Question from new Gun Owner

[TheCapulet]

I've been doing my homework on my first Handgun purchase for a little bit now, and I've answered most of the questions I had as I lead up to my first Handgun.

But now I'm down to point where I actually need to choose which gun I finally bring home, and I am really apprehensive. I really want this gun to fit me perfect.

So, to get to the question, is there anywhere in north central Indiana where I can "Sample" guns that I have my eye on before I finally buy, or am I just out of luck and need to take a gamble on what feels the best in hand without firing?

So far, I really like alot of what Taurus handguns have going for them. They seemed to be packed with extra features, and all within an extremely competitave price range. And the lifetime free service warranty really apeals to me too. But I wont say I have my heart set on a Taurus.

So far, I really like the 1911 models. And I'm pretty taken by the Taurus PT945 as well. And I'd really like to feel the difference between the .38 super 1911's and the .45 ACP's. And of course, the same situation with the 945, between .40 and the .45.

If anyone has any useful information for me, please post.

 

[LotsofGlocks]

I would go to your local gun store and personaly handle the guns your intrested in. Really no place to sample unless you have friends that have the select gun your after of a guy at the range let you shoot a couple rounds down range.

 

[Lars]

In my opinion. If you're sold on a 1911 platform. Buy it in .45 ACP. I don't live in North Indiana so I can't answer your question about places to rent / try / borrow / shoot firearms. I'll leave that to my brethren to the north.

Welcome to INGO

 

[doglb]

Great first post!
and from Ft. Wayne.

I dont know extactly where you live however there isnt anywhere in Ft. Wayne that rents guns to try. Like you said, you can fondle pretty much all you want to get a feel but thats where it stops, unless you have alot of friends with different guns they are willing to let you try.

I know there are people who love their Taurus's and those who would never buy one. I think your going to get a mixed reaction of Taurus.

Are you sticking with Taurus because of cost? With so many choices out there today Im just curious why Taurus?

Yes they have a lifetime warranty, but in my opinion there CS is somewhat spotty. I would hate for you to make your first gun purchase and be disappointed. I have owned 2 Taurus's in my lifetime and both shot well without problems. A snubnose and the PT1911. I did eventually sell them, but there was no reason I had to.

I personally would look into other options before buying...
Just my !

 

[jforrest]

Welcome! I live in Valparaiso, I know you said Central Indiana but in we have a gun shop over here in the Northwest called Blythe's Sport Shop. They rent guns there and charge only $9 to use their range for however long you want. I don't know how much it cost to rent a pistol there though. Might be worth the trip if there is nowhere by you.

 

[rhart]

I dont believe you mentioned what you want to use the gun for. Buying one gun is like buying one shirt. WHat do you need/want it for? Also, although Taurus is a fine firearm, you may consider picking a type and caliber firearm, then compare manufacturers to find who makes the best "1911 full size 45" for example.
Good luck

 

[Naptown]

don't buy a caliber that is hard to feed. .40 is much easier to find than .45 currently. I don't know, buy 1 and save up for another purchase ASAP. It'll happen, it's an addictive hobby. Start simple, build from there.

 

[Lanser]

It's not really in North Central IN, but Pop Guns in Indy has a selection of guns you can rent and shoot at their indoor range, though I don't know if there are any Tauruses among them.

It's been a long time since I was there (I don't live around there), but I recall that at the time, among other things, they had Glocks, an XD, and a Sig. Might be worth checking out.

 

[IndyMonkey]

Go to a gun show and touch them all. FInd what feels right in YOUR hand. Then go from there.

 

[TheCapulet]

I would go to your local gun store and personaly handle the guns your intrested in. Really no place to sample unless you have friends that have the select gun your after of a guy at the range let you shoot a couple rounds down range.

Way ahead of you. But I'm still real curious to feel what it's like to fire these.

In my opinion. If you're sold on a 1911 platform. Buy it in .45 ACP. I don't live in North Indiana so I can't answer your question about places to rent / try / borrow / shoot firearms. I'll leave that to my brethren to the north.

