Guns, guns, guns!

I have a Ruger Mark III .22 Target Pistol. Great gun for a beginner. Heavy, accurate, and is modeled like a 1911.

I also own a Ruger p89 9mm (Not very accurate), and a S&W .38 Special Conceal Carry Revolver. It has a stainless steel body which makes it uncomfortable to fire but it’s very accurate for a small gun.

If you’re new, I’d start with a .22 target pistol, and then rent guns from the dealer for use on the range until you find one you enjoy firing. Guns come in all sizes and styles and what works for one person may not work for you. Best to try a variety and see what you like best.

It’s really important to get comfortable with shooting before you concern yourself with too much detail. The gun can be very accurate, but if you aren’t comfortable with it, you won’t do very well. Once you go a few times to the range, it gets easier. Everyone is nervous the first few times they go. Especially if the guy next to you is blasting off his shotgun while you’re trying to aim.

I agree with Udarnik–I only own weapons that I find to be attractive. I find modern firearms to be ugly, so I have little interest in them. I currently own a Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 magnum, a S & W Model 29 .44 magnum, a Beretta Model 92s 9mm, an Army-issue Colt .45 semi-automatic, and a WWII-era Walther P38. I also own a slew of rifles and shotguns, and a couple of muzzleloaders.

Revolvers are an excellent choice if you like them. Reliability is no longer really a factor between semi and revolver except across brands. The only thing that really matters is finding something you enjoy shooting.

My dad was .357 S&W revolver man, so it’s definitely a direction I’ll head in as old age creeps in.

I own lots of semi-auto handguns.
Several 9mm’s:
a CZ 75 - A very easy shooting gun, easy to clean and pretty accurate.
a Sig Pro 2009 - I’ve only put maybe 100 rounds through this gun. Not enough for an opinion.
a Beretta 92FS - A fine shooting gun, accurate, easy to maintain, one of my favorite 9’s.
a Glock 17 - An okay gun, hard for me to keep grouped, but it’s probably just my gun.

One 45:
an HK 45 - My favorite handgun by far. I’ve put thousands of rounds through this guy and it’s consistently accurate.

Why I own handguns? I shoot with friends at a local range. What started as a “learn to shoot” with my father many years ago developed into a respect and love of gun ownership and shooting. Guns, like anything else you do with friends, can become an expensive hobby. What starts as one suddenly becomes 5. You can spot a gun hobbiest with their huge cases at the range having a tough time deciding which guns they actually want to shoot that day. They also answer questions about how many guns they own with answers like, “Well … right now I have X,” as though that could change at any moment.

With the exception of the Sig Pro, all guns were purchased after shooting them either via range rentals, or from a friend. I HIGHLY recommend you find a way to do one or both. And take a gun safety/shooting class if one is offered nearby. I bought guns directly from the gun shop, and from friends. I’ve purchased guns off the internet as well, but you should be familiar and on good terms with your local gun shop before doing that because guns will need to be shipped to a licensed dealer after purchase.

I used to think video gaming was an expensive hobby… until I started target shooting. Ammunition costs and range fees are so high that I can only go out a few times each year. I’m thinking about getting a 10/22 just so I can plink for cheap.

Dooo eeeet!

You can get a pretty ridiculously insane 10/22. I have one that is, uh, overkill, but a wonderful target rifle for 50 to 100 yards. Leupold tactical scope, fluted heavy barrel, synthetic stock, harris bipod, worked trigger, etc. Favorite gun I own. =)

Stupid question here,

how do you know which gun suits you the best?

Step 1: Figure out what you want to do with your gun (hunting, self-defense, plinking, target shooting)

Step 2: Find an assortment of guns you like that do that thing

Step 3: Rent/borrow those (and if you don’t have training, GET SOME REAL INSTRUCTION)

And there you have it. When I was settling on a handgun I probably went through about 15 different ones at the range. Unfortunately the one I really, really want is no longer readily available any more (HK P7M8), but fortunately my 2nd favorite (1911 style) is easy to find. Being on a range is how I determined I don’t like Glock (“no hammer?! GET OFF MY LAWN!!”), don’t like HK USP (“why’s it so loose?!”), hate most S&W DA handguns, don’t like Sigs, and do like Browning Hi-Powers (those would have been my 3rd choice).

