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There are many situations in which a good protective dog is more useful than a gun.

Its hard to beat the combination of a concealed handgun and being accompanied by a good protective dog, one who is subtle and discreet about her protectiveness. But is standoffish and suspicious of strangers. And who requires formal introductiin and explicit permission from you before any stranger is allowed to enter your home, vehicle, or camp site.

The big advantage of the bad guy is you usually don't know he's a bad guy until he makes the first bad move. Without the dog, that first move might be to draw on and shoot you, or hold you unable to draw. With a large dog present, his first move may be to draw on and kill the dog, or try to, giving you time to draw on and kill him. Or he may just move on, figuring the dog is more of a complication than he wants to deal with. If not armed with a firearm himself, the bad guy is unlikely to take on a person accompanied by a large clearly protective dog.

If I were living with someone who was depressed with suicidal ideation, I would not keep any gun at home, however locked up. I'd get bear spray, stun guns, and a serious protection dog.
A good gun and gun skills is the best solution to many self defense problems. Its not the best solution to all self defense problems.
 
A couple things come to mind for new owner mistakes:

Dropping the slide on an empty chamber, ugh

Slamming a revolver cylinder closed by flipping the revolver sideways, double ugh

All firearms are finely tuned machinery, and should be treated as such - Well oiled in proper places and used with extreme respect
 
Spend serous time thinking about what you would do in various self defense scenarios.

Read In the Gravest Extreme. Several times preferably.

Would you be willing to kill someone who is attacking you or your loved ones? If not, you shouldn't get a gun for SD. The bad guy is likely to sense your ambivalence and attack you and take the gun and kill you with it. Are you imagining you could shoot the bad guy in the leg instead of killing him? Don't get a gun if so. Go read some more. "Stopping" an attack by shooting involves shooting in the brain or heart-lung area, which are usually lethal. Any shot that isnt often or usually lethal isnt a dependable stopper either. A shot from a handgun of ordinary calibers to the leg may kill the bad guy if it hits an artery. So a leg shot isnt a compromise between lethal or not. If the situation doesnt demand lethal force dont shoot. if you do hit a leg, the guy is not incapacitated. Even if you hit an artery and kill him, it will take a minute or more for the bad guy to bleed out. And what he does with that time depends on his personality. It can range anywhere from pleading for medical help to attacking you ferociously. If it were me, I would spend that time doing my utmost to take you with me. By ripping your throat out with my teeth or any other means available . And I'm a sweet gentle old lady. Mostly. ( I know what I would do because I've been there. because the first time I came under serious attack it was two big guys, and all I had was a coke bottle. I decided I would do everything I could to take at least one of them with me. But in between bluffing and my attitude, they got scared off. I was lucky. The following day I went and bought my first handgun. I was a college student, living off campus. But I had left my .22 rifle at home since I had been in a dorm initially.)

Here's the wonderful, merciful side of armed self defense. If you have really thought about it and know you would be willing to kill to save yourself or your family. If you have thought about scenarios. If you have figured out exactly where the lines are, exactly when you would have to shoot. If you are confident you can hit what you aim at. If you are confident enough and familiar enough with your skills to wait until the last possible instant before shooting. If you are careful to allow a would-be attacker to withdraw/run rather than trying to trap him, capture him or hold him for the police. Then the odds are very much in your favor that the attacker will withdraw. With no shots fired. With no embarrassing bodies that need to be buried or explained away. With no legal repercussions. With no need to even report the event. I've "used" a gun thusly (as a civilian) four times in self defense or defense of innocent others. No shots were fired. Bad guys all fled. Only two of the events were reported. And then to the ordinary police number, not to 911. That's the ideal use of a gun for self defense by a civilian citizen in my view. Deescalating an emergency into a non emergency, going back to bed, and sleeping the sound sleep of the merciful righteous.
 
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I grew up with firearms and joined the Marines at 18 and got my first personal weapon in 2010 (Glock27) so I'm by no means a new owner or claim to be an expert, but I know my way around various weapon systems.

To keep it simple just have common sense and:

Know your firearm in and out
Know how to shoot accurately
Know the "laws" and get USCCA if you plan to carry

Also don't think that you're Rambo and strut around like yer cool. It's not about being cool; it's about being free and knowing that you'll never be a willing victim.

Stay safe out there.
 
Spend serous time thinking about what you would do in various self defense scenarios.
This is assuming the OP is even thinking about, or considering self defense with a firearm.

