New to the site and guns.

[HTRN]

It's a 12 gauge. It'll have recoil, but the 870 has been around forever, so the design is really reliable. 12 gauge ammo is also easy to find in pretty much any configuration you want.

Federal Flite Control is the shit right now for hd shotgun ammo. It's also seriously not cheap, even before the wuflu nonsense started. I just wished they sold the wads..

[Netpackrat]

I have a Keltec, used to carry the Keltec. Would stay away from Keltec as a carry gun. They are good, until they are not.

Can you elaborate on “they’re good, until they are not.”

I carried a P3AT for several years and when I would practice with it, it was always reliable and then one day I started getting occasional malfunctions. Tried different magazines, tried replacing springs, and ultimately bought my 442 and carried it instead. Keltec is said to have good warranty service but I would never trust it again so I have not bothered.

[Netpackrat]

It's a 12 gauge. It'll have recoil, but the 870 has been around forever, so the design is really reliable. 12 gauge ammo is also easy to find in pretty much any configuration you want.

Federal Flite Control is the shit right now for hd shotgun ammo. It's also seriously not cheap, even before the wuflu nonsense started. I just wished they sold the wads..

Totally pointless and maybe even counterproductive to use a wad designed to produce tight patterns at extended ranges at home defense distances.

[HTRN]

Totally pointless and maybe even counterproductive to use a wad designed to produce tight patterns at extended ranges at home defense distances.

You may have to engage others outside the house.

Better to have the option and not need it, then need it and not have it.

[thefifthscallop]

I have a Keltec, used to carry the Keltec. Would stay away from Keltec as a carry gun. They are good, until they are not.

Can you elaborate on “they’re good, until they are not.”

I carried a P3AT for several years and when I would practice with it, it was always reliable and then one day I started getting occasional malfunctions. Tried different magazines, tried replacing springs, and ultimately bought my 442 and carried it instead. Keltec is said to have good warranty service but I would never trust it again so I have not bothered.

What would you say are the most common malfunctions with handguns(any manufacturer)?

[Weetabix]

What would you say are the most common malfunctions with handguns(any manufacturer)?

I'll get my guess in quick before the experts weigh in.

Failure to feed or failure to eject due to limp wristing is the one I've seen most often in new shooters. I've taken lots of first timers to the range where I provided eyes, ears, handguns I own, ammo, and targets. Limp wristing has cause most of the problems I've seen.

Limp wristing means that you're not holding the weapon tightly enough, basically from your shoulder to the fingers. A semiautomatic uses recoil from the round to eject the spent case and load a new round. If you are too limp, you absorb some of the recoil in your arm instead of the slide's employing it for the eject/load cycle.

[Weetabix]

I can't remember if anyone has mentioned range gear.

Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Sport Sound Amplification Electronic Shooting Earmuff are good, inexpensive electronic ear protection.
SureFire EP4 Sonic Defenders are good in ear protection.
HEAROS Xtreme Ear plugs are great foam, in ear protection. Very good, and you'd have spares to share
Walker's Razor Bluetooth Behind The Neck Hearing Protection Ear Buds with sound amplification and compression are great for rifle shooting. They don't interfere with cheek weld. There are settings that are very necessary for indoor shooting.

Get ballistic rated eye protection. Ugly ones are cheap. Stylish ones aren't too expensive. But make sure they're ballistic rated. Don't just use sunglasses or regular glasses, though lots of ranges will let you.

I keep an old Leatherman in my range bag. It's proved helpful many times, mostly for tightening screws, but also for clearing the occasional stuck case.

Google pdf printable targets. The targets you buy at the range are neat and all, but they add up after a while. Printing them is cheap. That said, the "splash" targets you can buy will make it very easy to see where you hit.

ETS Elite Tactical Systems CAM Speed Loaders will save your thumbs and give you more time to shoot.

I love my G.P.S. Handgunner Backpack. Keeps everything handy. The foam storage cradle is fine for slender autos, but less useful for full size autos or revolvers.

You should be able to copy and search for most of those on Amazon. I just copied the title from my purchases.

[Netpackrat]

Totally pointless and maybe even counterproductive to use a wad designed to produce tight patterns at extended ranges at home defense distances.

You may have to engage others outside the house.

Better to have the option and not need it, then need it and not have it.

So keep slugs handy for the unlikely longer range shot you may need to take. For a tube fed gun you can keep them in a butt cuff or on a side saddle. In the mag pouch for my Saiga, two of the magazines are nothing but slugs. But for normal shotgun ranges and especially inside of a building, the flite control wads are negating one of the shotgun's advantages, which is the spread of the shot. What would have been a miss with single projectile weapon like a rifle or handgun can become at least a marginal hit, which is good for you, and bad for your assailant.

[Netpackrat]

What would you say are the most common malfunctions with handguns(any manufacturer)?

I'll get my guess in quick before the experts weigh in.

Failure to feed or failure to eject due to limp wristing is the one I've seen most often in new shooters. I've taken lots of first timers to the range where I provided eyes, ears, handguns I own, ammo, and targets. Limp wristing has cause most of the problems I've seen.

Limp wristing means that you're not holding the weapon tightly enough, basically from your shoulder to the fingers. A semiautomatic uses recoil from the round to eject the spent case and load a new round. If you are too limp, you absorb some of the recoil in your arm instead of the slide's employing it for the eject/load cycle.

In addition to the above, probably the two biggest causes for any auto loader to malfunction are faulty ammo or magazines. Beyond that you can get into things like worn recoil springs and more subtle mechanical issues, which is why I simply switched to a different pistol and got on with my life once I had exhausted the easy options with the P3AT.

[thefifthscallop]

I can't remember if anyone has mentioned range gear.

Howard Leight by Honeywell Impact Sport Sound Amplification Electronic Shooting Earmuff are good, inexpensive electronic ear protection.
SureFire EP4 Sonic Defenders are good in ear protection.
HEAROS Xtreme Ear plugs are great foam, in ear protection. Very good, and you'd have spares to share
Walker's Razor Bluetooth Behind The Neck Hearing Protection Ear Buds with sound amplification and compression are great for rifle shooting. They don't interfere with cheek weld. There are settings that are very necessary for indoor shooting.

Get ballistic rated eye protection. Ugly ones are cheap. Stylish ones aren't too expensive. But make sure they're ballistic rated. Don't just use sunglasses or regular glasses, though lots of ranges will let you.

I keep an old Leatherman in my range bag. It's proved helpful many times, mostly for tightening screws, but also for clearing the occasional stuck case.

Google pdf printable targets. The targets you buy at the range are neat and all, but they add up after a while. Printing them is cheap. That said, the "splash" targets you can buy will make it very easy to see where you hit.

ETS Elite Tactical Systems CAM Speed Loaders will save your thumbs and give you more time to shoot.

I love my G.P.S. Handgunner Backpack. Keeps everything handy. The foam storage cradle is fine for slender autos, but less useful for full size autos or revolvers.

You should be able to copy and search for most of those on Amazon. I just copied the title from my purchases.

I don’t believe anyone has mentioned any of this gear, and thank you for doing so, because this was something that I hadn’t even thought of yet.

The backpack you mentioned looks sweet! I actually think I can put that thing to use for my profession(HVAC service tech). Looks like it would be the perfect tool bag.