Shooting for the first time

Arch Guru XX

So because the account I am on exceeded our yearly numbers we get to go on a 'fun day' in October. Last year it was touring winderies; this year we're going to an indoor shooting range.

This will be essentially my first time handing handguns. I don't know the exact list, but I know they'll have handguns firing .22, 9mm, and .45 ammunition. There may also be short rifles, though I don't know what they would be firing. No shotguns, I believe. We should be shooting at paper targets that can be mechanically set to a variety of distances (I don't know what the maximum distance is).

I'm looking for any advice that maybe wouldn't be obvious to a novice shooter but which could improve my accuracy. At longer ranges do you need to aim up a bit to account for the bullet dropping? Should I close one eye to aim? I don't have a lot of examples because I don't know what kind of advice there might be, but hopefully you get the drift.

Thanks for the help.

Doc

At the ranges you will be shooting, you do not have to adjust for drop at all. Close one eye.

The most important part: RELAX! Loosen up your shoulders and upper arms, while keeping a good grip on the pistol. If your hands are shaking while you are aiming, stop and take a few deep breaths.

Start with the .22, it has very minimal recoil. If you feel up to it, step to the 9mm or the .45, which have substantially more.

Keep your finger off the trigger entirely until you are prepared to fire. Keep it pointed downrange at all times, obviously.

Silvertree

Random bits of advice:

There is a huge debate over one eye closed VS. open. My preference is both eyes open especially with a pistol. Shooting with one eye closed causes a lack of depth perception which can be detrimental in a tactical situation. If you are just doing it for fun once, it probably doesn't matter but it easier to establish good habits from the beginning.

Consistency is key. Hold the weapon the SAME way every time you shoot.

Squeeze the trigger. Don't jerk it.

Fire at the same time in your breathing cycle. My cycle: Take a deep breath. Let it out. Take another one. Let it out and then start squeezing once your lungs are empty.

Do a Google search on "sight picture" or "sight alignment" to see how to line up.

If you want to go nuts reading: http://tinyurl.com/dbt8r

Psychotic One

As far as ease of use goes Doc is right...start with the .22 and then maybe try the 9mm. I have a .22 plinkster rifle at home and it feels like a pop gun compared to higher caliber ammo. I'd probably recommend forgoing the .45s till your comfortable with the 9mm. The kick on the .45 can be quite signifigant if your not expecting. Just keep your arms relaxed and don't lock your elbows. I made that mistake when firing off a friends .50 and felt it in all my arm. Other than that. Listen to the range masters. When cease fire is called pop the clip and eject the round in the chamber and place it all on the table. At least thats how it worked at the outdoor range I went to. Just relax, follow the instructions, and just try to have a good time.

Uncle Long

Just to clarify: when you set the handgun down after a called ceasefire make sure that it is chamber side up, so the range master can see if there is any ammunition in the chamber if they walk by.

blincoln

- Have an experienced shooter give you a quick introduction/refresher on weapons safety before you pick up a gun.
- Don't be afraid to try the .45. For years I'd heard doom and gloom about how much kick they have, but when I finally fired one, it didn't seem significantly more noticeable than a 9mm, other than that it threw the spent casings a *long* way.
- Having said that, the .22 is probably a better choice to start out with, as it has virtually no recoil.
- Be prepared to shoot *very* inaccurately at first. If you have more natural skill than I did, take it as a pleasant surprise. Either way, bring enough money so that you can take advantage of the opportunity and get in as much practice as possible.
- Try shooting from a couple of different postures - maybe have someone at the range recommend a couple of them to you?
- Like Doc said, relax.
- Since it's an indoor range, consider wearing earplugs underneath your earmuffs. Outdoors I've found one or the other is adequate, but indoors can be a lot louder, especially when people are firing off larger caliber rounds.
- See if you can get two or more magazines for each of the automatics, and trade off with someone so that while one of you is firing, the other one is reloading. That will maximize your overall shooting time, and give you practice with that aspect as well.

Doc

Yeah, the difference in recoil between a .22 and 9mm is way bigger than the difference between 9mm and .45, unless the .45 is shooting really hot or something. So if you step up to a 9mm and you don't think "this is way too much," you are probably okay on the .45 as well.

