Had fun this weekend; introduced someone to the sport!

[Tungsten]

My wife and I took my brother-in-law to the range this weekend and introduced him to the fun world of shooting. It was not only his first time at the range but his first time shooting a gun of any sort.

I gave him the basic primer on firearm safety at our house along with a review of the handguns that we would be shooting that day: Springfield XD Tactical 9mm, HK P2000 .40SW and the Wilson Combat 1911 .45ACP. At the range, we worked through them in that order but he spent the most time with the XD 9mm. It seems that the XD Tactical is quickly becoming a favorite with the folks that I have let shoot it, but my wife is steadily aquiring a taste for the Wilson Combat too... uh oh.

Anyway, just a few pictures -- no faces since I didn't ask permission before posting these.

PS: He had a blast.






And my wife caught this shot with muzzle flash evident...



He flinched a little during that shot. Overcoming the instinctive reaction to flinch is something that just comes with time and exposure to the sport. He actually did great for his first time with a firearm!

[mhillsing23]

Great report! It is always nice to get someone started shooting safely. I got to take my brother-in-law out for his first time and he had a blast. It is amazing how good some new shooters shoot!

[Tungsten]

Yeah, I would rather introduce someone new to shooting than just stand there myself and shoot holes in paper any day. I've done enough of that so that it's almost boring anymore. But seeing someone else develop enthusiasm with each shot they put down range is a huge rush for me.

[fritzmeister]

Very cool. I always enjoy taking others out shooting. I think summer is going to be the summer of instruction for me. I have several people that have approached me and asked me to take them out (shooting).

[Outsider]

Nice. Were you using paintball rounds? That second picture looking like there is yellow on the paper like paint.

[ForTehNguyen]

Originally Posted by Outsider

Nice. Were you using paintball rounds? That second picture looking like there is yellow on the paper like paint.

you can buy targets that appear black before being shot, when a bullet hits it it strips off the black to reveal a contrasting color usually neon yellow or white. It's much easier to see where your last shot landed vs. looking at holes in a paper target

[Tungsten]

Originally Posted by Outsider

Nice. Were you using paintball rounds? That second picture looking like there is yellow on the paper like paint.

Those were "Shoot n See" targets. I usually buy a pack of six of them at the store before taking someone new to the range. The visual indication of a hit is a tremendous reward.

[gamer_jim]

I'm working on a guy that I work with. He keeps asking me questions and I told him after I get comfortable with my new gun I'll take him shooting some day. He seemed agreeable to that and I hope it works out.

In a previous job a co-worker took me shooting for the first time and got me interested in guns which resulted in me purchasing my first one last week.

We all need to keep up the effort and work on those people who might be interested. Show them that guns really aren't bad and can actually be an enjoyable hobby.

[foneman708]

I did the same with the Japanese exchange student my fiance had a few weeks ago. She loved it. We sent her home with a great experience and some cool gun poser pics.

[cypress]

Glad your brother in law had a great time out. I'm a new shooter myself, so I noticed something in the second picture. It might not be a problem with the XD but with his left thumb crossed over his right hand like that he might get some painful slide tracks with another semi auto.
When I took my basic pistol course last month they really emphasised the parallel thumb grip or thumb over thumb grip for that reason.


Edit: Looked again at third picture. Looks like you fixed his grip.