A Little Southern Lesson for our Yankee Brethren...

Hi there, it's C-pher again.  As most of everyone around me knows, I was born in the South.  I'm proud of my Southern Heritage.  I'm proud to say that I was raised with values, respect, and a healthy fear of my Momma...even at the age of 43.

So, I was talking to some of my Northern Friends about the difference between a, Good 'ole Boy, Redneck, Hillbilly, Southern Gentlemen, etc...So, let's see if we can help everyone out. 

As most of everyone that was raised down South knows, there's a pretty big difference between each of what most Northerners call, "A Redneck."  It seems that most of them up here think that everyone from the South is pretty much all the same.  So, today, I think that I"m going to give y'all a little lesson.  I might even throw in a few things that this here Southern Boy is tired of hearing as well.   Mostly because the lot of y'all think you're being funny, but you're not.  hahaha  Ok, sometimes.  But mostly, it's recycled old jokes.

Let's start with the differences between, as it's been called, "The sociological economic infrastructure of Dixie."

We'll start with the Redneck.  Rednecks are usually crude Southerners.  Not always raciest, but can be sometimes.  They generally have jobs and have a strong work ethic as they are happy to work an honest day's pay.  Hence the term, working outside, and that warm Southern Sun burning the back of the neck.  They are proud of the South, may or may not have a Confederate Battle Flag (commonly mistaken for the Star and Bars) hanging somewhere in or out of the house.  They are commonly mistaken for a white trash, but they aren't.  White Trash folk don't usually work, tend to be lazy, so there's a pretty big difference.  Don't call a Redneck white trash, as Rednecks are usually prone to violence.  Rednecks might or might not live in a trailer...but more often than not, are happy with living a modest life.  Though they do tend to go crazy over certain types of Country music and NASCAR and good 'ole beer drinkin'.   They can be loud and obnoxious, but some aren't and can be quite pleasant around the right people.  So, honestly, they seem to have a lot in common with you Yankees!  And as my buddies up here say, they consider themselves Northern Rednecks, but that will have to be a topic for another time.

Next we'll talk about Hillbillies.  These are good people, but they're from the what we Southerns call, "The Hills."  These are Southern Mountain folk.  They don't live in Swamps and chase alligators, like Discovery Channel would like you to believe.  They are from what we call, hollers.  While they can be a bit rough, for the most part Hillbillies are nice, honest, friendly people.  You will find that they are brutally honest and forthcoming.  While many can be under-educated, they make up for it with years of "real world" education from surviving on their own.

Now, we're going to talk about Good 'Ole Boys.  While the previous two categories can include both women and men, this group is your average white male Southerner.  Middle to Middle-Upper Class, College Educated and most likely went to a predominant Southern College (Hotty Toddy).  These are your common, all around fun loving Southern Boy.  Very comfortable with the outdoors, but can also hold their own with the Ivy League types as well.  Brought up with strong family values, a lot of respect, uses Sir/Ma'am often, hold doors open for ladies, etc...  He's the one that would get this expression said after him for doing something for a neighbor or friend.  "Did you see C-pher help cut Mrs. Johnson's lawn when her husband was in the hospital? He's such a good 'ole boy."

Now we have the Southern Gentleman.  This is someone that models himself after the history of his family.  Usually Plantation Owners from Southern Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, etc...  A Southern Gentleman never complains, never boastful, always stands up when a lady enters the room, overly chivalrous.  You can think of the Southern Gentleman as the original Metrosexual. If you want to think of the perfect example of the Southern Gentleman, my guess is that it would be Robert E. Lee.

Now, we can't leave out the ladies, and for that, we have the Southern Belle. These are women that are very good in higher social gatherings.  They do well in social graces and the finer things in life.  Most grew up in Beauty Pageants, Miss (insert city, state, America) competitions, and needs to be the center of attention.  She's going to be someone that likes to get her way, and will do it with the patter of her eyes.  But beware, they can nice, friendly and smile...but the more they smile, the more hatred there is behind that smile.  You might even hear a, "Bless their Heart" a few times while they look down their noses at you...and you might want to find out what that really means if you don't already.

