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

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twinrider1 said:
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.
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That or join the Marines and take the three month long non stop course 🙂

Kidding a bit, kinda.
 
brainhulk said:
I use Beretta m9a1 and cz sp-01+ winchester supreme elite 9mm hollow points. The sp-01 is awesome

dwoowk.jpg
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... Not to mention Bowers and Wilkins speakers.... 😉
 
Ruger MkIII or Browning Buck Mark are the .22 classics that will be around forever; both are accurate and durable. Something a little newer, lighter, and more tactical would be the Ruger SR22.

If you get a 9mm next, I think any of the polymer guns from a major manufacturer would be a good choice.

The revolver option would be a decent .357 Magnum. S&W or Ruger are probably the best choices. Taurus is popular for the price. That would let you fire the inexpensive light .38 special rounds for practice, but also be able to use the much more powerful .357 Magnum ammunition.
 
I was going to say a .357 Magnum myself initially as you can do .38 through it, but that's a big leap starting out.
 
First I'd nail down what you're going to be using the gun for. If it's just a range toy then you can buy virtually anything you want/can afford, if it's for defense or range toy/defense then you need to start considering finer details, if it's for concealed carry then there's a host of details to consider + legalities.

Assuming given your post that you're still in range-toy land (which is a perfectly fine and fun place to be), all I'd say is avoid anything branded Jimenez or Bryco. They're actually the same company (Bryco no longer exists), but they're the modern descendents of the saturday night special. Ultra-cheap, ultra-fail in practically every respect, sometimes ultra-catastrophic-fail.

Other than that, I'd also typically focus on a gun that has some practical utility and a good reputation, as opposed to something like a Desert Eagle, although cool, is pricey and temperamental.

As for used guns, most are fine. A well-made gun lasts a lifetime or longer, I read an article not too long ago where a columnist purchased a parts-matched (original parts) WWI era 1911 (military-issue handgun) and shot a competition with it. Wasn't as accurate as a finely tuned race gun, but it was still dead-reliable after almost a century. That said you should do your research if you're buying used. Get the prospective purchase's serial number and google it to see if there were any known problems with that batch (ie: is it being sold "used" for a reason).

If you want a good deal on a nice gun that could serve both range toy and defensive uses, I'd look for a Sig Certified pre-owned. These guns are typically ex-law enforcement that were traded into Sig and factory refurbished, and they're usually just as good as the new ones but at a substantial discount. They aren't cheap, but you probably won't ever need to replace them either. They're sold with a "Sig Certified Pre-Owned" ribbon wrapped around the grip, easy to identiy.

If you're on more of a budget I'd look at something made by Ruger. They're solid, American-made guns with excellent customer service and good reliability, and a great bargain. They typically aren't that flashy, but they're the best bang-for-the-buck gun you can buy IMO.
 
Don't forget pellet pistols and rifles. They will also help you build good habits and have the added bonus of not needing to go to the range.
 
MongGrel said:
That or join the Marines and take the three month long non stop course 🙂

Kidding a bit, kinda.
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When I was in basic for the Air Force, they mentioned some gangbangers enlisting because they wanted to learn "military tactics." They wanted out pretty fast when they realized they were mostly going to be folding laundry and marching. Joined the wrong branch lol ^.^
 
AyashiKaibutsu said:
When I was in basic for the Air Force, they mentioned some gangbangers enlisting because they wanted to learn "military tactics." They wanted out pretty fast when they realized they were mostly going to be folding laundry and marching. Joined the wrong branch lol ^.^
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Even if they joined another branch, what was their plan exactly? Get training and immediately go AWOL? lol.
 
I went mountain biking with a good friend of mine yesterday and we were talking about going shooting again after our ride so I mentioned how much my son enjoyed shooting his Ruger Mark III so he asked if I wanted to borrow it for a few weeks to take him shooting. I said sure!

So, this is in my possession for a few weeks.



Last time he let me borrow it the gun jammed up after about an hour of plinking (because he hadn't cleaned it) so I cleaned it for him. I don't think it has been fired since then.

