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I'm not new to guns necessarily, I went shooting often with friends and family (well... before ammo was ridiculously expensive starting in the early 10's) and I'm pro 2A for sure. I've always been comfortable with guns and gun safety was priority number one when I was learning to shoot in my early teens (as it should be but not everyone is great about teaching these lessons).

I've just never really prioritized spending money on guns, I'm not a hunter and I haven't really felt the need to have a firearm for home defense. I have had the luxury and privilege of living in a safe neighborhood where the neighbors know and look out for each other. I don't have a lot of things that are worth breaking in for and I'm not a small guy so I've always been pretty confident that I could handle things decently with a melee weapon and a good flashlight on the off chance that something did go down. Personally, I saw guns as an expensive (and fun) hobby that I just wasn't really committed to spending money on. I'd love to get my FFL/SOT and have a cache of sweet tacticool full-autos to play with but I'm just not that rich :rolleyes:.

Well... here I am. These are uncertain times. Divisive politics, racial reckonings, coronavirus and all other things considered I'm just feeling a lot less comfortable than I used to. I'm probably representative of the reason that guns and ammo are hard to find now I guess. I'm the dude that has always been gun friendly but never owned a gun, til recently. I don't plan on every day carry, but I did also apply for my CHL so that I can when I feel the need. We'll see if I even end up getting it before 2021. From what I am hearing, they're booked out on appointments until then in my area.

Most guns and ammo are basically always out of stock, prices are high and lines are long so frankly the process of shopping and buying guns hasn't been as fun as I'd hoped it would be. I usually love shopping and researching and finding good deals on the perfect equipment that fits me but this has been a bit less enjoyable than other types of shopping I've done in the past.

I have no plans to stockpile as much as a few people I know have but I feel like I at least need to have a concealable pistol, a long gun and a shotgun at the ready. Hopefully I won't need 'em but I feel better having them.

Anyway... I guess I got a new hobby :s0010: Bye money!
 
Welcome to The Board, and the hobby, AnotherMike!
Hopefully, you'll find this board helpful and a stress-reliever for all things 2A.
 
Most guns and ammo are basically always out of stock, prices are high and lines are long so frankly the process of shopping and buying guns hasn't been as fun as I'd hoped it would be.
I can't believe how unavailable guns have become myself. I've kept up my seemingly insatiable buying habit more or less (OK, a little less, it's getting expensive) but since I've basically bought 3 and sold 8 in the last few months I don't feel like I'm contributing to the short supply.

Hope you find what you need without breaking the bank.

A CHL and the accompanying CC handgun, and a shotgun would IMO be a good place to start, and then see what the market does later. If demand continues, production will eventually ramp up. If not, prices will drop that way too. Don't panic, but make sure your family is safe. Set aside some funds for a little refresher training and some ammo to practice with.

Shooting is a nice hobby. Welcome.
 
Welcome AnotherMike (will the next one be: YetAnotherMike? :D)

Let us know how we can help.

I highly recommend:

1. Going to a range that will let you rent and shoot diff firearms so that you can buy what is right for you on the very first purchase.

2. Training
 
Welcome Mike! Prices go up, prices eventually go down. Don't sweat it. Scrounging for ammo can be fun, like a hobby almost. Cherish those moments when you go to the BiMart and find your ammo (reasonably priced) on the shelf, you get the same feeling that a tweaker gets when he finds another returnable bottle in the trash can at the bus stop. Victory is ours...score!
 
A CHL and the accompanying CC handgun, and a shotgun would IMO be a good place to start, and then see what the market does later. If demand continues, production will eventually ramp up. If not, prices will drop that way too. Don't panic, but make sure your family is safe. Set aside some funds for a little refresher training and some ammo to practice with.

Shooting is a nice hobby. Welcome.

I highly recommend:

1. Going to a range that will let you rent and shoot diff firearms so that you can buy what is right for you on the very first purchase.

2. Training

Thanks for the welcomes!

My guns (so far)
  • Pistol: Ideally I wanted to buy a Beretta PX4 Compact but I have yet to ever see one in stock anywhere since I started shopping a few months ago. So my first purchase was a Springfield XD-E 3.8" 9mm. I'm most comfortable with a hammer-fired SA/DA with de-cock and safety so I was looking at a pretty short list of pistols to begin with.
  • Rifle: I'm currently awaiting a background check to clear on a S&W M&P 15 Sport II (that I bought for way too much), I should be able to take it home the middle of next week. I have shot a few MSR's but never the AR platform so this is going to be new to me. After starting to look into it... holy crap there's a lot to learn about these rifles. Good thing is that I really enjoy learning about my hobbies.
  • Shotgun: And finally I have a backorder on a cheap-ish Turkish-built bullpup 12ga that I like, we'll see when that comes in, if ever. If I don't hear anything on this for a couple more weeks then I'll shop a bit more for something I can actually get. I just like the bullpup, I'm aware that bullpup shotguns and Turkish-made shotguns don't have the finest of reputations.

I've had the opportunity to shoot a few dozen different guns over the years going shooting with friends so I already had a decent idea what I was looking for luckily. I would have liked to go rent a handful of pistols this go-around but I didn't even end up finding any ranges with any of the specific pistols that I was shopping available for rent anyway. I decided just to buy what I figured I'd like over the counter and go from there. I can probably sell it for just as much as I bought it for anyway at this point if I don't end up liking the way it shoots.

As for the range, I'm lucky to have a friend that lives on 20 acres that invited me to shoot on his property anytime (he has a great backdrop with a 50ft high hill and some steel and silicon targets already set up on the backside of his property). I plan on going out there next weekend after my background check clears to put some rounds through both guns to get comfortable with them. This will be nice because I can do some things there that I should train that would not be acceptable at a public range. I've never shot a gun laying down before. I've never moved while shooting. There are some things I need to learn from zero and definitely some basics that I need to practice in general.

