Newbie here, looking for advice...

[sonoranjack]

Get a learning tool & a plan.

For a new shooter that has no shooting experence the first handgun should be a revolver .38 cal w/ 4" barrel. Find 1 used under $300. S&W M10 heavy barrel is a good choice. Or any other 4" barrel that's rated for +P ammo. Since your just 18 your dad will have to own it. Now you have spent $300 out of $1,000 on a learning revolver you have $700 left. Your next task is to get training. I'm not shure if an 18 yr old can take training classes but your dad should take a training class. If you both can even better. I would look for local training say at your local range. Take an entry level training class that teaches safety rules & marksmanship. Bank any money left over. While your learning to practice safety rules & marksmanship w/ your revolver, start doing research on a pistol. Also add to the money you've banked from your original fund. so after a year you'll have a nice money stash & you'll know what kind of pistol you exactly want. So go w/ a plan, a learning revolver to begin w/. Then latter the pistol you exactly want.

 

[22luvr]

.22, 9mm, .357 mag....you're on the right track

First things first: If you can, check around and take a good NRA class on shooting safety, legal aspects, and self-defense.

Next, if you have a gun range that rents guns, rent the ones you're interested and check them out.

For semi-autos I'm definitely a fan of the 9mm. Ammo is dirt-cheap and the 9mm is an excellent all-purpose round.

For Revolver, get a .357 magnum. For me, this is my favorite handgun and favorite caliber. Nothing approaches the enjoyment I get out of shooting a fine .357 revolver. Again, ammo is dirt-cheap and you can shoot either .38spcl or .357 mags through it.


Plinking and practice? A good .22LR, either in semi-auto or revolver is the trick.

If you buy wisely, there is a good possibility of buying 2 of the 3 and possibly ALL of them.

Best wishes, the shooting arts are invaluable to know and you'll soon become pleasantly addicted.

 

[Augustwest]

Regarding your question about how guns work, for a decent discussion about revolvers, check out:

www.howstuffworks.com/revolver.htm



My first handgun was a Taurus 92 (9mm Berretta clone). I still have it, and shoot it occasionally. But I highly recommend a .357 Magnum revolver loaded with .38 spl to start out with - I've learned more with that combination than with any autoloader.

 

[MJRW]

I can't stress enough how much I think a Ruger Mark II would server your interests best. Let me list the reasons why:

1. You get a solid introduction to shooting on an excellent platform which you will find yourself using for years to come.

2. You learn good habits in shooting.

3. It gets you to the range. This affords many opportunities to say to the folk at the ranges (most of whom are very friendly) "hey, nice gun." You will often get to shoot it. From there you can develop opinions of what you like and don't like. This lets you base your next purchase off of experience with different types of guns. In my opinion, this is the best way to determine what gun to choose.

 

[BerettaNut92]

[whisper]P7M8[/whistle]

Milk it while your folks are paying for stuff and you don't have car payments, auto insurance, groceries, rent, etc. to pay for yourself yet!!

 

[etAutomatic]

Even though I won't be able to legally purchase/possess a handgun until I'm 21 (), will I still be able to take shooting lessons and other courses related to handguns?

 

[benEzra]

SC law allows for "the temporary loan of pistols for instructions under the immediate supervision of a parent or adult
instructor." Be sure to follow this to the letter; see scary thread at <http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?threadid=4734>.

bE

 

[Chris Pinkleton]

I'm hardly as experienced as many of the other members here, but I may have a few points to add.....

1) While many folks have many great suggestions here, all great guns, I wouldn't get too focussed on any one gun until you've handled it for yourself. The Ruger Mk.II, which many have mentioned, for instance, is an excellent pistol for some folks, but I'll never buy one -- it just doesn't fit my hands at all. The K-frames are awesome, but a GP-100 fits my hands so much better that I'm far more accurate with it than the pricer Ks. While I like autos for self-defence, I've recently discovered that I shoot better with the GP than anything else -- don't discount the classic six-guns.

2) As far as ammo goes, .22, 9X19mm, and .38 Special are definately the cheapest options if you don't handload. You might want to set aside some of that budget for reloading equipment, even if you go with the 9 or 38. The less you spend on each round the more you can go shoot! A $800 pistol that you can't afford to shoot could be a real pain.

3) Where are you planning to shoot? I would think about saving some of that budget for a range membership, for the same reasons as I stated under #2. If you have access to a free location in the great outdoors, I envy you greatly. Around here, the outdoor option is much cheaper than indoors, but outdoor shooting is only fun when the weather cooperates.

Hope this helps. If I were in your position I'd probably pick up a Browning BuckMark .22 Auto and a Ruger GP-100 and some reloading equipment, and a 1911-type (probably a surplus Star 9mm) if I could fit it in.

But Glocks are real cool. Glock and 1911s fit my hand the best out of the centerfire autos I've tried. Many folks would disagree with that last statement vigorously--or at least part of it.

Sorry none of these are high on the "cool looks factor." I'd wait on that requirement until you have some pistols you love as pure shooters first.

Chris

 

[Tim Schlosser]

While I'm no genius, and I don't play one on TV. My two cents is that you should purchase a Ruger MKII and a Ruger 4" GP100 to begin with. I'll back them up individually below.

