Easing someone into shooting

[skyler_2010]

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?

 

[bikinitoboots]

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?

I’d suggest if you want to do a 22 and are interested in an ar platform get a Smith and Wesson 15-22. It’s around $300. All the manipulations would be the same as a 223 ar. If you do a conversion, it doesn’t lock the bolt back and the manipulations wouldn’t be the same. You can pay a little bit more and get a gun that mechanically works the same as the “big” gun. PSA usually has good deals.

Starting her off on a 22 is a great idea. That’s how I started! Even now I practice with a 223 regularly. I’d also suggest making range time fun. Compete against each other and/or the timer. Score your targets. Being comfortable manipulating the gun and having fun will definitely help ease her back into shooting!

 

[207-12A]

A 5.56 with double ear protection is nearly the same to a new shooter as a .22. If you only have money for one get yourself the AR and set your new shooter up with that.

 

[BRTreedogs]

My advice is to send her to a club that has a ladies night, pay for instruction.
Unless you have a special tender relationship. Just doesn't seem like spouse training works real well.

 

[BuckSnort]

A 10/22 with a 4x scope is a fun way to introduce new shooters..

 

[IL Rifle]

I had a 5.56 AR and a .22 LR conversion kit for it. If you go that routes, yes, the manipulation is a bit different, but manageable. The biggest downside is the POI is different so if you’re switching calibers a lot you’re also changing sights. The other factor is the cost. The conversion kits are just about as expensive as a 15-22.

The other option is a basic old .22 bolt action. There are plenty of good ones out there for less than the cost of a 15-22.

 

[RS3579]

A 22lr then maybe a small caliber centerfire. It may take time or she may find confidence quickly. It’s all up to her. I’m sure you know not to push her. Good luck to you and her.

 

[skyler_2010]

One thing I forgot to add is she came to me about shooting together

 

[menhaden_man]

Check into a 300 blackout upper... I’ve got a Liberty Mystic X can and red dot on mine and my 6 year old will shoot it no problem. Something about the quiet subsonic rounds are real pleasant. Not that cheap to shoot and neither is the suppressor but I can assure you it’s a fun round that’d be a good addition to the gun cabinet.

Also agree on the posts above on 22LR, but wanted to toss out another suggestion.

 

[JMDavies]

I'm also interested in this subject. Is it possible to get a .17HMR in an AR platform?

 

[radiohead71]

Make it fun. Have some interactive targets, like clay birds, balloons, and my personal favorite, bowling pins. Most bowling alleys give their old pins away. They are extremely resilient and last a long time.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Hmmm. I would go a slightly different route than the conversion.

Agree that a 22lr is a perfect starter gun for a new shooter, but I wouldn’t do a conversion kit. They can be ammo sensitive. Mags are comparatively expensive and you wont be able to shoot them side by side with your wife. For roughly the same $200-300 you can get a ruger American 22lr bolt gun or even better, a 10/22. The S&W 22/15 is a nice plinker and a good trainer for an AR also, but I like the 10/22 for general shooting. In addition to being more shooter friendly a 22LR is rough 1/10th the ammo cost of 223/556. You will simply shoot it more.

ARs are a whole other rabbit hole. I won’t say much here other than I tend to recommend a midscale AR over some of the cheaper ones or building one. A lot of people will say you can save $ by building, which is true if you have the knowledge and some tools but I advise first time AR buyers to get something they can shoot right away. If you like shooting ARs, you will own more before long and can explore the DIY route then. I also think 556 is the way to go. 300BK and other calibers are popular with enthusiasts but more expensive to feed and not the best place to start IMO. If you dive into the AR pool hard there will be plenty of time to play with 300 and suppressors and 6.5 and 308 and more esoteric permutations of the platform.

To be a bit more specific in terms of recommendations, based on what you described, I would buy a stainless 10/22 with iron sights and a synthetic stock and a BCM RECCE AR in 556. Shoot them bare for a while and then bling them up with optics and accessories once you get the feel of them.

 

[LongWayAround]

I just bought a s&w 15-.22, the fifty or so rounds I ran through it confirmed the fun factor. I partly bought it for my lady to get comfortable shooting an AR platform.

If I were only going to have one, it would be a 5.56 though. Recoil is negligible and ammo cost only really becomes a factor (to me) if you shoot a lot.

 

[IL Rifle]

Hmmm. I would go a slightly different route than the conversion.

