New handgun owner, what to do first?

K

Kiffster

New member
Thanks to an great member of this forum, I'm soon going to be the proud owner of a NIB Sig 229! My question to him and all of you experienced gun owners out there, is what to do with this magnificent piece of equipment once I get it. (Besides the obvious I mean - shoot the heck out of it :D)

I need some first cleaning suggestions, including what kind of cleaners you like and other tips. Pointing out good web sites that have all the info is certainly as good as posting it here.

Also, what should I do on my first trip to the range. I want to learn about my gun and how it shoots, so should I start close in and check the sights, put it in a rest, or something else? All I want to do the minute I get the gun is shoot a couple boxes of ammo at my friends farm, but I want to do it right so let me know if you have other suggestions.

Thanks for your answers and hints for a new handgun owner (and new member of the NRA).
Kiffster
 
1: READ THE MANUAL
2: RE-READ THE MANUAL
3: FOLLOWING THE MANUAL, FIELD STRIP THE PISTOL
4: MANUAL IN HAND,STUDY THE INNARDS OF THE PISTOL
5: FOLLOWING THE MANUAL, REASSEMBLE THE PISTOL

Do 3 thru 5 a couple of more times and you will start to understand how it works.

There are any number of good gun cleaning items on the market, Gun Scrubber, Hoppes Semi-Auto solvent, the Tetra line of lubes and solvents. Buy a lot of cotton swabs, find an old tooth brush (or use your MIL's and put it back), several bronze bore brushes, a cleaning rod, lots and lots of patches, and a jag.
Before re-assembling the last time, lube the slide and frame rails, rub a little lube on teh outside of the barrel and put'er together.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
Kiffster;
I am going to assume that this is your first handgun but not your first gun.If I am correct all is ok but if this is your first gun I suggest taking some novice firearm courses both for safty and knowledge.
Good luck


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beemerb
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world;
and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men
every day who don't know anything and can't read.
-Mark Twain
 
Congratulations :D

Every time you pick up your gun, check to make sure it's not loaded. That means _every_ _single_ _time_. If it's loaded, and it falls, it's best not to grab for it because of the danger of getting a finger inside the trigger guard. If you don't have a holster, buy one.

Also try Breakfree CLP for light cleaning, lubing and protecting. I use Lubriplate grease on the rails of my auto, and wherever the slide contacts the frame.

ALWAYS REMEMBER that "a little dab will do you" with all the products mentioned so far in this thread. Don't get the insides of your gun so wet with solvents or oils that gunk will flow down where it shouldn't.

If you have doubts about doing something, ask someone first. If you don't want to take a safety course, at least read some books. Eventually, you'll want to benchrest fire the gun, maybe with different brands of ammo, to determine its level of accuracy.

Take extreme care in the cleaning and handling of the barrel of your gun, especially the muzzle and its crown. Whenever possible, I use wooden cleaning rods (bamboo bbq skewers) . Lead and copper buildup will effect accuracy. Solvent must be given time enough to soften copper, you can't just scrub it out.

Be Safe. Enjoy.
 
Find yourself a mentor who has been there and done it and stick to the person like glue. My first mentor was a retired DEA agent. he had been there and done it.

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"When guns are outlawed;I will be an outlaw."

[This message has been edited by Will Beararms (edited May 15, 2000).]
 
Glad that you could join us "gun toting crazies."

-No, but seriously, remember, SAFETY. Keep your weapons pointed down range, always check your weapons for a round in the chamber.

-As mentioned before, assembly and disassembly. Very important.

-Get acquainted with your gun. Be familiar with the safeties. Shoot a few hundered rounds and get experienced with the action of the pistol. Do all of this before you decide to keep it in your nightstand next to your bed with a round in the chamber.

-Give it a cute pet name.

-Get others involved in shooting. Remove the stigmitism that is placed on handguns now a days.
 
Thanks for the advice so far.