Next is the Southern Lady.  This is going to be one of the most respected women in the South.  These are strong, independent women who won't pout if they didn't get their way. She's going to be educated, understand history, art, and things that matter more than materialistic items.  These are kind, gracious women that men notice when they walk into the room.  Not because they are demanding attention, but because they are well dressed, hold themselves together and smell nice using light but expensive perfumes.  They are always working to help out some charity or their church, but will never take credit for any of the work that they've done.

So, there's a breakdown of who's who in the South.

I hope that this has helped you understand the different people of the South.  I know that I've also learned a few things moving up here.  Things that I wish that you Yankees would understand.

First, Stop asking where my accent is, and why I don't sound like, "A Hick"  Just because I spent the majority of my life in the South, doesn't mean that we all have huge Southern Drawls.  Much like everyone that lives in Boston doesn't speak without using "Rs."  And yes, while there's that beautiful sound that only a Southerner sounds like, they don't all sound the same.  And while we may all sound the same to you, we can usually tell where you're from as soon as you open your mouth.  Eastern and Western TN can sound completely different for example...which sounds different than someone from Atlanta which is different that the Carolinas, that's different from Mississippi...get it?  Y'all can tell the difference between Boston to Rhode Island to New York...but to us...y'all are the ones that talk funny.

Second, Yes, Southerners wear Shoes, know what Cable is, and we don't know if our cousin is a good kisser.  We're normal people.  We have big cities, great wonderful cities with Rich History.  What would good Alternative Music and Hip Hop be if we didn't have Atlanta?  What would the first weekend in May be around the country if we didn't have Louisville and the Kentucky Derby?  Or Bourbon, without Lexington and the Bourbon Trail, we wouldn't have that nectar of the gods.  What would BBQ, Blues and Country be if it wasn't for Memphis and Nashville?   So Stop...we didn't live in the dark.

Third, We have big Cities down South. It wasn't weird moving into one as large at Boston. Surprisingly, we even have cities that are LARGER than Boston.  So, don't ask what's the difference being from this city or that.  We have better transportation systems than most Northern places.  Better Highways...and yes we have roads...NO, I DIDN'T RIDE A HORSE TO SCHOOL!  We did have buses, we had our parents driving normal cars, I didn't have to walk to school, up hill, both ways, barefoot.

Oh, and you thinking that we talk funny because we say Y'all?  Stop, it's a real word...and you're saying it wrong.  Let's be a little more creative if you want to make fun of us.

And lastly, stop thinking that our traditions around food are weirder than yours.  Yes, we had to salt cure things back then, and well...we still do that today.  There's nothing more yummy than Country Ham, Biscuits and Gravy, fried Eggs and butter...yes, we cook things in butter.  Get over it....butter's good.  AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY!  Stop trying to make BBQ...Just....STOP!

Southerners are a great bunch of people.  We care about our Country, we care about our fellow men.  And many do believe that we will rise again...haha

So, there's your Southern Lesson for the day.  If you have any good stories about the South, living in the South, misconceptions such as we all love Sweet Iced Tea...which I can't stand by the way.  I don't like my tea sweet, but I do love my Iced Tea (don't judge), then let me know.

Have a great Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!!

Are We Honest with our Beer Ratings??

Hello folks, C-pher again and I got to wondering...Why do we care about Beer Ratings?? 

Honestly, why do we care?  Why do we care what someone else says about a beer?  Do you like it, do you REALLY like it?  Or, is it all in your head?

Why am I asking this question?  

Because the other night at our Monthly Beer Club, It was brought up I may be critical in my beer ratings.

Ok, maybe I am...maybe we all are.  Why must we subject ourselves to what others think is good beer?  I don't like mushrooms, some people do.  I like escargot, some people don't.  We all have different palates.  SO, why must we feel pressured to like a beer just because our friends like a beer? Or a rating site? Or the rest of the world?

So, I figured I'd try to figure this out.  What goes on when you order that "Hard to get" DIPA? Or that Imperial something or other? or that once in a life time 2008 KBS?

