I cant tell you how glad I am too.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

A few posters here prove this on a daily basis.


Just use a Covid pen. That's far more deadly.

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Was going to start a thread called Guns Guns Guns but this looks like a good place to put my questions:

1) I guess I'd need to handle them individually, but what kind of handgun would you recommend for a male and for a female? Both are novices. How much would these cost?

2) I would assume you'd recommend novices to take a class? Are there different classes to take?

3) How often do you recommend going to the range and practicing? How many rounds do you shoot during one trip to the range?

4) What sort of safety equipment is required? Ear protection, eye protection? Holster? Anything else?

5) How much ammo do you recommend having?

This is all I can think of right now. I'll add anything back to this thread as I think of it.

See how they fit the hand. A double stack 45 is probably not the answer for your wife or anyone with small hands. Beyond that its a lot of personal preference. I preferred a hammer gun for my first. I preferred the HK over the 1911 just for feel in my hand. 9mm is cheaper to shoot than .40 or .45 with less recoil but I never felt a .45 was a lot of recoil either. Revolvers are more simple in design but I find them harder to shoot but I've never had one with a good trigger.

Yes, there are classes take them. You will need to practice a lot but if you are new getting the fundamentals down pat before you get bad habits would be a good idea. Ranges should have class information as should the shop you buy the gun from.

ear protection can be as simple as foam plugs or a over-ear muffs all the way up to electronic ones fitted by an audiologist. You don't need those obviously but the muffs are pretty nice for hand gun. I don't like them for long guns. Eye protection is good idea as well.

How much ammo? A lot. It will really depend on how much you shoot obviously but if the past 18 months are a lesson to be learned from these things can become scarce and if you are in the habit of shooting a lot you should have a good supply.

Thanks, Drunk Squirrel! Good info!

1.
My wife shoots a .45 and she shoots it better than th 9mm she bought. You can spend on average let's say $1000 on a decent handgun. As noted before, I'm big on the 1911 .45 ACP. It's probably the most customizable handgun on the planet so you can set it up easily to your liking.
2.
Fuck yes take classes. I'm a pretty experienced shooter and I still take classes when I can.
3.
Go to the range as much as you can afford and enjoy.
4.
Most ranges require eye protection. I bought electronic ear muffs for like maybe 60 bucks. You can hear people talking to you. But the microphone cuts out above a certain dB rating so then they're just regular muffs. Regular muffs can be 15 bucks. Buy the best you can afford.
5.
Once you're settled on a platform, 9mm, 38, 40, 45 whatever... when you're comfortable with a gun and can handle a caliber you buy every last round you can afford. I used to have a couple 9mm and my .45 1911 and I bought some ammo of each. Turns out I'm much better with my 1911. So I buy a lot of 45 acp. People used to tease me about how much I bought. Maybe I got several thousand rounds in reserve. I'll buy more each chance I get.
Here's the deal. Every election year, and particularly presidential election years, ammo becomes scarce. My asshole friends giving me shit for buying a couple thousand rounds at a time were begging me for ammo in late 2020.
I typically shoot 200 rounds in a session. When I'm done shooting I buy 500-1000 depending on my cash ow at the time.
Any more than 200 in a session and you're not learning you're just getting tired.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Thanks DS, great stuff!

Since I live Houston, there are plenty of ranges within 10 miles of where I live so practice, classes, guns and ammo should be easy to obtain. One range close by offers the following class:

Private one-on-one instruction
Assistance in weapon selection
Firearms and range safety
Thorough understanding of a handgun and its operation
Proper fundamentals of marksmanship
First half of the class is in a classroom setting/Second half is on the range

I think starting with a class like this makes sense. Since they assist with weapon selection, can see which one feels best and go from there.

Another thing for both DSs and any other gun owners: Do you lock up your gun or do you use a trigger lock instead? Do you lock up ammo? I have no kids so I don't have to worry about someone finding a gun that shouldn't be finding one.

