Cheaper Than Dirt

Bulk purchases help you save money, time, and effort while giving you peace of mind. That applies to food, water, emergency equipment, and gun supplies. Hunters, sport shooters, and anyone who stays well-stocked in gun supplies will appreciate being able to buy their ammo in bulk. Still, regardless of how often you shoot, buying ammo in bulk benefits most gun owners. Here are a few reasons you should buy ammo in bulk, even if you don’t consider yourself a “high-volume” shooter. Bulk Ammo Stock Up on Ammunition The main reason you would buy bulk ammo is to stock up. Want to always have ammo on hand? Stock up on it. Have hunting plans? Stock up. Want to go to the range with some buddies? Stock up. Keeping a full supply of ammo will also ensure you’re ready for last-minute range trips without having to stop at the store on the way. Get a Bulk Discount Buying in bulk is way cheaper compared to buying smaller boxes. It’s a great way to save money on ammo when you buy a lot, even when p...

Have your range days become a little monotonous? Are you running the same drills, shooting the same targets, and taking an overly serious approach to your training? While range days demand a level of professionalism and seriousness, shooting is a hobby, after all, and hobbies are supposed to be fun! It might be time to use your ammo differently and inject some fun into your range time. This might mean shooting a new gun, running fun drills with friends, or even just plinking for the sake of plinking. Here are some tips to try. Just Do Some Plinking Plinking is casual, informal shooting at its finest. Plinking is associated with cheaper, lower-caliber rounds that won’t break the bank, which means you can plink and plink for hours after stocking up on affordable bulk ammo . While you probably aren’t plinking if you’re training for a competition, it’s still a great way to blow off steam, focus on basic shooting fundamentals, and have fun. If your regular training regimen has gotten old...

Shooting accurately with a handgun is entirely different from shooting a rifle or shotgun accurately. Some of the fundamentals are similar, but the differences are glaring. Most notably, you don’t “shoulder” a handgun as you would a long gun, which makes a considerable difference in overall stability. If you want to improve your accuracy while using 45ACP, 10mm, or 9mm handguns , grab your pistol and get these four details right. Check Your Stance The right stance can be the difference between on-target shots and frustrating misses, so it helps to know the most common stances to determine the right one for your shooting style. The major three are the Isosceles, Weaver, and Chapman stances. The Isosceles stance was the go-to stance for a long time, and it can feel natural for many newer shooters. Your arms and chest form an isosceles triangle, with your feet facing forward. While this stance allows for quick movements, it lacks stability. Next is the Weaver stance, which employs a p...

Heading to shoot clay pigeons with 12 gauge ammo can be fun, but getting caught up in the excitement without building actual skills is all too easy. Sure, you can improve just by shooting the clay pigeons, but are you working on your stance? Are you practicing your reloading speed? Practicing the right things is the key to becoming a better shooter. Here are a few things to emphasize in your range day training. Learn the Ins and Outs of Your Guns Knowing how to operate your firearms is one of the most important parts of gun ownership. This ensures you can operate them safely and maintain them. You should also know how to handle your firearm when things go wrong. How do you work the safety? What do you do to clear a jam in your specific gun? Are you able to field strip it to solve problems? All of this knowledge is essential for any gun that you own. Set Your Stance Another important aspect of marksmanship is your stance. The right stance provides stability, allowing you to shoot a...

When you think of hunting, you might picture crunchy snow underfoot, bright fall leaves, and a crisp wind. However, if your state allows for a spring season, this can be a great time of year to hunt! If you’re considering going on a hunting trip this spring, here are a few questions to consider. 30-30 Winchester What Can You Hunt During Spring? Spring hunting season can provide the opportunity to hunt a different type of game. What you can hunt for is determined by your local regulations, but the most common types of spring game are turkey, boar, coyotes, and bears. Even though the type of animal you are tailing may vary from spring to fall, the tools you use on your hunt don’t have to change. You can probably use the same reliable 30-30 Winchester rifle you used to take down a buck last fall to tag a boar this spring. How Should You Prepare? Bears are not the only thing coming out of hibernation in the spring. If you also feel like you’re groggy after a long winter, be sure to ...

