Handguns newb; Teach me, everything about them

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Z

Zglock19M

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Hey, new here, i have been lurking for a bit though. I am sorta a handgun newb, and i would like to learn as much about them as i can. Bsaically, all the different action types, how they work (oerating systems?) and so on. One of my friends has a Glock 19, which i have shot, but i don't really know how it works. Teach me everything, if you will. Everything i need to know, and all the stuff that i don't NEED to know too;)

Thanks,

Z~
:cool:
 
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Glad to see another person so interested in firearms.
THR is a great forum and you should be able to find all the facts about guns you will ever need.There are many amny wise members on here that will be wiling to help with any questions you have or any problems you may encounter.


Also before you make a bunch of threads make sure you use the search feature to see if your question has been answered.

Glad to see a new member and I hope you enjoy the good info on THR and find what you need.
 
Search the web and your local gunshops and find a class to take. If you have no experience and no friends with experience that you trust explicitly with helping you take a class. Reading is a great way to start but, again I say take a class. Welcome by the way.
 
Teaching someone everything about handguns is like asking someone to teach you about cars...it's a broad, complex topic with multiple entry points.

+1 on reading. Google is key. Wikipedia can be helpful (though not authoritative). Asking specific questions on forums will go a long way.

But more importantly, get some training:
http://www.frontsight.com/
http://www.gunsite.com/
http://www.thunderranchinc.com/
etc, etc, etc.
Or hook up with an NRA instructor for some one-on-one time beyond the mandated 8 hour safety class (which is not enough training - don't stop there).

Also, if you're leaning towards Glock and want to know more about them, head over to GlockTalk.com - not near as civilized as THR, but lots of focused Glock information there.
 
I know Z and can help him out.
He has came shooting with me before and I have tought him a little.
He has shot a lot more than Just a Glock.He has shot shotguns.
He also shot some .357 mag revolvers,a 1911 in 45acp,and an SKS.
SO he already know a little but I think he is just looking for some good reading to do and to get some help on learning how a lot of stuff works.
I know how the stuff works but I'm not the best teacher.
 
Thanks, i appreciate you posting back so quickly, reading for me is not the best way to find info about guns, I like to learn by experince... My "google fu" is very weak, as is my knowldege of how to work with websites.:uhoh: I am intrested in the design aspects of handguns, like the glock. How does it function?
Thanks,

Z~
 
Start reading the complete history of China beginning around 600 BCA then go from there. :scrutiny:
 
I second serching around for a class. In particular, look for a First Steps course. A bit of professional instruction will be invaluable. An instructor will assume you know little and as such won't leave out things under the assumption you know. Instructors also know all the questions relative noobs have. Best of all, they know how to spot bad habits and how to correct them.

I took a first steps with my wife and learned several things I diddn't know, even after going through rifle training in the army, reading countless gun mags, and shooting for over a decade. The course covered everything from basic marksmanship and safety to different action types and legal considerations. In addition, we ran the concealed carry course of fire for fun with a .38 revolver and Glock and then wrapped it up with firing several other handguns for fun.

Another personal experience with training. After shooting for quite some time, I invested in a little bit of private training. In 30 minutes, my groups shrunk in half. Turns out I had a couple of bad habits that I never realized. The instructor said "Hey, you're doing X, try to focus on not doing that." Voila! After years of shooting with others, many of them long time shooters, no one had ever pointed them out to me.

I took my course through the local junior college. I've also seen them offered by private instructors, ranges, and gun clubs.

Once you get to the point where you can comfortably and safely operate firearms on your own, find a range that rents and try out whatever strikes your fancy (though I might avoid the temptation to take the big magnums for a test drive).

Finding a few buddies that own a lot and are willing to take you out (and it sounds like you already have a few) if you pitch in for the ammo and perhaps do some cleaning or buy a couple of beers afterwards is a great way to get acquainted, too.

One last bit of advice, if you're even remotely interested in rifles, attend an appleseed (www.appleseedinfo.org).
 
To those that are curious Z is not that much of a newb.
he has shot guns before and was tought to shoot the right way.I know him and he is my neighbor and has gone shooting with me before.WE both always use proper grips and practice proper safety procedures.

