SHOOT Quick Tip: Taking a New Shooter to the Range & Love at First Shot Season 5 Ep. 1
Hopefully, you joined us for the season premiere of Love at First Shot! Each Friday a new episode airs live as a premiere on NRA Women’s Facebook page. I’m having a ton of fun with our virtual watch party as cast members, host Natalie Foster and yours truly blow up the comment section. You can also catch up on the show with a free subscription to NRA.TV.
In the first episode, we get to know our competitors and start things off with a scavenger hunt. I came up with this concept as a fun way to get our ladies in a competitive mindset. What better way to do it than by testing their knowledge on the clock! Dodging and weaving through the incredible crowds at the NRA Annual Meeting is no small feat, but they were up for the task.
As a bonus/recap, I’m also sharing a bit of behind-the-scenes info, tips and insight right here on my blog. For episode one, it’s all about preparation. In “Scavenger Hunt” we watch the team selection process and how the ladies get to know each other better on the range. Pros take their teammates under their wing with the goal of imparting enough knowledge for their amateurs to be confident and successful. With a variety of Smith & Wesson firearms in several calibers, we have a glimpse
Now, if you have the opportunity to bring a new shooter to the range, I highly recommend you stick to just one firearm in a soft shooting caliber. I also have a few simple recommendations that will help you make that trigger time productive and fun.
New Shooter Pro Tip
- Safety First – Before you even handle a firearm make sure your new shooter has proper eye and ear protection. You also need to ensure they know and understand the basic rules of firearm safety.
- Develop Gun Handling Skills – Show your new shooter step by step how to load, unload and manipulate the firearm’s controls safely.
- Focus on Fundamentals – Give your shooter the best opportunity to hit the target by explaining and showing sight picture, proper grip, stance and trigger control in
dry fire before transitioning to ammunition. - Target Difficulty – Keep your targets simple and easy at first. As your shooter improves, challenge them with smaller targets or increase the distance.
- Simple & Positive For the Win – Keep in mind this is an exciting moment for your newcomer. Try not to make things too complicated and remember it’s about them, and not about you and your teaching. A positive attitude while keeping it simple with plenty of encouragement will ensure you both have a great time.
If your range allows it, fun targets like Becky and Breann’s “crush the competition” shot generate plenty of smiles and fun memories. Just remember if you do shoot unconventional or messy targets be sure to clean up.
Now that you’ve met the women and learned a bit more about them, it’s time we put them to the real test… SHOOTING! Walking the show floor is one thing, but how will these pro/am dynamic duos perform on the range? That’s what episode 2 is all about and I have a few thoughts on it too.
Remember, tune in Fridays at 8 pm central on NRA Women’s Facebook page to see what happens next. See you then?
