Today’s pro tip will be learning how to go on the range and fire your very first concealed carry gun.

Let’s take the gun out of the box and take a look at it. The first thing we want to do is make sure that the magazine is out of the gun and we also want to make sure that there is nothing in the chamber. We always want to check that in a safe direction down range. Now lets load it up. This may seem very simple for most shooters, but believe it or not, the bullet can go in only one way into the magazine, never put it in backwards.

Ok, I’m finished topping off my magazine, but before we get loaded up, lets understand what our dominant eye is about. Whenever possible always shoot with both eyes open. I am going to make a small hole with my hands and I am going to stretch out and it is naturally going to come back to the eye I looking through that hole.  That is my dominant eye. This is the eye that I am going to see the sight with.

Now let’s take a look at the overall stance. The first thing I look at in my stance is that my toes, my hips and my shoulders are square to the target.

Now I am going to place the pistol in my hand, I want to be very relaxed when I am out on the range.  I want to make sure I get a nice firm grip on the gun, I want to make a nice tight V when my arms are extended out allowing my sights to come up on the target between my dominant eye and the target. This will give you the proper stance each and every time.

Before we get started loading the gun, make sure you always wear eye protection and hearing protection whenever you are on the range. 

Loading may seem very simple for a lot of you experienced shooters out there. What we want to do is take the magazine and insert it into the gun, make sure that the bullets are facing the chamber. The two ways we are going to show you how to do this when you insert the magazine,

First from the slide lock position, with the slide back. Push the slide stop down to release the slide that will pick up the first round out of the magazine and chamber it.

The second way you can do that will be with the slide closed on an empty chamber. Insert the magazine again, facing into the chamber, grab the back to the back of the slide, where the serrations are on there, pull back and release the slide to cycle the gun quickly in order to pick up the first round and chamber it.

Now you see how my stance is, and my presentation to the target.  Good arm extension, good presentation to the target, good follow through. Stance grip and follow through is very important.

Now we have shot a few bullets, magazine is out of the gun now. The first thing I want to tell you is, when I go to unload the gun I always want to keep my muzzle pointed in the direction of the target. This is my bowling alley, this is my lane. Don’t keep it in anybody else’s lane.  So when I go to unload the gun, I want to make sure that I pull the slide back in the direction of the target, with my finger out of the trigger.  This is something common I see on the range where people will actually unload the gun pointed at their buddy next to them. Be careful of that.

Boy that was cool. Shooting improvised targets can be a lot of fun on the range, but they are also messy.  I tell everybody, there is always range etiquette whenever you go out. So if you are out blasting, make sure you always pick up your brass, and you may have a buddy who reloads. And clean up your mess and I will see you soon on the range.