How to Pick the Right Gun For You

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A Smith & Wesson Military & Police handgun cha... 

Image via Wikipedia

The first thing to know about owning a gun is that it requires maturity and a deep sense of responsibility. If you have a fantasy that it would be cool to own a .45 semi-automatic handgun, it’s time to get a reality check. Just because you’ve seen the gun fired in a movie doesn’t mean that’s what it’s like to fire one. Before you buy a gun there are a few things you need to do.

Handgun Safety Course

If you’ve never owned a gun, then it is extremely important that you take a gun safety course. You need to know the laws, the proper way to handle a gun, how to clean it, how to store it, and how to fire it.  A qualified instructor needs to teach you. That is the only way to do it. Guns kill if they fall into irresponsible hands. Someone who is inexperienced can make a fatal mistake. Don’t be that someone.

Fire A Variety of Guns Before You Choose

You may discover that a .45 is not right for you. It has a pretty heavy kick, and it is big. Some of the more expensive ones, like the Smith and Wesson M&P, come with interchangeable grips so that you can fit it to your hand size, but not all guns have this feature. Therefore, a 9mm, .38 or even .22 may be better for you.

Practice Shooting

Find a reputable shooting range to target practice. If you can’t practice, don’t get a gun. You need to know how to use it, and you need to feel confident when firing it. Safety always comes first.

 

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: , ,

Safety Precautions at a Shooting Range

December 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Indoor Shooting Range at Sarasota, Florida, US...
Image via Wikipedia

Shooting can be a lot of fun–you can burn off stress, improve your skills and knowledge, and enjoy the pure entertainment of propelling a bullet into whatever target you’re aiming at. But, remember, you’re firing a real live weapon, one that was designed to be deadly. So, have a healthy respect for the dangerous potential that a firearm has. Here’s a few tips on being safe:

On legitimate shooting ranges, there will always be “range rules.” These are set up by the range master/operator. The range master will call out when you are clear to fire, when to cease fire, when to go and collect your targets, and when to fire again. He will also call out commands about such things as leaving guns unloaded and in the locked position while people are on the range. Most of these rules are common sense; only point your weapon down the range, do not walk out to your target until you are allowed to do so, have the gun safety engaged unless you are firing. They can seem a little overbearing at times, but again, remember that you’re dealing with loaded guns.

Other, non-official shooting ranges have unwritten rules. Shooting out in the hills for example, allows for a less crowded area than a range would provide, but the shooter takes on more responsibility. Many of the legitimate range rules still apply, but it’s up to you to enforce them. If there are other people around, be sure to give them their space. Only shoot in a direction where there are not any people. Be careful in choosing what you shoot at; metal objects may seem tempting targets, but they invite ricochets. Be courteous when you leave; a range will collect spent brass after a day’s shooting; wildlife won’t. So be kind and collect your empty shells when you’re done.

Shooting brings big responsibilities and can be a good thing; but you can’t afford any mistakes. Follow the range rules wherever you are.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Safety Precautions, Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: ,

Visiting Canada with Our Shooting Group

December 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you love shooting, shooting sports, and travel like I do, then you would love visiting Canada.  Not only is it a great location to enjoy doing a little hunting, but there are many other outdoor activities and lots of great restaurants that serve wild fowl and wild fowl.  While on vacation and traveling with a friend and some family members, we decided to try some of the various restaurants we had heard about while talking with fellow shooting enthusiast who had been to Canada.  In their trips, they had discovered some of the best seafood restaurants, steakhouses and local hot spots that they enjoyed after a long day out shooting.  We thought it sounded like a great idea and were glad they gave us advice.  We did however want to spend some time eating at other locations that were closer to the areas where we our shooting guide was taking us.  So before we went on our trip, we went online and searched on Google and Canada 411 for a few dining options.

We found that the online yellow pages for Canada was a great resource.  It provided local contact information for the restaurants as well as their websites and maps.  The website information was excellent as we were able to view the menus of the restaurants to see what kind of wild fowl and wild game they offered.  Another great feature was that we were able to read reviews from others who had been there before us.  Once we picked out a few, we got our guide’s opinion and with his advice narrowed our choices down to a few spots. Each night our dinners were excellent.  And you know what else was great?  We found a couple of great gun shops and an excellent outdoors store to visit as well.  After this great trip, our shooting group will definitely go back to Canada.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range

Learn about the NSSF: National Shooting Sports Foundation

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you’ve been involved with shooting sports then you’ve probably heard of the national organization known as The National Shooting Sports Foundation, or the NSSF. Although you might have heard of the NSSF you might not know exactly what the organization is and what services it offers.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is a not for profit organization founded to protect, educate and promote shooting sports, firearms and hunting. Besides safety, one of the other goals of the NSSF is to educate people about how they can access the guns and supplied needed for shooting sports and hunting. The organization is made up of a group of diverse members ranging from manufactures of firearms and shooting sports gear, the media, distributors of merchandise and even sportsmen organizations.

