LastStarfighter
Operator
What is something you wish you knew as a beginner in the shooting community? I'm sure we all have something. Mine would be to understand the importance of a proper grip.
Advice for beginners
- Thread starter LastStarfighter
- Start date
Classified
Professional
No-thing is sacred, "the bullet is the truth" , and have fun.
Outside of safety, too many shooters get zealous about 'their methods'. What is sacred is the peace you find in it. You gotta find what works for you, the bullets tell you best. Enjoy yourself or its not worth the trouble.
jfmorris
Master Class
Amen to proper grip, and also proper placement of the trigger finger. I myself had a bad habit of just wrapping my hand around the grip, and putting my index finger as far as it went through the trigger guard when shooting, versus using just the tip (first joint I guess) of my index finger on the trigger. This was responsible for a lot of issues when I first started carrying a little Ruger LCP 10 years ago. I was always shooting down and left of the aim point. Something I didn't do with my 38 revolver or 22 target pistol, or my XD-M's in more recent years. Fixing my grip let me adjust the laser on the gun back to the aim point of the sights finally. Not that the LCP has much of a sight anyway. I didn't have the issue with other larger guns, where the grip naturally moved the trigger farther forward from my palm, and took me forever, plus taking a friend to the range, to figure out what I was doing.
Proper grip will feel comfortable in your hand. The gun is a tool that will not serve you if it is not a part of you. If you have the right right stance, grip, trigger finger placement and eye alignment the weapon will feel like an extension of your hand. As JFMorris stated proper trigger placement is on the back part of the finger pad just before the first knuckle joint of your finger. Trigger squeeze and grip while important will come in time. In my humble opinion the most critical component of technique for beginners is sight alignment. (Rear sight blurry, Front sight sharp, Target blurry) making sure that the front sight post is level with the top of the rear sight and that it is centered. That the gun moves as a whole, not the shooters' eye, the the front sight is centered on the target, etc. This is a good foundation for a solid mastery of basic skills.
SMSgtRod
Professional
I wish someone had told me to bring my weapon, eyes and ears, and 200 rounds to the range.
Spending those rounds with the instructor would have been worth their weight in gold.
When you think about it you didn't start driving without supervision. I most certainly didn't
jump in the pilots seat and fly away solo without dual time with an instructor.
When we try to learn things on our own or from a mishmash of several people we pick up
some bad habits. Learning things the wrong way is something that is nearly impossible to
correct. You may think you have overcome a bad habit but when push comes to shove,
you'll quite possibly revert back, and that could not be a good thing.
IMHO, get an instructor.
Spending those rounds with the instructor would have been worth their weight in gold.
When you think about it you didn't start driving without supervision. I most certainly didn't
jump in the pilots seat and fly away solo without dual time with an instructor.
When we try to learn things on our own or from a mishmash of several people we pick up
some bad habits. Learning things the wrong way is something that is nearly impossible to
correct. You may think you have overcome a bad habit but when push comes to shove,
you'll quite possibly revert back, and that could not be a good thing.
IMHO, get an instructor.
Maks_Ameau
Operator
I did not take advantage of the resources at my local range properly. The ROs are very patient and more than willing to help with those first shots. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice.
.Learn the proper way to safely handle a firearm and always follow those rules. So number one is always assume a firearm is loaded until you prove otherwise. And I do mean always. If the guy behind the counter just racked the slide and checked it don't consider it unloaded until you look into the breach and check it yourself
Absolutely proper grip and don't get careless. People have a habit of the more time they spend around something the less dangerous it is to them but that doesn't actually make it less dangerous. Remember safety and don't take it for granted and keep reminding yourself why it is important. Seen too many negligent discharges and somebody gets hurt. I always hear the excuse of "I thought for sure I safety checked it" or "I was sure it was unloaded and it was on safe". Never take safety for granted there's a reason for it.
Classified
Professional
You reminded me of the time I removed a bb from a kids finger. The worst part was that his parents said,"I can understand why he did it." The reasoning is superfluous, the fact is basic rules of firearm safety were neglected. However, I can guarantee that won't happen to him again.
I got into guns because of my father. My father preached about gun safety till the day he died. The one thing he didn’t say was to take your time and breath. My shots were always all over the place. It wasn’t until about 6 years ago did I realize that it wasn’t about how fast you send those rounds down range but if I calmed down and took my time was I able to get a good grouping. However that wasn’t good enough for me I wanted them tighter so I learned to control my breathing and took my time now my groupings are a lot tighter.
This is my advice as well.
I consider myself self-taught, having spent close to 20K rounds downrange in the half-year before I took my first trainig class with an instructor.
While all of that self-guided practice certainly showed, I came away from the day completely wow'ed by simply the amount that "I didn't even know that I had not known," like somorris above noted.
Having had an instructor from the beginning would likely have saved me as much money in the amount that I'd spent on rounds downrange to that point, and it would have also prevented certain bad habits from having set in. It definitely would have lessened my learning curve.
In virtually all other sporting endeavors, one-on-one coaching is considered an absolute necessity at the top tier. I honestly don't understand why this is not seen as the norm in our hobby, where the vast majority seem to settle for considerably less.
SMSgtRod
Professional
May I add, a hobby that many are using for the protection of their loved ones and selves.
Mountain Man
Elite
Honestly it wasn't till the Army I learned how to use iron sights, sight picture, and proper grip. Those are skills that I wish had known.
TEXASforLIFE
Ronin
In the older less insulated vehicles from the early '70s. Is making sure the muzzle is outside the vehicle before pulling the trigger. A 22 mag pistol is pretty loud inside a pickup.