My first encounter with the gun community

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n00b_71

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I walked into a gun shop and told the man behind the counter that I was interested in learning about firearms. He was in his seventies, his mouth wrinkled from decades of smoking. He wore with a plaid shirt and steel-rimmed glasses.

"Well, what have you fired?" he asked with a drawl.

"Nothing" I replied, "I've never even handled a gun."

He scratched his head and furrowed his brow. "Best to start with a .22 revolver, I suppose. We can sell you one for about $300."

"But I REALLY don't know what I am doing." I said.

"Best to go with a friend to a shooting range. They won't let you shoot if you're alone and you don't have your own gun."

"I don't really have any friends who have any shooting experience."

"Hmm."

"So I can't learn more until I buy one, and I don't want to buy one until I learn more. Kind of like a chicken-or-the-egg situation."

"Yeah." He furrowed his brow again.

After an awkward pause I said: "Okay then ... I'll just have a look around."

"Let me know if you need anything." He replied and walked off.

So I left empty-handed and thought to myself: "The people of the web will help me!" So I found this forum and read a bit. You guys seem to know your stuff.

I learned that the NRA has basic pistol courses. Do you think I should start there?

Also I found this one:
http://www.allsafedefense.com/Courses/AllSafeHandgun.htm
which is near me. Is there any advantage to taking a NRA course vs. an independent one like this?

If I do buy a handgun, I am probably going to want just that one, as opposed to a mini-arsenal locked up in my closet. So if I only own one, I would want it to be reliable with decent stopping power. But I understand that I must crawl before I can walk. Should I really buy a .22 first? I was thinking I could rent one at a range and work my way up to a 9mm, then a .38 then a .40 etc.?

Also: I come from an ultra-liberal family so please don't tell my parents that I might be giving money to the NRA. :)

Thanks in advance for your advice!
 
I guess if I was in your shoes, I would try to visit a range where you could try different guns and find one that suits you. What do you want the gun for? People will chime in if you elaborate. Buy a gun that suits you, take a course that will qualify you for a concealed weapons permit, get your permit and take time to practice.
 
What do you want the gun for?

For target shooting and home defense.
 
Yes, you really should buy a .22 first.

Any independent course is based on the NRA standards, so it shouldn't matter. The important thing is to get the training.
 
Some depends on what you're wanting the gun for. Plinking fun at the range, or self defense. A 22 is a good gun to start with. Ammo is cheap, so you can get in a lot of practice. Also, recoil is very low, so it can help you get used to shooting a gun without developing some bad shooting habits. Some of the heavy calibers might even put you off to shooting if you start there.

But it would be a bit of a shame to buy a 22, if your intended use is self defense, and you serious about having only 1 gun. You'd just have to sell it and move up later. Although having a 22 for inexpensive practice, AND a larger gun is not a bad thing:D

You don't mention where you live. You may not know anyone that shoots. But there may be somebody here ( on THR ) that might be willing to take you to the range & let you try different guns. I'd expect you'd need to supply the ammo.

Tuckerdog1
 
Okay. For target shooting and self defense I would give in to the fact that you should have two guns. I have several "pairs" and I feel like you can't beat this option. First, figure out what you want for self defense. If it's a revolver, also buy a revolver in 22 long rifle that is similar. If you decide on a semiautomatic pistol, buy a 22 pistol that is similar. Practice some with your self defense gun and also try to wear the 22 out. It works for me.
 
You're in California?

You ought to have no problems finding a place there to learn. There's enough of a population to support industries like ranges that rent guns for target shooting at their facility by the hour.


When I find people in your shoes locally, I encourage them to go to a gun club. You don't need to own a gun to join a gun club. Go out to a meeting, use your social skills, and make some friends. Make it known what you're there for, and ask for help. If you find that you like the place and the people, join. The ones in my area are inexpensive, all under $100.00 annually to join, most hovering around $50.00/year.



