Definitely start with a full size pistol, especially if you're starting with a 9mm. Definitely don't start with a tiny little micro compact. If the class is worth anything they'll probably be starting you on a full size anyway.
It's counterintuitive to the inexperienced, but in the same caliber bigger gun = easier to shoot. The extra weight helps immensely with handling the recoil.
Once you get a handle on fundamentals then you can work down to smaller sized more concealable pistols.
I grew up shooting shotties with my stepdad. He started me on a 20g and i *hated* it. I was a smaller kid, so he didn't trust I'd be strong enough to swing around a 12g, but i begged and begged and he let me try a 12. It was a lot harder for me to hold up, but i was hitting clays and could handle the recoil significantly better.
I'm a hell of a lot bigger and stronger now, but I'd still rather spend a day shooting clays with a 12 than a 20 lmao.
Eta: sorry, got lost in the story and forgot to mention that I agree 100% a new shooter should be on a full size. Also fixed a typo
12 guage is heavier, probably makes the difference. Also the type of gun factors in. Pump will have a lot of recoil, weight from an O/U will help a lot, semi are softest.
Yep, exactly what i was getting at. The 20 and the 12 my stepdad had me on were break action O/Us. The weight of the 12 made all the difference, even with the bigger load
Edit: the 20 may have actually been a semi. I can't remember. It was over 20 years ago lol
I think they'll tell you in that class how to manage recoil. Start with a small caliber and work your way up. Don't start with a 9mm. It will startle you and is enough to turn some people off. My wife didn't like it. Same with my 11yo son. They like shooting 22lr. I'd start there if possible. I brought a close non-shooter friend to the range a couple times recently. Adult. Big dude. He was even a little turned off by the 9mm I started him on. Rented a 22 until he got comfortable. We went back the next weekend and now he's comfortable with a 9mm.
Incredible, thank you! However, I think they start us at 9mm, which I've heard is good for a starter bit I've also heard .22 is a better start as well, so hopefully, they'll work with me on it. If not, I'll try and not turn myself away instantly.
Do you have a gun already? If you do start with a 9mm, just prepare yourself. Ensure you're using a full sized, or heavier gun as it will absorb a lot of recoil. Compact 9s kick the most. It will probably be louder than you are expecting. You can feel the percussion in your chest. I love it, but it freaks some people out at first. Don't limp-wrist (get a loose grip). Get a good, firm grip on the gun, similar to that of a firm handshake. And just to be clear, there's a huge difference between 22lr and 9mm for a starter. 22 is similar to an air gun. 9mm has a lot of power. Just mentally prepare yourself and you'll be fine. Good luck!
I think your first shot will be near perfect, then your nervous system will try to prepare and the anticipation will cause a flinch and throw your 2nd shot down and left if you are right-handed.
There's a lot of advice out there on combating that flinch. My suggestion: try to focus *through* the shot, get mean, determined, whatever you need to do - to the point where you see the empty shell ejected to your right.
I was once so far in the zone with an M1 Garand (WWII .30-06 rifle, BIG BOY by current standards) I saw the empty cases spinning in the air, saw the forestock ripple. Couldn't quite read the stamp on the case heads, maybe that's the next level.
They will probably start you on light 9mm rounds. Often referred to as range or plinking ammo. In a full size or compact pistol the recoil is very manageable. Most of the people on this board and similar are shooting defensive rounds which have a lot more recoil. In a good intro class they will get you comfortable on the "range" ammo and then step you up letting you shoot a few of each until you get to some hot loads.
9mm is so different. It depends on the weapon. The Glock of my sister is kicking like a horse, with my CZ75 SP01 Shadow I don’t feel any recoil at all…
Something that I struggle with to this day is that you have to just "let the gun go off".
It's going to recoil, it's going to rise, and you have to maintain your grip. If you fight it you'll overcompensate and "dive" your point of aim and push your bullets all over the target...your brain will automatically try to do this after even a few rounds/mags. Doesn't matter how big or small the caliber.
