Beretta Blog

If you’ve been around the gun-related internet for any amount of time, you’ve seen how much fun it is to shoot action pistol matches like IDPA or USPSA. Action pistol (also known as practical pistol) is a ridiculously fun sport, but getting started can be intimidating for both men and women because you’re going to shoot an unfamiliar course of fire in front of your friends and others. Admittedly, the potential for embarrassing yourself is pretty high.

Ask me how I know this.

The art of talking turkey is essential to becoming an independent hunter. While many people will go with friends who know how to call, you can learn and do it yourself. You may have been hunting on your own for years, but talking turkey is a skill that separates the serious hunters from the beginners. When you learn to speak turkey, you'll be proud to proclaim, “Look! I’ve learned to talk!”

How to Hunt Turkey Series

Part 1: Why You Need to Hunt Turkeys

Part 2: How to Locate Wild Turkeys

Part 3: The Gear You Need for Your Turkey Hunt

Part 4: Learn the Art of Talking Turkey

There’s a lot more to handgun sights than meets the eye. OK, so that little play on words was entirely on purpose, but it’s true. While sights seem simple and even mundane, there’s quite a bit of thought and sophisticated science put into the design of effective handgun sights.

In my previous article, I talked about getting starting competition in the United States Practical Shooting Association, or USPSA, with your everyday carry 9mm service pistol. In this article, we’re going to talk about shooting the USPSA’s stepchild, IDPA, which stands for the International Defensive Pistol Association.

Your hunting license, Beretta turkey shotgun, and ammunition are at the very top of the ‘Must Have for Turkey Hunting’ list. However, there is a long list of other items you need and can use to help make the hunt more productive.

Sometimes when I’m trying to emphasize the value of shooting instruction, I use the analogy of riding a bicycle. I ask the individual or group which way you turn the handlebars on a moving bicycle to turn right. Over 90% respond you turn the handlebars right to turn right. They look stunned when I tell them they’re wrong. Then I explain.

Getting outdoors to turkey hunt is good for the soul. Bagging a bird for dinner is even better. If you want to fill your tag, the very first thing you need to do is find the right hunting locations.

How to Hunt Turkey Series

Part 1: Why You Need to Hunt Turkeys

Part 2: How to Locate Wild Turkeys

Part 3: The Gear You Need for Your Turkey Hunt

Part 4: Learn the Art of Talking Turkey

If you’re one of many new gun owners who has bought their first gun these past few years, now is a great time to think about different ways to enjoy going to the range. Along with thousands of other people, I’ve found that practical pistol is a great way to have fun with a handgun and learn how to use it safely under the stress of competition.

Since I was a skinny, pimply faced kid behind a gun counter I’ve seen people check a gun for clear, look down the sights and check a gun’s trigger pull. Often the next statement is, “Nice trigger.” Gun companies are constantly upgrading their trigger systems, and sometimes offer competition triggers. I’ve certainly done the same thing thousands of times. I do like a crisp and light trigger pull, but does a light and precise trigger always result in better shooting?

I was at the Northeast Side by Side Classic Shotgun Championship and shooting with one of the best shooters in competition. While only a few of the target presentations on the course were long-range shots, J.D. was shooting a gun with modified and full chokes. Classic shotgun competitions do not allow choke changes because those old classic guns didn’t have interchangeable choke tubes. He was clearly a better shooter than I, but I was outdoing him on the close shots. I was shooting a gun with improved and modified chokes. The rules do allow using different loads for different stations, and I was using RST Spreader loads for the really close targets.