JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
This might not be exactly what you're looking for, but here's my response.


(1) What's in your heart is much more important than what's in your hand. An irresponsible, angry man with a rock in his hand is a greater danger to society than a responsible, cool-headed man who's holding an "assault weapon". So, keep your heart right. Be your best self.

(2) Some days, you wrestle the bear. Some days, he wrestles you. Try to take the good and bad days with as much equanimity as you can. Carrying a gun is an enormous responsibility - so be as level-headed and responsible as you can, no matter what kind of day you're having.

(3) You're going to make mistakes. Try to make little ones. And learn from every mistake.

(4) No matter how good, and no matter how careful you are, things are going to occasionally go wrong. Or fail to function properly. Or simply break. Murphy shows up for everyone, eventually. You can't prepare for every possible scenario, but you can think ahead, and prepare for some.

(5) Don't be in a hurry to pull the trigger. That projectile belongs to you, no matter who or what it hits.

(6) If you're a Christian, ask the Lord to help you be guide-able, and to guide you.

(7) A good muzzle brake can help with the recoil of a rifle, but can also be unbearably loud. If you decide you need a brake, consider getting one that has a 'redirector', or 'blast-forwarding device'. Anyone standing beside you when you're shooting will be grateful.

(8) The world is changing, and rapidly. The Burn/Loot/Murder crowd and their antifa cousins are given free passes, while law-abiding citizens are vilified. Keep your wits about you, friend. Don't become another Mike Strickland or Kyle Rittenhouse. Fight, but only if you must. And if you must fight - then fight to win.

(9) Be careful to not post or email anything that could be used against you by the wacko Leftists. If you have the misfortune of being targeted by them, your words can be twisted and used against you.

(10) Read this: https://shootingthebull.net/blog/does-caliber-even-matter/
 
There are many situations in which a good protective dog is more useful than a gun.

Its hard to beat the combination of a concealed handgun and being accompanied by a good protective dog, one who is subtle and discreet about her protectiveness. But is standoffish and suspicious of strangers. And who requires formal introductiin and explicit permission from you before any stranger is allowed to enter your home, vehicle, or camp site.

The big advantage of the bad guy is you usually don't know he's a bad guy until he makes the first bad move. Without the dog, that first move might be to draw on and shoot you, or hold you unable to draw. With a large dog present, his first move may be to draw on and kill the dog, or try to, giving you time to draw on and kill him. Or he may just move on, figuring the dog is more of a complication than he wants to deal with. If not armed with a firearm himself, the bad guy is unlikely to take on a person accompanied by a large clearly protective dog.

If I were living with someone who was depressed with suicidal ideation, I would not keep any gun at home, however locked up. I'd get bear spray, stun guns, and a serious protection dog.
A good gun and gun skills is the best solution to many self defense problems. Its not the best solution to all self defense problems.
What kind of a dog fits into a paddle holster?
 
What people have previously posted... look... slow and steady! It's not a race to see who can shoot the fastest... that will come with time and experience... most people that post all the pictures with all the gizmos and gadgets have zero experience without them and never even battle zeroed their firearms... some people on YouTube actually care... most are more spews for more views BS... Beretta Pico is probably one of the few that can't be dry-fired
 
Last week I had some impatient jerk tell me they are "going downrange", and then they hit the cold range button while I still have a loaded chamber and my hands on the rifle. This is 3rd time this has happened in the last few months.

This nonsense is all coming from the new shooters, they are easy to spot. And the sad thing is, it's mostly older people who should know better.

New gun owners: When you join a private club you agree to the rules. Please don't be cavalier about the rules on the rifle range, and don't get p*ssed off when someone calls you out. We are required to police each other on the rifle range. If discipline breaks down, sooner or later there will be an accident.
 
The above is the reason why we have Range Control Officials, who actually CONTROL the range.

Example from the RCO -

'Two minutes to target change!!'

'Cease firing, clear weapons, flag up and stand clear of the weapons!' [behind the chains and a yellow line on the floor, about 2m behind the firing line.

1621351873037.png

The RCO then walks the line of cleared and flagged guns, and having ascertained that they are all clear, calls - 'The range is clear, you may go forward and check/change targets.'