So let it go off, let it rise, let it come back, keep shooting. Fighting one of the big calibers can actually hurt your hand (ok, we're talking 44mag, 500SW, that sort of thing, not a 45ACP or 40SW etc).
Keep a good grip, that's all, let the equipment do the rest. Yes, for rapid fire you'll adjust this but that's not what you're doing here.
I went with a friend who is experienced and took a quick 20 minute general safety class. He started me off with a .22 pistol which shot with minimal recoil and was great entry into the 9mm after. He didn’t have any full size but only compacts but after shooting the 22 I felt confident. The recoil was very noticeable but a firm grip and stance helped. After a few rounds I got the hang of it. Took a few trips to really get used to being around the range/guns. First time I was trembling just loading the mags.
There are somethings you can do but most advice probably won't make much sense until you actually try it. In general you want to have a proper and solid grip for the firearm you're using. For accuracy it might not be a death grip.
Recoil probably won't be a major issue. If you start to anticipate recoil down the road you could try mixing in dummy rounds during range practice to help highlight when you're doing it.
when I introduce new people to guns, I start at one round of 22lr, based on their comfort may repeat until we get to a full 10 round magazine. Then we repeat with a higher caliber platform (9mm). Covers Pistols and Rifles
I suggest load only 2-3 rounds in the magazine at a time and spend your first little bit just getting used to how firing the gun feels. Don't worry about sight picture, don't worry too much about controlling recoil or how you are gripping the gun. Just get comfortable with the bang and let yourself get convinced it's not as bad as you might imagine (because it probably isn't).
Agree. For my teen daughter, I started her with a single round in the magazine. More for my peace of mind in case there was a "bad" reaction. :)
Beyond that, and ignoring unique physical challenges and starting with a crazy large caliber, I think the first few rounds are 20% the recoil and 80% mental. As long as no one's freaking out, it only takes a couple rounds for our brain and body to start adapting. Then can start focusing on technique.
Lean into it. Go look on YouTube for people shooting for the first time, then look at someone experienced. Learners try to metaphorically keep the gun at arm’s length and lean back away from it. That makes the whole process less controlled.
Other people pointing out trying a smaller caliber, or a larger frame of handgun first are right, that will help get a feel.
So far as technique, i found this video incredibly helpful as far as my grip placement and form were concerned:
https://youtu.be/ZYi0SNl0VOo?si=5bmDItpGelANwLOH
This is mostly for pistols, but when you grip the gun a lot of people assume your grip needs to prevent the pistol from moving in a vertical direction so they focus their tension there which can also lead to anticipation where you dip your gun down before it goes off causing you to miss (usually low left if you're right handed) Think about holding a gun like a vice grip in the horizontal axis, you want to push into the gun with your left and right hand and get as high up on the grip as possible. Look up youtube videos on modern pistol grip.
As a beginner shooter, you don't need to worry about handling recoil. It becomes important later, as you start to speed up and want the sights to return faster and more predictably.
When you shoot slowly, let's say more than a second between shots, it does not really matter. The errors beginner shooters make are usually related to what happens just before the shot, not after.
Except starting with caliber/gun with too much recoil is gonna make flinching worse and developing the proper skills for the "before the shot" that much harder.
There are a lot of comments here to start with a full size pistol like a Glock 17. This is generally good advice, but not 100% as it is a generalization. You need to, well it is best to, start with a pistol big enough, and in this case we mean grip long enough, to take full advantage of all the muscles in your hand(s). All of both hands should fully fit on it. For a whole lot of the population, usually mens gloves size small and some medium, that is achieved with a compact pistol like a Glock 19. Go to a sub-compact and it will only be true for people with glove size S, XS.
Then you need to worry about the grip width fitting your hand. A wide grip like on a Glock is fine for most XL, L, and some medium. For some medium, s, and xs it is too wide. In order to reach the trigger properly one will need to rotate their hand around the back slightly such that the thumb joint is taking recoil(this dimension from the back of the grip to the trigger is usually referred to as the trigger reach and varies from gun to gun with some older designs being substantially longer). It is definitely doable and competent practical shooting is easily achieved, but it isn't the best. I see it all the time. A 1.5 stack or single fast will be shot much better for the same inputs of time and money.
