I chose not to shoot any of my guns.
Remember back to when you first started getting into guns. You probably rented a whole slew of different guns. You tried different makes, different calibers, different styles- every change you could think of to find what you liked. In fact that was half the fun. Then we started buying guns and developing preferences and many of us stopped ever renting different guns for the heck of it. For me I only rented when they had a particular model I was specifically thinking of buying and VERY occasionally if I saw something that I just had to try out. Today I decided to try several different guns (all that I've shot before but not for a while) just for the heck of it. Does anyone out there still do this?
I first shot a Ruger P90. Frankly, I'm not as impressed with it as I used to be. The DA trigger was WAY too long and heavy and the SA was unimpressive. Because of the trigger I wasn't very accurate with it, though I remember from my buddy and I shooting his that it can be so probably after a box or two more of ammo to get used to it that wouldn't have been a problem. I know how durable these are but since my P89 was my first auto I guess I never did notice just how sloppy the fit is. Still, I know how good the Ruger P series guns are, I'm just not as sure that I'm going to replace mine.
Next I shot a SIG P239 in 9mm (I've shot the .40 before). Sweet gun, though I didn't like the DA trigger as much as some. Very accurate, it had a nice SA trigger and it just feels right. Certainly solidified my desire to buy a P239 (in either .40 or 9mm).
Last (my hand still hurts and since you must buy ammo there when using range guns my wallet was beginning to hurt too), I shot a Beretta 96. I never was a big fan of the 92/96. I've rented them before and I never liked them much. I recognize that they are great guns but it just didn't do much for me in the past. I figured I may eventually get one since it is one of those guns that it seems everyone needs to eventually get but it was to be after I got all the "must haves" first (actually I probably would have got the Taurus version long before I'd get the Beretta because of the Taurus safety). Well, it still isn't my favorite but it was accurate and comfortable to shoot (well, somewhat comfortable considering my hand was already hurting). It is just that the gun feels too big. The grips seem much wider than they need to be to be very comfortable.
Despite being range guns that are almost never cleaned (they all had all kinds of crud and where the dirt and oil mixed slime all over them) they were all 100% reliable (though the Ruger felt like the slide was moving way too slow for the first few rounds).
Bottom line was that I forgot how much fun this can be. I'll have to again rent guns even if I am not planning on buying it soon thereafter. They have a Taurus PT111 in the case again (the last one was taken out when they had frame problems
) so maybe that will be one of the next ones (and a S&W auto or two, the Beretta 87, the Ruger GP100, the Ruger SuperBlackhawk .44mag, etc).
Remember back to when you first started getting into guns. You probably rented a whole slew of different guns. You tried different makes, different calibers, different styles- every change you could think of to find what you liked. In fact that was half the fun. Then we started buying guns and developing preferences and many of us stopped ever renting different guns for the heck of it. For me I only rented when they had a particular model I was specifically thinking of buying and VERY occasionally if I saw something that I just had to try out. Today I decided to try several different guns (all that I've shot before but not for a while) just for the heck of it. Does anyone out there still do this?
I first shot a Ruger P90. Frankly, I'm not as impressed with it as I used to be. The DA trigger was WAY too long and heavy and the SA was unimpressive. Because of the trigger I wasn't very accurate with it, though I remember from my buddy and I shooting his that it can be so probably after a box or two more of ammo to get used to it that wouldn't have been a problem. I know how durable these are but since my P89 was my first auto I guess I never did notice just how sloppy the fit is. Still, I know how good the Ruger P series guns are, I'm just not as sure that I'm going to replace mine.
Next I shot a SIG P239 in 9mm (I've shot the .40 before). Sweet gun, though I didn't like the DA trigger as much as some. Very accurate, it had a nice SA trigger and it just feels right. Certainly solidified my desire to buy a P239 (in either .40 or 9mm).
Last (my hand still hurts and since you must buy ammo there when using range guns my wallet was beginning to hurt too), I shot a Beretta 96. I never was a big fan of the 92/96. I've rented them before and I never liked them much. I recognize that they are great guns but it just didn't do much for me in the past. I figured I may eventually get one since it is one of those guns that it seems everyone needs to eventually get but it was to be after I got all the "must haves" first (actually I probably would have got the Taurus version long before I'd get the Beretta because of the Taurus safety). Well, it still isn't my favorite but it was accurate and comfortable to shoot (well, somewhat comfortable considering my hand was already hurting). It is just that the gun feels too big. The grips seem much wider than they need to be to be very comfortable.
Despite being range guns that are almost never cleaned (they all had all kinds of crud and where the dirt and oil mixed slime all over them) they were all 100% reliable (though the Ruger felt like the slide was moving way too slow for the first few rounds).
Bottom line was that I forgot how much fun this can be. I'll have to again rent guns even if I am not planning on buying it soon thereafter. They have a Taurus PT111 in the case again (the last one was taken out when they had frame problems
) so maybe that will be one of the next ones (and a S&W auto or two, the Beretta 87, the Ruger GP100, the Ruger SuperBlackhawk .44mag, etc).
. I'm just getting started. I don't currently have any handguns that are more than 7 months old (my first two guns were sold when I got the .357 and 1911). I finally with the Bersa have all my basic catagories filled (a 1911, a good 9mm service pistol, a service revolver, a small framed snub, a small auto and with the blackpowder gun a SA revolver) so I can start adding some just for the heck of it/to refine my choices but I never thought of it as anything but a very humble collection. I probably will have to take a break (no more than one, maybe two, a year) once I start graduate school.