I do what just about all my beer drinking friends do...and that's fire up Untappd.  What's Untappd?  It's basically Facebook for beer drinkers.  I love it, I can check in my beers, I can see what my friends have been drinking, I can covet what my friends have been drinking...I can drool and wish that I decided to go up to meet my buddies.  More so when I see four check ins in a row, at the same place, from friends all drinking something I really wanted to try.  BASTARDS!!

But, unlike Facebook, you don't just check in your beers, you rate them.  Some people give the same beer a high rating, some give the beer a low rating...and then the app averages the rating and gives it a general rating.  Now, people are seeing these ratings and chasing beer!  Or, as I said above, the comments you hear others ribbing each other about..."YOU gave that <insert beer here> a 3-1/2? That was easily a 4!"  And after every round, that's what you hear...and then you may wonder, "Should I have given that beer a better rating?  Did I under/over rate that beer? Was it better than I thought, Bobby Beer drinker said that it was good."

But, why do we subject ourselves to believing in these ratings?

I came across a very good article on beergraphs.com that talks a little bit about what's going on in our heads.  Ryan Langrill writes up a good one called, "How Much Can You Trust Beer Ratings?"  He really gets into the psychology about why people rate the way they do.  And it makes sense, because I've fallen into those traps.  I've read that the beer is good, no...scratch that, that the beer is AMAZING!  So, when I go to taste it, I like it.  Do I really like it as well as I think?  Or do I really like it because I'm supposed to like it?  Yes, if I like a beer, I'll rate it what I think that it should be rated.  But was that rating as objective as I think?

Then it hits me, SHIT!  Did I just under rate that beer?  Everyone gave that beer a 5, why did I only give it a 4 or 4-1/2?  It was good, yes...but was it worth of a 5?  Or, maybe I gave a beer a 3-1/2 when everyone is rating it much higher.  OR, maybe I went the other way...I really have it as a high rating and the other people are rating it much lower.  

Then you hear the comments from others at a great local beer bar...I don't have a great response. Well, other than, I just rate it how I, ME, MYSELF tastes that beer.  So, we go back to individual tastes.  Palates being like snowflakes.  We all like something different.  And that was one of the things one of my friends always say...we all don't have the same tastes, and our perceptions of the beers change as we try other beers.

So, I do a little more reading and find that cognitive ratings are a big problem among the beer community. And it seems that if you look at the top..say...50 on both Beeradvocate or Ratebeer, they are Imperial this or that, or Double IPAs...  So, what about those amazing Sours that I love so much?  Does this mean that because it's not a DIPA or an Imperial Stout, that they will never be that good?  Or, is it because we're trained to search out the best of the best, and these are all the Imperials and Doubles that are hot right now?

And that my friends is why I'm so critical of my beer ratings.  I really do try (albeit not always successfully) to rate the beer based on the style of the beer that I'm tasting.  Just because I don't like Belgians or Wits, I still try to rate them by the style compared to others that I've tasted.  Rather than thinking, "I don't like it, so it gets a 1 or 2."  But, I'm still not going to give them a 4 or 5 because I just don't like the yeasty tastes that they have...so, yes...I'm bias.  We all are...to a point.  So, no matter how objective we want to be, I just don't think that we are...including myself.

I guess that's why we'll never see some of these other beers at the top of the lists. Just because people just don't like them.  And while Sours, Farmhouses, and Lambics are on the rise, until they reach the hypes of Heady Topper, Pliny or KBS, I don't think that we'll see them rising to the top anytime soon.

Remember, when you're drinking your next beer, and you're thinking about rating you're about to put up on Untappd, try to rate the beer honestly.  Rate it how YOU wnat to rate it, not because your buddies are ribbing you or because the sites say that it's the best thing on the planet.  

SCREW THEM, they aren't the boss of you!!  

Rate away my friends, Rate Away!!

Kids & Guns

Hi Guys, it’s C-pher, and as promised, we’re having people do some spots on here as they feel related to Guns, Beer and other things they want to talk about. 

They say it takes a village, right?  Well, here’s a good example of how it take a village to raise a child.  While this is a long read, it’s also VERY important...so I suggest that you read until the end.

I’d like to introduce Jamie, the owner of Silver City Firearms.  This is the shop where Big Dave is the Gunsmith and I teach some of the classes listed on the Firearm Classes Page.

