Hey guys (and gals). Just wanted to introduce myself and tell you about my experience!
I'm 23 years old, 6'1" 280ish, barely any previous gun experience. The only experience I had before my trip to the range was shooting a shotgun in middle school when we went on a field trip to get our hunting and boating licenses (weird..but true. It was part of our middle school gym class)
Now my trip to the range-
I went last weekend, I have always wanted to go, and nobody really will go with me. I think it's the whole "guns kill people so guns are bad" mentality some people have. But I know that guns don't kill people, just the criminals behind the trigger.
Anywho...
I walk into the range with my 18 year old cousin and I feel overwhelmed. I see all these awesome guns everywhere in the showroom and then walk into the range. I sign my waiver, read the rules (this being my first time and knowing the consequences if I break them..I read them twice).
I tell the rangemaster that I'm a first time shooter, so I need a gun that won't be too much for me to handle, so he brings me over to the rental case and hands me a Ruger KP45HMKIII . Right away I got giddy, FINALLY I was about to shoot targets, and to shoot my first handgun. My cousin has a lot of experience with guns, he's been hunting and all that. He asked for a huge revolver.. can't remember the caliber, but he said it was going to have a pretty nasty recoil.
So we had our guns and we were heading toward the door when the range master called my cousin back and took the gun from him, apparently I can't be his legal guardian, or the person responsible with him. Sad, because he was really looking forward to shooting.
So I went it alone, I go to lane 9 and set everything down, break open my ammo box, I think I got lucky and found the magazine eject button, then started to load the magazine..or at least TRY to.
After a few minutes of trying to figure it out on my own, I turn to one of the guys in the lane next to me and tell him "Look, I'm new, and barely know what to do, can you help me out?"
I was expecting him to scowl at me and be an ass, but he was actually really nice, he showed me how to load the magazine, how to put it in the gun, how to load the first bullet, the safety.. and all that stuff.
So I do all that, point the gun down the range, take the safety off, and raise my gun...BANG. A smile appears on my face..FINALLY I was doing it!
I start off with the target at 5-10 yards, I shot the first 24 shots or so dead in the middle! So for a challenge I pushed it to 25 yards (just for fun). I aim just for the head, and I only missed about 2 or 3 shots! I thought that was pretty good..especially for the first time REALLY shooting, and especially shooting a handgun for the first time.
So I finished off all my ammo, made sure there was no more bullets in the gun or magazine, and turned in my stuff. I looked around in the showroom after I paid my 30 bucks.. it was SO fascinating to see all the types of rifles, shotguns and hand guns.. and especially awesome to see the half of the 50 cal rifle.
I've been looking at hand guns and rifles since last weekend (I'm going AGAIN this weekend when my mother and cousin come down, hopefully she can be his "legal guardian" so he can shoot)
My question is.. what's my next step? I want to purchase a gun, leaning more toward a handgun, maybe a rifle, not so much shotguns (not yet at least). I've always wanted a Glock, I love the way they look, and love the accessories..but they're out of my price range, which is below 250.
What are some recommendations for a first handgun/rifle? I've got a fairly large build. The Ruger I shot didn't bug me at all.. but the ammo was also .22
I do daily vlogs, and my cousin took some footage of me shooting, my posture is probably wrong or something, but I did what I could. Check it out and give some feedback!
Skip to about 2:10 to see the shooting range part.
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"If we ever forget we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan
A Man WITH a gun is a CITIZEN, a Man WITHOUT a gun is a SUBJECT
Location: The Land of the Ice and Snow..... Alaska
Posts: 4,429
Welcome to G&G Looks like you are a new addict . Start off small with the smaller cals and then work your way up IF you want to shoot a shotgun start off with something like Bird shot (very small bbs low kick) To get you use to it. But if you start off with a .22LR (Long Rifle) you can learn the proper technique to shooting then move up to the larger cals and learn how to handle the recoil of the bigger guns.
Nice thing about .22LR guns is that the ammo is CHEEP and you can shoot 550 rounds of Federal 550 cound bulk ammo for about 18 bucks a box where if you had a big rifle like a .270 or 30-06 you would only have 20 so .22lr are Fun and cheep to shoot. I often times end up Shooting my .22 more than any of my other guns because the ammo is so cheep for it .
Any way again Welcome to G&G
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God Speed Arkansashunter, Ezearln, SwedeSteve, You guys will never be forgotten.
Thanks for the welcome Alaskans! (is that right? Alaskans?)
I'm from South Carolina.
