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Maybe We Need a New Memorial Day.
May 30, 2022
Blogs guns, shooting 2 Comments
Every year we are supposed to spend a day saluting the men and women who died in defense of our country, a tradition which started after World War I.
I was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and I can recall Memorial Day parades in the 1950’s with the veterans of World War I still able to march down Constitution Avenue to where they had some speeches and then everyone stood around and greeted each other.
We still have the parades except the old veterans are from the Viet Nam War. And instead of standing around after the parade, everyone goes shopping because that’s the way we celebrate what makes America great — buy some crap we don’t need and stick it in the garage along with all the other crap we don’t need.
Anyway, on Tuesday there will be a little ‘Orange Day’ event in Gloucester, MA where a brief ceremony will take place to remind everyone about the ongoing war that we have in our streets — the Gun Violence war which seems to be heating up more and more these days. More Americans have been killed by domestic gunfire in the last thirty years than were killed in every conflict since World War I, and we seem hell-bent to add another 30,000 or 40,000 to that total this year.
Maybe what we should do is put together a petition which will make Memorial Day a national holiday not just to remember the men and women who have been killed overseas, but also to memorialize the men, women and children who are gunned down on our nation’s streets or in our nation’s schools, or wherever they are being gunned down.
Enough with the ‘thoughts and prayers,’ okay?
A New And Good Gun Book.
September 15, 2020
Blogs guns, shooting 2 Comments
The problem with much of the gun-control advocacy activities that have become more frequent over the last several years, is that most of the people who get involved in the movement to reduce gun violence don’t have much involvement, interest, or experience with guns. Which means that most folks who work on solutions to an ongoing problem which accounts for more than 125,000 preventable deaths and injuries every year, have absolutely no understanding or awareness of how guns are owned or used.
You can gain some very perceptive insights into this issue by reading a new book, American Druthers, written by Michael McNaney, who describes himself as a “highly trained, gun owning and otherwise ‘everyday’ American,” who was born in Iowa and later lived in South Georgia, two places where basically everyone has a gun.
By the time McNaney was twelve, he had gone hunting with family members countless times and had started shooting one of the 22-caliber rifles that was around the house. He bought a 30-caliber M1 carbine and a shotgun at Kmart when he was sixteen, and at nineteen bought a Ruger 22-caliber target pistol as well as an Italian-made copy of the 9mm P-38.
The first 20 or so pages of this book-memoir lead up to what the author describes as a “definite turning point for myself and guns.” Prior to that point in time, which was November, 2012, McNaney had owned, borrowed, shot, and sold countless guns, for years he had a whole arsenal of weapons, at other times he was unarmed.
In reading the accounts of his life and his guns, what comes out is how normal and typical he believed guns and gun ownership to be. He always knew gun owners, he often talked to others about guns, but most important, he never found it necessary to question whether or not he needed or didn’t need to own a gun. He also never thought about whether guns were ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ They were just something which was or wasn’t around.
These first pages of his book, what he refers to as the ‘pre-Utah’ period of his life, should really be read by everyone in the gun-control community, particularly those who, as I said earlier, haven’t been owners or users of guns. What comes across in this text is not only the normalcy of guns and access to guns, but how this normalcy would never have made McNaney think about guns one way or the other, until one afternoon in early November, 2012 when he was shot four times.
I’ll let you read the details of the shooting, suffice it to say that it’s a true miracle that McNaney is still alive. It also was the case, not very frequent in gun assaults, that McNaney had been sitting and minding his own sweet business in the moments just before the assault took place. Most shootings between to individuals grow out of long-time, continuous disputes. In this instance, McNaney had gone out of his way to avoid contact with his assailant prior to the attack.
The rest of the text, and the book is an easy and pleasant read, are McNaney’s ideas about what we should do with our guns. He’s not opposed to gun ownership, the fact that someone tried to kill him for no reason whatsoever has not turned him against guns. But it has made him commit to the following goal: “All firearm owners in the United States to be highly trained, non-threatening and perfectly respectful with, and ultimately responsible for, their firearms.”
