You want experts and turn to the Internet? Don’t be naive. How do you know if the responses you get are from someone knowledgeable or someone who just thinks he/she is knowledgeable? That’s the biggest failing of the Internet.
— Bob Holtzman
Any moron can claim anything. As proven by the Dunning–Kruger effect, said moron will likely believe what he states and is not truly lying.
Take Mr. Holtzman’s advice and apply it everywhere (including right here!) Until consistently proven by objective measurement, be skeptical.
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karlrehn
May 01, 2012 @ 08:19:06
People with actual knowledge about firearms usually have documented/verifiable experience in law enforcement, military and/or competition shooting. All the reputable instructors I know have their resumes online as part of their marketing. “Has written a lot of articles for gun magazines, written a lot of books, frequent blogger, forum commenter” aren’t credentials, in my opinion.
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Colorado Pete
May 01, 2012 @ 10:54:22
If Clint Smith, Jeff Cooper, or someone else along those lines called you expert, you can believe it. If the NRA, IPSC, ATA, or IDPA gave you an expert rating (or approximate equivalent) from your competition scores, you can believe it. If the USMC awarded you the expert badge, you can believe it. Although, each of those disciplines are a little different from the others, so what applies in one may not overlap into the other. And of course you have to constantly train to maintain that standard. (Practice? What’s that?)
The standard must be external, high, and universally acknowledged.
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John M. Buol Jr.
May 01, 2012 @ 11:39:47
>> The standard must be external, high, and universally acknowledged.
Probably the best summary yet!
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Theodore A Sames II
May 02, 2012 @ 10:34:46
This is a very good wisdom: Make sure the instructor has a resume and diploma book. I suggest not reading forums and blogs unless it is facilitated by a professional. On a forum, you can not see the person’s creditials. In the same way, I hire many instructors to teach for me and I demand their diploma book-every professional has one. I have met about 50 or so “SEAL Team members” that can not provide any type of paperwork to verify anything. Be aware of Nut Cases and braggarts…Sames Instinctive Shooting School.
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John M. Buol Jr.
May 02, 2012 @ 10:55:22
As an example, graduates of any US Army school will receive a DA 1059. Other services produce similar documentation.
All course requirements required to successfully complete the course will be published in an official document (Regulation, FM, etc.) and can be referenced.
Considering shooting skill, if the school requires a given level of marksmanship there will be a formal, scored course with established standards required to pass. For example, US Army-trained snipers are held to the course of fire published in FM 3-22.10 (previously FM 23-10), such as it is.
It seems shocking to many that Drill Sergeant, Ranger school and MOS 18-series (Special Forces) courses do not have shooting courses required for graduation. Graduates of these courses may not have any heightened level of shooting expertise, even though popular myth assumes they do.
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bill price
May 02, 2012 @ 18:55:43
I’m no expert, but occasionally, I discover something about shooting that helps me. I pass it along to friends–with a caveat. I think the best advice comes with a caveat, e.g., “this works for me–see if it works for you.”
I’ve learned a lot in a vacuum–before the internet came along. Just as a blind sqirrell will occasionally find an acorn. I read as much as I can about shooting and marksmanship. If an idea sounds good, (and not too dangerous) I give it a try.
Some of the most absurd ideas are the ones that can’t be documented by mere mortals, such as the right way to break in a new barrel–in fact, almost anything that happens inside a barrel or during the flight of a bullet is almost impossible to document, and these seem to be the things of which urban legends are made.
Look around on the net for high speed images of bullets in flight, striking objects, or barrel ‘whip’ during and after a shot–examples of “real” evidence.
So far as what works best for shooting technique and improving your skill and accuracy, it’s not too hard to try some of the things you hear and see if they work for you. it’s another excuse to get out and shoot more.
Meanwhile, I know that wearing my lucky hat vastlly improves my shooting, and no one is going to talk me out of that.
-bp
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Colorado Pete
May 23, 2012 @ 12:47:09
Bill,
The lucky hat bit counts for A LOT. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise! ;-)
I just gave away my original lucky hat to my shooting buddy’s son for his 11th birthday (he’s getting pretty good already, runs a 6-plate rack at 10 yds. with a .22 rifle in sub-3 seconds!). I told him there’s over 19 years of unwashed sweat and powder smoke in it.
Now I have to break in a new hat from scratch…
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John M. Buol Jr.
May 23, 2012 @ 15:16:16
Nice!
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