So, enjoy the read!!  Shoot Straight and Shoot Safe!

As a parent, it is our responsibility to keep our kids safe…It is also our responsibility to teach them responsibility. Without getting too far off topic, responsibility is lacking in a lot of people these days.

Guns, like many other things in life, require a certain amount of responsibility. Responsibility is taught, it is learned by watching someone be responsible, it is learned by showing and explaining the consequences of not being responsible. There are a lot of ways for kids to learn responsibility.

Sports, for example, are a great way to learn responsibility. Tteam sports are great at showing kids that their actions have impact and effect. They teach a child how to act and react with others, right and wrong and winning and losing. Individual sports like Martial Arts are also a great responsibility teacher; you learn the power of the body, and how to control it. It is not often that you see a child that has martial arts training beating up or bullying…Why? Because they are taught that it is wrong to use what they have learned irresponsibly.

So, the questions that come up around kids and guns are many and sometimes quite complex. Over the next few minutes I’ll try to dig up some of those questions and give you some reliable answers. I am not a lawyer, so none of this is legal advice, but over the years I have seen things that work and that don’t, so I will pass along my observations, for what they are worth here and you can do with it as you wish.

Is it bad to teach kids about guns?

This is a loaded question (pardon the pun) because depending upon the circumstances, teaching kids anything could be bad. Let’s face facts, kids are going to learn about guns whether you teach them the correct information or not. They will learn from television, video games, friends, the internet, etc. It sometimes almost seems like information overload…But, remember when YOU were a kid? Remember your parents telling you “don’t believe everything you  hear!” or “ Don’t believe everything you read!”? Well, it is magnified 10x today.

There is so much information out there about guns both true and false that sorting it out and knowing what is the truth based on facts and what isn’t can be a nightmare. Helping your kids sort out real information, or teaching them the correct information so that they can figure out whether something is true or not could mean the difference between a life of enjoying firearms with a healthy respect for them or them not having a real understanding and possibly getting hurt by one down the road.

I firmly believe that teaching your children about guns the correct way; will be far more beneficial than telling them they are bad and just not discussing it again.

Here are a few reasons why it could be beneficial:

• You can control the information…Make sure that they are learning the right things!
• Spend time with them! Range time can be an extremely rewarding family experience!
• You get to teach them responsibility.

Things to consider before teaching your kids about guns…

Are you responsible enough? 

Have you taken the steps to be sure you know the right things to teach them? As we stated before, there is a vast amount of information out there. Do you know what is true and false? I don’t mean my father told me or when I learned or my friend told me types of information. I mean vetted truth…Information that comes from a reliable source.

This is a time commitment by you to not just teach your child about guns, but also teach them responsibility. Some of the lessons learned here, will carry with them for the rest of their lives, so take it seriously.

Reliable sources are broken down below; some places can be great resources and some not so much. These are blanket comments and be no means are indicative of any particular place, but they are observations made over many years.

• Gun related organizations – The NRA/NRA’s Eddie Eagle Program, in Massachusetts the Gun Owners Action League, the NSSF – National Shooting Sports Foundation or the likes. These can be great resources, they have a ton of great information available, sometimes the information can be a little self serving, but in general they offer up some great stuff for kids. The amount of information that they offer to parents trying to teach their own kids can vary.

• Kid’s Shooting Programs/ Firearms Safety Programs – Depending on the childs age and maturity level, they may either be ready for a Safety program or shooting program. These should be considered some of the best sources of information for kids. This information is presented in a way that kids will understand it, in time amounts suitable to kids learning blocks.

• Child safety programs generally are geared toward the basics. What should they do if they find a gun, if a friend finds a gun, the differences between real guns and toys, etc. They are a great starting point for kids. Once a child attends one of these, be prepared for questions like when can I get a gun? When can we go shoot? Etc. This leads to the next category…
• Kid’s Shooting programs; Many gun & sporting clubs offer these types of programs the names may vary, but usually the content is the same. These are programs for kids learning to shoot. They will be instructed in everything from the ground up. Many starting with BB or Pellet guns for the inexperienced shooters and .22cal for the more experienced shooters. They will be surrounded by instructors that know how to teach kids the right things from the beginning. Many children have graduated from these types of Jr. Marksmanship programs to competing programs and even on to national competition and collegiate rifle teams.

