How to make the four rules stick...... ?

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P95Carry

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This has been touched on, both directly and obliquely ......... but whenever I ''school'' someone in the four rules .. i wonder if it really sticks. It must of course, they are too important but ... what is your best ''demonstration'' ... to sorta ''prove a point''???

I think the gallon jug of water is useful .. maybe also a water melon ........but I am always seeking the simplest and most impactful method (no pun intended!). I am determined that my ''pupil'' will be suitably ''horrified'' such that he/she does NOT forget those rules.

Ideas please? ..... Employing simple and repeatable methods.
 
We were shooting at my parents farm with my sons when my Brother-in-law gave them a good example of how powerful a gun shot could be. He chose a tree limb hanging low, ang told both to try and break or tear the limb. Neither could do any damage...hardly even scuffed the bark. Then he used a 20 ga. to blow the limb in two. I think they fully appriecated the need for the four rules. At this time both had taken the hunter safty course as well as enduring our re-enforcement of those lessons. Must have stuck...they're 26 and 28 yrs old and still walking around, thank God. I think thats the only "look what could happen if you are careless and unsafe" lesson they ever had...but not exactly repeatable as we were on a farm/private range location.
Mark.
 
Short of the pain/reflex example of, say, shooting them in the foot for effect you will have to rely on their darwinian sense of survival and common sense.

I was never taught any "Four Rules", and I didn't need to be - they are completely self-evident. Once I knew what they were, I said to myself "Well, that's good cause that's what I've been doing".
 
I always like to take new shooters to the indoor range by my place and show them all the holes in the walls and ceiling and floor.........
 
You can always make sure that you have several pupils in your school....


......and then shoot the one you like the least!:evil:

...makes one hellova impression on the rest of the class!:what:

Seriously, though, some real life pictures of gun shot wounds seem to work real well.
 
I was pondering this the other day;

Is there anything wrong with teaching a newbie that the trigger is "bad" in order to drill it into them to ALWAYS keep their finger off, and to immediately take their finger off when done firing?
 
I know the rules, but I still have a hard time with my "trigger finger". Just something to be worked on.
Click to expand...

A good reinforcement for this is to create some "punishment" for yourself when you catch yourself with your finger on the trigger. Some suggestions are to take $100 from the stash you are compiling for another gun and donate it to charity, skip watching your favorite sports event on the next weekend, wash your wife's car or do all of the laundry and house cleaning for a week.

Takes a little self-discipline, but you will learn to keep your finger off the trigger fairly rapidly.
 
Drjones, yes, there is. What trainers often do is create a reference point for the index finger. This is often done with skateboard tape.

"Hey, my finger hurts."
"You're doing it right then!"

Rule #3, the Golden Rule, is the most critical rule of them all as in some scenarios, counter-ambush, team tactics, et al, a #2 violation cannot be avoided. Train hard, mopar!!!
 
On a way to punish yourself....do like my friend did to stop cursing, the dollar in the jar didnt help. keep a semi loose rubber band around your wrist. every time you catch yourself, give yourself a good thwack with the rubber band pulling it way back. you will soon stop, that is if you have any self control and discipline to do such things to yourself
 
To paraphrase C.R.Sam....yup. Broke three rules, lost one finger...hell of a deal.
 
trigger finger

My father taught me many years ago about fingers on the trigger when they are not supposed to be there.A sore finger and no shooting for a month.It really sucked during hunting season either not having a gun to shoot or shooting a gun with a sore finger.:D

P.S.
People at work laugh as I walk by with a drill in my hand and my index finger straight along the side.:evil:
 
Repetition.

Every time I violate one of the rules, I do the same thing ten times correctly. It feels a little silly picking up a gun and putting it down ten times, but that's o.k.

This is best for the "finger off the trigger" rule, which in my humble opinion is the most important one. It's the one that can be learned by muscle memory, and you will likely keep you finger off the trigger once you are in the habit.

Weimadog
 
HK, if I had a gun fund I might be able to do that. Right now, its hard enough getting a "food and gas" fund while living at my dad's. 75% of my monthly income goes to keeping my car on the road legally. (I am not saying this for a pity party, just that monetary punishments arent feasable.) And, no wife. No g/f. (That was a pity party, incase you are wondering.):(

I dont handle the gun enough to get the practice I really want. There is no where around here to shoot, especially with turkish steel-cored milsurp. New ammo is $25 a box, and that is pretty damned prohibative for me.
 
I normally start new people with the rules. They have to learn them by heart before they get to live fire. And there is at least some dryfire before they get to live fire.

Usually the first time they try to shoot they realize it isn't like the movies (you have to AIM that thing?). The brighter ones realize that during dryfire, they have trouble keeping proper sight alignment even with no recoil.
 
BE CONCIOUS EVERYTIME AND EVERYWHERE - NOT JUST AT THE RANGE

My brainfade occured while I was putting my new Glock away for the night -after about a half-hour of dry fire practice. Some of the factors contributing to my ND included: fatigue, inattention, lack of familiarity with the weapon, and muscle memory gone wrong. When you dry fire- keep the mags/ammo somewhere far out of reach. Dry firing can be pretty mundane and somewhat hypnotic. When your finished- TELL yourself, "I'm done!!!" - Take appropriate steps at that point to conclude the practice session.
 
I try to use positive reinforcement with my boys. They know the rules by heart, but reinforce their behavior with positive comments. They see me check my gun EVERY time I pick it up even if it was empty 30 seconds ago. It leaves my hands, I check it again when I pick it up.

I'll also point out to them others who are following the rules. "See - notice where his finger is?".

Perhaps though, what really drilled it home: I had them stand at my side (with proper eye and ear protection) while I fired 5 shots of 357 magnums through my snub nose 357. They still comment on the noise and the fire.
 
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