Practice makes perfect, but only if you’re practicing the skills you’ll need.
A lot of people are introduced to firearms by family and friends. Here in Flagstaff, that usually means heading out to the local “spot in the woods” where everyone shoots. The more experienced shooter loads the firearm, hands it to you and you do your best to hit the target. If that was your experience, a few very important skills were missed. First, the four fundamental safety rules must be known and followed. When a firearm is in your hands, you are responsible for it and therefore have to know things like how it operates, how to load it and how to verify that it is clear. Make sure that before someone hands you a firearm, you know the rules and the operation of that specific gun.
A spouse trying to teach a spouse how to shoot does not always work as well as you would hope. Regardless of your love for each other, learning to shoot can be a highly stressful situation. While your spouse may be a very accomplished shooter, unless they are also an experienced instructor, sharing their knowledge with you may not be the best plan. We recommend formal training from a certified instructor to at least get you started so the fundamentals, both safety and marksmanship, are well established.
There is a common myth that small guns must be easier to shoot, and too often, we see first-time shooters show up at the range with a firearm that simply does not fit them or the intended use of the gun. Guns are like shoes, you have find the right fit or you’re not going to be happy with the results. Small, lightweight guns are challenging to shoot because they can be more difficult to grip, have significantly more felt recoil and are more difficult to aim accurately. We recommend you try a variety of firearms before making a purchase.
Practice makes perfect, but only if you’re practicing the skills you’ll need. Shooting a box of ammo at a target with a perfect stance, grip, sight alignment and trigger press results in great marksmanship, but won’t serve you well in a personal defense situation. Most times when a firearm is used in defense, it is fired with a single hand and without using the sights. Make sure your practice includes the skills you’ll need, both so you’ll know what you can and can’t do and be successful doing it.
Some of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had are introducing folks who have never handled a firearm before to shooting on the range. It is perfectly normal to be a bit apprehensive about something that you don’t know anything about. Our “First Shots” class is designed specifically to provide one-on-one instruction, and the smiles we see at the end of each class prove how much fun shooting sports are.
We would like to thank everyone in our community for the support over the last six years and look forward to continuing to support them in return. FBN
By Rob Wilson
Rob Wilson is the owner, with his wife, Elise, of Timberline Firearms & Training in Flagstaff. They offer a full line of firearms, accessories, safes and ammunition along with Liberty Safes. For more information, visit timberlinefirearms.us.
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