PLEASE, if you are new to firearms, get some proper training!!!

[Jay]

A friend of mine that had just recently purchased his very first handgun (had never fired any handgun before) called me up to tell me he thinks there might be something wrong with the gun he bought after his "friends" let him use their private shooting range behind their house to go practice with it.

Now, back when he told me he had just bought a gun, I told him to come over so I could go over the basic firearm safety rules with him, inspect his gun, and let him use my target area out back to train on. I also told him he would be well advised to spend the money and go get some proper training.

Anyway, he obviously never did this, and now he is calling me to tell me that his friends took him out to their range, showed him where to stand and where to put the targets, then left him there to practice. Again, this guy doesn't even know the 4 basic safety rules at this point, let alone how to properly and safely fire his weapon. I asked him why if he wasn't going to go take a class didn't he at least come over and let me help him, and he said it was because he knows I have been busy lately.

So, I ask him why he thinks there is something wrong, and he says that out of 200 rounds he fired at the same target, he hit it only 18 times. I asked if he meant he hit the center 18 times, and he said no, he only hit the paper 18 times.

 

Well, to make a long story short, I figured out over the phone that he thought he had purchased a Smith and Wesson .40 DA/SA, when he actually purchased some funky old off brand DAO pistol. (It said .40 S&W on it.) On top of that, his friends had told him to practice from 30 YARDS OUT!

So here this brand new shooter is, standing 30 yards away from a paper target, trying to hit it off hand with a DAO .40 cal. pistol. Unbelievable.

PLEASE, get some proper training if you are new to firearms before you end up having a really bad experience. At least my friend got off with only wasting a couple boxes of ammo, and not ending up hurting himself or someone else. I'm glad he called me, because he was going to take his girlfriend and his folks back out the next time he went to teach them how to shoot.

[ranger04]

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just hit the reset button on the back of his head, erase any and all information he has "learned" about guns and start all over. Teach him the RULES, and when he violates them chew his ass! Fortunately, with his marksmanship skills you probably don't have to worry about him shooting you 

[JimP]

JUst as important, if not more so, than the Four Rules, is The Golden Rule of Tool Use, which is (repeat after me, class):

If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T,  until you can find instruction from somone who DOES. 

What you don't know can hurt you.  Badly.  Following this rule when dealing with anything more complicated than a small stick can save so much time, effort, pain, money, blood, sweat and tears.........  friends don't let friends live in ignorance........

[Aldo]

"Wouldn't it be nice if you could just hit the reset button on the back of his head,..."

ROL....I like that phrase.  I'd also like to do that with a couple of folks at my workplace! 

[Chris Z]

Phrase lifted from Front Sight:

95% of gun owners are "unconciously incompetent". "They do not know, that they do not know".

[Jesse T]

PLEASE, get some proper training

So does this mean you are opening up "Jays firearm training school"?



Seriously though. There are not near enough training opportunities around here (and not near enough people to fill classes, unfortunately)  Kind of a catch-22 situation. 

[Jay]

PLEASE, get some proper training

So does this mean you are opening up "Jays firearm training school"?



Seriously though. There are not near enough training opportunities around here (and not near enough people to fill classes, unfortunately.  Kind of a catch-22 situation. 

I said "proper" training, not Jay's redneck school of firearms and BBQ... One free burger with every lesson.   

And you are correct on both accounts, hence this post. Maybe if we could convince more people to seek out qualified instructors, there would be more classes available. That being said, even getting some good advice from members here on the board, or getting someone you know and trust to take you shooting and show you the ropes is better than trying to figure it out on your own.

[Rich B]

Back when I started shooting a few years ago, I checked the NRA website for pistol instructors in Nebraska.  None were listed.  Either there wasn't any or the NRA website didn't list them.   

1-on-1 training and small group training can really help.

[phorvick]

Back when I started shooting a few years ago, I checked the NRA website for pistol instructors in Nebraska.  None were listed.  Either there wasn't any or the NRA website didn't list them. 

To get listed on the NRA Training web site the instructor must submit the class notice, date, place, time etc.  I know that when I have done some classes in Minnesota, I do not always bother to post on the NRA site.

That being said, I know there are active NRA instructors in Nebraska, and have also wondered why there seems to be a relative few number of classes posted, if ever.

