One of the most important life skills you can learn is how to shoot. Not knowing how to shoot and picking up a gun for the first time without any proper training can be a big risk to yourself and those around you.
That’s because it’s very easy to create unsafe habits when you pick up a gun for the first time without knowing what you’re doing…habits that could potentially be a threat to your life. You should always learn how to shoot from someone who is more experienced and knows what they’re doing.
To help you get started, we’ll go over the top shooting mistakes that can get you (or somebody else) killed and that must be avoided at all costs:
Not Following the Four Cardinal Rules of Gun Safety
The four rules of gun safety are the most fundamental rules that you need to memorize and practice. Following these rules will decrease the likelihood of you having a serious accident at the range.
The four cardinal rules of gun safety are:
- Always ensure your firearm is pointed in a safe direction
- Treat all firearms as if they are loaded
- Keep your finger off of the trigger until you are prepared to shoot
- Always be aware of your target and what lies beyond it
Improper Stance
Having a proper stance is the foundation for shooting safely. You need to make sure that you are standing in a balanced and steady manner, and you also want to ensure that you are ‘leaning into’ the gun while shooting. A good stance is to place your non-shooting leg in front of your other leg when positioning yourself to shoot.
For example, if you’re right handed and shooting with your right hand, your left leg should be held in front of you to position yourself.
Then lean forward slightly to lean into the gun. If you’re firing a rifle or shotgun, you’ll want to keep the stock of the weapon pressed tightly against your shoulder while your torso is leaning into the gun. In other words, your torso should be pushing out while your arms are pulling back in in order to stabilize the weapon. If you’re firing a handgun, you’ll likewise want to lean forward slightly as well.
You never want to be standing up directly straight or leaning back when shooting, because this limits how well you can control the recoil of the firearm and increases the odds that you can lose control over the weapon and potentially send a bullet flying where it shouldn’t be.
Not Having a Firm Grip
Always tightly grip your firearm before shooting. When holding a handgun, get a high two-handed grip over the firearm with your thumbs forward. You never want to have your thumb positioned behind the weapon, because in the case of a semi-automatic pistol, the slide will come back and can potentially slice your thumb. And while a revolver doesn’t have this problem, it’s still not a good habit to practice.
You also want to avoid practicing the teacup grip, or where your non-dominant hand is held under the grip. While a common sight in films, it’s a very poor grip to practice in reality.
Instead, grasp the handgun firmly with your shooting hand and while achieving as high of a grip as possible.
Then wrap the fingers for your non-shooting hand over the fingers of your shooting hand tightly, and with the thumb of your non-shooting hand under the thumb of your shooting hand. Both thumbs should be held forward.
Not having a firm grip over your weapon can cause you to lose control over it. If the recoil of the firearm surprises you, an improper grip can cause the muzzle of the gun to flip back and up…and if your finger is over the trigger, it’s possible to shoot another round potentially directly under your skull.
Poor Trigger Control
On that same note, it’s very important to practice proper trigger control on your firearm. Remember one of the cardinal rules of gun safety: only place your finger on the trigger when you are prepared to shoot.
It’s very crucial to practice proper trigger discipline by keeping your index finger off of the trigger and against the frame or grip of the gun above the trigger. Additionally, when you are done shooting, make it a habit to immediately take your finger off of the trigger as well. Ensure that your finger remains off of the trigger when reupholstering a handgun as well.
Shooting the Wrong Caliber in Your Gun
This is an easy mistake to make if you’re not familiar with basic firearms calibers, and yet it can be devastating if you make it.
If you shoot the wrong kind of bullet in a firearm, it can potentially cause the firearm to explode, resulting in serious injury or death to you or anyone around you.
You need to familiarize yourself with firearms calibers and know the exact kind of ammunition to fit into your pistol. Initially, it can be confusing to know which calibers are what. For example, you may have heard of a .45 before, without knowing that there are two primary types of .45 calibers that are used: .45 ACP and .45 Long Colt, both of which are very different from one another.
Besides the type of caliber, you also need to be aware of the type of ammunition of that caliber that you can safely use in your gun as well. For example, there are many handguns that are rated to handle +P ammunition. +P ammunition is ammo that has been loaded to a higher internal pressure in order, and is commonly used in self-defense cartridges.
However, +P ammunition also inflicts more wear on the gun shooting it, and certain guns are not rated to handle +P ammo. This is something you’ll want to carefully research when buying a new gun.
If you have purchased a firearm, go ammunition shopping with someone you know who’s experienced and can tell you the correct type of ammo you need to have. If you don’t know anyone personally who does, speak to someone at the sporting goods store or outlet who can help you out.
Knowing how to shoot is an excellent life skill to have. If you haven’t done any serious shooting yet, make sure you receive the proper training from someone you know. It’s very important to create good shooting habits so you don’t make any of the above potentially life threatening mistakes.
via askaprepper
