10 tips for better, cheaper and happier shooting

The coronation of Emperor Barack I has been, if nothing else, a boon for the gun industry. I have a passion for shooting, both for sport and for self-defense. I get a real kick out of turning a total newbie into a safe, happy, competent shooter. As a certified firearms instructor, I get a lot of questions about guns and shooting. Here are a few of my more common replies:

1. Start with a .22. The .22 Long Rifle is the cheapest and most ubiquitous round in existence! It's cheap practice, and lets you work on fundamentals without a lot of blast, flash and recoil. My .22 goes with me to the range every time; it gets shot more than any of my other guns.
2. Ignore the .468 Belchfire Magnum and other such gun magazine fodder. At best, it's a connoisseur's cartridge; at worst, it's just something ginned up for publicity.
3. Revolvers are not obsolete. The perception that they are, on the other hand, gives us some great bargains in used handguns.
4. Bigger guns (size, not caliber) are easier to shoot than smaller guns. You are not doing your wife or girlfriend a favor by thinking she needs a small, lightweight, handgun.
5. The more you mess with a gun, or the more stuff you hang on it, the less it wants to work.
6. There are two kinds of red dot sights on the market: Aimpoint, and everything else. None of them will make up for bad marksmanship.
7. The difference in diameter between 9mm (0.355") and .45 (0.451") is less than one-tenth of an inch (0.096"). Think about that before you get carried away in the Great Caliber Controversy.
8. The .30-30 has been in service for more than a century. It still works fine on deer. It's dandy for self-defense too, even if the rifles aren't painted black and covered with hand-mauling rails. Ammo is some of the most ubiquitous, highly-refined and consistent available. Rifles are inexpensive, light and handy. I like Marlin but if you prefer Winchester, I won't begin to try to change your mind.
9. Being in the police or military doesn't make a person a firearms expert, a competent coach, or even a competent shooter. Likewise, in evaluating your own needs, do not attach excessive importance to what the cops and soldiers use.
10. Take all the money you just saved on gimcracks, gewgaws, over-hyped and under-reliable "Ultimate (insert gun type here)" etc., and invest it in some real training. It may not seem glamorous now, but you'll thank me for it later.

Stay safe, have fun, and keep your powder dry!