Agree that a 22lr is a perfect starter gun for a new shooter, but I wouldn’t do a conversion kit. They can be ammo sensitive. Mags are comparatively expensive and you wont be able to shoot them side by side with your wife. For roughly the same $200-300 you can get a ruger American 22lr bolt gun or even better, a 10/22. The S&W 22/15 is a nice plinker and a good trainer for an AR also, but I like the 10/22 for general shooting. In addition to being more shooter friendly a 22LR is rough 1/10th the ammo cost of 223/556. You will simply shoot it more.

ARs are a whole other rabbit hole. I won’t say much here other than I tend to recommend a midscale AR over some of the cheaper ones or building one. A lot of people will say you can save $ by building, which is true if you have the knowledge and some tools but I advise first time AR buyers to get something they can shoot right away. If you like shooting ARs, you will own more before long and can explore the DIY route then. I also think 556 is the way to go. 300BK and other calibers are popular with enthusiasts but more expensive to feed and not the best place to start IMO. If you dive into the AR pool hard there will be plenty of time to play with 300 and suppressors and 6.5 and 308 and more esoteric permutations of the platform.

To be a bit more specific in terms of recommendations, based on what you described, I would buy a stainless 10/22 with iron sights and a synthetic stock and a BCM RECCE AR in 556. Shoot them bare for a while and then bling them up with optics and accessories once you get the feel of them.

I agree that either a 10/22 or a Marlin 795 is a great way to introduce someone to shooting. Marlins are not as popular but equally as 10/22s but in particularly the older Marlin x95 semi auto actions are solid performers and less expensive than 10/22s. I have a 30 year old 995, basically a 795 action with a walnut stock, that I shoot regularly.

A program that I found was helpful to new shooters learning basic rifle shooting is the Appleseed program. They cover the basics of safety, shooting positions, breath control, sling use, and target practice using 22LRs. I took a class several years ago and found it helpful (I'm not affiliated with them in any way). There were quite a few beginners and women at the session I took. Might be a good wife/husband outing. All that is needed is a basic semi auto 22lr with open sights and two extra mags.

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

I'd use the excuse to get a suppressor. Suppressed weapons are my favorite way to introduce someone to shooting. It seems that the noise is a bigger deterrent than the recoil in a lot of cases.

 

[JFK]

Your idea sounds reasonable. The first firearm my wife ever shot was my AR. The one caveat I’d point out is to spend whatever amount of time necessary with her to go over safe operation. I did this with my wife in our home before we ever went to the range... unloaded of course. I had her show me step by step how to safely use it. Went over it again at the range.

 

[skyler_2010]

I'd use the excuse to get a suppressor. Suppressed weapons are my favorite way to introduce someone to shooting. It seems that the noise is a bigger deterrent than the recoil in a lot of cases.

I think this is her biggest thing. She wanted to shoot her new hellcat but she wanted me to shoot it first and after I shot it even with muffs and plugs she was like "that's loud I don't think I'm ready" so I just said ok that's fine is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable with it and she said I don't think so right now I just want to learn more about them before I shoot so I brought up cleaning our handguns together so she can see all the parts and can ask questions as we take them apart and she was got excited and said yes I think that would be perfect! Then yesterday I brought up shooting a 22 and she said she would be more willing to shoot a 22 first

 

[Jeremyc_1999]

I think this is her biggest thing. She wanted to shoot her new hellcat but she wanted me to shoot it first and after I shot it even with muffs and plugs she was like "that's loud I don't think I'm ready" so I just said ok that's fine is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable with it and she said I don't think so right now I just want to learn more about them before I shoot so I brought up cleaning our handguns together so she can see all the parts and can ask questions as we take them apart and she was got excited and said yes I think that would be perfect! Then yesterday I brought up shooting a 22 and she said she would be more willing to shoot a 22 first

Yep, I would also suggest rifles first because they tend to be quieter. My nephew wanted to shoot, but the noise of the gun scared him and he didn't even want to shoot a 22. Once I got the suppressor, it was game on and then he realized that it wouldn't hurt him and he was all for shooting more. I may be the only one on the range with a cricket 22 (or similar) threaded when my son gets a bit older.

 

[slvrslngr]

10-22’s are cheap, get that for her and buy yourself an AR. Just did this with my mom, she didn’t enjoy shooting my AR but loves her 10-22.

 

[BuckSnort]

I'd like to add onto my original post and say you gotta make it fun with new shooters.. Obviously teaching them safety is the first thing but once you get that don't try and push too much info on them too quickly.. Let them have fun and send some lead downrange...

Also another thing that makes the 22lr the best choice is a pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew pew magazine dump is only gonna cost $.50 ... Something to think about...