A slight beef with 'gun recommendation' threads

New shooter =/= New pistol person


I was defintely not a new shooter, but am still a semi-new handgun owner - still am going to try to get into a few classes - I'm definitely cool with knowing more & getting different approaches to things, even beyond the safety issues




It use to be passed down from father to son, but times have changed.
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My dad preached safety when it came to guns (and helmets w/motorcycles) - when I was a kid, I always thought of him as honorary safety patrol

Guess that was just to please Mama...second time I had my Glock at his house he gave me a big ol' sweep as I'm loading a mag behind him:( I start flapping my arms, he gives me a look like, "What?!" - finally realizes & points it away...nmaybe just getting older, but didn't help the undies any
 
ElectricHellfire, thank you *so* much - I feel the same way. I just want to shoot, get good at it, and enjoy it. Maybe when the zombies attack, my neighbor's M4 with the EOTech sights will outshoot my 10/22, but until then, I know i'm getting more range time than he is.
Which is only to say: Safety classes are great, but not every shooter needs a concealed carry class. Let alone a 'tactical' course.
 
I guess I'm willing to give the person who is asking for equipment recommendations the benefit of the doubt that they've also thought about safety issues but didn't feel compelled to add that as a disclaimer in their question. When I was a newbie I thought about safety but didn't mention it in every question I asked.
 
weapon safety

I would encourage any new shooter to learn as much as they can about the weapon they intent to shoot/carry. I learned from my father and grandfathers, I learned from my weapons instructor in the military, I took a saftey course in order to get my CCW. I don't hunt anymore because there are to many civilians in the woods with guns, unsupervised. We can always learn new things if we keeps our minds open. flames off
 
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Before a gun and equipment get bought, the new shooter needs to get a safety class under their belt.
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Needs. A different word from 'must' or 'required'.

BTW the reason why I feel compelled to bring up the 'safety stick' thing are the threads that start off with, "I'm a new shooter and know practically nothing about guns...which one is best for me?". I've been seeing that a lot lately.
 
I feel your pain here.

I want to strangle some people when they fan the flames of new potential gun owners without telling them right away that you cannot buy any handgun and just load it and use it.

Everyone needs training.

Heck,if you've been away from handguns for a while you need training.

By training I mean you need to get to a range and reaquaint yourself to the shooting experience.

But I see that go on everytime I am in a gun store or around people new to guns.

And everytime there is someone also there talking to theese new to guns peoplethat is semi detached from the reality that guns are simply tools,that they cannot jump out of the gun case and save your life.

Like a car,you must train with them and the situations where you can and should have and use them.
 
Just wondering....

How come everybody seems to say "take a class" and nobody bothers to say "read the manual"?

I'm old, and old fashioned. The first thing one does before considering a gun is learn gun safety. This used to be done by about age 14 (at the latest) with NRA Hunter Safety courses. But, sadly times seem to have changed.

There are 10 basic rules, but the first 4 are paramount. I haven't seen a manual in years that doesn't have them in it.

Classes are good (if done right), classes are wonderful, but the manual comes with the gun, and if the rules are followed, always, you will be safe.

You can get all kinds of safety material free for the asking, from the NRA, and from many gun makers, and it is also in the hunting regs booklet from the state. Its out there, free, and without having to find, and attend a class. This is, and should be the very basic first step. Then find a class, for more advanced instruction if desired.
 
I personally dont get the threads where someone list 5 different guns, all different calibers, all different MOA, and says "which should I get for a first gun?" Reading things like, "The glock has a bigger clip and hold more bullets" really clues me in that you dont know much about handguns and could benefit from some instruction. Now alot of times people do their research and narrow their choice(s) down and then want feed back from owners. For the most part, I think alot of people like the way a gun looks and want you to convince them to get. Personally, I think its how Taurus is able to sell so many autos.
 
how many of us as yung'ns didnt tuck it in and got the red badge across the eyebrow from a scope. Like everything you can learn alot by asking and listining gg
 
Only basic safety flogging of a newbie..

would be needed if they would actually heed it, ie.. 1. Dont point the gun at anyone. 2. Keep your finger off the trigger... But I can't believe how often these 2 basics are ignored at my local range. Once again 2 days ago, I turn around and some lady was pointing her G26 at my legs and smiling at me as she pushed in a mag...sigh. Why is is so hard to keep the gun pointed down or downrage. I gestured to her about the gun and she lifted it towards my stomach then turned and stood behind her husband with the gun pointed at his lower back. sigh.....:confused:
 
How come everybody seems to say "take a class" and nobody bothers to say "read the manual"?
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It's like computers - ever try to teach people and get them to read the manual?

