My First Time Shooting! (A follow-up to My First Gun!)

[Praetorius]

So I fired a gun for the first time! I fired a bunch of .22 caliber rifles and pistols with my friends (one of them is an avid survivalist/gun nut and goes to this forum a lot, but I don't know his handle) at this hillarious completely unsupervised range waaaaay far away from the city with bullet craters all over the bathroom hut and shady figures staring at us from a distance. But I also fired by Mosin-Nagant M91/30 7.62x54R rifle (my first and only gun). It was humungous! It felt like somebody punched my shoulder as hard as he could. I found it quite disconcerting that my friend's M1 Garand had sparks flying out of the barrel every time it was fired. It was also annoying how the .22 caliber guns kept scorching my hand when I fired them.

So anyways, we fired at this big box of tightly-packed schoolpapers and an SAT prep book. So after we were done shooting, I brought the box and the book home and went through pulling pages off a few at a time and recovering all of the bullets that were still lodged in the paper. It seemed like almost all of the big bullets went right through and that the ones remaining in the paper were .22 caliber. There were little tiny shreds of paper everywhere because it had all been torn up so badly. It was sort of a trip down memory lane of all the ****ty times I had in high school and all the tests I failed. Fun fun fun!

It was interesting to find that many of the bullets had gone into the paper to the exact same depth as the others. Most of the bullets were hollow-point (don't ask me why my friend has mostly hollow-point bullets ) so they mushroomed out and left little tiny bullet fragments everywhere! It was just like the movie The Departed! I also found a bullet that was almost entirely wrapped around a paperclip. Part of the paper was scorched, indicating that it probably caught fire for a second.

There were also marks in the cardboard from where bullets had skimmed across the top and just cut a clean path through it. Crazy stuff. This other guy at the range had a later model of the Mosin-Nagant, but I was afraid to approach him for the fact that he might shoot me.

So anyways, fun stuff.

The box!

Note the 6/25, "Read damnit!" and Sweet Home being in Alabama.

The bullets!

 

[kingpin008]

Most of the bullets were hollow-point (don't ask me why my friend has mostly hollow-point bullets)

This other guy at the range had a later model of the Mosin-Nagant, but I was afraid to approach him for the fact that he might shoot me.

.....I Call Troll.

 

[Andrewsky]

Sounds like you had fun.

Hollow points aren't evil.

Keep that Mosin tight up against your shoulder. That way it won't crash into your shoulder when you fire it. Rather your shoulder will move back with the gun.

 

[akodo]

Look, I'll give you the benifit of the doubt, for now.

(one of them is an avid survivalist/gun nut and goes to this forum a lot, but I don't know his handle)

For starters, calling someone a 'nut' is generally taken to be an insult.

at this hillarious completely unsupervised range waaaaay far away from the city with bullet craters all over the bathroom hut and shady figures staring at us from a distance.

It wasn't unsupervised. It was supervised by those who are using it. I went out to the lake the other day and we were swimming and stuff, but there was no offical lifeguard there. When I drove to work yesterday I didn't see a police officer anywhere that entire trip. Pretty much every moment since I left my parent's house, except for when I am at work, I am 'unsupervised' except as an adult, I am expect to supervise myself.


Why do you say those other people at the range were "Shady"? Were they dealing drugs? Were they hired assassins? Where they police sent to spy on the range disguised as homeless people? Or if they were just average folk, why do you call them 'shady'? If they were staring at you the whole time, maybe it was because you guys were shooting at a big box of paper and having a good time. Or maybe they were just looking a bit then went back to their own shooting or whatever.

I found it quite disconcerting that my friend's M1 Garand had sparks flying out of the barrel every time it was fired.

Those "sparks" were really tiny tiny bits of still burning gunpowder being blown out along with the bullet. Why did you find them disconcerting? Were you so close to the barrel they were getting in your eyes? Was he shooting at you?

I would suggest being more worried about the bullet which is powerful enough to easily kill a man or a bear even at very long ranges, than about the 'sparks'

It was also annoying how the .22 caliber guns kept scorching my hand when I fired them.

Can you describe more of what was happening here? Do you have actual burns on your hands? It is possible you were holding the gun wrong and the slide was cutting across the fleshy part of your fist between the thumb and pointer finger. When you say scorched however, I think fire, it is possible the gun you were using was unsafe, or if it was a revolver, that your hand was way to far forward.