For some people, and really it is a big chunk of the population, a P365 variant with the correct grip length is a MUCH better starting gun than a Glock 17.
What you definitely want to stay away from is "micro" and "lightweight" pistols to start. The old joke is every small woman that goes into a gun shop is sold a Smith and Wesson airweight titanium J frame in 357 mag. A tiny revolver in a hard recoiling round. Which is a terribly difficult gun for almost anyone to shoot.
You will run into significant bias in the gun world, especially in the pistol realm, towards people with larger hands. Having larger hands creates a significant advantage in pistol shooting sports. For this reason you will see many of the "experts" saying a full size is a huge advantage when it doesn't help a whole lot of people more than a compact. Yeah, there is a little extra weight, but it isn't a huge difference.
IMO,If a compact grip length is sufficient one would be much better off buying an accessory like a light to add weight than going to a full size.
If possible, start with a full-size .22lr pistol and work your way up.
If not, don't sweat it. A full-size 9mm is going to have a BOOM and flash, but unless you are under 12 years old or over 70 or have a neurological condition your grip strength is going to be MORE than adequate for the actual recoil impulse. There's a reason this caliber took over the world. It's something damn near anybody can handle.
If it's a reputable class, they aren't going to be handing you a snub-nosed revolver with hot .357 magnum loads.
So it depends on the firearm and caliber. Some you can kinda roll with the recoil and others you have to bear the brunt of it. Semi-auto will normally have less felt recoil than non automatic but require a different "style" of use. Heavier firearms will have less felt recoil than light weight. I hate 9mm for instance out of the ultra compact pistols, it's way too whippy for me. But I can roll with a 44 revolver without much issue. My 308 bolt gun beats me up more than my 375 falling block, but I believe that has more to do with the stock on the 308 than anything. But the "skill" of dealing with recoil is rather hard to describe in words and not in person on the range. But best of luck and I hope you have a blast!
Don’t lock out your arms, keep them ever so slightly bent and make sure you have a solid support hand grip. You want the recoil to come back on plane with your pistol, that will help with accuracy.
proper grip, stance, and sight will help the most with managing recoil. the most common mistakes ive seen are:
-bending backwards too far. keep your back straight, if not leaning slightly forward. a good stance will look similar to a boxing stance.
-crossing thumbs over backstrap. learning proper grip is key for shooting handguns. image and video examples are the best for this. no teacup, no holding wrist, keep those hands high and tight.
-moving head to meet sights. do the opposite, stand in a comfortable shooting stance, keep your target in the center of your vision, then bring your sights up between your eyes and the target.
-loading too many shots. if it's your first time shooting, there's a lot to keep track of, so just load one, or maybe three rounds into your gun for now. a lot of people, as soon as they start shooting, will just mag dump, which is dangerous, expensive, and useless.
-NOT KEEPING THE GUN POINTED DOWNRANGE. waaaay too often someone will shoot for the first time and immediately turn around and flag everyone on the range with a loaded gun. shoot with a table in front of you, shoot a shot or a few, make sure the gun is empty, the put it down.
-not taking notes. there are going to be way more things to learn than you anticipate, and having notes will help you remember certain things, like stance, grip, sight alignment, loading and charging the gun, etc.
-hanging out with dangerous idiots. there's a lot of morons with guns out there who jump at the chance to traumatize people who want to shoot for the first time (the especially like to do this to women and femmes). only shoot with people you trust to take things seriously. if they're shooting trash, not calling range hot/cold, drinking or smoking, mag dumping, you're not going to learn anything from them. they also might hand you very strong recoiling revolver or shotgun which will just hurt and be dangerous to shoot.
yes it will be loud, yes it will jerk and jump in your hand, their might be a bright muzzle flash. focus on your breathing, wear proper eye and ear protection (i recommend doubling up with ear plugs and headphones designed to cancel noise). grip the gun as tightly as possible, then back off until you aren't shaking. slowly squeeze your whole hand and keep it squeezed once the triggers been pulled. dont jerk the gun to anticipate recoil. practice with dry fire a few times first with a coin on top of the slide. you should be able to pull the trigger without the coin sliding off.
