5 Things Every New Gun Owner Should Know

Don’t Get Complacent on Safety

Learning the four rules of gun safety is just the first step. Once you learn them, they must become a habit–and one you never break.

That’s because it’s incredibly easy to get complacent. It’s a bit like driving a car. When you first get behind the wheel, you’re hyper-vigilant. But as you become more comfortable, you start to let your guard down. That’s when accidents happen, with both firearms and vehicles.

I remember one time, shortly after I purchased my first handgun, I picked it up from the table under the impression that it was unloaded. I holstered it and carried it for several minutes before opening the action to find that what I thought was a totally safe firearm had actually been loaded the entire time.

I avoided disaster because I didn’t point the firearm at anything I wasn’t willing to destroy and kept my finger off the trigger (two of the four gun safety rules), but I failed to check the gun when I picked it up. That’s not one of the official rules, but it’s another great habit to form. Whenever you pick up a firearm, even if you’re pulling it out from your safe and you know 100% (or think you do) that the gun isn’t loaded, go ahead and cycle the action. The worst thing that can happen is that you waste two seconds of your time; but the upside is that you avoid shooting and killing someone you care about (not to mention yourself).

There’s No Substitute for Range Time

You can take your new firearm apart piece by piece. You can pour over the owner’s manual. You can watch every review and YouTube video on the Internet. You can even dry fire at home (safely, of course). But if you really want to familiarize yourself with your new firearm, there’s no substitute for range time.

Too many new gun owners think they can operate their firearm in a stressful situation (whether on a hunt or in a self-defense scenario) by reviewing the gun’s functions at home. But there’s a big difference between racking the slide or working the bolt in your bedroom, and making a good follow-up shot in the field.

Going to the range once a month (or even once a quarter) will help ensure you can safely handle your gun if the need should arise. It won’t turn you into Chris Kyle or Ryan Callaghan, but it will begin developing the muscle memory you need to run your gun in any scenario.

You Can Secure Your Firearm and Keep It Accessible

Most new gun owners purchase a firearm for self-defense, but they sometimes get caught up in a false dilemma: “Do I keep my guns secure or make sure they’re accessible when I need them?”

The reality is, you can have both. Tons of companies offer quick access safes that can be opened in a matter of seconds. These safes are designed for both rifles and handguns, and they use a variety of access mechanisms (biometric, keypad, etc.) to allow for quick opening. I’ve used this safe for many years to store a handgun, and it’s never failed to open immediately. (I store the rest of my firearms in a larger combination lock safe.)

One hot tip: Quick-access safes are often small, so if you really want to keep your guns secure, be sure to mount the safe to the wall or floor with the supplied hardware.

Not All Ammunition Is Created Equal

A box of cartridges is a box of cartridges, right? Not exactly. Bullets may look the same on the outside, but they’re constructed much differently on the inside.

“Plinking” or “practice” ammunition is often a full-metal-jacket bullet. It has a lead core wrapped up in a copper jacket. These bullets will zip straight through an animal without deforming. While this might sound ideal, it’s not–especially when compared to bullets designed specifically for hunting.

Cup-and-core, bonded, partition, and all-copper bullets, on the other hand, expand on impact. This leaves a much larger wound channel, and they transfer more energy from the bullet into the animal. It’s a gruesome subject to discuss, but it’s important to understand if you’re a new hunter (or any hunter) who wants to make a quick, ethical kill.

The good news is that you don’t have to understand all the ins and outs of terminal ballistics to select the right bullet. Almost all ammo companies these days print an image or text on their boxes that indicates the ammo’s intended use. Some even post different kinds of game animals to indicate that the ammunition is intended for deer, elk, coyote, etc. These new loads from Sig Sauer, for example, are called “Platinum Hunter” and have Steven Rinella’s face on the box, which is a pretty good hint that they’re great hunting rounds.

This topic gets a little more complicated when it comes to longer-range shots, so if you’re interested in diving in, check out this article and this video.

The same principle holds true on the self-defense side. Practice ammunition is much cheaper, but the FMJ bullets are not intended for defensive use. Defensive ammunition is usually loaded with hollow point bullets, which will be indicated on the packaging.

Your Gun Doesn’t Need to be Match-Grade Accurate

You can drive yourself a little crazy reading gun reviews and firearm forums. One of the easiest traps to fall into is the accuracy trap. If you see enough half- and quarter-inch groups online, you start to believe that your rifle needs to match those results to be worth anything.

The truth is, it doesn’t. Hunters have been bringing home game for centuries with far less accurate rifles. Even modern-day muzzleloaders can’t do much better than a 2.5-inch group at 100 yards, and the vast majority of centerfire hunting rifles are in the 1.5-inch range.

For shots out to 300 yards or so, that’ll work just fine. A deer’s vital area is eight to ten inches wide. If your gun can shoot 1.5-inch groups at 100, it’ll post about 4.5-inch groups at 300. Even factoring in nerves, awkward shooting positions, and variations in bullet velocity, 4.5 inches gives you plenty of room for error.

It is true that you need more precision and repeatability if you plan to take a longer-range shot. But if you’re a new hunter who just bought a $500 rifle, and you’re disappointed with your 1.5-inch groups, don’t be. You’re very unlikely to take a shot past 300 yards, so don’t let the forum warriors convince you to buy another rifle. Get out in the field.

Last Shot

There’s lots more to learn if you’re a new gun owner, but I think these are five of the most important things. Safety always comes first. After that, practice. Then, don’t stress about whether you have the world’s best/most accurate/coolest/most reliable gun–take what you have and have some fun.