I have gone hunting with my fiancé and am going to take my hunter and trapper safety course. I have not shot anything since I was a child about 15 years ago, I am looking for any good websites for beginners that break down rifles particularly and would give me a general idea of what i am doing as i do have someone to supervise he just isn't an overly enthusiastic teacher. I would like to sound slightly educated on the subject.. thank you
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New to firearms.. advice needed
- Thread starter blossom80
- Start date
Welcome aboard Blossom. There are probably a number of good places to check, but I suspect this site will give you a pretty good source of info- http://nssf.org/shooting/.
I started to suggest finding another coach/mentor/teacher in your area, but you said "fiance'", so I think I see your point in wanting to learn what you can between the two of you. That's really cool that there are still couples who take on shooting sports together.
Congratulations on your upcoming big day!
I started to suggest finding another coach/mentor/teacher in your area, but you said "fiance'", so I think I see your point in wanting to learn what you can between the two of you. That's really cool that there are still couples who take on shooting sports together.
Congratulations on your upcoming big day!
.
Welcome to TFL !
The best basic knowledge for a beginner is: Treat EVERY gun you touch as if it were loaded, and ready to fire.
Knowledge is power, but FWIW, there's no need for anyone to feel embarassed about their lack of knowledge, especially at a Hunter Safety class - which is one of the better ways to obtain gun knowledge.
Another way would be to speak directly with a local gun club member - who are usually avid educators (although there's a chance you might also receive some biased advice, depending on their personal preferences).
Good Luck to the both of you !
.
Welcome to TFL !
The best basic knowledge for a beginner is: Treat EVERY gun you touch as if it were loaded, and ready to fire.
Knowledge is power, but FWIW, there's no need for anyone to feel embarassed about their lack of knowledge, especially at a Hunter Safety class - which is one of the better ways to obtain gun knowledge.
Another way would be to speak directly with a local gun club member - who are usually avid educators (although there's a chance you might also receive some biased advice, depending on their personal preferences).
Good Luck to the both of you !
.
Thats a tough one, the best help is an enthusiastic partner or an older person (relative or not) that is interested in helping someone get good basics and the knowledge aspect at least started and hopefully a good sounding board as you progress.
I was at a gun store the other day and the counter guy was trying to force a young lady into a gun she did not like. To me thats really wrong. Even if the gun she like and felt good was was not the forever gun, it was what she needed to get started and she could sell it latter and get something in a larger caliber.
Along with the other learning curve part is finding someone what is willing to work with you and how you work, not force a preconceived notion. Take a training course and ask around or if you are shooting, assess the people who are shooting and ask for help. You can quickly sort out those who want to help vs those who want to force their views on someone. Body language is a good indicator, people who are grinning and enjoying themselves but not clowning around are good candidates. My brother and I offer help when we see someone struggling.
Keep in mind the ones who jump in to help may not be the ones you want to associate with.
My brother and I try to be very careful. We are both sensitive to the "pickup" angle and try to offer any assistance in such a manner that the person can opt out without having to push back.
Too many grew up with it and don't realize what it takes to pretty much start from scratch. They tend to be dictatorial and take the fun out of it.
The best benchmark is if you are not having a good time then something is wrong and assess what part of that is not right. Shooting is fun so its usually people who are the problem though sometimes equipment is the problem as well (sometimes in combination)
Mostly you need to get started with something you are comfortable with. A good 22 if you can afford it (something in the CZ price range line). Its never wasted as they continue to be fun to shoot and are accurate you won't grow out of or get frustrated with it not returning some good feelings by shooting it well.
Also possible to take up where you left off 15 years ago if you had a caliber you were shooting well.
The other hard part is whats next on the list when you start to get an idea of where you want to go up from there.
Its going to take some work and sorting to get the direction and hopefully find a good adviser and or teacher combination. Also the fiancee may not be really happy with a man doing that so do not discount a woman who is a shooter and willing to share and or assist.
I was at a gun store the other day and the counter guy was trying to force a young lady into a gun she did not like. To me thats really wrong. Even if the gun she like and felt good was was not the forever gun, it was what she needed to get started and she could sell it latter and get something in a larger caliber.
Along with the other learning curve part is finding someone what is willing to work with you and how you work, not force a preconceived notion. Take a training course and ask around or if you are shooting, assess the people who are shooting and ask for help. You can quickly sort out those who want to help vs those who want to force their views on someone. Body language is a good indicator, people who are grinning and enjoying themselves but not clowning around are good candidates. My brother and I offer help when we see someone struggling.