I made a lot of expensive mistakes before I found the platform I like the best.
You'll have to think about what your goals are a a firearms owner. Do you need a concealed weapon? Open carry? Do you intend to have this on in your home? Do you intend to carry in public?
Just between us kittens I don't think large calibers are anything to be scared of. My .45 has less recoil than my wife's 9mm does. Physics is a helluva thing. Her big ass 5 inch 1911 has more mass than that crappy polymer 9mm p320. Recoil is a function of equal and opposite reaction.
Revolvers kick harder than semi autos. No spring reloaded to absorb recoil.
Heavier guns absorb recoil more than lighter guns.
Bigger projectiles generate more recoil than smaller projectiles.
My .45 acp is 230 grains vs. The 115 grain Nato 9mm parabellum. But the 1911 weighs twice what the polymer p320 does, ergo, recoil is comparable or less.
Don't fear recoil. You're (probably) a big boy you can handle it. I spoke of my old man who hates guns and never shot one but sudden needed to defend himself against antifa. Well he thought he was too old and weak for the 45. He shot my 45 and my wife's p320 9mm. He bought a .45.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I have no kids. My gun in is condition 1 at all times.
Fuck a safe. Fuck trigger locks.
My gun has a safety and my finger is my second safety.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Makes access much easier in the event it is needed...

As with anything, mate, it's all in who you ask.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I don't think Antifa hangs in Houston (much). Purpose for my weapon would be for my home protection. All your info above makes good sense. Thanks.

Truth...

I doubt antifa hangs in algonquin much myself but that's what the old man was worried about. Strange days indeed. I don't fear antifa or home invasion or much of anything other than knowing I could have been prepared and was not.
Plus, I fuckin love shooting. Nothing quite like blowing off some steam (and a couple hundred rounds). Plus I enjoyed the process of becoming a marksman.
I've gotten the impression from my friends that although they know I carry a loaded gun around them, they feel safer with me around than not around. I could be wrong.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

My 9mm are full frame guns. Probably weigh within a couple ounces of my .45. The 9mm shoots a hotter ( faster)round even if it is lighter which also has an impact on recoil. More round capacity too. That said i shoot the .45 better. I don’t know why but I do so it’s the one I favor. I just know it’s a touch more coin to shoot as the Ammo is more expensive. I doubt I’ll ever carry so size and weight wasn’t a concern. I’ve thought Of getting a USP in 9mm but why bother. Maybe I’ll trade the beretta I have for one. Probably not. My wife has a 9mm 1911 commander (I think that’s what the 9mm was called) from Springfield. Probably the most expensive handgun we have. I have shot it more than she has. It’s kind of nice little thing. I’m not sure on recoil on it as the only handguns have that has significant recoil is .357.

My guns are not in the same status as dark sides. I have kids. They know better until
They don’t so i have limited their chance of making that mistake.

That's fair, Squirrel.
The .45 1911 sizes are government, commander, and officer. 5.0 government, 4.25 (my preferred size, the commander) and 3.5 officer. The officer size has feed issues and and nasty recoil in my experience.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Squirrel touched on it but .45 rounds are on average 32 to 36 cents a round. Last I bought 9mm, it was half that price

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Yeah, my wife was staunchly anti gun in the home. One day, she was having a shit day at work and her colleague (he was in one of the Armed Forces but don’t recall which and had a pretty good arsenal in his truck) took her during lunch to a firing range. She got to blow off steam. She came home and said something along the lines of, “ yeah, I get it now. We can have guns in the house.” That was a few years ago.

The marksman thing is of interest to me as well.

Totally understand with kids around. There are too many instances here and in Illinois (one instance is one too many) where kids get hurt and/or killed playing with guns that should have been locked up.

pink shirt optional

Is she holding a gun or a garden hose?

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Those people got indicted! Baldwin gets concern for his mental health!

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Either way she looks clueless.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Wonder if that is a 32. Looks tiny..That's some trigger discipline..

Its a novelty lighter.

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It probably weighs more than you think.

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

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Huh. I thought u did. Ur smarter than i realized.

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Thanks?

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014