Yeah I noticed the ammo was pretty cheap, 8 bucks for like.. 50 shots? Any gun recommendations? The ruger I shot was pretty nice, and I think I saw one in the showroom, but it was like.. 400
Don't get in a hurry to buy a gun. This is strictly my opinion, and has worked in many years of firearms training, and for men and ladies alike. Buy a handgun just like you would buy a pair of shoes. If Ol' Joe over here says he likes Charlie China tennis shoes, and you're looking for a new pair of shoes, do you run out and buy Joe's pick, just because HE likes 'em? Probably not. If a new shooter is asking what to buy for a carry or target gun, it doesn't matter what works for me, or anyone else. I suggest that new shooter to go to many gun shops, and/or gun shows, and handle all the guns they can get hold of...... (if you can shoot 'em too, by all means, do so) just like they would try on shoes. Before long they'll be able to make a list of guns that feel ok, pretty good, real good, and "that really feels great in my hands". The last two are the ones to pursue, and here's why I say that....
If a given handgun doesn't feel "right" in your hands, you'll not shoot it enough to become proficient with it, because it's not comfortable, and you won't like shooting it. Just like you rarely wear shoes that are UNcomfortable. If you're not gonna become proficient with it, save your money, and buy a ball bat to carry. With proper fundamentals, you can learn to shoot almost any handgun. Very few folks can re-train their hands to make just any handgun feel comfortable. The last suggestion.........proper shooting techinques, practiced slowly, but proficiently, will breed speed. Do it slowly, and do it the right way, every time.......If you practice speed first, and introduce less efficient techniques into your training, you'll have to do it all over again to get it right.
By the way..... anyone who introduces a new shooter to our pastime by having them start with a large-caliber handgun, makes a very poor decision. Yes, some folks do ok starting out with large calibers, but the vast majority will not continue to shoot if their very 1st experience is with .50 S&W.
Again, just my ramblings.... but they work for me...
Shoot Safely....
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NRA Life member
Freedom has a flavor the protected can never taste
USMC RVN '67,- '69
welcome to the shooting world. Jay has given you excellent advise. keep going to that range and try out as many different guns as you can before you decide which one to buy. get good with it then worry about which one you will get next because guns are addicting, you will want more than one!
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peace through superior firepower
Under $250 look at used guns and if you canbump it up $25 to$30 look at a BERSA Thunder 380. The cal is .380 (9x17) which is slightly smaller than a 9mm Luger (9x19). Now ammo isn't cheap for it by any means right now but it's a nice gun and I personally own one.
You could also look at some .38 snub nose revolvers or find a cheaper .22LR handgun.
Don't get in a hurry to buy a gun. This is strictly my opinion, and has worked in many years of firearms training, and for men and ladies alike. Buy a handgun just like you would buy a pair of shoes. If Ol' Joe over here says he likes Charlie China tennis shoes, and you're looking for a new pair of shoes, do you run out and buy Joe's pick, just because HE likes 'em? Probably not. If a new shooter is asking what to buy for a carry or target gun, it doesn't matter what works for me, or anyone else. I suggest that new shooter to go to many gun shops, and/or gun shows, and handle all the guns they can get hold of...... (if you can shoot 'em too, by all means, do so) just like they would try on shoes. Before long they'll be able to make a list of guns that feel ok, pretty good, real good, and "that really feels great in my hands". The last two are the ones to pursue, and here's why I say that....
If a given handgun doesn't feel "right" in your hands, you'll not shoot it enough to become proficient with it, because it's not comfortable, and you won't like shooting it. Just like you rarely wear shoes that are UNcomfortable. If you're not gonna become proficient with it, save your money, and buy a ball bat to carry. With proper fundamentals, you can learn to shoot almost any handgun. Very few folks can re-train their hands to make just any handgun feel comfortable. The last suggestion.........proper shooting techinques, practiced slowly, but proficiently, will breed speed. Do it slowly, and do it the right way, every time.......If you practice speed first, and introduce less efficient techniques into your training, you'll have to do it all over again to get it right.
By the way..... anyone who introduces a new shooter to our pastime by having them start with a large-caliber handgun, makes a very poor decision. Yes, some folks do ok starting out with large calibers, but the vast majority will not continue to shoot if their very 1st experience is with .50 S&W.
Again, just my ramblings.... but they work for me...
Shoot Safely....
^^ Agreed 100% ^^
Well said Jay.
