5 Tips To Increase Your Firearm Proficiency And Not Suck
Last thing you wanna do is suck at shooting in front of your friends.
I originally was going to keep this post on social media but I also knew that some of this info deserved a deeper dive than what I could offer on social media.
The purpose of this post is to highlight five straightforward ways to increase your firearm proficiency and become a better shooter while simultaneously increasing your knowledge as well.
Know How Your Gun Works.
The easiest way to do this for the guns you own is to read the owner’s manual. The manual will tell you everything you need to know such as how to make your gun safe, how to load and unload it, how to make it safe and more. Some manufacturers even provide in-depth videos that you can look at to gain a better understanding of your firearm. If you’re going to be shooting it and especially if you’re going to be using it for self-defense, you definitely want to know how your gun operates.
Shoot At The Range.
Practice. You can’t show up to the game and expect a display of great skill if you never practice. Shooting is a prime example of that. Find a shooting range that allows you to hone your skills. You want to find one where you can rent firearms, buy ammunition, targets, safety equipment and any other necessities you may need.
Take Classes With Experts.
As a new gun owner, don’t just buy a gun and go shooting down the range and hit everything but your target. Your inexperience shows. Find classes in your area and vet the instructors. Learn proper firearm and safety etiquette. Learn how to properly manipulate your firearm and fix your errors from instructors with years of experience. And don’t be confined to your local area either. Plan trips to travel and gain instruction from nationally-recognized training experts as well. You get what you pay for.
Dry Fire At Home.
Believe it or not, you don’t have to be at the range to work on your firearm training. You can practice your weapon manipulation skills at home with an UNLOADED firearm. Dry fire allows you to not only practice the basics of shooting but also to focus on drawing from a holster, reloads, malfunction drills and more. You can do all of this without ever firing a shot. Even though you’re at home and not using ammunition, safety must still remain the focus. Always ensure your firearm is unloaded and ensure that no live ammunition is present in the area to mistakenly enter your firearm.
Many people feel like dry-firing is bad for your firearm and there is one small group of firearm owners that are correct, but for the most part, most guns dry fire with no problem.
Rimfire guns and your older semi-auto handguns and revolvers will very possibly run into issues that could cause damage to your firing pins if dry firing without snap caps (dummy rounds). Be sure to use snap caps if necessary for your firearm or if you suspect your firearm is prone to damage by dry-firing.
Train Frequent To Build Skills.
The only way to hone in on yours skills is to repetitively drive them home by practicing and educating yourself. You can’t go thru these tips one time and expect to be an expert. It takes repetition and frequent training to begin to master your firearm skills. If you’re really serious about improving your skills then you may want to train as frequently as almost every day.
While this isn’t an all inclusive of everything it will take to become proficient at the use of your firearm, it is definitely a good start.
Sig Sauer awarded 10-year Next Generation Squad Weapon contract from U.S. Army
No more M4 & 5.56. America is on to bigger and better.
On April 19, 2022, the U.S. Army announced that after 27 months of prototyping and evaluation, the winner of a 10-year firm-fixed-price follow-on production contract would be Sig Sauer, Inc. The company has been tasked to manufacture and deliver two Next Generation Squad Weapons, the XM5 rifle & the XM250 automatic rifle as well as the 6.8 Common Cartridge Family of Ammunition.
Courtesy of Sig Sauer.
The $20.4 million contract will put XM5s and XM250s in the hands of tens of thousands of soldiers and will become the standard replacement for the M4/M4A1 carbine rifle and the M249 SAW.
Both rifles will be paired with the XM157 fire control by Vortex Optics. The XM157 fire control came to fruition from a similar 10-year production contract with the U.S. Army and is fascinating by itself. It integrates a variable magnification optic (1-8x30), a backup etched reticle, laser rangefinder, ballistic calculator, atmospheric sensor suite, compass, Intra-Soldier Wireless, visible and infrared aiming lasers, and a digital display overlay.
The XM157 by Vortex Optics.
For more info on the XM157 and its development, check out this Vortex Nation podcast.
The Army has also made the decision to switch from 5.56 mm ammo to 6.8mm ammo, after a long search for a cartridge better designed for penetrating body armor. Both firearms will fire Sig 6.8x51 FURY Hybrid ammunition which has been designed to handle higher pressures which will result in significantly increased velocities and on-target energies.
SIG 6.8x51 FURY Hybrid Ammunition by Sig Sauer. Courtesy of Sig Sauer.
"The new ammunition includes multiple types of tactical and training rounds that increase accuracy and are more lethal against emerging threats than both the 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition," an Army spokesperson said in a press release.
According to Sig, each weapon will also be coupled with a Sig SLX suppressor as standard issue which could speak volumes in the long run on the advancement of hearing protection legislation.
Sig Sauer has made available to the consumer a variant of the XM5 (the MCX-Spear rifle), the 6.8 FURY round (Sig 277 FURY Hybrid ammunition), and the Sig SLX series of suppressors as well as a hefty MSRP. Overall, great look for Sig Sauer.
Flying With Your Firearms
You’d be surprised how many people don’t even realize you can even fly with your firearms. Never leave them at home.
“Wherever I go, my gun goes.”
Traveling, especially flying, with firearms has a lot of uncertainty, questions, and myths associated with the subject. I didn’t realize how many people don’t travel with their firearms just because they are under the assumption that they can’t. Honestly, most people just lack the right information.
The short answer to the question of “Can you fly with your firearms?” would be, YES. However, proper planning and research must be done before arriving at the airport ready to board a plane.
First, and foremost, it’s necessary to know the local laws of wherever you are traveling to.
