If you’ve just gone out and bought some type of firearm for self-defense, you may be wondering how to improve your skills and confidence with a gun.
The quickest way to get better is to pick a type of gun, practice skills that translate across different types of platforms (e.g. shotgun or rifle) using dry fire, and periodically test or evaluate those skills with live ammunition. Starting with one type of gun keeps you focused until you are ready to move on.
Read this article to learn how to develop a plan to improve your confidence and abilities with a firearm.
Before We Begin
Before we start I want you to understand that the context of this article is for the defensive use of firearms, Firearms safety is the shooter’s responsibility and should be practiced at all times.
This topic is also not definitive. It’s meant as a starting point for the new shooter to go out and learn more about guns and training.
This article is a general concept and can be applied to any of the three major shooting platforms (pistol, rifle, shotgun). Any specific platform discussed is for demonstration purposes only.
The Spectrum of Competence
There are two extremes when it comes to firearm skill levels.
At one end is a brand new gun owner who might only know that bullets come out the end of the barrel and the trigger is what makes it go bang. At the other end are the police SWAT/military/special forces YouTubers and action heroes like John Wick.
As someone who might have just bought their first firearm, it can seem like a pipe dream to ever get that good. But here are some things for you to consider:
- Don’t ever be embarrassed about being new. Every shooter started out knowing exactly as much (or as little) as you do now.
- This is not a competition. Stop comparing yourself to others; compare yourself to where you were yesterday. Focus on improving yourself.
- Learning to shoot guns is an 80/20 proposition: 80 percent science and 20 percent art. This is why what works for one shooter may not work for you. You will still need to verify any answers you find here will actually solve your problem.
- Ask questions and make sure you understand. This can be outside of your comfort zone and if it is, you might want to rethink your perspective. If you can’t work yourself up to ask a question then how will you handle defending yourself or your loved one with a firearm? Ignorance is a shameful reason for failure.
So in a nutshell, focus on improving yourself, and pretty soon, you’ll be at the upper half in what I call the spectrum of competence.
Next, let’s take a look at the characteristics of the different levels of competency. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion.
Beginner
The beginner is someone who hasn’t yet fully integrated basic firearm safety as a habit. Each time he or she picks up a gun, they have to consciously remember the 4 rules:
- Treat every gun as if it was loaded.
- Never point a gun at something you do not wish to shoot or destroy
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire
- Always be aware of your target and what’s beyond
This person is also not very proficient in handling the firearm. They may not know what the different metal bits sticking out of the slide are used for (e.g. safety, slide release). Any time they manipulate the firearm, they are looking intently at it and all their attention is focused on accomplishing that task (e.g. magazine change).
A beginner might not also know what the different parts of the gun are called, or know that it can be broken down for cleaning and maintenance.
As far as ammunition is concerned, they typically know that some ammo is considered defensive while others are practice or range ammunition. Anything hollowpoint is for defense and anything ball is for practice.
Intermediate
In my opinion, this general classification is probably where the bulk of the experienced shooting community falls into – to include professionals like law enforcement and the military. Because of that, shooters can be broken down into low intermediate up to high intermediate in terms of skill.
At a minimum, these people have ingrained the 4 rules into their mindset. This doesn’t necessarily mean they can recite them, but when picking up a firearm, they instinctively check to make sure the gun is empty. They also don’t make a habit of pointing the muzzle at themselves or other people when handling a gun although they can still be prone to making mistakes.
Beyond that, you have the shooters who handle their weapons daily, shoot them on a regular basis, and have some type of formal annual qualification with them. They are also confident enough to compete with their firearms.
The people in this category know what gear works for them and have a reason for every accessory they use. This is where I would place the bulk of the competent law enforcement and military.
They also have a general understanding of ammo characteristics and are familiar with the variables that can change the effects on a target (e.g. barrel length or bullet profile/weight).
