Brian Williams
Moderator Emeritus
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Advice for a first time handgun buyer
- Thread starter JeffDilla
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Orange_Magnum
member
Let your first handgun be a keeper and a home defense tool. Long barrels are more accurate and soak up more recoil. Taurus makes a model 608 in .357 magnum that is an 8-shooter. How convenient isn't that when Mr Scumbag kicks in your front door? 8 inches of accuracy to point that perverted brain in a new direction.
You will go through a lot of concealed carry models later.
You will go through a lot of concealed carry models later.
BlindJustice
Member
ErikS had the best advice for you Jeff having recently experienced
what you are asking about doing in your firearms experience.
My first handgun was a S&W Model 18 medium frame .22 LR I was young
and money was dear so the inexpensive cost of the ammo allowed me to
shoot a lot more than any centerfire cartridge. It also with it's light recoil allowed me to learn proper sight alignment, trigger control, Single Action (SA)
and also Double Action (DA). It served me well on the farm in my teens
I have S&W revovlers in small, medium, and large frame sizes of various calibers, including a medium frame 686 with a 4" Bbl. feels great balance wise but when I shoot full power loads, it has a supersonic blast, and a big
flash from unburned powder, as well as great recoil THe Magnum means it uses slower burning powders that need longer barrel lengths in order to brun completely I'd rather have a .357 Mag on the large frame and a 6" or longer barrel. I also have a small J-frame that has a 3" Bbl. chambered for .357 Magnum, I limit it to .38 Spcl. +P for shooting and it's quite enjoyable. THe .38 SPcl +P also fires at below the speed of sound so for a home defense weapon there's no sonic BOOM and less muzzle flash as well as greater recoil management.
IF or when you are confy with revolvers and want to experience semi-autos I'd recommend a platform that has the option of a .22 LR conversion kit. IT usually means you change the slide, barrel recoil spring and magazine, but you use the same frame thus grip as well as the same trigger.
Good Luck, and go with ErikS/s advice as well
Randall
.
what you are asking about doing in your firearms experience.
My first handgun was a S&W Model 18 medium frame .22 LR I was young
and money was dear so the inexpensive cost of the ammo allowed me to
shoot a lot more than any centerfire cartridge. It also with it's light recoil allowed me to learn proper sight alignment, trigger control, Single Action (SA)
and also Double Action (DA). It served me well on the farm in my teens
I have S&W revovlers in small, medium, and large frame sizes of various calibers, including a medium frame 686 with a 4" Bbl. feels great balance wise but when I shoot full power loads, it has a supersonic blast, and a big
flash from unburned powder, as well as great recoil THe Magnum means it uses slower burning powders that need longer barrel lengths in order to brun completely I'd rather have a .357 Mag on the large frame and a 6" or longer barrel. I also have a small J-frame that has a 3" Bbl. chambered for .357 Magnum, I limit it to .38 Spcl. +P for shooting and it's quite enjoyable. THe .38 SPcl +P also fires at below the speed of sound so for a home defense weapon there's no sonic BOOM and less muzzle flash as well as greater recoil management.
IF or when you are confy with revolvers and want to experience semi-autos I'd recommend a platform that has the option of a .22 LR conversion kit. IT usually means you change the slide, barrel recoil spring and magazine, but you use the same frame thus grip as well as the same trigger.
Good Luck, and go with ErikS/s advice as well
Randall
.
BlindJustice, Thanks for the info. I just registered for a 3-day basic handgun safety course that I will be taking later in September. They had one that started last night when I went in to ask but it was too short of notice, I was tempted though. But After I take that I plan on trying different guns, and just seeing what feels comfortable but I think I will shoot mainly a .22 to practice shooting technique and get familiar with it before I actually buy anything. Yesterday I also drove way out to this "hole in the wall" gun shop and explained to the owner, who was a fairly elderly man, that I was brand new to handguns but I'd like to learn as much as I can. Since he didn't have any other customers, and by the way he talked he hadn't had any in quite some time, we sat and talked for almost two hours. He showed me several different revolvers and semi-autos and answered all the questions I had. He was a really nice guy and very encouraging, as I didn't really know what to expect going out there. He let me know he would help me with anything I needed and told me to keep in touch and let me know how things go. It made me feel that much better about this whole experience in general.
crebralfix
member
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- Mar 7, 2004
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Wow! A friendly gun shop! Even better...friendly to folks who aren't in regulars!
You should really purchase your stuff there because he really spent some time with you. Even if his prices are a bit higher, the help is worth the few dollars extra. Too many folks get "sold" a gun and have no idea what to do with it afterward.
You should really purchase your stuff there because he really spent some time with you. Even if his prices are a bit higher, the help is worth the few dollars extra. Too many folks get "sold" a gun and have no idea what to do with it afterward.
P97
Member
My advise to anyone starting out shooting would be .22's first, both in long and short guns. I shot .22 rifles and pistols long before I got any center fire guns. I still do 90% of my shooting with .22's. 
Crebalfix, I agree. I hinted to him that when It came time for me to make a purchase, I'd be back. He didn't have many options there at the time, as it is a very small gun shop in this guy's basement of his house. He said he charges 10% over cost to order guns and a $15 transfer fee, both seem pretty reasonable to me, and I'd glady give him my business rather than a corporate store. Out of curiosity, is 10% over book charge as reasonable as it sounds to me? What is a common percentage?