He is really looking on how to find out how guns function and what goes into designing a gun.He is also looking at stuff like how to take guns apart ad reassemble them but since he is my neighbor I will be able to assist him with that because I own multiple firearms.I have a 1911 to demonstrate with.An SKS wich is a basic rifle to start teaching assembly and dis assembly on.i think starting to teach him on those basic guns will be better anyhow because they aren't to confusing for beginners.

Once he gets good i will show him how to take apart the Kel-Tec Su-16 and the more complex polymer semi-auto handguns such as a Sig in 9mm and a S&W M&P.
 
Teach me everything, if you will. Everything i need to know, and all the stuff that i don't NEED to know too
Click to expand...

Well it sounded like a pretty ambiguous statement encompassing just about everything from gun powder to artillery.
Basically there's two types of teaching methods. Reading and learning by doing. Both are self explanatory. I usually read enough to accomplish the hands-on tasks.
 
I have to agree that it's just way too open a question. I've seen similar open ended questions on the other forums I hang out in for my other hobbys as well.

Zglock', my advice is to stop and realize that you can't learn it all at the same time. Like you I'm a newbie to shooting and would LIKE to learn it all in one go but I know it's not going to happen for a lot of reasons. SLow down a bit and decide which gun you want to learn about for a few days. Research THAT gun style and then move on. You still won't be an expert on any of them but at least you'll be focusing your learning. And realize that there's a heap of stuff to learn. And it's not just about the guns themselves. There's the skills and trades that are related to the metal and wood that the guns are made from. Guns are made from metal and to modify them in a good way you'll also need to learn some metal working techniques and about metal working tools. Learning to work metal isn't about reading or google'ing. It's about doing. And that takes time and practice. But if you persue these skills it's something that you'll enjoy for your entire life.

I know it's hard to stop and realize that you can't do it all at once. It seems to be a charactaristic of today's younger folks. But like the old proverb says "the longest journey begins with a single step". Forget about getting it all at once. Concentrate on each "step" instead. Then after a while you'll realize that you've got a lot of steps behind you and a lot of knowledge (and hopefully skills) under your belt.

It's not all about the internet either. See if you can find a really cheap piece of junk pistol or even an airpistol and work with it to see how it works and study how you can improve on it. There's $30 airpistols that are SCREAMING for a nice trigger job. I know I've got one out in my garage. The skills you learn doing something like this may not SEEM impresive at first but like all those steps in the journey they add up and each new project you take on becomes easier because it's based on all the knowledge and skill and, yes, even the mistakes and how you corrected them that you made in previous projects.
 
Z, first of all, welcome to THR! second, check your local gun range and see if they offer NRA first steps or basic pistol classes. Lucky for me my range offers such courses and that was a great resource and introduction to pistols and firearms. We spent 2.5 hours learning the basics of different handguns then spent 30 minutes on the range getting instruction on proper shooting. The class was about 80 buck, but included a membership to the range, pistol rental, and ammo. This would be a great way to get your feet wet, plus you get a nifty certificate at the end!
 
This can't be overdone... :)

The following is the first bit of information that you need to learn about firearms. If you already have them memorized, read them anyway. If you're not interested in the following, don't agree, or can't respect it, it's time to find a more suitable hobby, like jig-saw puzzles. The underlined and bolded parts should be memorized. The interim has been amended by me.

Colonel Jeff Cooper's Four Rules of Firearm Safety

ALL GUNS ARE LOADED.

The only empirical or objective exception to this occurs when YOU have personally demonstrated and proved that a gun’s chamber is clear and not able to be fed in its current state, at which point the following rules still apply. As soon as this gun leaves your sight or immediate control, the rule applies again.

NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.

To allow a firearm to point at another human being is a deadly threat, and can legally be treated as such. In other words, you may be shot and/or killed if you break this rule, and there's nothing you can do about it should you refuse to obey the rule in the first place.

KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF OF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU WANT TO FIRE.

This is the Golden Rule because its violation is responsible for about 80 percent of all accidents. Do not touch the trigger unless you intend to fire the gun. Do not dry-fire unless you have again checked the gun to prove a clear chamber and an inability to feed.