• Gun shops can be a good resource, but still you need to take whatever you get with a grain of salt. You will get all sorts of anecdotal information from gun shops, some of it good, some not so much.

• Police, I would put police in the same category as gun shops. There are some very knowledgeable police and there are some that…well, unfortunately not so much. Some police are “Gun Guys” and some are not. So again, take it with a grain of salt.

• Firearms Instructors/NRA Instructors/Police Instructors/Etc – This can go from way up on the knowledge scale to so far down the knowledge scale that it is kinda scary. You need to look at what the instructor specializes in, how long have they been training, is this a business or a hobby? Why are they an instructor? Are they a tactical instructor? Do they specialize in self defense scenario training? Do they teach family friendly trainings regularly?

• Family, Friends and acquaintances; Wow, this is a category that is tough to talk about, we all want our family and friends to be someone we can look to for help and information, but sometimes you need to leave it to the professionals.

Are your kids mentally ready?

Kids mature at different rates and levels, let’s face it some kids are more mature than their age at 5-6 some are ready at 8-9 some mature at about 40, some never do…We all have that friend.

You have to look objectively at your child, are they ready? How long is their attention span?

The average Childs attention span is typically around 15-20 minutes. Once you cross that threshold you start to lose retention of what you are showing them, even under the most fun of conditions.

What should we start with?

As a gun shop owner, firearms instructor and parent, this is a question that comes up often. Start them off easy and fun, but enforce the rules!

Using my daughter as an example, we started at about 6yeasrs old in the back yard with a BB gun and some cans. Why? Reactionary targets hold attention longer, a child shooting at a paper target 25yds away initially will not be nearly as involved as a child that sees a can jump when they shoot it.

This is also your first chance to enforce the rules. Even though a BB Gun makes virtually no sound, I began her training by buying her very own set of hearing protection and safety glasses. I told her they were hers and she had to wear them anytime we shoot.

Our first day lasted about 15-20 minutes, right up until the “Look dad a butterfly!” type comments started. Then we talked about our shooting time, whether she enjoyed it and when and if she wanted to do it again. You cannot force a child to enjoy something and you cannot and should not make them participate in something like a sport that they do not enjoy just because you do.

My daughter is now on her way to 9years old as she keeps informing me, and she now has her own .22 caliber rifle. It stays in my gun safe, but she knows it is hers and we bring it whenever we go to the range.

How did I decide when she was ready to move up from the BB gun to the .22? Responsibility…I watched her…When I could see her use her own responsibility in handling the BB gun, that was my signal that she was ready. She wasn’t trying to turn around with the gun in her hand and tell me how good she did, she was aware of where the gun was pointing, she could tell me if the gun was loaded or unloaded when I asked, and she could hit the targets without me having to help her sight it.

We moved up from the BB gun to a single shot bolt action .22 made by Savage called the Rascal, it comes in a bunch of different colors, I assumed she would want pink, I was wrong, glad I had not ordered it yet…So she has her own BLUE Savage Rascal. The Savage Rascal is a small .22 designed for training kids. It has a kid sized stock, and it is single shot only, so there is no worry of an errant second shot without manually reloading.

Really? She has her own gun?

Yes, I said it; my 8 year old daughter has her own gun. Well, technically, no, I have a gun she uses. Obviously because of her age she cannot legally own her own gun. And, no, she does not have access to it without me.

This leads us into the topic of firearms storage…This again is YOUR responsibility! Proper storage is a must if you have kids. Storage has had many forms through the years; when I was a kid, storage meant it was put in a closet, between the mattresses or under a bed. Was that sufficient? Well, I am alive…Is that an anomaly? It seems like it was the norm back then…

Regardless of what the norm was then and what was acceptable. It is not acceptable now. Today, many states have laws regarding proper storage, and, well, if you have kids; proper storage is just the right thing to do for your kids.