NOBODY is allowed to lay a hand on a gun while people are forward of the firing line.

When everybody is back and accounted for, he or she calls 'You may continue firing!'

Since the covid thing - this is what the longer FP looks like - the 25m point looks the same, but is for only six points.

1621351969364.png
 
Debated sharing this, for obvious reasons. It reveals what a fool I can be.

TL;DR: as a new gun owner, don't take other inexperienced people out to "show them how."

Long version. (This is from 30+ years ago.)

I didn't grow up with firearms, and never served nor had a job where they were part of it. Entirely self taught at the beginning. When I first got into them over the next few months bought a variety of hand guns.

My wife was interested, so I decided to play teacher. Hell, I'd been shooting for... months! I know the rules, I'm safe, I'm well read and smart. She'll have fun!

At the range I didn't pay attention as she two handed the .380 AMT Backup. The scream as the slide tore into her thumb, her turning and sweeping everyone on and behind the line ending with it pointing at me as she called out for me and stared in pain at the blood welling out, I remember to this day.

That incident, including her pointing a loaded gun at me and others, and the scar she still carries, were entirely my fault. I did that.

Advice for OP as a new gun owner; you may be inclined to 'teach' people who have never shot before how to shoot. I recommend you don't. As others have said, get trained yourself. Until you have lots of time under your belt, are intimately familiar with the gun(s) you'll be using, and get an understanding of how to teach firearms stuff, just don't do it.

If you choose to do it know this; anything that happens there, you did that.
 
Debated sharing this, for obvious reasons. It reveals what a fool I can be.

TL;DR: as a new gun owner, don't take other inexperienced people out to "show them how."

Long version. (This is from 30+ years ago.)

I didn't grow up with firearms, and never served nor had a job where they were part of it. Entirely self taught at the beginning. When I first got into them over the next few months bought a variety of hand guns.

My wife was interested, so I decided to play teacher. Hell, I'd been shooting for... months! I know the rules, I'm safe, I'm well read and smart. She'll have fun!

At the range I didn't pay attention as she two handed the .380 AMT Backup. The scream as the slide tore into her thumb, her turning and sweeping everyone on and behind the line ending with it pointing at me as she called out for me and stared in pain at the blood welling out, I remember to this day.

That incident, including her pointing a loaded gun at me and others, and the scar she still carries, were entirely my fault. I did that.

Advice for OP as a new gun owner; you may be inclined to 'teach' people who have never shot before how to shoot. I recommend you don't. As others have said, get trained yourself. Until you have lots of time under your belt, are intimately familiar with the gun(s) you'll be using, and get an understanding of how to teach firearms stuff, just don't do it.

If you choose to do it know this; anything that happens there, you did that.
Excellent advice! ...and thanks for sharing the tale as well.

NB: It's not a great idea for one spouse/partner (whatever) to teach another firearms. Let someone else do so. Once both have baseline safety & such down pat, then move onto particulars together, if so inclined.

Relationship dynamics may too easily come into play. On either, or both sides, to be meaningfully worthwhile.

In my opinion.
 

Excellent advice! ...and thanks for sharing the tale as well.

NB: It's not a great idea for one spouse/partner (whatever) to teach another firearms. Let someone else do so. Once both have baseline safety & such down pat, then move onto particulars together, if so inclined.

Relationship dynamics may too easily come into play. On either, or both sides, to be meaningfully worthwhile.

In my opinion.
Some people are great teachers. Many people aren't. I think whether the spouse is a good teacher matters more than spouse or parent status, gender matching, etc. If you have a family member who is a good teacher, that's a good way to start. I'm a fan of taking formal courses, too, though, if that's workable.
 
It's not a race to see who can shoot the fastest... that will come with time and experience...
And it shouldn't be a 'race'. There are a lot of highly experienced shooters of which speed has never been a consideration with regard to their particular interest in firearms and style of shooting.

and never even battle zeroed their firearms...
A lot of shooters (probably most - and experienced as well) have never 'battle zeroed' their firearms - but they have properly 'sighted in' or 'zeroed' their sights or scopes.

SO, to the OP - Make SAFETY your primary responsibility, respect your guns, shoot for accuracy and enjoyment and with the style of guns YOU appreciate the most.
 
