If you read my post Blogs, Blogs and Gosh Darn More Blogs then you know I am a fan of the many wonderful blogs out there.
Guess what? Yesterday I found a new one!! This blog is especially great for the brand new shooter. Bill's post are full of extremely useful information that he lays out in a very easy to understand way.
Part of my frustration when I was first learning about guns was that my level of knowledge was so low, when I say low, I mean zero, so when someone on a blog would say DAO, I thought it was a typo for DOA(Dead on Arrival). I would like to say I am only joking here, but I am not. Even when a blogger included DAO(double action only), it didn't help me. Google was my best friend in those early days, which is why the protest the other day was so important to me. Not really why. Really, it was because our government is ticking me off, but...
I digress, the point being that I needed a much more basic explanation of things. Fortunately, I was motivated and if I didn't know I would just ask and as we all know, the bloggers were more than willing to help me, but it would have been nice to have a place where I could go that was more tailored to my level. Bill's blog is one such place.
The bloggers in the gun world are very talented, smart people which is wonderful, but often times, when I finished reading a post, I just felt deflated. Not being able to grasp what they were saying was maddening. That is my fault, not theirs. I just needed a place where I could go that would give me step by step guidance. There are a lot of courses that one can take offered through the NRA and I would suggest taking one or two or three, but in the mean time, the internet can be a great resources.
From the emails I am getting, I am realizing that I am not alone and truth be told there might be more of us in the clueless camp than in the expert camp(helpful hint: if you go to a blog that claims to know it all, they probably don't. The really smart ones share their knowledge, but always say they are still learning too)
So, from one brand new shooter to another, here are my suggestions:
First-Buy Cornered Cat: A Woman's Guide To Concealed Carry. It is not a complicated book. It is well thought out, easy to understand guide that is well worth the minimal investment. Having said that, the first time I read it, there was much I did not understand, but that's fine. It's a guide and I refer back to it constantly. The book gave me a place to start and each time I am exposed to something new, I pick up my copy and see what The Cornered Cat has to say about it.
Second-If you are feeling overwhelmed or like you are the only one, go back and read my old posts. You will see nothing could be farther from the truth. Not trying to be a post pusher here, just trying to give you a place to go if you need to feel better about yourself or smarter. I am not exaggerating when I say I needed help. Good news...I found it and so will you.
Third- Visit Bill's blog
Forth-If you visit a blog and you read something complicated about guns or ballistics or Green Tomato Bacon Pie(Ok,
that one is not complicated, but it looks so mouth watering, make your
knees weak, good that you have to go see it) that you do not understand...ASK! I think it is better to ask in the comments as opposed to an email and here's why: I am absolutely positive if you have the question so does someone else. You will be helping other women who are not ready to post publicly their questions. It's a community and you can help even if only by having the courage to ask. The second reason I suggest leaving a comment, is doing so, gives you access to more information. The blog host will most likely answer you, but in addition, so will a whole lot of other smart folks. Not everyone will answer in a way that your brain understand information, so the more people who respond the better chance you have of getting it. If you still do not understand, ask again. I am serious about this, keep asking until you are satisfied that you have a good grasp of the issue at hand.
Last-Relax! You do not have to understand DOA or SAO or 5.56 NATO(I use this example a lot because I just learned about it and it makes me happy that I know it) to know how to shoot. If you have taken a step, any step forward to make yourself safer, then I say BRAVO! EXCELLENT! WAY TO GO!! I am immensely proud of you(which may or may not mean anything to you, but regardless I am, so I am telling you so) and I can promise you, you will not be disappointed as you take this incredible journey towards greater freedom and dare I say it, a whole lot of fricken fun!!
P.S. this is not an exhaustive list of things you should do, but it's a place to start.
I got an NRA instructor to give me some range time when I bought my first pistol. That was invaluable. I went with friends who are skilled and simply watched.
ReplyDeleteI also had a friends take video with a camera of me shooting, not for the blog but to watch my stance, grip, everything. That helped a LOT (I didn't realize it but I was relaxing my grip after each shot, placement was still decent but it was not a good habit.)
Thanks for helping others learn.
Really good point Brigid!! I have not video taped any of my shooting sessions, but that is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThat video critique is something I think I will do when my wife and I go shooting next. I've spent some time teaching her grip and stance, but I like the idea of playback, so she can see what I see.
ReplyDeleteAsking questions is GOOD, even though us old farts know what we''re talking about, we tend to 'forget' new folks don't always know what the acronyms mean! And yes ask it in comments, if I don't answer immediately, one of the other commenters usually will!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation, I found some useful info already.