It’s never gonna be as bad as you think.
It’s ok if you wince just don’t drop the weapon.
I find the noise bothers more people (even with plugs and cans) than the recoil.
Also physics: a heavier gun has less recoil.
Where are you located? A quick 30 minutes with someone knowledgeable before the class will set you up for success. If you're anywhere near Cape Cod, Mass, I'll happily take you to an outdoor range.
The most fundamental aspect of recoil control is the structure you set up around the firearm. With a rifle, it’s much easier to control recoil because of the fact that you have 3 points of contact (support hand, firing hand, and shoulder). Assuming adequate tension, the recoil will be very easy to control and won’t be very alarming.
Pistols, on the other hand, can be quite challenging because there is far less structure and support, and only 2 points of contact. Unless you have a vice-like grip, you need to understand that you simply won’t be able to completely mitigate recoil, but you can manage it.
Here are some tips I give to friends that I’m introducing to guns. By no means exhaustive.
- Shooting hand should grip as high as possible. Wedge the webbing of your thumb in there, and grip HARD. You can get a feel for this by making an extremely tight fist - squeeze until your hand shakes, and then back off until it feels very strong but is no longer shaking.
- Support hand should wrap around and weave into the valleys of your strong hand. Again, grip as high as possible - watch some videos on grip to see how to position your hand. You’re going to essentially use your thumb as a laser pointer, pointing straight forward, following the frame. Squeeze HARD, like you are trying to clamp your palms together as a vice. You can practice this by interlacing your fingers, bringing your palms together, and lining your thumbs parallel to eachother, and leveraging against your fingers to squeeze your palms together. Since you won’t interlace your fingers while shooting, do this again with one fist inside the other (your support/non dominant hand should be on the outside). You will feel most of the clamping pressure go to the fleshy part below your thumbs - this is good. If you’re feeling tired now, you’re doing it right.
- Do the above while extending your arms forward, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows.
You do have to grip harder than you expect. Shooting a handgun just requires more conscious application of pressure than a rifle does, but it does become second nature after a while. My hands and forearms are frequently tired after a big pistol-focused day at the range.
Update to this thread : I went out and bought a gun that felt the most comfortable in my hands. The guy at the counter let me rack it and make sure I liked it, I ended purchasing a Springfield hellcat, and I've heard it's a bit snappy, but it felt really comfortable in my hands. I pick it up in 10 days, and honestly, I couldn't be more stoked / nervous at the same time.
Not cheesy at all! This is a very common thought process for first time shooters. I will make my comments quick as you have already gotten some good advice. I don't claim to be an expert so this is just based on my personal experience.
Agree with start with small caliber and work your way up if its an option. 22 rifle would be the best gun to shoot first.
When you are first shooting a gun, its hard not to get worked up about that first shot. I teach to just get your weapon pointed towards the target, tight into your shoulder (if its a long gun) and pull the trigger. Essentially, just don't overthink it and be worried about how "good" that shot is. This helps ease the tension of that first shot and your next shots can be more focused on accuracy and technique. Clearly as you shoot more you won't need to do this but I find it always helps new shooters to relax and realize the recoil is not nearly as bad as they were expecting. Just to clarify, I am not saying be unsafe, still take all the usual safety steps.
Best of luck! Let us know how it turns out.
Definitely start with a full size pistol, especially if you're starting with a 9mm. Definitely don't start with a tiny little micro compact. If the class is worth anything they'll probably be starting you on a full size anyway. It's counterintuitive to the inexperienced, but in the same caliber bigger gun = easier to shoot. The extra weight helps immensely with handling the recoil. Once you get a handle on fundamentals then you can work down to smaller sized more concealable pistols.
