The 79 year old Virgin

[David Mark 2,452]

I took my 79 year old father-in-law to the range last week.

He had never fired a gun in his entire life. The man is in excellent shape for his age,

his softball team won their championship this year. So I wasn’t to concerned about

him being to frail for anything I brought.

 

He is an interesting guy. Born in Austria, he and his parents came to America in the

late 1930’s after the Nazi’s had annexed Austria. Some members of his extened family

were not so fortunate and ended up in concentration camps. His parents settled in New York

city were he was raised. I believe alot of his negative opinions about guns come from these

experiences.

 

I was determined to show him my side of the equation so I decided to introduce him

to the three major food groups, pistol, rifle, shotgun.

 

Started off with the Ruger MK3. Then went to the Glock 17 then the Remington R1 1911.

I always do the same thing with new shooters. First one round in the mag, if they are Ok

with that I then load 3. If all is going well we go to a full mag.

 

After the pistols we went to the 100 yrd rifle range and the H&K MP522 then my

personal converted Saiga 7.62. Same procedure, one round then three, then full mag.

After that we hit the shotgun range and he had a chance to try my Saiga 12.

 

Here is an exerpt from the email he sent me the following day:

“Thank you for taking the time to put me through the fast track course in firearms.

It was a great experience and gave me a new perspective on the use of the weapon.”

 

All in all we both had a great time and I think he learned a thing or two.

[gunfun 3,931]

 

I was determined to show him my side of the equation so I decided to introduce him

to the three major food groups, pistol, rifle, shotgun.

 

Started off with the Ruger MK3. Then went to the Glock 17 then the Remington R1 1911.

I always do the same thing with new shooters. First one round in the mag, if they are Ok

with that I then load 3. If all is going well we go to a full mag.

 

 

 

Your mag system is a good idea. The only question is why I haven't been doing this all along.

 

As for the experience, sounds like you handled it perfectly. I try to do similar and get to do something like this maybe 1-2 times a year. however our stupid new laws make it very difficult to do something like this without making it some kind of organized competition. (simply sharing guns at a range is misdemeanor first try felony next now..., unless it is a competition, or the lendee is your kid <18yo)

[sobrenegade 795]

Dave, I am impressed beyond words. We in the gun community should all take a look at ourselves. Granted there are those that refuse to learn or be taught, but with the insight and depth that you used with your FIL it showed to be rewarding on both ends. I sort of felt the same way teaching my roomie years ago and she responded by being a pretty good a shot. Surprised the hell out of me when she asked to go out again. Unlike you, I was not as good a teacher, but the spark was there. I hope he gets the bug. Congratulations.

[Spacehog 2,218]

Honestly DaveM I was a little afraid to even open this thread . Terrific job not only on the introduction of firearms to someone who has been hesitant or even hostile to firearms in the past, but also for the time of fellowship and bonding with your FIL. Great job and great story. Thanks for sharing.

[sjgusmc21 850]

DaveM, you Sir are awesome!

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

Dave great title. You just laid out how it should be done and I for one will follow. I don't know any 79 year old virgins though, those are hard to come by in the south.

 

Great job and glad you both had a good time.

[HB of CJ 1,263]

We usually started out the new person with the mundane Ruger 10-22 rifle with the OEM 10 rd flush fitting mag loaded with just one round.  Then after some time and round counts we would then load 2 rounds, then 5, then 10.  We did not use handguns or shotguns at all.

 

Finding ear plugs and eye protection goggles was a must also.

 

Subjecting a new person to the muzzle blast and recoil of full powered firearms we found to be counter productive.  Just us.  Slow and sure.  A little bit new at a time.  Muscle memory.  Safety always.  That and combined with equal class room legal. ethical and moral stuff.

 

Just me.  HB of CJ (old coot) SW OR USA. About 43N, 123W.  Kinda.  Perfect day.

[gunfun 3,931]

Some new people are bored until they get a little recoil. In my experience, more women that I introduced complained of lack of recoil with 22 than men. Young guys without firearms seem to gravitate toward guns with more need for user input. I'd say about half have expressed disappointment with semi auto rifles. They say they wanted a bolt action. So I give them the 30-06 with some hand-loads roughly on par with 7.62x39 and they start smiling so wide their faces might split. They want it to feel as unlike the video games they have played as possible, while looking as much like them as possible.

[David Mark 2,452]

We usually started out the new person with the mundane Ruger 10-22 rifle with the OEM 10 rd flush fitting mag loaded with just one round.  Then after some time and round counts we would then load 2 rounds, then 5, then 10.  We did not use handguns or shotguns at all.

 

Finding ear plugs and eye protection goggles was a must also.

 

Subjecting a new person to the muzzle blast and recoil of full powered firearms we found to be counter productive.  Just us.  Slow and sure.  A little bit new at a time.  Muscle memory.  Safety always.  That and combined with equal class room legal. ethical and moral stuff.

 

Just me.  HB of CJ (old coot) SW OR USA. About 43N, 123W.  Kinda.  Perfect day.

I hear what you are saying HB. The fact is that this was probably a one time opportunity.

 

He and my Mother-in-law had come up from Florida for my daughters college graduation and my nephews High School graduation and would only be in town a couple of weeks.

 

I wanted him to experience pistols, rifles and shotgun and given the fact he is in great shape for his age I knew it would not be an issue for him.

My one round then 3 then full mag process allowed him to safely experience the muzzle blast and recoil of each weapon and he never said no to

the opportunity to shoot more. Plus I always shot first with him standing behind me on the firing line so he could see what to expect before handing him the gun.

 

I don't expect him to run out and buy several guns when he gets back to Fla. but I fully expect he will brag about the experience to everyone he can at the senior community where he lives.

 

BTW, I asked him which gun was his favorite and he said the Saiga 12 without hesitation.