If your plan is to defend yourself or your family with a gun, my advice is to get to this level.
Note the term “competent”. Every group has a population that does the bare minimum. These are generally the shooters who think that just because they are “professionals” they are good enough.
Advance
At the upper end of the spectrum are the shooters who train every day and shoot as often as time and budget allow. These are your elite military and law enforcement units and high-level competitive shooters.
This is also where you will find the top-tier instructors who teach government agents and the military.
If someone makes a living shooting, they will generally be found at this level of competency.
Putting It All Together
So now that we have a general understanding of the types of shooter competency, does that mean that if you are a beginner you should just work on learning safety and gun handling?
Yes…but also, no.
The difference between the three categories is a matter of focus, not limitation.
For example, I’ve always encouraged new shooters to go out and try competitive shooting, even after just a single range session with me.
So let’s take an intermediate level skill – drawing from a holster – and look at the lessons a beginner should take while learning this skill.
Drawing (and shooting) from a holster is typically required in an International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) or United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) match.
Competition aside, it is also a must have skill for concealed carry license holders.
A new shooter can practice the 4 basic fundamentals of safety while learning how to properly draw and dry fire.
Dry fire is the act of aiming your gun and squeezing the trigger while it is unloaded. There is specialty blank ammunition that can be used to prevent damage that might occur when doing this activity. Most modern firearms (with the exception of rimfire guns) can be safely dry-fired.
Before the practice even begins, the shooter will check, double-check, then triple-check to make sure the handgun is loaded and holster the gun.
But because of rule #1 (treat every gun as if it was loaded), they will make sure that they never point the gun at anything other than the target, which is rule #2 (never point a gun at anything you do not wish to shoot or destroy).
When pulling the gun from the holster, rule #3 is in effect (never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot) so the trigger finger is nice and straight along the slide.
The shooter should then try and pick up the sights using peripheral vision so that they get the sights properly lined up with the target (sight picture). Only then does the index finger touch the trigger and squeeze it back until there’s a click.
So if the shooter had kept rule #4 in mind (always be aware of your target and what’s beyond), then the target should have been placed in the safest direction in the event of a negligent discharge.
Remember – we made sure the gun was unloaded but we treated it like it was loaded. Always treating a gun like it is loaded should be your default mindset from now on!
As you progress through various dry fire drills, you will soon learn all the different parts of your gun and you will become more and more proficient in handling it. If you were to dry fire every day for at least 10 minutes, you would soon be on your way to intermediate level as far as handling your firearm is concerned.
From there you’ll soon bring up your shooting ability to be on par because you can focus more on skill development.
You might have noticed that I’ve given precedence to learning how to manipulate your gun first before learning to shoot it properly. This isn’t by accident. This was exactly how I learned to shoot a rifle in the Marine Corps.
When I went through Parris Island in the 80’s, I was issued a rifle within the first two weeks of arrival. I would learn and practice the entire manual of arms every day for the next month and a half. A manual of arms is the prescribed method of handling a rifle on command (e.g. port arms).
Then we would spend two weeks at the rifle range and the first week was spent “snapping in” – aiming with an unloaded rifle at various targets painted on a barrel. We did this for hours every day for 6 days straight. The penalty for having incorrect form was…harsh.
By the time we actually fired live ammunition to “zero” our M16’s, I knew everything I needed to set up my rifle properly to pass the qualification course.
Of all the services, only the Marines shoot out to 500 yards to pass their rifle qualification. This includes young men and women who have never shot a weapon before in their life.
Those days are long behind me but I still understand the value of practicing with an unloaded gun.
Dry fire is the best thing you can do to increase your skill level. It is cheap as it doesn’t expend ammunition and does not require a range membership or hourly fee. All it requires is a safe area with absolutely no ammunition present.
So by now, you should have a general idea of different firearm skill levels and what category you fall into.
You should also have an idea of what you need to do in order to improve existing skills and acquire new ones.
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