First time shooter

[GoBrush]

Wecome to the shooting sports!

First of all I am glad your friend didnt scare you off by having you shoot 357 and 45 loads on your first trip. If you handled those as you discribed that is quite impressive knowing it was your first shooting experience.

Since the automatic fit your hand I woud recommend an auto if you are willing to shoot atleast once per month (you have to shoot about that much to get good and besides it is fun doing it.)

If you do not plan on shooting that much I would try different models of revolvers to see if you can find one that better fits your hand. If you do go this route I recommend a heavier 357 frame but shoot 38's through it. When you become efficient with 38's you can move to the 357.

Bottom line revolvers are easier to learn, and easier to opperate.

Keep us posted on your progress and more importantly become a voice for the sport and spread the good word.

 

[DevLcL]

And just a reminder to 22-rimfire, it is auto-loader or semi-auto, not auto. Now I realize that the Colt 1911 45ACP Government model says "auto" on the slide, but in today's world auto means machine gun.

I'm not sure what yur talkin bout! I have a .45 AUTO!

Thank's for the correction. Magazine and firearm from now on...thanks!

If your talking about a firefight and one of the weapons described uses stripper clips, then by all means....say weapon and clip.

One thing I forgot to mention before. I've gone on a few dates now with this girl I met not too long ago. We got to talkin about my guns and she said she would like to go shooting so maybe we will go this weekend. Whenever we go I'll let everyone here know how it went! (Remember, I live near San Francisco. Getting a girl to even look at a gun is a miracle!)

-Dev

 

[Berek]

Quite a command of jargon and terminology, for a first time shooter.
Wait, am I confused or is Medgrl the cofused one.
Identity crises perhaps?

Maybe a little of both. I've been teaching for 10 years and have found numerous ppl that still refer to "magazines" as "clips" and "firearms" as "weapons". I know, I'm anal about symantics.

MedGrl: Welcome to THR and the sport of shooting. I would agree that a nice little 9mm Comp or a Taurus would be a good choice. If your hands are really petite, you could try a .380 Auto. My mother has rather petite hands it it suits her fine for a carry piece.

BTW, newbies bring the ammo, I need .300WSM rounds. Got any?

 

[Berek]

Handy little way to tell the difference: A Magazine has a spring, a clip does not.

Actually, some clips do have springs. Leaf springs. I find it easier to say "Magazines surround the ammo while a clip just "clips" to the extraction rim covering the primer. I know, I'm just giving a hard time.

 

[mnrivrat]

Hi ! Welcome to THR and the world of shooting .

First, I'll let you know that some of us don't give a hoot wether you say clip or magazine . If'n were not smart enough to figure out what you mean we can always ask ya. ( and our shorts don't ride up on us from "technical" errors)

As to your first handgun, it sounds like you have a damn good mentor in David and I'm think'n he can help you weed through some of the advise . For the most part the question asked will draw a confusing amount of options.

I will only advise that you start looking at about everything you can get your hands on and find out what fits, and what you like. When you have it narrowed down to 2 or 3 specific guns you might want to come back on and check on those particular guns - not for advise of caliber and features as much as quality and reliability.

 

[Keaner]

Actually, some clips do have springs. Leaf springs. I find it easier to say "Magazines surround the ammo while a clip just "clips" to the extraction rim covering the primer. I know, I'm just giving a hard time.

For the most part, the spring rule works as a good rule of thumb. You cannot follow the extraction rim thing, because the M1 enbloc clip works differently. The best way I found to explain it is the Follower/Follower spring in a magazine, not in a clip.

 

[poppy]

Quote by mnrivrat:
First, I'll let you know that some of us don't give a hoot wether you say clip or magazine . If'n were not smart enough to figure out what you mean we can always ask ya. ( and our shorts don't ride up on us from "technical" errors)

Proper words and technical errors do matter. We gun types roll ours eyes and criticize media types when they use incorrect technical language. We say things like, why can't they educate themselves. Well, why can't we educate ourselves?

Quote by DevLcL: I'm not sure what yur talkin bout! I have a .45 AUTO!

I too have a .45 auto, but once again the media has convinced the public that an automatic is a machine gun. I realize that the correct terminology was Colt Automatic Pistol 50 years ago, but we live in a different world.

poppy

 

[hso]

Well done.

