10 and Cobra 2-inchers with light wadcutter loads.

I always teach the "Ready Gun" position which has a two handed grip on the revolver and the arms are 45 degrees below eye level whenever the handgun is out of the holster. This keeps newbies from inadvertantly pointing a handgun at their toes.

Last month a guy at my local gun club was firing his rifle at 100 yards and his wife (never shot a handgun before) was on the next bench firing a 9mm semi at a target on the 50 yard line. After hubby shot a group, he went to check his target and her's. He had a group and she was not on a B-8 pistol target. I suggested he put up a target frame at 7 yards for her and work on her sight picture, trigger squeeze, etc. He said, "No, she will get on at 50 yards eventually." Whatever!

Adam

[Rapier]

The ladies are so often treated as students that do not really count by boyfriends, fathers or husbands and in my experiance they make the best students and many times the best shooters, if given half a chance, because they listen and they pay attention.

I got the chance (we were tied) to go man on "man" with Bill Rogers' wife at the Florida state IPSC championships years ago. So I have great respect for the ladies and their ability. I won the shoot off by one target but it was with considerable effort on my part. A lovely lady and very fine shooter. Bill and his wife are very gracious people, good folks.
Ed

[Adam Helmer]

CCW Update:

Yesterday, Joe got his CCW license and is "street ready" for his own handgun. I put the word out to the local shop to be on the lookout for a used S&W Model 10 or M15 2-inch revolver. Our weekly classes continue.

Joe was in the Navy many years ago and carried a Garand in boot camp, but he never fired the Garand. Last week he fired my Garand at the 100, 200 and 250-yard gongs at the nearby club. He hit them all and is now looking for a Garand of his own in addition to a DA revolver.

Adam