New to the site and guns.

The place for beginners, or anyone else, to talk about gun, gear, and shooting topics with a minimum of jargon and/or geekery. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask that blows up in your face later.
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randy
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by randy »

thefifthscallop wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:23 am Is there a gun that is more suited for a woman?
Yes. The one she likes. ;)

See my previous post about Darlin' Daughter and her choice to go with the Glock 26.

She also shoots and likes my Browning Hi Powers, but she doesn't get those until after the reading of my will. Unfortunately, while the BHP is a favorite of many women I've know or heard about, they are no longer in production, so the ones out there are very expensive (as in you can buy 2-3 Glocks for the price of 1 BHP), so I can't really recommend to someone starting out. (It's one reason I went to Glock after decades of carrying a BHP)

And if the guy behind the counter starts pushing her to small J Frame revolvers or other small "cute" guns without her having tried them on the range, smile nicely, walk away and ignore everything he's told her up to that point. She may find she likes those guns just fine, but she shouldn't make a purchasing decision until putting at least a box of ammo through it on the rental range. J Frame revolvers are NOT beginners guns IMHO, and the recoil from them when shooting defensive ammo has turned many off shooting altogether.
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
thefifthscallop
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by thefifthscallop »

randy wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:32 am
thefifthscallop wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:23 am

And if the guy behind the counter starts pushing her to small J Frame revolvers or other small "cute" guns without her having tried them on the range, smile nicely, walk away and ignore everything he's told her up to that point. She may find she likes those guns just fine, but she shouldn't make a purchasing decision until putting at least a box of ammo through it on the rental range. J Frame revolvers are NOT beginners guns IMHO, and the recoil from them when shooting defensive ammo has turned many off shooting altogether.

That seems like a really good piece of advice. Thank you.
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Netpackrat
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by Netpackrat »

I am going to go somewhat against the current here, and just say to get the Gen 5 flavor of Glock 19 to begin with. It's basically the universal pistol. There may be other pistols that "fit you better" or some such BS, but go to a good trainer and they will have you shooting the 19 more than well enough to do the job. Once you have some of the fundamentals down, you will be able to try other pistols if you still wish to do so, and you'll have enough of a foundation of skill to be able to make intelligent comparisons between your Glock and those other pistols. Also, the Gen 5 has interchangeable backstraps for the grips, so you will be able to tune it to fit to some extent anyway.

But the most important thing is to get something good and not waste a lot of time hunting for perfect (at least in the beginning), because you never know when you may actually need it to fulfill its intended purpose. Hopefully that day won't ever come, but you never really know.

I would also not make your first defensive gun a long gun of any kind, because the most effective home defense gun is the one that you have ON YOU when you need it. In the monthly magazine published by the NRA, they usually have a column called "The Armed Citizen" which consists of news stories of people who have successfully used firearms in self defense. The most common theme, is a home or business is invaded by violent criminals, and then the home or business owner spends some period of time getting his ass beaten, stabbed, or shot until such time as he is able to retrieve his firearm and incapacitate or drive off the attackers. The guys who never manage to get to their firearm, you won't read about in "The Armed Citizen." You may find them in various obituaries, crime victim statistics, etc. But honestly, you don't want to be either of those guys.

The point being, CARRY YOUR GUN even (or maybe especially) when you are in the "safety" of your own home. This means you should start out with a nice simple to carry pistol before you buy that cool AR or shotgun (which you should also buy, just not first). Somebody above recommended against the small frame revolvers, and ALL of their points are valid, however, if the ease and convenience of dropping that .38 J frame in your pocket when you get dressed in the morning, means you will actually do so, then maybe that should be your first purchase after all. My 2 most frequent carry pistols are a Smith 442 5 shot j frame in a Kramer pocket holster, and the above recommended G19 in a Kydex belt/holster rig that takes a couple minutes to put on. I will let you guess which one I am carrying 99% of the time, even just wearing sweat pants.

