I’m the teacher.

  • Ear protection for everyone

    Double up on the ear pro (plugs and ear muffs). Newbies are shocked at how loud guns are, especially at indoor ranges. Double ear pro will help ensure noise doesn’t distract from the fun.

    Speaking of earmuffs, we strongly recommend models with active hearing protection, which amplify the sound of voices but continue to limit exposure to the noise of gunfire. This makes it easier for them to hear your instructions.

    Howard Leight Impact Sport
    if you'll be shooting rifles

    Howard Leight Impact Pro
    for indoor ranges or pistols only since they are larger

    Peltor Sport Tactical 300 / 500
    Similar to the above models but with better quality audio, slightly more comfortable, and a bit more expensive.

    Eye protection for everyone

    If your newbie wears sunglasses or prescription lenses, you're all set, but if you are supplying eye protection, make sure they are:

    Clean, and not super scratched up

    Have low-profile earpieces so as not to break the seal of the earmuffs and needlessly expose the user's ears to gunfire (see above section on ear protection).

    First aid

    If you have a kit with quikclot and a tourniquet, bring it. It’s good to have one in your range bag anyway, and that specialized equipment demonstrates to your newbie that you take safety seriously, which makes you a good ambassador for gun owners. If you don’t have a first aid kit, ensure you know where the range keeps their supplies.

    Firearms

    Make sure all your firearms are in good working order. Learning to resolve malfunctions is an important skill for any gun owner, but you want the newbie to spend their time with you shooting, not tap-rack-and-banging.

    Which guns to bring

    We highly recommend starting with something in .22 LR and building up from there for both rifles and pistols. It lets you start things without worrying about recoil and muzzle blast, making it easy for the newbie to get comfortable. If you start with some monster caliber, the blast will be too unpleasant and poison the well — a negative first impression can close the book for good. After taking their first shot, you want their first thought to be, “That wasn’t bad at all!”

    Once they’re comfortable on a .22, incrementally work your way up in caliber. Newbies usually really want to shoot a “cool” gun, because it’s a fun experience and because they want to put it on the 'gram! So make sure they get what they want, and that it’s hyper-shareable. ARs and AKs are excellent choices, as are suppressors, SCARs, HKs, and others. This is your chance to bust out your most gucci gear.

    Ammunition

    As with your firearms, make sure you have plenty of the correct ammunition for each firearm you bring to your session. Consider supplying softer recoiling options where it makes sense, especially for rifles.

    Targets

    We highly recommend you bring at least some reactive targets to the session. If you have the option to shoot at steel, that’s great. If you can only shoot at paper, consider bringing some adhesive splatter targets like these so your newbie can see their hits on the target more easily.

  • Indoor vs. Outdoor

    If you have the option to shoot outdoors and the weather is not uncomfortable, this is better for newbies because there is substantially less noise, fumes, and risk of ricochet than at indoor ranges. Cease-fires will be called periodically to change targets, giving the newbie much-needed rest for the ears and the psyche. The two disadvantages are that targets may be set at awkward distances (like a pistol range that only has target hangers at 25 yards) and that at many facilities, you are exposed to the noise of gunfire as soon as you enter the property.

    If the weather is gross or you only have indoor ranges in your area, try to find the ones with the best ventilation and noise reduction between the range area and the lobby/check-in area. Many indoor ranges have a classroom you can utilize to demonstrate fundamentals and safe handling procedures before entering the range area. This is a good thing to inquire about in advance.

    A note on unsupervised ranges

    Don’t take your newbie to any range where you have witnessed or heard of a pattern of irresponsible or unsafe behavior. Of course, most gun owners are perfectly capable of shooting without official supervision, but when taking a newbie shooting for the first time, exposing them to any conduct that would reflect poorly on gun owners is a great way to shut them off from guns forever, so keep that in mind.

    Before you get to the range

    Please speak with the newbie about their previous experience/exposure to guns. Find out what they’re hoping to get out of the experience. With this knowledge, you can tailor their time with you around their interests.

    Prepare the newbie for two things:

    Guns are much louder than people realize.

    Seeing a gun in real life for the first time can feel scary.

    Feel free to emphasize these hard — if you overemphasize it, the newbie will be well prepared and feel relieved when it’s not as loud and scary as they expected.

