Thoughts on communicating with new shooters

[Thumbcocker]

Some posts in thread of mine in a different section of the site have gotten me thinking. Me thinking can be a dangerous thing but what the heck.


For as long as I can remember I have heard us shooters talking about exposing kids to shooting early and starting the love of powder burning then. There is certainly nothing wrong with that but I have come to wonder if we are not missing out on another group who never had the chance to get that early start. My job allows me to come into contact with interns and others who are part of the generation called millennials. They can be an interesting bunch. Having a few around gets you instant free tech support and they can decipher social media. They have views on a lot of things that are a lot different than mine and probably a lot of you here.


Sooner or later my shooting and hunting comes up in conversation. Since there are antlers, tin Marlin signs, and boolits in my office it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out what I like to do in my spare time. Sometimes it is in the form of what did you do this weekend types of conversations. Usually I say I did some target shooting t the range. I offer to take them along sometime if they would like to go. When I get a taker I have noticed some things that make the experience more positive.


Mrs. Thumbcocker and I go as a couple. We let the newby follow us to the range in their own vehicle. Couples seem more approachable than grumpy old farts on their own.


Other things that work of us are:


Limit the number of guns on hand. Don't overwhelm the newby with makes and models and calibers. Keep the instruction simple and direct. We might be fascinated by how John Moses Browning seeing some cattails being pushed around by muzzle blast got the germ of the idea for successful gas operated firearms. The kids less so.


Use a normal conversational voice. Nobody likes being yelled at. Explain safety and basics in a calm way. Some dry firing is then used to let them get a feel for things. Start up close with a big target. Nothing breeds enthusiasm like success. 5 yards at a 10" paper plate with a 3" bull is great. I do not like to use targets that remotely look like the outline of a person. We are having fun not training for a firefight. Let the cool factor work it's magic. There is something very neat about taking an action that causes a reaction at a distance. You are causing a hole to appear in a thing a distance away without touching it. That is just plain cool.


Avoid politics. Many folks who have been to college these days want to change the world for the better and have views on how to do that. Heck didn't we all. Don't go looking for hot buttons to push.

Consider if you even want to do any shooting of your own. The last thing I want to do is have the newb think I brought him or her to the range just to show them up and inflate my ego.

Restrooms. Big deal when you are dealing with ladies.

I like to bring sodas and maybe some munchies along.

Keep the pace slow. This is fun not a death march.

Other things that have been helpful in my dealings:

Share some venison. A bag of deer jerky on the break room table might get an inquisitive nibble and start a conversation about how you eat your deer. A lot of these folks relate to natural foods and hormone free meat. When I am asked if I eat the deer hunt I say " right down to the hooves" a lot of college kids with left of center views are pretty accepting of eating killed critters.

When have you won?

Obviously in a perfect world our newby will become a strict constructionist of the second amendment and rush out to buy a new firearm and a 4x4 pickup truck with the stereo blasting "A Country Boy Can survive" . We probably wont get that. The kids have a butt load of student loans to pay off, live on social media, and often have classes to worry about.

Maybe you will get a shooting buddy who drives to the range in a hybrid with a save the whales bumper sticker on it and wearing sandals. I am ok with that.


Maybe all you get is someone saying to friends in their age group " I tried shooting a handgun once and it was fun." or I know some hunters and they eat the meat from the deer they kill. It tastes really good.

I have actually had a vegetarian lady with left of center politics ask how my deer hunting went.

I would call that a victory.


My random thoughts .

[Mk42gunner]

Reactionary targets are also fun. They can be a simple swinging disk for use with .22's, or rotten fruit. Animal crackers were fun targets when I was a kid shooting bb and pellet guns.

I would leave the dueling trees at home for the first range session, no need to get competition nerves going when someone is trying to learn how to be safe.