How McNaney believes we could get to that point is explained in a series of proposals which are found in a ‘Solutions’ chapter near the end of the book. I’ll leave it to each reader to decide whether McNaney’s on the right track.
I liked this book for one simple reason, namely, that the author is a decent and honest man. And no matter whether I agree with them or not, when it’s honest, I’m always willing to hear what they have to say.
The book is available on Amazon.
A New Tell-All Book About The NRA Which Misses The Point.
September 13, 2020
Blogs gun sales, NRA, shooting Leave a comment
Josh Powell is a gun guy who spent November 14, 2012, talking to the management of Cerberus, the equity group that owns a bunch of gun companies, including Bushmaster and Remington Arms. The next day he woke up and learned that a loony 21-year old in Newtown, CT had walked into an elementary school and killed 26 adults and kids using a Bushmaster gun.
Four years later, Powell found himself working as the right-hand guy for Wayne LaPierre, and three years later he found himself unemployed. He claims he is now putting together a group “from both sides of the political aisle to research gun violence without bias, using the best available tools and approaches.” In the meantime he’s just written a book, Inside The NRA, which is supposed to tell us how and why America’s ‘most powerful political group in America’ has become undone.
Unfortunately, Powell spent so much of his NRA time sweeping out the detritus from under Wayne-o’s desk that even though he relates all kinds of juicy gossip about the battles between the NRA and its enemies as well as some of its friends, the book suffers from being too focused on all the trees in the forest but the forest itself remains somehow out of sight.
When it came to the political pro-and-con about guns, the NRA and its pro-gun allies had the field to themselves until Sandy Hook. Clinton did get a background-check bill through Congress, but everyone acknowledged that it was, at best, a marginal response to gun violence. Ditto the assault weapons ban which disappeared after ten years.
What changed after Sandy Hook was the beginning of the first, real grass-roots gun-control organization thanks to Shannon Watts and her gals, with another thanks to Mike Bloomberg and his dough. There is no question that Wayne-o’s angry, almost apoplectic defense of guns a week after the Sandy Hook massacre was the event which began to tun the tide.
Powell claims that the increasingly alt-right rantings and polemic delivered by Loesch and other NRA-TV actors upset some members of the NRA Board, but what evidently brought about the split between McQ-A and the NRA was the pathetically-low number of viewers who watched a video channel with production costs running into the millions every month.
What neither Powell nor anyone else either at the NRA or at their PR agency seemed to grasp was that moving the NRA’s messaging towards hysterical liberal-bashing and away from the folksy, good-ol’-boy image of family, hunting, friends and guns was not going to draw more supporters into the NRA fold. The biggest problem with NRA’s video effort was that the video productions that pushed the political messaging were just so boring, never mind dumb.
Here’s a one-minute video spot by Dana Loesch. Watch it once, fine. Watch it a second time? Give me a break. Now here’s an ad for NRA’s hunting division. You may have absolutely no interest in hunting, but who wouldn’t want to watch this ad and send it around to friends?
Given the possibility of a Hillary Clinton presidency, the NRA’s decision to endorse Trump and stoke his campaign with a huge cash infusion was not such a bad idea, . But the organization’s decision to compete in the media circus dominated by Breitbart and Alex Jones couldn’t have been any worse.
I have been going to the NRA annual show since 1980, and at that show a Republican Presidential candidate named Ronald Reagan showed up and gave a brief speech. Everyone at the how knew that at some point Reagan would be endorsed by the NRA and frankly, nobody cared. For most NRA members the whole point of their membership isn’t about politics, it’s about guns.
What Powell seems to miss is that the NRA is ultimately a social, not a political entity. If he’s hoping to develop a new gun organization in the wake of the NRA’s demise, it’s not going to attract gun owners by supporting ‘unbiased’ research. Gun nuts don’t like research. They like guns.
Tom Gabor: Two Epidemics And The Importance Of National Leadership.