Most of the bullets were hollow-point (don't ask me why my friend has mostly hollow-point bullets )

I can answer that question for you. It was probably what was on sale. .22LR is a very common cartridge for shooting small game, and there, hollowpoints are desired because the bullet is lighter and it goes faster (making it hollow = less total lead) all other things being equal. Also, a hollowpoint bullet expands better, making it more capable of delivering a humane kill.

The other reason for using hollowpoints is that it is good to practice with ammo that is as close to what you would use to defend yourself as you can find at a reasonable cost. Hollowpoints are the bes choice for bullet types for self defense. See, if you are in danger enough that you need to shoot someone, you don't want him to be able to keep on stabbing your wife and raping your daughter as he slowly bleeds out, you want to stop him NOW! This is the same reason police use hollowpoints. Cops use them because they know the only time they are allowed to shoot anyone is if their own life, another cop's life, or an innocent bystander is in deadly peril. If guy A is doing something to put another person's life in deadly peril, you want to stop him as quickly and effectively as possible, right?

This

other guy at the range had a later model of the Mosin-Nagant, but I was afraid to approach him for the fact that he might shoot me

You had a Mosin yourself. Were you planning on shooting anyone who walked up? Were your shooting companions planning on shooting anyone who walked up?

Why do you think he would shoot you? Did he shoot some other guy who approached him? Were there dead bodies lying around him?

Every time you see someone in a car, do you fear that guy will smash his car into yours on purpose to try and cause you harm? Every motorist going the other way down the street is just as equally prepared to kill you as a man with a gun...and yet most folks who are out driving around have no evil criminal intent. Same with gunowners. In fact MORESO with gunowners, because to get guns you must be checked to make sure you are not a criminal. Just like there are police officers who are corrupt, school teachers and clergy who molest children, postal workers who steal social security checks, there are on occasion legal gunowners who do bad stuff. But as a whole, legal gunowners are much more safe, and much less likely to have commited a crime, or to ever commit a crime, than the population average as a whole.

And finally, are you afraid to approach all women, for fear they might be prostitutes? Just like the man with the mosin had the equipment to be a crazy killer, all women have the equipment to be prostitutes.

But just because someone is "equipped" to be a criminal type, it does not mean they are.

 

[Outlaws]

This guy is either a troll or just a very sheltered kid.

That sucks! It amazes me too how easily I was able to get this thing. I just wrote some basic info down, said "yes" to one question and "no" to all the others, and they just let me walk out with this...

I am going with scared kid for now, but that could change...

 

[strambo]

For an item protected specifically by name in the Bill Of Rights...it should be easier to get. Glad you had fun, enjoy your rifle.

 

[kingpin008]

See what I mean? Troll.

 

[supraneurotoxin]

Praetorius,
your enthusiasm is certainly admirable, I can relate to the excitement of firing a gun for the first time, mine was an experience I won't soon forget.

may I politely enquire however, is there anyone you know, perhaps a family member, who has more experience with firearms then your freinds who would be willing to go with you and show you the proper way to do things? then you could learn the proper way to hold a pistol so your hands don't get injured, exactly what a muzzle flash is, and the right way to act when at a range.

a large part of marksmanship, and something that is very important to all the members on this forum, is safe, responsible practices. everytime an accident happens, due to negligence or just plain ignorance, it's another opportunity for the Anti's to waggle their fingers and say "seeeeeeee!!!" by being resposible and respectfull, you not only avoid injury and protect your own rights, but you help to protect the rights of tomorrows gun owners as well.

your range time will be more enjoyable if you are well informed. this website is indesputably the best for information on anything gun related. take some time and read up on the basic topics to expand your knowledge of our sport.
I wish you happy, safe shooting, and if you have any questions feel free to ask me or anyone else here and will will help you to the best of our ability.

Ryan

 

[Praetorius]

Well, jeeze... Sorry to piss everybody off about me firing a gun for the first time... I was just trying to relate my experience to you guys...

So, let me ask you guys a question. If you see a guy waving a glock around in other people's direction and firing it gangster style down the range, would you consider that person shady? I would, and that's what was happening. When there's a guy with a rifle just standing there looking at us in a secluded part of the woods with no one else around, I consider that shady as well.

I know you guys may be used to standing on your porch watching "home invaders" walk their dogs down the street, but that is shady as well.

I call my friend a gun nut because he has a closet full of firearms with a box of 2,000 rounds of ammunition. I don't know if that seems normal to you guys, but it is not perceived as normal to the rest of society.

It seems like you guys have forgotten that a gun is designed to kill stuff. That's all it's designed for. I'm not afraid of cars randomly crashing into me, because that is not what they are intended for. Going to the range and firing a weapon designed only to kill stuff is basically practicing how you would kill stuff, so excuse me if I'm a little bit apprehensive about going to a place where people are doing that.

