Become a Gun Expert

So you would like to be a gun expert, hey? If you are interested in guns and would like to know more about them, begin with gaining a respectful attitude toward guns. Keep a strong sense of their potential for harming you and/or others, if care and caution are not always observed in their handling. This article and, perhaps, several other websites should help to get you started on the right track.

From there, you can enroll in many excellent gun training schools such as GunSite, FrontSight, and many local NRA certified instructor led classes to further your knowledge and skills. Whether you are interested in hunting, competitive shooting, or home defense, the options are limitless as to where to take your new found knowledge of guns. Expert handling of guns takes time and energy, but is certainly a worthwhile and rewarding venture.

Throughout, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you're never truly an expert: every teacher is still a student. It's a well known fact that most accidents on the range come from the "experts," not the novices. Complacency is a dangerous thing to mix with firearms.

Steps

  1. Know proper firearm safety. There are a few things that you must ALWAYS remember when dealing with guns. These rules are very basic, but CRITICAL and cannot be stressed enough. Without these, you will get hurt ... it is just a matter of when not if. Guns are NOT toys; there is no room for tom-foolery or games with them. They are tools made to do one thing. Remember that and you will do well. If you are unable or unwilling to always abide by these simple rules, then you certainly should stay away from guns and save yourself a lifetime (possibly a short one) of grief. With that said, here are rules to live by (literally).
    • "Unloaded" guns kill: How? Consider, "All guns are always loaded." Meaning, removing the ammo magazine does not unload the chambered cartridge. Never assume a gun is safe until you have personally checked the firing chamber for the last cartridge, and verified it is unloaded, as well.
    • Always keep your finger off of the trigger until you are ready to shoot
    • Never point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy ... always keep your gun pointed in a safe direction.
    • When shooting, always know your target and what is beyond it.
  2. Store your gun in a safe manner away from children's reach

Types of Firearms

  1. Know many kinds of guns. There is no way that an article such as this could describe every variation, but here are some major types of guns available today.
    • Revolvers - These are what is sometimes affectionately called "wheel-guns" or "six-shooters". Old west handguns were typically single action, 6-shot revolvers. Today you can still buy these, but additionally double-action, or DA/SA variations in 5-shot, 6-shot, and even a few 7-, 8-, and 10-shot variations.
    • Automatic Pistols - These are more modern by design, though they have still been around for roughly 100 years. These typically hold more rounds than a revolver (typically 7-18 rounds), but are more mechanically complex. These are what are usually referred to as "semi-autos" or "autoloaders." They come in single action (which, unlike SA revolvers, do not require the shooter to manually pull back the hammer for each shot), double action, and combination SA/DA variations. These are used widely for military, police, and home defense applications.
    • Rifles - These fall into a number of broad categories - Muzzle Loading, Bolt-Action, Lever-Action, Pump-Action, and Semi-Automatic. These are used primarily for hunting and military use.
    • Assault Rifles - Common in military use, fully automatic or select fire rifle with a high capacity detachable box magazine.
    • Sub Machine Guns - Fully Automatic firearms that are chambered with caliber pistol rounds, mainly used by Law Enforcement tactical teams and bodyguards. They are mostly phased out in the military in favor of ultra-compact assault rifles but they are still present in the military in a much more limited role.
    • Shotguns - These differ from the rest of the guns mentioned above in that by and large they don't shoot a single bullet (though you can have solid slugs available). For the most part, these shoot cartridges full of small pellets of a particular size (the "shot"). They also fall into categories like single shot, double barrel, pump, semi-automatic, and even lever action. They are used in everything from military and law enforcement, to civilian defense as well as hunting a wide variety of animals.
  2. Visit gun shops, gun shows, and ranges to learn a lot about guns. People in those places will often be more than just willing to tell you a lot, if you ask and listen intently.