And it shouldn't be a 'race'. There are a lot of highly experienced shooters of which speed has never been a consideration with regard to their particular interest in firearms and style of shooting.


A lot of shooters (probably most - and experienced as well) have never 'battle zeroed' their firearms - but they have properly 'sighted in' or 'zeroed' their sights or scopes.

SO, to the OP - Make SAFETY your primary responsibility, respect your guns, shoot for accuracy and enjoyment and with the style of guns YOU appreciate the most.
Exactly and when their gizmos and gadgets fail they will be behind the power curve... utilizing optics and such for aging eyes or whatever... should not be the go to without the fundamentals... because contrary to what the interwebs or keyboard commandos say or believe... it's a man made mechanical device that because Murphy's Law has a twisted sense of humor... it will inevitably fail at the worst possible time... including squib rounds or double feeds etc
 
@Soli brought up another safety issue we haven't covered. Sometimes a shooter circles the thumb of the off hand around back of grip. If so, the thumb needs to be low enough so that it isnt where a hammer or slide will be slamming back. Many semi autos are shaped to prevent your holding them that way. I never hold a gun that way, as if I picked up a different gun with different proportions that style could put thumb in danger from a slide.

Another problem that can arise from how you grip gun: A semiautomatic shooter may place the index finger of the off hand on the front-facing part of the trigger guard. In fact, many trigger guards are designed to facilitate that grip. However, if you get used to shooting semi autos that way, remember that you absolutely must not shoot revolvers using that grip. That, for a revolver, makes index finger pass across the gap where cylinder meets frame. When a revolver is fired, hot gas, burned powder, and tiny debris explode out of that gap, burning and mauling the Inappropriately placed index finger.
 
@Soli brought up another safety issue we haven't covered. Sometimes a shooter circles the thumb of the off hand around back of grip. If so, the thumb needs to be low enough so that it isnt where a hammer or slide will be slamming back. Many semi autos are shaped to prevent your holding them that way. I never hold a gun that way, as if I picked up a different gun with different proportions that style could put thumb in danger from a slide.

Another problem that can arise from how you grip gun: A semiautomatic shooter may place the index finger of the off hand on the front-facing part of the trigger guard. In fact, many trigger guards are designed to facilitate that grip. However, if you get used to shooting semi autos that way, remember that you absolutely must not shoot revolvers using that grip. That, for a revolver, makes index finger pass across the gap where cylinder meets frame. When a revolver is fired, hot gas, burned powder, and tiny debris explode out of that gap, burning and mauling the Inappropriately placed index finger.

You reminded me of this video.


 
This nonsense is all coming from the new shooters, they are easy to spot. And the sad thing is, it's mostly older people who should know better.
I would not have guessed it being 'mostly' older people but I am not surprised.

Some 'older' people display level of arrogance and self righteousness that almost prevents them from listening to, or learning anything new.
 
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.
Hang fire is no joke. I had a first hand encounter with hang fire from a box of Ultramax factory "remanufactured" 9mm through a 92FS back in the day. Pulled the trigger. Click. Nothing. Put the pistol on safe (Keep in mind that the 92FS has a slide mounted safety/decocker). That's when the hang fire ignites. Thankfully the only damage was the slide and safety tearing open my thumb. Muzzle awareness kept anyone else from getting injured or worse. Hang fire doesn't happen often (that was the first and only time I have experienced it in decades of shooting), but when it does, safe gun handling can literally be the difference between life and death.

Needless to say I've stayed far away from Ultramax ammo ever since. Which is also probably a good word of advice for new shooters.
 
Last Edited:
Some people are great teachers. Many people aren't. I think whether the spouse is a good teacher matters more than spouse or parent status, gender matching, etc. If you have a family member who is a good teacher, that's a good way to start. I'm a fan of taking formal courses, too, though, if that's workable.
Absolutely! One may be an excellent teacher/instructor, and the other may be a willing learner. However the relationship dynamics may also come into play.

Having outside of relationship instruction, simply removes the possibility of relationship dynamics having an influence.

Too much at stake to risk anything which may influence learning & retaining a safe baseline.

In my opinion.
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top