I posted on different websites and eeryone said i was the only one with the problem, im glad im not. I now only run phosphated BCG’s

There is no doubt in my mind that a shooter that has mastered the air pistols will also bring the fundamentals to the table when shooting centerfire ammunition. However, that is not really the point I had attempted to bring up earlier.

My point was about short term gains during the first introduction to the shooting sport. The method of going from small to large actually destracts from your point, in my opinion, since the shooter will be more focused on the ever increasing recoil (and he knows it will increase at each step along the path). This way, fundamentals do get pushed out of focus.

If you go from large to small after proper education regarding stance & grip, the shooters know they have dealt with the worst & can relax going down, leaving more attention to marksmanship instead of anticipation of recoil (with tell tale nose dips along the way, especially if you load a snap cap or two into the mix).

Again, in the long term, I’m sure starting small is great. But for a first initiation to the sport? Is it really necessary? I’d argue that it’s less necessary than many seem to advocate.

Then again, as mentioned by others, one blanket technique doesn’t work for all, but regardless I think you should start small and insure the fundamentals are mastered before moving on. that may take 10 rounds and it may take 1000 rounds, ymmv based on your student.

It seems like the least common denominator has more to do with what you’re made of or how you were raised than any statistics about age, sex, or any other factor.

The very first handgun that my wife ever shot was a .500 S&W. She was at the range with me and my cousin who owns the .500S&W. We had been shooting various other rifles and handguns when my cousin brought out the 500. He fired a few rounds at 50 and 100yds, then I took a couple swings with it at 50yds (and didnt hit S@#% with it because I flinched…badly).

After watching that my wife said she wanted to try it. She had been shooting other guns that day and I think she wanted to show me up. So my cousin took some time to instruct her. She listened well as he explained what to expect from the big gun (hold with a Firm grip, but not a death grip, elbows bent slightly to let the gun rock up with the shot etc).

Then he dropped a round (not a Max Load, but not a powder puff either) into the chamber, closed the cylinder and handed her the gun. He stood by and spotted her (with his arm across her forearms to prevent the gun from coming back and hitting her in the face – just in case) as she took careful aim and squeezed the 2.5lb trigger on the big Smith.

50yds downrange a .500in hole appeared about six inches above the bullseye and well centered left-to-right. She had a big grin on her face and said something like “I want to do that again.”

So the big cylinder was swung out and a fresh cigar…cartridge was put in. The next one went pretty much right thru the center of the target.

After shooting that kind of cannon, everything else is easy. Now, I will say that my wife is an exceptional person in many ways, and she is not afraid of much. But the larger point is: if a new shooter knows what to expect and has good instruction (that they Listen to) you can start someone off with a much bigger gun than you might think…because its Easy when you know how.

Interesting to see you revisit my comment.

I still think you should try out my suggestion and see how it works for you. I find it hard to imagine that just because we’re apart by an ocean, that the results would be so widely different.

I do believe that starting small is the safer bet when introducing complete strangers (hell, I’ve used it for many years myself), but if the mindset to learn and the interest in firearms is there, there’s little risk of pushing someone away by starting bigger. Since I only teach novices who explicitly want to try/learn shooting, I do not deal with people who are there just because their boyfriend or husband is there. I think if the shooter isn’t really interested, then yes, you might push them away from the sport by starting big. Otherwise, it’s up to you to “read” the shooter and have them come down to a lower caliber more quickly if they aren’t comfortable.

When starting big, it’s of course important to make sure they have proper grip. A good grip will provide better recoil characterstics and prevent discomfort as much as possible. Same goes with proper shouldering with long arms, pulling the rifle or shotgun firmly into the shoulder makes a world of difference in terms of getting beaten around or not.

You should obviously keep in mind the danger of inintentional double taps when starting big, so leave a chamber in the cylinder open after the first shot, or only load a single round in a pistol to start off. Personally, I’ve never seen an unintentional double tap happen during recoil, but it’s better to prevent than to cure.

As for correcting stance/posture, I’m rarely “hands-on”. Aside from pushing the shoulders forward to prevent chick lean (on men just as much as on women), I rarely touch my novice shooters. I just tend to show them how to do it and verbally correct them where necessary.

Greetz,
GVD

PS: I’m belgian (thank god, because dutch have absolutely horrible gun laws).