I just thought you guys might want to hear about my first time shooting... I didn't think that you guys were that extreme about survivalism and everything, but judging from the fact that every reply to this thread assumes that I'm attacking your way of life makes me think that you're way more off-the-reservation than I would have thought.

 

[Outlaws]

Well, jeeze... Sorry to piss everybody off about me firing a gun for the first time... I was just trying to relate my experience to you guys...

So, let me ask you guys a question. If you see a guy waving a glock around in other people's direction and firing it gangster style down the range, would you consider that person shady? I would, and that's what was happening. When there's a guy with a rifle just standing there looking at us in a secluded part of the woods with no one else around, I consider that shady as well.

I know you guys may be used to standing on your porch watching "home invaders" walk their dogs down the street, but that is shady as well.

I call my friend a gun nut because he has a closet full of firearms with a box of 2,000 rounds of ammunition. I don't know if that seems normal to you guys, but it is not perceived as normal to the rest of society.

It seems like you guys have forgotten that a gun is designed to kill stuff. That's all it's designed for. I'm not afraid of cars randomly crashing into me, because that is not what they are intended for. Going to the range and firing a weapon designed only to kill stuff is basically practicing how you would kill stuff, so excuse me if I'm a little bit apprehensive about going to a place where people are doing that.

I just thought you guys might want to hear about my first time shooting... I didn't think that you guys were that extreme about survivalism and everything, but judging from the fact that every reply to this thread assumes that I'm attacking your way of life makes me think that you're way more off-the-reservation than I would have thought.

Lets flip the coin for a second... Maybe the guy watching you was more afraid of you than you were of him. Maybe he is well versed in the way of the gun, realizing that guns can kill people, and was hesitant of being around young teenagers with guns. Maybe he wanted to make sure you were all being safe before letting his guard down.

But if you think a gun is any more deadly than a automobile, you are very wrong. It is 100% the user of both firearms and automobiles that decides if someone will randomly crash into you or shoot you. About 2am Friday and Saturday nights is a great time to witness this. Stupid is as stupid does...like people who run with scissors.

To shoot someone requires one of two things:
1. Intent
2. Misuse

Many things other than guns work the same way.

 

[kingpin008]

It seems like you guys have forgotten that a gun is designed to kill stuff. That's all it's designed for. I'm not afraid of cars randomly crashing into me, because that is not what they are intended for. Going to the range and firing a weapon designed only to kill stuff is basically practicing how you would kill stuff, so excuse me if I'm a little bit apprehensive about going to a place where people are doing that.

That's a classic anti argument, the whole idea that guns are meant solely to kill. It's an emotional statement with absolutely no basis in fact.

Guns are designed to propel an object at high velocity, nothign more, nothing less. Just like a car is designed to propel it's occupants. Neither are designed to do anything except that, but they can be misused. See the difference?

I've said it before, and I'll be happy to offer my apologies should I be proven wrong, Praetorius - but you haven't done much to convince me that you're not an anti who's come here attempting to stir up some controversy.

 

[wahsben]

A gun was designed to fire a projectile and people have used it for killing. A club was designed to hit things and people have used them to kill. A knife was designed for cutting and stabbing and people have used them to kill.
You are much more likely to be killed or injured by an automobile than a gun.
It all depends on the operator what the consequences will be.

 

[Anteater1717]

Sound like you got off on the wrong foot.

Praetorius

Hollow points aren’t evil their just cheep.

A closet full of gun is more common then you might think. 2000 round is actulay way less than you may think. I can go threw 500 round of .22 in an hour.

Gun nut is taken offensively here.

The range you went too does sound a little shifty; however most ranges are well monitored and friendly places.

Not all guns are made for killing. There are countless shotguns made only for clays and tons of rifles only for making pretty little tight groups.


Sorry but you said just about everything that would offend people on this forum. Kind a funny though to get them all riled up. Go to a better range you will have a lot more fun.

Thr’s

Don’t just assume he’s a troll he might just be ignorant.


Everyone should calm down

 

[kingpin008]

Also, Praetorius - If you felt so uncomfortable, why didn't you pack it in and go home? Why did you continue shooting if you felt that those around you were acting so irresponsibly?

Seems to me that if I'm in a situation where there are individuals handling firearms unsafely my first thought is to leave, rather than to continue blasting the heck out of a cardboard box with my buddy.

