Very good weekend.

[g-man]

Well done sir!

Quick question: The 4 rules are ubiquitous, but do tell what your rules for handling your firearms are... I've done the 4-rules walkthrough with newbies before, but always like to know what things other gunnies think to mention when enlisting minions.

[blackeagle603]

I try to introduce the 4 rules day or days ahead to young-uns and then expect them to recite them when I have them do a handling demonstration. I find first demo works best _not_ at a range what with all the noise and movement.

[SoupOrMan]

Well done sir!

Quick question: The 4 rules are ubiquitous, but do tell what your rules for handling your firearms are... I've done the 4-rules walkthrough with newbies before, but always like to know what things other gunnies think to mention when enlisting minions.

For adults, the 4 Rules usually suffice, but I often will introduce the IPSC 180-degree rule to prevent unwanted muzzle sweeps. It helps remind people about the "don't point your firearm at something you don't want to destroy" and "know your target and what's behind it" rules.

For kids, I add extra rules to spell out things that will happen that will get guns taken out of their hands until they've matured. It's more a list of "Thou Shalt Not Do This, Lest Thy Fun Get Taken Away" things:

1. If you start playing around like you're in Call of Duty or other first-person shooters, you will lose your gun privileges. This isn't a video game and you could kill someone.

2. If you start playing around like you're in a Grand Theft Auto game, you will lose your gun privileges. See above.

3. Don't talk about shooting your pets, your family members or anyone else. You will not be allowed to handle my guns ever again, and your parents will know about it.

4. If you point your firearm somewhere other than the target "as a joke" or because "I want to try this trick shot I saw on YouTube" you will lose your gun privileges. You're violating rules 2 and 4, and probably 3. (Adults get the 180-degree rule, kids get a much narrower window just because I want them to focus on the target, not everything around the target.)

5. That gun is MINE, not YOURS. You are just borrowing it. If I see you treating something of mine improperly, you will not be allowed to handle my guns ever again. I will also talk to your parents about ensuring you can't borrow any of their guns for a long time, too.

Those are the ones I usually add for kids. They can change based on situations, but those seem to work well for modern city & suburban kids.

[SoupOrMan]

First, the airgun. It's a Daisy Model 840. The top speed of a BB is 350 fps, a pellet maxes out at 300. It's designed not to be a pest control gun, but a practice gun. It's a good first BB gun and served me well as a boy. I do know it's strong enough to break glass with a BB...

20151028_205704.jpg

Next, the backstop. It's an old carpet remnant. I put a light-colored sheet below it to catch all the falling BBs and pellets. The backstop seems to stop the pellets better. I had one BB ricochet past me, so I'll likely be shooting pellets at it more often than not.

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Thankfully the cats give the basement wide berth when I'm shooting.

[SoupOrMan]

And another thing.

I've been coming home from work, going downstairs and putting pellets downrange. I wind up feeling awake and ready to go work out or do chores instead of feeling sluggish and tired.

I could get used to that.

[skb12172]

And another thing.

I've been coming home from work, going downstairs and putting pellets downrange. I wind up feeling awake and ready to go work out or do chores instead of feeling sluggish and tired.

I could get used to that.

Very nice bonus.

[Erik]

For adults, the 4 Rules usually suffice, but I often will introduce the IPSC 180-degree rule to prevent unwanted muzzle sweeps. It helps remind people about the "don't point your firearm at something you don't want to destroy" and "know your target and what's behind it" rules.

When I teach beginners, we do teach them the four rules, and they also get them in writing.

However I found that it's actually easier to emphasize a modified rule 2 and 3 for our beginners. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I found that just reciting rules really doesn't sink in very well. Even if they learn them they can slip up in following them. So I tend to emphasize two things:
a. The muzzle ALWAYS point forward to the target. Regardless what happens, it points forward. This includes taking it up from the box or putting it back in.
b. Trigger finger ALWAYS on the slide (and OFF the trigger). Finger is ONLY on trigger if you see the target in the sights.

The first point is actually a sort combination of rule 2 and 4. You have to know what the target is to be able to point at it. We will correct them if they get to far off the target even when loading or clearing the gun. Or when unpacking/packing the gun into its case. Rule 1 is sort of implied this way, since with these two points they will always treat the gun as loaded.

Note that my modified Rule 2 is now in the affirmative. I dont say "NEVER point it an unsafe direction", I say "ALWAYS point it in a safe direction". This is a mental learning tool I picked up years ago. The brain is apparently really bad at registering the word "NOT". So if you say to a child "Do not go out on the road", their subconcious hear "Do *** go out on the road". So it's better to say "Stay in the garden".
This goes for shooting instructions as well. I will say "control the trigger" instead of "dont jerk the trigger". And I will say "this shot will hit" rather than "dont miss this time".

All our instructors are IPSC shooters, so we tend to use that approach to safety, which is a bit stricter than what is usually taught here. But it produces results, our beginners are very safe when they go out to competitions, we have gotten compliments several times.
The 180-rule isn't common in IPSC here though. Few ranges allow for it, so usually there are flags set up as safety angles. It's not uncommon to have the flag 5-10 yards outside the outer target. Which is why "ALWAYS point at the target" is a good rule to internalize. That way you wont accidentaly go outside a tight safety angle. I honestly hardly ever think about them anymore, since I always have the gun pointing at my next target anyway.

Oh, and just to clarify: This is not in any way to critisize or trying to replace the four rules. It's just a way we found that makes it easier for our beginners to internalize the meaning of them. We still put the four rules on top of every safety brief we give.

[toad]

Sigh...I just wish firearm classes were mandatory in schools using air pistols.
I also want a pony and a sleazy blonde for Christmas.