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If you're shopping for your first handgun, chances are you've asked someone you trust what you should buy. Maybe it's a friend who shoots regularly, a family member who's owned guns for years, or the person in your life who seems to know everything there is to know about firearms. And chances are, they had an answer ready. There's nothing wrong with asking for advice. In fact, talking to experienced shooters can be really helpful when you're trying to narrow down what feels l

We spend a lot of time thinking about what happens to a firearm when we shoot it. Carbon builds up, parts wear, and eventually it needs to be cleaned and lubricated. What happens to it while it's sitting in the safe doesn't get nearly as much attention. Here in Maryland, humidity is a fact of life, especially during the summer. And while a little humid weather isn't going to ruin your firearm overnight, prolonged exposure to moisture can eventually lead to rust, corrosion, an

For the first time in more than 90 years, Americans have legally taken possession of suppressors without going through the National Firearms Act registration process. That's a pretty remarkable sentence to write. But if you've been following the news today, you've probably also seen everything from "the NFA is dead" to "suppressors are now over-the-counter." As usual when firearms law changes, the reality requires a little more explanation. First, What Changed With the NFA Ta

Shopping for a firearm usually involves a lot of research. You read reviews, compare specs, ask friends what they carry, watch videos, and eventually narrow the list down to a few possibilities. All of that information can be helpful, but there's one thing a review can't tell you: how well you're actually going to shoot the gun. That's where renting before you buy can make a big difference. How a Gun Feels at the Counter Only Tells You So Much Handling a firearm before buying

When you buy a new firearm, it usually comes with one or two magazines. For a brand-new gun owner, that might seem like plenty. After all, if you're only using one magazine at a time, how many do you really need? There's no magic number that every gun owner should have, but there's a good argument for owning more than whatever happened to come in the box. Extra magazines make range trips easier, give you backups when something isn't working correctly, and allow you to rotate

There's always something newer. A new model comes out. Your friend buys something they love. You try a different pistol at the range and suddenly the gun you've been perfectly happy with for three years starts feeling a little... outdated. But does that mean you actually need a new firearm? Not necessarily. There's a big difference between wanting something new—and we're certainly not going to argue with that—and realizing that your current firearm is no longer the best fit f

You learned how to shoot. You know the safety rules. You've spent time at the range, taken a class or two, and gotten to the point where handling your firearm feels pretty comfortable. Then life gets busy. A few weeks away from the range turns into a few months, and when you finally get back, things don't feel quite as natural as you remember. Your groups may have opened up a little. Your grip feels awkward. Maybe you're thinking through steps that used to happen without much

If you've spent any time around firearms, you've probably heard two very different opinions. One person insists you should clean your gun after every trip to the range, while another proudly claims they haven't cleaned theirs in a thousand rounds and it's never skipped a beat. So... who's right? The truth is somewhere in the middle. Firearms Are Built to Be Used Modern firearms are designed to handle thousands of rounds over their lifetime. A little carbon buildup after a day

For many people, a trip to the range means loading a few magazines, hanging a target, and seeing how tight they can make their groups. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, spending time at the range is one of the best ways to build confidence and become more comfortable handling your firearm. But if you've ever taken a defensive shooting class, you've probably noticed it feels very different from a typical day at the range. So what's the difference? The Range

One of the questions we hear most often is, "How often should I be shooting?" The answer might surprise you. You don't have to spend every weekend at the range or shoot hundreds of rounds every month to become a better shooter. In fact, consistency is usually far more important than volume. Think about learning any other skill. If you practiced golf for eight hours once every six months, you probably wouldn't expect to improve very quickly. The same goes for playing an instru

It's a question we hear all the time: "Should I shoot at an indoor range or an outdoor range?" The truth is, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. Both offer great opportunities to practice and improve your skills. Which one is "better" really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Weather Doesn't Have to Dictate Your Training Let's be honest, life gets busy enough without trying to work around the weather. If it's pouring rain, 95 degrees with humidity, or the middle

Most trips to the range go exactly as planned. You load your magazine, fire a few rounds, make some adjustments, and enjoy your time shooting. But sooner or later, almost every firearm owner will experience a malfunction. It doesn't matter if you're shooting a brand-new pistol or one you've owned for years. Even the most reliable firearms can occasionally have an issue. Ammunition varies, magazines wear out, and sometimes it's simply a matter of bad luck. The important thing

If you've never shot a firearm before, chances are you've wondered what the recoil is going to feel like. For a lot of first-time shooters, it's the biggest source of anxiety before they ever step onto the range. Honestly, we get it. If your only exposure to firearms has been movies or television, you've probably watched actors get thrown backward every time they pull the trigger. Firearms are often portrayed as loud, violent, and almost impossible to control. It's no wonder

One of the biggest misconceptions we hear from new shooters is that getting better simply means spending more time at the range. More range time certainly helps, but it's only part of the equation. In fact, some of the most productive practice you'll ever do doesn't involve firing a single round. It's called dry fire. If you're new to shooting, dry fire is simply practicing with an unloaded firearm in a safe environment. No ammunition, no recoil, and no noise. It might not so

For a long time, the process seemed pretty straightforward. Walk into a gun shop. Pick a firearm. Buy some ammo. Figure the rest out later. We're seeing that change. More and more first-time gun owners are doing something different, they're learning first. And honestly, we think that's a smart move. If you've never owned a firearm before, how are you supposed to know what fits your hand? What caliber you're comfortable shooting? Whether you even like the pistol everyone onlin

Getting your Maryland Wear & Carry Permit is a great first step. But it is just that, a first step. One thing we see fairly often is people leaving class feeling like they have everything figured out. The truth is, carrying a firearm every day is a skill that develops over time. The permit gives you the legal ability to carry. It doesn't automatically prepare you for the realities of carrying one. Here are a few of the biggest mistakes we see new concealed carriers make. They

Walking into a shooting range for the first time can feel intimidating. A lot of people assume everyone there is highly experienced, overly serious, or waiting to judge the new person who doesn’t know exactly what they’re doing. In reality, that’s usually not the case at all. At The Machine Gun Nest we see first-time shooters every single day. Some come in excited. Some are nervous. Some have never even held a firearm before. That’s normal. And honestly, nobody expects you to

A lot of people walk into The Machine Gun Nest not really knowing what to expect from the machine gun experience. Some are excited. Some are nervous. Some have wanted to do it for years and finally decided to stop saying “someday.” And almost everybody says the same thing afterward: “That was way more controllable than I thought.” Movies have done a pretty terrible job of showing what shooting a machine gun is actually like. Real full-auto shooting isn’t somebody wildly spray

My name is Rob Krop, and I’m running for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland alongside Dan Cox. I’m a lifelong Marylander, a small business owner, a real estate broker, a firearms dealer and range owner, a husband, and a father. And more importantly, I’ve lived the consequences of bad policy. My family and my business were put through years of government overreach and lawfare. I saw firsthand what happens when agencies operate without accountability or due process. That experienc

Understand the key differences between constitutional carry and permit systems—and why they matter for responsible gun owners in 2025.