Word of caution, taking these things apart to clean is a royal BITCH!!! It is a fun gun to shoot though and very accurate.
 
JulesMaximus said:
I went mountain biking with a good friend of mine yesterday and we were talking about going shooting again after our ride so I mentioned how much my son enjoyed shooting his Ruger Mark III so he asked if I wanted to borrow it for a few weeks to take him shooting. I said sure!


So, this is in my possession for a few weeks.



Last time he let me borrow it the gun jammed up after about an hour of plinking (because he hadn't cleaned it) so I cleaned it for him. I don't think it has been fired since then.

Word of caution, taking these things apart to clean is a royal BITCH!!! It is a fun gun to shoot though and very accurate.
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Just in case you need further proof how much CA sucks.
 
Fenixgoon said:
deadliest shooting was committed with 2 pistols, not a rifle
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Oh, yea, the Virginia Tech killings. maybe it was the "target rich environment", IDK but my point is/was/always will be is there are already millions of guns in the US right now, both legal and illegal out there, anyone with half a brain can figure out that any new laws, no matter how stringent will not have any effect on gun violence, just like the drug laws have little or no effect on supply/demand, as long as someone has cash and want's an 8 ball there will be someone there to sell it to him at a handsome profit.
 
irishScott said:
Even if they joined another branch, what was their plan exactly? Get training and immediately go AWOL? lol.
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Ive watched a couple documentaries on the gangbangers joining the military...i want to say Gangland did an episode on it as well. They join up, do their four years, and come back an teach their fellow bangers what they learned. I know they were showing the tagging by all the different gangs in Iraq/Afghanistan and all the major ones were there.



As for your first gun....plenty of advice in this thread 🙂 Shoot as many as you can, pick the one that feels best to YOU, and go have fun!
 
I wanted a cheap, but powerful rifle for a range toy, and one that was inexpensive to shoot. I picked up a Chinese Type 53 (clone of the Russian M44) Mosin carbine. The barrel is something like 8" shorter than a standard Mosin, and the cheap surplus ammo creates a nice, big muzzle flash and loud report. It has a pretty good kick, too. It is really fun to shoot.
 
slugg said:
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?
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Eh, if any handgun manufacturers are comparable to Apple it would be HK or maybe Sig. They are both very good but very expensive compared to the competition.

The Glock fanboy thing comes up because so many people own Glocks that you get a lot of those douche nozzles who think that the guns are perfect and flawless. There are legitimate complains against them in that some people dislike the grip angle, trigger, etc. But overall it's hard to go wrong with one.
 
pontifex said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Korea74
Why a gun? Can I persuade you to take up a less violent hobby?

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 864x540.

stfu and gtfo
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stfu and gtfo and devote your life to living full time in la la land.
 
So I stopped by two local Walmarts to buy some other stuff, but I stopped by the ammo and NEITHER of them had any 22 ammo. All sold out. Plenty of 9mm and pretty much everything else, though. Is this a fluke?
 
I know people who are used to shooting other guns sometimes have a hard time shifting to Glocks due to the grip angle. Personally I do not - I started shooting Glocks very early in my shooting hobby - but I know that can be an issue for some people. They are undeniably boring-looking, if you are into guns primarily for their aesthetics. When it comes to sheer function, though, it's hard to find much to criticize. They work very very well and will tolerate shocking amounts of neglect and/or abuse. Overall I do not find Glocks in any way charming, but there is nothing I'd rather have in terms of an actual self-defense handgun than a Glock 21 (or, if I am limited to 9mm, a 17 or 34).
 
slugg said:
So I stopped by two local Walmarts to buy some other stuff, but I stopped by the ammo and NEITHER of them had any 22 ammo. All sold out. Plenty of 9mm and pretty much everything else, though. Is this a fluke?
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Nope. Ever since Obama (pronounced Oh-bama) tried to take all our guns and ammo (... sure he did), he created a freakishly difficult market in which to purchase firearms/ammo. It's been a lot more difficult to get 22lr in large supply cheap than it ever used to be. I would just call up your local store/walmart whatever and ask them when they have shipments coming in and then go right away.
 
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