BTG covered it best. Having gone through this myself, finding a range that allowed for handgun rental was the best way for me. There are so many types of handguns that finding the one that fits you well and that you shoot well can be a very tough task.

After you determine what roles you want a gun for, then you’ll need to pick a caliber, preferably as you try out different guns.

Hey guys, what’s going on in this thread . . . :)

Let’s see:
2x G35
G30
2x G17
G19
Beretta 96E
2x S&W 625
S&W 627
Kahr P40
High Standard Citation
Custom Springer 1911
RRA 1911
10/22
CZ .22 target
Two black powder .45s
Ruger Super Blackhawk .357

I have to admit, it looks kind of insane once I write them all down. Before I started competing, I had two guns, IIRC. Now I have one for four different divisions with a backup, plus some that I won at various shoots and a couple that I begged off of my father for plinking.

H.

Just reading this thread makes me want to go to the range again. Has anyone found a decent online source for ammo that’s not out of stock?

Ooh, I love the P7, definitely my favorite. Somehow I was always able to shoot more accurately with that than with any other handgun. But I haven’t shot one in years, since I don’t own one and it’s disappeared from the rental case at the local range.

About 700$ on gunbroker.

H.

Speaking of guns, I saw this story about a new .50 record the other day. He shot a sub-2-inch group at 1000 yards. Amazing:

http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/rasmussen-sets-new-1-9557-50-cal-record-at-1000-yards/

EDIT: Oh, and I want his gun:

Still haven’t had any luck finding .45 acp online, but ammunition to go is where I usually buy from. Most other calibers are in stock.

BTG covered the steps, but are you asking how you’ll know which gun is right for you in step 3? Good question, I guess I take it for granted.

Is he the one for me, mom? Am I in love?

Off the top of my head, the most important thing is probably the feel of the gun in your hand. Can you get all your fingers around it comfortably? Is the trigger too far away? How about the grip angle – if you hold it normally and bring the gun up to eye level, or fire a shot, do the sights line up fairly naturally? Unfortunately if you are totally new your random grip might affect things, so consider finding some instruction or read stuff online before you go check out handguns. Then make sure you can manipulate the controls like the magazine release and safety without shifting your hand much if at all. This step ought to be easy, just go with your gut.

Then I would consider the trigger. You will see a few different styles like long heavy double action pulls or short light single action or the plastic guns that are somewhere in between. Most stock triggers suck but some are much worse than others. This is another case where you might not know what to look for. There was a good Internet article that explained proper action and typical flaws but I can’t find it. Basically: moderate length of pull and weight, feels smooth throughout, minimal travel after it breaks, and short reset (keep finger pinned back after firing, and slowly let it out until you feel a click). Again, most are going to be about the same level of suck but trust your instincts.

After that, consider the sights (can be changed easily but still extra work involved), price, durability, name brand, magazine price, etc. No real wrong answer of what to get since it depends on what fits you and what you’re looking for, but understanding that is a challenge until you know what you’re doing.

Just to go against the grain, I’ll say that it hardly matters at all what gun you get. If you practice with it, you will be proficient with it. If you don’t, you won’t. Fit matters a bit, although I’ve seen every combination of hand size and gun size work beautifully. Trigger is the same way, once you’re used to it, it doesn’t make that much difference.

Get some training, would be my advice. And not tactical mall ninja training. Check for a local club in your area, uspsa.org has listings, and see if there are any shooters that do training. The local champ competitive shooter puts more rounds down range every year than your police department combined, have him teach you the proper grip and theory of trigger control, and you can figure out what gun you want to buy later.

H.

Houngan, while that’s valid advice, it’s often not practical for a lot of people because to some degree it’s “grit it out until you’re comfortable”. Which means they may not stick with it enough to make the investment in a hobby that they might end up really liking.

If you enjoy something right off the bat, the practice comes naturally. If you’re not comfortable with it immediately, you’ll find reasons not to practice.

These folks for San Fran: http://www.tasc-ipsc.org/

H.