Shooting

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Shooting is the act of firing a gun or other projectile weapon such as a bow or sling. The word shooting can refer to the practice of hunting, where it implies hunting of upland game birds such as grouse or pheasant. Shooting can also mean the sport of target shooting, which includes shotgun sports like skeet, trap and sporting clays, precision rifle and handgun shooting at stationary paper targets or reactive metal targets, or the growing sport of cowboy action shooting, where participants wear clothing from the late 1800s and fire period weapons at a variety of reactive targets. The topic of shooting also encompasses the practical shooting sports of IPSC and IDPA competition which strive, with varying degree of success, to simulate the conditions and requirements of defensive pistol combat and to train participants for real-world self defense with their handguns. In addition, there are other practical shooting sports, such as 3-Gun competition, where participants use handgun, rifle or shotgun to engage various paper or steel targets during the course of fire.

All of the various forms of shooting can be fascinating and rewarding activities for people of all ages. But the utmost consideration, which takes precedence over everything else, is safety. Like many other activities such as cooking or skiing, there is an element of danger involved in shooting, and this danger demands a sober understanding and respect for firearms and the rules for safely handling them.

Contents 1 The four rules of firearm handling 2 Civilian shooting technique 3 Stovepipe 4 See also 5 References

The four rules of firearm handling

1. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
2. Never point a firearm at anything you are not willing to kill or destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger and outside of the trigger-guard until your sights are on the target and you are ready to fire.
4. Know your target, what the firearm and ammunition can do, what's between you and your target, and what is beyond.

It is more correct to refer to most gun "accidents" as negligent discharges. Adherence to these four rules precludes virtually all possibility of a negligent discharge.

In addition to the basic Four Rules, certain behaviors are customary. When handing a firearm to someone else, the giver should either already have the action of the firearm open, or open it to show the recipient that it is empty. On receiving the firearm, the recipient should open the action and check for him or herself that it is unloaded. Even though the firearm is determined to be empty, it is always treated as loaded, according to Rule One (Always Loaded). It is very rude and dangerous to point a firearm at any other person at any time. This falls under Rule Two (Never Point), as well as Rule One (Always Loaded). Pointing a firearm at another person should be considered a threat, and violations of Rule Two should be acted on by explaining the error to the committer, and correcting his or her behavior.

Civilian shooting technique

Precision marksmanship in shooting competition (unlike in combat) can be achieved by proper execution of the seven step checklist in shooting:

• Stance

When handling a pistol, close your eyes and raise the gun naturally without thinking, (however, do this with an unloaded weapon with its safety on, as not doing so is extremely dangerous and not recommended) then open your eyes to see where your natural arm position points to.

• Grip

There should be no gap between the top of the grip and the part of hand between the thumb and the index finger.

• Sight alignment

 The front and back sights must be aligned both horizontally and vertically.

• Target alignment

Align the "aligned sights" to the target.

• Breathing

Accuracy will be at its best when the body is most relaxed. This moment is known as the "natural respiratory pause" and is the point at which two-thirds of the lung's capacity have been exhaled. During normal breathing, this usually lasts from about 2 to 3 seconds, but may be extended up to 8 seconds to allow time to aim and squeeze the trigger before lack of oxygen begins to adversely affect aim.

• Trigger squeeze

A quick motion of the finger will jerk the gun and change the aim. Instead, slowly squeeze the trigger and apply no less than 4 pounds 3 ounces to the trigger. You should NOT anticipate the exact moment of firing.

• Follow through

After the firing, align the sights with the target again.

Stovepipe

A stovepipe is a common firearm malfunction.

It occurs when the shooter fires a semi-automatic pistol with a limp wrist, causing the muzzle to rise excessively. As a result, the spent case is not totally ejected and the base (rim) gets caught by the slide slamming home. The end result is a shell case that sticks out of the chamber like a stove pipe, and must be manually removed, usually by racking the slide. However, this may also happen in a semi-automatic rifle if the feeding ramp is dirty or the cartridge has a malfunction. This can be remedied as stated above for a handgun.

See also

• The Marksmanship WikiBook (still needs considerable work)
• shootingwiki.org

References

Template:Commonsbs:Streljaštvo bg:Стрелба de:Schuss ko:사격 it:Tiro (balistica) he:קליעה lt:Šaudymas ja:射撃 pl:Strzelectwo sl:Strelstvo sv:Skytte tr:Atıcılık zh:射击

Wikipedia information about Shooting This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Shooting". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.