First Time for Everything
By Jeff Gonzales

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with a woman who had never fired a firearm, even though she came from a family who enjoyed them. Without getting into details, she came to the decision she wanted to learn on her own. I'm glad she did, and, knowing that I would have one chance to really sink the hook, we had to keep it short and sweet.

So Much Information, so Little Time

With a finite amount of time, what do you actually cover? This is why we have training classes: there is a lot of information to learn. The next best thing to a class is to spend an hour and really concentrate on the basics. How does this story end? It was definitely a happy ending. While the hook may not have sunk too deep, it is in there—and with a few more range sessions…

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The Little Blaster that Could

This was also the first time I used a student supplied Walter P22 for a training session. I have to say, I was really impressed with this little blaster. While not something I would choose for self defense, any gun is better than no gun. This little blaster is a miniature version of their P99. I'm not a fan of the paddle magazine release, and the slide actuated safety is nice for a student, but my biggest complaint was the double action. It was very difficult for a first time shooter, so we by-passed it and shot everything from single action.

Again, what do you choose to cover with limited time? We focused on firearm safety and manipulations right off the bat. We worked on some basic gun handling and then performed some warm up drills. Once some familiarity is in place, I feel you can start to concentrate on marksmanship.

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Secret Ingredients

My recipe for success: I worked on sight alignment first, since that is the easiest to master. I mean, how difficult is it to learn sight alignment? Once you understand sight management, I find you don't have to spend much time on it and can devote the majority of training time to trigger management.

From there we worked on the "three step" trigger management process. Step one: touch. Touch and make sure your finger is correctly positioned. Step two: take up the slack so you are resting on the sear wall. Step three: squeeze. Squeeze the trigger unit the round discharges, but squeeze past the point of ignition. We used progressive drills to reinforce each of these micro lessons. Using a coach/student method, I handled the trigger management at first and then gradually turned it over to her. After awhile, she was doing everything.

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Graduation

She loaded magazines, made ready, and was able to fire multiple magazines at close range with good accuracy. Gaining confidence, we stepped back and, even with the added distance, marksmanship was still pretty good. The little blaster did an excellent job. Its small frame and light recoil made it a perfect firearm for a beginner. I will see this little blaster in my inventory very soon. All in all, it was a great experience and hopefully another firearms enthusiast is added to the community.

Jeff Gonzales
Trident Concepts, LLC
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