Yet, I have tried to have basic intro classessuch as the NRA official classes (First Steps, Basic Pistol etc) and the results have been very mixed.  But...I would be glad to do an official NRA First Steps Pistol class if there were any interest.  It is a fun class...designed for new shooters.  I bring a veritible plethora of handguns (and maybe an NFA item) and we have a fun, safe time.

Requirements: place to meet for the class portion, and a suitable range to use to use for a shooting exercise

If anyone was interested in setting one up....well....just e-mail me.

Paul Horvick
paul (at) shootingsafely.com

[A-FIXER]

Humm..........I wonder if to keep our sport alive I for one would be happy to meet others in the grand island area and feed the dirt lead, and share my knowledge with others if others like my self such as Jay offering a free burger with each class, all I can say is sign me up for the free chow.... I would be willing to give some back, to others like I not knowing what direction to go (like reloading) of our time when the weather warms nothing better than going out with new strangers and come back friends in the end.

[Ram Ringer]

Paul (phorvick),

I am a NRA ceritified instructor and would be willing to help put on some classes or even hold my own classes. Outside of work I haven't done any since I don't have a location for classes. I could probably work something out with the Ikes to use the range since I am a member, but it is my understanding that they won't let you use the clubhouse for this not to mention how much it costs to rent the club house. I could be wrong on this and Chris may have a better answer. I am certified to teach pistol, rifle, shotgun, home firearm safety, and both reloading sections. I am better with the metallic cartridge than the shotgun because I have more experience with the former than I do with the latter. I am also a certified range safety officer. If any trainers would like some help I would be willing to see what I can do. 

Maybe we need to see if there are any members that have a facility to hold the classes and/or the shooting part of the classes.

Thanks Galen Truan (Ram Ringer)

[duramax]

Anyone out in North Platte area, for training . Trying to get my wife in a beginners class. And to be honest , I could probably go with her. I have always been around and used guns for hunting and target practice . But really don't feel comfortable trying to teach her. Thanks

[David Hineline]

http://www.signal88security.com/training/Details.aspx?id=16

[Roper]

I purchased my black rifle last fall and spent most of the fall and spring getting familiar with it at the Ikes range in Lincoln.  Been around shot guns and hand guns for some time but not the AR platform.  Last month I went to Tulsa and took a 3 day tactical rifle class at the US Shooting Academy (www.usshootingacademy.com) .  This was a full three days - 8 hours per day on the range and in a shoot house.  We shot from close range to 300 yards and learned the basics of tactical shooting. They have a great shooting facility and professional instructors, I think the facility is 3-4 years old.  As a new shooter I have been looking for places to get good instruction and time on the range with quality instructors.  Thanks to this forum, I know know of the signal88security and D-Tac for alternative training ideas.  Thought you might like to know about the US Shooting Academy as well. 

[Rich B]

Thanks for the heads up, Roper.  If you could, please post a detailed AAR of your course at USSA. 

Here's one I did for the Signal 88 class:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=9&f=19&t=227791

[JimP]

"A friend of mine that had just recently purchased his very first handgun (had never fired any handgun before) called me up ......."

...... Friends don't let friends shoot themselves in the foot.......

[SeanN]

Yikes! Sounds like he needed a more experienced and safe shooter to explain to him exactly how everything works... And starting someone off at 30 yards with a pistol that they've never fired before when they're a complete gun noobie just seems cruel. That's setting someone up to fail. I've been shooting pistols awhile and I'm still quite sure I'd miss a lot of shots at 30 yards. Aren't only match barreled (long barreled) pistols actually accurate at that distance?

[JimP]

"Aren't only match barreled (long barreled) pistols actually accurate at that distance?"

What do you mean by "accurate" ?   I can't consisantly hit a bowling pin with my 5" .45 at 90 feet....... my 3" 9mm, on the other hand, does much better.   A man sized silhouette at that range? Cake.  Could I have done that the first day on the range..... probably not.

So...... who has taken theis guy under their wing?

[SeanN]

By accurate, I mean combat accurate and effective. I know I'm certainly not combat accurate (able to hit a silhouette consistently in the chest with almost every shot) with a pistol at that range.