David Steier - Guns 101: A Beginners Guide to Buying and Owning Firearms

GUNS
101

GUNS
101

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO
BUYING AND OWNING FIREARMS

David Steier

Skyhorse Publishing

Copyright 2011 by David Steier

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-61608-287-1

Printed in China

ID LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR THEIR help and understanding in the preparation of this book. My wife, Carol, and son, Daniel, who put up with me through the process and played editor and guinea pig as I bounced ideas and rough drafts off them. Also to my son for his role as hand model in several of the shots.

Id like to also thank the other people who helped me edit or provided photos or guns to be photographed. These include Walt Sippel, Claud Summers, Neil Spruill, Don Smith, and Hugh Howard. Thank you all.

All firearms and firearm-related products trademarks and company names are owned by their respective companies. This work is copyrighted under the laws of the United States of America. No portion of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the express, written consent of the author or publisher.

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

2. Guns should be unloaded when not actually in use.

3. Dont rely on your guns safety. Treat every gun as if it can fire at any time.

4. Be sure of your target and whats beyond it.

5. Use correct ammunition for your firearm.

6. If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, handle with care. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and get help.

7. Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.

8. Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before shooting.

9. Dont alter or modify your gun, and dohave your gun serviced regularly.

10. Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using. Do not use any firearm that you have not had adequate instruction in handling.

GUNS
101

HI, THANKS FOR TAKING THE FIRST STEP TOWARD OWNING a gun Finding out something about guns.

My name is Dave Steier. It might surprise you to know that I was just like youabout twenty years ago. I didnt come from a gun/hunting/military background. While I was interested in guns, I just didnt have the exposure that let me really learnabout guns. Most of what I knew came from movies and TV. I had heard that the .44 Magnum is the most powerful handgun ever made and will blow your head clean off. The problem is that most movie and TV people arent gun people either and are frequently wrong.

Eventually, I started reading books and magazines. I then jumped right in and started buying some guns. Then I obtained the training to become an NRA certified range safety officer and certified instructor. As the years rolled by, I became that guy at the office whos into guns. Friends and coworkers would ask me about guns and learning to shoot. Enough so that I figured it might be helpful to have a short book that they could buy to help give them a foundation that I never had.

Hopefully, Ill be able to steer you away from mistakes I made in choosing firearms to buy, collect, carry, or compete safely.

THIS BOOK IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN FIRE- arms but dont know anything about them.

This guide will introduce you to the major types of firearms and their uses. The goal is to provide you with enough information to enable you to make a decision. The decision is not only to buy a firearm, but which type of firearm might be right for you.

First, the guide examines the uses of firearms, the most common types of firearms and ammunition, and how firearms work. This will help you understand the jargon thats about to be thrown at you by store salespeople, helpful friends, and camo commandos.

Later, the guide will look after the care and feeding of your firearm. What to do with it, how to carry it, and how to clean it.

Finally, the guide provides an introduction on where you can shoot your gun and different types of competitions in which you can participate.

1 Camo commandos are the people who hang out at gun stores, not buying anything and making a general nuisance of themselves. They can be distinguished by inserting themselves in your conversation with the knowledgeable clerks behind the counter (who are just trying to do their job, which is finding you the right firearm). Usually the camo commando will try to get you to buy something that they think is appropriate, which is seldom what you really want or need.

THIS BOOK IS A SHORT OVERVIEW THAT PREPARES THE reader to start learning more about the world of firearms. This book is not a history of guns (but does have some neat history in its pages). It wont help you to shoot better (unless you take the advice to get lessons). Finally, thisbook will not tell you which gun to buy. There are simply too many to even compile into a book this size, and no single gun is right for everyone. This book will prepare you to ask the right questions to find the right gun.

GOLF CLUBS? IVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE GUN PEOPLE and antigun people. There is very little middle ground. Some people are predisposed against firearms. Typically, Ive found this to be ignorance and fear of something to which theyve never been exposed. Often at social gatherings Im asked, Why do you need more than one gun? Typically, the questioner doesnt pause and qualifies their point by saying, After all, they all just fire a bullet. This is my favorite segue into a conversation about guns. Typically, I retort, Why does a golfer have more than one club? Why the question just answers itself. Different clubs are used for different results or terrain (example, you wouldnt use a sand wedge for a long drive off the tee). Firearms are the same way.You use different types of firearms for different applications. Consider a revolver. A revolver with an eight-inch barrel is an excellent choice for target shooting or hunting; however, its awkward to try to fit into a coat pocket for personal defense. Likewise, a two-inch snub nose revolver is difficult to shoot accurately at distances over twenty yards.

IN W. E. B. GRIFINS BOOK THE CAPTAI NS, A YOUNG OSS agent is asked by his wife, What do you need a gun for? The character replies, You never need a gun, until you need it badly. That line has always stuck with me as an example of not only why to own a gun, but why I made the personal decision to carry a gun. People who are hung up on rhetoric may also add that Ted Kennedys car has killed more people than all my guns in reference to the senators famous antigun stand. While that statement is true, its seldom helpful in any kind of debate on gun ownership or rights.