New Owner Common Mistakes

[hellotyler]

It occured to me some of you old veterans could help us newbies along by passing some wisdom related to common firearm mistakes people might make. There is the ones that are drilled into you (only point at something you plan to kill, always treat a weapon like it's loaded) but there must be less common ones as well.

I made an absolute bonehead move of not reading the manual on my new gun and dry fired my single aciton revolver. Ugh. Doesn't look like it sustained any damage but thats what I get for going by word of mouth, a friend had said it should just fire when ytou pull the trigger with a heavy pull. He must have been thinking double action, because while it works it made a nasty sound and I know it can't have been good for the gun. Hopefully a single dry fire won't do too much damage.

So, what are some common mistakes and pitfalls new owners might run into ? Share a story if it's not too embarrasing.

Read More

 

[Member 53328]

Know the weapon safety rules. Be humble and willing to learn but vet the people you take advice from. There are a lot of people who will steer you in the wrong direction.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Some common mistakes by firearm owners both new and not so new....

Finger on the trigger.
Don't place your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

Know where your muzzle is pointing.

Not checking the breech of a firearm , to see if it is loaded , after removing the magazine.

Picking up and looking at someone's firearm , without first asking permission.

Over-reliance on the mechanical safety of the firearm.
If one keeps their finger off the trigger and keeps the muzzle pointed in a safe direction...
That makes for a excellent safety that one can use with every firearm.
And yes...I know that I said "If" here....

Thinking that one can "buy" skill....
Practice , good practice while shooting and handling firearms , is the best way to gain skill.

Thinking that just 'cause the firearm is "old" or at any rate not the latest and most popular gun to be seen or written about...means that it ain't no good.
If the firearm serves a purpose for you , and works well for how you shoot...then it don't matter how old it is.

A lack of understanding about what bullets actually do when they hit something.
Andy

 

[cigars]

Safety first, as stated above. Learn how to be comfortable around your gun and other guns. Otherwise, others will judge you based on your level of competence or lack thereof. No need to have that broomstick up the butt (though it couldn't hurt), but know your subject matter which is gun safety and good practice. Take baby steps and be yourself, not some guy on youtube. Take advantage of this community and never be afraid to ask us anything. You could always PM us if you don't want to put a question or concern public.
Most off all... welcome!!

 

[American123]

Not in any particular order:

1) Engaging in increasing aggressive or risky behavior due to the "I have a gun" mentality.
2) Buying anything "tactical" before even having skills and knowledge to use what they already own
3) Not following the rules of firearm safety or thinking they are, but aren't because they are ignorant, or overconfident.
4) Considering the gun a talisman, that harm can't come to them because they have it
5) Projecting to others far more experience and knowledge with firearms than they actually have to try and fit in
6) Not carrying a round in the chamber out of fear of their serious lack of proficiency in their own gun handling or ignorance of how the mechanical systems work.
7) Posting a bunch of pictures on social media like a D-bag (in my opinion).

 

[Alexx1401]

I would say anyone "new" to guns today really has it made. Manuals should of course be read but, so many of them are written to keep lawyers at a distance that they can do more harm than good. Net access can be fantastic. With the normal caveat of do not just look at one opinion. Now days there is a TON of info at anyone's finger tips and it can be fun to use before trying out the new gun.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Net access can be fantastic. With the normal caveat of do not just look at one opinion. Now days there is a TON of info at anyone's finger tips and it can be fun to use before trying out the new gun.

So very true....nice to watch or read a review of a firearm , that is not done by a "gun guy" in a magazine or the like.
Many folks here are as , if not more knowledgeable about certain firearms , than some gun writers.
Andy

 

[hellotyler]

I don't even want to think about the amount of hours the forgotten weapons youtube channel has played in the background. The net has been fantastic as a resource. Firstly for the people, but also the amount information available is more then anyone could hope to absorb in a lifetime.