Most women are better first time shooters than men. They have more patience, fewer preconceived notions of how to handle the gun, and no bad habits to overcome.

With practice you should become an excellent shooter.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

Ditto on the recommendations for 9mm as a first choice. Besides being comfortable to shoot it's also cheap and easy to find. That makes it easier and cheaper to shoot a lot. The one thing I disliked about buying a .40S&W as a first gun was that ammo was always more expensive. (But I fixed that. Now I have a Beretta 92... ) Glad to hear you had fun.

 

[Tomcat1066]

Well done.

Most women are better first time shooters than men. They have more patience, fewer preconceived notions of how to handle the gun, and no bad habits to overcome.

With practice you should become an excellent shooter.

Also, I think there's less of an ego thing...no need to "prove" anything, so the relax and listen to instruction better.

MedGrl,
Welcome to a new addiction

Tom

 

[pax]

Medgrl ~

Welcome to THR, and to the shooting world as well. Always glad to meet a new shooter! Good for you for learning as much as you can as early as you can. You have a lot of fun ahead of you...

For a learning gun, I'd recommend looking at .22lr pistols, because .22 ammunition is very inexpensive and you can get in a lot of practice for not much money. The other big advantage is that because there isn't a lot of noise or recoil compared to centerfire calibers, you are less likely to develop a flinch while you are learning to shoot if you start with a .22. Some specific guns to look at would be a Ruger 22/45, or a Ruger Mark II or Mark III. You can also find .22lr revolvers if you'd rather go that route.

But if you are learning to shoot for self-defense and want to purchase your defense gun right away, there's really nothing wrong with starting out on a defense caliber (a defense caliber, very generally speaking, is anything .380 or bigger -- though as soon as I post this, you know that six cranky old men are going to start nitpicking!).

Ahem.

If you want to buy just one gun to learn on and to keep at home for protection, I'd recommend looking for a 9mm which fits your hand and your budget. 9mm is just about the least expensive defense ammunition you can buy, and so if you go with a 9mm, you won't have an excuse to stint on practice. Are you noticing a theme here yet? Practice is important and you will need to do a lot of it. There's nothing magic about any one caliber; what matters is that you will practice with whatever you choose and take the time to get good at it.

Despite what I just said, don't let ammunition price be your only criteria. The nice thing about modern centerfire guns is that you can practice your stance and trigger pull in dryfire -- that's the least expensive practice of all even though it's boring. Just be sure to follow the dryfire safety rules every time. Doing a lot of dryfire practice will also help prevent you from developing a flinch, and it can also help cure a flinch if you do develop one.

If you are learning to shoot for self-defense, and also intend to carry your gun as well as have it at home for protection, your gun choices do get a bit more difficult. Every gun is a compromise and carry guns more so than others. Big, heavy guns in small calibers are easier to shoot and control and thus easier to learn on. But the bigger and more powerful the caliber, the more effective it is for defense -- and the smaller & lighter the gun is, the easier it is to carry and the more likely it is that you'll have it with you when you need it. These are all contradictory needs, and only you can really decide the best balance between gun size, caliber, carryability, and shootability that will suit your particular situation. So keep asking questions and don't stop until you figure out exactly what you need.

pax

PS Don't believe the guys too much, about women having an easier time learning to shoot, or when they say women learn faster or more easily than men do. All shooters, male and female, learn exactly as fast as they put effort into it and listen to good advice. Trust me on this one....

 

[DevLcL]

For a learning gun, I'd recommend looking at .22lr pistols, because .22 ammunition is very inexpensive and you can get in a lot of practice for not much money. The other big advantage is that because there isn't a lot of noise or recoil compared to centerfire calibers, you are less likely to develop a flinch while you are learning to shoot if you start with a .22. Some specific guns to look at would be a Ruger 22/45, or a Ruger Mark II or Mark III. You can also find .22lr revolvers if you'd rather go that route.

I never thought I'd see the day when a moderator agreed with me.

Despite what I just said, don't let ammunition price be your only criteria. The nice thing about modern centerfire guns is that you can practice your stance and trigger pull in dryfire -- that's the least expensive practice of all even though it's boring. Just be sure to follow the dryfire safety rules every time. Doing a lot of dryfire practice will also help prevent you from developing a flinch, and it can also help cure a flinch if you do develop one.

