New Shooters

Here is a checklist of pages to read.

• The Beginning Shooter


• Gun Safety The five basic rules of gun safety.

  Remember that you are responsible for EVERY bullet that leaves your gun, until it comes to rest, where ever that ends up being. That is not just a moral obligation, it IS a legal liability. You will be held accountable for every bullet that leaves your gun. Make sure it gets to where you wanted it to go, without it causing you trouble.



• Shooting a handgun - Emphasizes pistol rather than revolver.


• Defensive Shooting - Summary of items you need to know and think about, should you have to defend yourself or someone else, using a gun.


• Concealed Carry Training - More things to think about in CC.

Gun Safe -
You may well think "I don't have to worry about that", and be correct, UNLESS you have a son, daughter, grand-son, grand-daughter, GREAT grand son/daughter, that is less than fifteen (twenty five?) years old. The least expensive start around $20, and are quite effective against two year olds. By the time they are five, you will need FAR better ones. I would start with one that is $100 or a bit more, and not have to replace it in the second year.

WHERE are you going to have the gun while you are home, and the little one is having fun running around the house? How do you keep the gun readily available, yet not where it can be accessed by little hands while you are busy with household chores, or you happen to take a nap? Tiny people watch a lot of TV and they learn a whole lot of BAD information. It is up to you to make sure that bad information does not cause problems for them or you.

Another thing to think about is WHERE you plan on keeping the gun when you travel. Are you going to leave it home in the safe, or are you going to bring it with you? I'll bet you are going to have it with you. Presuming that true, how do you keep it out of little hands, yet easily available? Keep in mind that little hands are constantly looking for something to do except when they nap. How do you plan on keeping the gun out of reach and awareness of those little hands? YOU must pay attention to the road, while the smaller person is free to look for something to do.



1. Caliber -
   What caliber do you plan on getting? For just starting out, I recommend a .22lr, no matter what you plan on beyond just starting out. A 22 (as they are most often referred to) is relatively inexpensive initial purchase, and the ammunition is least expensive. They are excellent for learning techniques and proper gun safety/handling. They can also be loads of fun to shoot (low noise, low recoil, etc.).
   
   - Home/self-defense:
   You will find a plethora of opinions on this subject. In general, for self defense, a 9mm is the minimum caliber you should consider. Many will say anything that starts with a .4 (point four) is fine, while others recommend a .45ACP. Your choice, but the .45 can be better.


2. Type -
   The two basic choices are 1) Revolver and 2) Semi-auto (a.k.a. auto loader). Both have advantages and disadvantages. The revolver is the easiest to learn on, but is slow to reload. The semi-auto is far faster to reload, but is far more complex to learn. You pays your money, you takes your chances.