Remember I mentioned my daughter has her own gun? But, she does not have access to it without me. The gun is locked in a safe with my other guns. This serves two purposes; first, it assures me that she will not access the gun without me, second, she sees me acting responsibly by locking my guns up and she can learn from witnessing my responsibility. Remember? I said kids learn responsibility from watching??

I am showing her that I am responsible; she sees it and is learning to be responsible.

She has asked why we keep the guns in a safe and the simple answer is “so that people who shouldn’t touch them can’t touch them.”

Loose Lips Sink Ships…

Next up is the discussion with your kids about what is appropriate to talk about…

Kids get excited, hell, I get excited for them, but you need to talk with them about when and if it is appropriate to talk about their shooting, their gun, their parents guns, etc...

Once again, in the world we are in today, topics such as this are taboo. Zero tolerance policies are rampant and no one wants to get in trouble regardless of whether it is just or not.

I am sure you have seen in the news about the kids expelled from school for chewing their pop-tart into the shape of a gun or for bringing a one inch plastic Lego gun on the bus; like I said, zero tolerance is rampant and apparently common sense is not. So it falls on you to avoid situations that can cause issues.

When my daughter was 5 or 6 years old, we got a letter sent home from the teacher, when my wife read it, she was shocked…When I read it I was enraged…

”We are writing to inform you that your daughter was sent to the office because at recess, she made a finger gun and pointed it at another child.”

WAIT! WHAT!? A FINGER GUN!? Are you kidding me? I immediately said I need to talk with the teacher tomorrow. My wife talked me out of that. But the next question she had was; what do we do? What do you mean what do we do? I am not doing anything? I am not going to punish my daughter for doing something that every kid has done since the civil war.

So, I sat my daughter down and asked her if she knew what the letter was about. She said she did and I explained to her that her teacher thought what she did was bad, that it truly isn’t bad and to just not do it in front of the teacher again…

I could go on for hours about zero tolerance/zero common sense policies, but I think you get my feelings on these.

Explain to your kids that some people don’t like guns and that it is not appropriate to talk about shooting or guns with everyone. Once again, you are teaching them responsibility.

My closing comments…

In the end, talking with your kids about guns is going to have to happen at some point. Whether you surround yourself with good quality factual information to guide them responsibly or you leave it up to the truths, half truths and un-truths of the world is up to you.

The value of taking the proper steps and spending time teaching your kids to be responsible is incredible and fun. You will learn some stuff you already knew and probably some stuff that you didn’t. You will have fun and so will they. You will get to spend some quality time with your family and THAT has no price.

Teach your children!

The benefits of a trigger job.

Hey guys, Big Dave again. I get a lot of people here in the shop asking if a trigger job really makes a difference, well yes, yes it does. A trigger job not only helps with your accuracy quite a bit. it will also make your time shooting much more fun.

So, real quick, what kind of trigger jobs are there and what is done to your firearm?

First we have the drop in kits, and there are a few company's making them for different firearms (apex, ghost inc, brown). What these types typically do is bring your trigger pull down to around 5.5 pounds (in the great state of Massachusetts this is a lot better then our minimum 10 pound pull of death). This is done by changing some springs.  And on the semi-autos, the sear and plunger. So all your doing is essentially punching a few pins and replacing some springs.

Now we have come to the polishing trigger job.

Yes, there are some springs replaced, but there is some polishing that we do as well. The big reason for the polishing is getting the machining marks off of all the action parts (hammer, sear, trigger, etc). By getting rid of the machining marks you'll have a crisper trigger. It also won't be a gritty and nasty pull. This type of job is really big in the single action, semi-auto type firearms such as the all american 1911. Where as the drop ins tend to be more striker fired like the Smith and Wesson M&Ps. 

Okay, now with that out of the way what's that trigger job doing for you?

Well with that lighter trigger pull your going to gain accuracy. This is because less poundage is needed in pulling the trigger.  This gives you less time to flinch as even to think about it will make your gun flinch.  Everyone does it, I don't care how long you've been shooting, it happens. Of course, unless your Jerry Miculek, then your a god!  And with that, then less time practicing accuracy will hopefully save you money in the ammo department. 

