AboutBob H. Expertise I have been involved with firearms since 1976. I am currently an NRA Life Member and Certified Instructor for Pistol, Reloading, and Range Safety Officer. I am licensed to carry a concealed firearm in over 30 states. I can answer most questions on a wide variety of firearms topics including:
advanced handgun topics including action types, selecting the right gun and ammunition for your needs, best places to purchase, how to find good quality training, where and how to practice, marksmanship programs, self defense, home defense, and concealed carry issues
basic topics for rifles, shotguns, and reloading
selecting and using accessories such as holsters, targets, range devices, cleaning products, storage cases, gun safes, replacement parts, upgrades, etc.
I will not answer questions about gun history, current or future gun values, or detailed legal questions. For these questions please see the Blue Book of Gun Values by S. P. Fjestad, contact the manufacturer of the firearm, or contact a qualified local attorney.
Experience Experience:
I have been involved with firearms since 1976 including many forms of target practice, hunting, self defense, home defense, concealed carry, reloading, and dozens of training classes. I am currently an NRA Life Member and Certified Instructor for Pistol, Reloading, and Range Safety Officer. I am licensed to carry a concealed firearm in over 30 states. I am not a macho paramilitary guy that is going to bark orders at you like a drill sergeant or tell you that there is only one correct answer. Instead I am a down-to-earth working class guy that will patiently educate you on the facts and issues so that you can make your own decisions based on your situation.
My full time job keeps me quite busy however I also provide firearms training to friends and referrals in my spare time. Many people have helped me over the years so I volunteer my time whenever possible to give something back to the community. If you use this site and find it helpful then I encourage you to consider signing up as an expert as well.
Expert: Bob H. Date: 7/17/2008 Subject: winchester 190
Question hi this is my first gun my parents just got it for me and none of them know mush about a semi-auto rifle all they ever messed with were winchester 94s and 73s and that was 40 years ago and like i said im new to shooting i was wondering if you could tell me the basics of maintaing it and anything else you think might help thank you for your time god bless
Answer Hello Sean.
Welcome to the wonderful world of firearms ownership!
The most important thing about owning your first firearm is to always be safe and responsible. As long as you can do those two things then you will always be able to keep your guns, learn more about them, use them in many enjoyable ways, and eventually expand your collection to include more firearms if you decide to do so. The flip side to this coin is that it only takes one mistake to ruin everything. If you are careless or irresponsible with your firearms even one time then you are likely to get in lot of trouble, possibly lose your right to own firearms for the rest of your life, and maybe even injure or kill someone.
Fortunately you already seem to be on the right path by seeking out information and training. I will give you some basic info here but please understand that there is a ton of information that you need to know and I can't possibly teach you all of that over the internet. It is very important that you find a good place to take some basic firearms classes where you live. The instructors can teach you a whole lot more in person than you can read or learn on your own. This is how I started: my father and grandfather taught me about guns when I was only 5 years old, then I took my first formal firearms safety class at age 10. I still take classes now even though I am a firearms instructor and have been shooting for over 30 years. There is always something else that you can learn.
First you want to find a local firearms safety class. These are often taught by state police, city police, state wildlife departments, state hunter education departments, boyscout troops, or gun clubs. A lot of the classes are free or only cost a small amount. You can usually go in the evening or on a weekend. Find the website for your state govenment and search for information on firearms or hunter safety. Or just ask any police officer and they can probably point you in the right direction.
After you have taken a basic firearms safety class, then find a basic marksmanship or rifle class. The NRA rifle class is outstanding but you might have to wait a bit until they teach one in your area. Ask the local gun clubs or gun ranges and they can tell you who is teaching rifle classes in your area. This class will teach you a lot more about your rifle and how to become a good shot.
Once you have the basic training completed then you can join a gun club or just visit the gun range to practice according to the NRA marksmanship program guides which step you through the practice sessions until you become better at each level. You will meet a lot of nice people at the gun clubs and ranges and they will often let you try some of their other firearms too so it is fun.
Here are some links to really good information that you can read online, then use those sites to find a local firearms class in your area:
NRA books, videos, and pamphlets: (you get some of these things free when you attend an NRA class) http://www.nrahq.org/youth/resources.asp
http://materials.nrahq.org/go/home.aspx