This organization in an effort to inform the public and educate them about the various aspects of shooting sports, maintains and holds a number of public events to get the word out there about shooting sports. The most predominant of the public events that The National Shooting Sports Foundation maintains is that of hosting numerous websites containing information on gun safety, shooting sports facilities and even local retailers who sell guns and supplied needed for any events in shooting sports.

The other huge public event that the National Shooting Sports Foundation holds is the annual SHOT Show. The SHOT show is a huge national trade show which has been held at a Las Vegas, NV convention center for the past few years. The show is geared towards hunting, shooting and the firearms industry. This event is held yearly with vendors, informational talks and educational exhibits for the public.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation also puts together publications such as fliers, magazines and emails that can be sent out to the general public in an effort to keep the word out there about shooting sports and the accessibility of supplies and guns that are needed for the sports.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: , ,

Shooting Sports: The Issue of Stray Bullets During Practice

November 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Imagine being out in a field working on the farming that needs to be done for the day. Out of no where you feel a nick across your finger. You look down and there is a dash across the top of your finger. You look around and find a stray bullet. Coincidentally there is a shooting range a mile away on the edge of the farm in which a number of people were practicing shooting at targets.

Shooting ranges and practice facilities have been the center of a number of news stories in the past few weeks. Incidents like the one highlighted above as well as another incident where a stray bullet was found in a parked car located near a shooting range have started to creep up into the news. These incidents bring up the issue of stray bullets that can only be traced back to shooting ranges and practice facilities for shooting sports is what has put these sports in the media spotlight.

Incidents like these that involve shooting sports practice and gun safty have largely gone unnoticed by the media. However, the national attention to gun saftey and a huge effort on the part of a number of shooting sports enthusists to make sure that everyone is practicing at a certified safe facility has brought these type of stories to the media’s attention.

Stray bullets have become an issue for a number of people because of the lack of protection that surrounds the facilities. Some of the facilities that are involved with these incidents only have a small amount of padded brush or hay to protect the surrounding area. As bullets and guns become more powerful, the hay and brush does little to stop the speeding bullet. The bullet flies through the hay or brush and continues going, sometimes hitting unknown objects like the cars, other times hitting humans and causing slight injury. Stronger protection or larger brush is needed to protect the surrounding area.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Games, Shooting, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: , ,

Things to Know: Gun Saftey When it Comes to Competitive Shooting

November 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It is always a good idea when involved with an activity that has the use of a gun or rifle that gun safety be reviewed. Gun can be very dangerous when not properly handled or cared for and can result in a tragic accident. To avoid this type of accident from happening follow some of these gun safety rules and you’ll reduce the risk of anything happening.

Here are some safety tips when it comes to gun safety.

1. Loading your gun. Make sure when loading your gun that you are always pointing the gun away from you and others. In the case of an accidentally discharge this will cause the bullet to head in a direction that will not harm you or the others around you.

2. Lock your guns up. Many people believe that since they have the right to own their guns, they should be allowed to leave them out whenever they like. However, children being children enjoy getting into things that can be dangerous. Lock up your guns to avoid any child from finding them and accidentally firing them. It might be a bit of a hassle to yourself but it can really save a life.

3. Clean your gun regularly. Guns need to be cleaned. The residue from shooting guns can build up over time and cause the gun to backfire when it shouldn’t. Backfire of a gun can cause facial burns, bullets going in wrong directions and a number of other problems. Regularly cleaning your gun can help prevent these types of accidents from happening to you while you are working with your gun.

No one wants an accident to happen with their gun. By following these few safety rules you’ll reduce the risk of something happening to you or your loved ones as you enjoy the sport of competitive shooting.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: , ,

Practicing Various Pistol Shooting Stances

November 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Every person all over the world has a slightly different stance when it comes to shooting guns during competition or for hunting. The type of stance that a person does will vary depending on the person. Some people compensate for a weaker left side or right side, while others will favor a hand or arm. Others just do a stance that is a lazy version of an official shooting stance.

No matter what stance you are doing there are various tips that can help you make sure that you are shooting the gun properly. Here are some things to keep in mind no matter what stance you prefer to use.

Keep your elbows straight. Many people become lazy when they are shooting guns and go lax in the arms. Without straight arms the aim will not be as accurate and you may end up missing the target.

Slightly bent knees. No matter what direction you are facing always make sure that the knees are slightly bend. You don’t need to be squating down but you do need to have soft knees. This will allow you to absorb some of the impact of the recoil of the gun and provide an accurate shot.

