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  • shizon

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 2, 2008
    6
    1
    Let me first start by suggesting an idea. I know I haven't been here long, but there may be value and there may not be.

    I'm really new to firearms. My grandfather took me out when I was young and taught me why I should respect firearms and had me shoot a few rounds. I haven't really been around guns since. A recent event happened, though, that got me interested again. I'll post that up seperately though and link.

    So my suggestion after looking through the forums is perhaps we should create a newbie forum or sticky for people like me on how to learn, how to get started, etc. I believe I'm in special position of having close friends that are well educated and members here, but I don't believe that's the norm and I would like to try to help educate myself before meeting with someone so at least I can speak the vocabulary and know a little bit of etiquette.

    Thoughts?
     

    Mike Elzinga

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    11   0   0
    Mar 22, 2008
    784
    28
    NWI
    Decide why you wanna get into this.

    1. sport shooting
    2. occasional informal plinking
    3. self defense
    4. hunting

    Rank these in order or importance.

    Break out your checkbook. Dont forget that you tend to get what you pay for. Also dont be afraid of a quality used gun. Get the best guns and gear you can possibly afford and you will only have to buy it once. Decide if every widget you buy or bolt on is worth its cost in practice ammo. Sights will be, trigger work might be, lasers and goofy **** wont be. Keep it simple but functional.

    Consider your source on any advice you get. Dont trust me just cause I told you to be careful who you trust. Never trust any advice that comes from either side of a gunshop counter. You might miss some good advice, but it'll be worth avoiding the **** advice that is in abundance. Even if you dont wanna sport shoot, find a match and see who is shooting what and how often it breaks. If a veteran USPSA shooter cant break it, its probably worth whatever it cost. Shoot as many different guns as you can. Just because it doesnt work for someone else doesnt mean it cant work for you.

    If you want someone to talk to in a more specific way, PM me and I'll give you my phone number.

    A lot of people here threw a lot of cash away doing research, and a lot of people would be glad to let you benifit from that research.
     

    shizon

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 2, 2008
    6
    1
    Well, I'm not sure what plinking is, but the others would be:
    1) self defense
    2) sport shooting
    3) hunting
     

    TomN

    'tis but a flesh wound!
    Rating - 100%
    62   0   0
    Mar 22, 2008
    2,954
    48
    Elkhart
    You forgot the most important reason. Of course I mean zombie protection. This is a huge aspect in today's society.
     

    abnk

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Mar 25, 2008
    1,679
    38
    In my opinion, when buying your first firearm, everything is secondary to the purpose of self-preservation. Also, for a first firearm, I would suggest a pistol. It is less effective than a rifle, but it is something that you can always have on you.

    Take an intro/beginner's class from a reputable instructor, try different pistols, and go with what works best for you while keeping in mind power (caliber), reliability, size, and concealability.
     

    Scutter01

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 21, 2008
    23,750
    48
    a little bit of etiquette.

    This is a great topic! The minutiae of firearms ownership that you have to kind of learn through trial and error. Things like how to behave in a gun store (where do you point a pistol you're examining for purchase, what's expected of you when carrying a firearm into a gun store with a "no loaded weapons" sign posted, etc.) all the way up to "how do I learn to [build an AR | reload | clean my gun | etc] without looking like a newbie".

    Should have a whole forum subsection just on this type of thing. "News for Newbs" or something, where you can post anonymously. :):
     

    Scutter01

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 21, 2008
    23,750
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    You forgot the most important reason. Of course I mean zombie protection. This is a huge aspect in today's society.

    Always have two plans. One for fast zombies and one for slow zombies. You never know what kind of outbreak you're gonna get.
     

    indyninja

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 19, 2008
    627
    18
    you are at the right place. just ask a bunch of questions and take your time with this decision!
     

    Lars

    Rifleman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 6, 2008
    4,342
    38
    Cedar Creek, TX
    Easy Solution

    Everyone should have the following.

    At least 1 good hand gun in a Major caliber (9mm, .40s&w, .45acp, or hand cannon wheel guns) ;)

    At least 1 12 gauge shot gun. Remington 870 purchased once today should still work as well as new 30 years from now. Hard to go wrong with dirt cheap, and reliable.

    And a rifle. Bolt gun / Semi-Auto / single shot / Muzzle loader. This is kind of up to you based on how you anticipate using it. Ie. Hunting, target shooting, Zombie Elimination ;)


    Our house currently has, or will have in under 7 days, the following:

    Handguns:
    • Smith & Wesson 22A (.22lr)
    • Sig Sauer Mosquito (.22lr)
    • H&K USP Tactical (.45 acp)
    Rifles:
    • DPMS 16" AR-15 (.223 Rem)
    Shot Guns:
    • Remington 870 express (12 gauge)
    We will likely add another rifle, (looking at the Tikka T3 Tactical with SWFA glass in .308win) and another handgun or two. (thinking a USP .45 compact, and something like a Sig 229 9mm for Pami)
     

    TomN

    'tis but a flesh wound!
    Rating - 100%
    62   0   0
    Mar 22, 2008
    2,954
    48
    Elkhart
    I'm seriously looking at getting a shotgun soon and am considering the Remington 870 series. Maybe the marine magnum or something similar.
     

    indyninja

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 19, 2008
    627
    18
    why? why should everyone have the following and who do you mean by everyone :) Just playing devils advocate and want to hear more about this from you because I enjoy reading your posts.

    Everyone should have the following.

    At least 1 good hand gun in a Major caliber (9mm, .40s&w, .45acp, or hand cannon wheel guns) ;)

    At least 1 12 gauge shot gun. Remington 870 purchased once today should still work as well as new 30 years from now. Hard to go wrong with dirt cheap, and reliable.

    And a rifle. Bolt gun / Semi-Auto / single shot / Muzzle loader. This is kind of up to you based on how you anticipate using it. Ie. Hunting, target shooting, Zombie Elimination ;)
     

    Lars

    Rifleman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 6, 2008
    4,342
    38
    Cedar Creek, TX
    why? why should everyone have the following and who do you mean by everyone :) Just playing devils advocate and want to hear more about this from you because I enjoy reading your posts.

    I'm going to preface this by saying I am not a professional. I am not in the army, any police force, or even a hard core competition shooter. I do however read a lot, have friends who have spent half of their adult lives in the army, and are related to rangers. I value their opinions a lot. ;) I'm also a little A.D.D. so if I ramble.... I'm in advance.

    It can be argued that a hand gun is a terrible self defense weapon. "Knock Down Power" is a myth even with the "Almighty .45 ACP" ;) What a hand gun is exceptionally good for is carrying. Easily.

    You can have it on you just about everywhere you go, it sits on a nightstand easily, can be put on the coffee table next to you while you're watching TV, etc etc etc. So, if self defense is an important thing to you, a hand gun is a bad choice, except for it's ease of access.

    Moving to the Long guns.....

    A shot gun, loaded with standard, or low-recoil 12 gauge OO buck, fire 9, nearly 9mm balls. So a single shot is about the same as emptying half the magazine from your average "Insert some semi auto 9mm here." pistol :) Clint Smith said something to the effect of, "An attacker MIGHT be intimidated by the look of a shotgun leveled at him, Or he might be shot. I'm pretty sure I know which one will stop him."

    Shotgun is an amazing tool in that, with a slug barrel you can hunt large game. With a long shot barrel you can hunt Turkey, birds, or skeet/trap targets. With a short barrel you have an amazing home defense weapon.
    It's just not easy to carry with you to work. ;)

    Rifles are also useful for hunting, caliber, and type of course determine what you're hunting. There are lots of sporting uses for rifles that don't involve game, such as the NRA rifle matches, USPSA three gun, etc etc etc. From a personal defense stand point, I'd go to a shot gun before I'd go to a rifle most times. However most shot guns hold between 4 and 8 rounds. A rifle like the AR-15 while nowhere near as effective at say 40' as a shot gun.... does hold between 10 and 30 rounds without going crazy with something like a BETA C-Mag. a .223 Rem is orders of magnitude better than a .45acp / 9mm / .40 S&W for personal defense.

    If SHTF, having a weapon that can reach out to 300, 500, maybe even 1000yards could be the difference between eating, or not. I think there is plenty of reason to have a good handgun, rifle, and shotgun. The best part is if you're not all caught up on having to have "The Best".... it doesn't have to be all that expensive...... Example.

    • Sig Sauer 226/P6 ($350ish)
    • Remington 870 express ($199)
      • Includes 1 rifled slug barrel
      • Includes 1 smooth shot barrel with choke kit
    • AR-15 ($550 - $1000)
    • Remington 700 Bolt action in .308 ($550)
    Anyway, If I had to pick two? It'd be the pistol and shotgun hands down.
     

    Pami

    INGO Mom
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Mar 13, 2008
    5,568
    38
    Next to Lars
    It's been a few days since I've read all the posts, so sorry if I repeat anything posted somewhere else.. but..

    On the etiquette thing, being extremely new to guns myself, some things I've learned:

    1. Shopkeepers like to know the gun is empty. Dropping the magazine out and pulling the slide back before handing it back to them (even though they did this six times before ever handing you the gun) appears to make everyone around you more comfortable.
    2. When the shopkeeper or the friend that's with you tells you to hold the gun, aim it, check out the sights, feel the weight, pull the slide back, etc... pointing the gun at the shopkeeper is NOT a good idea. Aiming at your friend isn't good either. Your foot. Your foot is ok. Up or down or generally away from other people. Never in any direction that might be construed as at people. Out of habit with knives and scissors, I tend to point the dangerous end toward me when handing it back to people.
    3. It's ok and encouraged to admit you're new, especially if the shop isn't busy. I've noticed, at least the good ones anyway, tend to be encouraging and want to find the gun that fits you rather than the one that fits their sales quota for the day. Knowing the lingo is probably helpful, but once you call every lever on the gun a "thingy" for the fourth time in as many minutes, it makes people nervous, but also more helpful because they want to educate you.
    4. Know why you want it. For me, I'm interested in self-defense, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and now want to be really good at it. So for me, self-defense is #1, but informal target shooting (mostly so I can learn to be a better shot than my hubby eventually) is my very close #2. I don't expect to ever have to defend myself with a gun, but if the situation presents itself, I'd rather not bungle it.

    But yeah, I'd have to agree with everyone else... don't be shy about asking questions, and read everything in this forum. We really have some great resources in this site. *hugs everyone who tolerates her newbieness*
     

    Lars

    Rifleman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 6, 2008
    4,342
    38
    Cedar Creek, TX
    oh, and IndyNinja...

    by "everyone" I mean.... "every law abiding citizen." ;)

    Scutter01.....

    She left off "Do dad, thing'a'ma'jiggy, and what'cha'ma'gitch" ;)
     
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