Keep in mind the ones who jump in to help may not be the ones you want to associate with.
My brother and I try to be very careful. We are both sensitive to the "pickup" angle and try to offer any assistance in such a manner that the person can opt out without having to push back.
Too many grew up with it and don't realize what it takes to pretty much start from scratch. They tend to be dictatorial and take the fun out of it.
The best benchmark is if you are not having a good time then something is wrong and assess what part of that is not right. Shooting is fun so its usually people who are the problem though sometimes equipment is the problem as well (sometimes in combination)
Mostly you need to get started with something you are comfortable with. A good 22 if you can afford it (something in the CZ price range line). Its never wasted as they continue to be fun to shoot and are accurate you won't grow out of or get frustrated with it not returning some good feelings by shooting it well.
Also possible to take up where you left off 15 years ago if you had a caliber you were shooting well.
The other hard part is whats next on the list when you start to get an idea of where you want to go up from there.
Its going to take some work and sorting to get the direction and hopefully find a good adviser and or teacher combination. Also the fiancee may not be really happy with a man doing that so do not discount a woman who is a shooter and willing to share and or assist.
TheGunDude
Inactive
Never too late to start!
Welcome Blossom!
I am glad to see couples are enjoying this sport together still! Although I am new to this forum I was raised around guns by all members in my family. It was more of a lifestyle but each person had their own preferences as far as favorite gun, best caliber, best stance for the most accurate shot and enough personal traditions to write a book between them all! As kids, we pulled pieces from here and there and found out what worked best for us individually and adopted our own style.
The idea to talk to members of local gun clubs to gather info and advice is great! Get as much info as you can and whenever possible (and when you feel comfortable) shoot as many different guns as you can. Familiarize yourself with different types and brands of weapons. YouTube is a great resource for knowledge as well. I have spent hours on YouTube just looking at people shooting guns and giving their reviews. Very resourceful. Don't take any advice as Bible though. Everyone has their own opinions.
Number one though is safety. Every gun is loaded. No matter how many times you check the chamber it is still a loaded weapon. First think you do when you take a weapon out of the gun safe or receive it from another person, you check the chamber to make sure there is nothing in it. Never point a gun barrel in the direction of anyone. Keeps your guns up out of reach of children and keep them locked. When shooting for sport or hunting, always be sure of your target and what is beyond. Don't ever shoot at water; bullets can reflect off the surface of water just like a skipping stone. The biggest preventer of gun related accidents is education. A lot of big cities have gun safety classes and those aren't bad classes to have under your belt.
Good luck and have fun!
Welcome Blossom!
I am glad to see couples are enjoying this sport together still! Although I am new to this forum I was raised around guns by all members in my family. It was more of a lifestyle but each person had their own preferences as far as favorite gun, best caliber, best stance for the most accurate shot and enough personal traditions to write a book between them all! As kids, we pulled pieces from here and there and found out what worked best for us individually and adopted our own style.
The idea to talk to members of local gun clubs to gather info and advice is great! Get as much info as you can and whenever possible (and when you feel comfortable) shoot as many different guns as you can. Familiarize yourself with different types and brands of weapons. YouTube is a great resource for knowledge as well. I have spent hours on YouTube just looking at people shooting guns and giving their reviews. Very resourceful. Don't take any advice as Bible though. Everyone has their own opinions.
Number one though is safety. Every gun is loaded. No matter how many times you check the chamber it is still a loaded weapon. First think you do when you take a weapon out of the gun safe or receive it from another person, you check the chamber to make sure there is nothing in it. Never point a gun barrel in the direction of anyone. Keeps your guns up out of reach of children and keep them locked. When shooting for sport or hunting, always be sure of your target and what is beyond. Don't ever shoot at water; bullets can reflect off the surface of water just like a skipping stone. The biggest preventer of gun related accidents is education. A lot of big cities have gun safety classes and those aren't bad classes to have under your belt.
Good luck and have fun!
Unlicensed Dremel
Moderator
Well believe it or not, plain old Wikipedia is pretty good. Just starting linking from one to another.
and, you could do worse than this site, for a starting point, espec. for military rifles:
http://world.guns.ru/
Beyond that, just browsing Gunbroker.com might not be too bad. Or budsgunshop.com or impactguns.com, just to get an idea of types, names, etc.
and, you could do worse than this site, for a starting point, espec. for military rifles:
http://world.guns.ru/
Beyond that, just browsing Gunbroker.com might not be too bad. Or budsgunshop.com or impactguns.com, just to get an idea of types, names, etc.