HamboneAZ

Hello All, I am a new action shooter but wanted to pass along some of the best advise I've gotten so far (outside of form and technique). When your new, do not buy any new gear or guns before you get out and play the game. Bring what you have, and borrow what you don't, but just get out and shoot. Don't waste money on what you "think" you have to have. And don't worry about "I won't be competitive unless I buy this". The truth is, nothing you can buy (besides more ammo) is going to make you any more competitive as a beginner. Just get out there and have fun. Make sure the game is something your truly interested in (almost a guarantee, but not always) before you start spending your hard earned money. And after a month or so you will start to know what you need, based on your own experience and from the tribal knowledge of the club. Don't be afraid to ask other shooters (preferably better than you, and me) questions about their gear and setup. It just happens to be one of everyone's favorite topics, except after said gear failed and cost the shooter the stage, maybe not the best time to ask. Don't worry, the time for new toys will come soon enough. And soon you'll be like me and buying parts for a gun you don't own (yet). But for now just get out and shoot, be safe, and have fun. -Robert

Hello All, I have been lurking on the site for the last few months trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can. Figured it was time to finally say hello. As I can't yet afford to shoot as much as I want, maybe talking about shooting will help curb this new addiction I'm hooked on, action shooting. Sorry in advance for the long post. So a little background on me... I am a 26 year old Arizona native. I was born in Mesa and have lived in the east valley all of my life. I now own a house in Gilbert and work in the semiconductor industry as an operations analyst. I work from home and travel about 30% of the year. No wife or kids, but I do have a long term girlfriend who has a daughter from a previous relationship. Growing up I was never really exposed to guns or hunting, it was just not something my parents were into. Although living in the "wild, wild west" (how I explain open carry to visiting family from back east) everyone has some exposure to firearms. On my 18th birthday I bought my first gun, Remington 1300 defender. Not really practical for anything, but it looked "tact-i-cool". On my 21st birthday I bought my first handgun, Beretta Px4 storm .40. I'm really happy with this selection as my CCW. Polymer frame, external de-cocker safety, DA/SA trigger. Shoots and feels great. Somewhere between the two I bought a bushmaster AR-15, I was playing to many video games (call of duty) at the time and had to have one. The AR and Shotgun each have maybe 200 rounds through them. The cost of .223 ammo and the short barrel on the shotgun have made them less than practical for frequent shooting. Over the past 5 years I have made an effort to shoot my pistol at least once a month, usually 150 rounds or so. I mostly shot at Caswells indoor range. I felt I was a pretty good shot (now I know better), but found shooting paper more and more boring each month. When discussing my declining interest in shooting at Caswells to a co-worker and fellow shooter he started telling my about “Action Shooting”, specifically Tuesday Night Steel at Rio Salado Sportsman Club. Until this time, I had never heard of such a thing. I immediately turned to Google and you tube to see what this was all about, where along with finding this site, a new interest was sparked. The next Tuesday I accompanied my buddy from work to Tuesday Night Steel just to watch and check it out, within minutes I was in. I attended the safety class that night and spent the whole week waiting to get to shoot. I’ll end my introduction here. I feel it pretty much sums up my background and how I got here. Again sorry for the long post, I look forward to being an active member of this community. -Robert