Welcome to INGO

Thanks for the welcome. I'll be honest, I'm a little surprised to find everyone in such good spirits here.

Great first post!
and from Ft. Wayne.

I dont know extactly where you live however there isnt anywhere in Ft. Wayne that rents guns to try. Like you said, you can fondle pretty much all you want to get a feel but thats where it stops, unless you have alot of friends with different guns they are willing to let you try.

I know there are people who love their Taurus's and those who would never buy one. I think your going to get a mixed reaction of Taurus.

Are you sticking with Taurus because of cost? With so many choices out there today Im just curious why Taurus?

Yes they have a lifetime warranty, but in my opinion there CS is somewhat spotty. I would hate for you to make your first gun purchase and be disappointed. I have owned 2 Taurus's in my lifetime and both shot well without problems. A snubnose and the PT1911. I did eventually sell them, but there was no reason I had to.

I personally would look into other options before buying...
Just my !

Well, like I said, I'm not totally stuck on them, it's just what I had my eye on first. If there's another brand that's in my price range that offers better quality and feature sets, I'd be stupid not to go with them over Taurus. The only bad thing I've heard of Taurus is 'Mellinium'. Heh.

Welcome! I live in Valparaiso, I know you said Central Indiana but in we have a gun shop over here in the Northwest called Blythe's Sport Shop. They rent guns there and charge only $9 to use their range for however long you want. I don't know how much it cost to rent a pistol there though. Might be worth the trip if there is nowhere by you.

It's not really in North Central IN, but Pop Guns in Indy has a selection of guns you can rent and shoot at their indoor range, though I don't know if there are any Tauruses among them.

It's been a long time since I was there (I don't live around there), but I recall that at the time, among other things, they had Glocks, an XD, and a Sig. Might be worth checking out.

Thanks a ton guys. I'll look into them. It'd deff be worth it to pay to shoot before I buy. I'd consider it good insurance.

I dont believe you mentioned what you want to use the gun for. Buying one gun is like buying one shirt. WHat do you need/want it for? Also, although Taurus is a fine firearm, you may consider picking a type and caliber firearm, then compare manufacturers to find who makes the best "1911 full size 45" for example.
Good luck

Well, I'm not out forest stalking or anything. Just occasional range days and home/carry self defense (God forbid).

And thanks for all the warm welcome guys!

 

[critter592]

For north central indiana you MUST go check out Midwest Gun and Range in Elkhart, IN. Not sure which direction that is for you but they have a range and store in one AND they RENT GUNS!! I go once a month. They also have a sister store in Mishawaka which is strictly a show store but they have a WIDE variety of firearms and accessories. No, I don't work at either. I just like how they treat me.


And to

 

[slimplmbr]

I know Pop Guns at washington and post has a decent selection of rental guns and there is always (gulp) Dons Guns which last I knew had a little bigger selection than Pops, but that was quite some time ago

 

[suds]

Good for you for taking your time to make a decision. The others have mentioned a couple of places to rent. One to add is Applied Ballistics in Lafayette. Nice range. Looked like they had a couple of Taurus, Springfield XD, Beretta 92 and a few other rentals for $8 each.

 

[Shoots4Fun]

Welcome. You came to right place for knowledge and opinions.

I think the 1911 is kind of old school with many of the "modern" semi-autos out there. I'd like to have one, but I'd go for something like the XD which has the benefits of the grip safety and is semi-auto like the 1911, but has some serious capacity with magazine sizes. Just my . Everyone has things they like and dislike. I'd venture to say that your first purchase will only be the beginning so I wouldn't stress to much over it.

Again, welcome and good luck...

 

[greyhound47]

Midwest Gun Exchange in Elkhart has a range and will let you shoot a wide range of guns.

