These rules may
seem obvious, but keep in mind that EVERY firearm accident that has EVER
occurred has happened because someone forgot to pay attention to one of
these rules. If everyone with a gun in their hands remembered these rules
all the time there would NEVER be another firearms accident.
These rules also apply when
you are simply looking at guns that you are interested in purchasing. If
the salesman hands you a firearm without first verifying that it is not
loaded, check it yourself. If you don't know how to check it, ask the salesman
to clear it for you. If he tells you that he knows it is unloaded, then
tell him that you would feel a lot better if it was checked. If he takes
offense just thank him for his time and go somewhere else. When you raise
the gun to aim it, don't point it at the salesman's head or out the window
of the store or at anything else you would not be willing to shoot. Keep
these rules in mind at all times and you will never have an accident. Forget
one of them and you probably will sooner or later.
DEFINITIONS
(maybe not "Official" but realistic)
NEGLIGENT DISCHARGE
- This is what happens when a shooter forgets to obey one of the laws of
gun safety. It is also important to note that the ONLY way that a negligent
discharge can occur is when one of the laws is violated.
A Negligent Discharge is
often referred to as an Accidental Discharge. Some of us feel that this
term is incorrect because it infers that the cause of the discharge was
because of some sort of mechanical failure on the part of the gun or because
some sort of accident outside of the control of the shooter caused it to
happen. This is never the case. If you adhere rigidly to the laws of gun
safety it will never happen to you.
HANDGUN - A
firearm with a short barrel that is able to fit in a holster and be concealed
on one's person. While this definition can also refer to short-barreled
rifles or shotguns, you get the idea. Handguns are normally divided into
two groups, "Pistols" (which refers to autoloading handguns) and "Revolvers".
BULLET - The
projectile that is fired from a gun. NOT to be confused with a cartridge!
CARTRIDGE -
The entire assembly that is loaded into a firearm. It consists of a bullet,
a case, gun powder, and a primer. NOT to be confused with (or called!)
a "Bullet" because the "Bullet" is only the projectile that is fired out
the barrel.
CALIBER --
The "Caliber" of a firearm defines the size of the rifling in the barrel
of the gun, and is normally approximately the same as the diameter of the
bullet. For example, a 9mm handgun has rifling in the barrel that is 9mm
in diameter and fires a bullet that is nominally 9mm in diameter. Larger
caliber guns typically have a larger cartridge, and more stopping power.
They also have more recoil. For defensive handguns, most people do not
recommend anything smaller than a 9mm
CLIP - A device
for holding cartridges to be loaded into a firearm. NOT to be confused
with a "Magazine".
MAGAZINE -
A device for holding cartridges to be loaded into a firearm. NOT to be
confused with a "Clip". The normal difference between a "Magazine" and
a "Clip" is that a "Clip" actually clips the cartridges together (normally
using the groove near the base of the cartridges) whereas cartridges are
simply inserted into a magazine. Virtually all autoloading pistols use
a Magazine and NOT a Clip!
DOUBLE-STACK MAGAZINE
- A magazine for an autoloading pistol that has the cartridges arranged
in a staggered stack. If the magazine was transparent and you looked at
it from the rear, the cartridges would be arranged in two columns. This
allows the length of the magazine to be shorter for a given number of rounds,
but at the cost of making it wider.
SINGLE-STACK MAGAZINE
-
A magazine for an autoloading pistol that has the cartridges arranged in
a single stack. If the magazine was transparent and you looked at it from
the rear, the cartridges would be arranged in one column. This causes the
magazine to hold fewer rounds in a given size, but also allows the magazine
(and the butt of the gun) to be smaller.
AUTOMATIC -
A firearm that fires continuously while the trigger is held down. Not to
be confused with an autoloading pistol.
AUTOLOADER
- A handgun with a single firing chamber that automatically loads another
cartridge from the magazine when it is fired. While this type of firearm
is frequently referred to as an "Automatic" this is actually a misnomer.
The correct term is Autoloader or Semi-Automatic and not Automatic. A "Pistol"
is normally an autoloader; a machine gun is an automatic.
REVOLVER -
A handgun with a rotating cylinder with multiple firing chambers that hold
the cartridges. Compared to a magazine-fed autoloader, revolvers normally
hold fewer rounds, and are a bit slower to reload for most shooters,
but they normally have fewer moving parts and are considered by some to
be more reliable and more accurate than autoloaders.
SPEEDLOADER
- A device for quickly reloading a revolver, similar in some respects to
a magazine for an autoloading pistol. Speedloaders are specific to a particular
model of revolver, and hold the correct number of rounds positioned so
that they drop easily into the chambers of the revolver's cylinder.
FIREARM
MANUFACTURERS
There are a large number
of manufacturers around today, and there is a list of many of them on my
web page at this link. Virtually all of them produce
handguns that are accurate and reliable in various styles, models, and
calibers. The choices can be confusing and hard to make, but the bottom
line is that virtually all of them WILL be accurate and reliable. Most
of the majors have a long-standing reputation to uphold and will not sell
something that is unreliable, inaccurate, or unsafe.
If you stick with one of
the major brands you will never be sorry and never need to second-guess
your choice. If you buy something that nobody else has ever heard of you
may be throwing your money out the window. The difference between a $500
handgun and a $1,000 handgun may be minor as far as function and reliability
goes, but I can assure you that the difference between a $100 piece of
junk and a $500 handgun is significant. You can buy a $100 handgun, but
what you usually get is something that will function when it feels like
it and will break more often than it shoots. Stick with the major manufacturers
and you won't be sorry.
REVOLVER
OR PISTOL?
There are basically two types
of handguns, Revolvers and Pistols. The two are distinctly different in
operation and form.
A REVOLVER
has a rotating cylinder that holds 5 to 7 rounds of ammunition in individual
chambers. As the gun is fired, the cylinder rotates and brings a fresh
cartridge into firing position. It is loaded by swinging the cylinder out
and placing cartridges in each of the chambers in the cylinder. Speedloaders
can be used to simplify the reloading process, but they are still normally
slower than reloading an autoloader. Revolvers have the distinct advantage
of having fewer moving parts so they are frequently less prone to feeding
problems than pistols.
A PISTOL, also
known as an "Automatic" (an incorrect term), a "Semi-Automatic", or an
"Autoloader" automatically loads cartridges from a magazine when it is
fired. Spare magazines can be carried to quickly and easily reload the
gun when it is empty. Most shooters can reload an autoloader much quicker
than they can a revolver, and this is one of a pistol's advantages. The
other advantage is that most pistol magazines hold 10 rounds or more (although
some of the "Single Stack" 45 caliber autoloaders hold 7 or 8 rounds) giving
it a much higher capacity than a revolver. The major disadvantage of autoloaders
is that with all the moving parts involved, they are more prone to feeding
problems than revolvers. Keep in mind though that revolvers are NOT immune
to feeding problems (a cartridge with a bullet seated too long can solidly
lock up a revolver) and most modern autoloaders have a very low number
of misfeeds. Most modern pistols that are properly maintained and fed good
quality ammunition will be utterly reliable. In all fairness to the revolver
fans though, I will admit that with only one exception all of the misfeeds
and jams I have ever seen were in autoloaders.
Another difference between
revolvers and autoloaders is the size of the butt. The butt is the part
of the handgun that you hold onto. Autoloaders all have a magazine that
is inserted into the magazine well in the butt. This makes the butt of
the gun quite large, especially those that use high-capacity "Double-Stack"
magazines. Revolvers do not have this problem since they do not use magazines.
If you have small hands this makes a significant difference since you might
not be able to get your fingers all the way around the butt of an autoloader.
TRIGGER
STYLES
The trigger is, obviously,
what the shooter pulls to make the gun fire. Before buying your first handgun
you should be aware that there are several different trigger styles, and
they can significantly affect how well you can shoot a gun because of how
they work.
