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Buying my first handgun tommorow!

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Gray Peterson

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Dec 24, 2002
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Well, I'm buying my first handgun tommorow! :)

I'm going to be going down to Lincoln City, on the Oregon Coast, to pick it up. It'll also be my first time on the coast. :)

It's a Ruger P94SDC (Stainless Safety/Decock).
 
Congrats on the purchase!

And I like your tag line. Reminds me of my dad telling stories about his high school football team "back in the day". It seems their playbook consisted of four plays, which they ran to perfection, all from the same formation so as not to tip off the defense.

I like those Ruger's. Lot of gun for the $$$, in my opinion.
 
I have the Ruger KP-89 and I love it! Reliable and accurate and built like a tank! Can you say durable? :) The P-Series are great guns for the money. Enjoy!
 
A little long winded, but I have both 9mm and .40:

Welcome to handguns, if the only option is 9mm vs. .40, and if this is your first handgun, get the 9mm. You can always trade it in on a .40 later. More important than ammo accuracy at this point is pistol accuracy, practice, instruction and more practice.

.40 will cost you 50%+ more than 9mm ammo, meaning unless money is no object you will get more practice in, which is much more important that accuracy. 300 rounds is a normal range session, so a 9mm is $30 vs. $48 for .40. At 50 weeks a year that is $900, enough for a fancy new handgun.

9mm will kick less than .40. If you are buying discount ammo like winchester white box from Wal*Mart, all you get is the 180 grain in .40. That ammo as mentioned above will bite and cause flinching for a beginner. I'm a big guy, and the 180 gr recoil still throws me off mentally, especially in a light handgun.

9mm is lighter to carry to the range. 300 rds of 9mm is a lot less bulky and a lot less weight to stuff in your bag.

You can buy pre-ban magazines for many of the popular 9mm handguns that hold 12-15-17-30 rounds. These are fun at the range because less reloading = more practice. I haven't seen many factory .40 magazines with a cap higher than 12.

The .40 does pack more bullet energy than most 9mm, even the +P 9mm rounds cannot compete in stopping power to the .40. The self-protection crowd will steer you towards a .40 for that reason. If you are not target proficient with that weapon, however, you will not be very effective defensively with it. Target proficiency requires instruction and practice.

If you are concerned about home defense, buy a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 12ga shotgun with an 18" barrel. Have a pistol grip put on. It won't go through drywall or siding as well as a 9mm or .40 round, less unintended consequences.

If you are mainly looking for a semi-auto target pistol, go with a Ruger MkII, Browning Buckmark or Sig Trailside, all in a .22lr caliber, all high quality handguns. I get decent ammo from Wal*Mart $10 for 500 rds and shoot for hours.
 
Lonnie,

You've made a good choice. Rugers are very good guns. Enjoy it.

Now for some reminissing. I bought my first handgun in August of 1974. It was a Colt .22 Single Action Peacemaker. A beautiful little revolver that I wish I had now. But of course I traded it off for something else.

My suggestion to you is to keep your first one. When you decide you want something else, and you will, resist the temptation to trade or sell it. Save up the money and buy the next one.
Just my suggestions. How many of us still have our "first" (anything)?

Joe
 
Congrats on the new gun! The first handgun is, IMO, the cardinal date in firearms celebration.

My suggestion to you is to keep your first one.
Click to expand...

Yep, I have to agree. I got my first one, a Browning Hi Power MkIII, almost 6 months ago. I'm never letting that one go.

Again, congrats.

Wes
 
Great Gun, Great town. I was stationed up the road a piece in Newport and loved being able to hop out to the woods and shoot anytime the urge hit me. They tend to frown on that in my current location.
 
My advice.....shoot it ALOT.........9mm is cheap........go nuts...the Rugers can take it........yeah,keep your first one(unless it's a lemon,which is doubtfull)I traded my 1st one in for a gun that SUCKED.......I'm sorry I did......have fun,be safe and did I mention SHOOT ALOT.........:cool:
P.S. I always try to alternate auto and wheelgun....so maybe you need a GP100 or SP101 next:D
 
Well, I came back from Lincoln City, OR (A little city on the Oregon Coast, very good place). A fellow Hillsboro area handgunner had time to spare along with a need to get out, so he took himself, me, and my partner (or fiancee, whatever you call it), out to Lincoln City. It's a 2 hour drive from Portland. Take State Road Six from Hillsboro to Tillamook, and then head south. It's freaking gorgeous.

We then took US 101. One thing about rural Oregon: You have a lot of places that have literally two businesses in one. The place I bought the handgun from in Lincoln City is a prime example: It's both a franchise Radio Shack AND a Sporting Goods Store, which sells handguns to boot. Also, there was a place on the side of US 101 which is called "Fox Grocery and Firearms". I got a huge kick out of that one (since my favorite animal is a fox).

We arrived in Lincoln City, on the way seeing some BEAUTIFUL scenery, and we finally got to the store. Did my first 4473 and check (Oregon CHL's don't exempt from NICS here), and it came back clean, walked out with it. My friend was gracious enough to give me 20 Winchester Silvertips, along with 100 rounds of target ammo.

I concealed carried with my own firearm for the first time.
:D

Technically, both me and my fiance own it, but the papers are in my name. I won't be able to carry much with it, unless he comes with me somewhere (It's primarily for home protection). Drat, I'll have to buy another gun, won't I? :D

Anyway, go to Depoe Bay, Oregon. They have this seawall area...damned beautiful, and the Clam Chowder at the places there are great.

Anyway, pics of me and my gun! :D

47b3cc33b3127cce83b97fad934d0000001510


Better picture available here:

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=5288573
 
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If you are concerned about home defense, buy a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 12ga shotgun with an 18" barrel. Have a pistol grip put on. It won't go through drywall or siding as well as a 9mm or .40 round, less unintended consequences.

Eh Eh, can't do that, for two reasons:

A) He can't handle a shotgun. I could, he can't.

B) We live in a multi-family home. We only have our own room. A shotgun would stick out like a sore thumb.
 
Congrats again...Now, all you need is the range time & lots of practice ammo to get acquainted w/ your new pistol ;)
 
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