Pro / Newb Tips - What would you tell me to help me to progress rapidly?

[Neoborn]

Hello Pros & Newbs,

I am a newb to shooting. I would like to advance in the most rapid fashion possible to becoming a confident competent accurate marksman / gun owner.

Please can all of you provide tips and information as to how I can do this:

1. What is the best way to hold (grip positions etc)& shoot my handgun and shotgun?

2. What are the most accurate positions for standing etc

3. What have you learned that if you could go back and tell yourself that would help you the most?

4. What glasses / earplugs would you recommend to yourself?

5. Have you learned any ways to save money with your sport?

I would really love to know the best way to find a mentor and purchase my first guns for a great price(Rem 870 Express / Wing & .22 rifle (ruger?))

Thanks for any information.

 

[ATOM]

There are any number of books and websites that will give you advice on positions, breathing control, trigger control, sight picture, etc. It's a topic unto itself and we could spend a week discussing it without hitting more than the high points.

That said, the simple answer is to almost all those questions is, "shoot." Shoot a lot. Then shoot some more. Like everything, it gets easier with practice.

IMHO, start off with a .22LR; there's nothing you can learn with a large-bore that you can't learn with a .22 and the ammo is just a fraction of the cost. I take a .22 with me every time I go to the range, just so I can shoot three times as many shots.

Shotguns are no longer something I shoot a lot, so I will let somebody else deal with those.

As to ear defenders, everybody has their own favourite. Some have advantages in one area, others are better in others. The important thing, all others being equal, is comfort. BTW, you don't have to stick with the pricey stuff in the local gun shop, either. Safety supply shops sell both plugs and ear muffs. So do a lot of hardware stores, etc.

Saving money? Can't be done. If you save $50 here, you'll find a way to spend it there. OK, seriously, the best way to save money learning how to shoot is to use a .22. Once you get into bigger rounds, you can find deals here and there, but the best way is often to reload your own. If you shoot a lot, you can get into significant savings pretty quickly.