Personal Defense World
  • News
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Shotguns
    • Class III & More
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Holsters
    • Knives
    • Optics/Lights
    • Safes
    • Suppressors
  • Lifestyle
    • Concealed Carry
    • First-Time Shooters
    • Home & Self-Defense
  • Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • PDW Videos
    • Free Gun Friday
    • SCCY Brand Videos
    • Video Series
      • Everyday Carry
  • More
    • Sweepstakes
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Personal Defense World
  • News
  • Guns
    • Handguns
    • Rifles
    • Shotguns
    • Class III & More
  • Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Holsters
    • Knives
    • Optics/Lights
    • Safes
    • Suppressors
  • Lifestyle
    • Concealed Carry
    • First-Time Shooters
    • Home & Self-Defense
  • Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • PDW Videos
    • Free Gun Friday
    • SCCY Brand Videos
    • Video Series
      • Everyday Carry
  • More
    • Sweepstakes
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Personal Defense World
No Result
View All Result
 
New Year, New FREE GUN FRIDAY! Enter to WIN the Smith & Wesson and Black Hills package.

Beyond the Basics: Safer Gun Handling Tips for the Range

David Kenik by David Kenik
April 18, 2022
in First-Time Shooters, Lifestyle
0
gun handling safety

Keep the gun pointed away from your body, and do not cross your support hand.

0
SHARES
23
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
gun handling safety
Keep the gun pointed away from your body, and do not cross your support hand.
holster gun handling
It’s all too common for new shooters to muzzle themselves while reholstering their pistols.
slide gun handling
Never turn your gun sideways to rack the slide because you might point the gun at someone else.

gun handling range
Instead of turning the gun to get more leverage to rack the slide, turn your body so the gun is still pointing safely downrange.
slide rack gun handling
Never rack the slide from underneath, near the front, as your hand is close to the muzzle.
gun handling safety tips
Make sure you don’t cover the ejection port with your hand when you’re racking the slide.

gun handling safety techniques
gun handling pointing gun

The mandates of gun safety are vital. But to be completely safe, our gun handling skills must go beyond just the basics.

Probably one of the most dangerous and common gun handling mistakes is “lasering,” also known as “crossing,” “muzzling” or “sweeping.” Many shooters seem to forget that bullets have a very long reach, and that everyone who is placed in front of a muzzle is in mortal danger. The term “lasering” illustrates the concept that we can visualize a powerful laser that destroys anything that is in front of it, at any distance—in reality, not unlike a firearm. Take special care not to point the gun at yourself or others. When walking around on the range, or back and forth to the shooting line, always make sure that your gun’s muzzle is pointed in a safe direction downrange.

Always Loaded

gun handling range
Instead of turning the gun to get more leverage to rack the slide, turn your body so the gun is still pointing safely downrange.

Unsafe movements and lasering are all too common while manipulating a firearm’s action. Many people like to turn a gun sideways to work the action, but this potentially points the gun in an unsafe direction. When racking the slide of your semi-auto or opening the cylinder of a revolver, it is important to pay close attention to both your body’s movements and the movements of the gun. Don’t keep your body stationary and then rotate the gun in a dangerous direction. Instead, turn your body, in relation to the gun to keep the muzzle pointed safely downrange, away from others.

  • RELATED STORY: The NRA Range – An Inside Look at the National Rifle Association’s Shooting HQ

Lasering is not just an issue for bystanders—it’s also a major concern for shooters themselves. When drawing a gun or reholstering, never point the muzzle in toward your body. If you can’t get the gun into the holster without wiggling it back and forth, or using your support hand to hold it open, that’s a sure sign that you need a better-quality holster.

While everyone knows the rule about treating all guns as if they are loaded, people consistently laser themselves and others with the muzzles of their “unloaded” guns. It seems that people feel that if the gun is unloaded, they no longer need to be concerned about where it is pointing. There are two vital reasons why the “all guns are loaded” mandate is important. 1. The assumption that “it is unloaded” may be mistaken. 2. If you always treat a gun as if it is loaded, you will permanently imprint proper gun handling techniques in your mind and won’t mistakenly handle a loaded gun improperly. An astounding number of gun accidents happen with “unloaded” firearms.