And it's not about "survivalism", Praetorius. Shooting and survivalism have nothing to do with each other. Many of us who enjoy shooting also enjoy camping, wilderness living, or other outdoor activities, but to assert that we're taken offense at anything you've said because it makes light of our "survivalist" mentalities is silly and untrue.

Or did you mean to say that survivalists and shooters are "off the reservation" in general? perhaps you'd feel better just coming out and calling us "nutty", huh?

Once again, if I'm wrong please correct me. But, I don't think I am.

 

[Heavy Metal Hero]

Praetorious keep the propaganda and offensive ignorance to yourself. Nobody around here wants that crap. Have some respect.

 

[Sistema1927]

I call my friend a gun nut because he has a closet full of firearms with a box of 2,000 rounds of ammunition. I don't know if that seems normal to you guys, but it is not perceived as normal to the rest of society.

Sounds to me like your friend needs to buy more ammo. 2,000 is getting pretty low.

Normal? What is normal? Normal to me is every citizen possessing enough weaponry and ammunition to fulfill their Constitutional role of defending hearth and home. You aren't going to do that with only 2,000 rounds.

As to your contention that guns are only meant to kill, did you kill anyone or anything that day at the range? If not, then doesn't that disprove your point of view? I would hope that you took your teacher's advice, and "Read damnit". If so, then you might just learn a new normal.

 

[doubleg]

Well, jeeze... Sorry to piss everybody off about me firing a gun for the first time... I was just trying to relate my experience to you guys...

So, let me ask you guys a question. If you see a guy waving a glock around in other people's direction and firing it gangster style down the range, would you consider that person shady? I would, and that's what was happening. When there's a guy with a rifle just standing there looking at us in a secluded part of the woods with no one else around, I consider that shady as well.

I know you guys may be used to standing on your porch watching "home invaders" walk their dogs down the street, but that is shady as well.

I call my friend a gun nut because he has a closet full of firearms with a box of 2,000 rounds of ammunition. I don't know if that seems normal to you guys, but it is not perceived as normal to the rest of society.

It seems like you guys have forgotten that a gun is designed to kill stuff. That's all it's designed for. I'm not afraid of cars randomly crashing into me, because that is not what they are intended for. Going to the range and firing a weapon designed only to kill stuff is basically practicing how you would kill stuff, so excuse me if I'm a little bit apprehensive about going to a place where people are doing that.

I just thought you guys might want to hear about my first time shooting... I didn't think that you guys were that extreme about survivalism and everything, but judging from the fact that every reply to this thread assumes that I'm attacking your way of life makes me think that you're way more off-the-reservation than I would have thought.

"Ahhh grasshopper, you have much to learn."

Sounds like you've been around anti's most of your life. A gun is a tool just like a hammer or a screw driver. The more your around them the more you will realize this. Once you get out of the anti gun mentality that the public school system and the news media has brain washed you with you will realize how wrong they all were. Treat people at ranges with repect and you will be amazed at the respect you will get in return. Other than that have fun with your new found hobby, or lifelong passion. For most of us its the latter.

 

[Waitone]

If your guts tell you something ain't right, leave. A guy shooting gansta style is a real good clue that safety isn't foremost in everyone's mind. I, too, am bounding between a young inexperience shooter and a troll.

You may not be aware of it but your description contained a number of red flags which cause pause to experienced shooters.

If you had a good time and if you want to further develop in the shooting sports do yourself a favor and attend a couple of NRA safety classes just to get down basics of safe gun handling. NRA also sponsors top notch gun familiarization courses. NRA also sponsors great courses on the fundamentals of shooting. Get the fundamentals down right the first time and you won't have to break bad habits. Shooting is like a number of other sports. Go into it without proper preparation and you'll either get hurt or hurt someone else.

By the time you've finished a few NRA courses you'll figure out shooters are not survivalists. Shooters are just like any other normal human being AND GENERALLY DO NOT LIKE BEING LUMPED IN WITH THE EXTREMES OF SOCIETY EITHER THROUGH IGNORANCE OR PREJUDICE.

 

[.cheese.]

I wouldn't get too down on the OP.

As somebody who was raised anti, it took a lot of learning to weed through all of the misinformation the media and schools spread.

Along the way I was flamed on forums, called a troll at the first forum for some of the same stuff some of you are calling the OP a troll for. (well, not the ganster remarks though)

Just because there are some things the OP can learn doesn't make him a troll..... so frankly, lay off the guy.

You want to help convert people? Then stop alienating them guys.

 

[kingpin008]

.cheese. - I'm mainly the one calling "troll" here, so I'll say this - I've said a few times already that if I'm wrong, I'll be the first one to offer a humble apology. I mean that.

