General Safety Rules
1. ALWAYS handle your pistol AS IF IT WERE LOADED, so that you never fire accidentally.
2. NEVER point your pistol at anything you DO NOT intend to shoot, EVEN IF THE FIREARM IS UNLOADED.
3. NEVER take anyone's word that a gun is unloaded. Check for yourself, with fingers off the trigger and gun pointed in a safe direction.
4. ALWAYS be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions. Clean obstructions immediately so the pistol will function correctly and safely.
5. NEVER PUT YOUR FINGER ON THE TRIGGER until you have consciously made a decision to pull the trigger. If someone is being held at gunpoint, the trigger finger is still OUTSIDE the trigger guard. It takes no longer to put the finger on the trigger and fire, than it does for a tensed finger already precariously perched on the trigger. In an emergency, the average person cannot tell the difference between a two-pound trigger pull and a twenty-pound trigger pull. DON'T shoot somebody accidentally. If your finger is on the trigger and you are startled or accidentally trip, bad things WILL happen.
6. WHENEVER your pistol is not directly under your control, store it safely.
7. NEVER shoot at a hard surface, such as a rock or water surface. A bullet may ricochet and travel in any direction to strike you or an object you cannot see.
8. ALWAYS be sure your backstop is adequate to stop and contain bullets so you do not hit anything outside the range of your shooting area. A bullet can travel through or past your target up to 1 1/2 miles!
9. ALWAYS identify your target before shooting. If in doubt, do not shoot.
10. If you ARE NOT trained how to use a particular firearm, do not touch it.
11. DO NOT use TV or Hollywood Movies as your training guide! Actors in general break so many of these simple safety rules that IT'S HORRIFYING.
12. Use a holster to protect your trigger guard. When holstering your pistol, make sure the thumb strap, trigger finger, and any other items such as loose clothing are outside of the trigger guard.
Taking Care of Yourself
Try to use an outdoor range if possible. If indoors, make sure the range is properly ventilated. You may wish to use a breathing mask.
Do not eat and/or drink where you are shooting so the food/drink does not get contaminated.
When you leave the shooting area or reloading area, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and cool water (hot water tends to open the pores). Also wash your face and blow your nose. If you don’t have easy access to a sink, then purchase some moist towelettes at any grocery store. Lead on the eyes, mouth, genitals and anus are absorbed readily.
When you get home, throw all your shooting clothes in the wash machine to be cleaned, and take a shower. In this way you will not inadvertently track toxins around your house.
If possible, dedicate one pair of shoes for the shooting range (Hey, golfers have golf shoes). In this way, you can help keep non-shooting areas clean.
If you reload, keep your reloading bench and floor area clean so you don't spread toxins and/or accumulate harmful residuals. Follow reloading safety procedures as described in official Reloading Manuals.
During your Physical, have a complete blood work-up done to make sure you are healthy, or whether you need to make some changes to take care of yourself.
Be sure to always protect your ears and eyes during shooting and reloading.
Always try to use clean high quality ammo. For example, using bullets that have a "completely" plated/jacketed surface over the lead core can be beneficial.
Keep your ears and eyes open for better, safer ammo manufacturing techniques and components.
Wear a dust mask when pouring dry cleaning media out of a tumbler. Lead residuals accumulate in cleaning media and therefore it should be changed occasionally. For more info on lead poisoning, please read http://markco.gunsnet.net/lead.html
Your firearm should be checked once a year by an armorer to make sure it is operating within factory parameters.
safety, safety, safety
.45GAP (.45 GAP) Caliber Page; Document Version 01/01/04