Tips for a new shooter?

Read, read, read…

There is a wealth of information on the web, in the library, at the book store. Dive into it, just be sure to apply critical thought to what you read. One worthwhile download is The United States Army Marksmanship Unit Training Manual which is available at a number of sites on the web, including

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Sideline/4987/Pistol/AMUmanual/Amu-pmtg.htm

I also checked out that site "A Firearms Primer."
I have to say... WOW!!!
Thanks, I needed to see that site. I added it to my favorites after reading all of it. It'll definitely help.

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Thanks for the kind words, Roc_Kor! I'm glad to have been of help. It's been a little while since I've added new content but I will be writing more shortly. Probably the rifle basics section will be next.

.22 is the way to go!

Even though money is not an object, I will 2nd, 3rd and 4th the suggestions about going with a .22 to begin with. I'm 31, and have been shooting since I was 6-7. I started with a Marlin .22. ABSOLUTELY and perect gun. Unfortunately, my Dad uses it to hunt those killer squirls .

For learning, even though you can handle the 9mm and the .380, I'd STILL go with a .22. Again, I'm 31. I was going (just moved, going to the new range tomorrow) to the range a minimum of 3 times a month. I would shot my .22, my .380, and, on occasion, my deceased Cousin's service revolver (.38). I would put at least triple the shells through the .22. You can shoot for hours and hours with no issues. And less money. To you it's not issue, but, if you keep up with this, it will. Also, with the much less "bang" you can concentrate on all of the stuff that others have pointed out, without having to worry about the inherant shake that comes after shooting 100 rounds of a .380.

Trust us. Mosr of us have been shooting for a long time. You can pick up a good used one for about $100.00- money well spent. The ammo is less than 1/2 the cost, and the gun will pay for itself in no time. You'll also use it more.

Practice, lots of practice.

every longtime shooter will tell you the same thing: a .22LR rifle/pistol is cheap to buy, cheap to feed, your body never gets tired of firing it, and you practice 95% of the same fundamentals as your main battle rifle.

This guy is controversial, but his shooting tips cannot be argued with http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/rifle.asp?ITEM=2

Roc Kor's wish list:
SAR-1
SKS
Mosin-Nagant
Dragunov
SAR-2
SAR-3

Because of my gun choices:
Some of my friends call me a Commie.

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No, you're just smart. The Commies put their best people in the defense industries, so, generally speaking, their firearms were pretty good. You certainly wouldn't want to buy a Bulgarian TV set or a Russian car though.

If you want to expand your horizons to include the Free World, an AR-15 or an FAL would certainly round out your family. (I have both.)

And I don't know why everyone is so stuck on .22's. Use what you like, because if you don't like it, chances are you won't use it. Despite the defense implications (national and self), this is a hobby after all. It's supposed to be enjoyable.

Tip No. 1: Eye and ear protection are essential. I couldn't tell you how many times I've had an empty cartridge case bounce off the wall and hit my shooting glasses. They never seem to hit me in the cheek or on the forehead. It's always in the eye. How do they know? And every bit of hearing loss is permanent. A little here, a little there, and by the time you're 40 music doesn't sound right, and you're always saying, "What?" Don't think your fortieth birthday is too remote to even consider. Start thinking about the future now because that's where you're going to spend the rest of your life.

Tip No. 2: It's better to own only one gun and shoot the hell out of it than to have a dozen that never make it out of the closet.

Congrats on your new found hobby, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'm stil kind of a newbie too, so I don't have too many shooting tips for ya.

I do have one tip on your wording from your first post.

I believe murder is wrong, but not killing. If I have to pull a trigger and end a life to save an innocent one, I will

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Killing is wrong no matter the justification. I, and any other CC carrier, will do whatever is in our power to 'stop' an attacker to save our own, or anothers life, if the attacker dies from my attempt to stop them, then so be it, but my intent is only to stop them.

If the instance ever arrives that you are called to court for your actions, the wording of this sentence will decide your fate.
just my.02

I do agree with the .22 thing. They are nice, but after I get good I'll probably never want to touch the dang thing again.

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For a very short time at best. The lowly .22 was, of course, the first firearm I owned. I got it when I was 12. When I got into handguns, the first was again, a .22. After many handguns and rifles of several different calibers, my .22s now number 4, and I'm looking for at least 3 more. Discount the .22 and you're missing out on the most fun you can have shooting.

I'm also looking at a Saiga shotgun, a Dragunov (if I can get one ), and a M14 or Ruger Mini-14

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I've never owned either one, so these remarks are purely second-hand. Take them as such. I only present them in the spirit of helpfullness and have no axe to grind either way.

While the M14 (or rather its semi-auto civilian version, the M1A) is very popular, from what I've read it takes a lot of expensive tweaking to get it up to its true potential. But if you're willing to do it right, it can be outstanding. It'll cost you though.

Some people swear by the Mini-14. Others swear at it. I don't know what the problem is. Poor quality control at Ruger? I've read just too many complaints for them to be without foundation. Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Read, listen and think. You seem to be on this path already. Onward and upward, Comrade!

Roc-Kor, part of the fun of buying guns is having guns that are specific for a certain task. When I buy a G3 in the next 3-4 months it will be for range use only. Same thing when I pick up a sunsetted M4...yes it could be used for home defense, but a 5.56 round will travel through interior walls like a knife through butter, so living in an apartment complex that is not a good idea. It would suck to shoot the intruder only to have a stray round kill someone sleeping in their bed.