You want to buy a long gun later on, that's great idea too. If you are already carrying your handgun, your odds of being able to get to it and bring it to bear against an attacker go up tremendously.
Last edited by Netpackrat on Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Netpackrat
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by Netpackrat »

Also on the subject of training, since you are in Oregon... Thunder Ranch. 'Nuff said.
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HTRN
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by HTRN »

Netpackrat wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:14 am Also on the subject of training, since you are in Oregon... Thunder Ranch. 'Nuff said.
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thefifthscallop
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by thefifthscallop »

Netpackrat wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:14 am Also on the subject of training, since you are in Oregon... Thunder Ranch. 'Nuff said.
Looks like it’s about 6 hours from me, but if I’m ever down there looking for brown trout, I will go check them out!
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Weetabix
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by Weetabix »

thefifthscallop wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:23 am Is there a gun that is more suited for a woman?
You're both martial artists, right? So she shouldn't be too recoil sensitive, and she should have reasonable grip strength? Anything that fits her hand and that shoots where she points should be OK. I second Randy's recommendation of walking away if someone tries to sell you a "women's" gun. My daughter is deadly with an XD45. That said, if she likes a "woman's gun" and shoots it well, that's fine, too.
I mean, I’m sure we will both want our own for when we go to the range, but we’ve also been talking about the idea of getting a concealed carry license.
You should each have your own. It's hard to imagine you'll each absolutely love the same one.

I'll second Jered's list of manufacturers and add KelTec. KelTec is inexpensive, but good.

I'll second NPR's advice not to look for perfect. Find good enough and get started. I've avoided the G19 because I'm a contrarian. ;) But I have nothing against it, either.

Also, his advice on carrying always. A buddy sometimes used to ask me if I was carrying. If I'm not in the shower or sleeping, it's on me. That way, I don't have to think about, "do I want it on me right now?" You'll probably never know if you'll NEED it. But, if the need arises, it's there. I don't know if you've heard the analogy to fire extinguishers or not - you have them handy hoping you'll never need one, but if you do need it, you surely want it to be there.

I have a couple CZ75 variants that I love - they're aesthetic machines that are also reliable and accurate. Haven't shot the P10c. I have a S&W that I do not love - it's unaesthetic, but very accurate in my hands, so I'll keep it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that.

I'll also second trying several before you choose. How they feel is pretty important to your comfort and accuracy. I tried several by buying lots and getting rid of the ones I didn't like, but that may not be as easy in your area.

The really big thing is to get started.
Note to self: start reading sig lines. They're actually quite amusing. :D
thefifthscallop
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by thefifthscallop »

Weetabix wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:23 pm
thefifthscallop wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:23 am Is there a gun that is more suited for a woman?
You're both martial artists, right? So she shouldn't be too recoil sensitive, and she should have reasonable grip strength? Anything that fits her hand and that shoots where she points should be OK. I second Randy's recommendation of walking away if someone tries to sell you a "women's" gun. My daughter is deadly with an XD45. That said, if she likes a "woman's gun" and shoots it well, that's fine, too.
I mean, I’m sure we will both want our own for when we go to the range, but we’ve also been talking about the idea of getting a concealed carry license.
You should each have your own. It's hard to imagine you'll each absolutely love the same one.

I'll second Jered's list of manufacturers and add KelTec. KelTec is inexpensive, but good.

I'll second NPR's advice not to look for perfect. Find good enough and get started. I've avoided the G19 because I'm a contrarian. ;) But I have nothing against it, either.

Also, his advice on carrying always. A buddy sometimes used to ask me if I was carrying. If I'm not in the shower or sleeping, it's on me. That way, I don't have to think about, "do I want it on me right now?" You'll probably never know if you'll NEED it. But, if the need arises, it's there. I don't know if you've heard the analogy to fire extinguishers or not - you have them handy hoping you'll never need one, but if you do need it, you surely want it to be there.

I have a couple CZ75 variants that I love - they're aesthetic machines that are also reliable and accurate. Haven't shot the P10c. I have a S&W that I do not love - it's unaesthetic, but very accurate in my hands, so I'll keep it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that.

I'll also second trying several before you choose. How they feel is pretty important to your comfort and accuracy. I tried several by buying lots and getting rid of the ones I didn't like, but that may not be as easy in your area.

The really big thing is to get started.
This all sounds like great advice. Thank you very much for the input.
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Netpackrat
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by 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.
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thefifthscallop
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Re: New to the site and guns.

Post by thefifthscallop »

Netpackrat wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 7:52 pm 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.”
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