Today I asked each of our instructors for the top piece of advice they regularly give to people regarding guns or shooting. Here are their separate responses:
Mike said: “Practice, practice, practice… Probably the most common question I am asked is, ‘What is a good gun?’ or ‘What gun should I buy?’ and I tell them to go to a range that has rentals and try many guns. I also let them know to find a gun and caliber they are comfortable shooting. If they aren’t comfortable, they won’t practice.”
Matt said: “Practice, practice, practice. There’s no such thing as too much training for something that can kill you. Sometimes people trying to break into the gun world watch movies and tv and get the impression that one new piece of gear or that one specific gun will make them like a black ops operator. When in reality it takes ten thousand hours of practice to make an expert.”
In my time with my husband (Matt), I’ve learned that practice doesn’t always have to be done at a range. Once you find a gun that suits you well, repetitious dry-fire practice with your unloaded firearm will help you develop the neural pathways and muscle memory to improve skill and boost your confidence. This can be done at home in front of the tv, or a mirror if you want to observe and correct your stance or hand positioning. Make sure to spend some time with a certified trainer that can teach you how to develop good habits.
As we were talking, Mike added this advice, and it was too good not to include on this post: “Even better, get medical training. Find a stop the bleed class and look into M.A.R.C.H. [Massive hemorrhage, Airway, Respirations, Circulation, Hypothermia & Head injury]. Carry an IFAK (individual first aid kit) and learn to use it. I wear one on my ankle. Learn to wound pack and tourniquet usage. Buy quality products, not crap from Amazon.”
Disciple Defense Group 