SINGLE ACTION
- The simplest trigger style, the single-action trigger only performs one
operation; it releases the hammer to strike the firing pin. The hammer
must either be cocked manually or by the action of the slide in the case
of an autoloader. A single-action gun CAN NOT be fired until the hammer
has been cocked.
DOUBLE ACTION
- The double-action trigger can perform two operations; it can release
the hammer to strike the firing pin (the same as a single-action trigger),
but it can also cock the hammer if it is not already cocked. A double-action
gun can be fired even if the hammer is not cocked by pulling the trigger.
It sounds like a double-action
trigger would definitely be the way to go, but the catch is that the trigger
pull is much heavier in double-action operation because it must resist
the hammer spring to cock the hammer. Thus, on guns that might have a single-action
pull of 4 pounds the double-action pull might be 8 to 12 pounds. This is
most prevalent with double-action autoloaders. Since the action of the
slide cocks the hammer for second and subsequent shots, the first shot
has a very heavy trigger pull and the others are much lighter. This takes
a little getting used to, but it is certainly not something that cannot
be overcome, it is just something that you get used to with practice.
DOUBLE ACTION ONLY
- To resolve the difference in trigger pulls, most manufacturers offer
guns in "Double Action Only". These firearms do not cock the hammer automatically
after the first shot, so all shots are fired with a heavier trigger pull.
While this may sound strange, it does have the advantage of all trigger
pulls being the same even though they are heavy pulls.
SAFE ACTION OR STRIKER
FIRED - These guns are a variant of a double-action only trigger.
Instead of a hammer and firing pin, they use a striker assembly that does
not require a trigger pull that is as heavy as a normal gun. The result
is a gun that emulates a double action only gun in that all trigger pulls
are they same weight, but they are normally about the same weight as a
single-action trigger.
Trigger style is very much
a matter of personal preference, and regardless of the style chosen you
will get used to it over time.
SAFETIES
There are generally two types
of safeties, and numerous variants of those. The basic types of safeties
are the "Traditional" safety and the "Decocker". The Traditional safety
operates by blocking the trigger and / or hammer from moving when the safety
is engaged. This frequently gives the shooter the impression that the gun
cannot be fired until the safety is disengaged, but this is not always
the case. Some older firearms can be fired even when the safety is on by
striking the hammer (such as might happen if the gun is dropped).
A Decocker is, in reality,
not a safety at all. Decockers are found mostly on autoloaders, and they
simply decock the gun. When a single-action or double-action autoloader
is fired, the action of the slide leaves the hammer cocked and the gun
ready to fire the next shot in single-action mode. If you do not want to
fire again, you are left holding a cocked gun that is ready to fire. Until
decockers came on the market, the only safe way to lower the hammer was
to unload the gun (magazine and chamber) and then pull the trigger to lower
the hammer. Decockers perform this action safely, and can be used with
the gun loaded. They block the firing pin from being struck by the hammer,
and lower the hammer to its rest position.
There are also many guns
available without any safeties. Double Action Only autoloaders normally
don't have a safety of any type, however there are exceptions. The logic
is that the heavier trigger pull of the DAO gun is the safety. Most revolvers
have no safety, and many people who carry revolvers do so with the hammer
resting on an empty chamber.
There is also a trend toward
redundant safeties. Beretta is a good example. Beretta pistols have a firing
pin block that raises as the trigger is pulled allowing the hammer to strike
the firing pin. Whether the manual safety is engaged or not, you can bang
on the hammer of a Beretta all you want to and the gun will not go off
because there is a piece of steel preventing the hammer from hitting the
firing pin. You have to pull the trigger to raise the firing pin block.
This will not prevent accidents if the gun is dropped and the trigger is
snagged, but it will help in preventing other negligent discharges. This
trend is becoming common among gun makers, and there are several that have
redundant safeties on them.
The type of safety that you
choose is entirely up to you, but I would remind you once again that the
only absolutely reliable safety is the one between your ears. A safety
is a mechanical device and it can fail. Murphy's Law also indicates that
the point at which it will fail will be a terribly inconvenient time for
it to do so. ALWAYS remember that only YOU can prevent negligent discharges!
Firearms safety is a shooter action and not a mechanical action.
SIGHTS
There are as many styles
of sights as there are guns. The most common sights are the old standard
"Notch And Post" sights, but there are a lot of variants on that style.
The front sight is simply a post that sticks up and the rear is a notch
of some sort. Align the post in front with the notch in the rear and the
bullet should hit what is in front of it at the time.
There are also "Optical"
sights for pistols. These are typically of two variants, telescopic
sights or "Scopes" and "Red Dot" or electronic sights. Scopes magnify
the view, just as looking through a telescope does, and makes things look
closer then they are. At the distances we normally shoot pistols
and revolvers at this is of questionable benefit.
Red dot sights are definitely
beneficial under certain circumstances. They consist of a tube that
has a glass viewing screen in it upon which a red dot is projected.
When the sight is properly adjusted, where you put the dot is where the
bullet is going to hit. Unlike a laser the dot is not a projected
light, it is only visible by looking through the sight. The disadvantage
until recently has been that these sights have been quite bulky and hard
to fit into a "Normal" holster. There are some out now that are not
a lot bigger than an adjustable rear sight, and they are worth looking
into.
"Night Sights" are another
form of sights; I absolutely love night sights. They are normally
of the standard notch and post design, but three tiny glass vials of Tritium
gas are installed into the sights (normally there are three, one in front
and two in the rear, but there are other variations as well). Lenses are
placed over the tiny holes in the sights, and these lenses are frequently
different colors. Some shooters like the front sight to be a different
color from the rear. Tritium gas glows and at night or in low light conditions
it is like looking at three glowing dots. Line them up and you are ready
to shoot. Once you shoot a gun at night that is equipped with night sights
you will fall in love with them.
The Tritium gas in the vials
is a radioactive gas (don't worry it won't hurt you), and has a half-life
of 12 years or so. After that time the sights will get progressively
dimmer until, at some point, they will need to be replaced.
LASERS
Don't believe everything
that Hollywood shows you; a laser sight is not the ultimate sighting tool.
If you need a laser to shoot well, you haven't practiced enough. Take this
test; get a cheap laser pointer, hold it out at arms length and have someone
pull down on your arm enough to simulate the weight of a gun. At 7 yards
or so, how still can you hold that pointer on a small target? For most
of us it dances all over the place, and as range increases so does the
movement of the pointer. Add to this the fact that if you ever
have to use your gun in a defensive situation you are going to be nervous
as hell and your hands are going to be shaking terribly.
Other disadvantages are:
1) In bright light the dot is virtually invisible (even Hollywood always
manages to find a low-light situation for them to be used in), 2) In some
situations, especially in dusty environments or fog, the laser is visible
from many angles, and points right back to you, and 3) Lasers use batteries
and sure as hell the one time that you really need it the batteries will
be down.
If you are absolutely sold
on laser sights, check into those made by
Crimson
Trace or LaserMax.
I have refrained from mentioning specific brands throughout this document,
but these two items deserve special attention. The Crimson Trace
model fits into the grip of your gun and does not hang down below the barrel
where it can get knocked out of alignment. The LaserMax model replaces
the guide rod in certain autoloaders, and as with the Crimson Trace laser
there is nothing outside the gun. Failing this get a gun with an
accessory rail and a laser mount that fits the rail and holds the laser
solidly. If you have a laser hanging below the barrel it is sooner
or later going to get knocked out of alignment. You will also have
a tough time finding a holster for a gun with a laser on it.
CALIBERS
As mentioned above, the caliber
of a firearm determines the size of the bullet that it fires (actually
it is a measurement of the rifling in the barrel and indirectly indicates
the size of the bullet). For self-defense handguns, the 9mm Luger is frequently
viewed as the minimum caliber for reliable stopping power. Larger calibers
provide more stopping power, but at the cost of more recoil from the gun.
