I live by myself and after returning home to find things definitely not how I left them, my parents bought me a gun (kek thanks mom&dad). I've gone shooting a handful of times before and have had guns in the house (until my ex & I split up), but never had my own personal firearm to use/handle. I know the absolute basics (finger off trigger, don't point it in anyones direction at any time ever period unless you're intending to shoot them, treat it likes its loaded even if you're positive it's not, etc etc), but I want to get really comfortable with it. Tips/advice/suggestions, preferably on the affordable end?
I haven't even looked at it in person yet (taking it home tomorrow morning) but I know it's a glock 380 & I live in WI (don't have enough land to practice shooting on) but am planning to move to FL, if location is important
Start by learning the 4 Rules of Gun Safety if you don't already know them.
All guns are always loaded.
Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to shoot.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
The 4th rule can get you in some unintended trouble. Passthrough can cause injury and property damage.
Hollows for carry, FMJ for practice
5th rule I just learned the hard way: Pay attention to the direction your magazine is facing before jamming it all the way in. After a VERY embarrassing phone call to my cousin (a lieutenant colonel, no less) that helped my parents pick out the gun when they were visiting, my dad was able to un-lodge it. I am mortified.
No one was hurt. A lesson was learned. Sounds like a good outcome.
Yeah haha that’s what I told myself to make myself feel better after dying a thousand deaths. My dad made me send this picture to my cousin (after he was FINALLY able to remove the slide) and I have never heard that man belly-laugh so hard. Brb crawling under a rock.
Practice checking the chamber. Don't hand it over loaded EVER. Make sure you understand what type of safety it is. Practice (not loaded) flicking safety off as you draw.
If you leave the house, make sure you understand your laws. Some states are very strict, other .....not so much.
recently retired grunt, so I've been around them a ton, but if you havent, I'd probably recommend and a class at local shooting club. They're pretty cheap and they'll talk you through safety, grip, sight picture etc.
congrats brother...Oh, and never touch it while your drinking beers!
Never while drinking! Dont be this retard https://youtu.be/Ywk_lDhKlW8 Didn't remove the magazine before removing the chambered round, idiot immediately loads another round.
It happens a lot - I can't tell you the guys I know...very experienced guys that ND after pulling there guns while drinking
https://www.itargetpro.com/
I second this. Excellent way to practice!
Alright, here's the deal. Bad training will undo good training. So don't just do anything. Asking for advice online can be helpful but cna hurt you if you get bad advice.
For the legal aspects of lethal use of force, Massad Ayoob and Andrew Branca are the best resources you'll find. Ayoob's Deadly Force and Branca's Law of Self Defense are the gold standard on that.
As far as learning and using the pistol, a 380 is considered about the most basic level of round for personal self defense. It's fine but you'll want to get quality HP ammunition. This may be a problem as it's all backordered everywhere. Look up reports and tests on the ammo you choose and how it shoots out of your barrel length. Shoot a few to test its cycle through your weapon.
As far as training, seek out the local range and ask who they have with a good reputation in your area. You'll want to learn how to carry your weapon and conduct a proper drawstroke and acquiring a sight picture. Dry firing may assist with this practice. You need to develop muscle memory. Generally the fight goes to the person who can put hits on target first so it's crucial to get that down.
This isn't really something that can be taught in a few paragraphs. So it's hard to say precisely what should be done in brief but you'll want to secure the fundamentals.
Shoot as much as possible and become one with the gun
Lots of good beginner guides on YouTube. Dry fire training is best now due to ammo shortage. I havent seen anything but .40 and .357 sig in my state for about a month, so I'd treat the rounds you have like royalty. Keep training on safety and if you can take a concealed carry course. Make sure you learn about how to take care of the gun too, keep it nice and clean. Hope this helps.
If you cant shoot, Dry fire Dry fire dry fire!!! just always do it 100x's a day. Fundamentals
You might want to get a life jacket for your gun because its pretty common for people to lose there firearms in boating accidents... maybe just avoid boats and lakes altogether.
Research and practice is your friend. Go to ccw classes even if you don't carry.
If you pull the trigger and your sights move... there is little point in sight alignment, grip and stance. Work on pulling that trigger with no ammo in the room and the gun is clear and double checked unloaded.
Check out your local conceal carry course, even if you dont intend on carrying now. They often also teach other fundamentals classes. My conceal course was fun and 75$.
See if your local range has training classes. Those are usually a good way to get acclimated to rules and good habits
Yes. Do a lot of it. Practice makes perfect, and shooting is fun :)
There's a youtube channel Tampa Carry that has a free 30-day dry fire challenge. Highly recommended.
A .380 is a good back up ccw or if need be, an okay primary ccw. Unfortunately there’s a shortage on both firearms and ammunition, so beggars can’t be choosers. I’d just recommend watching some videos on dry fire training. And maybe a .22 caliber pistol for target practice. Because it’s still readily available.
147gr in a 380?
Wut?
find an outdoor range that is facing downwind. Blow up a bag of balloons and send them a few at a time down range. shoot at the balloons at about 20 yards. the farther they get the harder they are to hit. learn not to let any baloons get away.
dry fire don't disturb the sight picture
Fuck you that's terrible advice.
I'm sure he was "kidding".
Xir has the secret hand shake. And comes out with terrible advice. To learn how to properly use a gun. But I'm the in the wrong.
Practice on the commies as they are being thrown out of helicopters and see how many hits you get before they hit the ground... in minecraft of course