RiverBender Blog: I Finished My Training at Precision Point Armory with a Bullseye

How one-on-one coaching helped turn fear into focus at the range.

Apr 13, 2026 7:45 AM Apr 13, 2026 10:04 AM

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Photo by Ben Julian. Additional photos by Larry McMillian.

I do a lot of interesting things in my job. So when Ben Julian at Precision Point Armory said he wanted to teach someone how to shoot, and my name got thrown in the ring, my honest thought was, “Why not?”

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That’s how I came to have three sessions out at Precision Point in Bethalto, working one-on-one with Ben to perfect my stance, grip, and understanding of safety rules.

I was game for all of it, but I still went into my first session horribly intimidated. I’m pretty much a gun newbie.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be intimidated by firearms. Life is not a video game, and these are not playthings, and there’s a certain respect for what these machines can do. Ben and I both treated the firearms seriously.

In my first session, I learned the safety rules and practiced with a SIRT training pistol. In my second session, I played around with a VR headset and then dry-fired several guns to get used to the feel.

And then my third session rolled around, and it was time to work with live ammo. Ben and I drove down to the range on his property, where he had four targets set up and two .22 caliber guns for me to practice with. Starting off slow and steady, just the way I like it.

I knew the safety rules, so I was careful as Ben helped me load the magazine. I pulled on my headphones and my sunglasses. I took my stance, tightened my grip, and flicked off the safety. I aimed and fired.

Bullseye. Seriously.

Ben and I stared at the target, both of us equally surprised.

“Well,” he said, “do you want to try again?”

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This time, we loaded two bullets in the magazine and I cocked the gun, sliding the first into the chamber. Aimed. Fired. Not quite a bullseye, but, stunningly, not too far off the mark!

A .22 caliber gun doesn’t do much in the way of bang or recoil, so it wasn’t too overwhelming for an amateur. We took things at my pace, which is something I have appreciated about this entire training experience.

There’s no assumption of prior knowledge. There’s no pressure to speed up or get better faster. In fact, Ben encouraged me to pause before each shot and take my time. He was incredibly beginner-friendly, and as a true beginner, I started to feel better about it.

Soon, I was loading the magazine, cocking the gun, flicking off the safety, and firing in quick succession. Never too fast, still measured and steady. But more confident. Less terrified.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Scared is how you make mistakes. I’d rather be educated with a firearm in my hands than scared with a firearm in my hands. I respect Ben for his commitment to building confident, safe firearm owners who know what they’re doing.

We stuck with the .22 caliber guns for the remainder of the session. And I lowkey didn’t do that badly?? I kind of succeeded?? I hit the target more often than I missed it. I even managed a few bullseyes. All things considered, I was very pleased with my first shooting session.

There’s a reason shooting is a sport; it can be fun. As long as you take it seriously, why not have a little fun with it? We had a good time and slowly built my confidence levels.

Ben teaches concealed carry classes as well as basics and safety refresher courses. Whatever your comfort level is, he can work with you to help you manage your firearm with more skill and safety. At the end of this, I definitely feel more secure around firearms.

It was another interesting experience to add to my list, but one that, I’m happy to say, turned out to be a lot of fun.