Nine Buying Tips for the New Shooter

[MrNatural]

Nine Gun Buying Tips for the New Shooter - The Firearm Blog

Some pretty righteous stuff here. However . . . he does miss two CRITICAL POINTS (both of which are mentioned in the comments):

1. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY! No matter what it takes, shoot one before you buy it. Or at least handle one thoroughly first. Much human misery could be avoided by observing this rule in general.

2. NEVER - Seven-times never - EVER buy anything in the first six months it is on the market.

Also, his rule (5) needs a bit of clarification and emphasis:
You may safely ignore the glowing, breathless, orgasmic screeds you read in the glossy pages of the monthly gun magazines. Gun writers are whores - they get paid to "swallow and smile". Gun magazines are their brothels. Bang around the internet instead and see what the actual users have to say about your prospective buy first. Coincidentally this requires you wait a bit, which complies with my rule 2. above.

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[Mikej]

I would ad this: Do not buy a small pocket gun as your first gun unless you truly want a gun for concealed carry only. That's the mistake Wifey and I made. I had come into my fathers guns. Mainly several real old beater non-shooters. But there was grandpas S&W pre model 15. I had a great gun, she had none. We bought a Keltec P-11 for her. HUGE MISTAKE!

 

[Quartermaster]

I tend to avoid absolutist statements.

 

[cigars]

Last tip for the new shooter... if you buy something and it doesn't work out for you, just sell it and buy something else. If you lose some money in the process, consider it as "rent" for trying something. No big deal. Move on.

 

[Stomper]

I tend to avoid absolutist statements.

Someday, you WILL die.


I'm with you, I'll avoid that absolute statement for as long as possible!

 

[No_Regerts]

Last tip for the new shooter... if you buy something and it doesn't work out for you, just sell it and buy something else. If you lose some money in the process, consider it as "rent" for trying something. No big deal. Move on.

Exactly. I lease most of my guns. I have hunted with several different models of rifles, settled on a couple favorites, others went to new homes. Having tried out a bunch of different rifles, I can offer informed opinions to my friends who aren't as interested in trying lots of stuff.

Same goes with pistols. I've owned and carried lots of handguns and have my favorites there too. I just had to spend time with each one before I could really say which and why.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Alright, I'll contribute (though I didn't click).. don't watch any nutnfancy gun "reviews" to help you, a new shooter, on what gun to get. By the time you watch them all we'll all be using sharks with lasers on their heads.

 

[No_Regerts]

Alright, I'll contribute (though I didn't click).. don't watch any nutnfancy gun "reviews" to help you, a new shooter, on what gun to get. By the time you watch them all we'll all be using sharks with lasers on their heads.

I know that not everyone can be perfect, but that guy can't throw a bolt to save his life. And then he blames it on the rifle.

 

[cigars]

Alright, I'll contribute (though I didn't click).. don't watch any nutnfancy gun "reviews" to help you, a new shooter, on what gun to get. By the time you watch them all we'll all be using sharks with lasers on their heads.

Now I want a laser headed shark. Darn you Certaindeaf!

 

[Stomper]

Alright, I'll contribute (though I didn't click).. don't watch any nutnfancy gun "reviews" to help you, a new shooter, on what gun to get. By the time you watch them all we'll all be using sharks with lasers on their heads.

Not only does he motormouth.... that voice of his really flares up my tinnitus...

 

[thorborg]

Personally, I feel his advice is sucking all the marrow out of life and leaving nothing for the dogs.
And to leave the little 51 as a safe queen is sacrilegious since it is one of the finest pointers and shooters that's caressed the web of my hand..

 

[Ruger Rich]

Nine Gun Buying Tips for the New Shooter - The Firearm Blog

Some pretty righteous stuff here. However . . . he does miss two CRITICAL POINTS (both of which are mentioned in the comments):

1. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY! No matter what it takes, shoot one before you buy it. Or at least handle one thoroughly first. Much human misery could be avoided by observing this rule in general.

2. NEVER - Seven-times never - EVER buy anything in the first six months it is on the market.

Also, his rule (5) needs a bit of clarification and emphasis:
You may safely ignore the glowing, breathless, orgasmic screeds you read in the glossy pages of the monthly gun magazines. Gun writers are whores - they get paid to "swallow and smile". Gun magazines are their brothels. Bang around the internet instead and see what the actual users have to say about your prospective buy first. Coincidentally this requires you wait a bit, which complies with my rule 2. above.

