Life lessons you've learned from shooting

[Remo223]

post 50:

I think that rule is just to get people over the apprehension of using deadly force. If you are going to carry a firearm, you must be prepared to use it and POTENTIALLY take the life of every person you meet.

At least that's my interpretation.

 

[oldfool]

well, I go with post #50 myself
every person I know with a CCW who actually carries on a real frequent basis, is well past the "apprehension" thing
and not one of them that I know personally has any desire to kill anyone
(no more than they hope their house will catch afire so they can use a fire extinguisher)
and none of them fantasize about how to best kill everybody they meet, or think about who to kill first every time they walk into a room full of strangers
that's just a "cutesy phrase" intended to appeal to the Walter Mitty gunslingers
(unless, of course, you really are undercover DEA or SWAT team)

 

[txhoghunter]

Prepare for the worst, pray for the best.

And if someone asks to shoot your "M249" when you are holding an AR-15.....tell him you're out of ammo or the next thing he will ask is "Where is the full auto switch thingy??"


Basically as post 50 said, have the mindset that anyone could do you harm, and you have to be willing to defend yourself without hesitating.

 

[LawScholar]

Patience and care in the things you do.

Patience and care while caring for the things you own.

Patience and care when teaching another person.

Really, patience and care summarize my firearms experience.

 

[WyoShooter1]

No, I will not. I abide by the 4 rules, always.

With that attitude, I hope I'm nowhere in range when you're armed.

 

[Mrcymstr]

As far as being polite and courteous but always have a plan to kill everyone you meet I've always interpreted it as a silly way to put situational awareness, its not about desire to cause harm its about never being caught off guard as one should always pay for the best and preparer for the worst, albeit that turn of phrase does seem to me to bee samuels to use unless understanding exists to the point because it does sound entirely too blood thirsty outside of context.

Another good lesson is the same as measure twice cut once, once you make a decision it better be correct and you better be confident in its validity because there is no turning back

Never, ever be too macho our prideful to take safety precautions...at 20 years old my hearing is already degrading rapidly due to thinking "only sissies wear ear plugs"

 

[shotgunjoel]

There are a lot of stupid/useless laws in this country.
Illinois is especially crazy.
Always look around for good deals.
It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it (well actually learned that lesson during a thunderstorm while camping, but it applies here too).

 

[Nom de Forum]

You should spend as much time training yourself when not to shoot as how to shoot. Failing to do this is asking for disaster. You are far more likely to suffer the consequences of shooting at the wrong time than be in a situation where you must shoot.

 

[hso]

there are other things that you've probably learned as a gun person that would be applicable to other fields of interest, or possibly great life lessons.

Seems a lot of folks are missing the point of the OPs post. Not what gun stuff applicable to guns have you learned, but what has shooting taught you in a broader or other sense.

Patience and persistance are taught in shooting that we may not learn many other ways, but that we can apply to nearly every aspect of our lives. The first time you use the wrong tool and mar the finish on a favorite firearm and swear you'll take the time to get the right one next time is beginning to understand.

Practice is important. Proper practice is more important. That's true for many things done in life.

Proper training is worth the money. While most of the time we can "figure it out" there are some things in life that benefit from a coach or training that saves us all the headaches of making mistakes and then trying to solve them.

Appreciation for quality instead of just "good enough". While there are plenty of things in shooting that "good enough" is plenty good enough (foam ear plugs, range bags, kydex holsters, etc.) there are plenty of times we see the benefit of paying for real quality in firearms or in gunsmithing. We begin to see it in other things around us. WIth that, an appreciation of the the skilled craftsman and the time and effort that goes into making a outstanding functional piece of art. When give the opportunity to see the hours of careful meticulous work that comes from years of training and experience coupled with real talent we begin to appreciate true craftsmanship.

Action! Take action when you know it needs to be done and don't dither or doubt. Too much of our lives are wasted dithering and doubting when acting would be more satisfying and save time to boot. Think, "I shoulda bought that off the first guy's table, but nooooooo I had to wander off and argue with myself about whether I could find a better deal!" can translate to "I saw this expensive whatsit for what I thought was a good price and got it instead of letting someone else beat me to it." or even Taking action to accomplish a simple task that needs doing.

Just because it doesn't make sense doesn't mean that a politician won't create a lie and then twist the facts to support it.

 

[BADUNAME37]

Hit the target good the first shot because you might not get to take a second shot! Nothing worse than a wounded animal that gets away only to maybe suffer for several days before dying to the wound or having another larger animal eat it alive.

 

[06]

Empty guns make nasty hurting holes in you and idiots with empty guns should be widely avoided.

 

[TheProf]

Life Lessons:

1. When buying things... look for quality.
2. Don't confuse quality with "expensive".
3. Reliability outshines all other qualities.
4. Take responsibility.
5. With practice, you can improve your game.
6. Be a student of your game. Be willing to learn. Never stop learning.
7. Mindset is more important than toolset.
8. Be aware of your situation.
9. Take care of your tools and they will take care of you.
10. Developing good habits will keep you out of trouble. (Such as "The Four Rules")

 

[ThePunisher'sArmory]

Pay attention to EVERY detail.
and
Self controll.

 

[parsimonious_instead]

Life Lessons:

1. When buying things... look for quality.
2. Don't confuse quality with "expensive".
3. Reliability outshines all other qualities.

Aldo Gucci perhaps expressed it best... "The pleasure of a low price goes away, while the sting of poor quality lingers."

 

[Ignition Override]

Ohio Gun Guy:
I quoted your signature line to my wife, but had no response.

Tom Fury:
Interesting. Out of curiosity, is it "their fault" only because of the Am. Revolution, or also due to the fairly recent gun confiscations in both the UK and Australia? It would be rewarding to see the responses. Send a pm if you would like.

A really attractive English lady works in a small office in the largest park/rec. area here.
When I mentioned that I had two British rifles from WW2, and that she could easily attend gun shows about two miles away, you can imagine the surprised, concerned look on her pretty face. This might be the easiest way to look behind the "British reserve" to see the real person.

I will never stop admiring them for the way they stood alone in 1940-1941 in that terrible situation.

 

[mortablunt]

On the cynical side, there's: You have enough time to do it eight times hastily, but never enough time to do it once properly.

On the practical side, there's: Practice, patience, and effort will pay off exponentially; laziness pays off now in diminishing simple interest returns.

 

[BENBRU]

Focus, BREATHE, squeeze(don't jerk).

 

[9MMare]

Someday you WILL have have an accidental discharge. NEVER ignore muzzle direction.

I guess I had my first ND today. I was loading a loaned SA revolver at my car at practice today. Her gun was a lot softer than my stiff Uberti. I've practiced lowering the hammer at home, altho we are supposed to have an empty chamber in that space. I wasnt sure if I did have an empty chamber set at 12 o'clock and needed to check (because you start with 5 rounds and an empty chamber). I tried carefully to lower the hammer...but it slipped.

Gun was pointed carefully at the grass. People laughed at me and asked if I was shooting frogs.

I hope it's my last. Blanks or not, I am always conscious of muzzle direction and trigger control at cowboy mounted shooting.

 

[loneviking]

Always sweat the small details.
Learn the manual of arms forward and backward.
Practice safe habits over and over until you don't have to think about it.

Just as I always 'drop the mag, then rack the slide', I make sure to approach any task with safety in mind. A gun is a tool that can malfunction or break, sometimes with tragic consequences.