This is something that you will have to determine for yourself.
Calibers are always denoted
with a number that indicates the size of the rifling in the barrel, and
indirectly, the size of the bullet. For example a 22-caliber firearm fires
a bullet that is approximately 0.22" in diameter. Likewise, a 45-caliber
firearm fires a bullet that is approximately 0.45" in diameter. The reason
that I mention that the caliber indirectly indicates the bullet size is
that it is not always exactly the same. The 357 Magnum and 38 Special cartridges,
for example, can normally both be fired through a gun chambered for the
.357 Magnum cartridge, and both actually have a bullet diameter of 0.357".
Normally, if the word "Caliber"
is used the decimal point is omitted since the word caliber automatically
denotes decimal inches. .22 caliber is actually incorrect since it would
technically denote a barrel with 0.0022" rifling (a lot smaller than an
ordinary straight pin!). You will see things written as .22 caliber or
.45 caliber though, so just ignore it when you do.
To complicate matters though,
you will also see certain cartridges (not calibers, but cartridges) denoted
with a second number. For example the famous .30-06 Springfield or .30-30
Winchester (note that since the word "Caliber" is not used that a decimal
point is used in front of the first number!). The second number can, and
frequently does, have different and inconsistent meanings. In the case
of both the .30-06 Springfield and the .30-30 Winchester, the ".30" at
the beginning denotes 30 caliber. The "-06" in .30-06 Springfield denotes
the year in which it was developed (1906), however the "-30" in .30-30
Winchester denotes that it is comparable in power to a 30 caliber cartridge
that used 30 grains of black powder. There is no consistency in how these
cartridges are named, it is entirely up to the person or company that developed
them to come up with a name for them. The history of many of them is quite
interesting and worth reading about if you are interested in that sort
of thing.
Back to the discussion of
handguns, the most common handgun cartridges today are probably:
There are certainly
others (in fact this is not even half of the handgun cartridges listed
in most reloading manuals), but to keep things simple these are the most
common cartridges that you will run across today.
IMPORTANT NOTE!!
Be certain that the ammunition is the proper ammo for your gun. The
proper ammunition for YOUR gun (not just one that looks like yours, but
YOUR gun) will be engraved on the barrel. Many calibers sound similar but
are significantly different. For example the common 9mm is normally either
the 9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum, or 9x19. There are also 9mm Makarov, 9mm
Kurtz, 9mm Short, 9x21, 9x23 and some others. When you buy ammunition,
LOOK AT THE BOX. When you get to the range and start to load your magazines,
LOOK AT THE BOX. Loading the wrong ammunition in your gun is a good way
to ruin your day; it might load right, it might chamber right, it might
even fire, but you may not like the results.
Exception to the rule ... (There is always at least one exception to any rule!) I
was told that Sig Arms uses the 9mm Kurtz designation on their barrels. In the USA
it is very difficult to find 9mm Kurtz Ammunition. In this case .380 ACP ammunition
should be used (thanks to Chris in Georgia for pointing that out!).
Many people recommend a 22-caliber
handgun for the beginner, and there are merits to this choice. A
.22 is inexpensive to purchase and practice with, and it will allow you
to develop good habits such as trigger control, sight alignment, and sight
picture, and you can learn to shoot without having to deal with recoil
and noise problems. My feeling is that if you are going to go this
route that you might as well just purchase a pellet or BB pistol and practice
with it. Don't laugh, that's one of the practice methods that I use
and I can do it in my basement without having to go to the range.
Practice is practice, and regardless of the method used it is seldom wasted.
My feeling regarding a 22
as a first purchase is that if you are going to purchase one pistol, and
if that pistol is going to be used for self-defense, then a .22 is not
a good choice. A .22 pistol is not powerful enough for reliable self-defense,
if it were every police department and military branch in the world would
adopt it as their standard sidearm. If you try and defend yourself
with a .22 you might get lucky and stop the attacker, but you probably
won't. I recommend that people practice with what they carry because
the whole idea behind practicing is to get good with the gun. Just
because you can punch the center of a target with a .22 doesn't mean that
you can do the same thing with a 9mm or a .40 or a .45. .22's and
BB guns and pellet guns are great practice aids, just as dry firing is,
but they should not take the place of practicing with your "Carry Gun".
RECOIL
Recoil is probably the most
misunderstood aspect of firearms that there is. Terms like "Kicks Like
A Mule" and "Bone Breaker" are common, and they are also dead wrong. Admittedly
some guns do have a lot of recoil, and some guns can cause your shoulder
or wrist to hurt the next day if you shoot several hundred rounds through
them. Also admittedly there are a few guns that I just don't really want
to shoot more than once or twice, but I have never been physically hurt
from shooting a gun once.
Recoil is not a "Kick" like
many people initially think. When I envision "Kick" I see a mule pulling
those legs forward to get a good start and then letting go with everything
he has. A gun does not "Kick", it recoils. Sir Isaac Newton's third law
of motion states that "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction".
Where firearms are concerned this means that the pressure of the gasses
generated by the burning powder pushes against the base of the bullet,
forcing it out of the barrel, and also pushes backwards against the breech
face, pushing the gun against your hand. The pressure builds up quickly
and the energy is expended quickly, thus making the pressure against your
hand feel quick and sharp. The greater the pressure, the faster the
bullet flies, and the more the firearm recoils.
This recoiling action of
the gun is then transmitted to the shooter. In the case of a rifle or shotgun
it is transferred into the shoulder and then the whole upper torso. In
the case of a handgun, it is transferred to the hand, then the wrist, the
arm, the shoulder and upper torso. If the firearm is held properly, the
result is simply that you just feel it pushing against you when you fire
and see the muzzle going up. If you are concerned about recoil, and have
never shot a firearm before, you are going to be disappointed when you
realize that all of your concerns were about nothing. A 9mm Luger cartridge
in a 32-ounce pistol has a recoil energy of about 3 1/2 pounds.
In the case of handguns primarily,
because of the way the human arm is hinged at the elbow and wrist, recoil
causes the gun to be pushed back and the muzzle to rise upwards. There
is not any pain involved (except, possibly, with the monster calibers),
but it does cause the muzzle to rise and second and subsequent shots take
longer to get back on target. The greater the amount of recoil, normally
the greater the amount of muzzle flip. A handgun chambered for the 44 Remington
Magnum is going to have a lot more recoil than one chambered for a 9mm
Luger, and the muzzle is going to rise a lot more when shooting the 44
Magnum.
In reality, the problem most
beginning shooters have is not the recoil but the noise. It is frequently
blamed on the recoil, but it is actually the noise of the cartridge firing
that causes people to flinch and jerk the muzzle off target. If you are
having a problem along these lines, try using double ear protection (muffs
and plugs) and see if your shooting improves.
Virtually anyone can handle
the recoil of a 9mm. In fact most experienced shooters can fire the 9mm
with virtually no muzzle flip. When you get up to the 10mm or .45 it can
become a problem for smaller people; the muzzle rises high enough that
it takes a significant amount of time to get the gun back on target for
follow-up shots. The "Magnum" calibers are even worse. A .357 or .44 Magnum
is a handful for most people to get back on target quickly. Again, it does
not hurt, but the time involved to get back on target can be significant.
From a defensive standpoint, which is more valuable; 3 aimed shots from
a 9mm or one from a .44? If there are three people attacking you this question
becomes very important and the answer very obvious.
The amount of recoil that
you can control is just something that you will have to decide for yourself,
and it is going to vary from one person to the next. Find something that
you are comfortable with and you will get accustomed to shooting it.
FIT
A gun has to fit your physique
or you will have to spend a lot of time adapting to it. You will just have
to pick some up and find out what fits you properly. There is nothing that
you can't adapt to and learn to shoot well with practice, but the better
things fit from the start the quicker you will learn to shoot it properly.
