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Everyone of my gun owning friends

3K views 29 replies 17 participants last post by  navycorpsman 
#1 ·
Everyone of my gun owning friends simply suck at using their weapons


I belong to a club and try to take my handful of friends up to shoot when schedules permit - im not the greatest shot either BUT i understand the merits of practice and will begin training course in the new year to high light home defense and fighting pistol and shotgun scenarios



Asked a good friend tonight if he'd like to go - he said the course fee was too high and if he felt like taking "heavy fire", instead of a simunitions course he would fire up Call of Duty - my friends are irresponsible gun owners



who the heck wouldnt be interested in being professionally trained in the weapons they own?
 
#11 ·
yep same boat - i have access to a range that most do not - but when I bring friends its not like they are even trying to improve their skill - they all just wanna Rambo around the place - ive got access to private land for more of a dynamic shooting style but I dont dare bring them there
 
#21 ·
ive got access to private land for more of a dynamic shooting style
We should become really, really good friends.... Us CT guys have to stick together :cool:

But yes, sometimes I feel like I am twisting an arm to get someone to go to the range.

Ive got one friend whos a cop and most of the times hes down to take me with him to the department range, and I can't complain that its usually on his time and depends on his enthusiasm. I jump at those chances, nothing cooler than going to a police dept range at 2AM to pop off a couple hundred rounds.

The only thing that sucks is its about 30 miles away.

Otherwise, most of my gun toting friends keep their guns in the case, on top of their closet, and have < 50 rounds of ammo.

Thats another thing, you get these friends who dont understand that ammo costs money, Im afraid to disclose any stock of ammo I have because I know and I fear when they ask if you have any "extra" so they dont have to stop at dlcks/walmart/gun shop to pick some up.

Then when you think your helping them out by offering them 100 rounds of .45 at the same cost to you, their enthusiasm dies and they realize that dont want to drop 60 bucks to go shooting (ammo + range time + targets).

Or, you get the ones who dont want to have to clean their gun when they are done shooting. Or the friend who buys the AR15 but wont go shooting with it because he hasnt zeroed it in the 3 years passed since purchase.

Ive tried to get more into shooting clays, because its more of a social experience. The Blue Trail in wallingford has the wide open field and you can back your truck up, shoot all day for a flat rate, and the cost of ammo is negated by the time it takes to load the ammo, launch a clay pigeon, shoot, repeat. One guy shooting at a time, I bring the shotguns, I spring for the ammo and clays, I bought the launcher, all they have to do is have fun. My friends are starting to warm up to this as it is some good cheap fun, there are no groupings that they have to be embarrassed about. the only downside is that its dependent on weather and sunlight.

But yes, im done with the rant and I do feel your pain.
 
#14 ·
A lot of it is that people just don't take things as seriously anymore. Back when I started shooting, there were a lot of really good marksmen at the range. Now there are few.

The folks I see, can barely hold a dinner plate sized group at 100 yards and they think that's good enough. Then they see someone who is a good shot, either rifle or pistol, and think that's some legendary skill that they must have been born with. I remind them that even exhibition shooters sucked with they first started. The difference is that they got good training and practiced a lot. That's usually met with a shrug and an "eh, I'm good enough" reply.

Marksmanship is fast becoming a lost art. So is raising the bar for yourself. People just don't do that anymore either. It's easier to just gravitate to the lowest common denominator.
 
#15 ·
I have noticed this too when i do go to the indoor range I am standing there taking accurate shots at a decent pace and never less than 15 yards. Never fails there are people on both sides of me shooting rapidly at 7 yards with half the shots not even hitting the target.. ITS A PERSON SIZE TARGET for crying out loud!! that being said the range at my parents farm doesnt even have a bench for shooting from We shoot almost exclusively standing or leaning on the truck, ATV or whatever we drove back there for a more realistic shooting stance.
 
#25 ·
a few of you missed the point - a responsible gun owner does practice safety - yes



they also have the skills needed to use the weapon with success when the time comes, if it comes



none of my friends could hit a target, where it needs to be hit, with consistency


that makes them irresponsible when they carry and could potentially harm the innocent when they pull their weapon






so stop trying to pick and choose words - no not everyone can get to a training course - but my few friends who have said, why should we train all you do is point and shoot, cannot shoot well at all
 
#27 ·
I hear ya Grev - as I said before IM not a perfect shot with every weapon - but I feel that, if you are gonna carry a handgun, you need to be able to use it safely and accurately


I cannot believe a grown man told me Call of Duty is all he needs, then just point and shoot - jesus christ
 
#28 ·
I am very fortunate. My job allows me to have spectacular training. My service's training is a joke, and the other service I have shot under is a joke. Luckily, I get to go to civilian run schools where I get to learn from experts who aren't having to waste time teaching the basics, as we already know them upon arrival. That shooting typically just revolves around the M4 and M9, though. We do get to break out the 107's, but the time we spend with it by no means makes us "snipers". We all fire belt feds, too(249, 240, M2), which is just plain fun.

I have considered a defensive shotgun course, just for my personal benefit, that I would need to pay for out of pocket. It is more for fun than anything. I'm proficient, but there are others out there who are experts, and whom you should seek knowledge from.

Unfortunately, many don't care how well they shoot anymore as long as they are "close". It's unfortunate. I usually try to burn at least 1000 rounds a month(Thank God I reload!), and am never satisfied with my shooting. My guns can outshoot me every time. Some of us will always try to get better, some of us are just content with "close".:xeye:
 
#29 ·
I am a fairly recent firearms owner. I didn't have anything until about 3 years ago. But I fell hard and fast into it! Zero to gun-nut in under a month, no kidding. Unfortunately, it also came with a tacticool phase. Thankfully, my best friend, who is a life-long gun owner, basically ripped all the junk off my rifles, stuck a set of iron sights on them and said "you don't get to come hunting with me until you actually know what the hell you're doing with this weapon. Not the cool toys mounted on it, but the rifle itself." Then he proceeded to teach me the way of the rifle. Breathing, control, discipline, getting down in the muck and the grime and still making the shot.

Best friend I ever had.

Having been on the other side OP, I feel ya. Sorry for us noob's. Sincerely.
 
#30 ·
yeah, everyone at the range always fires from the bench and their lead sled. I always get funny looks when I get down in the prone, standing, or sitting firing positions. Even hunters should know... you're going to have to make some awkward shots sometimes, their barely ever a straight perfect right in front of you shot with a side silhouette field of view with nothing obstructing your fields of fire.... /end rant.
 
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