 

[titsonritz]

Thinking big box stores are gun shops...

https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/never-will-i-buy-from-sportsmans.373311/#post-2951874

 

[Knobgoblin]

Only really significant thing in general is to establish good habits from the beginning. Not only safety, but correct procedures for fundamental skills as well.
I have had to "unlearn " a couple bad habits from my childhood. It's way harder to forget the wrong way, than to remember the right way.

 

[titsonritz]

Only really significant thing in general is to establish good habits from the beginning. Not only safety, but correct procedures for fundamental skills as well.
I have had to "unlearn " a couple bad habits from my childhood. It's way harder to forget the wrong way, than to remember the right way.

Which is why one should seek competent training rather than rely on boobtube.

 

[SrMachoSolo]

"Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

This an uncommon thought, unfortunately. The saying is good for new owners to hopefully realize that they are 100% responsible for their gun.

-Robert

 

[sobo]

Know when, and more importantly when NOT, you can legally deploy your firearm for defense of life.

Today's anti-2A courts will crucify a gun-owner for firing, or even just skinning, his/her firearm even in the best of cases.

In short, learn your state's self-defense laws. And get insurance, if you can buy it.
It's been outlawed in my state by a couple of crackpot azzholes named Jackboot Jay and Sideshow Bob...

 

[Jonnyuma]

I still don't understand what the OP thinks he did to his new gun.
Is it a SA? With a transfer bar? A .22? I read it twice and can't piece it together...

 

[OldBroad44]

Hang fires and squib loads.

I was once out shooting at paper targets with a friend, me with a .357, friend with a 9mm. Friends gun failed to fire on one round. He ejected round and picked it up. "THROW IT AWAY! NOW!!!" I yelled. After he did I explained. He was not an inexperienced shooter. But he didn't know about hang fires.

Sometimes a round doesn't go off. Occasionally such rounds go off a second or more later. This is called called a "hang fire". So if a round fails to fire in a semi auto, wait a few seconds, then eject it and leave it alone for a while. Don't go bending over and peering at it or picking it up. With a revolver, if a round fails to fire, stop shooting and wait a bit. If its a hang fire in a revolver and you keep pulling the trigger, that's fine if the round is a dud. But if its a hang fire and goes off when bullet isn't aligned with the barrel it might damage the gun and possibly the shooter. I always wait a full minute after a round fails to fire before assuming its a failure to fire rather than a hang fire and examining it to see if there is a good clean primer strike, etc. In an emergency if I had a failure to fire I'd assume it was a failure to fire, as those are much more common than hang fires. That is, with a revolver I'd keep firing. With a semi auto I'd eject round and resume firing.

AnoTher emergency can come about when a bullet is underpowered and enters the barrel and sticks in there. If you shoot another bullet into that blocked barrel at the least you'll cause a bulge in the barrel and ruin it. But the barrel may blow up, which can injure the shooter. Squib loads usually make a noise that is different from ordinary. Squibs are usually caused by mistakes such as a primer but no powder in load, or too little powder.

Ive never had a squib load. Back when I was a kiddie, we experienced failures to fire including occasional hang fires because we were practicing with old WWII ammo. As an adult I experienced plenty of failures to fire when I owned a Charter Arms Pathfinder .22 revolver. Many of the primer marks were obviously too light. Ive read you can also sometimes cause a revolver to fail to fire reliably by replacing the springs to lighten the trigger pull. I experienced one failure to fire with a Colt Anaconda .44 mag. When I examined the round there was no primer strike. Examined gun. Broken firing pin.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Whenever possible ask specific questions regarding the information that you want.

I know a fair bit about muzzle loaders and its easy to overwhelm someone with way too much information , in regards to general questions or the dreaded : "What is the best..." type of question.
Andy

 

[User 1234]

There is a lot of good advice above.

On a different topic, and not as important as the safety advice above; don't buy too much too fast. Don't spend your money on something because You Tube personalities portray it as cool or the latest and greatest gadget.

Get professional training. Not some person who thinks they are an expert but don't have a thorough background using firearms for serious purposes. I recommend Steve Shields at Cerberus.

Get some secure storage options.

