New gun owner

A

Apsotle13

Inactive
Hello everybody,

Wanted to say Hi, I've enjoyed reading the forums here and learned quite a bit. Just registered as you can probably tell by how I misspelled my user name. My Father-in-law has been big into guns for years and I just never paid attention, but since the bug hit me he's been a great help. He's finally got someone to talk to about his hobby, and he's an excellent teacher.

I just bought my first handgun, a Ruger GP100 Match Champion. Really bought it for HD, but my wife and I love to go to the range and shoot just for enjoyment (we also may be watching too much of The Walking Dead).

As much as I love the simplicity of a revolver, I'll be looking for a semi-automatic soon; well, actually I'm hoping it will be a Christmas present. Shot quite a few 9mm's but haven't fallen in love with any. I'm leaning toward a 1911 but need to shoot a few more.

Anyway long live NRA, am finally paying attention to what our government has been up to regarding gun control and am pretty disgusted by it.

Thanks for reading this, and I'm sure I'll be looking for advice in the coming weeks.

Mark
 
im a ruger and a revolver guy myself so im glad with your first pick. may i next suggest a ruger sr22? you want a semiauto. everyone "needs" a 22lr. the sr22 is a ruger, will eat anything, can be a ccw, and is super easy to field strip. good luck!
 
and after your second, how about a ruger single action revolver as your third and fourth? ruger s/a are stout enough to be decent values as used pieces. the slower pace of a s/a is conducive to better aimed practice. i suggest a single six 22lr/wmr and a blackhawk 357/38/9mm. handguns, and rugers in particular, can be addictive: consider this to be a friendly warning. and thanks too for your new found support of the 2nd amendment!
 
I looked at a used Ruger SR9 and liked the feel, but I haven't thought about a 22. Unfortunately I live in California so I've gotta look at used for the SR's.
 
Welcome to TFL and congrats on a fine first purchase.

Don't be in too much of a hurry to get your next one. Shop around, and ideally find a range that rents a variety of guns - there's nothing like actually shooting when evaluating it.

In the meantime, spend lots of trigger time with your GP100. It'll serve you well.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.
Is your father in law someone who can show you how to shoot?
Not all people can do that.
Teaching someone else how to do something is quite a skill, maybe an art.
If he can't, think about getting some professional training.
Otherwise it's very likely you both will acquire poor techniques that are very difficult to cure.
 
Welcome to the Forum.

Glad you read up on what you should get as a first. I went thru the same process when I sold my junk guns and bought the GP100 4.2" 357. It is a super HD & Plinking gun. At 38 oz.. it just eats up 357 loads and 38's are incredibly easy on the hands.
Borland & Wilikers got it right on the nose. They both gave you excellent advice.
Doc
 
Just an opinion here so take it for what it cost you to read.....

But you have an outstanding firearm, master it.

Full size grip, perfect weight, outstanding sights (better than most factory autos), ultra reliable, practical manual of arms.

The GP100 as well as SP101 series are not only outstanding firearms to start on, they are outstanding for lifelong shooters as well. I would master it before I ever thought about moving to an auto. There is nothing that an auto will do for you better then a well mastered revolver in 99.99999999999% of potential situations.

People will push towards getting an auto because of capacity or perceived coolness, but none of that will trump what a wheel gun can offer for the vast majority of firearm owners. Find a well matched practice & S/D ammunition combination* learn some basic technique, and practice practice practice. You can easily buy 1000 rounds of training ammunition for the price of an entry level auto, spread it out over six weeks at 200 rounds per, and you'll likely outshoot most guys at the range.

*Winchesters Train/Defend line are excellent performers at non-boutique pricing, heck you can even start off with 38 Special and with the weight of the GP you can practice for hours.
 
Hey Apostle, I'm an old revolver guy just getting into a few autos. A good 1911 in 9mm is a great range gun. Their accuracy can be almost unbeatable, and the ergonomics and trigger action make them easy to actually use the inherent accuracy. The weight and sight radius in a full size 1911 make them easier to hit with than smaller, lighter guns. But a good 1911 is several hundred bucks more than a polymer framed 9mm. A 1911 is just a little more effort to maintain than the very easy polymer pistols.

There are a few easy to maintain, accurate, and very reliable pistols in the mid price range ($550-$750-ish). Beretta 92 and CZ75 families of pistols are all metal, very cool pistols. If you handle them in a store, they seem fairly large and heavy, like a 1911. But that size and weight is your friend when you actually want to drill a target.

As a general rule, poly framed pistols are actually harder to master. The lighter weight makes for more flinching. Many of them have heavy, mushy triggers that slows down the learning curve also. But they are rewarding and fun once mastered.
 
Hello and welcome Mark,

In my opinion this is the best firearm forum on the internet. There are many, many members here that have vast knowledge and experience in pretty much all aspects of the hobby. I think You'll be pleasantly surprised at how many here are willing to answer questions and share information without the petty BS and videogame "expertise" found on some other sites.

All the best,
Bill
 
Thanks for all the great insights!

I will definitely take the advice to heart about training. One of the reasons I really like the revolver is that it's so simple that you can focus on shooting fundamentals. Being an old guy, I'm still trying to figure out something as simple as whether bifocals are better and if so do I focus on the sights with the bottom of the bifocals or on the target with the upper part.

The desire for a semi-auto is just for fun. And Robert I like the idea of a 1911 in 9mm and am going to try a Kimber on Friday at the local gun range. That's mainly for cheaper ammo tho, I've shot the 45 and liked it a lot. Tried several polymer frame 9mm's and was not very accurate with them.
 
First, welcome to the forum, and to the ranks of folks who "cling bitterly to their guns and religion"!

I'll probably "stir up a big pot of crazy" with this statement, but I think the most learner-friendly defensive pistol (with excellent stopping power) is the 1911A1 in .45 acp. Most good 1911A1s will also accept a conversion kit to enable to the shooter to practice with .22 Long Rifle ammo. While you are getting well and truly grounded in the fundamentals of sight picture, stance, trigger control, and breathing, it is less expensive to do so, using .22 LR ammunition than if using box after box of .45 ACP factory ammunition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top