Got glasses?
Greysmoke,
I did not see eye protection in your list. Did I miss them?
Hearing loss is permanent and gradual. Vision loss (to an accident) is also permanent, and sudden. Neither enhances your shooting fun.
Get glasses, but not glass; glass can shatter. Polycarbonate is good. If you wear glasses already, protect both them and your eyes with shooting goggles or a face shield. Pietro Beretta's advice about the ANSI standard is good. Probably any "Shooting Glasses" you find in a reputable gun store as well as many industrial hardware stores will meet those standards. The fine print on the packaging will certainly say so if they do meet the standards.
I can attest to being hit in the face with particles spit from the side of another shooter's gun, ejected brass and ricocheted small pieces (hard enough to break the skin of my cheek - my eyes were protected) of whatever. Not often, but once is enough.
I use earmuffs and plugs. A few years ago the range I frequented had a representative from a custom plug maker with a special. They were making custom-molded earplugs for half the normal price. I jumped on that with both feet, or maybe both ears. They work better than any ear plug I have ever tried (and it gives me a good excuse to buy K-Y Jelly). They would be worth the full price, but I would never have known it without the half-price sale. Now, if I lost them, I would buy another pair.
Happy shooting.
Ditto on the recommendations for a .22 rimfire. Practice of sight alignment, trigger control and all the safety processess you want to become second nature takes a lot A LOT or rounds fired downrange. 5 to 10 times cheaper with a rimfire. Just try to get one with controls that operate similarly to your primary weapon. That was the reason for the invention of Ruger's 22/45 in the first place. Grip angle was only the start of it. Mag release, safety are similar, too. (At least that's what I am told.)
Remember, only believe half of what you see and one quarter of what you hear. That goes double for what you get from the internet. Even this post.
Do your own independent, confirming research when ANYONE gives you new facts on the web.
Also remember, even the idiotic stuff might have a kernel of truth buried in there somewhere.
Lost Sheep
disclaimer: I do not know you, so if my advice seems over-obvious, take into account my ignorance of your experience level. Also, other readers of all experience levels are reading.
Lost Sheep.
Mine now fills A small room in the house.
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