New Owner Common Mistakes

[oremike]

Speaking of value or worth...

At time value or worth does not mean dollar value...but what use the item has for you.
I have at times , traded a firearm that was "worth" more than the one I was getting , simply because I had a better use for the new one , than the traded one.
So...the new one's "worth" , meant more to me than just dollars.

Not the best of ideas if you are trying to trade up so to speak..or working for a retail store.
However...
It can get you something that you want , have a use for and actually use...rather then holding to something that you don't use with the hopes of it being worth dollars.
Andy

Exactly right, I recently traded a 480 Ruger and all of it's accouterments for a 9mm race gun. I was enamored with the 480 at first but then realized it was just a big, heavy hand cannon better suited to the Alaskan back country than the type of shooting I'm doing. The CZ on the other hand is a great happy can gun, fast, easy to shoot and fun. Did I make money on the trade, probably not but I did increase the fun factor substantially.

 

[Bobbygun]

I know this looks and sounds good on paper but the correct number of guns is just one more. For me I didn't find out what were the right guns for me with out buying and shooting what I thought I wanted. One example of this is Thompson Contender pistols. Three or four times I've had a contender and with multiple barrels each time. They are fun, accurate and as a re loader entertaining to load for particularly the wildcats. Eventually I get bored with shooting a single shot and they get traded off for the next shiny squirrel.

Ain't that the truth? Man, I love Contenders and their extra barrels. Just never seem to shoot mine. Maybe it's that "one shot at a time" thing? But I shoot my muzzleloader more than the contender, and it's slower to load, so...

 

[MrMykonos]

Took me a while to get through this thread. Great info from everyone! My 2cents as a Washingtonian would be DON"T WAIT! I saw way too many people that were unable to purchase a gun because of stupid law changes.

 

[Ann]

The guy who hands a hard recoiling handgun to a novice is the opposite of a good teacher (with respect to anything). The good teacher shows you how and makes it seem easy to master and you believe you can master it and, surprise!, you do. He has in reality thought carefully about the way to master the skills and presented it in steps so you are succeeding at each step. His ego is low key and generous. He is happy to have you become his equal or nearer to his equal with respect to the knowledge or skill. This will make him seem a bit less exalted with respect to you. But his is a happy ego that enjoys company. And he loves watching and helping you grow in knowledge, skill, and self-confidence.

The guy who hands the hard recoiling handgun to a novice wants the novice to be humiliated and discouraged from thinking she could ever learn it. He wants her to believe he is superior to her in this way, and maybe by extension, in all ways. His own ego is too fragile to allow him to teach anybody anything. He will use any opportunities to teach as a chance to make the subject as difficult to learn as possible. He wants the right to have contempt for a gf or wife and to express it openly. This guy will make a rotten husband. Either the lady will divorce him or he will undermine her until she has lost all her courage and joy in life and will to live.

Good points - I've been thinking about expanding my .22 collection pretty much for this reason. Start slow and small, build confidence, go from there.

 

[Alexx1401]

Good points - I've been thinking about expanding my .22 collection pretty much for this reason. Start slow and small, build confidence, go from there.

A nice .22 pistol is just made for this, teaching a new shooter. There is a ton of video of idiots handing a large caliber gun to some woman thinking this is funny. All it does is ruin the person on shooting for the cheap laugh. I have also many times used a .22 to get a newer guy on paper who bought some cannon and then could not shoot. Get them on paper with the .22 then let them at the larger gun and suddenly they actually start to learn.

 

[ma96782]

I made an absolute bonehead move of not reading the manual on my new gun and dry fired my single aciton revolver. Ugh. Doesn't look like it sustained any damage but thats what I get for going by word of mouth, a friend had said it should just fire when ytou pull the trigger with a heavy pull. He must have been thinking double action, because while it works it made a nasty sound and I know it can't have been good for the gun. Hopefully a single dry fire won't do too much damage.

So, what are some common mistakes and pitfalls new owners might run into ? Share a story if it's not too embarrasing.

Yes, read the manual.

From reading that, I assume that you have a Colt SAA? Wait, I have a story about the firing pin on an Italian clone SAA.***

BUT, But, but......
I think that the US military would have a HUGE PROBLEM.....if their firearms were spec'ed to NEVER be dry fired.

Aloha, Mark

PS.....***maybe it's more about the QUALITY of the build and/or the quality of the steel? Whatever.....I got the message and I don't do it anymore with my Colts.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

It occured to me some of you old veterans could help us newbies along by passing some wisdom related to common firearm mistakes people might make. There is the ones that are drilled into you (only point at something you plan to kill, always treat a weapon like it's loaded) but there must be less common ones as well.

I made an absolute bonehead move of not reading the manual on my new gun and dry fired my single aciton revolver. Ugh. Doesn't look like it sustained any damage but thats what I get for going by word of mouth, a friend had said it should just fire when ytou pull the trigger with a heavy pull. He must have been thinking double action, because while it works it made a nasty sound and I know it can't have been good for the gun. Hopefully a single dry fire won't do too much damage.

So, what are some common mistakes and pitfalls new owners might run into ? Share a story if it's not too embarrasing.

Don't by a damn thing assembled/built by century arms. If they are just importing something and not touching it no problem. But don't buy anything touched by them no matter how cheap it is.

 

[ma96782]

Don't by a damn thing assembled/built by century arms. If they are just importing something and not touching it no problem. But don't buy anything touched by them no matter how cheap it is.

WAIT a second. Without Century Arms......how is he suppose to feed his family?



Aloha, Mark

 

[orygun]

Good points - I've been thinking about expanding my .22 collection pretty much for this reason. Start slow and small, build confidence, go from there.

I shot 22 handguns for probably 15 years before I bought my first centerfire revolver. Years later, when I realized that I was using very poor trigger control due to recoil, I would put down the big gun, pull out my ol Ruger Standard and go to work. When I had settled down and was shooting properly, I would pick up the Magnum and go back at it. It still amazes me how quickly a good 22 handgun points out the shooters mistakes.

 

[Spitpatch]

I shot 22 handguns for probably 15 years before I bought my first centerfire revolver. Years later, when I realized that I was using very poor trigger control due to recoil, I would put down the big gun, pull out my ol Ruger Standard and go to work. When I had settled down and was shooting properly, I would pick up the Magnum and go back at it. It still amazes me how quickly a good 22 handgun points out the shooters mistakes.

There ARE guns that will teach you to shoot, and teach you better than any book, film or instructor.

They are never big guns.

And way too many shooters spend too much time with the guns that don't.