May 1, 2020
Blogs epidemics, gun epidemics, shooting Leave a comment
The losses of life, heartbreak, and economic devastation produced by the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be understated. Over two thousand Americans are losing their lives each day and the economy is being decimated by the shutdown of countless businesses. The battle against the pandemic is all consuming—preoccupying our leaders, exhausting those in essential occupations, and monopolizing the media’s attention.
While an overwhelmed public is struggling to cope with this crisis, other pressing issues merit our attention, including climate issues, a humanitarian disaster at our border, unrelenting gun violence, growing economic inequality, environmental degradation, and healthcare policy challenges.
Take gun violence. Current figures indicate that close to half a million Americans will lose their lives from gunfire over the next decade if the problem continues unabated. No national law to protect Americans from gun violence has been passed since the Federal Assault Weapons Ban was enacted in 1994. Gun violence has terrorized school children, devastated many communities of color, and magnified the lethality of domestic violence. The annual cost of gun violence is in the order of $200 billion, when loss of income, criminal justice system and quality of life costs are added to the medical costs.
Like a pathogen, gun violence is contagious. In vendetta-like group conflicts frequently seen in inner city neighborhoods, one killing begets another, often over relatively minor disputes. The transmissible quality of gun violence is also observed in planned mass shootings that are often inspired by the desire to exceed the body count achieved in previous shootings. Also, gun violence, like the pandemic, is particularly virulent in disadvantaged communities.
In a pandemic, populations develop a growing immunity to the infectious agent. By contrast, a community or nation subject to high levels of gun violence does not grow increasingly immune to it. Instead, gun violence is corrosive, resulting in flight to other areas, levels of fear and financial divestment resulting in increasing poverty, social dysfunction, despair, and physical decay. The fear and lack of trust undermines community cohesion, including the personal investments required to promote the well-being of residents.
Some will say that now is not the time to worry about issues other than the pandemic. The implication is that we put every other major issue on hold for many years due to the anticipated duration of the pandemic followed by years of financial recovery. Part of normalization is envisioning a different future. What better time is there to reassess our values and reconsider our collective commitment to public health and safety, clean air and water, a just society, fair elections, and an immigration system that is humane and contributes positively to America?
The current crisis also underscores the need to review the role of the federal government as the White House has faced intense criticism for its abdication of responsibility in its response to the pandemic. The federal government has a critical role in coordinating the response to a national crisis and in procuring vital supplies often manufactured by other countries. In dealing with the pandemic, a patchwork of approaches within the US means that states taking a more aggressive approach against the virus may see their progress undercut by neighboring states that resist shutting down their economies as pathogens do not respect political borders.
National laws and leadership are also critical in relation to other issues. States with weak gun laws tend to export guns used in crime to states with tougher laws. Toxic emissions in one state affect air quality in the next. In the present crisis, states are forming partnerships in the absence of federal leadership. The failure of the Administration to rise above partisanship and work with the states in a coordinated way is deepening divisions and impeding our ability to respond effectively to a crisis. National leadership is required in preventing and mitigating crises, as well as in sustaining national unity.
Oh My God! Everyone’s Buying Another Gun!
April 27, 2020
Blogs gun sales, Gun violence, guns, shooting 1 Comment
Per usual, my friends on both sides of the gun debate are trying to ramp up fears about the virus by promoting their views on guns. On the one hand, Gun-nut Nation wants everyone to buy a gun because sooner or later, your house will be invaded and ransacked by desperate neighbors who want to grab your toilet paper stash. On the other hand, Gun-control Nation is absolutely convinced that the recent spike in gun sales will result in all kinds of violence and deaths.
As far as I’m concerned, both sides need to tone it down. But why miss an opportunity to get your message in front of a captive audience since everyone has nothing better to do these days than sit at home and read Facebook posts, right?
I opened my gun shop on August 1st, 2001. Five weeks later the planes slammed into the towers and gun sales spiked. You had Newt Gingrich saying he expected an ISIS invasion of Philadelphia at any moment. It was really that dumb. And since there wasn’t really any kind of grass-roots, gun-control movement the way there is today, Gun-nut Nation more or less had the public narrative all to themselves.