Drawing & Reholstering

holster gun handling
It’s all too common for new shooters to muzzle themselves while reholstering their pistols.

The drawing of a firearm is potentially one of the most dangerous areas of gun handling. Make sure that your support hand follows or parallels the gun during the draw and does not get ahead of the muzzle. Make sure you don’t laser your legs or feet as you bring the gun forward.

Do not release the external safety (if your gun has one) until you are on target and ready to fire. And never place your finger in the triggerguard or on the trigger unless you are prepared to destroy whatever the gun is pointing at.

Many accidental discharges happen while reholstering because the shooter has left his or her trigger finger in the triggerguard. Every instant that you are not firing your weapon, your trigger finger must be high against your gun’s frame.

Working The Slide

gun handling safety tips
Make sure you don’t cover the ejection port with your hand when you’re racking the slide.

When you have finished shooting on the range, lock the slide back on semi-autos or open the cylinder on revolvers. Keep them that way until you are ready to shoot again. This allows you and everyone else to see that the gun is empty. If you hand your gun to someone else, give it to them open, grip first, pointed downrange.

When checking to see if a semi-auto is loaded, some people use the “pinch” technique, which I find scary. This entails gripping the slide from underneath, just behind the muzzle, and pulling the slide back slightly in order to see if it’s loaded. If an accidental discharge happens, I don’t want my fingers that close to the muzzle. If you need to rack or pull back the slide, get into the habit of griping it from the rear of the pistol.

  • RELATED STORY: Shooting Ranges – 6 Elite ‘Guntry’ Clubs You Have to Check Out

When unloading, be sure to remove the magazine first, then rack the slide to clear the chamber. Doing it in the reverse order leaves a round in the chamber. When you shoot to slide lock, don’t assume the gun is empty. Always check because a semi-auto’s slide could also lock through vibration or because of a mechanical problem, leaving you with a live round still in the gun.

Just because the safety is “on” does not mean the gun is safe. See the first mandate.

When racking the slide to unload, the first instinct for many people is to grab the slide from the top with the entire hand, but that is very unsafe. While it may offer a strong grip, it is inherently dangerous because your flesh covers the ejection port. Open the slide of a semi-auto and look inside towards the back. Does the ejector have a resemblance to a firing pin? Many people have learned the hard way that when a live round is dislodged, the primer can get pushed back against the ejector. The resulting detonation will destroy the flesh that covers the ejection port. Resist the temptation for a stronger grip, and keep your hand and face far away from the ejection port while unloading or clearing a jam.

Gun Handling Progression

gun handling pointing gun

Whenever you practice with a new gun, a new holster or a new technique, always start at a slow and safe speed. Increase the tempo in steps only when competence and muscle memory are achieved.

With familiarity comes complacency. The more we train with our firearms, the more we owe it to ourselves to be extra cautious. If you see someone on the range demonstrating unsafe gun handling skills, approach them politely and explain how they can conduct themselves in a safer manner. The life you save may be your own.

 

Didn't find what you were looking for?

CLICK HERE FOR COMMENTS

Related Posts

The T4E S&W M&P9 M2.0 Marker.

Train as You Carry with the T4E S&W M&P9 M2.0 Marker

Dry Fire Training: Mantis X10 Elite.

Hone Your Skills with These 10 Dry Fire Training Products

The Mantis BlackbeardX.

The Mantis BlackbeardX Provides AR Training in Your Home

The Active Shooter Drill That Shouldn’t Have Been.

Wut?: Active Shooter Drill Ends in Staff Trauma and “Instructor’s” Arrest

Load More

PERSONAL DEFENSE WORLD VIDEOS

Discussion about this post

FEATURED POST

Study Proves the Good Guy with a Gun Theory.

