new to this list and very new to guns

Lisa · Jul 27, 2012

Hello everyone:

I am new and learning about from the internet and by the end of this month i will be taking a course in my area, i live in Hamilton NJ mercer county so if anyone in my area i would love to hear from you as maybe i can then get some more help about handguns etc.

i have a list of 5 that i am interested in trying and then will break it down from there to 3 and then will have decide which one to get, off the top of my head becasuse i do not have my list in front of me i know 3

beretta, smith and Wesson, or Glock i have gone in a store picked up 2 beretta and a S&W

i am hoping that the person that i am going to be training with will have the ones i am interested in, that would be a big help, i have a friend that will be doing it with me and her husband already got her a kel-tec she wanted something small and he has a Smith and Wesson and hoping that i will be able to go with them when they get her kel tec as it was purchased in fl and being shipped to a local place for pickup

so please let me know what you think any feedback and if maybe you live local to me and are willing to help if that is the case

Lisa

Spitpatch · Jul 27, 2012

Well, Lisa, chances are not many on this website are close geographically (most of us are closer to the Pacific than the Atlantic), but the wonder of the internet is that we are VERY close for advice purposes.

More will chime in here, many more who are better with handguns than myself, but I will offer two pieces of advice: pick a gun you LIKE, and pick a gun you LIKE SHOOTING. Be very critical of anyone who tries to talk you into what THEY like. The sources of the best advice will be those who do NOT try to form your decision for you.

Good luck to you, and stay in touch.

Creeper · Jul 28, 2012

Like Spitpatch, What you like is all that matters.

Get thee to a range that rents guns. Try as many as feel good in your hand and "point" well for you. Ignore what the the boys say about a "good gun for a girl". My Daughter... all 110 lbs of her, shoots .45ACP more than any other caliber. Again, what you like and can shoot well is all that matters.
Buy what you want... spend your money wisely. Good guns are a joy forever... crap on the other hand serves no one but the bank account of crap's maker.

Best of luck,
C

Lisa · Jul 28, 2012

Creeper said:
Like Spitpatch, What you like is all that matters.

Get thee to a range that rents guns. Try as many as feel good in your hand and "point" well for you. Ignore what the the boys say about a "good gun for a girl". My Daughter... all 110 lbs of her, shoots .45ACP more than any other caliber. Again, what you like and can shoot well is all that matters.
Buy what you want... spend your money wisely. Good guns are a joy forever... crap on the other hand serves no one but the bank account of crap's maker.

Best of luck,
C

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Thanks for all the advise from a number of you, i have been researching this for a few months, and a friend of mine and i are going to take a course sometime in mid aug and cant wait, as not sense doing it unless i do it right.

Lisa- NJ

Lisa · Jul 28, 2012

Hello everyone:

like i asked any feed back would be great, hoping to be able to try diffrent ones and from what i was told and not sure about the info, it is at least $$20.00 for each gun per hour, something like that, if i go before i take the course it will be with the same friend who said she would take this course with me and the cost is $145.00 which is not bad from what i was told by a few people who was in the store that i was in checking out some handguns. i would love to hear from some ladies out their

Lisa- Hamilton NJ

Creeper · Jul 28, 2012

it is at least $$20.00 for each gun per hour

That's too bad. There's a range here in the Puget Sound that has "ladies day" every Thursday where you pay your modest range fees, which are discounted, and you can shoot as many rentals as you want for one price.
Not just for ladies... there are plenty of men that bring wives and GFs just so they can take advantage of this offer.

Too bad your local range/shop doesn't offer, what I think, is an excellent marketing scheme to sell guns to women.

Cheers,
C

Spitpatch · Jul 28, 2012

Okay, so I have three pieces of advice: You should start with a .22 rifle. This gun will teach you all the fundamentals, while being more fun than a barrel of monkeys, and you will be almost instantly VERY GOOD with it.

When you are confident and happy, THEN pick up a pistol.

Bruce

Morpheus · Jul 28, 2012

Just a word of caution, owning a firearm is a right and responsibility. It is NOT a cheap undertaking. Spending a few hundred dollars getting to know the right firearm you want to purchase is really a drop in the bucket. Really look at the total cost of ownership

Just to give you an example:
Officer Trade in Glock 17: $400 + Licence/Fees/tax
Ammo 9mm: 100 rounds a month training, $30 + Tax
Range Fees/Club Fees: $20 to $40 an hour
Classes (two per year): $300

The cost of an inexpensive firearm, that is used, is the least of the equation. Even if you get a middle of the road firearm (pistol) you will spend the purchase cost of the firearm in a two or three years.

I say this not to scare you off, but to make sure understand the firearm costs don't stop after purchase. And if you do like it, and really start to enjoy it then it gets even more expensive as you add to your collection and change calibers.

Oh, and come over! And make sure to budget for training and ammo.

And get to know your laws! NJ has some wacky firearm laws. Read them and learn them!

M

Wolfcry · Jul 29, 2012

First off, the previous posts are correct in that you should choose what you like, and not feel pressured to buy something because someone else tells you it's better than something else that you prefer. Try a few different guns, the brands you mentioned all produce solid top notch pistols.

If you have smaller hands an interchangeable back strap would be a good feature to have, it allows the grip size to be changed easily.
For me I chose a spring field XD(M) with a slimmer grip because I found some handguns like my husband's H&K USP 45 to be a bit too fat for my hand, this may not be an issue for you however.

If you've only looked at semi auto handguns, you might also want to consider a revolver. Revolvers are tough, simple, can't jam and will last you a lifetime if you take care of them, cons are it holds less rounds than a semi auto and quick reloading takes a bit of practice. Just another option to consider.

+1 on getting a .22 rifle for fun and target practice, you don't have to start with this first, however with a little bit of instruction you will be more accurate with a .22 rifle than a handgun (and will be able to shoot accurately out to greater distances with a .22 rifle), a perfect intro to long guns for sure and shooting in general. also .22 ammo is cheap.

Zepoll · Jul 29, 2012

I agree with what other have said about buying what YOU like. The problem is that if it's your first gun, you yourself may not know what features or style you like. You can go to a gun shop and rent guns, but it ads up. $20 a gun (rental) is more than a box of ammo!!

My suggestion... go to the gun store and handle them. Buy the one that "feels" right to you. Then take it out and shoot the crap out of it. Get fluent with it. You will learn what you like about it, and what you don't like. If you're not happy with it you can always sell it, and buy something else. Or keep it.. and simply add to your collection.

I doubt you will find anyone on this forum, or any forum, who bought their very first gun and said, "Yup, that's the one perfect gun for me" and stopped there. You will most likely own several guns in years to come.

Congrats, have fun, spread the word, and be safe.