Jim V,
Did I get you right, did you say read the manual? Don't beat around the bush man, tell me what to do! :D

beemerb,
You are right. I grew up shooting and cleaning long arms, but this is my first pistol. I did handle a .22 revolver growing up, but this is just a tad bit different. ;)

Jeff, CA,
Thanks, dry firing is a good idea. Do I need to clean and lube the pistol before dry firing and racking the slide multiple times? I presume it comes protected with some lube on it. I supose the best way to find that out is as Jim V said, READ THE MANUAL.

Ledbetter,
Thanks for the great tips. That's what I was looking for.

Will Beararms,
I agree about the mentor idea. I do know a CRNA that likes to shoot, maybe I'll contact him. I don't have great connections in my area of MN yet.

purpleviking,
You've got to be from my state. :D My wife names the cars, I guess my job will be to name the guns. :cool: I agree about removing the stigmitism regarding guns. I talk to many people at work about them, and as medical/trauma people they think it's their responsibility to be anti-gun. :rolleyes: When I challenge their logic, they usually come around to some extent.

Pilate,
I promised my wife that a safe will be my next purchase.

Thanks and keep them coming, Kiffster
 
Do all the things everyone else recommended. But on top of that:

1. Apply for a concealed weapons permit if it is available in your state. After you do this, purchase a good holster or two for your gun. I carry my 229 in an Uncle Mike's Sidekick beltslide holster (about 20 bucks).

2. Buy a good set of eye and hearing protection. A good set should cost about 15 bucks per piece. Or you can get ear-plugs for about 2 bucks. You could also splurge on the electric earmuffs for 100 and up.

3. Get some extra magazines. For defensive purposes, I always like to have at least 3 mags, preferably hi-caps (12 rounds for the 229 in .40/.357; they're going for around 85 bucks each). I have 2 10 rounders and 3 12 rounders for my 229.

4. Similarly, buy yourself at least 40-50 rounds of good, hollowpoint ammo. Cor-bon, Hydrashok, Black Talons, Golden Sabers, etc. You should carry this in your Sig and 2 spare mags in your Uncle Mike's holster!
 
Well, kiffster. Amen, brother. A gun will kill a person just as easily as a shovel, poison, or a knife. Please help our cause. Defend the 2nd Ammendment as a new gun owner. Show your peers around you the lies that anti-gunners tell. Show them the sport of target shooting and show them the right to self-defense.
 
Hello, Kifster! The sage advice given about covers it all except to say, "Welcome aboard." I might suggest that you join NRA or other pro-Freedom groups fighting for your Right to keep and use your weapon. Also, if you like this and keep it up, you will learn and advance. Somewhere down the line, you may be able to help someone else learn safe pistol use. Do it. Best to you, sir, and good shooting.
 
Congratulations on your new purchase!! I cannot really think of anything that you should do beyond what the other wise members here at TFL have said. I just wanted to congratulate you, and remind you to be patient during your learning process, you'll learn something new everytime (at least I have). Good luck to you sir, and safe shooting.

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You can fight without ever winning, but never win without a fight. --Rush
 
Here's a tip that I use to quickly increase my trigger control on a new or different gun. The first few sessions with the different gun I shoot at very close distance, maybe 5-7 feet, and I dry fire *at least* ten times for each actual shot while taking extra care to concentrate on the front sight and holding my sight picture steady while squeezing off the shot. I also make sure to obtain a follow up sight picture after each dry fire and the actual live round. If you start practicing this now it comes much more naturally when you start doing double taps and speed drills.

I'll dry fire 10-15 times and then load one round and take a deliberate aimed shot at a high contrast target (white background with 6" orange circle) letting the target and rear sights blur out while the front sight is kept in crisp clear focus, then dry fire 10-15 times, repeat... Of course I have usually dry fired the gun at least 500 times to get a feel for the trigger and sights before I even set up targets.

