Virgin to gun ownership in Portland

[garlicnoodles]

Hello all!

A friend has piqued my interest shooting some cans this summer, so I thought I should finally get a gun to avoid dirtying his equipment and using up expensive ammo haha. Looking to get a decent handgun (potentially rifle but I'm concerned about storage/size) that probably uses .22LRs since they're cheaper to fire and seem to be better for shooting at a longer distance (compared to 9mm at least).

I'm doing a bunch of research currently found this forum, which I'm hoping to use to learn about current waiting lists, availability at retailers, other firearm-purchasing rules, and potentially buying a second-hand gun since availability seems to be a problem for certain makes/models. Also just looking to see if I can learn any tips from y'all's experiences.

I'm really quite new to guns in general (hence the virgin) and have never gone shooting before. Looking forward to learn, and thanks in advance for your posts here!

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[devnull69]

hi from somewhat recent noob. In early 2020, i had shot gun once and that was like 2005. I've found it very enlightening learning experience and imho something that could be very necessary. A mentally unstable person threatened me last week on MAX. Two years ago, I'd be just scared. But now I can defend myself.

Maybe try and figure out what your possible use cases are? Just fun? Home defense ? Conceal carry? The use cases will help narrow down on where to start.

Be realistic about how much you want to spend on new hobby. It's not just cost of firearm(s) and ammo. Think about classes and range fees. If you intend to conceal carry, you'll likely end up buying a number of holsters before figuring out which works well. Dont forget conceal carry insurance.

 

[Dinglenutz]

My picks for a 22lr pistol would be taken from:

• Glock 44: If you think you might get a larger caliber pistol later, and you think it will be a Glock, this might be a good choice. I've never shto one, but every Glock I own is reliable and shoots pretty well.
• S&W 41: Expensive and worth it. If you want to target shoot/plink and just want one pistol to do it with, it's hard to beat this old girl. Been around since the 1950's and still made like a work of art. I love mine, but as I get older I find that finding the iron sights is hard, and I'm not gonna butcher it up and put a red dot on it.
• Browning Buckmark: One of the most popular 22 pistols of all time for a good reason. This is my most used pistol, added a red dot to the rail it shipped with and it's been a great target pistol. Very accurate, reliable, easy to clean.

I'll stop there and keep it simple. I owned a Ruger MK2 for a long time, but for me it's not quite as good as either the S&W or the Browning. But also a good solid pistol, I think they are up to MK4 now.

 

[Lars]

I'd recommend going to the Public Safety Training Center in Clackamas. It is ran by the Sheriffs department and they have a range and rental guns. You can try out a few different pistols to see what you like. I'd recommend training from them also. I've taken most of their classes but it's been years ago.

 

[Longwalkhome]

I would like to help a new shooter as he heads down the fun world of shooting 22 lr. Deal is its hard to recommend a rifle because I just don't know you. My opinion is like the rest of us you will find what works for you and your personal needs. I just want to welcome you and wish you luck but buy once and cry once is the luck I hope I have.

 

[garlicnoodles]

hi from somewhat recent noob. In early 2020, i had shot gun once and that was like 2005. I've found it very enlightening learning experience and imho something that could be very necessary. A mentally unstable person threatened me last week on MAX. Two years ago, I'd be just scared. But now I can defend myself.

Maybe try and figure out what your possible use cases are? Just fun? Home defense ? Conceal carry? The use cases will help narrow down on where to start.

Be realistic about how much you want to spend on new hobby. It's not just cost of firearm(s) and ammo. Think about classes and range fees. If you intend to conceal carry, you'll likely end up buying a number of holsters before figuring out which works well. Dont forget conceal carry insurance.

Thanks for the insight. My initial thoughts were home defense and concealed carry, but I don't see many personal scenarios where I would actually want to concealed carry for it to be worth the effort, though. For now, it'll be shooting for practice and fun (with experienced folks). Although I'm always budget-conscious, I'm aware that the current market isn't the best time to wait around for great deals if I want a firearm for this season. I'm hoping to go shooting in the next couple weeks. I will happily pay more for reliability, flexibility, and comfort (although this last one is very personally subjective I take it).

