If ever there was a good time to get into shooting, it is now. Despite impending doom and political pressure to deter firearms ownership and use, the market and practice of firearms continues to maintain its upward trend. More and more people are warming up to shooting sports and the exercise of their second amendment rights, while this is a good thing, it doesn’t come without its obstacles. Today I wanted to talk about hooking new shooters with pistol caliber carbines. 
The Trijicon MROmade a great choice for an optic
Whether it is a child coming into the age of curiosity, a significant other who wasn’t raised around firearms, or a head of household looking for new skills to protect their property and loved ones, some people are apprehensive towards handling and shooting guns. Our duty as gun owners is to give these prospects every opportunity to learn safe, and proper firearm use.
Pistol Caliber Carbines (PCC’s) are a great way to start someone who might be intimidated. Sometimes it is the noise, sometimes the recoil, and sometimes its something else. But the gentle recoil and short report of pistol cartridges can ease those individuals into a comfortable place where they can work on the basic skills of shooting. And once they are there, stepping up their game is much less intimidating.
PCC’s are often very lightweight and compact, this can be helpful to both young or petite shooters. Focusing on sights is very difficult if you are struggling to hold the weapon on target. A small and usually shortened weapon like a PCC eliminates that challenge.
Handguns require a touch more of respect and discipline due to their very small size, to put it bluntly, they are much easier to point at oneself or others around you. That is not a reason to avoid handguns with new or inexperienced shooters, but it is a reason to take extra caution. Using longer guns as a way to break the ice is a better option in my opinion, and PCC’s are perfect for it. Hooking new shooters with pistol caliber carbines has been easy for all of my kids, as well as some adults.
One of the worst things I see people do with new shooters is starting them off on some miserable six-pound magnum deer rifle. Even worse are those who like to chuckle from behind as they anticipate the overwhelmed face of a frightened shooter after the shot. This is neither funny nor helpful and probably does more to feed the fear of timid new shooters than anything else. New shooters can be embarrassed and increasingly uncertain about the whole ordeal just so Mr. Fudd can feel some sort of superiority before their greener peers.
PCC’s share many aspects with the Grandaddy of trainers, the 22 long rifle, in fact, there are many PCC options in 22. Many of America’s favorite AR-15 variants are available in 22 or can be readily converted.
One of my favorite attributes of both 22’s and other pistol cartridges is their economic advantage. With a 22, you can train new shooters all afternoon for less than a couple combo meals at your favorite burger joint. And nine-millimeter PCC’s aren’t horrendously expensive either, significantly much cheaper than shooting 5.56 ammo.
Firearms with minimal recoil are ideal for new shooters. Even the mild recoil impulse of PCC’s requires some skill to manage, and the ranges for which they are effective give the shooter immediate feedback on their trigger pull and recoil management.
Shorter distances and the visual cues on targets are very helpful to those that are new to shooting, being able to walk up to their target and inspect their shooting will also help them learn what they are doing wrong or right.
Adding a suppressor to the firearm is another helpful tool that will help new shooters ease into it. Removing the worst of the noise can help timid shooters focus on the task before them. And most PCC’s when suppressed are very quiet, much quieter than high-speed rifle rounds like the 5.56.
Impressions matter, when you bring a new shooter to the firing line and show them the gun they are about to shoot, and the ammunition that it fires, something small like a pistol cartridge will be less intimidating. Generally, people that are new to firearms can be nervous about even the looks of a particular firearm, so simplicity might be another effective way to help them engage comfortably.
Another additional tool to go with your PCC that might aid in teaching new shooters is a simple steel target. The reactive nature of the steel gives immediate confirmation to shooters that they are doing something right, it also simplifies the task for the apprentice as there are simply hits and misses. Shooting steel targets with pistol cartridges inside one hundred yards is safer than rifle cartridges, and it’s not so hard on your steel either.
So if you find yourself lucky enough to be introducing a new shooter, or a group of new shooters, don’t overlook this great option and training tool hooking new shooters with pistol caliber carbines.
-CBM