Tips for Using Range Time to Maximize Your Knowledge and Comfort of Your Firearm

For both new and more experienced gun owners, feeling comfortable and confident with your firearm is essential to using it the right way. Finding the best firearm for your particular needs is the first step. Next, you’ll need to gain the knowledge and skills to become a proficient shooter. Here are some tips from the experts at The Range 702 to help you optimize your time at the shooting range by sharpening your skills and gaining confidence.

Understand How Your Gun Works

As they say, knowledge is power. The more you understand how your gun works, the more comfortable you’ll be when loading, firing and cleaning it. If you really want to maximize your time on the range, do some research on your particular firearm. Although you most likely scrolled through tons of reviews and brand comparisons before buying your gun, this is the time to take a look at the mechanics of it and what each part does. It will help you gain the knowledge you need to feel more comfortable with your firearm.

Look Into Classes Offered at the Range

It can be a lot of pressure to learn to shoot and get comfortable with firearms on your own, especially for inexperienced shooters. One of the best ways to get the right guidance is to sign up for a class offered at your local shooting range. Many places offer training sessions for newer shooters to help them learn the fundamentals of gun safety, how to hold, aim, and fire the gun, and how to improve basic skills. For information on the classes at The Range 702, check out our available training sessions and what you need to register.

Learn to Relax

One of the most important fundamental skills to remember when at the range is to relax and shoot with confidence—not aggression. Maintain proper breath control, try to create a comfortable shooting stance, create a grip on the firearm that minimizes unnecessary body tension, and hold your weapon naturally. Once you have found your preferred stance and grip, you’ll be able to focus less on finding your form and more on muscle sense memory and refining your overall process.

Aim Small to Improve Accuracy

While you’ll likely see tons of shooters at the local range using large, 24” x 24” targets during practice sessions, these larger targets may actually slow down your training. Think of it this way— if you only had to punch three holes in paper targets that measured 4’ x 4’ from a distance of 3 yards, how hard would you have to aim? How much technique would you have to employ? Shoot with small targets – no larger than a paper plate, and you’ll see tighter groups and better results than you would be using larger paper.

Shoot With Purpose

Are you shooting for defensive training, or taking your time and seeking the ultimate inaccuracy? Whatever the mission, make sure that your training provides activities that will reinforce needed shooting skills. Defensive shooting, for instance, should take place at various distances – say, from 3 to 15 yards. No more than one shot per second should be taken to ensure effective sighting. Partner with a reputable training partner at a feature-rich shooting range for the best experience.

Use a Shot Timer App

To help with your timing and improving how quickly you can cleanly shoot a target, think about downloading a range timer app. You can purchase an actual shot timer, but it’s just one more piece of shooting range equipment you have to carry with you. However, most people already have their phones with them all the time, so you might as well download one of these apps and save space. A range timer app will give you a start beep, then time how long it takes for you to engage the target. This gives you a way of measuring your timing, as well as working towards a goal to improve that number.

Choose the Right Range

This one seems obvious, but the importance of selecting a shooting range that caters to your needs and provides appropriate facilities and guidance is key. You’ll want a range that offers a wide range of guns, rounds, targets, and a supportive environment that makes you feel comfortable.

You’ll also want to determine whether an indoor shooting range versus an outdoor shooting range will serve you best. For beginner-level shooters with handguns, an indoor range may be the way to go because you have less distractions, outside elements, and uncontrolled variables that could affect how you’re shooting when compared to an outdoor range.

Shooting at The Range 702 in Las Vegas

If you’re ready to get started on your journey to becoming an expert shooter, let’s work on getting you more comfortable with your firearm. The Range 702 makes it easy to book a lane and spend valuable time improving your confidence and handling skills. If you’d like to learn more about our shooting classes, which firearms we carry in our gun vault, or what custom shooting experiences you can book, contact our team today!