Take a 'never have' shooter to the range to hit the target, safely... and remember all you can't teach him yet...

   So I treat an older fellow, that has lots of opinions and talk and questions, to the trip to the range to fire a pistol, in this case my Browning Challenger II with the gold colored trigger, in 22LR. It is a pretty pistol.  Last night I had taken out the pistol and cut down the amount of stuff I thought I would need.  Like a 1911, a revolver, and another 22LR pistol by Ruger... because I realized this was just a one time deal, and I had more than a new shooter was prepared to find out about.

   Our relationship is more about old guys sweating at the gym and talking about old stuff and far away stuff and trying to be noticed.

   We got our basic exercise in and showered and dressed and then we went to Range 15 of JBLM, I paid and showed him the pistol, how it worked, and I was certainly happy that I went slow, since he didn't have any past firearm training.  But I would stand beside him, demonstrate, and then have him perform what I had just shown him... what seemed so natural to me, was all new to him. Since I was in the 'do it safely always' mode, I didn't get swept but there was one failure to clear the pistol properly. Which I caught, pointed out to him, and then corrected when it was safe to do so.

   We had an unexpected coyote on the two hundred yard line, right in front of the rifle shooters, one must have caught it and the line was closed down until it got off. The day was cool to colder, and by the final few magazine I needed heat and a nap.  All his rounds were on the target, but the little stuff I could only help him one technique at a time. So it took some time for trigger control, and such.  Only using one pistol was a fine idea.  I did get some shooting in, but the primary focus was on him and not me.  A good time.

   The rifle side of the range had a signup sheet for the ones that got there late, as we left the pistol side had the same thing, so there must have been many Christmas gifts getting a work out.