Except by the time that The New York Times reported an increase in gun sales in a story that appeared on December 9, the spike was over, at least in my store. I suspect the same thing will happen again. Granted, FBI-NICS background checks for handguns jumped almost 50% from February to March, but comparing year-to-year monthly sales has to take into account that until the COVID crisis, gun sales have been in the toilet over the course of the Trump regime. If anything, the increase in sales will make up maybe 2% of the revenues that gun companies have lost over the last three years. Yesterday, Smith & Wesson stock closed at $9.64. A month before the 2016 election it was trading at $30 a share.
As for my friends in Gun-control Nation, they need to calm down a bit and stop believing that every time some guy walks into a store and buys a gun, that this represents a threat to the common good. What it really represents in most cases is the fact that the guy got his income tax refund or maybe that bonus check signed by Trump. Either way, it’s found money ‘The wife’ hasn’t claimed her share, so why not go out and buy another toy? Worst comes to worst, if the washing machine breaks down or the truck needs new tires, you can always sell the damn thing back.
Or maybe you can sell it to a friend. This constitutes the biggest bugaboo to Gun-control Nation because until we get comprehensive background checks covering every transfer of every gun, we know for a fact (I love the term ‘for a fact’) that a lot of those legally-purchased guns are going to wind up in the ‘wrong’ hands. We know this ‘for a fact’ even though there has yet to be one, single evidence-based piece of research which shows that legal gun owners sell their guns, consciously or unconsciously, to someone who shouldn’t get their hands on a gun.
The other narrative being promoted on the gun-control side is the idea that during periods of financial stress, suicides and domestic violence go up, trends that would be aggravated if more guns are floating around. In fact, in the years directly after 9-11, the gun-suicide rate remained about the same, the rate of women killed with guns actually went down.
I think my Gun-control Nation friends should stop ignoring the fact (there’s that word ‘fact’ again) that every time cops are asked whom they fear least, the guys walking around with legally-owned guns always make the top of the list. I’m not excusing those jerks who show up at the stupid, little anti-lockdown rallies with their AR’s. They’re just dumb as hell and have nothing better to do. But the last thing we need right now is more sturm und drang because some guns are flying off the store shelves.
Better we should dump Trump.
Josh Montgomery: Staying Stable While Shooting.
October 17, 2019
Blogs armed self-defense, self-defense shooting, shooting Leave a comment
Staying Stable While Shooting
The importance of shooting stability is often overrated – especially the fact that it is linked with the safety of the shooter and not only. The truth is that the two of them are connected. You need to have the right posture in order to increase your shooting accuracy. And the right posture can be achieved through stability. There is a study that analyzes the relationship between the two.
On that note, today, we will introduce you to some handy tips. These tips should help you optimize your stability when shooting. It’s important to become more responsible shooters, especially if you want to safeguard the safety of your family and children.
The Right Shooting Stance
Some people might think that the way in which you stand doesn’t impact the way you shoot. This is not true, though. This is basically the very foundation of shooting. And when you don’t have a steady foundation, the odds are that your shooting performance will be affected, to some extent or another.
It goes without saying that recoil and loud explosions are in no way fun or expected. Not to mention that they could really jeopardize your safety. If we were to get technical, there are three primary types of stances – namely Weaver, Isosceles and Chapman. These represent different variations of leg and arm placement.
When you have the right shooting stance, this will help you stay stable. And most importantly, this will allow you to get better at shooting. The right technique can really make the world of a difference. We can say just the same about picking the right gun. Whether we are talking about lighter and smaller guns for women or big, massive rifles, your shooting stance is an essential element. Make sure you have it right. And if you don’t, it’s never too late to learn a bit more about it.
