New Shooter

G

Guthepenguin

Inactive
Alright, a brief introduction. I'm 23 and I live in Utah during the school year and Arkansas during the summers. I've always had an interest in firearms, but never the opportunity to act on that interest. However, a recent event in my life has given me the ability to purchase a couple firearms and the time to learn how to use them.

I'm a new shooter.

I recently purchased a Sig P239 in 9mm and a Ruger SP101 in .357, both for the purpose of concealed carry. I haven't shot the P239 yet, but purchased it based on its similarities to the P226, which I had tried out at a local range a couple of times before and loved it. I've only shot the SP101 using .38 special, and only one time. Loved it, also.

I recently took the CCW class here in Utah, and will be sending out my paperwork tomorrow.

Seeing as I plan on using them for more than just target shooting, I'm interested in situational learning as well. Are there any tips/tricks/lessons/advice that all of you out there with experience would like to offer? What resources do you recommend I take advantage of in order to improve and expand my skills?

Feel free to ask questions, I'm almost positive I've left out some bit of useful information. I'm new, and when you're new, sometimes you don't even know the right questions to ask.
 
Welcome to the forum. I would suggest checking with a local range to see what classes are available. There is a lot to learn and hands on training gets better and faster results then what most people will learn from books. Books can be useful to a point but never will replace then instructor in my opinion.

You have to remember using short barrel pistols are harder to hit your target then guns with longer barrels in many cases. I prefer to start people with longer barreled guns and work down to the shorter ones. I'm not saying it can't be done the other way. It just seems to be easier going from long to short.

Being proficient at self defense distances is important. You should always be aware that under stress you will never be quite as good as when shooting on the range. A surge of adrenalin added to a bit of tunnel vision changes things fast. Your training kicking in is what normally gets you through those times. This is why I stress getting some training. A cc coarse is a nice start but it shouldn't be the end of the training. Being aware of what is going on around you is very important. Seeing the warning signs in the faces of people in the area will give you a good clue about when it is time to leave. I would prefer to avoid trouble rather then stay and see I can survive a bad situation. That being said, being prepared as best you can just might save your life too.

I do carry often and practice even more.
 
Couple things you can do.

Take further classes, such as a Home Defense or Level II course. Probably a good idea to get some range time under your belt first.

I recently got into IDPA style matches and have really enjoyed them. It teaches you to shoot accurately from concealment, around barriers and under time constraints. Very helpful and fun. You don't have to be good, just safe.
 
new/entry level shooting, CCW issues, training...

These topics come up often on firearms/tactics websites...

In short I'd advise the following;
1) Learn & understand the gun, use of force and carry laws of where you live or travel. WA based atty; David Wong wrote a great guide to gun & knife laws.
Changes or new laws/ordanances take place too. Don't go by gun shop yo-yos or bar talk. That does not hold up in open court. ;)
2) Get quality training/skill building. It's far better to save up the $$$ and go to Thunder Ranch, SIG Sauer Academy, LFI, etc than to go to a local class or seminar run by a firearms instructor with a limited background.
As posts state, take a 4hr class or 1 day program first before you spend huge amounts on weapon training. Honestly, some classes/courses are better than others. The NRA can provide resources too.
3) Use high quality gear, equipment and ammunition. Budgets and/or $ may be tight in 2011, but to use cheap kit or low end products may have serious ramifications later on. :(
If you do have a use of force event or are required to justify your actions, it will reflect far better on you if you take these simple steps. I've owned-used 3 different LE handguns(brand new, surplus). If asked, I could clearly explain how or why I chose the weapon.
4) Practice and train as often as you can. Marksmanship is important and to be skilled with either your semi-auto or snub revolver could save your life.
5) Only use or carry new factory made handgun rounds. Some forum members say it's ok to use handloads or reloaded rounds. I strongly disagree. Check your carry rounds often and replace it with brand new ammunition every 4-6mo. Dust, dirt, lint, grit etc can get into your spare rounds. To ensure top performance, replace the carry or duty rounds. You can shoot up the old rounds and stay up to date with the muzzle flash, recoil, noise too.

In closing, I suggest joining the NRA, www.NRA.org . The group is not perfect but they support 2A issues and citizens who buy/use firearms.

Clyde F
 
First, memorize and follow the Four Rules: http://thefiringline.com/library/safetyrules.html
Understand and follow applicable laws for firearms and the use of force in your state. Your class should have covered this, but make sure you stay up to date.

For training, I would recommend a combination of introductory and intermediate classes to start. If your marksmanship is not great, take a beginner's course for basic handgun skills. You should feel comfortable loading, unloading, clearing common jams, and hitting a saucer-sized target at 7 yards consistently.

After that, you should learn some more applied techniques for carry. A proper drawstroke for how you carry is extremely important. "Defensive pistol" classes would be a good place to look. Important skills to learn would be the drawstroke (from concealment if you carry concealed), accuracy under speed/pressure, moving, firing from non-standard stances, etc.
 
Sounds like you're off to a good start! Plus you found the right place ;)

I was in your position a few years ago and TFL has been a priceless resource.
 
Welcome aboard.
Where you at in UT? Recommendations for someone from St.George will be different than someone from Logan. General region at least. :)
 
Thanks to everyone who's posted so far! If anyone has any additional insights, I'd like to learn all that I possibly can.

I've started searching for classes, locally and from the Sig Sauer Academy as well (I'll look into those other major ones you mentioned as well).

I'm in Provo, UT.

TFL seems so much more helpful than Sigforum. That place wouldn't even let me register. I found this place trying to figure out how to sign up for that place, and thank the Google, I found something better.
 
I'm a newbie too

My husband and in-laws are the ones who have introduced me to shooting. My father-in-law has been especially instrumental because he was a firearms safety instructor for many years. Although I have only been shooting a few times, I have enjoyed several advantages: learning to shoot from people who have done it for decades and shooting many different types of guns. I got to shoot a 9mm Beretta semiauto, a .380 S & W semiauto, a .22 Marlin plinker rifle, a .38 special, a .22 LR pistol, a Hi Point 9mm carbine (a very accurate and reliable gun, even though others may think otherwise), a Cobra FS .380 jamomatic POS, and my own Ruger 9mm P93DC semiauto. However, I was not planning on taking a class before my concealed carry. Maybe that would be a good idea, based on the suggestions of the more experienced members.
 
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