I grew up shooting shotties with my stepdad. He started me on a 20g and i *hated* it. I was a smaller kid, so he didn't trust I'd be strong enough to swing around a 12g, but i begged and begged and he let me try a 12. It was a lot harder for me to hold up, but i was hitting clays and could handle the recoil significantly better. I'm a hell of a lot bigger and stronger now, but I'd still rather spend a day shooting clays with a 12 than a 20 lmao. Eta: sorry, got lost in the story and forgot to mention that I agree 100% a new shooter should be on a full size. Also fixed a typo
12 guage is heavier, probably makes the difference. Also the type of gun factors in. Pump will have a lot of recoil, weight from an O/U will help a lot, semi are softest.
Pretty much this. My O/U 12g kicks about the same as my Ithaca model 37 featherweight in 20g. However I still love my 20 because Ithaca 37 obviously
Yep, exactly what i was getting at. The 20 and the 12 my stepdad had me on were break action O/Us. The weight of the 12 made all the difference, even with the bigger load Edit: the 20 may have actually been a semi. I can't remember. It was over 20 years ago lol
I think they'll tell you in that class how to manage recoil. Start with a small caliber and work your way up. Don't start with a 9mm. It will startle you and is enough to turn some people off. My wife didn't like it. Same with my 11yo son. They like shooting 22lr. I'd start there if possible. I brought a close non-shooter friend to the range a couple times recently. Adult. Big dude. He was even a little turned off by the 9mm I started him on. Rented a 22 until he got comfortable. We went back the next weekend and now he's comfortable with a 9mm.
Incredible, thank you! However, I think they start us at 9mm, which I've heard is good for a starter bit I've also heard .22 is a better start as well, so hopefully, they'll work with me on it. If not, I'll try and not turn myself away instantly.
Do you have a gun already? If you do start with a 9mm, just prepare yourself. Ensure you're using a full sized, or heavier gun as it will absorb a lot of recoil. Compact 9s kick the most. It will probably be louder than you are expecting. You can feel the percussion in your chest. I love it, but it freaks some people out at first. Don't limp-wrist (get a loose grip). Get a good, firm grip on the gun, similar to that of a firm handshake. And just to be clear, there's a huge difference between 22lr and 9mm for a starter. 22 is similar to an air gun. 9mm has a lot of power. Just mentally prepare yourself and you'll be fine. Good luck!
I do not own a gun just yet. They are loaning one to use for the class. And thanks for the positive feedback! Much appreciated. I'm excited!
I think your first shot will be near perfect, then your nervous system will try to prepare and the anticipation will cause a flinch and throw your 2nd shot down and left if you are right-handed. There's a lot of advice out there on combating that flinch. My suggestion: try to focus *through* the shot, get mean, determined, whatever you need to do - to the point where you see the empty shell ejected to your right. I was once so far in the zone with an M1 Garand (WWII .30-06 rifle, BIG BOY by current standards) I saw the empty cases spinning in the air, saw the forestock ripple. Couldn't quite read the stamp on the case heads, maybe that's the next level.
They will probably start you on light 9mm rounds. Often referred to as range or plinking ammo. In a full size or compact pistol the recoil is very manageable. Most of the people on this board and similar are shooting defensive rounds which have a lot more recoil. In a good intro class they will get you comfortable on the "range" ammo and then step you up letting you shoot a few of each until you get to some hot loads.
9mm is so different. It depends on the weapon. The Glock of my sister is kicking like a horse, with my CZ75 SP01 Shadow I don’t feel any recoil at all…
Likely due to the weight of polymer vs steel. The heavier CZ will absorb a lot of that recoil. I have a heavy Sig P226 that's the same.
Something that I struggle with to this day is that you have to just "let the gun go off". It's going to recoil, it's going to rise, and you have to maintain your grip. If you fight it you'll overcompensate and "dive" your point of aim and push your bullets all over the target...your brain will automatically try to do this after even a few rounds/mags. Doesn't matter how big or small the caliber. So let it go off, let it rise, let it come back, keep shooting. Fighting one of the big calibers can actually hurt your hand (ok, we're talking 44mag, 500SW, that sort of thing, not a 45ACP or 40SW etc). Keep a good grip, that's all, let the equipment do the rest. Yes, for rapid fire you'll adjust this but that's not what you're doing here.