 

[OldBroad44]

If you trip your hands close automatically. If you walk around with your finger on the trigger and trip, the gun will fire.

 

[sobo]

I still don't understand what the OP thinks he did to his new gun.
Is it a SA? With a transfer bar? A .22? I read it twice and can't piece it together...

Well, he says in the second paragraph that it is a SA revolver... As to what the gnashing sound was, I haven't a clue...

Whole lotta good info for newbies here. I sure hope the OP returns to this page and reads up.

@OldBroad44's advice is especially important not just for new shooters, but for all of us to remember. We've all experienced FTFs, but as she says, not many of us have had squibs in our own firearms. I never have, but I was present when my instructor was shooting a USPSA match, and he got one. As many here might know, a USPSA or IDPA match is run for points AND fastest time, so squeezin' that trigger happens really fast. Plus, you train yourself to shoot really fast double-taps in the sport. But my instructor noticed the different sound, and ceased firing before his second shot. He took a totally crap score for that stage since he failed to finish it, but his gun survived, as did he, and the rest of us watching. Squib loads is not something I hear a lot of people saying very much about...

 

[edzz]

Hang fires and squib loads.

I was once out shooting at paper targets with a friend, me with a .357, friend with a 9mm. Friends gun failed to fire on one round. He ejected round and picked it up. "THROW IT AWAY! NOW!!!" I yelled. After he did I explained. He was not an inexperienced shooter. But he didn't know about hang fires.

Sometimes a round doesn't go off. Occasionally such rounds go off a second or more later. This is called called a "hang fire". So if a round fails to fire in a semi auto, wait a few seconds, then eject it and leave it alone for a while. Don't go bending over and peering at it or picking it up. With a revolver, if a round fails to fire, stop shooting and wait a bit. If its a hang fire in a revolver and you keep pulling the trigger, that's fine if the round is a dud. But if its a hang fire and goes off when bullet isn't aligned with the barrel it might damage the gun and possibly the shooter. I always wait a full minute after a round fails to fire before assuming its a failure to fire rather than a hang fire and examining it to see if there is a good clean primer strike, etc. In an emergency if I had a failure to fire I'd assume it was a failure to fire, as those are much more common than hang fires. That is, with a revolver I'd keep firing. With a semi auto I'd eject round and resume firing.

AnoTher emergency can come about when a bullet is underpowered and enters the barrel and sticks in there. If you shoot another bullet into that blocked barrel at the least you'll cause a bulge in the barrel and ruin it. But the barrel may blow up, which can injure the shooter. Squib loads usually make a noise that is different from ordinary. Squibs are usually caused by mistakes such as a primer but no powder in load, or too little powder.

Ive never had a squib load. Back when I was a kiddie, we experienced failures to fire including occasional hang fires because we were practicing with old WWII ammo. As an adult I experienced plenty of failures to fire when I owned a Charter Arms Pathfinder .22 revolver. Many of the primer marks were obviously too light. Ive read you can also sometimes cause a revolver to fail to fire reliably by replacing the springs to lighten the trigger pull. I experienced one failure to fire with a Colt Anaconda .44 mag. When I examined the round there was no primer strike. Examined gun. Broken firing pin.

All good, just a slight addition pertaining to possible hang fires. Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction while waiting 10 - 15 seconds before extracting / ejecting the questionable round and tossing it.

On the same note, many years ago a friend had a number of .38 special rounds fail to fire in his police surplus S&W model 10. What's he do? He brings them home, paints the heads with nail polish to identify them and proceeds to use them as snap caps.
So... what could possibly go wrong? Well at least he was aiming at the dart board and not the TV... So... one 158 gr rnl thru the dart board, the wall and into the dirt bank on the other side of the lawn. Thankfully there weren't any kids playing on the lawn...

Than there was the other idiot I knew that put a .44 mag round thru his roommates brand new top of the line TV that he couldn't afford to replace.

If your going to dryfire (good practice) Make sure the gun is empty, than recheck it and make sure your dryfire practice is in a safe direction.