Gun safes are often rather plain. You might have a place for some rifles, a shelf for handguns or ammo , and some extra room for other firearm accessories. While they serve their purpose of securing your firearms, why stop there? There are plenty of ways to upgrade your gun safe, from extra lighting to dehumidifiers. Here are a few upgrades to consider for your gun safe. LED Lighting Some gun safes come with lighting, but it’s often not great. The lighting won’t give you a good view of your guns. Adding extra LED light strips is an excellent upgrade that can help you see inside your safe better. Consider battery-powered LED lights to avoid stringing a power cable outside of the safe. Prevent Rust with a Dehumidifier Rust is unfortunately common in a gun safe. You might have been hunting waterfowl or had a rainy range day, and you didn’t completely dry your 9mm handguns before putting them away. If you aren’t careful, rust can develop inside the firearm. You can use a few different...

Plenty of factors can reduce your shooting accuracy. Like many skills, improving your shooting requires time and experience, but some tricks can help you conserve your 9mm ammo by being on target more often. You might even be making a few common mistakes. Luckily, it’s easy to correct them. Here are the top five to know and how to fix them. Mistake 1: Jerking the Trigger Trigger jerk is a bad habit for many shooters. When you jerk the trigger, it pulls your firearm to the side just enough to throw off your shot. Ideally, you’ll smoothly pull the trigger using the pad of your finger, not the joint. You want consistent pressure. It’s less of a “pull” and more of a “squeeze.” Practice by balancing a coin on the end of your barrel and dry-firing the handgun. The coin should stay still throughout the motion. Mistake 2: Shooting Too Fast What happens when you fire your rifle quickly? The barrel gets hotter and hotter, and suddenly, you aren’t placing your 7.62 ammo where you want. Rushi...

You just got a new scope, but it’s been so long since you last had to zero a scope from scratch that you can’t quite remember how to do it. Instead of heading to the range and wasting all of your 5.56 ammo trying to dial the scope in, follow these tips to get it right quickly. Check the Adjustment Values Your first step is to check the adjustment values for the elevation and windage adjustment knobs. Each click will move the reticle a specific amount in that direction, but the amount could be anywhere from one-quarter Minute of Angle (MOA) to a full MOA. You might also have a .1 MIL, or milliradian, adjustment. MOA is 1 inch of adjustment at 100 yards, while 1 MIL is 3.6 inches. If the values aren’t printed on the turrets, refer to the user’s manual. Hit the Paper Your next step is to hit the paper. From how your optic is mounted to the optic itself, plenty of factors can determine if your 30-30 Winchester is accurate or not. Shooting and adjusting is the only way to zero your sc...

If you enjoy spending time at the range, you may eventually explore competitive shooting. Do you want to hone your skills? Would you enjoy meeting like-minded people and sharing tricks of the trade? If so, getting involved in competitive shooting could be just what you’re looking for. Bulk Ammo But as with anything in life, you only get one chance to make a first impression, and your initial experience with competitive shooting can determine whether you keep going back or decide that it’s not for you. That’s why preparation is key. From stocking up on bulk ammo and other range supplies to drilling down on rules and techniques, here are four tips to help you prepare for your first competition. Set Achievable Goals The first thing to understand about getting into competitive shooting is it’s entirely different from plinking or spending time at the range. At your first match, you’ll compete alongside shooters of all skill and experience levels, from greenhorns to veterans who’ve been ...