BE AWARE OF YOUR TARGET AND BEYOND.

A proper target is a target which needs to be shot or can be shot safely. You are legally responsible for the effects of every bullet that leaves your muzzle.

**********************

Once that's taken care of and engrained, the fun can begin! :)
 
Perhaps you are looking for a book on gunsmithing? If you havent already, start reading the Gunsmithing forums.

If you are looking for a ground-up, full on approach to the knowledge of the fundamental function of firearms, go to a gunsmithing technical school.

If not, start here and start opening links. Go on a wikipedia adventure.

and to be frank...
"Thanks, i appreciate you posting back so quickly, reading for me is not the best way to find info about guns, I like to learn by experince... My "google fu" is very weak, as is my knowldege of how to work with websites. I am intrested in the design aspects of handguns, like the glock. How does it function?"

..is probably offensive to many of the people who have gone to school, showed the initiative to scour the libraries and read everything they can on a subject to achieve knowledge and excellence in that discipline. There are no matrix implants you can upload into your brain to just "know" and no one can offer that here. If you learn by hands on experience then look into a school, ask a local gunsmith if you can help in his shop, or take apart your friends glock piece by piece and tinker with it until you know how it does what it does.
 
Well it sounded like a pretty ambiguous statement encompassing just about everything from gun powder to artillery.
Basically there's two types of teaching methods. Reading and learning by doing. Both are self explanatory. I usually read enough to accomplish the hands-on tasks.
Click to expand...
I have to agree that it's just way too open a question. I've seen similar open ended questions on the other forums I hang out in for my other hobbys as well.
Click to expand...
SLow down a bit and decide which gun you want to learn about for a few days. Research THAT gun style and then move on.
Click to expand...
First of all, thanks to everyone for the input. For the above quotes, i was not meaning EVERYTHING, more just all the design related aspects of PISTOLS only, not the ammo, rifles or shotguns. I do know this will take a lot of time, i just would like to get started on it asap:D More autoloaders than revolvers though. So......lets start with the glock?

@MrBorland,
Thanks for the link, that is pretty good at explaining it.

@Kind of Blued,
Thanks, i will try to remember those.

@Atticum,
Yes, i guess i could have worded taht better. I was meaning that i am nt all that able to just think of a question about something, and go try to find the awnser to it, the questions need to be given to me. Hopefully as i get more knowledgable, i will be able to change this. Sorry to any of you who felt insulted.:)

To all who said get training, i will start looking around for a NRA basic pistol course. (this is what savage116 suggested)

Thanks again to all for your input, and keep it comin'!:D
 
Z,
top of page "THR Library" link. hit it. left column, down the page a bit, find links to Beretta, Glock, HK, etc. Will find exploded views, etc within each...
or you could order this from Brownells... (I recommend)

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/Store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=26392

or peruse the schematics Brownells has

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/schematics/SchemMFG.aspx

and you can't say enough good things about spending hours and hours looking thru the "Gunsmithing and Repairs" forum on THR
 
Welcome to THR. Take some time and read, also use the "search" function a lot. Everything you want to know has been asked countless of times before.

To get info on pretty-much every modern handgun/firearm made, check out this site. It belongs to a member here.
http://www.world.guns.ru/handguns/hg00-e.htm
 
Welcome!

Here's a link to 1911 disassembly/reassembly. For those who eat/sleep/breathe this stuff, this borders on boredom. However, for a new shooter it is perhaps something you haven't seen before -

1911 Disassemble

If you haven't organized your "Favorites", I would start with that as a learning tool. Make a folder for each type of firearm you are learning about. When you find a site that is informative, save the link in the correct folder. That way you aren't digging through 1911 stuff when you have a question about Garands.

I have found that the Internet is a tremendous resource. Using Google and other search engines requires patience. And, I believe it is something that can be improved with practice. (That is, you spend less time up blind alleys once you learn how to set up the search...)

Good luck.
 
The bullet/ammo came first, ie: explosives. Guns came afterwords. The gun was designed to harness the explosive. IMO knowledge of what a bullet does and how they work is just as important, if not more so, than the gun that shoots it.
 
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