The Importance of Handgun Grip
The next thing on the list is definitely the handgun grip. When you hold a gun, you need to be serious about it. Just as you would be about holding your future or your safety, so to speak. That doesn’t mean you should grip the handgun as hard as you can since this could backfire as well. You need to feel confident whenever you take the gun in your hand. And this has to do with a firm, secure grip.
When you have a firm handgun grip, this will diminish the movement of your non-trigger-fingers. This is, essentially a good thing. Not to mention that the manner in which you hold your gun will impact your accuracy. Ideally, the distance between your trigger finger and your thumb should be high. In this way, the grip will contain the recoil of the slide that moves back and forth.
Usually, it’s advisable to keep your support hand really high on the back of the gun. You might even attempt to get some of your hand behind the grip if that’s a possibility. Once you do that, you can even keep the thumbs forward – depending on the size of your hands. Or you can keep the thumbs high. This will keep your wrists in place. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that your grip also has to do with your individual hand and the size of your finger – of course.
Now, let’s say your hands are smaller, which would make your fingers a bit shorter. In this case, your thumbs will imminently be pointed more upright. This only means that you should keep experimenting, testing different techniques and pinpointing what works best to boost your stability.
Keep Your Elbows Bent
Did you ever think that the way in which you keep your elbows has to do with your shooting stability? This should go without saying.
Most people assume that they enjoy more control over the handgun if they keep their elbows locked, so to speak. But this is rarely the case. Usually, you get more control and stability by keeping your elbows a bit bent. Why would you do that? There are several ways in which we could explain this.
For one thing, this will help your elbows to act as natural shock absorbers. Therefore, you will control the recoil better. Another aspect worth noting would be that this determines you to keep your wrists in place so that you maintain the sights aligned with your eyes. Meanwhile, a slight bend in the elbows will allow you to deter driving the first shot low whenever you’re in a hurry to shoot.
You might even keep your elbows a bit up. This will create inward crushing pressure.
Take Your Time
A common mistake most people do is lifting the finger off immediately after every shot and looking at the target. The truth is that the target won’t run anywhere. It will still be there a few seconds later, which only means you should take your time. When you take off the finger too quickly, the likelihood of firing too fast and jerking the trigger is higher. Another risk that comes with the territory would be adding excess movement to the gun.
Not to mention that you’ll make your life more difficult when you’ll shoot the next fire. This is where proper trigger reset can make the world of a difference. This can maintain the trigger all the way at the end. In addition to that, this will release the trigger at the right time – when you’ll feel the click. It’s a good thing not to rush yourself, especially if you’re just starting out. Even when it comes to experienced shooters, this doesn’t make it appropriate to do things in a rushed way, as this could impair your safety.
The Bottom Line
Shooting is not as simple as it may seem. And if you’re concerned about the importance of safety when shooting, these tips should come in handy. The bottom line is that you won’t become a pro in a matter of days. These things take time, and you should be patient with yourself. You’ll get there before you know it with perseverance and determination.
Josh Montgomery: How Can Shooting Be Meditative?
February 14, 2019
Blogs meditation, shooting, shooting sports 2 Comments
Shooting is not a hobby that just anyone engages with – it’s not easy and requires a lot of concentration to do it properly. Many individuals are bothered by shooting, as they see it as something loud and violent. Thus, they decide to stay away from it.
However, did you know that shooting can work just the same way meditation does? Yes, it might be totally different compared to sitting down and thinking about life, but it can have just the same effect. That being said, you can do some practice for .308 rifles and meditate at the same time.
Are you wondering how can shooting be meditative, given its nature? You will find the answer to the question throughout this article.
What Is Meditation and How Does It Help?
You’ve most likely heard of meditation, but although many people are aware of its existence, not all of them understand what it actually means.
Meditation is all about training to observe things without judgment, and build awareness – thus, you get a healthy sense of perspective. That being said, it’s not meant to help you become a new person, and it doesn’t require you to turn off your thoughts. What it basically does is teach you how to look at things without being judgmental, thus being able to understand them.
Moreover, you’re not only learning how to observe these things, but you’re also getting to know yourself better as a person and be at peace with yourself.