Turn slightly to the side. Standing slightly to the side is another great way to absorb the recoil of the gun. Some people will stand completely to the side others will stand at a 45 degree angle. Whichever makes the shooter comfortable is what should be used.

Stabalize the shooting arm with the other hand. This is a great way to keep the aim and focus of the shooting hand. Don’t hold the gun with the other hand but stablize the arm so that when the gun goes off you are almost guiding the shot in the direction that you want it to go.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Games, Shooting, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: , ,

The Isosceles Pistol Shooting Stance

November 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The chosen stance when it comes to the competitive target shooter is that of the Isosceles pistol shooting stance. This stance will give the target shooter the ability to stand there with a stabilized back, shooting arms and aiming at the target straight on. As the target is not shooting back or moving this allows the shooter to be able to aim, fire and reach the desired target.

This popular stance became popular in the early 1980s and has since become a quick favorite of those that are competitive shooters in the target area.

Here is a quick guide to understanding how to stand and shoot in the Isosceles Pistol Shooting Stance.

The Isosceles Pistol Shooting stance start with the shooter standing with their legs about equal distance apart and no wider then shoulder length apart. This gives a good base to the stance and allows the body to absorb any major recoil that will come from whatever the chosen gun is.

The arms in the Isosceles Pistol Shooting stance are put straight out in front of the shooter. The shooter will then turn head on to the target and aim the shooting hand. The supporting hand, or the non-shooting hand will cup the bottom of the shooting hand to stablize it as it shoots at the target.

The head will then be tucked down ever so slightly so that the eyes can line up the target that is being aimed at. The head should not be put all the way down or it could cause potential problems, however, slightly lowering the head will allow the shooter to get a line view of the target that they are aiming at.

Prepare for impact and shoot the gun. Preparing for the gun to go off is the most important element. Not being prepared for the shot will allow the gun to go off with little or no control to it and the target will be missed.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Games, Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: , ,

A Beginner Shooting Stance: The Push-Pull Pistol Shooting Stance

November 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Although pistol shooting only requires that a person stand still and shoot a gun there is a lot of chance that a beginner pistol shooter can experience fatigue. There is a lot of mental and physical ability that goes into shooting that gun and it can really drain someone who is not used to it.

A very common beginner shooting stance is that of the Push-Pull Shooting Stance that allows the person to be able to shoot the pistol for the first time and eliminate some of the chance for fatigue. It is also one of the best stances that a shooter can take in order to help relieve some of the stress and pressure off a person. It teachers a beginner how to relax while shooting.

Here is a quick guide to learning how to do the Push-Pull Shooting Stance.

This stance begins a little bit differently then other shooting stances. When the gun is being removed from the holster the body relaxes and the pistol is moved upwards as the body straightens and relaxes. The pistol is then quickly pushed forward in front of the body while the hand supports the shooting hand.

The body should be facing the target straight on and the feet should be slightly apart. One foot should be directly in front of the other a little. This allows for more stability of the body and help when the recoil of the gun goes off.

While the pistol is straight in front of you when the supporting hand comes up and meets the shooting hand it is about time to shoot the gun. When the gun is discharge pull the arms back a little. Not too jerky of a motion but a very smooth swift motion is required for using this type of stance.

Things to remember are to not lock the elbows, pull the arms back smoothly and to not get nervous. These will help in your shooting.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Games, Shooting, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: , ,

Various Shooting Sports to Take Part In

October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Russian team member Anna Sushko. The photo was...
Image via Wikipedia

The term shooting sports can be used to describe a number of events. There are a handful of events that involve the use of guns, arrows or rifles which make them shooting sports. Most shooting sports require the use of hand eye coordination, accuracy, skill and speed. The majority of these events use firearms and can be used as a form of entertainment and fun or as a competition.

Here are the various styles of shooting sports that a person can take part in.

Rifle. There are six events that use the rifle as a form of firearms in the shooting events. Of those six events, three of them are available during Olympic games. Most rifle events constitute the people shooting from a long range distance at one of four small targets. The biathlon uses the rifle and cross-country skiing in an Olympic event.

Handgun. There are also six events that use the shotgun as a form of the firearms in the event. Four of those events are Olympic sports and two of them have forms of World Cup matches and world championships that allow competitors around the world to compete in the events against each other.

Action Sports. Action shooting sports involves a lot of movement and running around hitting targets. It is not usually a competitive form of shooting sports and is instead used more as a game of fun and entertainment.

Crossbow. While not a gun the crossbow is used in a lot of shooting sports. Most of sports are very similar to that of the rifle and require the hitting of targets that are long distances away.

There are other shooting sports that are a little less know such as 3 Gun shooting and subgun machine competition. All of these events are considered a form of shooting events and can be a part of a competition or just as a friendly sporting game.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Games, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts