First Gun

nawrocki

nawrocki

Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
105
Well being raised by a single mother really never exposed me to Guns or Knives, but I want to get a handgun. I am 18 and I live in Pennsylvania. I have never fired a gun in my life besides a paintball gun and bb gun which don't count.

What do you recommend I do? I was thinking of going to a local firing range and trying to shoot but I have no idea what to say or how much to spend. A friend from work invited me hunting a few weeks ago but I have never hunted so I turned him down. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Most ranges offer or can refer you to introductory classes. Call around and find one. This way, you'll get off to a good start. Find a range that offers rentals and rent a half a dozen different models and try 'em out. This will also expose you to a variety of different gun configurations.

The NRA offers a hunter's safety program in most areas. You should certainly go through that before going hunting.
 
I was in a similar situation to yours although I had shot .22 rifles some and pistols a few times, I still wasn't sure of what I was doing (or supposed to be doing) and I wanted to get into guns and buy a pistol. I found a cheap book at the local sporting goods store called IIRC Beginers Guide to Guns. I read it in private to avoid embarrassement, but that book started me out with the basic safety rules, functions of the most common rifles, shotguns, revolvers and semi-auto pistols that are out there, and general shooting basics. From there I mostly picked-up info. from the internet. Like you I did not have any immediate freinds or relatives that were shooters. That was years ago and now I have many rifles and pistols and many safe hours of great shooting behind me. I still don't have many immediate freinds that shoot, but I belong to one club/range and one indoor range where there are always "gun freinds" to meet and shoot with. Also, through internet forums I have thousands of gun freinds now. I recommend you look at your local library for basic shooting and gun familiarization books first to build confidence and safety skills before going to the range. Also look for similar info. on the internet. I bought a .22 revolver first to build-up my skills, then soon bought a 1911.
 
You've got a few years to wait, because you have to be 21 to buy a handgun, and i believe thats federal law.

You can buy a rifle or shotgun.
 
Have to be 21 to purchase a handgun yourself. (least in Ohio, I'm pretty sure thats a federal law though.....)

That aside, I don't have any real experience with handguns, but from talking to friends I would recommend you look for a Ruger Single Six.
Its a .22 revolver with cylinders you can switch back and forth between .22WSM (.22 mag) and .22LR (long rifle). They both are cheap with pretty much no recoil, and not too much noise. They're supposed to be good reliable guns at a decent price too.

Or if you would consider a rifle, I can personally recommend a bolt action marlin .22 . I picked up an 81TS last summer and love it. Its tube fed so it can feed different length shells. I can load it with CB longs which are low velocity and are very quiet (actually louder when the bullet hits the target than when the gun goes off) or .22 shorts which are medium power (and it will hold 20+ since they're short) or go clear up to .22LR which are full power. Its accurate as I can be, had it out last friday and was getting half inch groups at 30 yards, free hand with no scope.

I definitely recommend starting on a .22 whether you get a handgun or rifle. Its the cheapest caliber around (can get bricks of 500 for $10-$15) and is very easy to shoot. Larger calibers are better left for when you've got good technique as the loud bang, and recoil can make you develop bad habits like flinching as you pull the trigger.
 
That's a bit confusing, like most gun laws. Although there is no law prohibiting you from buying a handgun as soon as you're over 18, there is a federal law prohibiting federally licensed gun dealers from selling a handgun to anyone under 21 -- and all professional gun dealers have to be federally licensed. So, you can buy a handgun, just not from a professional dealer. Go to your local gun club and ask around; you can buy one from a private party. Your first should be a .22 target pistol; there will be a variety to choose from. Target shooters are always swapping guns and messing around with them. They'll teach you to shoot it too. Local gun clubs are a tremendous resource -- imagine a bunch of guys like the knife knuts here at Bladeforums, only they're gun gnuts and they live near you so they aren't limited to telling you about it; they can show you. :cool:
 
The first question you should ask yourself is what do you plan to do with your new pistol. Is it only going to be used on cans and targets? Or do you hope to use it for self defense?

For an all around fun gun a .22 is the least costly, and as much fun as one can have. I would suggest the Ruger MarkII. Its a wonderful little pistol. They make all sorts of variations of this gun, but I found that the standard model will be fine. It was my first pistol and still my favorate.

For self defense a good mid-sized auto is a good choice. Perhaps a Glock23 in 40 S&W, or an H&K USP Compact. Sig makes a nice pistol too. You will really need to shoot them to get a feel. If that is not an option for you be sure to handel most of them for ballance and feel. I would suggest these rounds for self defense.....357sig,40S&W,45auto, and just barley a 9mm. The 9mm is a very popular round, but it really does not have much knock down power.

Well thats my.02 I hope it helps some.

Chris
 
Your first gun? Get a good .22 pistol.

You need to learn a lot more than pulling the trigger. Squeezing the trigger, for one.

You'll need to read manuals, learn nomenclature, range safety and etiquette, cleaning and cartridge construction (even if you're not going to handload, which is foolish.)

Like most things, just buying a pistol does not make you a pistolaro. Do you have the discipline to dry-fire 500 times per night.

If you do, a .22 is a good place to start. If you don't have the discipline, a .22 is a good place to stop.
 
My opinion FWIW is to pick up a single shot .22 rifle. Attend a safety course. Have fun.

The reason for a single shot?
You move a bit slower and have to think about what you are doing with each step.

This might be a place to start:
http://www.savagearms.com/30g.htm
 
Another vote for the .22.

I had some exposure to guns of all kinds from my collector uncle. I bought a .22LR Marlin semi-auto rifle off of him.

Get the gun, find a place to shoot, and shoot as often as you can. Learn on the .22, it's cheap, and will let you learn basic technique.
 
If you are near Chester county, drop me a line. There is an indoor range here with a full case of rentals to try. You can rent a lane and try anything from a .22 to a .44 magnum.
 
One of the very best makes for a beginner is, IMO, the Ruger. They are generally available all over the place on the used market, as they have been around for over 50 years by now, and are available as single action revolvers (that is what my first pistol was, a Ruger Bearcat that I quickly traded for a Single Six in .22 cal.) or as a very nice semi-automatic pistol in any number of variations. The nicest of these are the bull-barreled target models, but they are generally somewhat more expensive. On the other claw, the bigger bucks buy you a heavy barrel for better balance, better and adjustable sights, and better grips IIRC. At least the one that I had some years ago had more substantial grips on it than the standard Ruger semi-auto .22 cal. pistol.

BTW, I understand that Ruger reintroduced the Bearcat some years back. I disliked that little pistol intensely when I had mine. The damned thing was so small that my thumb would get jammed behind the recoil shield no matter what I did to avoid it and it was so light that the recoil, even with .22 long rifle cartridges, caused said recoil shield to kick back into the thumb, jamming it worse. It was painful to shoot, no matter what I did to keep my thumb out of the way of that recoil shield. The guy with whom I traded had even bigger hands than mine, but wanted a small, light pistol to carry fishing. Since the Bearcat had an anodized aluminum frame, it had minimum steel to maintain and seemed the ideal answer for him in 1961.
 
Originally posted by nawrocki
Well being raised by a single mother really never exposed me to Guns or Knives, but I want to get a handgun. I am 18 and I live in Pennsylvania. I have never fired a gun in my life besides a paintball gun and bb gun which don't count.

What do you recommend I do? I was thinking of going to a local firing range and trying to shoot but I have no idea what to say or how much to spend. A friend from work invited me hunting a few weeks ago but I have never hunted so I turned him down. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Get some training in safety first, then in basic marksmanship.
Get a training safe gun such as a Walther P22.
It's cheap, very well made and has many interesting features for the rookie shooter, such as being like a real gun, having a magazine safety to avoid incidents with the infamous "shot in the chamber" and a safety which blocks firing pin but leaves trigger connected allowing for safe dry-fire without having to use snap caps.
It's also very, very accurate.
 
I would tend to agree with the suggestions to get a .22 as a first handgun as well. I grew up shooting tens of thousands of .22LR though several rifles and handguns, and it made me a better shooter.

I would urge you to try a revolver first. Smith and Wesson makes several very nice .22LR revolvers, the 317 and 617 (both double action). The Ruger Single Six is a great choice for a single action revolver. If you really want a semi-auto the Ruger MKII and the 22/45 are both excellent.

If you are set on getting something larger than a .22 handgun to start with, I would suggest a .357/.38 revolver with a 4" barrel, and start shooting light .38 Special loads and working your way up later to the more powerful rounds. The S&W 686 and the Ruger GP100 are two good examples of solid .357 revolvers.

Whatever you decide, take an NRA-approved safety course.
 
I'd suggest looking at the Ruger SP101 with the 2 1/4" barrel. It'll shoot .357 Magnum or .38 so you can learn with (and probably just stick with) .38s. It's very solid and a handy size for just about any purpose. It's all steel which is better for shooting than the new wave of lightweights.
Getting a .22, in my opinion, is a good idea if you like .22s. Other than that there's nothing wrong with learning on a larger caliber.
As with anything, safety is king. Revolvers have different safety concerns than autos, but as long as any firearm is treated as though it's loaded regardless of what you think or "know" and is kept out of the reach of children with 100% certainty then there's no problem.
A safety/marksmanship course is a must.
 
The NRA offers a truckload of programs for just about everything that has to do with firearms for newbies, pros and everybody who falls in between those categories.
From what I've read (and expect) their instructors are very knowledgeable.
 
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