Home Away From Home
For a gun owner, the range is in many ways a home away from home. It’s the place where you can safely engage with shooting as a hobby while also improving your aim for the moments when it’s really needed. Many ranges have a variety of handguns or rifles that you can rent and try out, and both the associates and patrons are usually happy, helpful people, excited about firearms.
In truth, if you own a gun or have ever considered owning a gun (or buying any gun accessories), the shooting range is the place you want to be. The more familiar you are with them and the rules of proper handling, the safer you’ll be for yourself and those around you.
There are a few things to remember, however, if it’s your first time or you haven’t been in a while. While the only “wrong way” to spend time at a gun range is to be unsafe, there are some things you can do to have an even better time there.
Safety Is What The Cool Kids Do
One of the things that we at 45 Blast are most proud of is that when used correctly, our attachments — such as our famous Canik compensator — can give the gun owner more control over their firearm. As the fire and gasses exit the side chambers of the muzzle, the gun suffers less recoil, stays more stable, and the shooter has more control over where their next shot goes.
More control means more safety.
At a firing range (as anywhere else), a safe experience comes solely from you, from the control that you exert over the firearm and over yourself. Therefore, remember these safety laws:
- If the gun is not in use, the magazine is out and the action is open.
- Always assume the gun is loaded.
- If you need to enter the range to reset targets, everyone must know people are moving down range (call out “COLD RANGE!”) and guns are put down.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Following these rules doesn’t just keep everyone safe, it allows the experience to be fun. No one has fun when they’re stressed about people who haven’t made safety their first priority and it is certainly not fun when an incident occurs. So, a safe time means a fun time for all.
Becoming Better
Ultimately, the gun range is there to help you improve your accuracy as a shooter. Take the time, then, while you’re at the range to get used to your firearms and how they handle. There are a few specific things you can focus on while you’re there, in order to make the trip a worthwhile one:
As you improve your shooting, you can also become familiar with a whole range of firearms and gun accessories. Practice your rifle shooting with and without the scope, or your new handgun compensator or reflex sights. Get used to wearing your new 45 Blast gun holster. The range, after all, is a tool for you to improve every aspect of your relationship with your guns.
