For the 1st time gun buyers !

P

PLASTIC SIG

New member
I want to post this for all the new-to-be gun owners that are looking to buy. Alot of questions are posted here by newbies who want an honest opinion on guns they like, and i want them to be as cautious as possible in their purchase.

Ive been handling guns since i was about 13 years old and i learned the rules and basics from my father who was a collector himself. I lost contact with my father soon thereafter and didnt touch a gun since. When I turned 21 I became interested in buying my own gun. I didnt know much about them other than safe handling and that S&W was a good brand. I took a trip to my local gun shop. I didnt shop around before i fell in love with the star Firestar. I loved the starvel finish and i liked how compact it was for a .45 cal. So i bought it, for $400 !

Not only was the gun a lemon with constant problems forcing me to sell it after 2 trips to interarms, but after looking around i realized i paid way too much for it

I really despise the shop that sold it to me for such a high price.They never asked me what my interest were. They never asked me what i had in mind. They never offered any advice.

I guess thats the price you pay when you are young, have no guidance on gun buying and some bastard wants to rip off such a consumer. I learned my lesson and have gotten great deals from honest gun shops since. I havent bought as much as a cotton swab from that shop again, and have turned many away from them and lead them to an honest dealer.

The lesson here is, Shop around,ask questions. Rent every gun you can get your hands on. make sure you know what features you want. Never buy a gun without researcing it first. If you are reading this you probably already made the decision to get all the info you can before buying. Just be careful, dont get ripped off. If you do, it'll be a learning experence, one no one should have to go through, but it happens.

Good Luck !

Tim :)

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Why dont you get rid of that nickel plated sissy pistol and get yourself a glock. :::Tommy Lee Jones:::
 
I had a similar experience with my first gun purchase. I didn't grow up around guns and the only thing I knew about them was the little that I learned from watching TV.

I decided to get a .38 special snubbie because that's what Joe Mannix use to carry (for those that never heard of the show, TVLand is running re-runs of it). I went to a gunshop and the guy talked me into buying a single action .22LR Bersa because the Bersa held ten rounds instead of just six.

I didn't know anything about calibers or pistols VS revolvers and went with this guy's recommendation. To keep this post short, the gun jammed about once a magazine. After learning more about firearms, I quickly put the gun up for sale.

Share what you know, learn what you don't -- FUD
fud-nra.gif
 
When I first started, I stuck with Smith and Wesson revolvers and Colt semi-autos and was never disappointed. Anymore, it seems like buying a gun, new or used, is just a crap shoot as far as quality control. All of the major manufacturers are making some great guns. Likewise, they all turn out a lemon from time to time.
 
Call it dumb luck, but I researched my first gun for about a month...and bought an HK P7M13. An absolutely amazing gun. Every one I got subsequently couldn't compare...

Whenever buying something you admit you know little about, do a LOT of research, and ask a LOT of questions. And take your time.
 
First I want to say that most gun dealers are honest businessmen who truly care about selling the customer the firearm that’s right for his o her needs. Well, others are just scum bags who want to turn a quick buck. They’ll steer you towards a gun that they make a greater margin on. Or they will treat you like an idiot. There’s one dealer I know who displays a sign that reads "I answer stupid questions. I’m a gun dealer." I walked in and saw that sign. A few minutes of conservation revealed what I already knew. He’s a jerk. I never went back. Besides researching what you want, also research the prices. Also ask if they will go down on the price. Or negotiate some extra ammo or a spare mag. The worst they can say is no. Even us seasoned gun owners still research before making a purchase. I wish these discussion boards were around when I first started shooting.
 
In defense of the gun shop folks, keep in mind they are businessmen, not gun evangelists. They are in business to make a living or make a good healthy capitalist profit, not to make sure every person has just the gun he wants. Also, until you work in a gun shop, you have no idea how many people come in with all kinds of pre-conceived BS or stuff they heard from their granddaddy in the war so they won't listen to you. We had a woman come in looking to buy a Glock 27 because that's what her brother-in-law the policeman told her to get. That's what he carries. We tried to suggest to her that a .38Spec revolver was a much better idea for someone who only wanted to practice once or twice a year and then just carry it for personal defense. But she insisted and even got hostile about it. What do you do? Tell her to leave? And then tell your family you didn't sell a gun that day you could have because of your principles? I'd agree with the warning to 1st time buyers to do your homework, just like you would if you were buying a TV or a car. But just realize that you're dealing with a business when you go through the door. We'll help you if you'll listen, but if you don't want to listen, we'll let you spend your money and get your lesson in life.
 