Robert

[trails4u]

I've also found that old and 'cool' guns are great ice breakers. Cap-n-ball revolvers in particular seem to be a hit....who doesn't love a cloud of smoke, right? It also makes conversation easy....as the built in history lesson seems to captivate even the less motivated listener. Front stuffers are also fun....and cheap to shoot, with a very easy pace for instruction. I think the BP toys also help alleviate the mystery of what exactly happens in a gun. When you have to load the powder, the projectile, and the 'spark' all independently....there's not much mystery left.

[leebuilder]

Excellent post. Come across new shooters from time to time, gave up on taking newbs to the range. The most important part is the "positvie experience". And safety.
Be well

[MrWolf]

I try to encourage those interested and have taken several to the range. One of my best times was a Supervisor at work was talking about her son's sixteenth birthday and wanted to make it special. I offered to take him trap shooting. She ended up bringing her sister and her son (also works with me). Showed them what to do and even taught the mothers. I never fired a shot the whole night. Heard the next day the kids had the best time of their life and the mom's attitude about guns changed. Win-win except my back was killing me from all the running around and instruction

[drfroglegs]

My college roommate would be considered left leaning (at the time). He constantly saw me going shooting and hunting and always seemed interested. I offered to take him, but didn't push the issue.

A few years later after we graduated I heard he was moving to the town I live in. I shot him a message and asked if he was still interested in going shooting. Turns out he had bought an air rifle and had been practicing around with it.


A group of us took him shooting (5 people his age) and he had a blast. The next two weeks I spent emailing him back and forth to decide which rifle he wants to buy. I helped him get his rifle, made him a cheek riser, lapped his scope rings and installed his scope, and helped him make some precision ammo for his new 308.

Fast forward 6 months and he now owns 2 rifles and is building an AR. We're talking about a guy that use to post "there is no reason for anyone to own an AR15" on Facebook every time there was a shooting.

He has become very logical thinking and now blasts his other liberal friends and family when they start spouting anti-2A rhetoric.

He is now a NRA member, joined our shooting club, and is a soldier for the 2A. All from a single email asking if he wanted to go shooting.

I haven't won them all, but I've won over quite a few.

[country gent]

A big plus is having an extra set or two of elctronic ear muffs, this allows for normal conversation and coaching while still protected. Having Coached many new shooters and begineers I have realized several things. WHen an Opps does occur yelling only makes it worse as tey then jump and trying to get right make other mistakes. Getting convrontational doent help at all. Be courteous, polite and respectfull of the new shooter, remeber you were a newbie once yourself. Start off with a few sessions in the basement or living room working on safe handling, positions, sight picture, and trigger control. Alot more can be accomplished in the quiet room working and asking questions. Then start with a very light recoiling noise level firearm keeping targets big and simple shooting slow. A 22lr rifle is good for the first few sessions cementing the lessons at home and tuning them. Then move up to a med heavy 38 or 32 loaded with light wadcutters for a session or two also cementing the lessons learned at home and with the 22. Now they are ready for full power 38 in a full sized gun maybe more. With riflres, the start is the same in the living room, a 22 is a great way to cement and fine tune these lessons then to a heavy target varmint rifle in 223 or similar cartridge. Leave the sporter wieght 308s 06s and such for later. In our junior program at the club the shooters start out with air rifles and have to shoot a 90 score from the benches before moving up to the 22 rimfire. Ounce they shoot the 90 score they move downstairs to the 22 line and position shooting. Allis with coaching and help. Its a blast working with new shooters and actually more rewarding to coach one into a high score than shooting it yourself. Also one thing that is hard to do but neccesary is you have to realize the new shooters limitations and skill level, challenge them yes raise the bar to high and its no longer fun for them

[runfiverun]

the thing I have found with millenials is they want to know the 'best this' or the 'best that' right off.
[[there is not much research involved if someone else has done it already]]

be prepared to answer that question.

[waarp8nt]

I agree with the no politics, at least until they have been out of college long enough to make an intelligent decision based on their own opinions.

That being said we had my nephew and some of his friends over for some informal sporting clays. It's nice to have the visual of a breaking target. We had plenty of spare reloads available and they were impressed that they shot as well with them as they did the cheap field loads.