Handgun Ammunition

  1. Know your Handgun Rounds

    • .25 ACP & .32 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol): These are convenient for small carry weapons, lack recoil, but provide little stopping power. If absolute minimal size of weapon is critical, these calibers are going to be your choices.
    • .38 Special: It is a traditionally popular round for protection and was carried for many years by law enforcement personnel. It is still used relatively widely as a personal protection round. It can be shot from .357 Magnums, but with less energy and less kick. Very inexpensive and a decent defensive option with the right bullets.
    • .357 Magnum: The scaled up version of the .38 special. A powerful round, effective for stopping medium game, this is used in large and small revolvers for hunting and personal protection. This round has a LOT of penetration potential so use for home protection isn't always advisable (see rule - know your target and what is behind it ... like your neighbor's house!) Remember, a .38 Special will go into a .357 Magnum gun, but not the reverse.
    • 9mm Parabellum: A great all-around cartridge, widely used by law enforcement and popular for civilians. Also known as 9x19mm, 9mm NATO, and 9mm Luger.
    • .380 ACP: Considered by some to be the minimum effective defensive round, it is actually a 9mm short, being 9x17mm versus the 9x19mm. While the 9mm is certainly a more effective protection round, if you are extremely recoil sensitive, or need a very minimal sized weapon, this would be a round to consider. Also known as the 9mm K (Kurz, or short in German.)
    • 10mm Auto: A high pressure, potent semi-auto round, roughly equivalent to the put-down power of a .41 magnum. Originally slated to be an FBI round, the somewhat snappy recoil proved to be a bit much for many attempting to qualify, so instead it has found its niche with some hunters and other enthusiasts. It is not widely used, but still has a following.
    • .40 S&W (Smith & Wesson): A round devised by S&W when the FBI was conducting research on making the 10mm more manageable. It is essentially just a shortened 10mm, with a slighter lighter potential for hot loads and similar bullets. It is unique in that it can be fired out of 9mm Parabellum sized guns, a big reason for it's widespread adoption.
    • .41 Magnum: A more potent round than the .357 magnum, but not quite so hot a round as a .44 magnum. This round is typically used in revolvers for hunting smaller to medium game. It has potent amount of put-down energy, with slightly less kick as its .44 big brother.
    • .44 Special: This round is pretty much a ".44 short". It can be shot from .44 Magnums, but with less energy and less kick. A much more pleasant round to shoot from a .44 Magnum for target practice, and also used in smaller "snub-nosed" revolvers for personal defense.
    • .44 Magnum: A VERY potent round, and popular for hunting medium game, and as a hunting backup weapon for same. Remember, a .44 Special will go into a .44 Magnum gun, but not the reverse.
    • .45 Long Colt: The classic "cowboy round". An effective round by any standard, found mostly in the single action "cowboy style" revolvers of yesterday and today.
    • .45 ACP: Used during WWII and several other conflicts, this is a very effective round for protection. Still used by many law enforcement agencies, its perfect match of bullet weight with relatively low velocity equals some serious short range stopping power. This and the 9mm are two of the most popular types of handgun ammunition in use.
    • .45 GAP [Glock Automatic Pistol]: Essentially a .45 ACP slightly down-sized to work in a 9mm size Glock pistol, the .45 GAP is nearly identical in performance. Not nearly as popular as the .45 ACP, however due to limited availability of reloading components and factory ammunition.
    • .454 Casull: The .454 Casull can deliver a 250 grain (16 g) bullet with a muzzle velocity of over {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} per second (580 m/s), developing more than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}•lbf (2.7 KJ) of energy. Until the release of the S&W .460 and the .500 Magnum, the Casull was the most powerful handgun round available.
    • .460 S&W: This magnum round drives a 200 grain. .45 caliber bullet at speeds around 2,300 fps. It is somewhat eclipsed by its big brother (the .500 magnum), but is still a very formidable round for hunting.
    • .50 AE [Action Express]: Most commonly used in the Desert Eagle handgun, basically a "Magnum" .50 round. Considered too powerful for personal defense use.
    • .500 S&W Magnum: This is the new "big boy" on the block. It is presently "the most powerful handgun ever made". Designed to take down a bear, its recoil and report are far too potent for any personal defense applications; it can fire a 500 grain bullet at .30-30 rifle speeds. It's only practical application is as a bear, pig, or large game backup gun. If your hunting rifle lets you down, this is the gun you want strapped to your side... or perhaps something more controllable. Note-The extra zero is negligible and does not denote bigger size.