I've also committed to myself to shoot the rifle bone stock before I go buying a bunch of mods for it. It is the "optics ready" version that doesn't come with any sights at all so I already have a red dot to mount on there that I'll need to zero in but that's my only upgrade that I'm allowing for myself 'til I put some rounds through it and feel it out. I'm thankful to have a relative that has experience (and tools) with AR's that has offered to help when the time comes.

As far as training courses go, I've looked around a little bit but I'm still pretty fresh on that subject so I don't know who's got a good rep and who doesn't. Any suggestions around the Portland area? I'd probably go as far as Woodland or Salem for the right opportunity.
 
Just wait till you start building/customizing AR's, 10/22's, Glock's, etc.

:D
OMG I've already started down this path and it's both excellent and terrible at the same time!

I started a background check on my first AR this week... I started lightly looking into some things to customize it and before I know it, I'm on track to order an adjustable gas block, free floating handguard, flashlight, 2-stage trigger and a stock right off the bat. But... I'm being good and holding off until I can get a better feel for the rifle fresh out of the box.
 
As far as training courses go, I've looked around a little bit but I'm still pretty fresh on that subject so I don't know who's got a good rep and who doesn't. Any suggestions around the Portland area? I'd probably go as far as Woodland or Salem for the right opportunity.

Question for the general membership... guys? GUYS? Errrr, FOLKS?
 
I'm not new to guns necessarily, I went shooting often with friends and family (well... before ammo was ridiculously expensive starting in the early 10's) and I'm pro 2A for sure. I've always been comfortable with guns and gun safety was priority number one when I was learning to shoot in my early teens (as it should be but not everyone is great about teaching these lessons).

I've just never really prioritized spending money on guns, I'm not a hunter and I haven't really felt the need to have a firearm for home defense. I have had the luxury and privilege of living in a safe neighborhood where the neighbors know and look out for each other. I don't have a lot of things that are worth breaking in for and I'm not a small guy so I've always been pretty confident that I could handle things decently with a melee weapon and a good flashlight on the off chance that something did go down. Personally, I saw guns as an expensive (and fun) hobby that I just wasn't really committed to spending money on. I'd love to get my FFL/SOT and have a cache of sweet tacticool full-autos to play with but I'm just not that rich :rolleyes:.

Well... here I am. These are uncertain times. Divisive politics, racial reckonings, coronavirus and all other things considered I'm just feeling a lot less comfortable than I used to. I'm probably representative of the reason that guns and ammo are hard to find now I guess. I'm the dude that has always been gun friendly but never owned a gun, til recently. I don't plan on every day carry, but I did also apply for my CHL so that I can when I feel the need. We'll see if I even end up getting it before 2021. From what I am hearing, they're booked out on appointments until then in my area.

Most guns and ammo are basically always out of stock, prices are high and lines are long so frankly the process of shopping and buying guns hasn't been as fun as I'd hoped it would be. I usually love shopping and researching and finding good deals on the perfect equipment that fits me but this has been a bit less enjoyable than other types of shopping I've done in the past.

I have no plans to stockpile as much as a few people I know have but I feel like I at least need to have a concealable pistol, a long gun and a shotgun at the ready. Hopefully I won't need 'em but I feel better having them.

Anyway... I guess I got a new hobby :s0010: Bye money!
Imo concealed carry is a pre-requisite to living in Portland now. The old Portland is gone unfortunately. I have seen so much stuff around here the last couple years it is sickening. And now the criminals are even more bold with the lack of police, record police retirements in August, and the staff they have are already maxed out on time due to rioters.

Before all the protests started I called 911 twice on violent crimes and no police arrived after 40 minutes. This is in town, not far from 2 precincts. 13 shootings last Sunday night alone in Portland. You are definitely doing the right thing imo.
 
Welcome man! That is the awesome thing about the firearms community/hobby.. there are TONS of different mindsets and preferences. I know guys that are only into black powder and want nothing to do with modern firearms. I also know a few mall ninjas that hate black powder firearms and think they are too old school and want nothing to do with them. All kinds of folks and sub-communities within this massive hobby.

Zero pressure to "HAVE TO HAVE" firearms of a certain type or quantity. But anyone even interested in dipping their toes into the hobby is welcome! Sadly, this hobby no matter what preference can be an addictive one.
 
Welcome man! That is the awesome thing about the firearms community/hobby.. there are TONS of different mindsets and preferences. I know guys that are only into black powder and want nothing to do with modern firearms. I also know a few mall ninjas that hate black powder firearms and think they are too old school and want nothing to do with them. All kinds of folks and sub-communities within this massive hobby.

Zero pressure to "HAVE TO HAVE" firearms of a certain type or quantity. But anyone even interested in dipping their toes into the hobby is welcome! Sadly, this hobby no matter what preference can be an addictive one.
Thanks for the welcome and the reply!

I'm not a hipster, but I concealed carried flintlock pistols before they were cool. :s0033:
Am I doing it right?? :s0112:
 
If you live within 25mi of Portland, your minimum ownership should be:
Sig P365 for concealed carry (always have)
AR15 for standoff against multiple attackers (travel/truck gun)
12ga pump or SA, unplugged for in-home defense
If you aren't committed to these three scenarios and best final defense options, you are shorting yourself.
 
Welcome to the forum. If you are set on a bullpup shotgun check out the IWI TS-12, couldn't be happier with mine so far.
IMG_20200617_174730.jpg
 

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