Things to look for are:
Grip - When
you hold the gun does your hand wrap completely around the butt of the
gun? Is the butt so short that your little finger goes beneath it with
nothing to rest on? When you pick up a gun, the backstrap fits into the
web between your thumb and forefinger. If it fits properly your thumb will
slightly overlap your other fingers; the trigger will hit your forefinger
on the first pad or at about the first joint. If it is too big you will
have to stretch to reach the trigger or the magazine release or the slide
release. If it is too small you will have a lot of finger left everywhere,
and the gun may be hard to hold onto when it recoils. Revolvers typically
have smaller grips than autoloaders because autoloaders have to be large
enough for the magazine to fit into the butt of the gun.
Controls -
Make sure you can reach all the controls. This is even more important if
you happen to be left-handed. Many modern guns have ambidextrous controls
so that most of them can be easily reached by left-handed shooters, but
some do not (a notable exception to this rule is Beretta. All Berettas
come with the magazine release set for right-handed shooters, but most
of them can be quickly and easily swapped to the other side for left-handed
shooters). You should be able to reach the safety, magazine release, slide
release, and / or cylinder latch without having to move or rotate the gun
in your hand. The less you have to change your grip to operate the controls,
the better off you will be.
Angle - When
viewed from the side, the angle of the butt is in relation to the barrel
affects how the gun lines up with your eyes. If you close your eyes and
raise the gun in front of your face like you were preparing to shoot it,
the sights should be approximately lined up vertically. If you have to
raise or lower the muzzle to line them up a gun with a different angle
might be better suited for you.
Sights - Make
sure you can easily see the sights. Some are small and hard to see, others
are big and easy to see. Your eyes will determine what is best suited for
you.
Concealment
- If you are planning to carry the gun concealed, make sure that
you can do so comfortably. Large guns on small people are hard to
conceal. Very large guns on ANYONE are hard to conceal. Small
guns are easier to conceal, but harder to shoot accurately.
These are all things that
you can adapt to, but choosing something from the start that limits what
you have to adapt to makes things a lot easier for the beginner.
FINISHES
There are basically three
types of firearm finishes these days; "Finished", stainless steel, and
polymer.
Finished -
The days of blued guns are long gone. Virtually every manufacturer these
days is using some form of industrial coating as opposed to bluing. These
coatings are stronger, last longer, and are more resistant to rusting that
bluing ever thought of being. The most popular color is black, but guns
can also be found in other colors as well (an example is the olive drab
color available on the Walther P99)
Stainless Steel
- Stainless steel is, as the name implies, unfinished stainless steel.
Stainless steel is virtually impervious to rust so no additional finishing
is needed. Unfortunately it is also heavy, and most autoloader manufacturers
only use stainless for the slide; the other components are regular steel
or even polymer.
Polymer - Polymer
is a plastic, but is an exceedingly strong plastic, and has become increasingly
popular in firearms manufacturing. It combines the lightness and rust resistance
of plastic with the strength and rigidity of aluminum. In most cases polymer
guns are autoloaders (I don't know of any polymer revolvers, but there
may be some), and even then it is normally used only for the frame and
magazines. The slide and other components will still normally be made of
steel or aluminum. One other advantage of polymer construction is that
it is simply molded plastic, and is cheaper to manufacturer than machined
steel or aluminum. While this savings may not be passed on to the customer,
it is still a real savings to the manufacturer.
In many cases you will see
a combination of finishes on a gun. A Glock is far and away the most common
of the polymer guns, and Glock owners love to brag about how their guns
will never rust. They should keep in mind though that only the frame of
their pistol is polymer. The slide is finished steel, and all of the internal
components are steel or aluminum. Most stainless steel autoloaders are
the same way. The slide will be stainless steel, but the other components
will be polymer or finished steel or aluminum.
SIZE AND
WEIGHT
How much a firearm weighs,
and how physically large it is, is going to be important if you plan on
carrying it all day. Lighter, smaller guns will be much more comfortable
over the long run than a heavy one. The drawback is that lighter guns also
recoil more than heavier guns because the weight of the gun itself dampens
some of the recoil. In my opinion, the weight of a gun is not a significant
reason to base a purchase on in most cases. If a particular gun happens
to be slightly ("Slightly" being the operative word!) heavier than another
model, that weight should not be the sole deciding factor as to whether
or not to buy it. There are other features that are more important than
the weight of the gun.
There are exceptions, of
course. Hollywood loves to show their actors with BIG guns. The S&W
Model 69 of Dirty Harry fame and the MRI Desert Eagle that has seen more
film time than some actors are good examples. Drop by your local gun shop
and heft one of these monsters some time and see if you would like to haul
them around all day. And while you are at it, try and figure out where
you are going to carry it and how fast you could get it out if you needed
to.
A good example of the other
end of the spectrum would be the diminutive Walther PPK that James Bond
carried. A fine gun by any definition, and one that can easily be carried
all day without much effort. It certainly does not have the stopping power
demonstrated in the movies, however, and shooting at something 100 yards
away generally doesn't work very well.
Smaller, lighter guns are
generally more maneuverable than large heavy guns. Which is easier to swing
around in your hand and control easily, a tennis ball or a bowling ball?
An exaggeration, certainly, but everything is relative. If it takes you
a tenth of a second longer to change directions and get on target, that
tenth of a second could be the one that saves your life.
Tiny little "Mouse Guns"
may be comfortable to carry and easy to conceal, but they can also be difficult
to shoot if you have large hands. The latest crop of "Compacts" have butts
that are so small that many of us wind up with our little finger completely
off of the grip. This is not conducive to accurate shooting, and if you
can't hold it properly you won't be able to shoot it well. On the other
hand, if you have small hands the current crop of double-stack automatics
may have grips so big that you can't get your hand all the way around it.
Again, this is not comfortable and not conducive to accurate shooting.
Find one that fits your hands and not one that fits my hands or your friend's
hands or anyone else's hands.
BARREL
LENGTH
The length of the barrel
of a firearm affects the gun in several different ways. The distance between
the front and rear sights is known as the "Sight Radius". Since the front
sight is usually mounted at the front of the barrel, the length of the
barrel controls the sight radius. A longer sight radius is less prone to
errors in alignment than a short sight radius, thus making a gun with a
longer barrel appear to be more accurate than one with a shorter barrel.
A longer barrel also provides more stabilization to the bullet, and honestly
making the firearm more accurate.
A longer barrel also contains
the bullet for a longer period of time (it takes the bullet longer to travel
down a long barrel than a short barrel) allowing more time for pressure
to build behind the bullet. Because of this, a firearm with a longer barrel
will normally have a higher muzzle velocity than one with a short barrel.
This is both good and bad because the higher velocity will increase the
energy of the bullet and the stopping power, but it also increases recoil.
The barrel length also affects
the balance of the gun. Longer barrels (and slide assemblies as in the
case with semi-automatics) puts more weight at the muzzle end whereas shorter
barrels puts more weight at the back end. More weight at the front will
dampen muzzle flip to some extent.
AMMUNITION
The ammunition that is fired
through your gun is very important. Cheap ammo can cause a fine firearm
to feed badly, fail to fire, or be inaccurate. The ammo from the major
manufacturers such as Winchester, Remington, Federal, CCI and others go
through stringent quality control checks and will virtually always work
properly and never hurt your gun. Some older military surplus ammo is still
available that has corrosive primers in it. You should avoid this type
of ammo. Reloaded ammo can (not "Does", but "Can") contain badly seated
primers, split cases, erratic case length, erratic powder charges, and
a host of other problems. Don't get me wrong, I reload my own ammo and
it is all I shoot in my guns, so I am a big fan of reloads. There are also
some first-class reloads available, but there are also some junk reloads
that I wouldn't shoot through anything I own.