Maybe he bought the gun due to interest, possibly for sport and recreation and self defense wasn't a part of the equation.

Maybe we should keep it to the basics of he OPs original question which was was, 'what are some common mistakes and pitfalls new owners might run into ?' - and not launch into the complexities and considerations about self defense with a firearm - unless that does become a question.
 
Spend serous time thinking about what you would do in various self defense scenarios.

Read In the Gravest Extreme. Several times preferably.

Would you be willing to kill someone who is attacking you or your loved ones? If not, you shouldn't get a gun for SD. The bad guy is likely to sense your ambivalence and attack you and take the gun and kill you with it. Are you imagining you could shoot the bad guy in the leg instead of killing him? Don't get a gun if so. Go read some more. "Stopping" an attack by shooting involves shooting in the brain or heart-lung area, which are usually lethal. Any shot that isnt often or usually lethal isnt a dependable stopper either. A shot from a handgun of ordinary calibers to the leg may kill the bad guy if it hits an artery. So a leg shot isnt a compromise between lethal or not. If the situation doesnt demand lethal force dont shoot. if you do hit a leg, the guy is not incapacitated. Even if you hit an artery and kill him, it will take a minute or more for the bad guy to bleed out. And what he does with that time depends on his personality. It can range anywhere from pleading for medical help to attacking you ferociously. If it were me, I would spend that time doing my utmost to take you with me. By ripping your throat out with my teeth or any other means available . And I'm a sweet gentle old lady. Mostly. ( I know what I would do because I've been there. because the first time I came under serious attack it was two big guys, and all I had was a coke bottle. I decided I would do everything I could to take at least one of them with me. But in between bluffing and my attitude, they got scared off. I was lucky. The following day I went and bought my first handgun. I was a college student, living off campus. But I had left my .22 rifle at home since I had been in a dorm initially.)

Here's the wonderful, merciful side of armed self defense. If you have really thought about it and know you would be willing to kill to save yourself or your family. If you have thought about scenarios. If you have figured out exactly where the lines are, exactly when you would have to shoot. If you are confident you can hit what you aim at. If you are confident enough and familiar enough with your skills to wait until the last possible instant before shooting. If you are careful to allow a would-be attacker to withdraw/run rather than trying to trap him, capture him or hold him for the police. Then the odds are very much in your favor that the attacker will withdraw. With no shots fired. With no embarrassing bodies that need to be buried or explained away. With no legal repercussions. With no need to even report the event. I've "used" a gun thusly (as a civilian) four times in self defense or defense of innocent others. No shots were fired. Bad guys all fled. Only two of the events were reported. And then to the ordinary police number, not to 911. That's the ideal use of a gun for self defense by a civilian citizen in my view. Deescalating an emergency into a non emergency, going back to bed, and sleeping the sound sleep of the merciful righteous.
I kinda need a cigarette after that.
 
This is assuming the OP is even thinking about, or considering self defense with a firearm.

Maybe he bought the gun due to interest, possibly for sport and recreation and self defense wasn't a part of the equation.

Maybe we should keep it to the basics of he OPs original question which was was, 'what are some common mistakes and pitfalls new owners might run into ?' - and not launch into the complexities and considerations about self defense with a firearm - unless that does become a question.
Not considering what you will be using the gun for is pretty near the top of the list, innit?
 
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Great question and great advice. I'm going to go in a bit of a different direction. Learn and practice how to de-escalate tense situations, how to avoid confrontation, and how to manage your own anger. Someone carrying a weapon simply can't pop off their mouths as they might have if they were unarmed, so knowing how NOT to be in that situation to begin with is a critical skill that needs lots of practice.
 
A few 'Pitfalls/Mistakes' of new firearms owners off the top of my head:

-Not learning and employing the fundamental rules of firearms safety.

-Not learning one's firearms' inner workings. Learn how to disassemble and reassemble one's firearm to clean/lube and keep in proper working order.

-Learning how to shoot with optics before/or instead of learning how to shoot using irons first.

-Not adequately researching what type of holster(s) works best for you, the pistol that you're carrying, and how you ultimately choose to carry. Otherwise, one may often find themselves with a drawer dedicated as a graveyard of discarded holsters.

-As excited as one may be about becoming a new firearms owner, keep it a mostly private affair. Don't announce to anybody and everybody that one may know concerning the new firearm one just purchased, or the amount of firearms one owns etc. Keep it discreet.
 
