pistols, defense, trainingI never owned a handgun, though I occasionally shot some (and other guns, e.g. M-16). I would like to get a handgun for myself and learn how to use it properly - primarily for self-defense but also maybe for self-improvement (i.e. satisfaction of knowing I could shoot accurately - if I could achieve that). I know the basics and I have the gun safety certificate required by California state, but I am a bit lost about how to proceed. E.g., the following:
I understand it’s a big question to ask which can have multiple answers but I hope the experience of the people here could help me.
It’s my opinion that buying a gun to learn the fundamentals of handgun marksmanship is totally different than buying a gun for self defense. The primary reason being your selection of caliber, where self defense guns require a much larger caliber than would be useful in a pistol used for training the fundamentals.
#Your First Pistol
For a first pistol, or for a pistol that you are going to use for learning, I recommend you get something in the caliber of .22 Long Rifle (.22 LR, or just .22). There are a few very popular choices here, the downright most popular in my experience being the Ruger Mark III and Ruger 22/45 models.
The biggest advantage to a .22 pistol is the lack of noise, muzzle blast, and recoil, and dirt-cheap ammo. This will give you the ability to practice without developing bad habits and to practice a lot for very little money. If you don’t want to purchase one gun now and another gun later, you can purchase a pistol in a self defense caliber that has an available .22 LR conversion kit. This will allow you to practice your fundamentals of pistol marksmanship with the gun layout and controls you’ll be using in a self defense situation.
#The Fundamentals ##(And How You Can Relearn Them If You’re Broken)
A strong foundation in the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship is the most important asset you can give yourself. The weight and caliber of the weapon will not have an appreciable affect accuracy if you have these fundamentals. What weight and caliber will affect is felt recoil, which can have effects on your accuracy through things like anticipation of recoil, grip, and trigger use.
I know from personal experience how bad anticipation can be. When I first started shooting handguns, my cousin gave me a 1911 in .45 ACP. I didn’t know anything about anything at the time, and for years I had to fight the natural urge to dip the barrel down in order to compensate for the muzzle flip post-firing.
Compensation of this kind will lead to heartache. You can not, and must not try to, compensate for the recoil of a handgun.
The tricks that I have used to get over this are three-fold.
You can also have a friend put their finger into the trigger guard from beside you and, with your finger on the trigger, have him press your finger rearward while you focus on all the previously mentioned fundamentals. This will truly give you no idea about when the round will fire and let you focus on keeping everything else in line.
The previously mentioned fundamentals you should be focusing on:
Finger placement on the trigger was covered in another question here: Rounds are going low and left. What am I doing wrong?. For a right handed shooter, “too much finger” can cause the gun to pull to the right and “not enough finger” can push the gun to the left. The answers on that question do an exceptional job of explaining the issue.
#Purchasing A Pistol
I generally give these pieces of advice when purchasing a pistol (to be done in this order):
I can not stress enough how important it is that you try-before-you-buy. Glocks may have an awesome reputation and be dirt cheap to purchase and maintain. They have a huge aftermarket and plenty of support from both gunsmiths and the manufacturer. I can’t shoot most Glocks comfortably because of the grip angle. These are things you won’t realize until you’ve shot the gun.
A quality gun does not have to be expensive. Glock’s pistols and Smith & Wesson’s M&P pistols can be had for about half what you’ll pay for a Heckler & Koch in the same caliber and barrel length. Does that mean that HK is gouging you? Well, not exactly. HKs are extremely good guns, hard-tested and hard-used, with a hard-earned reputation for reliability and performance. And while you’re going to pay an extra few bucks for the name you’re getting a hell of a gun.
Another good thing to do is go read message boards dedicated to your chosen brand(s) of pistol(s). Manufacturers can change things behind the scenes (like Glock’s recent redesign for their 4th generation of pistols). Go where people already did the leg work. Find out what problems people are having with the gun you want. Say you find that a gun may not be 100% reliable, or that it has intermittent problems. If this is a range toy and the price is right, who cares? If this is a gun you intend to carry every day for self-defense, maybe you should keep looking.
Total cost of ownership is a huge thing people overlook. Again the example of a self-defense weapon: you’re going to want to train with the gun you carry. If you’re shooting a .45, ammo is much more expensive than 9mm, which makes training much more expensive. It also makes your initial test for reliability much more expensive. If it’s a range toy can skip the need to test for reliability altogether. 1911s require dutiful tracking of round counts. Extractor tension can require tuning, individual guns can be very picky about magazine/ammo combinations.
Without a doubt, the most important step here is to fire a gun before you buy it.
#Training The next step you can take is to find a local training company with a good reputation. Ask around at the range when you see people who seem to know what they’re doing. Ask a cop if you happen to run into one walking around the mall. Ask any of your friends or acquaintances that are gun enthusiasts. Generally with training, as with guns and ammo, you’ll get what you pay for. There are also large companies that travel all around the United States offering training classes in different areas. If one of these may be in your area or close enough for you to drive to, you can take a class with them.
In addition to that, taking the classes for a concealed carry permit (even if it’s unlikely that you will be issued one) is a good place to get a basic grasp on the laws surrounding self defense and deadly force. I recommend caution here, as many instructors I’ve dealt with love to include opinion and preference right along with their presentation of the course. Looking up your local laws directly and speaking with other people at local training courses is great for this. A caveat to traveling trainers is they are unlikely to be as intimately familiar with your local laws (however many states share similar basics).
The first question you have to ask yourself is “Why do I want to own a handgun?” The answer to this question will determine a lot about what weapons you will consider, what training you will need, and what special considerations you’ll encounter.
For example, “self defense” is a good start. But, what type of self defense? Home? In public? While these two examples are similar, they create different requirements. If you want to carry a concealed weapon for self defense in public, you will likely choose a smaller form factor. Home defense may warrant a larger handgun. Furthermore, who or what are you defending against? Human targets or wildlife? For example, having a revolver loaded with snake shot is great on the ranch in Arizona (the U.S. state with the most rattlesnakes), but I wouldn’t choose it in a gunfight.
Once you really know the purpose of a weapon, it will be clearer what weapon you need, what ammunition works best, what training you’ll seek, and what special considerations come into play (like a concealed carry permit).
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