Rifle Ammunition

  1. Know your Rifle Rounds
    • .17 HMR [Hornaday Magnum Rimfire]: A Rimfire round, a smaller 22 WMR. Bullet goes much faster than a 22 Long Rifle or 22 WMR, but it shoots a smaller bullet.
    • .22 Long Rifle: A rimfire round, inexpensive to shoot, ideal for target shooting and small varmints. Commonly used in handguns as well.
    • .22 WMR [Winchester Magnum Rimfire]: Also a rimfire round, it is a .22 magnum, with a significant bit more punch than a standard .22.
    • .223 Remington: A cartridge based on the earlier .222 Remington, effective against small game. It is essentially civilian version of the 5.56mm round, though not strictly interchangeable. It is frequently used for precision shooting.
    • .243 Winchester: A necked-down .308 Winchester casing, widely used for deer and small game. Has a very flat trajectory and is one of the more common sporting calibers in the US.
    • .270 Winchester: A necked-down .30-06 Springfield. Similar to the .243 and an extremely flat shooter.
    • 5.56x45mm NATO: The intermediate round used by most western militaries, known for its low recoil. Some examples of firearms utilizing this caliber are the M16/AR-15 series, the British SA80, French FA-MAS, German G36, Belgian FNC and many other military rifles and light machine guns. Almost exactly the .223 Remington cartridge, though not completely interchangeable.
    • .30-30 Winchester: A round used in the old "cowboy" rifles and still fairly popular today for deer hunting, the .30-30 is a bit on the weak side when compared to it's modern counterparts.
    • .30-06 Springfield: One of the older US rounds, devised by John Moses Browning for the M1903 Springfield rifle. One of the most common rounds in the US today and powerful enough to take down most game.
    • .308 Winchester: A slightly down-sized .30-06 designed to be more manageable in auto-loading designs. A very common round worldwide.
    • 7.62x39mm M47: Rifle Round most commonly used in the AK-47 series and the SKS, probably the most common ammunition round in the world, and is slightly more powerful than the 5.56mm round, but in much the same overall power level.
    • 7.62x51mm NATO: Rifle round used in "Battle Rifles" which are assault rifles chambered for high power calibers. Size is similar to the .308 Winchester but they are not strictly interchangeable. Most Cold-War NATO battle rifles chamber this round, including the M14, G3 series and FAL.
    • 7.62x54mmR (rimmed): A rimmed rifle round used by the Russians in WW1 in their Mosin Nagant rifle, and later on the PK machine gun and SVD sniper rifle. The oldest round still in military service, and available reasonably cheap as military surplus. Note- while it is rimmed, this round is centerfire.
    • 8mm Mauser: Actually a 7.92, the 8mm was introduced in WW1, one of the very first rimless rifle cartridges. It is on par with the .30-06 in terms of power and is very popular in Europe.
    • .303 Enfield: A British rimmed round used since before WW1. Though no longer in service with any military today, Enfield rifles and ammunition are commonly available, and the combination is very popular in Europe.
    • .45-70 Govt.: A cartridge developed in the days before smokeless powder, the .45-70 was used in the famous "Trapdoor Springfield rifle" after the Civil War. Used in Custer's last stand. Very powerful, but still outclassed by modern chamberings.
    • .50 BMG [Browning Machine Gun]: Designed as machine gun round powerful enough to destroy tanks, this 12.7mm round has enough power to literally rip a man in two. In recent years, it has been used in a number of precision rifles for anti-material use.