My picks for a 22lr pistol would be taken from:

• Glock 44: If you think you might get a larger caliber pistol later, and you think it will be a Glock, this might be a good choice. I've never shto one, but every Glock I own is reliable and shoots pretty well.
• S&W 41: Expensive and worth it. If you want to target shoot/plink and just want one pistol to do it with, it's hard to beat this old girl. Been around since the 1950's and still made like a work of art. I love mine, but as I get older I find that finding the iron sights is hard, and I'm not gonna butcher it up and put a red dot on it.
• Browning Buckmark: One of the most popular 22 pistols of all time for a good reason. This is my most used pistol, added a red dot to the rail it shipped with and it's been a great target pistol. Very accurate, reliable, easy to clean.

I'll stop there and keep it simple. I owned a Ruger MK2 for a long time, but for me it's not quite as good as either the S&W or the Browning. But also a good solid pistol, I think they are up to MK4 now.

Thanks for the ideas. Glock 44s are definitely on my radar. Between those 3, would you say it's just personal preference in looks and feel or is there an objective difference in reliability or precision?

I'd recommend going to the Public Safety Training Center in Clackamas. It is ran by the Sheriffs department and they have a range and rental guns. You can try out a few different pistols to see what you like. I'd recommend training from them also. I've taken most of their classes but it's been years ago.

I will most likely be doing this, though I'm not sure if I can commit to it (or if there's availability) before going shooting in a couple weeks or so. I'm quite familiar with many of the common sense rules when handling a gun; I just personally haven't used one.

I would like to help a new shooter as he heads down the fun world of shooting 22 lr. Deal is its hard to recommend a rifle because I just don't know you. My opinion is like the rest of us you will find what works for you and your personal needs. I just want to welcome you and wish you luck but buy once and cry once is the luck I hope I have.

Haha thanks man. Indeed these firearms are not inexpensive but I'd rather pay more now for longevity than cheap out and want something better down the road (though regardless, most of my gun-owner friends seem to love adding to their collection).

 

[gryghin]

Welcome Aboard. Glad you found the forum.



This is the best place to hang out on the internet.



Once we're able to start using the public lands again, check out the organized clean ups. It's the best way to meet the community and learn where and how to use public lands responsibly.

[Edit- We are doing non ODFW supported cleanups at public forests] - check the North Fork Wolf Creek Road thread in resources.


Until then check out Trash No Land.

Home - Trash No Land

Information for Target Shooting on Public Lands. "Stewardship Keeps It Open"2024 Pick Up The Burn Wolf Creek Lanes Cleanup

www.trashnoland.org

 

[Dinglenutz]

Thanks for the ideas. Glock 44s are definitely on my radar. Between those 3, would you say it's just personal preference in looks and feel or is there an objective difference in reliability or precision?

IMO the S&W costs 4x as much and is at least 4x better, but the Browning is so good already ... how much good do you need?

 

[Stomper]

Hello all!

A friend has piqued my interest shooting some cans this summer, so I thought I should finally get a gun to avoid dirtying his equipment and using up expensive ammo haha. Looking to get a decent handgun (potentially rifle but I'm concerned about storage/size) that probably uses .22LRs since they're cheaper to fire and seem to be better for shooting at a longer distance (compared to 9mm at least).

I'm doing a bunch of research currently found this forum, which I'm hoping to use to learn about current waiting lists, availability at retailers, other firearm-purchasing rules, and potentially buying a second-hand gun since availability seems to be a problem for certain makes/models. Also just looking to see if I can learn any tips from y'all's experiences.

I'm really quite new to guns in general (hence the virgin) and have never gone shooting before. Looking forward to learn, and thanks in advance for your posts here!

If you're a "virgin" to the "gun scene"…. I hope you "like it rough", because this is an all time high-price low supply market!

Good luck with your endeavors!

 

[DirectDrive]

Ruger Mark IV (22LR pistol)
or
Ruger 10/22 (22LR rifle)

I have a Smith Model 41 and a Ruger Mk III bull barrel.
They're great, but my recommended two above are better for a NFG.

 

[oremike]

I have a Browning Buckmark and my wife has a Smith & Wesson 22 Victory that we like to play happy can with.