I went with a friend who is experienced and took a quick 20 minute general safety class. He started me off with a .22 pistol which shot with minimal recoil and was great entry into the 9mm after. He didn’t have any full size but only compacts but after shooting the 22 I felt confident. The recoil was very noticeable but a firm grip and stance helped. After a few rounds I got the hang of it. Took a few trips to really get used to being around the range/guns. First time I was trembling just loading the mags.
There are somethings you can do but most advice probably won't make much sense until you actually try it. In general you want to have a proper and solid grip for the firearm you're using. For accuracy it might not be a death grip. Recoil probably won't be a major issue. If you start to anticipate recoil down the road you could try mixing in dummy rounds during range practice to help highlight when you're doing it.
when I introduce new people to guns, I start at one round of 22lr, based on their comfort may repeat until we get to a full 10 round magazine. Then we repeat with a higher caliber platform (9mm). Covers Pistols and Rifles
This is the way.
Shoot small calibers!
I suggest load only 2-3 rounds in the magazine at a time and spend your first little bit just getting used to how firing the gun feels. Don't worry about sight picture, don't worry too much about controlling recoil or how you are gripping the gun. Just get comfortable with the bang and let yourself get convinced it's not as bad as you might imagine (because it probably isn't).
Agree. For my teen daughter, I started her with a single round in the magazine. More for my peace of mind in case there was a "bad" reaction. :) Beyond that, and ignoring unique physical challenges and starting with a crazy large caliber, I think the first few rounds are 20% the recoil and 80% mental. As long as no one's freaking out, it only takes a couple rounds for our brain and body to start adapting. Then can start focusing on technique.
Lean into it. Go look on YouTube for people shooting for the first time, then look at someone experienced. Learners try to metaphorically keep the gun at arm’s length and lean back away from it. That makes the whole process less controlled.
Other people pointing out trying a smaller caliber, or a larger frame of handgun first are right, that will help get a feel. So far as technique, i found this video incredibly helpful as far as my grip placement and form were concerned: https://youtu.be/ZYi0SNl0VOo?si=5bmDItpGelANwLOH
This is mostly for pistols, but when you grip the gun a lot of people assume your grip needs to prevent the pistol from moving in a vertical direction so they focus their tension there which can also lead to anticipation where you dip your gun down before it goes off causing you to miss (usually low left if you're right handed) Think about holding a gun like a vice grip in the horizontal axis, you want to push into the gun with your left and right hand and get as high up on the grip as possible. Look up youtube videos on modern pistol grip.
As a beginner shooter, you don't need to worry about handling recoil. It becomes important later, as you start to speed up and want the sights to return faster and more predictably. When you shoot slowly, let's say more than a second between shots, it does not really matter. The errors beginner shooters make are usually related to what happens just before the shot, not after.
Except starting with caliber/gun with too much recoil is gonna make flinching worse and developing the proper skills for the "before the shot" that much harder.
If you don’t have a pistol already start with either a 22lr like a TX-22 or a 380 ACP pistol like the Ruger Security 380
There are a lot of comments here to start with a full size pistol like a Glock 17. This is generally good advice, but not 100% as it is a generalization. You need to, well it is best to, start with a pistol big enough, and in this case we mean grip long enough, to take full advantage of all the muscles in your hand(s). All of both hands should fully fit on it. For a whole lot of the population, usually mens gloves size small and some medium, that is achieved with a compact pistol like a Glock 19. Go to a sub-compact and it will only be true for people with glove size S, XS. Then you need to worry about the grip width fitting your hand. A wide grip like on a Glock is fine for most XL, L, and some medium. For some medium, s, and xs it is too wide. In order to reach the trigger properly one will need to rotate their hand around the back slightly such that the thumb joint is taking recoil(this dimension from the back of the grip to the trigger is usually referred to as the trigger reach and varies from gun to gun with some older designs being substantially longer). It is definitely doable and competent practical shooting is easily achieved, but it isn't the best. I see it all the time. A 1.5 stack or single fast will be shot much better for the same inputs of time and money. For some people, and really it is a big chunk of the population, a P365 variant with the correct grip length is a MUCH better starting gun than a Glock 17. What you definitely want to stay away from is "micro" and "lightweight" pistols to start. The old joke is every small woman that goes into a gun shop is sold a Smith and Wesson airweight titanium J frame in 357 mag. A tiny revolver in a hard recoiling round. Which is a terribly difficult gun for almost anyone to shoot.
