Tips for teaching new shooters

[Thom318]

Hi guys,

I was just wondering if anyone might have some tips for teaching a new shooter? The better half was having a bit of a shoot on the weekend and loved it, but she got a bit disheartened when she couldn't hit the target. We were shooting offhand with open sights, which I told her was a little more difficult, but other than getting a box of ammo, I'm not sure of the best way to teach her. Admittedly, I'm not much of a teacher, more of a do-er

[Wombat]

Maybe draw a quick sketch of what the sight picture should be, bring the target in closer (or make it bigger) and see how she goes.

[Gun-nut]

Lots of videos on youtube to show her, she might respond better to seeing it on video.

[knowsnothin]

Scoped .22 and/or shotty plus a box of those exploding targets / coke cans.

= fun for a new shooter.

[juststarting]

Move the target closer in.

[Bent Arrow]

Start them at a bench or rest of some sort with a large reactive (not plain paper) target fairly close. They'll quickly want to up the ante have fun, I love teaching people who have never shot before to shoot

[Archie]

Agree with what people are saying above - scoped (ideally light calibre) makes it so much easier, as does any form of support (even if just a fence post).

With iron sights can be hard to be 100% sure if the reason that they're missing is that they're just missing, or that they are missing because they aren't using/aligning the sights correctly. Scope takes the second one out of the equation. Gives you a bit more margin for error. Good on you for getting her into the sport.

[Daddybang]

Maybe draw a quick sketch of what the sight picture should be, bring the target in closer (or make it bigger) and see how she goes.

This▲▲▲
I recently taught my nephew to shoot my 30/30 and before I drew the pic he was having a hard time getting on target (I'm not the most good talker )After I showed him a rough pic he was hitting cans at fifty regularly.

[VICHunter]

Move the target closer in.

Genuinely this ( not being condescending )

You can't measuring improvement when missing completely if you know what I mean, because you have no base for reference. She needs to be on paper to be having any fun and see how she's going.

Assuming you where shooting at 100m?

Move it up to 75m, or even 50m. Even if she's shooting dinner plate size groups at 50m at least she's on. Once she's doing better and things tighten up when shooting close you can start walking the target out.

[pomemax]

With my mrs if she can sit at a computer i thought she can learn how to sight a rifle and she did lol .
https://www.huntercourse.com/ranges/riflerange.aspx
kid don,t mind it either

[southwest shooter]

Don't take them to a ssaa range , it will put rhem off shooting forever.

[Wm.Traynor]

A bench with sandbags at both ends is the best place to learn trigger squeeze and follow through. It just reduces most of the human error that makes learning difficult. A scope must have its ocular lens focused for that shooter only. Hearing protection.

[Thom318]

Thanks for the tips guys they'll all get a try this weekend.
I should've mentioned we were only shooting from about 25 yards, but I'll bring it in to about 15, and the idea of drawing the sight picture is good.
We were just shooting at broken old roof tiles which crumbled as soon as they were hit, so a proper bullseye should give a better reference

[Stix]

Things like your roof tiles are great...!...& use the likes of tin/softdrink/beer cans etc just to keep it interactive--any reactive target is great so you get an audio & a visual hit reference....& mix up the distances...
(Plastic bottles are pretty boring as they dont make as much noise & can easily roll away).
Break it up a bit to keep the interest...a newbee can quickly loose interest if they're pummeled with technique talk constantly banging in their ears & cant hit a target--as is all too often seen with a first timer at a clicky shotgun club.
So dont be too much the tyrant on technique etc--just keep to the basics.
& low power scope is best.

So have some sandbag off bench try your best type shooting (like best group on a target) as well as break it up with a fun little comp with 'interactive' targets here n there...
Like set up 7 cans & beat the best time to shoot them all with a 2 second time penalty added for every miss...as an example...
Fill the cans with water & see who gets the biggest splash (thats great fun off a bench with newbees & a 22-250 @200yds)

Hard boil some eggs & have a one for one shootout comp at the same egg...the first to hit the egg wins...
Download funny targets off the net...
Just some ideas...
Most of all...have fun & be safe doing it...!!!