Cartridge Parts—The New Shooter’s Dictionary
Welcome to the First Shots New Shooter’s Dictionary!
As a new shooter, you might feel overwhelmed by all the terminology surrounding guns and ammunition. Believe it or not, knowing many of these terms and their definitions isn’t just a matter of trivia, but actually a matter of safety. To help you learn the ropes and safely buy and use your firearms and ammunition, we’re introducing “First Shots Firearms Dictionary” by Philip Massaro. Philip is a custom handloader and avid hunter who has written two books on reloading and ammunition. This month’s subject is …
Read MoreTaking Care of Your Guns Before You Store Them
After you purchase a gun, you must store it properly. But, just like that lovely vintage lace dress from your great grandmother or a treasured coin collection from your favorite uncle, you must take care of your newly acquired item properly before storing it.
Read MoreGun Safety Begins With You
Did you know?
- The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Project ChildSafe program helps coordinate distribution of firearm safety kits which include a free cable-style gun lock. Since Project ChildSafe’s inception, more than 36 million safety kits have been donated throughout the U.S.
- Firearm-related fatalities in the U.S. have been decreasing consistently since record keeping began in 1903 and dramatically in the last 20 years.
- More than 600 different organizations have signed on to support the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s “Own It? Respect It. Secure It.” campaign, designed to help prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
What is a Modern Sporting Rifle?
Rifles are incredible tools. From a distance, a hunter can take a large animal that will put food in the freezer to feed your family for the year. A farmer can stop a predator or nuisance animal from destroying crops and livestock. And anyone, from homeowner to serious competitor to weekend plinker, can hone their skills with practice and gain proficiency to shoot over distances of a 1,000 yards or more.
Read MoreFour Things You Can Do With a Rifle (Besides Hunt)
Barbara is more of a hunter than I am and, in this issue of First Shots News, she tells you how to get started in hunting. While I hunt a little bit, mostly ducks and geese, she’s hardcore and chases down ill-tempered wild boars with flint knives—at least that’s what I’ve heard, and I’m sticking by that story.
Read MoreHow to travel with a firearm
“Have gun, will travel,” is not as simple as it sounds.
Whether you’re planning to attend a competition, going on a distant hunt, or just want to take along a firearm for your own personal-defense when you travel away from home, you absolutely need to know the rules of how to legally travel with your gun.
Read MoreMeet the Shotgun
Let’s take a look at what makes a shotgun a shotgun. If you rely on Hollywood for your information, a shotgun can never miss and is capable of knocking a 1970 Pontiac GTO clear across Hazzard County. In reality, they’re not quite like that, but a shotgun is one very versatile gun. Competition, recreation, hunting and home defense — a shotgun can do it all. Tom McHale provides a look at the types of shotguns and other things you should know.
Read MoreBuying Your First Handgun
Have you have made the decision to purchase your first handgun? As Barbara Baird writes, “Maybe you’ve just come from a First Shots pistol course or another class that introduced you to the shooting sports, or maybe this idea has been taking root for a long time? For whatever reason, you’re ready to purchase your first handgun. Even if you know which gun you want to buy, it’s helpful to go through this checklist to see if it truly fits your needs.”
Read MoreRevolver or Semi-Auto: What’s Right For You?
For this inaugural issue of First Shots News, Tom McHale addresses one of the most persistent, and challenging, decisions for new shooters: revolver or semi-auto? As Tom notes, finding answers these days is easy on the Internet, but, “ask a simple question like ‘should I get a semi-automatic or a revolver’ and you’ll get 4,357 opinions and a few offers for diet plans of the stars.” Here is Tom’s take.
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