Oh, and you don't have to buy a .22 first. But it sure helps with the learning curve.
 
If you really want a hand gun, you want only one and you have little experience. I would go with a modern 9mm like a Glock. 9mm is relatively cheap to shoot, adequate for self defense, and has a mild recoil. Glock 19 would be my choice for you. Others will chime in and say their favorite model and some will say revolver first before semi-auto. But this is my opinion from teaching other first timers how to shoot. When I have them shoot various handguns they invariably stay away from revolvers and really like the semi-auto. Glocks are dead simple to operate, reliable and reasonably priced. Then go get some training.
 
tuckerdog1 said:
... having a 22 for inexpensive practice, AND a larger gun is not a bad thing:D
Click to expand...

+1

If you want to stick with one gun then a .357mag revolver (which you can also shoot cheaper/lighter shooting .38) or a 9mm semi auto would be my first suggestion.

Inexpensive to feed for plenty of practice (especially the 9mm) but still powerful enough for self defense.

I'll second the Glock 19 as well (although I like the Smith & Wesson M&P a little better).

What kind of budget do you have?
 
Nothing about being Liberal means anti-gun. My parents don't own any guns, and don't really like me owning them, and they are not liberal. I no longer live with them, but the point is the same.

I don't even own a .22, my best advice is to buy whatever gun interests you the most, because it will keep you interested the most. I bought a .22 first because I was told "it's just what you do" and quickly discovered it was boring. I then moved on to 9mm and .38 handguns and haven't looked back.

Although I will recommend keeping the gun to a "standard" caliber, say 9, 40, 45, 38, etc.

Caliber is a real non-issue, just make sure you can:
A.) Find the ammo where you want to buy it.
B.) Afford the ammo in the amount you are going to use it.

For me this means 9mm/.38special, cheap and easy to come by.
 
I would strongly consider if you were to buy "one gun" to get a fullsize 9mm Parabellum (aka 9mm Luger). A S&W Sigma would be an inexpensive and reliable option in this case....a used Glock may also be up your alley, as a good one may be found for just under $400 these days.

Reason is this: it's suitable for defense, ammo is readily availible and is the least expensive handgun ceterfire cartridge you can get. you would have to be certain to not "prepare" for recoil however, as that will mess up accuracy.

for that reason, a .22 is the best caliber to get started, but it's not as suitable for defense, as it would take a precise hit or many hits in a very focused area to drop an assailant.
 
I would not buy ANY repeat ANY handgun for your first firearm and first shooting experience. Buy a .22 RIFLE. Even a simple used single shot will do, and those can be had for under $100. It's far easier to be safe with the rifle and a much better platform to learn fundamentals. The handgun has a shorter barrel, the potential trickiness of getting it cocked on single action, and is much more difficult to shoot accurately than a rifle.
 
Go rent some guns from the local range, and I kinda feel for the old LGS guy, remember what the media and politicians all say about guns... esp in Kali,

Imagine you go to a liqueur store or car lot and say, I know nothing about this and have no clue and won't buy because I know I don't know, he threw a starting point at you and you didn't bite.

either you are going to get a guy who will spend an hour explaining or you are going to get a guy who don't feel like wasting his time. Spend the money and time, go to classes, stay away from the 'tactikool' bs. Learn the basics, buy a book or GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY. NRA is a good starting point. save the gun money for when you know what to do with it.
 
I take it you are from Orange County here in California. There are tons of places to go learn and meet some really good folks that will be helpful. I am also a member at CalGuns.net, and there is a huge amount of info there that will be helpful in your situation and location. I live in North San Diego co, so its less than an hour drive from you. If you wanted to learn more, I would be willing to teach you handgun safety, range rules, and let you go shooting with me at the local indoor range. I have a fair variety of handguns to choose from. A .22 caliber that I taught my kids to shoot with would be a good starter. I am not an NRA instructor, but have about 35 yrs of shooting experience, so I am not new either.
 
