True newbie

Hello all, just wanted to officially post on here as a newbie. I have a bunch of questions. I am in the process of working my way through the info throughout the forum(s) and online.

A lil background on me- Born and raised in and around NYC.. and resident of Westchester County, NY now. I have family in the Carolinas and have always been interested in firearms and shooting for years. Other than airsofts, I have never shot anything = true newbie

I am in the wonderful state of NY which is not the most firearm friendly. Here in the county of Westchester, being the closest to NYC, the handgun permit process is probably thee most restrictive and lengthy in any state. I am happy to have just gotten my approval letter today after 6 months.. yes SIX MONTHS of waiting. I am finally able to pick up my handgun. Which brings me to the purchase:

I bought a Beretta 92fs/A1 with rail. (yes here you must purchase your piece before getting a permit, and it is held by a FFL)
Got to say I fell in love with this piece 1st time I saw it. It happened to be my friend had one and I knew I'd want it. Once I have it in my procession, I will complete my training course (hands-on with my handgun at my local range) to receive the NRA Certificate.

I do not know much about ammunition, cleaning it, shooting techniques and all. (I have the NRA basics book) Are there any updated books I could pick up with lots of info?
Is there a place to get quality accessories for Beretta handguns? Grips, sights & lights, etc.? (I will not change anything at first. I will just get use to it as is but I'd like to look into accessories for down the line).

All comments and opinions are welcome. Thanks!

Thanks.. definitely took some patience. @ PHILPOST

BK said:

I hesitate providing you with the following link because once you get to looking through their inventory, we might never see you again. Oh well.

www.midwayusa.com

Enjoy!

edit to add:
You didn't mention if the pistol is new or used. I would suggest reading the owner's manual of course. Here is a link to it.

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LOL I will take a look.

And I bought it brand spanking new. So I will read through the owner's manual.

Larry Ashcraft said:

Congratulations on your new purchase. So much to learn, so little time.

Moving this to Handguns, Autoloaders...

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yes.. need more time in a day to read and learn.. and then shoot

ATBackPackin said:

Congrats Jay on getting your permit and a great gun in your Beretta. It is a very easy gun to clean and learn to shoot with as I'm sure you will find out. I haven't shot one since I was in the Marines but I am most likely going to buy one tomorrow, yes here in Pennsylvania you can pay for your gun and walk out in 15 minutes gun in hand after passing the PICS (Pennsylvania Instant Check System). Sorry, not trying to rub it in, but hopefully some day soon all 50 states will be able to enjoy their freedoms.

As a complete beginner obviously the first step is taking your safety course, which I'm sure is mandatory where you live. Pay close attention as it can literally save your life and never become complacent when it comes to gun safety.

When you get that done and get to the range on your own just learn the basics of marksmanship and concentrate on those for a while. Definitely do this with your iron sites as this is the best way to improve your marksmanship. Breath, sight alignment, and trigger control are your friends.

When you get your next gun, believe me there will be a next gun, I would highly recommend a .22. Handgun or rifle is up to you but a .22 is the best and cheapest way to improve and maintain your marksmanship skill set.

Here is a target that you can use to help you figure out what you are doing wrong and what I do sometimes is print some up and actually use them as the target for instant feedback.

Don't be afraid to ask any question. Good luck and happy shooting.

Shawn

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I hating a lil on the "walk right out with it" story.. but hey maybe NY will have that someday.. (I know not likely to be soon LOL).

And Yes, the safety course is mandatory. I took the 1st half which is a class course about general safety, mechnisms, etc. Once I get my pistol, I can return for the 2nd part to familiarize myself with my actual pistol in the range with an instructor.

KAS1981 said:

First off, congrats on the pistol. I too recently purchased a Beretta 92FS, and I absolutely LOVE it.

Anyway.....ditto on Midway USA, they got lots and lots of goodies.

As for cleaning & maintenance, etc, YouTube is a good place to start. Also check out http://berettaforum.net/vb/

Or just ask away right here on THR!

Have fun!

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I will take a look at this site also and check youtube for relevant vids. thanks

benderx4 said:

Congratulations on your first handgun! Excellent choice!! The Beretta 92FS, known as the M9 in the military, was (and is) carried by many of us in different branches of the armed forces.