I don't worry about accuracy or tight groups as much to begin with as I do learning the trigger pull and the recoil characteristics of the "new" gun. I have never seen a need for a Ransom Rest or similar device with a handgun. All I see rests being good for would be those insanely tight 25-50 yard groups that those magazine guys print. :)

Also, make some practice draws, slow at first, bringing the gun to eye level and finding that front sight. Bring the rear sights to the plane of the front sight and squeeze the shot off while holding the front sight "center mass" on the high contrast target. Again, you want to keep absolute focus on the front sight. The target should be a blur, hence the recommendation of a high contrast pattern for starters.

In my opinion, shot placement and trigger control means more than magazine capacity. Spend the money that the high cap mags (only two more rounds per mag for $85? :o) would cost on practice ammo and targets. The money it would take to get two 12 round mags would get you 1000 practice rounds. Guess which one would provide more fun?? :D Once you have mastered your pistol's trigger, recoil and sights, then you might consider getting high cap mags if you feel like you need them. FWIW, two more won't matter if you can't put 'em where it counts. Just something to think about.

Remember, the front sight is your best friend. Get to know it very well. :D And last but certainly not least... HAVE FUN!!!!!! :D

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***************************
Georgia TFL'ers get together:
May 20, 2000-From 3pm to 6pm
http://www.wolfcreek-gun.com
***************************

R6...aka...Chris



[This message has been edited by Rainbow Six (edited May 16, 2000).]
 
Get a snapcap for dryfiring.

When you clean the barrel, always do it from the breech end first. You want to push dirt away from the breech. This also helps avoid damage to the muzzle.
 
Sign up for an NRA handgun safety class.
Attend same.
Sign up for the next level class
Attend same.
etc.
Oh, and read that manual!!!!
Join the NRA!!

[This message has been edited by denfoote (edited May 16, 2000).]
 
Now that you know what to do first, I'm gona tell you what to do second. Start saving for you next handgun, you'll be coming to that. I've been through that.
BTW, welcome to TFL.

vega
 
Congratulations, there is some good advice above.
Here some suggested reading material:
"The Farnam Method of Defensive Handgunning, by John S. Farnam"
"The Street Smart Gun Book, by John S. Farnam--a little dated but still very good points to consider and is worth the read"
"In The Gravest Extreme, by Massad Ayoob---another book that is a little dated but is also worth the read"
Also he has one called in the "Gravest Extreme, which covers quite a bit and gives a different look or opinion on some areas.....
----There are plenty more books out there and schools that teach defensive handgunning, you might want to consider one, if there none in your area, there are seminars from time to time......the two folks mentioned above both have web pages...fubsy.
 
The ranges I frequently shoot all have range officers (RO's). My advice would be to talk with the RO when you go to the range and mention to him that this is the first time with your new weapon. If he/she is like most RO's, he will station you close to where he is, will offer you any help he can, and will alert you to anything that might be unsafe. You will have the reasurance that a knowledgeable person is close by and this will go a long way to having a good "first time" experience. If you're receptive, I'll bet he/she will offer tips on shooting techniques no charge. They also help with any jams/misfires. Keep the muzzle downrange and happy shooting. Welcome to the club. Bill
 
Kiffster,

I agree with all the posts re maintenance, practicing, mentorship, and so forth.

However, I want to reiterate the importance of SAFETY -- it must always be your #1 priority. I strongly recommend you constantly "think safety". Learn -- and always abide by -- the simple, clear rules for safe firearms use (see the top of every TFL page). And add to these rules your own never-violated standards re firearms storage.

Firearms ownership clearly is a most serious responsibility because of the harm to innocents potentially incurred. A minor maintenance error with a Sig will likely cause no long-term damage, but even a slight deviation from safety rules and/or a moment's inattentiveness can ruin lives (including yours).

I truly apologize for "preaching", but safety should be your foremost concern -- whether novice or expert.

Have fun and welcome!
 
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