If You Make These 5 Shooting Range Mistakes, It Is Time To Stop!

Most gun owners do a lot of recreational shooting and testing at their local gun range. A number of different accidents occur at the gun range in any given month, largely due to shooter ignorance, not due to intentionally irresponsible behavior.

Add to it the idea that most people think that humans are genetically hardwired to handle a firearm, and you get the perfect recipe for gun range mistakes (which might be annoying for experienced shooters at the range).

WRB Sales, leading supplier of gun range bag and shooting accessories discuss some common mistakes you might be making at the range:

#1-The Prickly-Magnet Trigger Finger

For many new shooters, apparently the convenient way to scratch their trigger finger is to rub it firmly around the trigger guard. Call it instinct or human nature but magnetic triggering is an irresistible thing for most index fingers. After all, the finger belongs there doesn’t it? Then why is there a big hole right next to the trigger?

Get this - you are at a range and you probably haven’t graduated to shooting moving targets yet. Learn to get a grip on the itchy trigger finger feeling and preferably rest your trigger finger away from the trigger, on the side of the firearm when not shooting.

#2-Side Slide Reloading

As our hands are mounted on the sides of our bodies, we naturally tend to turn the gun to the left (when keeping the right hand on the trigger) and reload. Nothing wrong here, right? Wrong. When you do this, you are unintentionally pointing the gun at the shooters on your left.

Although it takes a bit of extra effort to rotate your body so that the gun is pointing downwards while reloading, it is definitely worth the trouble.

#3-Back Seat Shooting

These are the shooters who stand far behind the shooting line so that the muzzles are actually behind all the other shooters. Just like backseat drivers, for experienced shooters, these guys are frustrating and mean trouble.

When shooting at the range, make sure that you step up on the line. On the bright side, you will not come off as dangerous and you will be closer to the target.

#4-Hand Troubles

This typically happens at outdoor shooting ranges where shooters can go down the range and clean up their mess. Once a shooter calls out ‘cold range’, it is your responsibility to keep the firearm aside until the shooter fixes up the targets and comes back behind the counter.

While you might have a little trouble putting aside your firearm, do it for the safety of your fellow shooters and also to not accidentally shoot one in the back.

#5-Turning Around

Turning around at the gun range, especially when your firearm is loaded is never a good idea. You might be tempted to scream out to your friend at the back and tell them how you shot the target to smithereens, but don’t. There are two problems here - first, it isn’t the right thing to do if you don’t want to freak out other shooters. Secondly, a handgun is much shorter, and turning around with a handgun in your hand means you are pointing it directly at the person behind you.

Avoid these five gun range mistake and you will soon master shooting safety and effectiveness. Check out the collection of gun range essentials and firearm accessories available at WRB Sales for an even safer shooting experience.