Steel Angel

When shooting two handed, make sure you keep both thumbs on the same side of the gun. If you cross your thumbs while firing a semi-automatic, you're liable to get a nasty cut when the slide moves back.

Don't feel like you have to fully load each magazine. Keeping a firearm up for 7 to 17 shots in a row can be tiring even for experienced shooters. Plus it gets progressively harder to put rounds into a magazine since they slip on top of each other (being round and metal) and you have to overcome more spring tension.

Related to the above, if you move beyond the .22 to a 9mm or up, you may want to dry fire (firing the gun without any ammunition in the chamber and with the magazine out) the gun after you empty a magazine to make sure you're not flinching when you squeeze the trigger. Repeat until you're calm again when squeezing the trigger, then load up a magazine. You may also want to try dry firing a non-.22 pistol before you work with live ammo too. Be aware that many .22 pistols cannot be dry fired without damaging the firing pin so don't try it with one unless you get an okay from the owner.

Oh, and finally a bit of terminology since some of us like to use different words for the same thing and you might bump into this at the range: With regard to pistols, "automatic" usually means "automatic loading" and is equivalent to semi-automatic. Hence the .45 ACP caliber stands for Automatic Colt Pistol since it was first used in a Colt semi-automatic.

Retox

A lot of first time or inexperienced shooters dip the gun down right before they shoot. It's a sort of unconscious way of compensating for the recoil, but really it just prevents you from shooting accurately. Go slow and think about what your doing as you shoot, and try to keep the gun as still and even as possible right before and while you pull the trigger.

Comahawk

Don't close an eye, it's a bad habit... Keep both open, that way you have better peripheral vision and can catch any idiots who may have stepped onto the range or something like that. It's unlikely to happen, but you might as well develop good habits.

Raziel

Kick has a lot to do with the weight of the gun, as well. So keep that in mind.

In one day, I fired both a Glock 9mm and a Ruger .44 magnum. The Glock had a great deal more kick, just because the Ruger was so heavy. As a novice shooter, and at an indoor range, I enjoyed shooting a range of guns and calibres.

At any rate, speaking as a novice - which I think may have some relevance to your situation, in addition to the awesome advice you've gotten from more experienced shooters - just have fun. Focus on the process and the experience.

Stay relaxed, but hold the gun firmly. Take your time with each shot.

Now, here's the best advice I ever got:

Many novices will get scared by the recoil and drop the barrel in anticipation of the upward kick of the shot. I did it completely inadvertently. So keep your grip and your stance firm.

Steel Angel

Raziel wrote: »

Many novices will get scared by the recoil and drop the barrel in anticipation of the upward kick of the shot. I did it completely inadvertently. So keep your grip and your stance firm.

Sometimes happens to more experienced shooters too sometimes. Hence the importance of relaxing. Even if logically you know that recoil isn't horribly painful, your body and nerves will sometimes decide otherwise after a while.

I'll also recommend firing with both eyes open if you can. Besides having better peripheral vision, it's just easier on your facial muscles. But if your eyes aren't the best and you can't clearly see the front sight with both eyes open, closing your non-dominant eye won't screw you up.

Nitsuj82

Don't shoot from the hip, don't hold your handgun sideways, and don't scream "get some, bitch".

Oh, and ALWAYS use hearing protection.

Belketre

As for hold, Both thumbs on 1 side of the gun. If you are right handed, both thumbs will be on the left side with the fingers of your left hand over the top of those on the right hand on the front of the grip.

Stance should be feet about shoulder width apart, turned slightly to your dominant side. Slightly hunched forward, knees slightly bent. The heel of the palm of your dominant hand should be taking most of the recoil.

Fot aiming, focus mostly on levelling and aligning your sights. Dont worry so much about the target. Because you're focusing mostly on the sights, you'll get a slightly fuzzy target picture, but dont let that worry you too much. The alignment of your sights is far more important than a clear target picture, because you can still put the shots where they need to go. Pistols aren't exactly the height of accuracy, and that 10 ring is awful generous.