 

[Tallenn]

I predict two things:

1. Unless you get something low quality, you will LOVE your first gun, no matter what you decide on. and

2. You will decide it's not exactly perfect, and will want to get another one (but keep the first). This will not be the only time this happens.

Ask me how I know

 

[TheCapulet]

Welcome. You came to right place for knowledge and opinions.

I think the 1911 is kind of old school with many of the "modern" semi-autos out there. I'd like to have one, but I'd go for something like the XD which has the benefits of the grip safety and is semi-auto like the 1911, but has some serious capacity with magazine sizes. Just my . Everyone has things they like and dislike. I'd venture to say that your first purchase will only be the beginning so I wouldn't stress to much over it.

Again, welcome and good luck...

Honestly, I've just never been a big fan of polymer framed handguns. I've just come back from an hour of shooting one of my friends glock 23's, and I'm reminded why. Heh.

 

[jforrest]

Honestly, I've just never been a big fan of polymer framed handguns. I've just come back from an hour of shooting one of my friends glock 23's, and I'm reminded why. Heh.

If the G23 is the only polymer handgun you have shot, that might be why you don't like Polymer pistols, IMO Glock's are great but the .40 cal does have a snappy recoil. If it wasn't the recoil that bothered you then I'm sure you have your reasons and that is fine with me, each to their own. (although I would like to hear why you don't like Polymer pistols)

If you do plan on coming to the Valpo area send me a PM a day or 2 in advance and maybe we can set up a time to meet at Blythe's and I'll let you shoot my G19 if you would like to.

 

[TheCapulet]

Sounds like a great idea. I'll be calling the few places mentioned to see what has the cheapest rental prices for the guns I want to shoot, since all of em mentioned here are about 2ish hours away or more. (I live in Fairmount, a small town right outside of Marion) And if I'm up that way, I'll most deff let you know.

As far as polymer guns, the 23 is the only one I've shot. From what I can tell, I imagine them all to be very small and light weight. But I also like my guns like I like my cars and girls; curvy and fast. I've noticed the larger frames and the weight in the metal framed pistols help out with faster target acquisition for me. (Granted, I've only fired a .357 colt revolver, Beretta 92 and the Gen 1 and 2 Glock 23's, so I can't claim my experience is too expansive.)

I've also seen a few rare youtube videos of rouge rounds blasting through polymer grips :x I wont lie, it may have sketched me out a bit on the whole polymer idea.

 

[jforrest]

You had mentioned earlier that you are planning on using this gun for home defence and carry. Are you going to get a smaller 1911 or full size. Unless your planning on open-carrying I would recommend getting a smaller size frame gun so you take it everywhere instead of leaving it at home because its annoying. What worse could happen if, God forbid, something would happen and you left your sidearm at home?

As for other guns, have you thought about Sigs? They are steel framed, but more expensive, if you waited and saved up it might be worth it. I would also recommend shooting a glock, xd, or some other comparable polymer framed pistol in either 9mm or .45 cal. Both the 9 and the 45 have a recoil that feels alike (kinda sluggish compared to the snappy .40) but the .45 just has heavier recoil than the 9mm.

As to those youtube videos the vast majority of the time those kabooms as we call them are done people who reload. Usually this is because these people either are not paying attention to what they are doing, or they make a mistake. The 2 main things a reloader can do to cause a round to "kaboom" are 1) the reloader puts way too much powder in the case causing the case to rupture when its fired, and 2) the reloader puts way too little powder into the case causing the powder to detonate instead of burn like normal. Either way polymer frame or not the shooter will be in pain, maybe a little less with the steel frame but I really don't know.

But keep on looking and put your hands on as many guns as possible even just to get the feel of everything out there. Get what YOU want and not what other people are telling you. Here we are just trying to give you helpful hints on what to get, take what we say apply it to your situations and purchase your firearm. Like a few others have said you will buy your first gun love it, and you will buy more. You might find things you dislike, you might find guns that you think will suit you better, but the only way to find out is to dip in and buy one.

I hope all this helps