It's just point and click (pun here!).
 
44 AMP ~

I frequently receive unfamiliar guns for review, and I've got to say, the manuals are generally far less than helpful. Most of 'em are poorly written, poorly organized, and poorly illustrated. They're full of lawyer-talk, which means they generally have a million tiny little rules without any cohesive overview that will help a newcomer either understand or (more important) remember those rules once the manual is closed. I wouldn't want to turn a true gun-newbie loose with the manual and nothing else unless there were truly NO other choice. And even then, I'd worry.

pax
 
I am only 22 but I had the rules of the trade passed down from my father and uncle and even older brother. It's kind of sad in a way it doesn't really work like that anymore. I grew up around firearms and never lived on a farm and none of my family was military besides my uncle being drafted to VN. I did take my hunter safety coarse in middle school but it be honest I was young, in a room with all my friends I barely paid any attention. At my public range when me and my ussual shooting partner show up the older heads tend to look at us nervously at first. I guess we still look like "kids" :rolleyes: but I dont mind. I go about my buisness and follow the rules and most times the guys come over to talk with us, trade guns to shoot and everyone has fun.

I don't find classes necessary but I wouldn't tell a new gun owner not to take one. Like people said at least go to the range with someone experienced and read the manual. Hell even talk to the gun show owner, ones around here are more than happy to take a few minutes to talk about safety and proper use. It comes down to understanding that the world isn't perfect, but people buying firearms are adults, and hopefully they act like one.
 
I am so thankful there are others that think this way. I just saw a thread about a guy who wants to buy his first gun (m4), because he used it on a video game!!! wow what a way to learn how to shoot a gun. This is why so many legislators are on the ban-wagon.LOL Please learn to shoot before buying even a damn pellet gun!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Perhaps I am a bit out of touch, the last new guns I got were Rugers or a Remington, and that was a while ago. And, no I wouldn't turn somebody loose with only the manual info, if that was the only thing they knew about guns and shooting, either.

What I meant was that reading the manual (when you have one) is the simplest, easiest first step, as it is in the box with the gun. Although I will agree actualy reading something that isn't on a display screen seems to be too much for some people nowdays.

I was just wondering why nobody seems to ever mention it.
 
Bah! This sight exists for many reasons, one of which is to ask for recommendations. I have yet to see a question posed with the clear intent of someone buying a gun to go use in an unsafe manner with no experience or training. Besides, I always try to cover the training advice if it hasn't already been done.

What does disturb me is the guy next to me in the shop that doesn't know how to handle the merchandise. Or the guy at the range. Both get an earfull. One got a shotgun nearly knocked from his hands in a shop recently. I don't like weapons pointed at my head.
 
Not just guns.

Quote:
"I frequently receive unfamiliar guns for review, and I've got to say, the manuals are generally far less than helpful. Most of 'em are poorly written, poorly organized, and poorly illustrated."

Funny this came up now. I just went back to the manual to a machine that I deal with on a daily basis. I have installed several of these, and trained operators and maintenance persons how to operate them, and basic troubleshooting. I forgot how worthless the manual is. I have run into this with all sorts of industrial equipment, from CNC lathes to water treatment systems. After reading this, I went over my glock manual from the early '90s, and my TM for the m-9 (92fs). The pistol manuals are far more helpful than other equipment types that I have dealt with, that's for sure. They are not a reference for the first time user IMHO. (Although, Glock is a half way decent manual for that. Safe handling first, then about the gun)

Another problem is the idea that you are going to learn all you need to know about safe handling from your dad, uncle, ect. I learned from these, and then I took classes. It's amazing how much you will bring back to them. If they are as wise as you think they are, they will be willing to listen, and happy to learn something new. Courteous is the key here. These new gun owners need to get the classes, they need to read the manual, and they need to handle the gun, a lot. We need to convince them of this and do it in a way that will not turn them off. I think they need the classes, and classes would not hurt those of us that think we have nothing left to learn as well.
 
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44 AMP ~

Don't get me wrong: I thought you made a good point. Was just trying to take a stab at answering the question.

G-man 26 ~

You're right, of course. It's a huge area and there's always more to be learned. Good post.

pax
 
I truely believe training and lots of range time are vital, but can not see anywhere in the 2nd Amendement that it is required.
 
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