    If you are taking the newbie to a range you haven’t been to, you should familiarize yourself with the range-specific rules and check-in procedures in advance. Take note specifically of restrictions on certain types of ammunition or firearms.

  • Safety

    Newbies are often terrified of something going wrong. Whenever possible we spend time doing the safety talk before getting to the range because doing it at the range is a rushed and overwhelming experience. That prevents a lot of problems ahead of time. If there is a safety violation (poor trigger discipline is the most common one), correct it in an empathetic, friendly way.

    We recommend these simple rules to ensure a safe and comfortable range experience:

    1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a generally safe direction. (“safe direction” means that should the gun unintentionally fire, it will not hurt or kill you or any other living thing.)

    2. Always keep your fingers outside the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.

    3. Always remember that you are in control of a weapon, and if used negligently it may injure or kill you or someone else.

    Terminology and manual of arms

    Before your newbie starts shooting, they will have to understand some basic terminology (e.g. slide, cylinder latch, trigger guard, front sight, bolt handle) and understand how to operate the firearm. Follow these steps on each new firearm you introduce:

    1. Demonstrate loading a dummy round, pressing the trigger, ejecting the dummy round, and making the gun safe.

    2. Talk them through the process above, then have them repeat it without verbal direction. If you have multiple people, consider having them teach each other - this is the most effective way to learn something!

    Marksmanship fundamentals

    At this point, you can start introducing the basics of marksmanship, like grip, stance, sight alignment, and trigger control, at a very basic level. See below for a video of what this process looks like for a pistol:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Nv74nvEWg

    And for rifle:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AUldPdj9E4

    Dry fire

    This is a chance for the newbie to get a sense of what the trigger feels like, and to get used to the idea of the gun itself. This is also an opportunity for you to correct any glaring errors in stance, sight alignment, or trigger control. The newbie should have a chance to dry fire each firearm they’ll be shooting at least 10 times — remember, for a lot of newbies, even picking up a gun is very scary. They may need a few minutes before loading live ammunition just for the adrenaline to subside.

    Firing the gun

    This gradual process should progress from demonstration to imitation until the newbie is comfortable on their own.

    1. Load and shoot one round yourself to demonstrate how loud the gun is.

    2. Load and shoot two rounds yourself to demonstrate how the gun operates.

    3. Load one round for the newbie and have them shoot it to get used to the noise and recoil (always finish the process with making the gun safe).

    4. Load two rounds for the newbie so they understand how the gun operates.

    If, by this point, the newbie is comfortable and practicing good safety habits, you can start loading more ammo into the magazines (yes, you should load the magazines - the newbie came to shoot, not to get blisters on their thumbs!).

  • Remember the goals: safety and fun.

    Once the initial fear from the first shots has subsided, you can slowly start with more detailed tips about grip, trigger control, and other tips to improve accuracy. But don’t harp on that stuff until they’re fully comfortable. If they’re still only half comfortable firing the gun and you start telling them to can’t their support hand 5 degrees more forward, you will overwhelm them. Let them be safe and have fun, and slowly start working on technique as they get familiar.

    Stay in touch with your newbie's physical and emotional comfort level

    Remember that what is effortless for you may be a huge source of stress for them, which can be physically and emotionally draining.

    Keep it fun and uplifting.

    In your tone and demeanor, talk like you're teaching your boss, not like you're teaching a child. If the newbie makes a mistake, don’t let your tone get frantic or angry. Keep it positive. If they do something unsafe, you should spend more time on instruction and dry fire practice before letting them get into that position.

    Don’t talk politics.

    Don’t talk about politicians or complain about anti-gunners, or bring up crazy gun control laws. You'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Just stay focused on having a fun, casual range day. Eventually, your newbie might start asking you about laws. When they bring it up, answer the specific question calmly and factually, without “selling” a viewpoint or launching into a rant. We get the urge, and we have the same urge, but trust us, you win more converts by letting people come to it on their own. If they don’t bring it up, that’s okay too, there is no need to discuss it.

    Take lots of pictures for your newbie!

    Once you're sure they’re shooting safely and having fun, start snapping lots of pictures and videos. Afterward, text them all the photos and videos you took! They’ll usually almost instantly post them to social media.

    This is what we call Instagram diplomacy 😉.