Recoil can feel like a necessary evil for shooters and a part of the overall experience. However, excessive recoil can impact your accuracy and can even be painful after a while. Thankfully, you can reduce felt recoil in a few ways, from changing ammo to adding muzzle devices like suppressors that deal with gas differently. Here are a few tips to consider if your favorite firearm has too much of a kick. Choose Lower-Caliber Firearms Shooting lower-caliber firearms is the most obvious way to eliminate recoil from your range days. Bigger calibers can have a huge kick since they require more gunpowder to create more pressure to propel the bullet. Thankfully, plinking with rifles and handguns chambered in .22 LR is fun, and if you go with bulk ammo , it can be fairly cheap for a range trip. If you’re purely concerned with accuracy and want to have fun plinking some cans, a low-caliber firearm is the way to go. Improve Your Stance Posture and stance can play a big part in how your bod...

Have you ever wondered about the thing at the end of a barrel that your 7.62 ammo passes through and what exactly it does? More importantly, is your current muzzle device right for your gun and your preferred shooting style? The type of muzzle device installed on your firearm matters, each with different purposes. Here’s a look at four common muzzle devices, along with their primary purposes and benefits, to help you decide if it’s worth picking one up for your firearm. Flash Hiders Flash hiders are one of the most common rifle muzzle devices. If you buy a full AR upper, it will likely come with a flash hider attached. As the name implies, the device is intended to hide a significant portion of visible muzzle flash from the shooter. The A2 “Birdcage” is the classic flash hider, helping redirect the combustion gases so you can stay focused on the target. Because it redirects these gases, it can also reduce some felt recoil, although this isn’t the device’s primary function. Muzzle ...

No matter if you are new to firearms or have been hunting for years, you might have gun-cleaning questions. Do you need to clean your gun after every range trip, even if you barely shot any 5.56 ammo ? What items do you need to clean your gun properly? Knowing the answers can help you keep your firearms in their best shape. Should I Clean My Gun After Every Range Day? What happens when you come back from a range day and only put a few rounds through your 30-30 Winchester ? While there’s no harm in keeping your gun pristine, you probably don’t need to clean your gun after just a few rounds. There may be minimal fouling, but it should be fine unless you intend to put the gun away for an extended period. Even doing a couple of drills with your rifle doesn’t mean it needs immediate cleaning. However, those “few rounds” can add up, so if you’ve put a few rounds through your gun for months’ worth of range days, it’s definitely time for a cleaning. How Often Should I Clean My Gun? Okay, s...

Are you trying to shoot your rifle more accurately? One way you can tighten your groupings is by using a bipod. The bipod, used for nearly a century on countless rifles, is an excellent way to stabilize your shot. It can be used for hunting, at the range, or in long-distance shooting competitions. Here are a few tips to effectively use a bipod. Make Sure It’s Properly Installed Though it may seem obvious, the first step is to ensure your bipod is properly installed. Bipods are typically installed on a Picatinny or keymod rail or on a sling swivel stud. The trick is having the bipod not too far forward or back when on a rail. If there is slack in your bipod, there is slack in your shooting. Even if you think yours is installed correctly, double-check it just in case it’s a little off. Even more importantly, make sure that it’s suited for your gun. For example, bipods don’t typically work well with lever action 30-30 Winchester rifles and are better suited for semi-automat...

The safety might be the most important part of any firearm. It’s also vital that you understand the safety mechanism of any handguns you might use. There are a few different types of handgun safeties, and you must be able to identify and use each type correctly. From internal safeties to grip or hammer safeties, it’s essential to know how each works before you hit the range. Engage a Grip Safety with Your Palm A grip safety, as the name implies, is a safety that is part of the handgun’s grip. If you aren’t holding the gun, the safety is engaged, and you have to squeeze the grip to disengage it before you can mag dump your bulk ammo . The aim of the design is to avoid accidental discharge, preventing you from pulling the trigger if you aren’t holding the gun properly. When gripped properly, your palm will push the safety in. This type of safety is often found in the iconic 1911. Flip a Lever or Thumb Safety One of the most common handgun safeties is the lever or thumb s...