The deal with a .22 is that you can shoot 500 rounds for under $20. It pays for itself. It's a trainer, not a defense pistol.

Once you've shot five or ten thousand rounds you'll be a competent shooter. That's when you should decide on what defense pistol you want, and that's when you'll have the experience basis to make a good decision based on your needs, desires, ergonomics, whatever.

I've been shooting handguns for 35 (40?) years. I still shoot far more .22 than large calibers. Why? Because it's affordable. If I only shot .45's (my chosen caliber) then I'd only shoot about 1/10th as many rounds. And I wouldn't be as good a shooter.

So, get that .22 and start shooting. Worry about a defense pistol later.
 
Should I really buy a .22 first?
Click to expand...

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it but many full sized semi autos, such as the CZ75B, offer a .22 LR conversion kit. Perhaps that would be a solution
 
Start with a .22 that is as close to what you eventually want as possible. If you have absolutely no idea whatsoever - meaning you don't know if you don't want a pistol, revolver, rifle, or shotgun, and you want it for defense and target shooting, I'd say you should end up with a .357 revolver.

You will be able to start with a .22 that is very similar, then once you move up, you can practice with 38 spl for short money. I'm assuming you're not going to wake up one day and love guns, and revolvers tolerate being unloved a little better than pistols. Plus for defense, revolvers are more simple.

The only negative I see with revolvers for home defense is that I like lights on HD handguns and most revolvers don't come with rails.

Good luck.
 
Have you considered finding a qualified and recommended instructor and hiring him to schedule a range session with a good selection of his guns?

You should NOT teach yourself how to shoot. You should NOT teach yourself about gun safety.

A competent instructor will start with the basics of safety and gun handling.

I would not want to be the person at the range at the same time that you are teaching yourself to shoot.

I would not buy a gun until I had gained practical experience with an experienced instructor, otherwise you will not understand what the gun should be doing and what you should be doing.

Compare this experience with driving. You could teach yourself to drive (and I mean from ZERO experience, never even having seen a car being operated), but that would be a bit too much excitement for most people.

Find a well-recommended instructor and start there for your learning and advice.

gd
 
Getting a .22 handgun, especially a revolver, is a good idea. Also, might think about getting a mid size .357 mag handgun understand that you don't have to shoot .357 mag in it. You can shoot standard 38 special ammo and they even make a very mild 38 spl target load call the 38spl target semiwadcutter. Very easy to shoot out of a fairly good size revolver.

Many shooting ranges have intro classes for people like you. Shoot different handguns and get basic training at the same time.
 
If your friends and family aren't into guns the only other options that I can see are:
-Coworkers (Since you're in California you may not want to bring this up at work)
-A formal course (especially if the instructor will lend/rent a gun for use during the course)
-Local club (as mentioned above)
-See if you can find a local range that rents guns (someone here may be able to help), call the range and ask the safety officer if they know of any instructors that could give a few lessons.

I would not purchase a gun until you have fired one first, if you can help it. If you can rent a .22 rifle for a while (or purchase one and sell it later) that would be the way to go.
 
My local range rents guns and has a first time pistol shooter course for $200. That should get you started. After learning safety and the basics of shooting with a few different guns, you should have a better idea what you want to buy.

Az
 
i agree if you post your state their might be someone here that could help you. that class also looks like a good place to start. if you want a .22 you could always get a sig two step .22 & later get the conversion in the caliber you want. this way you still have options. i took two guys at work shooting who are new to shooting & they ended up getting 9mm ruger's for $3oo or so. they are both happy with them. i would also recomend a 9mm also, ammo is cheep & recoil is not bad. after you have been shooting for awhile, you will have a better idea of what caliber & what model you want. welcome to thr & good luck to you. ps. i didn't see craneman's verry generous offer i would definitely take him up on it. i agree that is verry high road of you craneman.
 
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