Shooting and Meditation – What’s the Link Between Them?
It’s hard to think of shooting as a way to meditate. After all, aiming a dangerous object and firing with a powerful sound barely adds up to sitting down and trying to arrange your thoughts.
However, you’d actually be surprised to find out that shooting is not as far away from meditation as it seems. Basically, when you first get into shooting, you are required to be careful and reflect on each shot, like it’s the only one you’ve got.
Whereas many newcomers in the world of shooting focus too much on scores and the target, that’s not the best way to go about it. Where your shots go is not as important – what matters is learning and mastering the technique. And this is where the correlation between meditation and shooting comes into play.
Through a Zen perspective, shooting focuses on the idea of getting the perfect shot – in other words, The Shot. That being said, the most important thing is to reflect and focus on each shot. Once you begin to work on getting better with your technique, you encounter the “Seven Defilements” of mind. With that said, you need to set them aside, which can be done through the Zen Art aspect of shooting.
For this, you need to practice all the time, and soon enough, you will notice that it’s not you who’s shooting the target – the right mindset is doing it.
Your aim when shooting is to polish and cleanse your mind of the everyday routine. This is pretty much the same as meditation, which focuses on arranging your thoughts and looking at them from a non-judgemental perspective. So, you are not only trying to master your way of shooting at the target, but you’re rather polishing the mind.
Shooting – Not Only a Sport
Nowadays, it’s not hard to see that people pick up shooting to entertain themselves, seeing it only as a sport. Whereas it is indeed a way to have fun and quite a unique hobby, shooting is more than that. It is used by a lot of people as a way to develop their mental and spiritual discipline. With that said, many individuals who wish to re-discover themselves pick up shooting, as the mechanics, equipment, and atmosphere are attracting them.
It’s easy to look at shooting like it’s just a game that only needs some skill. Still, the mind needs to be used a lot to get a precise shot, and that’s when personal development begins, especially in the first stages of learning the skill. In addition, shooting can be a great way to give you some peace of mind by letting you feel in power and it also helps you overcome your fears.
Why Should You Consider Shooting as Meditation?
Shooting can be used not only as a hobby but also as a way of life. It’s something that could help you find yourself and strengthen your mind. So, you can simply choose some days when you want to be alone with your thoughts and your rifles, thus trying to put your thoughts in order while focusing on accuracy.
Basically, when you are aiming at the target, you feel powerful, and suddenly your fear is gone. In other words, it’s building a lot of self-confidence and reduces anxiety, so it’s a great way to come at peace with yourself.
Moreover, it’s a way that allows you to see your strengths, as well as weaknesses, in a much easier way. This could also be obtained through usual meditation. As a result, it will be an easier task to work on yourself and improve as a person.
Over time, you will be able to sit back and observe your progress, and maybe even begin to understand other people and see them in a new light without judging them. This is the power that a hobby like shooting could have on you.
Final Thoughts
Shooting is seen as an unusual and dangerous hobby that couldn’t offer anything of value to those practicing it, besides entertainment. However, that cannot be further from the truth, as shooting can have the same effect on you that meditation does. It opens up your mind, allows you to work on developing a technique, while it polishes your thoughts the same way meditation would.
All in all, if simply sitting down and meditating is not too appealing to you, maybe you can pick up shooting. It has the same effect, and you will have a lot of great things to gain from it.
Josh Montgomery: Top Elements to Consider When Looking for a Good Pistol.
January 22, 2019
Blogs gun design, handguns, pistols, shooting 2 Comments
So, it’s your first time buying a gun, but you don’t know what to look for and you feel overwhelmed. That’s normal, but choosing a handgun is actually not that hard if you consider some key factors. There are a lot of things to take into consideration, each of them contributing to the functionality of the gun itself, as well as how you will use it.
Guns are not toys, and this means that you can’t just easily pick one and start playing with it. They need to be carefully chosen and handled, so safety is ensured. So, if you don’t know what to look for in a good pistol, here are some tips to help you throughout the choosing process.