 

[JohnnyMac]

Welcome to the club. I just picked up a Walther P22 today for plinking and playing on the cheap. Sportsman's Warehouse has it, a couple mentioned earlier and the Taurus TX22 in stock on line. The TX is fairly cheap with stellar reviews. Good luck!

 

[devnull69]

Thanks for the insight. My initial thoughts were home defense and concealed carry, but I don't see many personal scenarios where I would actually want to concealed carry for it to be worth the effort, though. For now, it'll be shooting for practice and fun (with experienced folks). Although I'm always budget-conscious, I'm aware that the current market isn't the best time to wait around for great deals if I want a firearm for this season. I'm hoping to go shooting in the next couple weeks. I will happily pay more for reliability, flexibility, and comfort (although this last one is very personally subjective I take it).

Many reasonable people do recommend learning on 22LR. Initially, I wasn't sure I would be "into" guns beyond just learning enough to reasonably use for conceal carry purposes. Fwiw, i ended with the same conclusions as this video

.

 

[Xaevian]

Welcome!

 

[Jason999]

Welcome to the forum

For a newby I'd highly suggest a simple, long barrel, .22lr revolver. Easy to clean after shooting and wont have a tendency to jam.

Good luck!

 

[fredball]

Welcome Aboard
You had my attention with Garlic

 

[moxee]

For a duty type handgun I found the Taurus TX22 my favorite. Inexpensive, accurate and very reliable. I have put 600 rounds through mine without cleaning just to test it. Perfect so far with bulk ammo.

 

[wollzy]

Welcome aboard and congrats on exercising your 2A...also condolences to your wallet

As for .22lr pistols I would actually avoid the Glock 44. I own one and it's fun to shoot but they can be a bit finicky with ammo types and the mag design can lead them to jam if you don't load them properly. It's nothing major and the workaround is pretty easy, but it could be a bit of a turn off to a new gun owner. I would actually suggest a Ruger Mark IV. For a rifle a Ruger 10/22 is a great .22lr choice as well. I recently purchased their Target Lite model and the price on them hasn't changed since 3 years ago...so the current price spike hasn't seemed to hit those too hard.

As for a secondary handgun (in another caliber I assume) I would go to a range and rent. Find what you like shooting. SafeFire in Camas, WA is a good choice as their rental cost is by hour and not by gun, so you can try out as many as you want. Just note that to rent at SafeFire you either need to come with a buddy or bring your own gun to rent alone.

I may get shredded for this by some people, but unless revolvers interest you I think you are fine going straight to a semi-auto. It's not like working a button for the mag release or pulling the slide back to chamber a round takes a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. If you have experienced friends they will show you how to operate one. If you are price sensitive it may not make sense to buy a .22lr revolver to just upgrade to a .22lr semi-auto later.

 

[tac]

I would respectfully suggest that you START with a revolver rather than any kind of a semi-auto.

All the safety aspects are the same, of course, but you won't have the added PITA of having to remember to apply the safety and drop the mag to clear any problem.

With a revolver you just stop shooting and open it up.

Back when we could have regular cartridge-firing handguns here in GB, I bought a Smith & Wesson Model something or other with a 6" heavy barrel and decent Goncalo-Alvez grips and shot my way to a LOT of competition success over the twenty-odd years of ownership. It never let me down once and still must have looked like new as they threw it into the furnace in 1998.

When you've mastered all the basics - and it WILL take some doing, trust me, I'm an instructor - THEN you can move to a semi-auto, with all the peculiarities that go along with them.

If AndyHawken and I lived nearer we'd introduce you to the REAL handgun shooting enjoyed by us black powder shooters.....revolvers or single shots - no new-fangled semi-autos there!

 

[washagonian]

Hello and welcome.

All good advice so far.

Then only thing I would ad is - if, as you say, you are interested in carrying for self-defense - take some time and spend some money to learn about self-defense law. I am continually amazed at how little most licensed concealed carriers know about the law and how prevelant misconceptions are in the carrying community. I was very uninformed for a couple of decades and if I had had to act on my knowledge to defend myself, I would have been in prison.

That is no longer the case.

There are some credible educational options out there. Check out Andrew Branca (an attorney and self-defense expert). Best training $$ I ever spent.

Good shooting.