RFR: What to Expect for Your First Firearms Competition

You have decided to give it a try. Your first firearms competition. We understand we've been there. Palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy, the whole nine yards. Hopefully, you aren't upchucking spaghetti, however. Those will get you looks. You have all the gear. Pistol, rifle, shotgun, whatever your competition.You have all the gear. Pistol, rifle, shotgun, whatever your competition. Hopefully you borrowed instead of bought new. ALWAYS try to borrow before shelling out a fortune for new gear, especially if you are unfamiliar with things. Upon your arrival early morning, you see a slew of other competitors. You see the jerseys with brightly colored sponsors, as well as carts and ammo boxes, firearms of all calibers, makes and models. Heres your first bit of advice. Relax, and take a deep breath. You are making it more than it is. Head to the registration table. Talk to the match organizers and make friends. Talk to otherHead to the registration table. Talk to the match organizers and make friends. Talk to other competitors. Everyone there is there for the same thing. To have fun, and be safe. If you accomplish those two things, you have a successful day. Listen carefully to the stage briefing, and dont be afraid to ask questions. Feel free to talk with other competitors as well. Make sure you follow any and all safety rules. As always at the range, make sure that you are as safe as possible. One slip on a safety rule, can end your day with a stage or match disqualification.One of the best pieces of advice, is watch your other competitors. Watch how they walk through the stages. Follow their walk through, and ask their advice on things. More often than not, your first match is not going to be a huge major, with a ton of professional shooters vying for big prizes. Even the pros will help in walking through a stage. Walk the stage, and make sure you have everything ready to go when you are up. Feel free to ask the scorer when you are up, as you will not only hold up your squad, but squads who come up behind you. Relax, some stages are more complicated than others, but watch how everyone else runs a stage, and follow suit. There is a major head game within shooting competitions. When you get into the 2 and 3 gun matches, knowing your round count in your firearm, as well as the sequence (shotgun slug vs birdshot) will help you out as well. It takes some practice and a keen thought process, but it will come to you.Like earlier mentioned, have fun and be safe. Get to know the other shooters. If you are enjoying yourself and making friends, you will have a much better experience than if you are quiet in the corner. While some will argue that different competitions will make you a better shooter in situations, (we're not getting into that debate here) shooting is a sport. Shooting proficiently is also an art. Practice your sport as you would practice your art. The more matches you can get yourself involved in, the more experience you will build up., making yourself a better shooter. Find leagues and series competitions that cater to a novice shooter. We don't recommend making jump to a major competition to quickly. Search 3 Gun Nation to find matches and series near you. Grunt Style puts on a couple matches here and there, and their 2 gun runs cater to everyone from beginner to expert, with amazing prize tables from some of the top manufacturers in the industry. Check out a match close to you, and experience the joy and thrill of a shooting match, whatever your match may be. Don't let the fancy jerseys fool you. If you're trying to complete to make it rich, you're in the wrong sport. A wise person once said, “you can become a millionaire as a competitive shooter, you just have to start as a billionaire.”