I would like to personally thank all of you in this group about making the switch from anti to owner a helpful lesson. Not only did I narrow the guns down to what I wanted, I also fell in love with the final choice, Walther P99- 40. I learned the bennie's and cons of what a .40 over a .45 would do. I got fair, unbiased opinion- well 500 biased opinion used to form my own...

The posted- less obvious- rules for safe shooting are great, i.e. one bullit at a time, etc.

I still am not as radical as some of the post-ers in this forum, and have no desire to shoot a census worker, but see how ignorance and the American general inability to accept responsibility is eroding my constitutuional rights. I have been paying more attention to certain things in the media and hopefully can contribute to the "Cause."
 
hube1236,
We don't want to shoot census workers. We just want them to count how many people live in the home, and not try to find out our names, races, ages, what kind of car we drive, and how often we have bowel movements. I'm not sure if the last two were on the long form, but it wouldn't srprise me if they were.
Eric

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Formerly Puddle Pirate.
Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.
 
We need more converts like hube1236 who are willing to take the time to actually listen to both sides of gun issues and INTELLIGENTLY
decide for THEMSELVES rather than be spoon-fed their views by the PC crowd. I applaud you, hube1236, for having the guts to think on your own. By the way, I don't consider myself a radical either but I do think you'll find that most TFL members are very sincere, honest people and would help you in a minute if you needed it. Welcome to the world of free thought.

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Think!
 
When I first started in the shooting sports I didn't make a lot of money back then, this was about 73-74. My first hunting rifle was a .303 Enfield. As I continued, I spoke with other people that I worked and hunted with.They put me onto a fellow who ran a small gun shop out of his garage out in the country, No longer country anymore. I started frequenting the shop and talking with this gentleman and learning everything I could from this man. He knew what he was talking about. When I wanted to purchase my first handgun for hunting he led me in the direction of a new gun Ruger had just come out with.It was the New Model Blackhawk .357 in SS. He didn't steer me wrong,sold me a good gun for what I could afford and always backed it up when I had a problem or a question. I really liked the guy and I always enjoyed visiting his shop. I purchased quite a few guns from him over time. One day he decided to no longer sell handguns and that sort of put the kyboshes to my visits. But after all these years and its been alot I can still walk in at his shop and he always remembers me and has a good word. I have bought some rifles from him since he gave up handguns but my main interest is still handguns. But all in all I still find time to visit his little shop in the one time country just to shoot the breeze,and maybe even buy a rifle once in awhile. But anyway I have to say thanks to that guy because he got me started into handgunning and did so like my father would have. :)

Happy Shooting :)

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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous

[This message has been edited by loknload (edited May 07, 2000).]
 
This is truly a nice post for instructing new shooters. Thanks for sharing it Plastic Sig.

I have only been into the sport of shooting for the last year. I had no prior experience with firearms of any nature. I found that visiting the Firing Line, emailing fellow shooters, and speaking one on one with shooter’s at the range, gave me a broader knowledge when it came time to make my first purchase. I asked many questions and one year later I’m still asking!

I was told over and over safety first! To me, safety meant researching and abiding by rules put forth by the more experienced shooters. That included listening to them when it came time to make purchases, and listening to their instructions to help me master my shooting skills.

Sorry guys, but I think it is hard sometimes for new shooters, especially men, to say, “Help me, I haven’t go a clue what I’m doing.” ;) I have found by saying those words, I’ve been instructed and taught a significant amount more than most new shooters. I’m very proud of what I’ve learned from those that are more experienced in the field.

The key: listen to those with more knowledge than yourself.

Jessica


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Shooter's Enrichment

[This message has been edited by LadydeeJ (edited May 07, 2000).]
 
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