Thanks guys for reading my post guys let us know what you think. If you are thinking about getting a trigger job, then let me know.  We can work out the best job for you, and what you are wanting to get out of your range time.  Or that Competition Gun that you're wanting to trick out!

Also, if is there anything you guys want to me talk about, let me know. I'll welcome the Gunsmithing topics you're interested in learning about.

          Shoot Safe And Shoot Safe!

It's always time for Gun Safety

Hi everyone, it's C-pher again and I think that today we're going to talk a little bit about gun Safety.  If you've grown up with firearms, then you have heard about the three rules of Gun safety, but there's really more than just those three.  Chances are, that you've understood them or had them taught to you in a different way.  But no matter what you've learned, it never hurts to talk about them often.

So, where do we start?  Well, the first thing we've been told that we always want to keep our firearms pointed in a safe direction.

We don't want anyone or anything getting hurt.  So, we want to make sure that we don't point our firearm at anything we wouldn't want to destroy.  So, we need to take into account anything that might cause a ricochet.  The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle or front end of the barrel is pointed at all times.  We teach in our class that common sense dictates the safest direction.  At the range, it's easy to tell..we are usually shooting at a large mount of dirt.  But other places might make it more difficult, and that's honestly going to depend on the circumstances being that bullets can penetrate walls and ceilings.   So, pay attention to your muzzle and your surroundings!!

Next thing that we're taught is that you keep your firearms unloaded until they are ready to be used. 

That means visually checking it to determine the status of the firearm.  And while we're talking the Holiday Season...maybe even checking it twice!  Anytime you move the firearm, check it...if it's been out of your sight, check it.  Why?  Because until you visually identify the firearms as unloaded, it's loaded.  Always treat any firearm as if it's loaded. Get into the habit of verifying the status of any firearm that you handle or is handed.


I'm sure that everyone remembers the big one, correct?

That means keeping it up along the frame away from the trigger and the trigger guard! Get that finger up as high as you are able.  

This is for anytime that you are not actively on target.  Take a break, finger off the trigger.  Looking at the target, finger off the trigger.  Changing Mags, finger off the trigger. Need to scratch your butt, finger off the trigger.  I don't care what you're doing, if you need to pull the firearm off the target you're shooting at, take your finger off the trigger.

So, here's what we have so far:

• Treat Every Firearms as If it's Loaded.
• Keep it Unloaded Until You're Ready to Fire.
• Keep your Finger off the Trigger
• Never Point your Firearm at Anything You're not Willing to Destroy.

What are some other things that we want to talk about?

You need to know not only your target, but what's beyond your target.  

If you miss, are you going to hit something that you didn't intend?  A house, a fellow hunter, an object that you didn't see past your target?  So, open those eyes, and look whats out there.  Remember that your bullet doesn't stop when it leaves your firearm and makes contact with your target.

Don't rely on your firearm's safety.

Use your head. You need to be your safety!  Follow the rules above, know that safeties are mechanical devices.  And we all know that those can and will fail.  Everything breaks at some point...so use your head!  If you always believe that your safety will be there...you or someone else will end up hurt.  

Always wear Eye and Ear Protection!! 

Guns are loud.  REALLY loud. There's brass flying, gasses escaping, things moving.  Wear those shooting glasses. Not only you, but anyone that's spectating.  Everyone around should be wearing both!  They aren't expensive, and they are worth the money to protect hearing damage or injuries to the eyes.

Always use the Correct Ammuntion!!

Just because a fork fits into an outlet, it doesn't mean that's what belongs there.  Look at the gun, look at the box and read the headstamp. Make sure that they all match!!  Using incorrect ammunition can cause malfunctions and even destroy the firearm, causing injuries to you!!

And last, but not least RTFM!

Learn your firearm, know how it works, how to put it together, take it apart, clean it...get familiar with your gun.  If you have a malfunction, you know how to take care of the issue. If you don't know how to work your firearm, then there's an opportunity for you to get hurt.


If you're in the area, and want to take a class on gun safety, then check out our schedule and sign up for a class.

We'd love to have you, and if you have any comments, or stories, let us know!!

Shoot Safe and Shoot Straight!