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"If we ever forget we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan
A Man WITH a gun is a CITIZEN, a Man WITHOUT a gun is a SUBJECT
Welcome, as a firearms safety trainer for 15 years I hope you will think i am qualified to advise you. Being new to guns let me advise you to first buy a 22 rifle (bolt action preferably) and study the basic safety aspects of gun handling ( take a gun safety course, here in Minn. we use to charge 5.00 and you got a book the first day and 15- 22 shells to shoot the last day) they teach handling safety. The reason for a rifle is that being longer than a pistol you are less likely to turn the barrel the wrong way without thinking. After you have a good deal of experience with the rifle you can progress to a handgun also a 22. (the ruger is a good choice a revolver is even better for safety reasons) once you have a good deal of experience with both you can move up to a centerfire of either or both. A 38/357 revolver is a great next gun. hope you like my advice its how I started and now I have guns I have to make my own ammo for because you can't find it anywhere else and every action type you can ask for(bolt,falling block,pump,semi-auto,etc.) I would own a full auto but they are to expensive (15,000.0 for the Thompson I would like to have,plus the 200. Fed. tax stamp etc.)
This is all good info! Thanks for replying! (G&G IS the nicest gun forum )
I understand everybody's view points, I know to never point the barrel of a gun at anything you don't want to harm, kill, or buy.
I wouldn't mind buying a bolt action rifle. I saw a few in WalMart that were 150-200. Is that an okay source? I'd imagine that they can't really sell TERRIBLE guns, seeing as it's a pretty big liability if something were to go wrong.
I also wouldn't mind taking a gun safety class, you can never be TOO careful. Plus, if it were 5-10 bucks, that's money well worth it. Do you have to bring your own gun, or do they rent you one?
For your first rifle I would highly recommend a Savage Mark II F or a Marlin 925. Both are magazine fed bolt action .22's. .22lr ammo is cheaper than you think....I usually buy Federal Lightning in little red boxes of 50 for $1.47-$1.77 depending on what walmart you are at. Walmart also sells boxes of Federal in 550 round boxes for about $18. Stay away from Remington .22 ammo.
This is all good info! Thanks for replying! (G&G IS the nicest gun forum )
I understand everybody's view points, I know to never point the barrel of a gun at anything you don't want to harm, kill, or buy.
I wouldn't mind buying a bolt action rifle. I saw a few in WalMart that were 150-200. Is that an okay source? I'd imagine that they can't really sell TERRIBLE guns, seeing as it's a pretty big liability if something were to go wrong.
I also wouldn't mind taking a gun safety class, you can never be TOO careful. Plus, if it were 5-10 bucks, that's money well worth it. Do you have to bring your own gun, or do they rent you one?
Location: The Land of the Ice and Snow..... Alaska
Posts: 4,429
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheChrisHill
This is all good info! Thanks for replying! (G&G IS the nicest gun forum )
I understand everybody's view points, I know to never point the barrel of a gun at anything you don't want to harm, kill, or buy.
I wouldn't mind buying a bolt action rifle. I saw a few in WalMart that were 150-200. Is that an okay source? I'd imagine that they can't really sell TERRIBLE guns, seeing as it's a pretty big liability if something were to go wrong.
I also wouldn't mind taking a gun safety class, you can never be TOO careful. Plus, if it were 5-10 bucks, that's money well worth it. Do you have to bring your own gun, or do they rent you one?
Actually most guns walmart sells are brand name guns, even the guns they sell such as the maverick 88 Shot guns are actually made by Mossberg and is almost identical to the mossberg 500.
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God Speed Arkansashunter, Ezearln, SwedeSteve, You guys will never be forgotten.
This is all good info! Thanks for replying! (G&G IS the nicest gun forum )
I understand everybody's view points, I know to never point the barrel of a gun at anything you don't want to harm, kill, or buy.
I wouldn't mind buying a bolt action rifle. I saw a few in WalMart that were 150-200. Is that an okay source? I'd imagine that they can't really sell TERRIBLE guns, seeing as it's a pretty big liability if something were to go wrong.
I also wouldn't mind taking a gun safety class, you can never be TOO careful. Plus, if it were 5-10 bucks, that's money well worth it. Do you have to bring your own gun, or do they rent you one?
Welcome TCH, That's a good range you went to and the guys there are really helpful. If you plan to shoot there often , go for the yearly membership, it will save you a bundle over hourly range rates. A good bolt action 22LR( new or used) is a great way to get into shooting cheaply. Your rangemasters are more than happy to give you advise on safe gun handling and shooting practices but any course( say the hunter safety course by the DNR) a new shooter can take is always helpful.
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As an RCBS owner I choose not to participate in ammo shortages.
I went to the range again today, I shot a USP 9mm and a Glock 9mm.
I know you guys said it's a no no to go up a caliber.. but I've always wanted to shoot a glock, and the USP was a sexy handgun.
But I DID look at the .22 rifles they had. WisconsinHunter recommended the Savage Mark II F, and I've been leaning toward that gun. They have a used one there for pretty cheap with a scope on it. I think it was about 200.
A New Shooter Who Is HOOKED! 
Looks like you are a new addict 
. Start off small with the smaller cals and then work your way up 
)
*Ready To Get Scowled by Griz*