ReplyDeleteGotta say, as far as point 4 goes, you stated "You will be helping other women who are not ready to post publicly their questions." I would like to put forth that, as hard as this may be to believe, you may also be helping GUYS to understand. I'm relatively new to shooting, myself, and although I served 6 years in the Navy, I shot once...a handgun in bootcamp to "qualify" (should have gotten the Marksman ribbon, but the idiot counting didn't realize that 28 out of 30 holes in a saucer-sized cluster dead-center of the target, with NO extraneous holes meant that those two holes that looked larger than all the others were double-hits). They don't let the nukes play with guns on subs, for some strange reason. After the Navy, I never had the money, or knowledge, to start collecting. Call it pride, but I didn't want to go around admitting I'm a guy who knew nothing about firearms. Or football. Or baseball. Or badminton. Or anything but jogging, photography, and computers. Then, a few years back, my brother (an Army gun nut, bless his twisted soul) and his fiancee took me and my wife out shooting. We were hooked, but still didn't really know where to begin, because since I'm a guy, nobody really offered any suggestions or help at the range (did call my brother over to help clear a jam, though). We found www.corneredcat.com, which (despite the eye-jarringly pink background) offered some incredible advice...and, most importantly...links to other blogs. At that time, I'd also never really read a blog before. As of now, I have about 20 bookmarked that I read at least weekly, some daily, a couple refreshed hourly. I'm slowly picking up the terminology (I'm dyslexic, so picking up information is a slow and laborious process....and cross-eye dominant...basically, I'm screwed up), but blogs like this are a God-send of basic information. I know how my clients feel in the IT world when I explain stuff without using Crayons and "now move the clicky thing over the widdle Starty-button" (no, really...I have clients like that. *sigh*). Thanks again for your blog!!!
ReplyDeletefeel free to toss an e-mail my direction bud - while i was a Marine and have done quite a bit of shooting in the military, competitively, and for fun (lol as if the competitions were not fun,) i had a similar situation prior to shooting on my own and am always willing to help another marksman. oh and my solution to my dyslexia was to learn to read paragraphs rather than individual words or sentences lol
DeleteAs Old NFO says, 'we old farts know what we're talking about, we tend...' to forget to remember what we forgot or don't know and sometimes it shows. (chucklin', NFO- hadda make a play on your words).
ReplyDeleteToo, there are a tremendous number of shooters who truly are experts- with one or two weapons, not a whole system. Then there are a few who really do know what they're talking about with every firearm made. But they're rare as hen's teeth.
Now- about that 5.56 NATO- what can you tell emm about it? Is it the same as my .308 NATO or the 9mm NATO or the... (teasin', AGirl... been a while since I've done that. Tease AGirl, I mean. ;) )
Kirk, I stand corrected. Thank you formatting me straight! Thanks also for sharing part of your gun story with me, us!
ReplyDeleteShy Wolf, no the 5.56 is not the same as your .308. The 5.56 NATO is used in the M16 which is the same as the .223 Remington.. I believe the .308 Winchester cartridge is the same as the 7.62 NATO. I am not sure about the 9mm. I only it as a pistol cartridge, but you know, I have a lot to learn. I am positive there are differences that I have failed to mention, but for me, this is my understanding...feel free to correct a way.
not quite the same as the .223 but close 8P it's a bit hotter of a round than the .223. Yes 7.62 nato is .308 however. 9mm Nato is 9X19 parabellum (among it's 60 million names it seems like lol)
DeleteI occasionally complain (tongue in cheek) that I just can't keep up with all the blogs I follow, much less all of the great blogs out there. When I say that, I mean it as a way of saying that we have something the anti crowd can only dream of. I think you can hit their high points in about a half hour. I can spend all night catching up with just one day's posts from the ones I follow. On top of that, they are all top notch places and people, including here. You're on the money.
ReplyDeleteI sat down to read this blog post three times before I actually got to finish it and really absorb all of the info. The husband, dogs or my co-worker all needed attention! One of the things that I LOVE about you and your blog is that you are so open with all that you DON'T know, in addition to what you DO know. I really appreciate that. It's fun to learn from someone who is in the middle of the learning process as well. I think that sometimes, when people get to "expert" level, they kind of forget what it was like to be a neophyte and full of wonder and/or doubt. You can, undoubtedly, relate to much of what many of us are going through. As we've discussed, I was raised around guns, but the attitude was "These are dad's, they're always loaded and if you mess with them and the gun doesn't kill you, dad will." So, I had a healthy respect for guns, but an unhealthy fear. I was shaking so hard the first time I went to the range. And until recent events, never had any interest in actually carrying. Now, I'm going to the range, have FINALLY decided on my favorite gun (after shooting everything under the sun) and have it on layaway. I'm planning on taking my CWP in the near future as well as one of the NRA courses on protection inside and outside the home immediately thereafter. Reading your blog, your views and feelings about things have REALLY helped me feel less lonely about it all. NONE of my girlfriends have any interest in it and think I've lost my mind. At this point, none of us are even talking about my new found passion. And that's fine. Because of you, I've a TON of new resources to chew the fat about guns! So, THANK YOU! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI think you're dead-on... as an instructor, I try to create a "learning environment" that encourages questions, and I often purposely separate husbands and wives or boyfriends and girlfriends during class so they (especially the gals) feel comfortable to ask questions and try things for themselves without the "man" telling them or doing it for them... especially when the "man" doesn't always know everything and testosterone prevents us men from admitting as much...
ReplyDeleteDann in Ohio