Welcome to Ancil Outdoors – we’re here to help get you outside, surround yourself with a like-minded community, and try new things. Ancil Outdoors got its name from the term ancillary:
an·cil·lar·y
- “providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, institution, industry, or system.”
- “a person whose work provides necessary support to the primary activities of an organization, institution, or industry.”
The term has roots dating back to 1606 when the military began appending a bayonet (the knife or sword) to the end of the muzzle of a rifle. This secondary, or ancillary, application allowed for close-contact support.
The content we produce here on Ancil Outdoors is meant to provide you the support – through education, definitions, and terminology – to have you feel more confident and comfortable out in the field. With any hobby or trade you have to start somewhere. All experts started as beginners. Starting as a beginner, especially in the shooting, hunting, and/or fishing arena is difficult. It seems like everyone’s an expert, prices don’t tell you anything about the quality of the item, and there are serious, potentially fatal, consequences if you don’t follow rules. That fear alone can be daunting enough for prospective shooters to steer away from the sport.
Here we want to equip you with the knowledge so you can feel comfortable taking the leap. While we can’t personally control things like trigger recoil or muzzle flip for you, we can give you some tips to practice on your own time.
Like many things, shooting is a skill and not a talent. Shooting is a diminishing skill. Skills require practice, time, and attention. Through repeated practice you can find yourself getting more and more enjoyment out of the hobby.
Throughout our blog, you’ll find content around:
- Understanding ammo
- Preparing for your first visit to the gun store
- How to prepare for a day at the range
- Hunting and shooting terms that no one tells you about
- …and more
We hope you find this content useful. If you have questions, want to share a beginner story, or feel like your idea for a how-to guide could be useful for others – we would love to hear it.
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