Loaner guns for green shooters

[Erik N.]

I am preparing to undertake introducing a good number of completely unskilled people into their right to bear arms. Most of them have had zero prior experience with handguns, or none outside an extremely casual recreational setting. I am encouraging most of them to purchase a 'first handgun' and bring it to the class but I need to make preparations for people who are on the fence about owning a firearm.

I'm considering purchasing a number of .22 semi-auto pistols, like the P22 or the SR22. The entry price is within my budget to obtain 2-3 of them and given the very reduced recoil, smaller grip, and minimal muzzle flip, I suspect they might be an excellent set of training wheels to at least acclimate new shooters to the gun range.

Have instructors working with extremely green shooters had good luck training people on .22 semi-autos? Would you say it's better to start small and work up, or start with a heavy-framed 9mm like the Beretta 92? What recommendations would you have to help facilitate the training process?

 

[Longeye]

I am preparing to undertake introducing a good number of completely unskilled people into their right to bear arms. Most of them have had zero prior experience with handguns, or none outside an extremely casual recreational setting. I am encouraging most of them to purchase a 'first handgun' and bring it to the class but I need to make preparations for people who are on the fence about owning a firearm.

I'm considering purchasing a number of .22 semi-auto pistols, like the P22 or the SR22. The entry price is within my budget to obtain 2-3 of them and given the very reduced recoil, smaller grip, and minimal muzzle flip, I suspect they might be an excellent set of training wheels to at least acclimate new shooters to the gun range.

Have instructors working with extremely green shooters had good luck training people on .22 semi-autos? Would you say it's better to start small and work up, or start with a heavy-framed 9mm like the Beretta 92? What recommendations would you have to help facilitate the training process?

Your idea of starting with the .22 semi auto pistols is sound. Good habits are easier to build, and high volume practice is cheaper.

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[Chris Taylor]

Brother Longeye as usual speaks truth. For those with no experience shooting, the 22 is a great way to let them get acclimated, without the potential side effects of recoil and muzzle blast scaring them off.

Kudos as well for stepping up and helping get new shooters into the field.

 

[Erik N.]

Thanks guys. I'm having to wing it a bit from a pedagogical perspective; one point a friend of mine made was that she likes the Buckmark or Mark II over something like the SR22. She reckoned that for teaching people pistol shooting, 99% of breaking that beginner wall is confidence. A fixed-barrel .22 is about as accurate as it gets, and that can hugely help shooters who are having difficulty with a standard semi-automatic.