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Post by johnboy on Feb 28, 2008 8:38:56 GMT -5
Sgt, I'm looking to buy a handgun but I need some advise. I've never shot a hand gun but have been wanting to learn for a long time. Can you give me some advise on what kind of gun I should look for? Something inexpensive. Thanks.
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Post by Sgt K USMC on Feb 28, 2008 8:56:19 GMT -5
Sure thing… Buying a firearm comes down to a few questions that need to be answered: What is the weapon for:Personal defense? (as in having a concealed carry permit) Home defense? Target or sport shooting? Weapon familiarization? (starting off with something easy and working your way up) What is the characteristic you care about the most in a firearm:Stopping power? Ease of use? Ammo capacity? (the number of rounds you can hold at one time) Do you have kids? (believe it or not, this is important) How much do you know about weapons in general?Once those are answered picking the right weapon for you gets a lot easier, as we can then narrow them down from a list of thousands to a few dozen, and then go farther still to about 10 good candidates as we factor in issues such as your personal preference for weapon frame size etc. I know this may seem like a lot of information to process all at once, but picking the right firearm is a lot like picking the right car. You don't just toss a dart on the lot and buy whatever it lands the closest to, and as Elf has pointed out in another thread, having a weapon that you are not comfortable using is about the same as not having a weapon at all. To that end, a little bit of work on the front end will help you save time picking the right weapon and, in the end, find the weapon that is right for you. So then... ready to help you narrow the field when you are.
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Post by johnboy on Feb 28, 2008 9:09:29 GMT -5
What is the weapon for:
for now it would be for weapon familiarization working towards personal defense/home defense, etc.
What is the characteristic you care about the most in a firearm:
Ease of use? Ammo capacity? (the number of rounds you can hold at one time)
Do you have kids? (believe it or not, this is important)
yes I have kids that are with me E/O weekend and occasional other days. yes, this is important and keeping the gun out of their hands would be a number one priority for me.
How much do you know about weapons in general?
my knowledge extends to about just the basic knowledge someone picks up in a lifetime. Not vast but basic.
any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
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Post by Fredo on Feb 28, 2008 9:20:50 GMT -5
A target budget would be helpful as well.
Are we talking HK PM10($1500.00) or taurus .38 revolver($199.00)?
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Post by K78 on Feb 28, 2008 9:21:56 GMT -5
A target budget would be helpful as well. Are we talking HK PM10($1500.00) or taurus .38 revolver($199.00)? I love my Taurus .38 revolver. It wasn't too expensive, but knowing what I know now about how much I love it, I would have paid double!
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Post by Sgt K USMC on Feb 28, 2008 9:51:20 GMT -5
Excellent:
First and foremost:
Okay then, because you have kids, the first thing you are going to want to make sure you have is a lock box to store the weapon in, trigger locks are also fine and in fact come free with any weapon you purchase as a matter of law if you request one. I personally however find trigger locks to be less than reliable (as they are easy to pick and break and can still malfunction) and as such recommend a sturdy lock box that can be placed out of the kids reach whenever they are around.
Also make sure to store the ammo separate from the weapon whenever the kids are around, just in case they manage to get into the lock box itself.
There are certain weapons that I personally do not recommend for people that have kids, those would be revolvers and anything made by Glock, as Glocks do not have a positive safety device on the weapon, nor do revolvers. For ultimate safety with kids, as this is your number one priority, lets remove these two weapon groups from the list right off the bat.
And of course, make sure that the weapon is completely empty whenever the kids are around, to include not having a magazine in the weapon but no round in the chamber.
Ease of use and ammo capacity:
This is going to take us into the area of the semi automatic firearms further, with 9mm and 40 caliber being your best two bets. The down side to 40 caliber is that the ammunition is slightly more expensive, which makes practicing with the weapon a costly experience. To that end, lets narrow this down to the 9mm automatic family.
Weapons familiarity:
I STRONGLY advocate signing up for weapons safety classes at your local indoor shooting range. I am not sure where that is located in Chattanooga (as it has been awhile since I have lived there) but I know for a fact that there is at least one, and most offer free safety instruction courses, especially to anyone who purchases a weapon from them.