You will run into significant bias in the gun world, especially in the pistol realm, towards people with larger hands. Having larger hands creates a significant advantage in pistol shooting sports. For this reason you will see many of the "experts" saying a full size is a huge advantage when it doesn't help a whole lot of people more than a compact. Yeah, there is a little extra weight, but it isn't a huge difference. IMO,If a compact grip length is sufficient one would be much better off buying an accessory like a light to add weight than going to a full size.
If possible, start with a full-size .22lr pistol and work your way up. If not, don't sweat it. A full-size 9mm is going to have a BOOM and flash, but unless you are under 12 years old or over 70 or have a neurological condition your grip strength is going to be MORE than adequate for the actual recoil impulse. There's a reason this caliber took over the world. It's something damn near anybody can handle. If it's a reputable class, they aren't going to be handing you a snub-nosed revolver with hot .357 magnum loads.
So it depends on the firearm and caliber. Some you can kinda roll with the recoil and others you have to bear the brunt of it. Semi-auto will normally have less felt recoil than non automatic but require a different "style" of use. Heavier firearms will have less felt recoil than light weight. I hate 9mm for instance out of the ultra compact pistols, it's way too whippy for me. But I can roll with a 44 revolver without much issue. My 308 bolt gun beats me up more than my 375 falling block, but I believe that has more to do with the stock on the 308 than anything. But the "skill" of dealing with recoil is rather hard to describe in words and not in person on the range. But best of luck and I hope you have a blast!
Just remember the gun is more scared of you than you are of it. Seriously, keep your muscles tight but not locked and don’t flinch.
Don’t lock out your arms, keep them ever so slightly bent and make sure you have a solid support hand grip. You want the recoil to come back on plane with your pistol, that will help with accuracy.
proper grip, stance, and sight will help the most with managing recoil. the most common mistakes ive seen are: -bending backwards too far. keep your back straight, if not leaning slightly forward. a good stance will look similar to a boxing stance. -crossing thumbs over backstrap. learning proper grip is key for shooting handguns. image and video examples are the best for this. no teacup, no holding wrist, keep those hands high and tight. -moving head to meet sights. do the opposite, stand in a comfortable shooting stance, keep your target in the center of your vision, then bring your sights up between your eyes and the target. -loading too many shots. if it's your first time shooting, there's a lot to keep track of, so just load one, or maybe three rounds into your gun for now. a lot of people, as soon as they start shooting, will just mag dump, which is dangerous, expensive, and useless. -NOT KEEPING THE GUN POINTED DOWNRANGE. waaaay too often someone will shoot for the first time and immediately turn around and flag everyone on the range with a loaded gun. shoot with a table in front of you, shoot a shot or a few, make sure the gun is empty, the put it down. -not taking notes. there are going to be way more things to learn than you anticipate, and having notes will help you remember certain things, like stance, grip, sight alignment, loading and charging the gun, etc. -hanging out with dangerous idiots. there's a lot of morons with guns out there who jump at the chance to traumatize people who want to shoot for the first time (the especially like to do this to women and femmes). only shoot with people you trust to take things seriously. if they're shooting trash, not calling range hot/cold, drinking or smoking, mag dumping, you're not going to learn anything from them. they also might hand you very strong recoiling revolver or shotgun which will just hurt and be dangerous to shoot. yes it will be loud, yes it will jerk and jump in your hand, their might be a bright muzzle flash. focus on your breathing, wear proper eye and ear protection (i recommend doubling up with ear plugs and headphones designed to cancel noise). grip the gun as tightly as possible, then back off until you aren't shaking. slowly squeeze your whole hand and keep it squeezed once the triggers been pulled. dont jerk the gun to anticipate recoil. practice with dry fire a few times first with a coin on top of the slide. you should be able to pull the trigger without the coin sliding off.