Muzzle brakes are fairly common, appearing in competitions and action movies. Whether it’s at the end of a Barrett 50 cal or 9mm handguns , they serve a specific function, often appealing to competition shooters and hunters. What does a muzzle brake do, what are the pros and cons, and do you need one? Here’s a closer look. Muzzle Brakes Work to Redirect Gas The first question you probably have is, what does a muzzle brake actually do? Muzzle brakes have angled ports that help redirect the muzzle blast or gases that would normally come out of the barrel. This helps to reduce recoil, which can give competition shooters, even those shooting lower caliber 9mm ammo from a rifle, an edge. The typical muzzle blast contributes a large part of what makes recoil. The recoil impulse is negated thanks to the angle of the ports in a muzzle brake, allowing the gun to naturally pull forward instead of kicking back as hard. Types of Muzzle Brakes There are two common types of muzzle b...

While plinking cans will always have a soft spot in most shooters’ hearts, proper targets are essential for any successful range day. What are you going to shoot with your 30-30 Winchester rifle or your Beretta 9mm? From paper to steel, you have a few target options, and each offers its own set of pros and cons. Here are the four most popular types of range targets to help you decide what to pack for your next range day. Paper Offers Variety Many different paper targets are available, making variety its biggest benefit. Most offer some type of competition target or bullseye, while others are ideal for zeroing scopes. Classic MOA-marked targets have a 1-inch black square in the target. Setting up the target 100 yards away means shooting at one minute of angle. Sights and scopes typically have 0.25-MOA adjustments. At 100 yards, missing the square by an inch means you need to adjust 1 MOA in the direction you missed. The target makes it easy to figure out the math of ze...

Whether you’re new to guns or a seasoned pro, there are certain accessories all gun owners should have. Whether it’s a way to carry your vintage 30-30 Winchester rifle or extra magazines for convenience at the range, there are plenty of firearms-related essentials to take your performance, convenience, and safety to the next level. Secure Trigger Lock for Safety One of the first essential accessories is a trigger lock for your gun. Whether you have kids, live in a shared house, or not, it’s a safety essential. It can help keep your gun safe by preventing accidental discharges and unwanted access. Whether your gun is loaded or not, a trigger lock provides extra security and peace of mind. The name can be a misnomer, as well, as many trigger locks, especially those designed for handguns, also thread through the barrel or magwell. If you travel with your firearms, it’s a good idea to always have a few ready for your guns. The Right Ammo Guns are fun to look at, but they’re practicall...

You have your gun, bulk ammo , and extra mags, but how do you keep these mags and ammo close by while at the range? A chest rig offers space and utility to carry plenty of items and can make reloading easier. There are a variety of styles of chest rigs, so knowing what to look for to suit your needs is essential. Here are some things to consider to help you find the right chest rig for you. Look for a Well-Fitting Chest Placard The heart of the chest rig is the placard. The chest placard is a panel of fabric needed for the chest rig to work and is usually made with MOLLE webbing or sewn-on pouches. The trick is finding a placard with enough space for everything you need without overloading it, since the lightness of a chest rig is what sets it apart from traditional plate carriers. The chest placard should fit properly around the base of your sternum. If possible, try a few out in person, but if you’re ordering online, pay special attention to the measurements to ensure the placard f...

Whether you’re serious about going to the range or plan on competing, chances are you need a battle belt. Also called a war belt or tactical belt, the battle belt is designed to keep essential items, like 9mm ammo , close at hand. The most common belts for competition come in two parts, with MOLLE rigging for attachments. But what should you have attached to your battle belt? Here are five essentials every shooter needs. Extra Magazines One of the most important parts of a battle belt is extra mags. A typical configuration is two pouches for handgun ammo, such as 9mm, and a pouch for your rifle ammo of choice, such as 5.56 ammo for an AR or 7.62 ammo for an AK. Having extra mags close by is one of the main reasons battle belts are so popular among competitors. You can configure the pouches how you want, such as having all of them on your non-dominant side or having a pistol mag attached horizontally in the small of your back. Extra ammo should be the first thing to add when assembli...