- Quality
Quality is one of the most important aspects when choosing any type of item. You want something that works properly and doesn’t pose any type of danger.
When it comes to handguns, the price rule could apply, depending on the model. That being said, it’s a case of “you get what you pay for”. If you buy a very cheap one, you might end up having issues with it later on, which is not something to long for. After all, it’s an object that’s meant to offer you protection, not cause you trouble. Also, why spend money on an unreliable firearm that doesn’t help you feel safe when you could spend more and end up with a high-quality one?
Generally, a good quality gun is around $500. If you think that a gun would make you feel much safer in your household, then you should really consider spending money wisely. Trying to protect your life with something cheap that barely works may only end badly on your behalf.
- Purpose
This aspect should be self-explanatory, as you must have a good reason for purchasing a handgun in the first place. Is it for self-defense, or because you want shooting to become a hobby? Regardless of your answer, this could help you choose the right type of gun only based on what you want to use it for. Therefore, make sure you have a clear picture of it in your head.
- Smooth Trigger
The trigger of the gun is really important, mostly because it needs to offer you control and accuracy when you shoot. Having said that, it’s relevant to have a trigger that’s smooth enough to make you feel in control.
Therefore, a smooth trigger can only help you shoot better in case of an emergency, not being in your way or making you feel unsure.
- Caliber
Each gun has a certain caliber, and it all comes down to what you’ll be using the gun for. As such, don’t expect a handgun to have the same caliber a hunting gun would have. For instance, if you only want a handgun that fits your pocket and will be used for safety only, you will look for a .380. Conversely, if you want something to accompany you when hunting, you should look for something bigger, like a .45ACP caliber gun. As you can see, it all comes down to the purpose of the weapon.
- Thumb Safety
Safety is an important factor when you’re looking for such a dangerous item, which is why you shouldn’t overlook the thumb safety either. It may feel way more comfortable to have a handgun with a mutual thumb safety as opposed to a trigger one. This all depends on the person, though, so it’s not a rule.
Therefore, regardless of the features that your weapon comes with, you should always remember to pay attention to the safety features. It contributes to the way you use the gun while reassuring you that you and those nearby will be safe in any situation.
- Grip Size
The grip is one of the most important factors too because you can’t just go with the first handgun you set your eyes on. It needs to have a grip of the perfect size, so you can operate it properly.
The only way to choose the perfect grip is when you actually pick up the pistol. It would be hard to know any other way. It’s one of those things that you are only able to discover once you experience them.
Basically, if the gun fits in your hand just right, then the grip is perfect. You should also know that there are handguns with replaceable backstraps and grips, thus allowing you to somehow adjust the grip. If you happen to have larger hands, it might be harder dealing with smaller weapons, as you will have a more difficult time finding one that fits.
- New or Second-Hand?
Would you rather buy a new gun, or save some money by buying a used one? This comes down to your personal decision, but it also depends on your buying habits and overall budget. There may be problems with it too, such as possibly buying a gun that doesn’t perform very well. For that reason, you should always take a good look at the seller, price and the gun itself before buying.
- Cleaning Ability
A pistol needs some cleaning every now and then, so you shouldn’t overlook this fact. It is important to choose a model that will be relatively easy to clean. You will also need a cleaning kit and some supplies that go along with your weapon. So, if you want it to function properly for a long time, you need to make sure it’s clean too.
Final Thoughts
Don’t go out there and purchase a gun like it’s a child’s toy. As you can see, there are many things to take into consideration, some of which were described above. Make sure you take a good look at any pistol before you buy and see if it could serve you for the right purpose before you spend your cash.
As such, whether you will choose a sub 1K pistol or not, you will be able to know if it’s the one that works the best for you.
John Adams – How To Shoot A Pistol More Accurately.
