New Owner Common Mistakes

[MikeInOr]

1) Never hand someone a gun with a closed chamber.

I ALWAYS open the chamber of a gun and check that it is clear then show the person I am handing the gun to that the chamber is clear and get their confirmation that it is clear before releasing my grip on the weapon. Very simple but effective. If everyone would do this there would be a lot fewer accidental discharges. It ticks me off that every gun store does not do this.

I have a couple of pistols that do not have slide stops so I have to hold the slide back during the above procedure.

I was at a Portland OR gun show by the speedway back in the 90's where a class III dealer handed a potential customer a rifle and the potential customer proceeded to send a round through the roof of the building. The class III vendor was packed and out of there in under an hour and never returned for future shows... not by his own choice! Simply opening the action and confirming it was clear would have prevented this accidental discharge and the dealer really should have known better.

2) Don't be a pain in the rear idiot!

If you see someone doing something wrong correct them without being a cocky as. Back in the 90's I was at the local range (Isaac Walton) and there were 2 other groups. One was a couple of guys sighting in a hunting rifle at the far end and a second was a guy showing his kids how to shoot a 22 at the other end. The guy with his kids just starts walking down range to his target which was at about 10 yards on the 500 yard range. I immediately called "Going down range" at the guys sighting in the hunting rifle just as they were about to pull the trigger. They stopped, gave me the WTF look, opened their chamber then saw the guy walking down range and stopped scowling at me. The guy with kids changed his target and on his way back glanced over at me. I gave him a head nod and that was all there was to it before I called out "all clear". No fuss, no nastiness the guy got the point and I know he will never do that again.

3) Don't be a know it all! Be humble!

If someone wants to explain something to you that you already know let them finish and just say thank you. Guys that have been around for a while (think "Hickhock45") don't claim to know everything and are open to listening. The guys that have a couple of years of knowledge under their belt are the ones that think they now know everything... like I did when I was at that point in my journey with firearms.

 

[aduncan31]

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.

Man, my brother is a newbie and thinks he knows everything. I made him recite the cardinal rules prior to agreeing to shoot with him as an adult. After numerous times of him at home with weapon and flagging me including his wife while also on the range I gave up.
They wound say "it's unloaded" cardinal rule everyone. "Treat every gun like it's loaded"
Well one time and last time he was messing with his weapon, no idea what he was doing, just heard a bang! I looked and his pistol was pointed at my truck and wife. Luckily for everyone it missed both and was right in between!
His comment, "it just went off I didn't do anything or pull the trigger!"

 

[titsonritz]

Man, my brother is a newbie and thinks he knows everything. I made him recite the cardinal rules prior to agreeing to shoot with him as an adult. After numerous times of him at home with weapon and flagging me including his wife while also on the range I gave up.
They wound say "it's unloaded" cardinal rule everyone. "Treat every gun like it's loaded"
Well one time and last time he was messing with his weapon, no idea what he was doing, just heard a bang! I looked and his pistol was pointed at my truck and wife. Luckily for everyone it missed both and was right in between!
His comment, "it just went off I didn't do anything or pull the trigger!"

Did you give him a wedgy and a biotchslap?

Guns don't "Just go off," Alec.

 

[sobo]

Man, my brother is a newbie and thinks he knows everything. I made him recite the cardinal rules prior to agreeing to shoot with him as an adult. After numerous times of him at home with weapon and flagging me including his wife while also on the range I gave up.
They wound say "it's unloaded" cardinal rule everyone. "Treat every gun like it's loaded"
Well one time and last time he was messing with his weapon, no idea what he was doing, just heard a bang! I looked and his pistol was pointed at my truck and wife. Luckily for everyone it missed both and was right in between!
His comment, "it just went off I didn't do anything or pull the trigger!"

Well, did he learn anything from it?

 

[Xmark1]

Many good points covered here.
But here is a subtle example of how easy it is to sweep someone if you are not paying attention.

When wearing a horizontal shoulder rig (Think Galco Jackass) it's almost impossible to unholster your weapon and point it downrange without sweeping someone to the right or left.

 

[Xmark1]

I don't know how good/bad your eyes are, but before I would put a RDS on an EDC, I'd learn to shoot it with just the irons.
Yeah, there's a lot to be said in favor of RDSs. But IMHO, there's even more to be said for being able to shoot accurately and reliably with irons.

I am a senior citizen with the bad eyes of a senior citizen. I still practice with iron sights. The sights look fuzzy, and it feels weird, but I still can make a 20-yard headshot.
I love my pistols with red dots, but they take time to turn on. Time that is usually lacking when you need it most.

 

[aduncan31]

Well, did he learn anything from it?

I'm confident not as he still says the "gun went off by itself"

 

[Camelfilter]

I'm confident not as he still says the "gun went off by itself"

Every time he says such , look him in the eyes & deadpan tell him "you are a moron". Regardless of who is listening.

He isn't accepting culpability nor responsibility, no reason to let others (family/friends within earshot) think such is acceptable. Particularly where firearms safety is concerned.

 

[titsonritz]

Every time he says such , look him in the eyes & deadpan tell him "you are a moron". Regardless of who is listening.

He isn't accepting culpability nor responsibility, no reason to let others (family/friends within earshot) think such is acceptable. Particularly where firearms safety is concerned.

On top of that anytime you see him with a gun in his hand tell him, "Put that thing away or I'm out of here". And do it if he doesn't.