So very true....nice to watch or read a review of a firearm , that is not done by a "gun guy" in a magazine or the like.
Many folks here are as , if not more knowledgeable about certain firearms , than some gun writers.
Andy
I love your quote, but the absolute truth is ANY rifle built is suitable for use, and Also determined by the person behind the sights.... Modern is not the be all end all.
 
I love your quote, but the absolute truth is ANY rifle built is suitable for use, and Also determined by the person behind the sights.... Modern is not the be all end all.
Ironically...
The quote is from Theodore Roosevelt....and the guns below are what I normally shoot , hardly "modern" .
Andy
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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.
too much lubrication; less is more, otherwise you create more sludge in the gun to clean... when I first started putting them together, I would spray them down liberally, now I use just enough to give a shine to the metal.

Like a small drop spread across the whole bolt carrier... instead of blasting it with ballistol spray.
 
For all the people confused about what went wrong. This thread ended up being a lot more useful then I'd expected. I'm not sure I'll be taking every piece of advice. All of my guns are arguably 'cheap' (security-9, charles daly shotgun, cimmeron revolver) but i've still enjoyed using and learning about them. As I get more into the hobby I notice the amount I'm willing to spend is increasing quite quickly though, hehe. I've done range safety classes but I would really like to get a bench workshop taking apart the guns, cleaning them, etc...

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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.
It's probably been said already, but the four things that really grate on my nerves: 1. Muzzle sweeping a room, a range, a gun shop etc -- best way I know of to get thrown out of either; 2. handing over an uncleared firearm to someone and failing to clear the weapon upon receipt; 3. improper storage of firearms so that they can get stolen by tweakers and give the gun grabbers more ammunition, pun intended. This can be under your mattress, in a vehicle, etc.; 4. Not picking up your trash, brass, shotshells, cigarette butts, etc., when shooting on public lands. FFS pick up after yourself out there. We shooters literally have a target on our backs, pun intended. We have to be that much better than all other users of public lands, or we will lose that access faster than a A-10 Warthog empties is forward Gatling gun.

I have another one, not a mistake per se, but more of a philosophy: When it comes to carrying, I was taught the mantra "don't ask, don't show, don't tell." This covers a lot of situations and should be fairly self-explanatory but basically boils down to keeping your guns your business and keeping someone else's guns their business when in public. By "public" I mean in town, in a situation where you're likely to encounter your fellow citizens -- some of whom couldn't care less and some of whom will quake in their boots. Understand it is the latter who'd love nothing more than for the current administration (fed and states) to succeed in their defacto disarmament of us law-abiding responsible adults who enjoy firearms and shooting sports. I also apply this to open carry -- of which I am not a fan. Sure you may have the right, and I will support it. But discretion is the better part of valor. There's a reason the largest gun control group in the country is named "Moms Demand Action." All it takes is Susie Soccer Mom to catch a glimpse of your shiny 1911 in its beautiful hand-tooled leather holster and she's making two calls, in order: 1. 911 to report "a man with a gun at Safeway; 2. Moms Demand Action to up her monthly donation. This last topic -- open carry -- is one that will foster much debate. For my part, 45 years of gun-handling on my CV, I can think of far more cons than pros. Many here will agree. And as many will disagree.

You do what's right for you, always without fail. But I would encourage you to consider the multifarious potential impacts of any action you take with a firearm -- intended or orherwise -- and especially open carry.

Thank you for taking the time to ask such an important question and welcome to the wonderful world of firearms.
 
For all the people confused about what went wrong. This thread ended up being a lot more useful then I'd expected. I'm not sure I'll be taking every piece of advice. All of my guns are arguably 'cheap' (security-9, charles daly shotgun, cimmeron revolver) but i've still enjoyed using and learning about them. As I get more into the hobby I notice the amount I'm willing to spend is increasing quite quickly though, hehe. I've done range safety classes but I would really like to get a bench workshop taking apart the guns, cleaning them, etc...

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I was more referring to cheap as in RIA newer double action colt copies, which have had issues with heat treat in the past and would jam up internally after about 100rds or so.

I'm personally a big fan of Rugers , and all single actions. Sounds like the start to a decent collection, wasn't meant to be discouraging towards you at all

never knew any SA revolver could be set off from halfcock!!! Wow I completely understand your concern now.

watch some YouTube videos and watch detailed strip downs of those Cimmeron revolvers and see if that's something you are ready for yet. If not, no shame at all we all have to start somewhere. If so, as said above I would consider taking it into a smith to do a once over.
 

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