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Went to a shooting range for the first time. TAKE MY MONEY!

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Oh and about 22s:

The top choices for a long time have been the Browning Buckman or Ruger Mark III. I have the Buckmark and love it. I didn't care for the grip on most Rugers and the Buckmark camper has a nice contoured grip
 
Post in the "I love guns" thread to avoid trolling, and people who are not trolling but legitimately ignorant.
 
OP: if you desire recoil, then may I suggest a 12 gauge with magnum slugs, or magnum turkey loads. Cheapest way to go and have a lot of recoil. Personally, having shot for decades, I have just as much fun, if not more, shooting my .22. Part of the fun used to be that I could shoot 500 rounds without breaking the bank.

Plus, a 12 gauge has the added benefit that if you ever decide to take up hunting, it's ideal for most game. If you become a new hunter, I recommend something like squirrel first - you get plenty of experience before trying something like deer or larger.

(And, they taste great.)
 
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I use Beretta m9a1 and cz sp-01+ winchester supreme elite 9mm hollow points. The sp-01 is awesome

dwoowk.jpg

I'm with brain. Have a Beretta 92a1 (9mm) for a couple years now, great gun, and a CZ SP-01 (.40) sitting in the closet that I haven't had the chance to take to the range yet, but am just itching to get out.
 
OP: if you desire recoil, then may I suggest a 12 gauge with magnum slugs, or magnum turkey loads. Cheapest way to go and have a lot of recoil. Personally, having shot for decades, I have just as much fun, if not more, shooting my .22. Part of the fun used to be that I could shoot 500 rounds without breaking the bank.

Plus, a 12 gauge has the added benefit that if you ever decide to take up hunting, it's ideal for most game. If you become a new hunter, I recommend something like squirrel first - you get plenty of experience before trying something like deer or larger.

(And, they taste great.)

I bought some 3.5 inch 00 buckshot for my shotgun for fun once. It felt like it would tear off my shoulder. Everybody had fun with it though
 
try a different bunch. whatever feels best to you is going to be what you should go with.

i looked at the S&W M&P, Springfield XD, and my Stoeger Cougar. The second i held the stoeger it was like "this is the right one"
 
With so many guns already in the hands of the good and the bad, gun control at this point would be irrelevant. I highly doubt criminals obtain guns via any legal means anyway since they've probably got a felony conviction (or several) they would unable to pass the background check to just walk in and buy one. On the realistic side though yes, one can kill people in a number of different ways but an AK-47 or similar style weapon gives one the ability to kill dozens in a short amount of time that could not be accomplished with a handgun, knife, axe, ect. Since criminals obtain guns via illegal sales new laws would do nothing to prevent another Sandy Hook unfortunately.

deadliest shooting was committed with 2 pistols, not a rifle
 
I didn't have a problem shooting marksmen (I can't remember just how accurate that is it's an Air Force ribbon) with an M9 and it was the first time I shot a handgun; second time I shot a gun period (M16 was first). I imagine that'd be a good start.
 
I've always thought guns were cool, but I never really grew up around them or anything. I've always considered getting one, but for some reason, just never put much thought into it. Until today.

I went to a shooting range for a birthday party. Holy crap, that was awesome! I really enjoyed it! And it completely settled all nerves I had regarding handling guns. I'm definitely a lot more calm about it. An ex-military guy came up to me and told me that I'm "deadly, freakishly accurate for a first timer." Hah, cool. I shot a variety of guns: pistols and rifles of various makes and calibers.

So now I'm really considering finally getting one. The only problem is that there are hundreds, if not thousands of choices. I want something that is cheap to operate (i. e. cheap ammo, so I'm thinking 9mm), is decent for target shooting, and decent for home defense, god forbid. The main "mission" of the gun would be for shooting targets.

While I understand that 22lr rounds are super cheap, they kinda bore me. I got no excitement out of shooting a 22. I mentally expect some level of recoil when shooting a gun, but 22's have none. The "feel" just isn't there and I'm not interested.

I'm not really sure where to begin or what kind if prices to expect. New versus used, etc. Are there any particular noob-friendly characteristics I should look for? Any words of wisdom for a first timer?

I would say that a Glock makes an excellent handgun. Very reliable, easy to use and load and rarely jams. Glock 19 9mm.
 
Take the Basic Pistol Course.
http://www.nrainstructors.org/searchcourse.aspx This isn't a political statement. 4 hours classroom/4 hours range time.
When I took it, many years ago, they provided many different calibers to try. I shot everything from a .22 to a .44 mag, and even the instructor's personal 10MM Delta Gold Cup (still have lust in my heart for that one).

Beyond that, try everything you can. You have to find what fits you. The best made, most dependable gun in the world is of no use if it doesn't fit into your hand. Glocks can be great, but I could never get comfortable with one.
 
I would say that a Glock makes an excellent handgun. Very reliable, easy to use and load and rarely jams. Glock 19 9mm.

I've heard that Glock has a cult, fanboy following similar to Apple fanboys. And that apparently it has a weird angle on the handle. How much of this is anti-fanboyism, and how much of this is true?
 
or assassins sometimes!

I've seen an old flip phone that can fire .22 rounds. It still calls/texts too. Removed the original battery and had a "gun" machined to fit there. It fires one round out the old "antenna" hole (back when they still added those for looks). Push button to open the original back plate and inside there is a small spring loaded lever you pull back and release to fire the round. It's rather awkward (imagine holding a gun with no handle and a really hard pull) but works. Reloading requires a bit of disassembly.

The cell still works with an external battery pack wired to the original battery terminals. Has an active account/number.
 
Cheapest and arguably one of the ugliest 9mm is the hi-point. But for $200. U can leave one everywhere.

I'm personally shooting a ruger sr22 pistol for the time being. $300 brand new. A box of 500 rounds is $30 if u get lucky or pay $60 for those rip off people hoarding and flipping. I'm still getting decent and moving up to a 9mm maybe in a year.

I have my eyes on the baby glock for ccw.

A s&w sd9ve is about $350, its a glock clone, down to a point where they have to pay glock like $5 per gun they sell.
 
I've heard that Glock has a cult, fanboy following similar to Apple fanboys. And that apparently it has a weird angle on the handle. How much of this is anti-fanboyism, and how much of this is true?

To answer your question, just about all that talk is anti-fanboy bullshit.

Glock has a following, but that doesn't diminish the fact that it is a great option (just like Apple 😉). I have an assortment of H&K's, Sig Sauer's and Glock's, and LOVE my Glock's. I actually love all my guns, hell, I wouldn't have bought them if I didn't like them. But you really can't go wrong with a Glock 17 or 19 for your first gun. Relatively inexpensive to buy AND maintain, extremely reliable, and a TON of aftermarket options. You really can't go wrong with it. If later on down the line you want to try another gun, it doesn't mean you can't buy something other than a Glock. There's no rule that says you can only have one gun.
 
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