Very easy to shoot as it is VERY comfortable with 9mm because of its weight and size. VERY easy to clean as soldiers must do it rapidly in all kinds of hostile environments. VERY reliable otherwise it wouldn't be so widely used throughout the world. VERY recognizable as you might see one in almost every action/adventure movie ever filmed.

I have a 96 Elite 1A that guards my home with a Streamlight TLR-1 on the rail and Crimson Trace Laser grips replacing the OEM ones. VERY nice set up for sweeping a dark house when things go bump in the night.

MecGar is the manufacturer for many companies magazines and I would recommend that you pick up some additional 18 and 20 round anti-friction mags for use when practicing. (If they are legal in NY of course.)
CDNN has some of the best prices that I've seen on these fine mags.

Remember, it's all about the front sight and proper trigger pull. Practice, practice, practice and happy shooting.

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I had been over on beretta fourms reading up on my purchase before and after i bough it. I am so excited to shoot it.

Unfortunately, I think NY limits mag capacity to 10 rds.. unless it's a pre-ban.

dcarch said:

Another truly excellent site is Brownells. They have one of the most comprehensive inventories in the nation, and they're located less than 45 minutes from where I live (depending on how fast you drive. ) http://www.brownells.com/

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another site to look into.. LOL

Thanks everyone for your comments

Pics of my purchase are up! I couldn't wait!

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=616134

rellascout said:

Congrats..... IMHO you do not need to change anything about the pistol. Go get yourself a basic cleaning kit from Walmart or any gun store. They are all pretty much the same just make sure it has solvent/bore cleaner, lubricating oil, brass brush, cotton mop and patches. Also make sure it is the correct size.

I like this kit because it comes with everything you will need. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=969856

I also recommend getting grease for the rails. I personally like shooters choice in the syringe which IIRC is available at Walmart.

Do not forget to clean the gun before you shoot it for the first time. Teh oil on it is more of a perservative than a gun lube and can cause malfuctions if not removed.

As far as actually shooting I am a big fan of dry firing with a proper grip and the proper amount of trigger finger. Here are some links which are a good place to start.

Todd Jarrett on shooting a pistol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa50-plo48
Correct Grip http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNSSF#p/u/1/iDzC6djUQxM
DA Trigger Management http://www.craigcentral.com/fearnot.htm
How to Dryfire and Hit Stuff http://grayguns.com/zen-and-the-art-of-hitting-stuff/

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I picked up a cleaning kit very similar. My friend is an avid firearm enthusiast and has been helping me since I start filing my paper work. He told me about cleaning the pistol and greasing the rails prior to the first firing. Thanks for the links I will definitely look at them.

Geckgo said:

Welcome to THR!

Congrats on the pistol. They are so pretty in their little boxes when they are new, well, usually, but we won't open up that wound.

I'd say also take a hunter safety course, even though you hopefully won't be hunting too much with an FS92, they give a lot of good info on safety. Depending on your permit course though, this probably isn't required for you, you can get the information online as well without actually buying the hunter safety card.

Watch a lot of YouTube videos, and do exactly the opposite of what you see on there. Most people on YouTube are unsafe, but there is information to be extracted.

+1 on the grease, I use automotive grease on my pistols and it seems to work just fine, and is WAY cheaper than buying the same thing in a can with a gun on the label.

One thing to add and stress, do a search on here for ND, and read all the threads. You have a big resource for learning from the mistakes of others.

Have fun and be safe.

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I do plan to take some classes once I get familiar with firing so I can better hone my skills. What does "ND" stand for? (maybe thats a newbie question)

Baba Louie said:

Welcome to THR Jay. Nice first handgun!

I'll let others tell you what to buy (they're doing fine so far), but want to make sure you're well grounded on the 4 rules of firearm safety?

1. (Assume) all guns are loaded.
2. Don't point muzzle at anything you do NOT want shot.
3. Keep finger off trigger until sights are on the target.
4. Know what's behind your target (bullets final destination)

Memorize the above. (I'm sure you're way ahead of me here, but other newbies who lurk might not know such things)

Start buying 9mm now & stack it deep. Maybe look for a preban magazine or two (if legal in state, dunno rules in the Empire State).

Consider joining the NRA. Consider taking a class or two when money and time are right (sooner the better).

And you do know that photos of new purchase(s) are almost mandatory right?

Welcome to THR again.

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My friend just gave me another mag (so now I have 3; all 10 rds cap.) and a dry fire bullet. He was telling me about the pre-ban mags too. research.. research and more research..