 

[titsonritz]

I'm confident not as he still says the "gun went off by itself"

Have you talked to him in private on the seriousness of gun ownership responsibility, safety and proper handling? I'd tell him straight up I don't want to be around you and guns unless you pull you head out and get your act together on the subject. I'm not taking a round over a someone being clueless.

 

[sobo]

Have you talk to him in private on the seriousness of gun ownership responsibility, safety and proper handling?

@aduncan31 I agree with tits' approachright there.

Give your brother one last chance to redeem himself (in private, just between you two) without the pressure/embarrassment of family members witnessing the dressing down he so richly deserves. If he doesn't show honest contrition/remorse for his actions and man-up to the tasks of gun ownership and firearms safety, then you've done all you can do for him. After that, it's just best to steer clear of him whenever he's got a gun near him.

 

[OldBroad44]

It isn't useful to tell your brother he's a moron every time he claims the gun went off by itself. That's a vague insult rather than specific information.

I would tell him "Guns do not go off by themselves. The fact that it went off means you had your finger on the trigger. Properly trained people keep their finger outside the trigger guard until the gun is pointing at something they intend to shoot. And you were also pointing the gun in a direction that a properly trained person never does. That is, at something you don't intend to shoot--my family. You need to get serious formal training before you ever handle a gun again. I am not going out with you or around you when you have a gun until you have proper training. Or let my family be around you when you have a gun."

This guy is not listening to you, so you shouldn't endanger yourself further trying to teach him. This might ruin your relationship with him. But its better than having him shoot you or someone else some day. If you can afford it, you might give him a free one on one course as a birthday or Christmas present. I suggest one on one as its much harder to teach someone safe gun handling when they already have unsafe habits than if they are starting completely from scratch.

 

[Z-PDX]

"open and show clear"

the hardest concept to teach is that just because there's no mag, don't mean it won't go bang.

:-/

 

[samthedog73]

1) Thinking that because you have a gun, you are armed. I grew up with a piano in my house, but it did not make me a musician. Get some professional training. I recommend Thunder Ranch in Southern Oregon. Firearms Academy of Seattle in Onalaska, WA is also good, but the facilities are nowhere near what Thunder Ranch offers.
2) Shooting is a perishable skill. Practice.
3) You will fight like you train. Train like you are in a fight.
4) Carry extra magazines. Extra ammo is good, but maybe a secondary reason to carry extra mags. Magazines are one of the biggest reasons autoloaders stop running.
5) There is no practical carry handgun caliber that I would pick if I knew I was going to be in a fight with a human. Handguns are tools of convivence. Gain an understanding of human anatomy. Learn the specific areas of the human body that you should shoot in order to stop the threat. HINT: (Chest, Head, and Pelvis).
6) Don't shoot fast, shoot good. I stole that one from Clint Smith.
7) Consider carrying a backup gun. Another Clint Smith quote "One is none, and two is one. The space shuttle blew up twice, and I'm pretty sure NASA had more engineers than Smith and Wesson.'

 

[Dogfacedpony]

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.

Don't believe everything you hear on the internet or in the gun store.

See Leviathon Tribe to get an idea; paid influencers and product placements, not necessarily "my favorite _____" or "the best ______". I'm convinced the internet is 3/4 BS.

Or am I being too generous?

 

[It-That]

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.

Clearing the chamber before disassembly!!! No desk pops! Desk pops aren't real, don't fall for it.

Also don't use cheapo copper plated brushes on your barrel. When the bristles snap out on the end of your barrel, it can micro abrade the crown. Crowns are mega important. Old milsurps are commonly counter bored by arsenals to repair this, so it's very real, but old brushes are also copper washed steel brushes. Buy brushes from reputable American companies that makes them out of brass. They're hard to magnet test because the braided wire in the center is ferromagnetic. Also when you use barrel snakes, make sure you pull them out/guide straight and not angled riding on the crown.

Don't go nuts scraping heavy carbon off of your AR bolt tails or bolt faces; leaving a little stubborn carbon is better than scoring it and losing gas efficiency.

 

[Camelfilter]

Don't go nuts scraping heavy carbon off of your AR bolt tails or bolt faces; leaving a little stubborn carbon is better than scoring it and losing gas efficiency.

Or get an inexpensive sonicator & use it. Works a charm for AR bolt carrier groups. Around about 30 mins in dilute simple green purple. Then a regular toothbrush gets any remaining stubborn crud off. IME.

 

[It-That]

Or get an inexpensive sonicator & use it. Works a charm for AR bolt carrier groups. Around about 30 mins in dilute simple green purple. Then a regular toothbrush gets any remaining stubborn crud off. IME.

Excellent and true. They are cheap now. I'm not sure about modern ones; I don't imagine they're different, but... When I was training for medical work and had to clean and sterilize stuff, we were told to always use the basket on those and to not reach in when it's on. I see a lot of videos where people just plop their parts in and reach in while it's on. It makes the machine less effective over time and can do nerve damage.

 

[evandrago]

How about when started carrying? How do you deal with having it in the car. I have an SUV, and trying to figure out how to carry in the car and also in case I need to, store it.

 

[Jay Walk]

I feel unsafe out shooting in the woods by myself but not as unsafe as having somebody there.

"It's not loaded" Yeah okay, so you just start waving it around?