Every gun seems to have a
particular brand or style of ammo that it prefers, and it frequently takes
some trial and error to find the best diet for your gun. If you experience
feeding problems or accuracy problems, try a different brand or bullet
weight or bullet style and see if that helps. New guns frequently experience
a breaking-in period, so you may experience a few misfeeds with a new autoloader,
but they should be few and far between.
Autoloaders can be very picky
about their ammunition. Bullet weights vary even in the same caliber. .40
S&W ammunition, for example, can be purchased with 180 grain, 165 grain,
or even 200 grain bullets. Other calibers have even more choices of bullet
weights, so you may have to find the one that shoots best in your gun.
There are also different
styles of bullets; round nose, hollow point, truncated cone, wad cutter,
and semi-wad cutter are the most popular. The difference among them is
in the shape of the bullet. While not a big problem in revolvers, the bullet
shape has a profound affect on the feeding reliability of autoloaders.
When a cartridge comes out of the magazine, it must hit the feed ramp in
the gun and tip up. Then, when the rear of the cartridge is released by
the magazine, it must tip down and chamber properly. Bullets with a flat
nose (truncated cone or semi-wad cutter) can sometimes dig into the feed
ramp and not chamber properly. Again, this is just something that you may
have to play with to find what works best in your gun.
Be certain that the ammunition
is the proper ammo for your gun. The proper ammunition for YOUR gun
(not just one that looks like yours, but YOUR gun) will be engraved on
the barrel. Many calibers sound similar but are significantly different.
For example the common 9mm is normally either the 9mm Luger, 9mm Parabellum,
or 9x19. There are also 9mm Makarov, 9mm Kurtz, 9mm Short, 9x21, 9x23 and
some others. When you buy ammunition, LOOK AT THE BOX. When you get to
the range and start to load your magazines, LOOK AT THE BOX. Loading the
wrong ammunition in your gun is a good way to ruin your day; it might load
right, it might chamber right, it might even fire, but you may not like
the results.
If you ever pull the trigger
and the gun doesn't do what you expected it to do, or if it didn't feel
right, FIND OUT WHY! If it didn't go off at all it could be a "Hang Fire"
or a round that goes off several seconds after the trigger is pulled. Keep
the muzzle pointed downrange for 30 seconds or so to ensure that it is
not going to go off, then unload the gun and find out what happened. If
the shot felt weak, check for a "Squib" load. This is normally caused by
a cartridge that was loaded without any powder in it or a light powder
charge. The primer has enough energy to get the bullet out of the case,
but sometimes not enough to get it out of the barrel. Firing another shot
can cause the barrel to rupture right in front of your face. Again, if
ANYTHING felt wrong, find out why before you shoot again.
A word of caution ... There
are two types of ammunition that should probably be avoided most of the
time. These are +P and +P+ ammunition. There is nothing wrong with this
ammunition, but it is extra power ammo, and in some guns can cause excessive
chamber pressures. Every caliber has a maximum chamber pressure, and exceeding
it can cause the chamber to rupture. If you feel like you must shoot +P
or +P+ ammo, be sure your gun can handle the extra pressure or you might
wind up wearing parts of it.
One final word about ammunition
... Cost. In general, the larger a cartridge is the more it is going
to
cost. .22 ammunition costs a LOT less than 44 Magnum ammo.
If you plan on shooting a lot, plan on spending some money. 9mm Luger
ammo runs about $8 to $10 for a box of 50 (prices vary, of course, and
you can get bulk ammo for less), and shooting 100 rounds per trip to the
range is very common. Make your practice sessions count. I have seen
people at ranges blasting rounds out as fast as they could pull the trigger.
On looking at their targets I can only assume they were either trying to
see how fast they could move their finger, trying to see how much noise
they could make, or trying to impress the uninformed, because they sure
as hell didn't hit anything. Try and learn something each time you
squeeze the trigger. All you will learn from shooting fast in the
beginning stages is that you can mechanically make the trigger move pretty
quick, you won't hit very much and you won't learn very much. As
your ability to hit the target reliably increases, the speed in which you
can do so will automatically increase right along with it.
COMPENSATORS
AND PORTING
Compensators and porting
both do the same thing. They are basically slots or holes that are cut
into the barrel of the gun right at the muzzle. As the bullet passes the
ports or comp slots, part of the high-pressure gas exits through the ports
or slots and provides a "Jet" effect that compensates for the muzzle flip.
The result is that the muzzle does not rise as high and allows the shooter
to get back on target quicker.
I do not like porting or
compensators except for competition guns. The noise level is increased
dramatically, there is a lot of high-pressure, high-temperature gas expelled
right in the face of the shooter, and at night your night vision is gone
because of the flash that comes out of the ports. In competition, where
the rules allow them, comps do provide a distinct advantage but I do not
like them for a defensive handgun.
MAINTENANCE
Guns like to be clean, and
an occasional cleaning is going to be a requirement. Some guns are easy
to disassemble and clean and others are more difficult. Revolvers are usually
a lot easier to clean than autoloaders, and also tend to be less prone
to problems when they are dirty. Powder residue and dirt build up in the
mechanisms can affect the feeding of autoloaders. Most modern guns function
just fine when they are dirty, but some really start to get tempermental
when they are dirty. A gun that is difficult to disassemble would not prevent
me from buying it, but one that doesn't function properly when it is dirty
would cause me to move on to the next choice, so this is an item when a
friend's opinion is very valuable.
GUN TRIGGER
LOCKS AND CHILD SAFETY
It is a parent's responsibility
to keep guns out of the hands of their children. Any parent who knowingly
allows a firearm to be in a place where a child can play with it is negligent
in their duties. It is also the duty of the parents to ensure that,
as the children get older, they know to stay away from the gun and / or
know how to handle it safely. I learned to shoot when I was 9 years old,
and there have been guns in my house all my life (nope, they weren't my
father's guns, they were my mother's guns; my parents were divorced when
I was 3 years old). I was taught at an early age that guns were NOT
something for me to play with, I was taught what they were capable of doing
if handled incorrectly, and I never even considered playing with any of
them because I understood the harm I could cause with them.
You agree with that, right?
At least in principle. Well, here is the catch: Gun trigger locks
are probably the most worthless things in the world. It is only thanks
to the political clowns in Washington that you get to pay for one when
you purchase your new gun because they are utterly worthless. Sure,
all manufacturers provide them "Free Of Charge" with every firearm purchase,
just like you didn't pay for the tires that were on your car when you bought
it.
Maybe a trigger lock will
keep a young child from being able to get to the trigger on your gun, but
what good does that do? It does NOT keep the gun out of their hands,
and a determined older child can have it out in a few minutes! Young
children can still take the cartridges out and play with them by throwing
them in the fireplace or something equally annoying (this is probably a
good place to point out the fact that it isn't a good idea to store ammunition
where children can get to it either!). I thought the idea was to
keep the guns out of their hands completely, not make them semi-unusable
for anyone.
There is also the fact that
having your trigger locked to keep your child from playing with it will
also do the same thing for you when you need it RIGHT NOW! If you
ever have to use your gun at home, you are not going to have a minute or
two to find the key to the trigger lock (you wouldn't dream of keeping
the gun and the keys in the same place would you? Or even worse, always
ensure that your gun has the trigger lock in place, but then leave the
key in the lock so you can get to it quickly), get it in the lock (most
likely in the dark), and then get the lock thingy out of the trigger guard.
You will most likely have a few seconds to wake up, realize something is
wrong, and get to your gun.
Don't get me wrong, I am
a strong advocate of keeping guns out of the hands of children, but an
idiotic trigger lock is not the way to do it. There are better ways.
If you plan on having several guns, or if you already have some rifles
or shotguns, look into a locking gun cabinet or, even better, a gun safe.