This will teach you the basic safety rules of how to handle your weapon, how to clean and maintain it, how to store it and ultimately how to become more comfortable with it and other weapons. If the class is not free, not to worry, I can teach you all you need to know about basic safety here, but the trick is that you have to apply those lessons on your own. (It is important to note that a one on one safety course will always be the best)
Now to the big one, weapons familiarization:
Almost every indoor shooting range will allow you to rent their firearms for use while at their range, it is like a test drive of their more popular firearms. I strongly suggest that you locate your indoor range and determine if this is indeed the case and find out how much it costs to rent a weapon and shoot it at their range.
They can be found under firearms or shooting in the phone book.
Be warned though, ask first if you have to use their ammo or if you can bring your own, make sure to tell them that you are looking to try out 9mm's for possible purchase and find out how much it will cost to rent each weapon, as well as any other fees, such as range fees and targets.
If they let you bring your own ammo, buy your ammo ANYWHERE but the range, Wal-Mart is still the cheapest game in town at the moment, buy at least a hundred rounds so that you can get a good test fire on a number of weapons while at the range in question.
So the next round of questions to help narrow the field a little bit more:
Do you prefer a larger framed weapon (7 to 9' overall length) or a shorter framed weapon (5 to 7' overall length) Typically the smaller the weapon the more expensive it becomes but it is also lighter and generally easier to control (model dependant)
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Post by johnboy on Feb 28, 2008 10:09:01 GMT -5
Thank you, Sgt. That should get me started. I'm not sure about weapon size. I think your advise about going to a range and "test driving" several would be my best bet to figure that one out. Then I can ask my next set of questions.
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Post by johnboy on Feb 28, 2008 10:09:39 GMT -5
A target budget would be helpful as well. Are we talking HK PM10($1500.00) or taurus .38 revolver($199.00)? You know me, Fredo, money's no object....once I win that damn lottery...
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Post by Sgt K USMC on Feb 28, 2008 10:24:57 GMT -5
Good to go, and glad I could help.
I know it was a lot of questions, but hey, this is indeed one of those topics that truly does require a lot of forethought prior to buying.
When you do go to the local range, I'd suggest trying out some of the Smith and Wesson 9mm's. I owned one as my first pistol and can say that they are indeed a very good training weapon for the beginner shooter.
Your indoor range will be able to provide you with a lot of information of course and also help you find a weapon that not only meets your requirements in performance and safety but also your requirements for finances.
I would however suggest that you avoid buying a Keltec or Lorcian (sp) as your first weapon as they barely qualify as firearms and almost don't even rate as paper weights. (regardless of how cheap they are and how much the dealers try to get you to buy one)
The Smith and Wesson's on the other hand should cover all your requirements, to include price, assuming you buy one at the right location.
Let me know how this turns out as I'd like to be involved and get an update from you on your search.
Best of luck and happy shooting.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2008 14:16:16 GMT -5
Do you have a lady friend who is sometimes at the house alone and will also need to be able to fire your weapon?
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Post by elf on Apr 8, 2008 18:46:58 GMT -5
I do not like my Taurus. The trigger pull is too long. By the time it reaches, my aim is off. I have only shot it twice at practice. Just 300 rounds. Anyone want a 25? Gold accents. Cheap. Love, love my Beretta, but they are the ones made in Italy. The newer ones are not the same quality.
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Post by copperhead on Apr 9, 2008 8:23:34 GMT -5
Man, I wish I hadn't sold my Beretta! I miss it & I miss shooting!
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Post by Sgt K USMC on Apr 9, 2008 9:16:07 GMT -5
I personally prefer the 92FS made in America to the many Italian versions. Personal preference here of course, mainly because of the trigger guard and the quality control inspections that the American versions go through that the Italian ones don't.
A good 92FS (I used to own one) is not a massively expensive weapon anymore. You can generally get a new one for around $500 or if you look around at pawn shops you can find a 'gently used' one for somewhere between $390 to $450.
The bright side about Beretta is that even if you buy one used, they will fix or repair most damaged parts for you for free.
My only grip about the Beretta is that it is so freaking gigantic… it's just too big, IMO for a 9mm.
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Post by Fredo on Apr 9, 2008 9:58:20 GMT -5
I don't care for the Beretta. IMO it's too long and clunky. On top of that, I don't care for the ease with which a second party can strip off the slide.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2008 12:46:23 GMT -5
I HATE the Beretta handgun.
1. The handgrips are just too large, especially for a female shooter. 2. It's large than your average .40, and many .45's 3. Recoils is a little more than is warrented for. I've shot .45's with less recoil. 4. It is not well balanced. 5. It only won the DOD bid because they had an insider and were able to underbid the other few top choices.
And I agree, it is just plain awkward and clunky.
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