Easing someone into shooting

[Rich M]

10-22

Put a reflex sight on it.

You gotta make it fun. Spinning targets, bouncing, etc.

A plus that she came to you. Don't push, then get a decent 22 pistol or revolver.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Both my sons learned to shoot on MP 15-22..the oldest, 13, has moved over to AR in 6.8 for deer hunting...He has taken 2 nice 8pts..my younger son, 8, is still learning but he has no problems with a 556 AR at the range, still working on the being quiet and sitting still in the woods.

ARs with a collapsible stock are a true family gun...We all shoot the MP 15-22 and other ARs, including the wife, and all I have to do is adjust the stock for the current shooter.
Good Luck!

 

[Fatcamp]

For me a 10# shotgun with the lightest loads I can find. Shoot things that bounce and roll. It makes it fun and there is a reactive effect with it.

 

[16Bore]

22, 223, 243, 270(ish)

In that order.

 

[Lawnboi]

My wife was the exact same. Scared to shoot because she got knocked on her ass when she was younger.

I started her with a 22, then to 223 then 243. What really helped is showing her a video of her shooting, so she could see that these guns were not going to hurt her, or scope her. After that it was just repetition.

Also keep in mind that noise and blast will cause a flinch just as quick as higher recoil.

 

[JeffRaines]

I agree with trying to make it competitive and fun. A box of clays set up at 50 yards or so, shooting iron sights with a 22 is a hell of a lot of fun and good practice. Take turns - if you break one you get to shoot again, etc. If you don't want the cleanup associated with that, a handful of empty cans or water bottles will also work(and easier to pick up at the end of your shoot).

 

[Oldffemt]

Suppressors, even on 22’s take the fear factor away for most new shooters. I even got my mom to start shooting at 74 years old once she heard how quiet it was. Up to this point she was afraid to even touch a gun. Once she saw my 11yo shooting cans and having a blast her competitive side came out and she said “let me try that!”

 

[Dillan48]

What I like to do when teaching gun shy people to shoot is double ear pro and demonstrating how to properly manage recoil.

 

[Ratbeetle]

Echo the MP 15-22. I introduced my gun-shy 10 yr old nephew to shooting on one. By the second mag he was grinning ear to ear.

Manual of arms is the same so a transition to a 556 AR platform is a piece of cake.

 

[Newtosavage]

So my wife's stepdad was the kind of person that said here shoot this, and when the kids shied away from it he basically forced them to shoot it. My wife's first time shooting was with a 12 gauge and is now very gun shy but wants to be able to shoot with me. My thoughts are I would like to start her off with a .22 and work up from there, that being said I would also like to get myself into an ar platform for coyote and just having fun shooting. With so many conversion kits out there I was thinking I could kill 2 birds with one stone. My question is does that sound reasonable for getting someone into shooting? And is there any rifles out there that are recommended without breaking the bank?

My advice - same as with a growing child. Get them what THEY need for their place in the journey, and put your wants/needs aside. If you're lucky, they will take a liking to it and you will have more options down the road. Easy to screw this up at the beginning though. I wish you much luck.

 

[Frito]

I started my youngsters on 22's and a single shot .410, shooting clays. They are ate up! My 12 year old will shoot anything you put in his hands. He was shooting a 12 guage and a 45-70 when he was 10, and he's always been small for his age.

 

[Newtosavage]

I started my youngsters on 22's and a single shot .410, shooting clays. They are ate up! My 12 year old will shoot anything you put in his hands. He was shooting a 12 guage and a 45-70 when he was 10, and he's always been small for his age.

After watching my small for his age nephew shoot his dad's .308 when he was 10, I became concerned about concussion issues with small children and high recoil firearms. Probably happens more than we realize, and might explain some of my issues too. LOL

 

[Frito]

After watching my small for his age nephew shoot his dad's .308 when he was 10, I became concerned about concussion issues with small children and high recoil firearms. Probably happens more than we realize, and might explain some of my issues too. LOL

I never gave that much thought. My kids are behind a gun quite often, so I'll take that into consideration. I grew up on guns that scared me until I was about 16 and started enjoying it. My dad(dads) always had my wormy self shooting big ass guns. Maybe that's what's wrong with me. LOL

 

[Newtosavage]

I never gave that much thought. My kids are behind a gun quite often, so I'll take that into consideration. I grew up on guns that scared me until I was about 16 and started enjoying it. My dad(dads) always had my wormy self shooting big ass guns. Maybe that's what's wrong with me. LOL

Same here. It wasn't until I saw that young man's head snap back so violently on every shot that it occurred to me. Developing brains are pretty fragile, or so we've learned. My brother and I grew up shooting guns that were too powerful for us at the time. Our uncles and dad thought it was a hoot to see us shooting them. And of course we WANTED to shoot them, to prove to all the grown men what we were capable of. Looking back, my dad should have known better but then there wasn't as much good info about the long term effect of concussions - or hearing damage for that matter - as there is today. My ears have rung for nearly 40 years now too btw. All thanks to shooting high powered rifles from a young age, without hearing protection.

Sorry to pull the thread off topic. I'm out now.

 

[Wapiti1]

My wife never shot until after we were married. She started with my Marlin 60 .22, and was hell on small steel plates from 15 to 50 yards. Then she started shooting my TC Contender Carbine in .223. Those poor plates took more punishment. She moved to a .357 Maximum barrel on the TC so she could hunt deer here in Indiana. We started with light handloads, and moved up to hunting loads over the summer. No problem with her first deer that fall. The TC has a stock design that works well for smaller shooters. I'd highly recommend a Contender or Encore for their versatility.

We planned a trip to Africa, and she wanted to shoot a zebra. OK. I reworked my first rifle. It was a .243, and I rebarreled it to 7mm Mauser. It has a 12" LOP and fits her perfectly. Again, light loads, then we worked up.

We went at her pace. If she wanted to shoot a lot, we did. If she only wanted to shoot three shots, OK.

She's taken a lot of game with that rifle, and is a good shot.

Make certain it fits her. LOP is critical when things start to kick. Don't train her on something that is very different from what she would hunt with. Meaning, don't train with an AR if she will hunt with a bolt gun. At least, not until she has the mechanics down.

Just my 2 cents. Have fun and let her be the guide.

Jeremy

 

[Chuckybmd]

I agree with the Ruger 10/22. I shoot it often with my wife and my kids. It’s reliable and will last a lifetime. Come to think of it this was the weapon I learn to shoot with.

 

[Nealm66]

Out of the box here but I was in the same boat. We now have a benneli 20 gauge that is about as heavy as a pencil and dusts pigeons embarrassingly good. She took some lessons at our gun range. Highly recommend giving it a thought

 

[Frito]

Same here. It wasn't until I saw that young man's head snap back so violently on every shot that it occurred to me. Developing brains are pretty fragile, or so we've learned. My brother and I grew up shooting guns that were too powerful for us at the time. Our uncles and dad thought it was a hoot to see us shooting them. And of course we WANTED to shoot them, to prove to all the grown men what we were capable of. Looking back, my dad should have known better but then there wasn't as much good info about the long term effect of concussions - or hearing damage for that matter - as there is today. My ears have rung for nearly 40 years now too btw. All thanks to shooting high powered rifles from a young age, without hearing protection.

Sorry to pull the thread off topic. I'm out now.

At least we are pretty good nowadays with hearing protection. We learned the hard way. I have on the left side of my head, what resembles an ear, but it's basically just there for looks.