If you only have this one handgun there are several single-gun safes that
are designed for the purpose of safely securing a gun yet allowing it to
be accessed quickly when needed. They can be mounted to the wall
or to the frame of your bed. They have combination locks that are
designed to be opened in the dark. Most have a series of pins that
you push in a certain sequence to unlock the safe, and some even have a
molded hand on them so you just slap your hand into it and push the tips
of your fingers down in a certain sequence. They are fast, they are
reliable, and most importantly, they are far more "Childproof" than a trigger
lock. Best of all, they don't cost an arm and a leg. $150 will
get you a good one, and you can find them at virtually any good gun store.
HOLSTERS
If there is anything more
prolific in the firearms industry than holster makers, I honestly don't
know what it is. It seems that every day there are a few more holster
makers who swear their offerings are the best to be had. I started
to leave this section out simply because there are so many choices and
options that it is really hard to even know where to start and where to
stop.
What makes one holster better
than another? In reality I honestly don't know. I can tell good leather
work when I see it, and I can tell when a holster fits a gun properly,
but as far as telling you why one holster is worth $50 and another one
that looks virtually the same and fits the gun equally well is worth $150,
I can't do that because I don't know. The holsters that I use run
about $50 each, they fit the gun fine, the are well made, and I like them
so I keep using them.
My web page has links to
many of the major holster manufacturers. You can get to it by clicking
this link. Currently there are as many styles and models
and makes of holsters as there are guns, and picking the proper one is
a hard choice. As with all the "Gun Stuff" above, I'm just going
to mention a little bit about what is available and you can determine for
yourself what works best for you. There should probably be more listed
here, but this should be enough to give you an idea of what to look for
or at least get you pointed in the right direction.
Regardless of your choice
the holster should hold the gun properly. It should be formed to
fit the gun and hold it without straps or any other retention device.
A well-made holster does not need retention straps because the holster
itself is designed to hold the gun. You don't want the gun just flopping
around in the holster or the holster flopping around on your belt.
Everything should be held securely so that you always know where to put
your hand when you need to.
MATERIALS -
There are basically three materials in current use for holsters; Nylon,
Leather (either cowhide or horsehide) and Kydex. Nylon holsters are
normally inexpensive and generic. One holster will fit several different
guns, but it doesn't fit any of them properly. If a holster
is compared to a glove, then the nylon holsters would be similar to a mitten.
Leather is self-explanatory, but for those who aren't familiar with it,
Kydex is an extremely tough plastic. Kydex holsters are molded to
fit a particular make and model of gun, and they hold them snugly and correctly.
I've never owned a Kydex holster but I know a lot of people who do and
they all swear by them. They also tell me that the wear on the gun's
finish is no worse than a leather holster.
STYLES - There
are so many styles of holsters I'm not sure I can remember them all.
In fact, I almost need to break them up into sub styles. The major
styles are "Strong Side", "Cross Draw", "Shoulder", "Ankle", and "Small
Of The Back".
Strong side holsters
are worn on your strong, or dominant side. If you normally hold the
gun in your right hand, then your right side is your strong side.
As far as drawing speed goes, a strong side holster will normally win every
time (yeah, I know there are exceptions, but an average person can normally
draw from a strong side holster faster than he can anything else).
Cross Draw holsters are worn
on the opposite side, and normally closer to the front of the body.
If you are right handed a cross draw holster would be worn about where
the left-hand pocket of your trousers would be. In some situations
a cross draw holster (or a shoulder holster) can allow you to get to your
gun faster. Specifically when driving or in your car. Shoulder
harnesses and seat belts make it difficult to reach your arm back to a
strong side holster, and in situations like that a cross draw or shoulder
holster is more convenient. These holsters have a disadvantage though.
Every time you draw from one you effectively "Sweep" everything in front
of you with your gun. When you draw from a strong side holster you
just pivot the gun forward and it is pointed at the target. When
you draw from a cross draw holster you pull it out and it is pointed behind
you. You have to pivot it around to point at a target in front of
you, and as you do so you "Sweep" it across everything in its path.
If you had a "Negligent Discharge" at this point, it could cause real problems.
Shoulder holsters are also
worn on the weak side, but a harness goes over your shoulder and allows
it to hang beneath your armpit. The shoulder holster may be slightly
more concealable than a cross draw holster, but the same advantages and
disadvantages apply. When you draw from a shoulder holster you will
"Sweep" everything in front of you.
Small of the back holsters
are worn in the center of the back. If you think sitting on a strong
side holster is uncomfortable, try one of these. They may be very
concealable but they are difficult to get to, hard to draw from, and extremely
uncomfortable when sitting.
Ankle holsters are worn around
the ankle. With all but the smallest guns they are virtually worthless.
Trying to get a gun out of one is a chore even when there is no pressure.
Now, in addition to these styles,
there are other "Sub Styles", and they can be applied to any of the belt
holsters mentioned above.
Belt holsters.
Plain, old vanilla, run it over your belt style holsters. The old
standby and the most common.
IWB or Inside The Waistband
holsters. These also fit over your belt, but are worn on the inside
of your trousers. This holds the gun closer to your body, keeps most
of the holster out of view, and makes the gun much more concealed.
I've never used one but I know some people who do and they like them very
well.
Canted and Vertical - The
holster can be canted so that the muzzle points to the rear, to the front,
or the gun is held vertically. I like mine canted with the muzzle
slightly to the rear, but that is strictly personal preference.
Yaqui Slide holsters - I'm
not sure exactly where to put this, so I'll put it here. A Yaqui
slide is basically a thick, stiff loop of leather about 2" to 3" tall.
They are somewhat generic in that one holster will fit several guns, but
unlike the generic nylon holsters they do hold the gun securely.
They are not form-fitted to a particular gun, but even so are excellent
holsters. I know several people who use these holsters and love them.
One more thing. Whatever
holster you buy, make sure the manufacturer will stand behind it.
I own one holster that is made by one of the premier holster makers, and
one of the most popular companies. Even though I like the holster,
and it will probably last for many years, it is the only one from
them that I will ever own. The warranty that was with the holster
states:
Terms of Sale
All "Name Withheld" products
are sold as is and "with all faults". The entire risk as to the quality
and performance of the product is with the buyer. Should the product
prove defective following its purchase, the buyer and not the manufacturer,
distributor or retailer assumes the entire risk of all necessary servicing
or repairs.
It goes on with more of the
same garbage, but the bottom line is "If it breaks or doesn't work, that's
tough. We've got your money and that's all we wanted." I will not
buy products from manufacturers who will not stand behind them. If
I had noticed this before I bought it, I would not even own the one that
I have. I won't mention the name, so don't bother sending me an email
message to ask. All I'll say is check the warranty before you buy.
PARTS,
ACCESSORIES, AND WARRANTY
There is nothing worse than
spending a lot of money on a gun and then finding out that you can't get
parts from the manufacturer or find holsters or magazines or ammunition
for it, except for finding out that warranty service is handled in another
part of the world. Find out what the warranty period is, and where the
gun has to be sent to get it fixed if it breaks. Anything less than a 1-year
warranty is not acceptable to me, and I want a repair center in this country.
I can have parts for my Beretta in my hands the next day if I need to,
and that means a lot to me.
Support from the manufacturer
is also important. I've called Beretta on several occasions, and always
been able to talk to a human and gotten an answer to my question or a resolution
to my problem. I expect the manufacturer to stand behind their product,
and to help me out when I have a problem or a question. I don't want answering
machines or voice mail that is never returned or ambiguous answers to questions;
I want help and I have always been able to get that from Beretta. There
are several other manufacturers with the same reputation, but there are
also some that are no so helpful. Find out these things beforehand, it
may save you a lot of problems.
Accessory manufacturers lag
behind firearm manufacturers, so don't be surprised to find out that there
isn't much available for a brand new model of gun. Additionally, there
are not many accessories for guns that are not terribly popular. Manufacturers
won't spend a lot of money designing and manufacturing accessories unless
there is a good market for them. Stick with the popular models and you
will be able to find what you need.