Good Guy with a Gun: Study of CCW Holders Stopping Mass Shootings

Following the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, gun control advocates have taken the anti-gun narrative to a fever pitch. They insist...

Read more

TRENDING

Kizlyar Supreme Alpha D2-Satin Knife

Kizlyar Supreme’s Alpha D2 Satin Knife

...

Taurus 605 TORO and 856 TORO Revolvers.

Taurus Releases New Optics Ready 605 TORO and 856 TORO Revolvers

...

pocket pistol, pocket pistols, concealed carry handguns, concealed carry handgun, concealed carry pistol, concealed carry pistols

Best Pocket Pistols for Personal Defense [2022]

...

concealed carry, concealed carry handguns

Top 13 Compact 1911 Handguns for Concealed Carry

...

PICK A CATEGORY

CONCEALED CARRY SPOTLIGHT

gun drawing tips techniques

Tips & Tricks for a Fast Gun Draw

You have the right gun. Your cutting-edge holster is made with some lightweight, futuristic material. Your belt is even specially made to carry your...

CONCEALED CARRY SHOWCASE

The FightLite SCR Bandito Pistol.

Shot at SHOT Show: The FightLite SCR Bandito Pistol in 5.56 or 300BLK

Are Switchblades Illegal?

Are Switchblades Legal to Carry in the United States?

Two New Concealed Carry Pistols from Rock Island Armory.

Two New Rock Island Armory Concealed Carry Pistols at SHOT Show

The GPO Spectra Reflex Sight.

GPO Debuts Spectra Reflex Sight at SHOT Show – Its First Reflex Optic

The Tisas Bantam Carry 1911.

Tisas Bantam Carry 1911: A Feature-Rich Pistol with Custom Performance

The Taurus TX22 Compact .22 LR.

Seen at SHOT Show: Taurus Ups the .22 LR Ante with the TX22 Compact

How to Choose a Gun for Self-Defense

How to Choose a Gun for Self-Defense

gun drawing tips techniques

Tips & Tricks for a Fast Gun Draw

AMMO SPOTLIGHT

Getting a Jump on SHOT Show 2023.

7 Personal Defense Related Products to Start SHOT Show 2023 Early

SHOT Show 2023 is almost here and the anticipation is killing us. Of course, the staff of Personal Defense World...

site logo
Gun News, Gun Reviews, and Self Defense Tips

Tactical

  • tactical-life.com

Magazines

  • Tactical Life
  • The Complete Book of Reloading
  • Guns of the Old West

Facebook

  • Tactical-Life Facebook
  • Guns of the Old West Facebook

Twitter

  • Tactical-Life Twitter

Self Defense

  • PersonalDefenseWorld.com

Magazines

  • Personal Defense World
  • Combat Handguns

Facebook

  • Personal Defense World Facebook
  • Combat Handguns

Twitter

  • Personal Defense World Twitter

Shooting Lifestyle

  • BallisticMag.com

Magazines

  • BallisticMag.com

Facebook

  • Ballistic Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Ballistic Magazine Twitter

Alpha Lifestyle

  • SkillsetMag.com

Magazines

  • Skillset

Facebook

  • Skillset Magazine Facebook

Twitter

  • Skillset Magazine Twitter

Instagram

  • Skillset Magazine Instagram
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • California Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Policy
© Athlon Outdoors, All Rights Reserved.
You use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Outdoors.

Manage your GDPR consents by clicking here. Manage your CCPA consents by clicking here.
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Guns
    • View All Guns
    • Handguns
    • Shotguns
    • Rifles
    • Class III & More
    • Sponsored
  • Gear
    • View All Gear
    • Accessories
    • Ammo
    • Holsters
    • Knives
    • Optics/Lights
    • Safes
    • Suppressors
  • Lifestyle
    • View All Lifestyle
    • Concealed Carry
    • First-Time Shooters
    • Home & Self-Defense
  • Videos
    • PDW Videos
    • Free Gun Friday
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.