My first time ever handling a gun

[Echo9]

Good for you. It's great to see someone that curious and excited.

I know I'm not the first to say this, but always remember the rules of gun safety. And remeber this: The most dangerous gun is and "empty" gun.

Yeah, don't drop the slide (let it go forward) on an empty chamber/magazine without guiding it home. If the action is locked open and there's an empty magazine in the weapon, retract the slide the 1/4" or so back, hold the slide stop down with your thumb, and guide the slide all the way forward.

The XD or XDM is a good choice for a first pistol. However, it may spoil you in two different ways -- first, there's a good chance you'll never see that thing jam. Your second pistol (and there will be a second pistol) may be a little more finnicky. And two, depending on where you go after your Springfield, the XDM's simple takedown may spoil you. Especially if you go to something like, say, a 4" or 3" barrel 1911. But don't avoid 1911s.

So anyway, it seems like you have a great attitude. Welcome to the forum.

 

[runningfast]

Thanks, everyone.

---

Mark- what is the problem with Glocks? Other than the odd grip angle which bothers a lot of people, they seem pretty favored. Is your disdain for them a result of their fanbase?

 

[twofifty]

runningfast, you catch on fast!



Great start on your new hobby: trying different guns, taking instruction are good first steps.

 

[DANNY243]

For your first semi-auto handgun I think a 9mm is perfect. It has a suprising amount of power and the Beretta 92 or a Taurus P92 is a an awesome gun! I am also looking at getting a 1911 as my next pistol and have already decided on the Colt 1991 Series 80. Single action pistols are also a lot of fun to shoot and any Ruger would be a fine choice for that.

 

[C-grunt]

Runningfast....Welcome to THR and the shooting sports.

Mark is just jesting the Glock guys as the XD and Glocks are competitors. Ford vs Chevy.

As you possible choice for the XDm, its a great one. They are excellent pistols with a good track record, and Im a Glock guy.

I would suggest buying the full size gun as your first. They handle better and are much easier to shoot, both in terms of aiming and recoil. A gun thats easier to shoot will improve your fundamental skills. Get a smaller gun later when you decide its time to carry.

As for a second gun, I strongly recommend looking into a good .22. They tend to be fairly inexpensive. The Ruger and Browning are probably the most popular and are both around 350 bucks new. Plus the .22s tend to be really accurate. My best 5 round group at 10 yards with my Ruger MkIII is the size of my thumb nail.

Also .22 is way cheaper than 9mm. 500 rounds for under 20 bucks. Cant beat that.

Good luck and have fun. Its addicting.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

You are going about this the right way, getting all the information you can and signing up for the classes. You mentioned safety a few times in you original post and thats good. You have to crawl before you walk and you seem to have that idea down. Welcome to THR and shooting. If you thought it was awesome handling them, just wait until your nostrils are filled with the acrid smell of gunsmoke. It's addictive and it only takes once.

I second the opinion of having a .22 pistol. They're cheap to shoot and you'll learn good techniques without flinching. You can pick them up very reasonably priced too, as already mentioned in the above post. Handle as many as you can and make sure you get the one that you prefer, not someone else. Now go forth shoot.

 

[44Dave]

ETA: Wait until you discover revolvers!

Nah, wait till he discovers rifles!

 

[NMGonzo]

Wait till he discovers shotguns!

 

[joshk-k]

Runningfast: Plenty of people, myself included, will recommend getting a .22 pistol to start/as well. My first handgun was a Ruger Mk. III 22/45, and it's great. I bought it new for about $239, and it's so much fun. Plus, I can shoot 10X more for my money than I can with center-fire calibers. It's obviously not designed as a defensive gun, but as someone else said "There will be a second..." Just something to think about. Welcome aboard.

Josh

 

[Sediment]

Wait till he discovers shotguns!

Wait till he discovers BB Guns!


Just kidding Welcome to THR, lots of knowledge here. Glad to have another (potential) shooter on board.

 

[BP Hunter]

Welcome! It's always refreshing to see a fresh mind who learns the RIGHT way. I have heard of owners who learn from the supposed experts of handgun owners. Reading the manual and actually memorizing the method of disasembly tells me you are easy to teach and very willing to learn. Signing up for a gun course is the right and best way to learn the basics of guns ownership and safety. GOOD JOB!!

 

[essayons21]

ny32182,

Some consider slamming the slide home with no round in to be bad etiquette, but there is no physical reason not to... just one of those mystery things. I've been buying guns and shooting regularly for about 8 years or so now and am yet to find the motivation/source on that one.

Many guns are designed so that the brass of a loaded round cushions the impact of the bolt face on the rear of the chamber. When there is no loaded round those guns, the bolt face will impact the rear of the chamber, and this steel on steel impact can cause accelerated wear.

Its considered bad etiquette because if every customer in a gun store racks the slide and lets it slam home a few times, it can quickly add up and cause undue wear on a "new" gun.

The same principle applies to cap-and-ball revolvers. Dry firing can mushroom the nipples and mar the hammer and rear of the cylinder.

 

[ny32182]

I've heard that before. But much like some other statements that some take as fact (example: "Wolf wears out your extractor", or "The M16 is not supposed to kill people"), actual evidence of such seems to be in very short supply.

 

[BBQLS1]

Welcome aboard. Follow the four safety rules and enjoy the hobby.

 

[shockwave]

Welcome aboard. Follow the four safety rules and enjoy the hobby.

There are some different versions of the Four Rules, but whichever version you learn, they go a long way to preventing accidents. Here's a sample list:

Rule I: All Guns Are Always Loaded
Rule II: Never Let The Muzzle Cover Anything You Are Not Willing To Destroy
Rule III: Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target
Rule IV: Be Sure Of Your Target

Sometimes you'll see Rule I worded, "treat all guns as if they are loaded" or similar, but the stronger wording captures my sense of the meaning. Ensuring that a gun is safe to handle is the owner's responsibility.

Rule II is often expressed: "don't point the gun at anything you are unwilling to shoot," which is another way of saying "don't point the gun at anything except your target." This generally applies to loaded firearms, but following from Rule I, you don't point the gun at someone even if you know it's empty. Theoretically, if you're in a gun store where people are handling weapons, and each gun accidentally went off, nobody would be hit.

Rule III is intended to avoid accidental discharges. Following it prevents things like shooting yourself in the foot while drawing from a holster, for example. I've seen lists of Three Rules so this one may not be universally observed.

Rule IV is also expressed as "be sure of your backstop," and that's how I learned it. The idea is to be certain that your bullet will not injure anyone even if you miss your target - in home defense you would be mindful of not shooting your neighbors.