Yes, .22s don't have as much *boom* as a high powered rifle, but there is no better training and the fun is second to none. Buying a brick of .22s for 10 bucks and spending HOURS shooting them is great. Plus, they will teach muscle memory and help you with your other guns. So ask yourself this... $10 for 20 5.56 rounds or $10 for 500 .22 rounds.

Well, .22 may be your favorite, but that means it is also your opinion. I also don't like the idea of owning a gun that is useless for defense. I love my Dad's Makarov and can only hope he'll hand it down to me someday. If there's a gun I'll get plenty of copies of, it's that or the AK.

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Yes, .22s don't have as much *boom* as a high powered rifle, but there is no better training and the fun is second to none. Buying a brick of .22s for 10 bucks and spending HOURS shooting them is great. Plus, they will teach muscle memory and help you with your other guns. So ask yourself this... $10 for 20 5.56 rounds or $10 for 500 .22 rounds.

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IMO, shoot what your comfortable with. If .22 isn't for you, then that's fine too. Plenty of other guns out there, and part of the fun is discovering them.

Like any gun, if you ever get a chance to shoot one, do give it a try, never know till you try, right?

Nick

Welcome aboard, Roc-Kor. I'm an ex NOVA kid, but at College of W&M now and living in Williamsburg. I think my next rifle is going to be a SAR-1 also. Small world. Maybe we can go shooting next time I'm up north, or if you ever come down this way.

I second N3rday's suggestion that you thank your parents for encouraging you to pursue shooting. I have been interested in guns for as long as I can remember. Other than working on a shotgun merit badge at BSA camp when I was about 13, they have never supported my interest in firearms. They would never let me own or shoot any when I lived with them, and I am sure they would be upset if I were to carry when I visit them in their house. Oh well, their loss.

Ex-Commie guns

Roc-Cor,

That Makarov rules, doesn't it? I've never encountered a more reliable pistol. If you like to get weird looks, check out the CZ 52. The EX-Communists (because we wore them down) made great guns. If everything they did was half as good as their small arms, you'd be reading this in Cyrillic!

Tell your associates, when they give you grief over Red weaponry, that it's karmic that a weapon that used to oppress millions is now proudly owned by a Freedom loving American, who would eagerly use it to defend Liberty!! (just don't say it at school-I hear they get weirded out by that these days )

The advantage of a .22 is the ammo is cheap, and when you introduce a new shooter-especially a pretty girl-the noise and recoil don't scare them off after 1 shot.

Hey-just enjoy yourself, and be safe. Welcome to The High Road-best bunch of people I've met online.

Welcome...

I like your introduction and general attitude.

Beware...gun enthusiasts begin to become know-it-alls around 18. Be aware of this affliction and avoid it. I didn't get over it until my thirties (when someone that really did know it all could tell me the proper screw pitches for various screws for various firearms off the top of his head).

Parrotting what one reads in a gun rag does not an expert make.

About the depression thing...I understand that it's rough, and I know it sounds cliche, but in ten years, you'll look back on this period of your life and wonder what the hell you were so upset about.

I know it's hard while you're dealing with the present, but I promise you, all the fun stuff is still ahead. Your best years are yet to come. Live 'em.

Oh yeah, about the iron sight thing...

-Remove the scope from that 10/22...shoot a couple of bricks of ammo.
-Put it back on and zero it. Shoot a couple of bricks of ammo.
-Repeat for the rest of your life.

Iron sights or scope?

With either: First, get to where you can shoot a consistent tiny 3 shot group, wherever it hits...that's an entire library of books and a lot o' shooting in itself.

Iron sights ...move the rear sight in the direction you want your group to "move." Left, right, up, or down.

'Scope? Here's a page that's pretty informative:

http://www.outdoorguides.com/outdoor/faq.htm#Sighting Tips

First af all, you have more between your ears than 99% of the 15 years olds I have ever seen, me included. I also suffered from depression during my teen years and as it has been said, this life stuff gets pretty damn fun after you get out of school and really see what it's all about(maybe the hokey-pokey is what it's all about?) I have been sighting in scopes for twenty years and still move 'em in the wrong direction half the time. For iron sights I have found that if you imagine the barrel going all the way to the target and then see where it points if you imagine the rear sight way off to one side you can remember which way to move them easier. It takes a little imagination, but after you see it, it's really easy to see the next time. I hope you enjoy and continue to be part of our little family. And to kick a dead horse one more time, I now own more .22's than ever. Why, they are just plain 'ol fun. Looking for stuff at the range to shoot is more fun than shooting at targets. Here's a little scenario:

Buddy- Hey, see that bottle cap next to the center post? Betcha I can hit it before you!
Me- You've lost you feeble mind. No way you can hit that before m-bang!(he starts shooting mid scentence to get the jump on me.)

Then we shoot like we are laying down cover fire at a useless bottle cap just for pride. Nothing better.

I can't remember side movement, but the rear sight on 10/22's has a small screw that loosens the little blade in the sights. If you are shooting low, move the blade up, shooting high-you get the picture. There are little marks on the sight to keep track of how much you are moving it.