If you’ve been shooting 20 years or more, what advice do you wish someone told you early on?

BearBio said:

invest in a basic RCBS reloading outfit.

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Renton Indian said:

Gonna have to revise this a tad. A new shooter does not need $500 plus invested in something they know nothing about.

Tho I own all RCBS stuff, have 3 10-10s, 3 Jrs. Ive been doing this since the early 60s.

A Lee Classic Loader (in 357 mag) if you have a 357 mag, it can load 38 special also.
Or be safe and just get a Lee classic loader and follow the instructions.

There are 100s of you tubes about this. This is the ONLY one that does it 100% correctly.
When you get good with it, you can get a dipper set to change the loads per powder.

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Unshaven2897 said:

I've been to a 'range' once and I didn't think much of the experience. So the best advice I can think of is make a friend of shooter who owns rural land and develop a friendship. Anybody's rural property that has a place for shooting is always going to need something from backstop maintenance, target holder repairs, replacement 'gong targets,' a nicer bench or bench repairs, etc. And shorter distance stuff for hand guns like some new and different spinners, etc. And above all, some cleanup. Don't just show up and be a user.

Being outside is wonderful.

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BearBio said:

1. Buy a good 357 revolver (used Blackhawk?) and invest in a basic RCBS reloading outfit. Load 38's at first. My first handgun was a Ruger Single six convertible. But, you can load 38's almost as cheaply and the 38/357 option gives you versatility to meet most any set of circumstances! Reloading will teach you patience and precision.
2. Buy a good 22 rifle with a magazine. Learn/practice with it as a single shot. Once you develop accuracy with it, start using the magazine. This will teach the value of a good first shot.
3. Learn with open sights and then progress to a scope.
4. If you want to progress to a centerfire rifle, go to a bolt-action. I'd recommend a 30-06. If you've done the homework I recommended, it will suffice for anything in North America!

Learn to shoot from the bench, then get up on your feet and learn range estimation, etc. A friend with rural land is a plus but don't denigrate a shooting range to develop safety, etc. Wife and I belong to a private range locally here in WA State. Open 7AM to dusk, 7 days.

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CastleRocker said:

My advice would be;

#1 Safety always comes first.
#2 Shoot often, and a LOT
#3 Safety is always #1
#4 go shooting and have fun!

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