Not all states share the same gun laws, so it’s wise to know the local carry laws of the states you are traveling to be in 100% compliance with the law. If a layover in a state which has strict carry laws such as New York or Illinois occurs, it is best to not take possession of your luggage and have it forwarded to your final destination.
Next, it’s a must that you are aware of the TSA’s rules on transporting your firearms and ammunition.
In a nutshell, the rules are:
Declare each firearm each time you present it for transport as checked baggage. Ask your airline about limitations or fees that may apply.
Firearms must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container and transported as checked baggage only. Only the passenger should retain the key or combination to the lock unless TSA personnel request the key to open the firearm container to ensure compliance with TSA regulations. You may use any brand or type of lock to secure your firearm case, including TSA-recognized locks. (It is worth noting that TSA-recognized locks have universal keys and can be opened by anyone who has that universal key. So it is of our opinion to not use a TSA lock.)
Bringing an unloaded firearm with accessible ammunition to the security checkpoint carries the same civil penalty/fine as bringing a loaded firearm to the checkpoint.
Firearm parts, including magazines, clips, bolts and firing pins, are prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage.
Replica firearms, including firearm replicas that are toys, may be transported in checked baggage only.
Rifle scopes are permitted in carry-on and checked baggage.
Ammunition is prohibited in carry-on baggage, but may be transported in checked baggage.
Small arms ammunition (up to .75 caliber and shotgun shells of any gauge) must be packaged in a fiber (such as cardboard), wood, plastic, or metal box specifically designed to carry ammunition and declared to your airline.
Ammunition may be transported in the same hard-sided, locked case as a firearm if it has been packed as described above. You cannot use firearm magazines or clips for packing ammunition unless they completely enclose the ammunition. Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded or empty, must be boxed or included within a hard-sided, locked case.
In addition to the TSA’s rules, each airline may have their own policies as well so it would be wise to be aware of them. We’ve listed the major domestic airline firearm policies below:
Next it’s time to pack your firearms in the right case.
Having your guns packed properly can mean it only takes a little while to get screened by security or the possibility of you missing your flight.
Remember, you must store your firearms in a hard-sided case. It’s worth mentioning that if your gun case will be its own standalone checked baggage, keep in mind that multiple people will be handling it from departure to arrival. Durability and security need to be your main focus points when choosing a case. We offer Pelican cases which are the cases that we prefer when it comes to traveling with firearms.
When it comes to your ammunition, it must be checked in as well and must be stored in containers specifically designed for ammo. While the manufacturer’s cardboard fiber box is sufficient, it’s not recommended as it can potentially tear apart during transport. Options that are more solid and durable such as these would be far better.
Now that you’re all packed, it’s time to head to the airport and check your bags. Declaring your firearm is the next, and most important, step in the process.
Once you arrive at the airport, head to the ticketing counter to check your bags and tell the ticketing agent that you would like to declare your firearm. While this may sound like an intimidating task, we assure you that it is not.
Simply, you’ll fill out a card with your contact info. The ticketing agent will verify that your firearm is properly stored and locked.
After completing the card, the agent will make you unlock the case, put the card inside of the case and re-lock it. You will usually be directed to stick around until a TSA agent checks your luggage and firearm case as well. They may need for you to re-open the case. Remember that you are the only person who can unlock your case. Do not give an agent your combination to your lock and if he requests your keys to your lock, ensure to immediately receive them back.
After TSA has checked your luggage and firearm, they may direct you to stick around but usually you will be allowed to go ahead and travel to your concourse. In my experience, declaring a firearm has never held me up more than 20 minutes but definitely allow for extra time.
The final step in the process is picking up your firearm from baggage claim.
Most of the time, your luggage and your firearm cases will come down the baggage carousel. When it’s not on the carousel, you will more than likely find your luggage/firearm case in the baggage claim office. This will vary from airport to airport as to where your luggage can be found but it will be one of the two places. After you receive your luggage, ensure that it’s still secured and nothing is missing. Sometimes your luggage will be zip-tied so it is best to travel with a small pocketknife in an easily accessible pocket on your checked baggage so that you can undo the zip-tie.
That pretty much covers everything that will get you onto a flight with your firearm as stress-free as possible. Remember to always check with your particular airlines for their rules and if you have any questions or are unsure of anything.
Happy flying and happy shooting.
News: ATF Set To Launch eForms (Form 4) Within Weeks
No more year-long waits finally here?
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has announced that a newly updated version of eForms that will include Form 4 will go back live sometime in the next few weeks. It’s expected after December 15th but before December 28th.
As of now, eForms is live but only to Forms 1, 2, 3, 5 (Gov’t Only), 6, 9, and 10. Form 4 is the one that consumers have been waiting on though. It’s the form required to purchase an NFA item such as a short-barreled rifle or a suppressor. The form hasn’t been available electronically since briefly during a time in 2013. Without a modernized system to process the forms, the ATF has been forced to utilize an archaic paper-and-pen system to file NFA transfer forms. Additionally, the ATF requires that filers send in fingerprints and CLEO forms by USPS mail. All of this has led the wait times for NFA purchases to skyrocket to 8-12 months.
Fast forward to the digital age, the newly updated eForms system is designed to drastically reduce the wait times to as little as weeks to a couple months in comparison to the traditional paper forms.
It should be noted that if you have already submitted an NFA application, keep it in the queue. Withdrawing your Form 4 and re-submitting it electronically will cause as much as a one year delay to the approval process.
At this point, if a new NFA purchase is on your radar, it would definitely be recommended to await until the eForms system goes back live. Waiting a few weeks might save you months of waiting. The ATF will notify the industry 24-48 hours ahead of the transition so we will be sure to promptly notify you when we have reliable updates.