Ruger MKII: The best reasons are that it is a .22 so there's no recoil to fool with. It's a semi auto to break you in on them. It's a single action mechanism so you only have to learn one trigger pull. It's dead reliable and is backed up by a no nonsense warranty from an American company. The ammo is dirt cheap and highly accurate so you can afford to practice and not get frustrated with "Swiss Cheese" targets. I'd go stainless as it's less maintenance.

Ruger GP100: Takes .38spl or .357mags. Teaches you the art of the revolver. Dead reliable and is backed up with the same no nonsense warranty from the same American company. More accurate than you can possibly shoot. Gives you the ultimate self defense round and the ability to work up to it in baby steps. I'd go with stainless here as well.


I'd personally only steer you towards new pistols for starters because you will at least get factory quality instead of someone elses experimental trigger job. With your thousand dollar budget you can afford both of these weapons brand new and have enough money left to buy a bunch of ammo to train with.


Just my opinion, and worth every penny you paid fort it.

 

[Waitone]

Start off with an NRA basic shooting course. It'll pay dividends down the road.

If you're dead set on spending money, spend it on the best hearing and eye protection available. Do not go cheap here.

Spend time browsing your local ammo dealers shelves. There are two costs to firearm ownership. Cost of purchase and the cost of ownership. In the long run the care and feeding of a firearm will outstrip the purchase price amazingly fast. Hint: ammo pricing has 3 different plateaus.

#1 .22lr $10.00 / 500 rounds,

#2 .38 spl or 9mm at about $8.00 / 50 rounds,

#3 .40 cal up at $10.00+ / 50 rounds.

Your learning sequence will be aim, squeeze, bang, grin.
Repeat until exhausted.

Until you gain experience the quality and price of your firearm will not be a factor.

Me? I'd go cheap on a purchase and care and feeding and at the same time I'd shoot my way through a rental rack.

www.packing.org has state laws. Learn 'em because you can hurt yourself by virtue of ignorance.

Regarding accuracy. most modern handguns are plenty accurate. There are two components to accuracy: the guns mechanical accuracy and your accuracy. As a newbie, it will be quite sometime before your accuracy pushes the envelope on your firearm's accuracy. Learn the cockpit basics first, avoid obsession over the hardware.

Shoot 'til your happy.

 

[Keith]

Let me jump on the .22 bandwagon as well!

Handgun shooting is a difficult task to learn. The more you shoot, the better you get and owning a .22 means you can shoot a LOT.

1000 rounds of .22 will cost you $20. 1000 rounds of 9mm/.40/.45 will cost you $200, or more. Think about that. For the price of 20 boxes of ammo ($200) you could buy a quality .22 handgun!

So, at least consider buying a .22 along with the centerfire pistol you decide on - the savings in ammo will pay for the extra gun! The Browning Buckmark and the Ruger Mark II are excellent choices that can be picked up for about $200 or a little more.

A CZ with a conversion unit (as mentioned earlier) would be an excellent choice. You can also buy conversion units for Glocks and 1911's.

I have a .22 conversion mounted on a 1911 frame. My usual routine is to shoot several hundred .22 rounds, then follow that up with perhaps 50 rounds of .45.

Keith

 

[Keith]

Hey,

One more thing. As several people have suggested - get some training! It is MUCH easier to learn to shoot the right way from the beginning, than to have to unlearn bad habits that you'll commit to musle memory trying to do it on your own. Same with all the basic safety rules that you need to absorb and practice.

Good shooters generally started with good training.

Keith

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

Your age would only prohibit you from owning a handgun but if you want lessons, there's nothing stopping you. There's a place I go to for example where you can rent guns to shoot and get lessons from NRA teachers if you like. Also, there's plenty of gun clubs that offer youth programs you may want to look into and ask about. You're age won't be a problem except of course you can't even get into a gun shop as they won't let you in until your old enough.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

P.S.

If you take any gun courses: shooting, safety, etc. hold on to the certificates so when you go to get the pistol application, you can show them (the police) everything you've accomplished and how seriously you regard owning a firearm. Makes a great impression.

 

[45auto]

You don't need any more advice from the good responses you have already, but here goes!

I would buy a 22 auto to begin with, perhaps a Ruger or Browning and don't discount a good used one. Regardless of the order that you buy handguns , you will end up owning some type of 22 handgun, at some point. They are easy to learn on, cheap to buy and shoot and way to much fun to go "plinking" with not to own one, so you might as well start off with it!

As you shoot and meet other shooters you will probably have the chance to shoot other types of centerfire handguns and then decide. You will have plenty left over of your $1000 to buy most any high quality revolver or auto and some ammo.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[Selfdfenz]

For a grand you can get a Ruger 22/45 or MKII AND a CZ 75 or PCR AND a case of ammo for each if you shop right.

All centerfire pistols are great and have their place but for starters go 22 LR.

If you have a basement you can set up a bullet trap and shoot down there on "rainy"days. Can't do that with too many centerfires I can think of.

Also with 2 guns both you and your Dad can shoot at the range at the same time. Can't do that with a conversion.

S-