[tiberius10721]

Watch out for A holes who dont follow the rules everybody above mentioned. Remember there are a lot of new shooters out there not only you! The only time Ive been shot is by another shooter who had his shotgun pointed towards me while we were hunting. Dont take it for granted that other people at the range are experienced. Be paranoid its worth it.

[montveil]

The last post suggesting eye and hearing protection IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. I remember when I was 21 and invincible and others looked down on safety.
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PAIR OF EYES AND GUNS DO BLOW UP ON RARE OCCASIONS EVEN THE GUY NEXT TO YOU can wipe out an eye

We loose our hearing by destroying little sensing hairs in our inner ear.
ONCE THEY ARE GONE THEY DO NOT REGENERATE EVER.
So when you get my age the loud music, gunshots, work related noise, chainsaws and age accumulate to cause significant hearing loss
PROTECT BOTH YOUR EYES AND EARS AND IGNORE THOSE WITH MORE MACHO AND LESS GOOD SENSE.
By asking about range etiquette you seem like a responsible person and just listen to other responsible shooters

[gorknoids]

Originally Posted by montveil

The last post suggesting eye and hearing protection IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. I remember when I was 21 and invincible and others looked down on safety.
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PAIR OF EYES AND GUNS DO BLOW UP ON RARE OCCASIONS EVEN THE GUY NEXT TO YOU can wipe out an eye

We loose our hearing by destroying little sensing hairs in our inner ear.
ONCE THEY ARE GONE THEY DO NOT REGENERATE EVER.
So when you get my age the loud music, gunshots, work related noise, chainsaws and age accumulate to cause significant hearing loss
PROTECT BOTH YOUR EYES AND EARS AND IGNORE THOSE WITH MORE MACHO AND LESS GOOD SENSE.
By asking about range etiquette you seem like a responsible person and just listen to other responsible shooters

Aside from the gun blowing up, a surprising amount of really hot metal can make it back to the firing line with an awesome velocity. I picked 2 pieces of lead-smeared copper out of my face and neck last year, one half the size of my pinky fingernail, and so hot that it burned my fingers when I pulled it out.

[hunter Joe]

Even though are bullet traps are 25 yards away from the firing line on the indoor range, I pick up pieces of lead and copper near the firing line every night. "Eyes" and "Ears" should be a no brainer, although, that's not always the case.

[fixdeluxe1]

When I first started attending ranges(when I was about 11-12 years old) the first and foremost teaching was SAFETY and that's the big thing.If your wondering around the range with an AK-47 pointing the muzzle at every human body within the building,they are NOT going to like you.Whereas if you practice basic firearms safety rules,and associated range rules,you should be fine.If you have never handled a weapon before,I suggest a firearms safety course and that you purchase a firearm for yourself.

[wild800]

Everybody here has already given you great advice on firearms safety, and I second the motion on taking a basic firearms safety course if you can before you go out to the range.

I wanted to chime in regarding your preference of shoulder fired weapons vs a pistol.

The recoil from some shoulder fired weapons can be much greater than that of say a .38 caliber revolver or a .40 caliber pistol, but if you get the chance to shoot a variety of weapons, go for it! Ask for advice on the proper grip and stance or shooting position for each weapon, don't worry about or "anticipate" the recoil, and you should do fine.

p.s. Have fun!

[Troy Michalik]

J,
Lots of great advise posted. The one thing I would add that hasn't been listed yet is be absolutely sure you wash your hands WELL when you're done shooting. It is incredible how much lead gets on your hands when you handle ammunition. I never realized it until I took an NRA instructors course and the teacher handed out anti-lead hand wipes when we came off the line. That little handi-wipe was filthy, and lead is not something your want to add to your diet.

[jtrain]

UPDATE:

Since last time I posted here, I hadnt gone to a range - however, I have since went (twice actually) and absolutely loved it.

I followed everyone's advice and was very respectable of each firearm.

I had fired both a Baretta 9mm and a 7.62 AK-47. Each had its unique characteristic which I liked.

I am actually considering buying a .22 rifle to bring to the range and practice - I never really knew how much skill it took to shoot. Because of this challenge, I've become interested in target shooting.

If anyone has any requests for .22 rifles (NJ legal) please PM me, otherwise I will be looking around the .22 cal section of this forum.


Thanks for the advice!

[zhuk]

Think starting off buying a .22 is an excellent idea, jtrain. You'll learn accuracy and handling without any recoil, so if you can shoot it well, larger calibres should come naturally. I would have also started off this way, but the way my club (and the national laws) are structured I had to start out competing straight away using .223 rifles, as no plinking/practice allowed.

We are quite lucky that safety courses are compulsory here & range vigilance is extremely tight; so I concour with other members on getting into some form of training.

You shot an AK your first time out? My envy knows no bounds

[montveil]

Like most things- you have to determine what you want to do first.
If you want to go plinking and some hunting a Ruger 10-22 is a great first autoloader.