Disclaimer..the following reply is posted by Hubby..
brooklineu:
My name is Tom; my wife saw your post and asked me to
lend some advice. I hope I sound a little more rational than
your last reply. I leaned to shoot "from scratch" in my
twenties. I didn't like guns before then, but I recognised
that my future residence would require that I at least know
something about them. What I hadn't expected was how
much fun guns are to shoot, and how much fun I could have
with friends who also liked shooting.
If you're completely new, have no shooting friends (I bet
you'll find some "hidden" ones when you start..), and
aren't familiar with the local clubs, grab your Yellow Pages.
Look under "Guns". You will see your local gun shops. If
you're in a big town or a city, there may be several. Look for
"Indoor Range" or "Lessons". These are the places to try first.
If you're in a town that doesn't have a gun shop or indoor
range, you will have to go to the public library and try the
Yellow Pages of the nearest big town until you find one. You
can go out of state, if your state is lean pickings, but you
won't be able to buy a handgun out of state and bring it
back. More on that later, but you should be able to find a
good gun shop within an hour's drive.
Go there on a morning (weekdays, if you can - they get
busy on Saturday), tell them you're not buying a gun yet,
but that you're interested if they have beginners' shooting
lessons. If they don't, see if someone gives private or
NRA-sponsored lessons. This isn't a pitch for the NRA, but they
have been giving safe, responsible shooting lesons for a
long time, and are the least likely to give you wrong advice.
If nobody gives lessons, try the next shop. Keep trying until
you find a place that looks well-run, has friendly staff that
won't talk down to you or try to sell you a gun before you take
lessons. Most shops with an indoor range will rent you a
firearm, targets, hearing and eye protection and will provide
these to their class, so you usually don't need a gun to take
lessons.
I would _strongly_ recommend that if you have a choice,
the first gun you shoot will be a .22. These are also known as
.22 LR or Long Rifle - they're the inch-long .22 rounds that
people use for plinking and target practice. They're loud
enough to need hearing protection, but they don't blast like
bigger cartridges, and you can concentrate on learning how to
grip and aim the pistol before dealing with flinching. I will
usually take a .22 along to practice, even if I'm firing a .45,
to get used to handling a gun again. There's also very little
recoil, and they are fun to shoot. There isn't too much difference
in price or accuracy in the basic lineup of the major gun makers:
Ruger, Smith and Wesson, Taurus, Browning, etc. Revolver or
pistol is your choice - revolvers are simpler, and easier to
keep clean, but autos can be more fun to shoot.
If that's not an option, try for a full-size .38 Special, and
ask for mild wadcutter loads. These are flat-faced rounds that
make a clean hole in a target without as much blast as
defense rounds. If they insist on giving you a 9mm auto
or a .38 snubnose pistol to start with, you can try it, but ask
for your money back if the blast and recoil are too much at the
start. Using a full sized pistol gives you a better grip, it's easier
to aim, and it doesn't recoil as badly as a snubby, which can
be painful to shoot.
If you are learning with the right sized gun, your first session
should be pretty nervous, but you should come out feeling
pretty good. Learning safety and handling first reduces the
chances of doing something dumb later. It will also reduce the
risk of hurting yourself if you do make mistakes.
I mention recoil and blast up front because flinching is a
newcomer's worst enemy. If your gun makes you twitch every
time you pull the trigger, you won't find shooting fun. However,
as you learn to shoot, you will learn ways to steady any
firearm and handle the recoil. When you are ready, there should
be no limitation of "ladies gun" holding you back from the
style and size of pistol you want. My younger sister likes a
9mm, and keeps a .38 snub around for walks down country
roads with her dog. Her daughter takes the .38 with her on
her ATV rides. My youngest sister likes to shoot my .45.
Your gender is no limit on your caliber, and you'll find that
some shooting sports require bigger guns - bowling pin shoots,
for instance...
When you are ready to buy a pistol, I can give you some advice.
The gun market has enlarged greatly from when I started
shooting in the Eighties, but there are still some good bets
and bad ones for first gun. First, you'e going to either have this
gun for most of you life if you like shooting, or you're going to
sell it within a year or two. Either way, you should expect to
spend at least $250 - $400 on a new pistol, or $200 on a
used police pistol. Buy good quality guns. I've bought the
cheap little pistols for $129 and under, and they aren't safe,
they aren't accurate, and worst of all, they sometimes don't
go off when you need them. Don't let anyone talk you into
a pistol you don't trust just because it's a "bargain". You
can find some good pistols in used police firearms, because
they are quality firearms that typically sell for about 1/2 to
2/3 of a new gun, with comparable accuracy and reliability.
Few .22's in this class, however. Buying used is a better option
for your second pistol (then you can buy your third new, your
fourth used...)
You don't need a license in most places to buy a pistol, but you
do have to fill out BATF paperwork, if you buy from a dealer.
If you buy from a private citizen, you don't need any paperwork.
You will need a carry license in most states to carry a firearm
around (I have one for GA, and I had one for MS when I lived
there). It isn't necessary to have a license to transport a firearm
to the range, to shooting events or to go hunting. Your
shooting class should cover the details. You can only buy
handguns in your home state, but you can buy rifles or
shotguns out of state.
Your first pistol will depend on what you've tried in class, what
you try on a range as a loan from other people or friends, or
what you discover from friends who "come out of the closet"
when they find out you're learning to shoot. Whatever you
get, think of it as your main practice pistol - get something you
like to shoot, and can shoot well. For most people, that will
be a .22LR revolver or automatic pistol, or a large-frame .38,
or maybe a 9mm auto. The .22 is the easiest and cheapest to
shoot - ammo is $2 a box of 50, versus $10 to $15 per box
of 20 for the others. Lots more practice, which means you'll
shoot better, quicker. Target-grade .22s are easy to find,
and not expensive. I bought a .22 revolver as my first pistol,
and 20 years later, I still have it.
Your class will stress gun safety as the first thing you should
learn, and the thing that should be first on your mind when
ever you're around firearms. There are books out there which
can help reinforce your training, and add additional suggestions
that meet your needs - as a target shooter, as a homeowner,
or as a parent. There are also online resources - rec.guns is
a very good one - I don't have their web site at the moment,
but a search on rec.guns should turn it up. The Police Bookshelf
is also a good resource - I have several of their books, worn
and lent out to friends countless times. You can learn to own
a gun safely. All it takes is your determination.
One last thing to mention is that if you like shooting, whether
you go on to buy more than one gun, practice, practice, practice.
Find a closer range, if it's trouble to drive to your first one.
Go at least once every couple of weeks at the start. One of
the least desireable things that happens to some beginners is
that they buy a gun, then go to the range once, then buy
some cartridges, then put the gun in a drawer, and in a year,
they don't know where the gun is, if it's loaded, or where the
ammo is. That's an accident waiting to happen.
I suggest you go and learn about guns before you buy one,
see if you really want to own one, and then make your gun
your buddy if you do decide to get one. That way, you know
what you can do with it, and how to handle it safely. That's the
best way to learn to shoot.
Although I don't read my wife's forum, she watches out for replies
and can forward any questions you have. I can also answer
some questions about pro's and con's of specific handguns,
if you decide on a model. There's a good magazine out there -
"Women and Guns" - that has good, honest reviews of
firearms and women's issues with them. It may be tough to
find, but it's a welcome change from the "Magnum of the Month"
gun mags. Welcome to the sport of shooting.
((My Gosh...I didn't know he was writing a dissertation, lol!))
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