Yes, and you'll also ruin your gun that way. How quick that happens will depend on the quality of the gun. Granted... It might takes decades.

-Dev

 

[Berek]

For the most part, the spring rule works as a good rule of thumb. You cannot follow the extraction rim thing, because the M1 enbloc clip works differently. The best way I found to explain it is the Follower/Follower spring in a magazine, not in a clip.

Touchè, wabbit... touchè....

I'll still stick to the "enclosed" explanation... Seems to work for my students.

 

[mnrivrat]

Poppy Wrote:

Proper words and technical errors do matter. We gun types roll ours eyes and criticize media types when they use incorrect technical language. We say things like, why can't they educate themselves. Well, why can't we educate ourselves?

I too have a .45 auto, but once again the media has convinced the public that an automatic is a machine gun. I realize that the correct terminology was Colt Automatic Pistol 50 years ago, but we live in a different world.

The first problem I have with this Poppy is that these "correction" posts have a tendancy to have nothing to do with the thread and generaly take away from it . Therefore I apoligize to everyone for responding away from the purpose of the thread - I will not do it again here.

Then there is the fact that although "technicaly correct" means magazine , the word clip and magazine have been being used interchanabley for decades and it isn't a big deal. If you do a search on ebay for example using the word clip you will find over 300 listing in the sporting goods section and many are listed as "magazine clip" . So, nothing to get excited about I think.

I also find it interesting that we should stop using the correct technical term of "auto" simply because the media doesn't know the difference between semi-auto and full-auto . Or if they did, they would still simply say it was a gun capable of spraying a lot of bullets in a short time.

 

[fade1000]

Yes, and you'll also ruin your gun that way. How quick that happens will depend on the quality of the gun. Granted... It might takes decades.

-Dev

Doesn't using snap caps stop that from happening?

 

[poppy]

mnrivrat wrote:

The first problem I have with this Poppy is that these "correction" posts have a tendancy to have nothing to do with the thread and generaly take away from it . Therefore I apoligize to everyone for responding away from the purpose of the thread - I will not do it again here.

Then there is the fact that although "technicaly correct" means magazine , the word clip and magazine have been being used interchanabley for decades and it isn't a big deal. If you do a search on ebay for example using the word clip you will find over 300 listing in the sporting goods section and many are listed as "magazine clip" . So, nothing to get excited about I think.

As I understand it, this is The High Road, which means that "correction" posts do add to the discussion. I don't care how long "clip" has been used incorrectly, it's still incorrect. Being a structural engineer, I also get honked off every time someone says "cement" when they are talking about concrete. I believe High Roaders are in a class above and I welcome being corrected, so I assume that others do too.

mnrivrat wrote:

I also find it interesting that we should stop using the correct technical term of "auto" simply because the media doesn't know the difference between semi-auto and full-auto . Or if they did, they would still simply say it was a gun capable of spraying a lot of bullets in a short time.

Forums on pistols tend to be titled "Autoloaders" or "Semiautos" I think there is a reason. If I write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper and talk about my auto gun, it will definitely be misunderstood. That was my only point. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can do permanent damage. poppy

 

[Chrontius]

Yes, she drinks the most expensive tequilas in my collection and scores much higher in her first experiences than I did in my first rounds with it.

Just my luck!

I'm really happy that she enjoys it, and that she has a knack for it. I'd like to get some pictures of her at the range next time we go. She still gets nervous though if someone is in a lane near her and is shooting something loud. It kind of freaks her out a bit at first and she has a hard time settling in. That'll go away in time though.

I was developing a very bad flinch because with muffs, .380 was right at the pain threshold and .45 is well above it.

Yesterday I tried double-plugging (earmuffs over deep-seated foam earplugs, for the new shooters) and I could go all day without a headache. As it is, I feel rather guilty I didn't recommend it to the guys I brought to the range. Next time, I'll bring a box of semi-disposable earplugs and some empty film canisters (the clear ones, I think) for them.

For the record, I shot much better than usual with no flinch at all, by the end of the day.

(if anyone's looking for something cheapish, nice looking, fairly easy to shoot, but suited for more than just range work, I'd have to recommend a Ruger GP-100 or SP-101 with rosewood grip inserts. They're made for .357 magnum, weigh a ton with their solid steel frames, and frankly, kick like a bunny with .38 specials)