I recently assistant-instructed a course for brand new, many first time, shooters. I did the same in the fall of last year. We do these classes with an instructor working with three or four students at a time. Such classes need a high instructor-to-student ratio. These were my first experiences working with complete novice practitioners in a long time. You can’t teach 10+ newbie students with a single AI just watching the line. Rather, this must be a hands-on affair.
What has changed since the last time I worked with beginners several years ago? The guns. Not for the better.
Brand new handgun owners absolutely love micro 9mm pistols. Because, afterall, smaller is better for carry, right? Most of these people will probably carry the new gun once, realize it is more of a hassle than they were anticipating, and never carry it again, but that is a different discussion. The point here, though, is that tiny guns suck for the novice.
Everything is more difficult on a small, slim-line auto loader compared to a service pistol or compact variation of some kind. The Glock 43x and 48, the S&W Shield, and the Sig P365 seem to reign supreme among newbies these days. All are good guns………for what they are. For advanced practitioners, these all prove small, yet capable, guns. For the novice, they prove exceedingly difficult to manipulate compared to full-size pistols.
First, the recoil springs are notoriously stiff on small 9mm guns. Even some of the male participants had issues. The women? Forget it. Much time must be spent on teaching the “push the frame rather than pull the slide” technique. Even after a full day of this, it is rough. Second, magazines sometimes drop, inadvertently. That’s what often happens when a gun is so tiny, as there is little real-estate to forgive the inexperienced hand. Third, good luck pushing fully loaded micro pistol magazines into the gun if the slide is forward. Fourth, while pre-ignition push assuredly sets in within the first few rounds with newbies, even with full-size guns, the smaller, snappier, uncomfortable guns make it worse.
These issues compound the already-present challenges of teaching a beginner how to become proficient with a pistol. However, their competence, as well as their confidence, can be brought to bear much more effectively when using full size pistols. Yet, newbies will be drawn to the tiny guns if they plan to, even infrequently, carry the gun.
What do I recommend to brand new handgun owners? If they plan to practice at least occasionally, a Gock 17, 19, Smith and Wesson M&P, or something similar. If they admit that they will fire a few rounds, put the gun in a sock drawer just in case, and not touch it again, then an all-steel, medium-frame, revolver.
I believe that 9mm micro pistols are akin to small-frame revolvers: exceedingly useful for certain needs among advanced shooters, yet an atrocious experience for the novice.
Reflex Handgun 
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