Handgun Advice?

[dropzone]

Definitely take some classes. Sounds like you are planning on that any way.
Always clear the weapon, assume it is loaded. the basics. I am always amazed at how many 'experienced' gun owners have accidental discharges with guns that they swear were 'unloaded.

Putting rounds down range is the best way to become proficient and comfortable with a chosen weapon. In addition to getting a .40, .45 or whatever I would recommend a .22 pistol (if $$$ allow) such as a Ruger Mark 2 for proficiency too. Cheap to shoot and fun to kill a few cans while plinking...

[fustercluck]

There is some good advice here. I think it is always wise to be instructed by a qualified professional. I have been shooting for decades and still learn from others. You stated that you felt ill at ease in the remoteness of the desert. I don't blame you. Some fairly gruesome things can occur when nobody's watching. However, there are more foes than human out in the sticks. Some of them may be as large and powerful as a bear. That is why when I trek to the edges of the earth I carry at least a .44 magnum.....at least that.

However, for one who is beginning his affair with handguns, I'd suggest a more modestly charged cartridge like the 9mm or .40 S&W. Unlike rifles, the sight radius on a hand gun is shorter and hence the slightest foul habit can make the use of one impotent. Starting and experience with large frame and/or large caliber handguns usually results in adopting one or more bad form habits that are very hard to break.

I'd start shooting with a 9mm or .40 and some of these...

[img width=627 height=800]http://shootingsafely.com/correction.jpg[/img]

If problems persist, have a friend load your mag or cylinder with some of these dummy rounds randomely placed



You will quickly see what you are doing wrong. A trained instructor can also spot problematic technique and nip it in the bud (as it were).

Of course I've given conflicting advice; large caliber magnum vs. moderate caliber and moderate charge. This is because you have a techincally conflicting directive. Beginning handgun experience while needing an arm for the more experience shootist. That is why I have many guns.

[reggie 00]

X2 on a qualified professional.

If your looking for a backwoods 4 legged protection i am with Fuster, a 44mag. At least a .357. a revolver is pretty easy to use and is easier to recover from a miss fire, just squeeze again or in my case pull back the hammer again.


In california be careful with Gun Broker, a lot of them wont sell to California because of the new rule that went in to effect earlier this year requiring the FFL transfer forms to be sent out first. Also some FFL's charge a grip on transfers like that since you aren't buying from them. Instead of the $35 Dros, you'll see places asking for $150. Its not at all places but make sure you ask what they charge before do the whole thing.

If you have the time go check out calguns.net i have found a lot of interesting information there. There are some lawyer types there that help out in those special situations, and help eliminate some FUD that gets passed around on some stuff.

X100 on the target Fuster showed, there is even a silhouette version most ranges have, helps a lot.

And the snap caps to help with flinching are worth it.

my other friends:

newest out the house carry/home protection


my 9 with crimson trace grips i picked up for a steal on calguns

so much easier to reacquire with that laser.

and my favorite 4" Colt Commander


Not sure where you do most of your outings, but they did just pass the concealed carry bill for National parks, and if you do go out of state check the calguns board for a Utah CCW class, should run you close to $150 for the class and will inform you on some good things, and allow you to CCW in 30 something states.

[reggie 00]

man those pic make them look a lot dirtier than they are, i got's to go clean.

[fustercluck]

I frequently carry this one in .40 S&W...

[reggie 00]

Nice.

What do you think of that new convertible pistol they have out now?

[fustercluck]

I'm all for versatility via conversions. My Sig pro will shoot .357 sig and .40 S&W with a simple barrel change. I've not actually done it though. I wish it would go to .45 acp......

Which Sig model are you referring to specifically?

[RobG]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I wound up joining the local range Saturday and shooting for a few hours. Tried a XD9, I like the feel of this gun and it is very simple to operate. Defintely want something a little more than 9mm though. Then I tried a Springfield 1911, not bad but a little on the rough side. Third gun was a Kimber Custom and ding, ding, ding we have a winner. Love this gun, the trigger is great, the sights were much better than the other 2, it felt really good. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this gun.

Overall I was able to hold 10 shots in a 6" spread or so at 21 ft. Not great but better than I expected, the Kimber was the best for me. I will go with some instruction at some point but I am OK for now, I read up on some stances and general technique before I went, I'm very familiar with general shooting technique and gun safety.

I really want to try something in 40S+W, the range I went to only had a Glock and it was being used. I also want to try something in a sig 40 and 45 (2022, 239, 220). Hopefully I'll get all of that done this week and be able to make a choice.

So I'd really like something for the campsite that I can carry concealed to keep it close but away from the kids. Don't need to stop bears but should have decent stopping power. As a second use I'd like something I can shoot at the range but those two don't seem to blend very well. Right now my first choice is the Kimber, but it is kind of big and heavy to carry. On the plus side I'm sure I could hit something from a longer way out if need be. I am also really considering the Subcompact XD40 but I don't think it would make a great range gun. Probably will consider something Sig as well after I try a few.

I'm looking at picking just one pistol right now, my wife makes Obama look like Charlton Heston. That is assuming there are any decent models left in CA to buy, they seem to be flying off the shelves for some reason (cough Obama cough). I'd prefer to buy this locally if possible. Any suggestions/comments are appreciated.

[Robinhood4x4]

Something to keep in mind for a self defense gun is that a lot of people absolutely hate the idea of having a safety on a self defense weapon. You have to really practice with your gun to become proficient at drawing from a holster and releasing the safety. Clicking off the safety is one more thing you're going to forget to do in a situation where fractions of a second count. Go to an IDPA match and watch the newbies make that mistake.

A great many people also strongly feel that you need to have a round in the chamber at all times. With glocks and XDs it's safe to do so and not have a manual safety. With a single action 1911 you need to be loaded, cocked and locked. You do NOT want to load one in the chamber and manually let down the hammer. That's an accident waiting to happen. The only other alternative is to leave the chamber empty and have to rack the slide which will cost you second which can be valuable.

So basically, I'm trying to talk you out of a 1911 for your first self defense gun.

[fustercluck]

Here is a ballistic gelatin comparison for the various common calibers...




The large cavitation at the left is point of impact tissue damage and the blue line indicates depth of penetration. Also helpful are the statistics delineating projectile velocity and mass in Grains. Speed of sound in feet per second is 1125ft/s. At these loads, only two were supersonic; with the 230 gr .45acp being the slowest. This is why the .45acp is best suited for suppressed fire. Note the size of cavitation for each round and imagine that ballistic gelatin closely simulates the density and viscosity of human and animal muscle tissue while being transparent enough to study the results.