TRY IT
OUT
Once you have determined
what gun you want, you might be able to try it out, or at least one similar
to it. Many pistol ranges have rental guns that you can rent.
Also, most pistol clubs welcome visitors and beginners, and you will see
a wide variety of guns at a match. Check with your friends to see
if they have something similar to what you are interested in. This
is a lot easier than buying a gun and then finding out that the recoil
bothers you and you can't shoot it accurately or that it just plain doesn't
fit your hand very well.
COMPETITION
At some point you may find
that you are interested in pistol competition. At least I hope you
do. Pistol competitions are absolutely the best way to enhance your
shooting abilities and skills, and you do not have to be an expert to have
a lot of fun and meet a lot of people who share your interest in shooting.
There are many different
types of pistol matches, ranging from target shooting to combat shooting
and cowboy-style shooting, so whatever your favorite style there is something
for you. I am personally familiar with only two different formats,
IDPA and USPSA, so I'll refrain from commenting on the others. If
someone who reads this is familiar with other organizations and formats,
I would appreciate it if you could write out a paragraph or so that I can
paste in here.
IDPA
(International Defensive Pistol Association) - The IDPA has as
its main focus defensive-style shooting. Virtually any off-the-shelf
handgun will be competitive in IDPA competition. The format focuses
on the type of encounters that you would have in a self-defense type of
situation, and not strictly target shooting, so both speed and accuracy
are important. Targets may be partially obscured or you may have
to shoot from behind barricades or with only one hand. The stages
are designed to be "Revolver Friendly" so the revolver shooters will be
right at home in IDPA.
USPSA
(United States Practical Shooting Association) - The USPSA is the
United States affiliate of the International Practical Shooting Confederation
(IPSC). There are a lot of similarities between IDPA and USPSA/IPSC
shooting, but in general USPSA focuses more on competition than on defensive
applications. It is hard to draw a distinction between the two, and
I enjoy shooting both formats. I have tried to compare the two formats,
and you can read the comparison by clicking on
this link. One of the major differences is that USPSA has
an "Open" class that allows shooters to explore the limits of what a handgun
is capable of. Optical sights and compensators are the norm in the
Open class, as well as internal modifications to the firearms. There
are also classes for the "Box Stock" guns and those that are nearly so,
as well as a revolver class.
I would like to emphasize
one earlier comment; you do NOT have to be an expert to enjoy shooting
competition. There are a lot of people at the matches I shoot who
are still in the early learning stages, and they are the ones that
learn the most. Just because you don't shoot that well is not a reason
to stay away. I promise that you will be welcomed and you will see
a dramatic improvement in the way you shoot after just a few matches.
Give it a try and you will be hooked.
BEGINNING
SHOOTER HINTS
There are a LOT of things
that beginning shooters can do to cause accuracy problems. In fact there
are a lot of things that experienced shooters can do to cause accuracy
problems. The difference is that most of the time the beginner is willing
to believe that the problem is him whereas the experienced shooter always
wants to blame it on the gun. I promise that 99% of the time it is NOT
the gun. Unless the gun is actually broken it will normally be more accurate
than the shooter. Some people are good enough that they can shoot to the
limits of their guns, but most of us aren't.
The only way to learn to
shoot is to practice and then practice some more, but there are a few things
that affect your shooting and you can do something about. Shooting, in
theory, is dirt simple; Align the sights with the target and squeeze the
trigger without affecting the sight alignment. What could be simpler? In
practice it isn't quite that simple. There are a lot of muscles involved,
and each one of them wants to make you miss your target. Keep practicing,
watch for problem areas, and practice some more. I'm not going to write
an article on how to shoot here, but I'll provide a few pointers that will
get you started in the right direction. If you are a complete beginner,
I cannot emphasize the importance of a good shooting class. Get some instruction,
it will save you a lot of headaches, and make you a better and safer shooter.
LOCATION -
Finding a place to practice can be a problem for some people. Just going
out in your back yard and popping off a few rounds is not an option for
us city dwellers, and may not always be a good idea for the country folks.
Practice areas MUST be safe, they must have reliable backstops to capture
the rounds and they must be able to contain EVERY shot safely (even the
ones that get pulled Waaaay off target). Bullets can go a long way and
they can cause damage a lot farther than you think. If you are shooting
somewhere other than an established range, be very careful. Local gun stores
can usually put you in contact with a local range or shooting club. This
would be a good place to start looking for a place to practice.
SAFETY - Before
you load your gun, review the basic safety rules in your head. Always remember
that you cannot be too safe where guns are concerned, and if an accident
occurs you are going to have to live with the fact that you caused it and
not the gun or the range or the safety officers or the ammo or anything
else. You are the one behind the trigger, you have the ultimate responsibility
for handling your firearm in a safe manner, and you cannot blame anyone
or anything else for an accident.
EYE AND EAR PROTECTION
- Regardless of range rules you should never shoot without adequate eye
and ear protection. Most ranges require both, and you will never shoot
a sanctioned pistol match without them. Exposure to the noise from firearms
can and will cause eventual deafness if you don't have adequate ear protection.
Powder particles and pieces of ricocheting or deformed bullets can destroy
eyes. Always wear adequate eye and ear protection. When shooting indoors,
I recommend using both ear plugs and ear muffs even though it is slightly
uncomfortable. Use your own judgment as to what is best, but remember
that you only have one set of ears and one set of eyes.
GRIP - Verify
that your gun is UNLOADED and the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction!
Hold your gun in your strong hand pointed down at about a 45 degree angle.
If you are right handed, this will be your right hand, and if you are left
handed it will be your left hand. The web between your thumb and
first finger should be high on the butt of the gun (but if it's an autoloader
don't get it too high or you will soon find out how fast those slides move!
Like the old saying goes, you can always tell an autoloader shooter by
the railroad tracks on top of his strong hand). Keep your finger
OFF THAT TRIGGER! Place your weak hand over your strong hand with
the tips of your fingers about at the knuckles of your strong hand (this
may have to be adjusted, keep reading). Your thumbs should lay on
top of each other, normally with the weak-hand thumb on top.
Shooting with a two-handed
grip, your strong hand does not do a lot of the gripping of the gun, most
of it is done by the weak hand, it is usually about 40% strong hand and
60% weak hand. The strong hand controls the trigger, the weak hand
controls the gun. The overall grip should be firm but don't try and
choke the gun, that will only tire out the muscles of your hand and make
you start to twitch.
Now, fully extend your arms,
close your eyes and raise the gun in front of you, then open your eyes
without moving the gun. If the muzzle is pointed off to one side
you need to adjust the position of your weak hand. If the muzzle
is pointed toward your strong side, move the finger tips of your weak hand
closer to the knuckles of your strong hand; if the muzzle is pointed toward
your weak side, move the finger tips of your weak hand farther from the
knuckles of your strong hand. Once you can raise the gun with your
eyes closed and the sights are aligned, that is where your hands need to
be.
If this doesn't feel "Natural"
to you experiment until you find something that does, but ALWAYS verify
that your gun is unloaded and keep your finger OFF THE TRIGGER. There
is no perfect grip that works best for everyone, and the best grip for
you is the one that works best.
EYE DOMINANCE
- Everyone has one eye that is dominant, and that eye is normally the one
that controls your sight picture. The best way to shoot is with both
eyes open, but that's difficult for some people to do. If you can
you will probably shoot better in the long run (you will certainly have
better peripheral vision while you are shooting) but if you can't do it
that way, don't let it bother you. I can't shoot with both eyes open,
I've tried and I just can't do it.
To determine which eye is
dominant, here is a simple little test. Hold your arms out in front
of you, with your hands crossed. Leave a small hole between your
fingers that you can look through. Look through the hole, and focus
on an object. It doesn't matter what, a spot on the wall, something
in a picture, anything. Now start slowly moving your hands toward
your face. When your hands touch your face one eye will be peeking
through the hole and the other one won't. The one peeking through
the hole is your dominant eye.