To me, there is a difference in the tone of Praetorious's posts that says that he is not merely an uninformed shooter, but rather an individual here with some form of anti agenda. There is a definete tone of...derision that smells fishy to me, and I've called it out as such.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Won't be the first time. But I think there's something more to these posts than simple inexperience or ignorance.

 

[Iggy]

I agree with cheese... We have a potential shooting enthusiast here and we are jumping down his throat.

I prefer the term uninformed over ignorant, this is the High Road after all.

He has some things to learn, but how many of us were born experts?
Not all of us had the good fortune of having a good instructor to start us on the proper path.

Until he proves otherwise, let's help him find the information he needs, some proper instruction, and add him to the ranks of gun rights supporters rather than creating another anti.

 

[SoCalShooter]

This other guy at the range had a later model of the Mosin-Nagant, but I was afraid to approach him for the fact that he might shoot me.

Well its nice to see another new shooter. Beware of where you go and shoot.But you will find that most gun owners are good people and let you shoot their weapon and tell you all about it. I have had the opportunity in the past couple months to shoot about 10 to 15 different weapons at the range I frequent. Everyone I have approached has been really awesome and I have let a lot of people shoot my weapons also.

 

[akodo]

So, let me ask you guys a question. If you see a guy waving a glock around in other people's direction and firing it gangster style down the range, would you consider that person shady? I would, and that's what was happening. When there's a guy with a rifle just standing there looking at us in a secluded part of the woods with no one else around, I consider that shady as well.

If I saw a person waving a glock around I would think he was an ignorant fool, and I would probably leave the area. If he was shooting 'gangsta style' I would assume he had seen too many movies and had no real gun experience, and I would suggest his gun was a rental or brand new. It might be foolish, but it sure isn't 'shady'

I know you guys may be used to standing on your porch watching "home invaders" walk their dogs down the street, but that is shady as well.

huh? walking a dog is shady? How is the dog supposed to get excercize?

I call my friend a gun nut because he has a closet full of firearms with a box of 2,000 rounds of ammunition. I don't know if that seems normal to you guys, but it is not perceived as normal to the rest of society.

Being that there are 7 million NRA members, 44 million gun owners, 40% of households have at least one firearm, and 30% of households have 4 or more guns, it is in fact QUITE normal. Your perception of american society as a whole is tainted by the media portrayal of specific subsections of america.

And yes, calling someone a nut is offensive. Call your boss a nut, see if you stay employed.

It seems like you guys have forgotten that a gun is designed to kill stuff. That's all it's designed for. I'm not afraid of cars randomly crashing into me, because that is not what they are intended for.

Well yea, a gun would be just a stick otherwise! Of course, seems to me a person would judge how likely something is to kill you, not what it is designed for. Pools are designed for swimming in, yet people drown in them all the time. And yes, you should worry about cars randombly crashing into you, head-on collisions kill more people than are accidentally killed by guns. Big Macs aren't designed to kill either, but more people die from obesiety related complicaions than pretty much anything else.

Going to the range and firing a weapon designed only to kill stuff is basically practicing how you would kill stuff, so excuse me if I'm a little bit apprehensive about going to a place where people are doing that.

Would you be worried about going to a police firing range? They are practicing how to kill stuff too, same with the military. And yet for all that, how many times do you hear of guys at a gunrange shooting eachother in anger? 90% of the shootings go on in places where firearms aren't allowed.

I just thought you guys might want to hear about my first time shooting... I didn't think that you guys were that extreme about survivalism and everything, but judging from the fact that every reply to this thread assumes that I'm attacking your way of life makes me think that you're way more off-the-reservation than I would have thought.

you are entitled to that opinion.

 

[tnieto2004]

I call my friend a gun nut because he has a closet full of firearms with a box of 2,000 rounds of ammunition. I don't know if that seems normal to you guys, but it is not perceived as normal to the rest of society.

Heck no that isn't normal. That man is REALLY low on ammo.

 

[eltorrente]

C'mon folks, take it easy on the guy.

He's a new shooter and there's no need to jump down his throat at every little thing he said.

Saying "Gun Nut" I guess offends some people, but I think we knew what he was talking about. I'm a car nut and a gun nut btw. Maybe some people are SO into guns that they'll take offense to it, sort of like calling a super-religous person a "bible thumper", I guess.

Word of advice Praetorius: Careful what you say around here concerning guns- many people here worship them, live them, breath them, spend all their time talking about them and dreaming about them, and worship our founding fathers like they are Jesus. Say the "wrong" thing, and Johnny Rebs come pouring out of the woodwork.