Shooting or gun training might seem like a dangerous interest to yourself and others but it is actually a great skill that enhances your focus and hand-eye coordination. However, it might be quite intimidating for first time shooters to start shooting. Well, if you are a rookie and want to start shooting for the first time, then you should keep reading to see the tips we have for you.
In order to have a smooth and enjoyable shooting session, it will be helpful if you keep the following tips in mind. These tips are useful for virtually anyone so you will definitely be able to shoot properly after going through the tips. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.
1. Learn Proper Gun Safety, Posture and Grip First
Before you start shooting a real gun or round, you should be aware of the proper gun safety first. Generally, there are 12 rules that you should always remember to keep you and the people around you safe. Here are the 12-gun safety rules:
- Always treat the firearm as if it’s loaded.
- Keep the gun pointed in a harm-free direction.
- Maintain a straight index finger and ensure it’s off the trigger until absolutely certain to shoot.
- Unload the gun when not using it.
- Don’t be pointing guns at things you don’t plan to destroy.
- Maintain visuals on your target and be aware of what’s beyond it.
- Learn about the mechanical and handling traits of the guns you’re using.
- Use appropriate ammunition.
- Ensure the barrel is free of obstructions prior to loading and shooting.
- If the weapon fails to fire after the trigger is pulled, stay in the same shooting position for a few seconds with the muzzle pointed at a safe direction, unload the weapon with optimal care.
- Never fully rely on the safety of guns to prevent them from firing.
- Be mindful of your surroundings when dealing with guns to prevent pointing and firing the firearm at someone or something in case of accidents.
Other than gun safety, practicing the proper gun stance and grip is also crucial for shooting accurately and safely. Knowing the gun safety rules but not knowing how to shoot with a proper stance and grip can still put you and the people around you in harm’s way. So be sure to find out about the proper shooting posture and grip first before you actually start shooting.
2. Dry-Firing Before the Real Thing
After learning about the proper shooting posture and grip, it will be good to dry fire first prior to shooting a real gun. Dry-firing is essentially a practice where you pull the trigger of a cocked handgun and allow the hammer or striker to drop on an empty and unloaded chamber or a dummy round.
This is to help create a muscle memory and for you to check if your posture and grip is correct. Once you are confident that you are doing the right thing, you can move on to shooting a real gun.
3. Shoot with Someone Experienced
The next tip for a rookie after learning how to shoot properly is to bring along someone experienced. Not only does this ensure that there is someone to look out for you, but you can also learn from that person. Besides that, it makes shooting at the range a lot more fun when there is a partner shooting together.
Once you can shoot properly and comfortably, then you can learn to practice on your own. But as a rookie, we would recommend you go to the shooting range with someone experienced like a gun trainer or a friend who has shooting experience.
4. Start with a Small Caliber
For first time shooters, it would be a good idea to start with a smaller caliber so you can learn to control the gun first and slowly work your way up to bigger caliber guns. The small caliber pistols that you can start with are a .22 caliber, .38 caliber or a 9mm. These calibers are known to be easier to handle because the recoil isn’t as hard-hitting.
While it might seem like a good idea to start with the smallest gun, it actually isn’t. This is because many people tend to have the misconception that the smaller the gun, the lesser the recoil. However, that is not true at all because small guns actually have a much heavier recoil. What you should pick instead is the medium to larger gun of a small caliber which will kick much less.
5. Be Mindful of your Own Well-Being
It is normal to feel exhausted after shooting some rounds and it is fine to take a rest. Try to avoid burning yourself out just to get that few extra rounds in because it is not worth the risk of harming yourself or others in the process. When you start to feel tired or you feel like you’re losing focus, you should end your session and get some rest.
Do not continue shooting when you’re tired because not only are you putting yourself at risk, you are also putting the people around at risk. To get the best result, you can plan about 6 to 8 shooting sessions a month, going through approximately 200 to 300 rounds at most per session.
6. Have Proper Gears and Equipment
Having proper gears and equipment is not just applicable for rookies, but advanced and experienced shooters should wear proper attire and use appropriate gears and equipment too. The most basic protective equipment is eye and ear protection and it is crucial that you wear them every shooting session.
Conclusion
The tips mentioned above are just some important tips for rookies, check out Peakfirearms.com for more valuable tips. There are obviously a lot more things to be aware of when you’re shooting, but as a rookie, it is important that you know how to handle a gun safely first before learning about other things like shooting range etiquette. Always remember that safety comes first and after that, you can have all the fun you wan