Generally decent advice, except, I bought a Ruger American within 2 months of release and have never regretted it.

 

[Stomper]

Generally decent advice, except, I bought a Ruger American within 2 months of release and have never regretted it.

I got one in .308 about 4-8 months after they were released, too. I've enjoyed it without a single issue, and have never looked back.

 

[American123]

Buy a .22lr should be part of the list, any new shooter needs education and trigger time more than anything else.

A $200 .22 pistol or rifle and a $30 brick of .22 would make a new shooter much more experienced by the time they finished that brick.

New shooters have no idea what they don't know. There is a lot to consider when buying a gun, it's like picking a wife. If you don't do your homework and make sure it works best with you and what you want it for.... you'll be regretting that you have it, thankfully buying a gun and not liking it isn't as much of a financial problem.

 

[ron]

Buy a .22lr should be part of the list, any new shooter needs education and trigger time more than anything else.

I agree. Learning to shoot a handgun you must overcome the natural tendency to
"Flinch" on recoil. It is mind over flinch. You have to teach yourself not to flinch
as the trigger breaks. Easy way to do this is a 22 target pistol. A good 22 target
pistol with 5.5 inch bull barrel is a excellent choice. You do not want to start with
a hard kicking handgun. It will teach you to flinch! I cringe when I see someone
trying to teach a new shooter with a small hard kicking handgun.

 

[tac]

I only advise from personal experience. Everything else is relative. If I haven't shot it, then I can only point to what OTHER people, who HAVE shot it, are saying about it. Or by pointing out the popularity of one gun over another, because it just IS a better buy.

Here in yUK, where the choice you make is about as binding as it can be, deciding that you don't like the gun you just bought is just not for you can entail not only $$$ but a six-month wait or more in some counties, so you had better like what you have or just suck it up.

tac

 

[IronMonster]

I could come up with a much simpler list that would probably result in long-term success

1) Buy everything you want and can afford
2) Don't sell them even if you currently think you need to (you will probably regret it later)

 

[tac]

I still have a gun that I've had all my life - formerly my dad's. I HATE selling ANY gun I own, which is why I don't have anywhere near the number of guns that I'd like to own. Selling one I have to buy the one I want is not an easy option for me.

Back in the days when we thought we might end up as 'mercans, I had a set-aside fund of $25,000 that I was going to use to part-replace all the handguns I'd had taken off me in the Great Betrayal in 97-98, but that never happened...

A lot of water has gone under the chicken now, but I'd still like to have a few AR types like a Daniel Defense something or other or a Lantec summat of the kind that we can have here. Oh, and to up my ammo allowance to something reasonable, like maybe 10k each of .223, 7.62x39 and .308Win.

Dream on, tac...........................

tac

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Nine Gun Buying Tips for the New Shooter - The Firearm

Also, his rule (5) needs a bit of clarification and emphasis:
You may safely ignore the glowing, breathless, orgasmic screeds you read in the glossy pages of the monthly gun magazines. Gun writers are whores - they get paid to "swallow and smile". Gun magazines are their brothels. Bang around the internet instead and see what the actual users have to say about your prospective buy first. Coincidentally this requires you wait a bit, which complies with my rule 2. above.

^^^^^ Absolute truth, Kimber of Oregon was a big ol' pimp back in the day!
Fly the writer in, wine and dine him, here's your free rifle, sir! Get him out to central or eastern Oregon to pop some coyotes, which Kimber's are eminently capable of doing at extreme ranges! Yep, whoring around the rifle trade!

 

[SparksFly]

Buy a .22lr should be part of the list, any new shooter needs education and trigger time more than anything else.

A $200 .22 pistol or rifle and a $30 brick of .22 would make a new shooter much more experienced by the time they finished that brick.

New shooters have no idea what they don't know. There is a lot to consider when buying a gun, it's like picking a wife. If you don't do your homework and make sure it works best with you and what you want it for.... you'll be regretting that you have it, thankfully buying a gun and not liking it isn't as much of a financial problem.

^This. I started out with a Gamo .177 air rifle and 500 rounds of hollow points for about $200. Has enough recoil to help a bit with flinch. After that I worked my way up a Savage 64 .22lr, then a Glock 23 .40 S&W, then onto a Ruger mini 14 .223. Have shot many other guns since then, can't remember them all.