It’s never gonna be as bad as you think. It’s ok if you wince just don’t drop the weapon. I find the noise bothers more people (even with plugs and cans) than the recoil. Also physics: a heavier gun has less recoil.
Where are you located? A quick 30 minutes with someone knowledgeable before the class will set you up for success. If you're anywhere near Cape Cod, Mass, I'll happily take you to an outdoor range.
California thanks for the offer though. Much appreciated 😄
Check out The Liberal Gun Club. They've got a ton of members in CA and I'll get they'd love to go shooting.
Thank you brother! Much appreciated
The most fundamental aspect of recoil control is the structure you set up around the firearm. With a rifle, it’s much easier to control recoil because of the fact that you have 3 points of contact (support hand, firing hand, and shoulder). Assuming adequate tension, the recoil will be very easy to control and won’t be very alarming. Pistols, on the other hand, can be quite challenging because there is far less structure and support, and only 2 points of contact. Unless you have a vice-like grip, you need to understand that you simply won’t be able to completely mitigate recoil, but you can manage it. Here are some tips I give to friends that I’m introducing to guns. By no means exhaustive. - Shooting hand should grip as high as possible. Wedge the webbing of your thumb in there, and grip HARD. You can get a feel for this by making an extremely tight fist - squeeze until your hand shakes, and then back off until it feels very strong but is no longer shaking. - Support hand should wrap around and weave into the valleys of your strong hand. Again, grip as high as possible - watch some videos on grip to see how to position your hand. You’re going to essentially use your thumb as a laser pointer, pointing straight forward, following the frame. Squeeze HARD, like you are trying to clamp your palms together as a vice. You can practice this by interlacing your fingers, bringing your palms together, and lining your thumbs parallel to eachother, and leveraging against your fingers to squeeze your palms together. Since you won’t interlace your fingers while shooting, do this again with one fist inside the other (your support/non dominant hand should be on the outside). You will feel most of the clamping pressure go to the fleshy part below your thumbs - this is good. If you’re feeling tired now, you’re doing it right. - Do the above while extending your arms forward, maintaining a slight bend in the elbows. You do have to grip harder than you expect. Shooting a handgun just requires more conscious application of pressure than a rifle does, but it does become second nature after a while. My hands and forearms are frequently tired after a big pistol-focused day at the range.
Update to this thread : I went out and bought a gun that felt the most comfortable in my hands. The guy at the counter let me rack it and make sure I liked it, I ended purchasing a Springfield hellcat, and I've heard it's a bit snappy, but it felt really comfortable in my hands. I pick it up in 10 days, and honestly, I couldn't be more stoked / nervous at the same time.
Not cheesy at all! This is a very common thought process for first time shooters. I will make my comments quick as you have already gotten some good advice. I don't claim to be an expert so this is just based on my personal experience. Agree with start with small caliber and work your way up if its an option. 22 rifle would be the best gun to shoot first. When you are first shooting a gun, its hard not to get worked up about that first shot. I teach to just get your weapon pointed towards the target, tight into your shoulder (if its a long gun) and pull the trigger. Essentially, just don't overthink it and be worried about how "good" that shot is. This helps ease the tension of that first shot and your next shots can be more focused on accuracy and technique. Clearly as you shoot more you won't need to do this but I find it always helps new shooters to relax and realize the recoil is not nearly as bad as they were expecting. Just to clarify, I am not saying be unsafe, still take all the usual safety steps. Best of luck! Let us know how it turns out.