First Shots News-April 2015

Certainly, fear is what keeps some people from learning how to shoot. The media and television have convinced them that all firearms are bad and no one should touch them. Of course, we who are familiar with firearms know those things aren't true, but how do we convince others who haven't experienced what we have?

As much as I like a semi-automatic pistol such as the venerable Colt Model 1911 or the Walther PPK, at heart I am a "wheelgun" man. I thoroughly enjoy the way revolvers handle, the reliability of their design and the cartridges they fire.

American Handgunner Magazine editor Roy Huntington shows the fast and easy way to clean an auto pistol.

One piece of information new handgun shooters often hear about is that they can fire .38 Special ammunition through their .357 Magnum revolver. This can be confusing, given the emphasis placed in firearms safety training on never using a cartridge in a gun that doesn't specifically say it can use that cartridge.

As Phil Massaro discussed in his piece on S&W revolvers, "wheelguns" can be divided by the their action types to be classified as either single- or double-action. When it comes to the shooting sports and revolvers, the one where single-actions reign supreme is in the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting.

So intent on earning a spot at last year's World Championships alongside his brother, National Team member Will Brown, 20-year old Wyatt Brown of Twin Falls, Idaho, shot left-handed to train for the USA Shooting National Championships after a fractured wrist left him without any other options. He credits a lot of where he's at in this sport to Will, a good mentor for sure, but what you'll find out in reading this Q&A with Wyatt is that he has personality and perspective distinctly all his own.

Thank you to all who entered the drawing for the $25 Bass Pro Shops gift card. Congratulations to Lyle A. of Monticello, Illinois, the winner of the March drawing!

To enter the drawing for the $25 April Bass Pro Shops gift card, fill out the entry form and tell us, what's your "fear factor" when it comes to trying a new shooting activity, or tell us if you currently shoot in handgun competition and, if so, which one (USPSA, IDPA or other). Remember, only one entry per person.