November 11, 2017
Blogs handgun accuracy, shooting, sight picture 3 Comments
If you’re a new shooter, shooting a pistol/handgun/revolver or whatever sort of weapon can be overwhelming, mainly due to the recoil of the weapon. The two biggest mistake made by gun rookies are looking at the target instead of the front sight, when the weapon is drawn out. Another mistake is that a new shooter will most likely jerk the trigger, thereby developing a bad flinch-mainly caused by the recoil of the gun.
The bad flinch in return would cause the shot to stray away from the target itself. Hence why, the key points on acquiring an accurate shot are mainly the side alignment and trigger control. Master both these aspects and you will most likely hit bullseye with every shot you take!
Basic Fundamentals for Good Pistol Shooting
Stance
No matter how amazing your shooting skills are, the right stance will ensure that you have a stable shooting platform, therefore contributing to consistent as well as accurate shots. You can say that the stance is basically the foundation of the shooting platform.
Ever heard of the popular ‘Isosceles’ stance? For this type of stance, the shoulder and hip are both parallel to the target meanwhile both hands are extended out. These shoulder, hip and hand stance and orientation contributes to the name of the stance, ‘Isosceles’ because it resembles an isosceles triangle from a top-down look.
The Weaver stance on the other hand is another shooting technique, suitable for handguns. The plus point of this type of stance is that it manages recoil fairly well. For this stance, you have to blade your body, placing your foot on the firing side back while turning the support side aimed towards your target. With arms extended, you are entitled for a stable push-pull grip.
Therefore, proper stance is very important for excellent stability when firing the shot. That being said, both of your feet should be planted firmly on the ground. Your knees should be approximately shoulder width apart and one leg slightly back from the other to manage recoil a lot better. If you’re practicing sitting however, to test your skills for example, the shoulder holster makes it rather easy to draw the weapon when you’re sitting.
Grip
There are ample as well as varieties of accessories available in the market so you are able to customize your grip, in order to provide perfect fit for your hands, when holding the firearm. In terms of hand orientation, firstly you need to get high on the tang with your dominant hand. Have your finger pointing towards the target and the rest of your hand placed comfortably on the grip.
The weaker hand (less dominant) is then used to wrap around the dominant hand comfortably, therefore locking the gun in place for excellent grip and to manage the recoil, when the pistol is fired.
Sight Picture
The sight picture refers to the picture of the target you’re aiming at. For proper aim and shooting at your target, you need to firstly focus on the target so you can roughly position your weapon. When you bring your weapon up, you will notice that the rear sights will come into a blurry focus.
Therefore, you should focus completely on your front sight post before taking a shot. An important tip is to make sure that the top of the front sight is properly and evenly aligned with the top of the rear sight. Once that is checked off your pre-shooting list, all you have to do is aim at the center of your target and voila, fire the shot.
Trigger Control
The main theory behind the trigger press is that you need pull the trigger straight back as smoothly as possible. I know it’s easier said than done, hence why you need to learn the right technique and apply the knowledge you know in the field during practice.
The smooth trigger pull will prevent bad flinching. For your information, flinching leads to the dropping of your muzzle and pulling of the weapon to the side. Having said that, your finger placement is the factor that mainly contributes in great trigger control. You shouldn’t place too much or too little of your finger on the trigger.
Putting the right amount of finger placement will ensure that the shot directly travel to the target. What happens if you put too little or too much finger? Well, your gun will swerve to either the left or right direction upon taking a shot, thereby causing your shot to stray from the target. Hence why, practice is essential so that you discover the right finger placement (vary according to the individual) when pulling your trigger.
Conclusion
Another extra tip! It’s better to bend or squat to retrieve your weapon because it would be rather slow to draw while standing so check out this ankle concealed carry to draw your weapon more efficiently. Once you have mastered all these fundamentals of shooting, you can improve the accuracy of your shot over time. Not only that, keep in mind that the two key points that influences the precision of your shot is the trigger control and side alignment. With all these techniques put into proper practice, you’ll surely become a great shooter.
Author bio: Meet John, an average man that enjoys everything outdoors. Check out his experiences and tips over at his blog!
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