Girls And Guns

Everyone remembers their first time. Your heart is pounding. You feel like you might be sick. Your hands start shaking like a leaf. You start having second thoughts, but something tells you to do it. Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking about your first time shooting!

I think women especially can be intimidated by their "first time." Unfortunately, some women might let that fear get the best of them and never get the chance to experience the wonder that is firing a gun. So ladies, here's some steps you can take to make sure you have a pleasant experience.

1) Find someone knowledgeable who can teach you all the safety rules. The NRA offers firearm safety classes as well as the Department of Fish and Wildlife. You can go online to find classes, or you can learn from someone you know who has experience.

2) Find someone who will let you borrow a firearm that you're comfortable with. Some indoor ranges also have guns that you can rent for the time you're at the range. Make sure the firearm fits comfortably in your hand or snugly in your shoulder. If you aren't comfortable, chances are you won't like your experience.

3) Select a proper caliber. There's two ways you can go about this. One way would be to select the biggest caliber you think you can handle and go balls to the wall to get over your fear. The other way would be to start small and work your way up. A nice .22 caliber has little to no recoil and is very fun to shoot. On the other hand, once you shoot a .45 caliber handgun or a 30-06 rifle, not much could intimidate you from there on out. As a side note, there is a thing as too big for an inexperienced person to shoot. Do NOT go out and shoot a Smith and Wesson .500 your first time. You will not like it. It will hurt you.

4) Learn proper body mechanics. How you grip a pistol or shoulder a rifle can make all the difference in the world. There are plenty of videos on proper technique for gripping a pistol. Its difficult for me to explain on here. For a long gun, you are going to want to place 60-70% of your body weight on your front foot. Lean forward into the gun. Pull the gun into your shoulder. Hard. If it isn't uncomfortable, you aren't holding it tight enough. These few things will make your experience much more enjoyable.

There isn't anything in this world that I've found that even comes close to the feeling you get when you fire off a few rounds. Shooting can be very empowering and can boost a woman's confidence through the roof. Now go out there and shoot!