Drgong
Member
10% does not sound bad, I go to a rather expensive store many times as it a huge store, but they spent a lot of time with me. Bought a rifle and two pistols from them.
BlindJustice
Member
IMHO - The "Hole in the Wall" shop owner deal of 10% over cost
and a $15 transfer fee is quite reasonable. He also sounds like a good
mentor, after you get a course and some rental time you could go back
and share your experience and know better what to ask.
I have a gun dealer, who runs his business out of his own
home - a split level and his Mom lives upstairs and he's got the daylight
basement velow forhis living area and business. He also has a
yard triming, etc. business. I've bought 6 guns and transferred
them through him over the last few years. I also have told him
what I wanted for two additional guns, and they were a bit higher
than I could have gotten them elsewhere, but it's better to me to
let him make a few than a chain store. I also have him trim my hedges
fall and spring - his transger fee has gone up from $25 to $35 FWIW
This has paid off in terms of sometimes he just delivers a gun - I've given
him the occaisional gun that needs a complete strip and cleaning - I'm not
mchanical, and he does a bit of extra polishing, of the rails and trigger on my
1911 for example. He also gunsmiths but knows his limitations, so I can at
least get an idea of any issue and get a good basis as to where or what the
next step should be.
Hope that gives you some idea about your path.
Randall
and a $15 transfer fee is quite reasonable. He also sounds like a good
mentor, after you get a course and some rental time you could go back
and share your experience and know better what to ask.
I have a gun dealer, who runs his business out of his own
home - a split level and his Mom lives upstairs and he's got the daylight
basement velow forhis living area and business. He also has a
yard triming, etc. business. I've bought 6 guns and transferred
them through him over the last few years. I also have told him
what I wanted for two additional guns, and they were a bit higher
than I could have gotten them elsewhere, but it's better to me to
let him make a few than a chain store. I also have him trim my hedges
fall and spring - his transger fee has gone up from $25 to $35 FWIW
This has paid off in terms of sometimes he just delivers a gun - I've given
him the occaisional gun that needs a complete strip and cleaning - I'm not
mchanical, and he does a bit of extra polishing, of the rails and trigger on my
1911 for example. He also gunsmiths but knows his limitations, so I can at
least get an idea of any issue and get a good basis as to where or what the
next step should be.
Hope that gives you some idea about your path.
Randall
Orange_Magnum
member
If you think a .22 is a good starter gun I advice you to buy a BB gun.
What is the intended purpose for your future gun? Target shooting? OK, but anything beyond that .22 it is incapable of. Do you think Mr Scumbag, 300 pounds, kicking in your door, will "worry" about a couple of .22 bullets hitting the lard? He will laugh at you, grab the gun from your hands and smack it in your head so hard that you will die.
What is the intended purpose for your future gun? Target shooting? OK, but anything beyond that .22 it is incapable of. Do you think Mr Scumbag, 300 pounds, kicking in your door, will "worry" about a couple of .22 bullets hitting the lard? He will laugh at you, grab the gun from your hands and smack it in your head so hard that you will die.
1911 guy
Member
Two things.
First, go to a gunshop that will take the time to explain handgun fit and then "try on" as many as you can lay hands on, both autos and revolvers. Secondly, ignore the advice of anyone who recommends a particular model without any other information.
First, go to a gunshop that will take the time to explain handgun fit and then "try on" as many as you can lay hands on, both autos and revolvers. Secondly, ignore the advice of anyone who recommends a particular model without any other information.
1911 guy, I found a gunshop a couple of days ago with a really helpful owner. I held several different guns, and I liked the feel of revolvers in my hand more than the semi-autos. I only held three of each and one of the semi-autos was a subcompact. I have large hands and the sub-compact just felt too small. He didn't have a huge selection of guns, so I wasnt able to hold many models, but he was full of information and answered all of my questions.
ErikS
Member
Would be interesting to get updates from you on your progress.
As I said before, I'm in a similar situation, I just started with handguns while I was in the US, but I'm now back home in a country with different laws and less opportunities to pursue my new interest.
I'm in the process of joining a local gun club, and hope to be able to get a license for a handgun somewhere down the line. Until then, I'll have to practice at the club under an instructors supervision.
I bought an airgun to get some extra practise at home, and though it's a good way to get extra trigger time when you cant be at a range, shooting a .22 is much better practise, at least it goes boom and there is some recoil, the gun reacts when you pull the trigger. An airgun just isnt the same. FWIW.
As I said before, I'm in a similar situation, I just started with handguns while I was in the US, but I'm now back home in a country with different laws and less opportunities to pursue my new interest.
I'm in the process of joining a local gun club, and hope to be able to get a license for a handgun somewhere down the line. Until then, I'll have to practice at the club under an instructors supervision.
I bought an airgun to get some extra practise at home, and though it's a good way to get extra trigger time when you cant be at a range, shooting a .22 is much better practise, at least it goes boom and there is some recoil, the gun reacts when you pull the trigger. An airgun just isnt the same. FWIW.
crebralfix
member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2004
- Messages
- 1,356
+1 on ErikS
It would be neat to chronicle your search and training experiences (with pictures, of course).
It would be neat to chronicle your search and training experiences (with pictures, of course).
Will do. My safety/training course isn't until sept. 22-24, but I'm going to go to my first gun show the weekend of sept. 6-7th. I started a different post about that. But I'll be sure to post about my experience, although I'm not planning on buying anything, except for some beef jerkey, which I hear is something to look forward to.
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