Tips

  • Some definitions:

      • Rimfire Cartridge: The primer resides along the outer rim of the base of the cartridge case. It cannot be reloaded like centerfire cartridges as the casing is deformed after the firing.
      • Centerfire Cartridge: The primer resides in the center of the base of the cartridge case. It can be reloaded after it is fired.
      • Single action (SA) revolver: a revolver requiring the hammer to be manually set (cocked) for each shot. The trigger then causes the hammer to strike the primer.
      • Single action (SA) pistol: unlike the SA revolver, the SA pistol only needs to be cocked before the first shot. The slide's action will cock it for subsequent shots. Many of these have no external hammer, which means that a round in the chamber means it is cocked.
      • Double action (DA): a revolver in which the hammer is cocked automatically in the first part of the trigger pull. Many of these can also be fired SA, as well, significantly lightening the trigger.
      • Double action only (DAO) pistol: a pistol in which there is no external hammer and the trigger pull cocks the internal mechanisms. These have longer, heavier trigger pulls than SA pistols.
      • Double/Single (DA/SA) pistol: a pistol which can be fired in double action or single action mode. These are commonly carried uncocked, as the first pull of the trigger will cock it before firing, and the action of the slide will cock it for the next shot, lightening the trigger for follow-up shots.
      • Black-powder rifle: each shot requires the powder, primer, and then the bullet be loaded into the gun. Commonly called muzzleloaders, as they are loaded down the barrel.
      • Single shot: a gun that cannot accept a magazine and has no internal magazine. It must be manually reloaded between shots.
      • Bolt-action: a bolt must be manually operated between shots to eject the spent casing and feed the next cartridge.
      • Lever-action: like a bolt action, but worked with a lever attached to the trigger guard.
      • Pump-action: like the bolt and lever actions, one must work the firearm's action manually. In this case, the fore end has a grip that must be pulled backward, then pushed forward. Common in shotguns, some rifles also use this action.
      • Semi-automatic: fires one round per trigger pull with no other operation required between trigger pulls.
      • Full-automatic: when the trigger is squeezed, it will fire until the magazine is expended or the trigger is released.

Warnings

  • Limit your exposure to lead in the bullets. At a shooting range, you are more likely to get lead poisoning than you are to get shot accidentally or intentionally. At indoor (and even outdoor) shooting ranges, it is possible you will be breathing in a trace amounts of lead dust (though even the most active shooters rarely experience too much of a problem from this, you should be aware of it). As long as the range is well-ventilated, there should be no problem.
  • Guns are dangerous when used by the ignorant; make sure you know exactly what is going on at all times. Guns are not inherently unsafe ... but people are. Stupidity on the part of people is the reason for most gun related incidents.

Avoid threat and assault

  • After a trip to the range, wash your hands thoroughly with cold water (to minimize absorption) or you risk ingesting lead or getting it into your eyes. This is especially important when using unjacketed bullets.
  • Follow the four basic rules of firearm safety:
    • 1. Always treat the gun as loaded, until you, personally, look at the empty firing chamber.
    • 2. Never point the muzzle at anything that you do not mean to destroy.
    • 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire and aiming, on target.
    • 4. Always know where the bullet will end up (allow no blind-shots or negligence).
  • Never threaten (a promise is okay). Simple threat - is not an assault (so, do not complicate/or aggravate a threat by brandishing [waving] a bat, knife or gun "in a 'clearly' threatening manner"):[1]
    • Simple assault - unwanted touching, or imminent (expected soon), offensive, unprivileged (without reason or cause), unlawful, and offensive touching (unreasonably forcing affection is "possibly" an assault, family-law may differ from other law).
    • Aggravated assault - an attempt or offer to do violence to or rape another, during commission of another serious crime. The act of "showing clear intent to do serious and bodily harm to another person", such as with a weapon, as a gun may be chargeable/or judged as a criminal assault, if the "reasonable person (a judge or jury) would likely see those actions as such a clear intent of such harm" -- 'because' there is that menacing, present means of carrying out such clear intent.
    • Self Defense. In turn, a second person has the right to necessary defense of oneself and others, third persons, being so threatened of an assault, and possibly with deadly force to stop the perpetrator/actor -- 'before-or-during' a "sudden, violent attack"[2] ("night invasion" - entering a residence without permission at night is often considered as a reason to believe that it is a deadly assault, details vary).

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/assault Assault
  2. ↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/self-defense?&o=100074&s=t Self Defense
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