A Story of Pre-Purchase fun: "First time at the firing range"

C

chicharrra

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It was about 4:30 and I was having delusions of purchasing my first hand gun. I knew I wanted something for concealment so I headed on over to "Sams," the local gun shop, money in pocket. I had done my research, posted questions on forums, and decided that a 1911 was the right gun for me. I entered the store, and was overwhelmed with the amount of different 1911's behind the counter. Luckily the customer service there is amazing. I began by admitting that I knew nothing about hand guns, and that I needed some help. This actually got me a lot further than acting like I knew what I was talking about and pretending to be a pro. Like I said, I had done some research so I didn't sound like a total idiot. After talking to the Dude behind the counter he suggested that I try out the range, to make sure the gun "fit my hand." I had no idea what this meant but figured He did. I took his advice, rented a full sized Night Hawk 1911 .45 and began firing. I had nothing to compare to at this point, so I thought the gun felt fine. I then tried a more compact version of the 1911, it was a Kimber .45. I began to notice slight differences in the way the gun felt in my hand compared to the full sized. I actually felt like the compact fit better. It was like trying on shoes, although they were essentially the same gun, they felt completely different. I was finally understanding what was meant by "fitting your hand." The last gun I tried was a dream come true! I tried a Springfield XD. Although it wasn't a 1911, and it didn't have an exposed hammer, and it looked like an "ugly Stick," it just felt right. It was like going from flat souled Chuck Taylors, to a pair of Nikes. The range cost me quite a bit of money, but it was worth it. I have to spend a little more money than I would have liked (MUST HAVE THE SPRINGFIELD), but in all honesty I would have been sorry if I bought the 1911.

The moral of the story is: The term "fit your hand" is really important when buying a hand gun. I had originally thought that all guns felt relatively the same. but its like the old Cinderella story the "glass slipper" must fit. The other thing to note is that when going into a gun store to make a purchase don't act like a "KNOW IT ALL." people are willing to help you if you are humble and ask for help. It actually got me some range time with the instructor for free. he knew I was a serious buyer, he could see that I wanted to learn, and that I was honest by stating that I was clueless about hand guns.
 
Way to go. You got the pistol you wanted,not what other said was the best. I have shot handguns for the over 46 years and have never liked the idea of a single action as a CCW pistol. Most any da function gun is safer to use. Now try to keep enought ammo around to practice a couple times a month for a while and you don't need to shoot the real high price defence ammo much ,just enought to know your gun likes it and you can hit your target. Have fun.. See if your range offers any type of uspsa shooting. That will really hook you.
 
Great post! :)

See www.corneredcat.com/FirstGun/tryongun.aspx for a visual explanation of what it means when a gun "fits your hand." The only thing missing from that page (which one of these days I'll get around to adding) is a discussion of grip angle and how it affects "pointability" -- basically, a slight variation in the angle between the grip and the barrel can make a big difference in how "intuitively" the gun points on target for different people. The reason I haven't added that discussion to that page is because you do naturally just get used to whichever guns you shoot, so it's a variable rather than a constant. The measurement between trigger & backstrap is a constant, though.

Sounds like you did a great job doing your homework first, admitting you were in the market for a first gun and didn't know everything, and comparing the different guns as you shopped. Very, very smart shopping.

pax
 
congradulations on finding your gun, You are lucky to have a friendly gun store to help, my local store is full of holier than thou clerks, I have seen them bellittle customers asking questions. If you have found a store that treats you well try to patronize them instead of chains and big box stores.
Its nice to see some body entering the hand gun hobby get some support.
 
ya Sams in Everett is awesome, They could charge me more and I would still go there based on not only their knowledge but customer service as well.
 
hmmmmm

I must have one size fits all hands.

congrats on finding a gun you like.

just wish I had gotten my tired old butt out of bed and gone to the range today.
 
Hey congratulations, you played it right…

I don’t have very large hands myself, so I like something that fits nicely in my hands too.
 
Well done Chicharrra

Would be great if more noob's were like you, sensible, open minded and willing to take advice :D

Also good that you found a friendly/helpful gunshop dude, my hat is off to him/her. :D

Wish you all the best, and lots of good safe fun shootin' ahead :cool::D
 
Nice experience!! The XD is a great pistol. All I want to know is what the heck 1911's were you trying out that were less expensive than the XD??

I have shot handguns for the over 46 years and have never liked the idea of a single action as a CCW pistol. Most any da function gun is safer to use.
Click to expand...

Must bite tongue.....Must bite tongue...... :o
 
Congrats! XD's are great guns. I would own them, but they don't "fit my hand". Thanks for the post. The fit has always been one of the most important aspects in my decisions. Thanks again and enjoy the XD :D
 
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