It is a learning curve.

[Frenchy]

Every once in a while as a shooter, we get to kick some one’s butt or teach them, the choice is ours.

Every week if not every day, we see some one post a question on the forums that starts with “I have a dumb question? But there are no dumb questions, just ppl who feel dumb for asking.

Here is what happens, the person asks their questions, a few jump down their throat, the person leaves ignorant thinking a bunch people now know how dumb they are and they sit and watch hoping to learn…. Something.

So I pop into chat today, Say hi all polite like and see what is close to a feud going on, NO ones names need be mentioned here, I wont mention them, and I ask every one concerned not to mention them either. It’s a learning thing.

Ok fact, if I go up to some one and accuse them of some thing, their first reaction will be to defend their actions. I don’t care who you are, You will try to say you had reasons for doing what you did,. Like most people, I will see that you are protecting your ego, and try to break you from this spell, if you cant, then most times any one there will start to ridicule whoever they see in the wrong. Then along comes an other person, and the Judging starts.

So what is one to do when this happens? I once asked here of very knowledgeable people, “How far from your hand would you allow a bullet to pass” The answers where varied from a foot to as far as possible. When asked if a bullet ever passed within an inch or two of their hand, all said NO!

Was a question I was asked when I was in the Army. Sort of stick with me, but every time you shoot a rifle the bullet passes within an inch (give or take) of your hand.

It was a stupid question, but when the Sgt. asked it he was looking to knowledge and experience, whom would think of the bullet passing so close to them and not fear it. This Sgt was looking to see how many where ready to learn and not argue while doing so, drop the petty stuff, yeah your hand is shielded by the barrel, Yeah your hand is safe there, but that was not the question. Right away he knew who would give him petty arguments and who was going to listen.

Time to learn an old dog some new tricks. I once heard, keep the ones you trust close, the ones you don’t closer!
So in chat, people are ripping this person a new ass because of a video he shows, one where he is shooting in a bad position, no glasses, no visible ear protection, sweeps himself, points the gun back towards the camera while turning to drop his mag and the video stops.

There are just about no good points except maybe his grip is better then any newbie I have seen, most try to put their thumb in the back of the gun and rip their thumb off after the very first shot.

Time to learn, if you are a newbie, ask some one to go with you to the range the first few times. Most experienced shooters will go with you, many will even pay for your day there if they can and let you shoot their guns, best part is, they may have enough knowledge to show you some safety. Of course the very best would be to take a beginner’s safety course, but not every place has those on a daily basis. We all know no newbie can hold a gun for 2 or 3 weeks without wanting to shoot it, heck us old folks cant.

More time to learn, If you see some one doing the wrong thing, ripping them a new ass, will not teach them safety or fundamentals. It will however teach them how to hide and secretly go do what they have not learnt to do yet. Possibly get hurt in the process.

The best action if you see a friend who is doing some thing wrong is possibly suggest they go to the range with you to learn properly. Or as proper as you can show them as most of us are not Instructors, and then suggest they still look into a course to better themselves. If you force them into a corner, you can be sure they will come out fighting and words will fly. But helping them with constructive criticism and showing them you understand how this happened will gain you a lot of mileage. It will also gain you a ton of respect from the newbie who sees you as a guide in his learning even if you only took a few minutes, and they learns every thing from some one else, they will always see you as the person who showed them.

Don’t believe this? Ask Monty, his wife or Michele… They all went from I never touched a gun to I’m hitting my target in about 30 minutes, and none will forget it.

Shooting properly can be a lot of fun, and very rewarding. Believe me, if I was in this person’s region, I would be the first to take them out shooting to see them learn and get better. Even if it’s the very basics, they would at least have some sense of knowledge and want to learn more in the future.

Believe me when I say this, I judge no one, Not the people who saw the video and reacted to it, nor the person who showed his first time shooting and tried to protect himself after when people told him how wrong he was in his shooting.
Like I said, it’s a learning thing, every one can learn from each other. If we do that, we can be so much better. I learn from others by watching them, by them showing me and telling me how to do things right, I also show others things, that is what being human is all about. There is no shame to learning.

It is time to change the attitude people, we can all help each other here, but when you see a newbie doing some thing wrong, yelling at them and belittling them is not going to make them better. It will only make them go away.


</rant off>

[Kaos]

And on the other side of the fence, don't take it as someone being mean to you if they correct you on a matter of safety or point something out....they're looking out for your safety as well as everyone elses.

Frenchy, I still am digging powder out of my hand from my ND...so bullet within under and inch...is very much a reality.

[P-11 shooter]

Great post frenchy.


I try to walk that line when I go to the state game lands. If I see something REALLY bad I'll flip shit, but the vast majority of the "incidents" that happen at the range are minor. Example, the last time I went a young kid set his pistol down pointing at me. The slide was locked back and it was empty, I could have bitched him out for "sweeping" me, but I just told him "I'm not trying to tell you what to do buddy, but we like to keep those ponted downrange." He apologised, and had a really great time after that.


Once again, good post. You can correct someone without being an ass about it.

[dc dalton]

Excellent post sir!

Well I have noticed a few posts similar to what you have mentioned and honestly I USUALLY just try to stay the hell out of it but deep down it does seem some people have gotten an unneeded ripping.

I mean hell I have been shooting since (ah hell might as well be the stone age) the 60s and did time in the Army and there is still a ton I don't know for the simple fact my early shooting was just plinking and having fun, hunting and the Army was just a drag (I really hated it) so even at my age and time shooting there are things I haven't clue one about. I know I hit what I aim at most of the time, I know my weapons safety but when it comes to things like shooting a 1" grouping at a couple hundred yards I might as well have started shooting yesterday. Same goes with a lot of the weapons I have never seen before .... I can't tell you how many times I will see a thread about something and have to start googling to figure out what the weapon is.

So anyways my point is I would bet a good lot of us, not matter how much range time or years shooting still have things to learn and that's what nice about this place, people helping others to learn no matter who what where when or why they are here and shooting.

I've also been at some forums where the "tone" starts turning as the membership grows and as I have said 1000 times it can be the end of a great place ..... really hope that doesn't happen here, I think there are enough great people around here to stop that from happening.