If you are right handed and
right eye dominant or left handed and left eye dominant you should not
have any problems shooting. If your dominant eye is not the same
as your dominant side you will have some adjusting to do because you are
going to have to hold your gun farther to one side than most people do.
It is not something that is terribly difficult to do, but it may be something
that you have to adjust your grip and stance to accommodate.
SIGHT ALIGNMENT AND
SIGHT PICTURE - These are two different things. Sight alignment
is how the sights are aligned in relation to each other. Assuming a standard
"Notch And Post" sight arrangement, the front sight should be visible through
the notch in the rear sight. There should be an equal amount of light on
each side of the post, and the top of the post should be even with the
top of the notch in the rear. If the post is off to one side in the notch
the point of impact will be on that side. If it is lower than the notch
the shot will hit low, and if it is higher the shot will hit higher.
Sight PICTURE is how the
sights are lined up in relation to the target. This will vary with different
sight configurations and different calibers and ranges, but in general
for most handgun calibers and ranges, the bullseye should sit on top of
the front sight post.
One thing to keep in mind
... The human eye can only focus on one thing at a time. You cannot focus
on the rear sight, the front sight, and the target all at the same time.
WATCH THE FRONT SIGHT! The target will normally be blurred and the rear
sight will normally be blurred. The important one is the front sight because
that is the one that the bullet is going to follow.
Proper sight alignment and
sight picture will look something like the image shown above (you can click
it for a larger view). The target is blurred, the rear sight is slightly
blurred, but the front sight is sharp and clear. This is the sight
“Picture”.
Also notice that the space
between the edges of the rear notch and the sides of the front post are
equal, the top of the front post is aligned with the top of the rear notch.
This is the sight “Alignment”.
This image also demonstrates
a “Six O’clock Hold”. The point on the target that you want to hit
actually sits on top of the sights, or in other words the sights are at
the point of impact’s “Six O’clock” position. Here the point of impact
will be in the center of the circle on the target, on top of the front
sight post.
For images of other popular
sight combinations, Click This Link.
FLINCH - Unquestionably
the most common problem with new shooters. Flinch is what happens when
the gun goes off and it bothers you. The noise and recoil are not normal
to humans, and it is normal to flinch when the gun goes off. In most cases
it goes away with practice, you just get to the point where you don't let
it bother you any more. Flinch also relates to trigger control (see below).
It is normal for new shooters to anticipate the trigger break and then
yank the trigger the rest of the way. The result is the same, the muzzle
is pulled off the target.
If you think you may have
a flinch problem, the old "Ball and Dummy" exercise will tell you for sure.
Have someone load a magazine for you, and stick a dummy round in there
somewhere. You can also do it yourself if you are honest and don't know
where the dummy round is. It's even easier with a revolver, just leave
a chamber empty. If you are flinching you will know it when you hit the
dummy round or empty chamber, the muzzle will jerk when you squeeze the
trigger.
TRIGGER CONTROL
- One of the hardest things to do, but also one of the most important.
If you yank the trigger you are going to yank the muzzle off target. Squeeze
the trigger, like you were squeezing a tube of toothpaste and didn't want
to blow it everywhere. Never just yank back on the trigger, triggers
are never "Pulled", they are always "Squeezed", slowly, smoothly, and evenly.
All you do is continually increase the pressure on the trigger until it
"Breaks". The trigger break should come as a complete surprise each
and every time, you should not be able to anticipate the trigger break.
If you are right-handed and your shots are falling low and left you are
probably yanking the trigger. One trick I was taught was to count backwards
from some number as you squeeze the trigger. This forces your mind to concentrate
on something other than the trigger and makes for a smoother release.
TRIGGER CONTROL #2
- When you put your finger on the trigger the pad of your index finger
should be on the trigger, not the first joint of the finger. Putting
the pad of the finger on the trigger gives you more feeling of the pressure
on the trigger and gives you more control of it. Think of your finger
as a lever; the longer the lever the easier it is to move something, and
if you choke back to the joint of your finger you are not utilizing your
trigger finger to its fullest.
TRIGGER CONTROL #3
- When you squeeze the trigger, squeeze it STRAIGHT BACK. Hold your hand
like you had a pistol in it, look straight down at it, and extend your
index finger like you were pointing at something. Now move the index
finger back like you were pulling a trigger. For most of us the finger
will actually describe an arc over toward the thumb. This can cause the
muzzle to go off to the side as the trigger is pulled because you are actually
exerting sideways pressure on it. Practice pulling your finger STRAIGHT
back and not letting it go to the side. It isn't as easy as it sounds,
and it takes some practice, but it will make the trigger release a lot
more even.
STANCE - Entire
books have been devoted to the subject of shooting stances. The best stance
for ANY shooter is the one that works best for him, regardless of what
the books say. The two most popular stances are the Weaver stance and the
Modern Isosceles stance. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and the
bulk of us wind up using a modified version of one or the other of them.
Find a stance that allows you to be comfortable and relaxed without your
muscles tensing up, but at the same time is stable so that you don't rock
from side to side or front to back. This is your stance, and it is the
one that is best for you and only you.
DRY FIRING
- Dry firing is basically shooting your gun without any ammunition in it.
Most modern firearms will not be harmed by dry firing, but if you have
concerns or if your gun manufacturer recommends it, you can use "Snap Caps"
or dummy rounds to cushion the fall of the firing pin. Dry firing is excellent
practice, and allows you to practice sight alignment and sight picture
as well as trigger control without firing a shot. You must, however, remember
to VERIFY THAT YOUR GUN IS UNLOADED and remember the basic rules! Make
absolutely, positively, CERTAIN that it is unloaded before you squeeze
the trigger, and even then point it in a safe direction. If you put it
down for a little while and then come back for more practice, check it
again. You cannot check it too many times but you can damn sure forget
to check it one time too few.
DRAWING FROM A HOLSTER
- There are a lot of ways to make mistakes when drawing a gun from a holster
and you must be very careful every time you do it. First, as usual,
make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that your gun is unloaded. Face in a safe
direction so that your muzzle will always be pointed safely. and be sure
of what is behind the wall you are looking at. In short BE CAREFUL
AND BE SAFE!.
The recommended method is
a four-step procedure. Start with your gun in the holster,
facing your target with your hands at your side.
Put your strong hand on the
gun with the trigger finger pointed down and outside the holster, and at
the same time move your weak hand to the center of your chest. You
MUST have a firm grip on the gun BEFORE you draw it. DO NOT try and
adjust the grip after it has been drawn, make sure you have a good grip
before you draw.
Holding the gun firmly, draw
it straight up to out of the holster, but KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER!
Move the gun up to the center
of your body to meet your weak hand. The gun should be held close
in to your body at this point. Put your weak hand over the gun and
assume your normal grip.
Push the gun straight out away
from you, and as you do so pick up the sights with your eyes. When
your arms get to full extension, you should already have your grip established
and your sights aligned, and all that is left is to put your finger on
the trigger and squeeze it.
SUMMARY
The easiest way to summarize
this is to simply find a gun that you like, that fits your physique and
pocket book, and practice with it. If you stick with the major manufacturers,
the gun is going to be accurate and reliable and the difference between
two guns in that respect is going to be very minimal. The difference between
two shooters is normally not the gun, but the shooter himself. Practice
with your gun and you will get good with it, it's as simple as that.
But above all else remember
SAFETY, first, last, and ALWAYS. NEVER allow yourself to become complacent
with a gun. Firearms safety cannot be overemphasized because it is
reality. If you handle guns you are handling something that is potentially
dangerous and a moment's lapse can cause serious harm to someone or something.
BE CAREFUL and never put yourself into a position where a mistake can cause
an accident. NEVER forget this!
| Copyright © 1997-2024, Scott A. Craig, All Rights Reserved |
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