Gun Safety, what to purchase, how to get training?

Honestly, I would never consider purchasing a revolver. They look easy to use but the recoil sucks. If you are in a situation where you need to reload you are pretty much screwed. Had a guy in my CCW course qualify with a revolver and when we were doing shoot reload shoot drills, our 1-2 second reloads vs his 5-10 second reloads were just head shaking.

I view revolvers as something you buy for sport. Taking it out to the range to just shoot. I would never use one in a self defense situation. I would make a revolver your 3-4th gun purchase. I definitely wouldnt start out on one.

My first purchase was a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield before I took the basic handgun course. After the course I sold it and picked up a Glock 19 and shortly after a Glock 26. The Glock 26 is just a smaller version of the 19 however there is more recoil with the 26. My GF prefers to shoot the 19. I only got the 26 so when I carry in dress shirts, its a little smaller otherwise the 19 is my main.

Smaller firearms are usually harder to control. If you are looking for a full size for some home defense and target shooting, I would look at the Glock 34. Its bigger than the 19 but extremely smooth to fire. The 19 is a close 2nd. My GF and I are actually planning to get a couple Glock 34 to use for some competition shooting in the future.

 

That is usually what happens when the adrenaline kicks in. Happens to law enforcement/military all the time when they feel their life is in danger.

Accuracy is also severely degraded when the adrenaline kicks in. I know a guy who was a LRRP in the Army in Vietnam. He ran into an enemy in the jungle and they both unloaded their rifles on full auto at each other. Neither of them hit anything other than trees and they both walked away from that one.

 

Lots of good advice here.

 

But seriously, take a basic handgun course before you make your purchase. There are a lot of people out there that buy a gun thinking they are going to like it or it just felt good to them in the store but once you gain a little knowledge and actually get someone to show you how to properly shoot, you may find that the firearm is extremely uncomfortable to shoot. It happened to me with the M&P Shield. I thought I liked it, took it out to the range for about 3 months then I took the course and after I took the course, i hated it.

Its all just about being trained correctly in the beginning to know proper grip, stance, etc. Having someone there to correct you on a live range beats the youtube videos and not knowing if you are doing it right. You may find that you hate the Glock 19, and that a Smith and Wesson M&P full size feels better. Dont make the mistake I did and waste money on a purchase only to sell it a few months later.


Ninja Edit: Also what I like about FAST OC, is once you take one of their courses, you can come back for free. If there is range time, all they ask is you kick down a few bucks for ammo since they let you shoot their ammo.

 

I'd have to agree with you about revolvers. There are no springs or a slide to absorb some of the recoil. Your hand has to absorb all of the recoil.

Don't get me wrong, they're awesome, but maybe not for a first time buyer.

 

This is a great suggestion, and like others said, I would recommend attending the class first, before deciding on a purchase. This assumes the class has guns available for attendees to use. You will learn tons during those sessions and the instructor can and will provide a lot of advice to interested purchasers.

 

If this is going to be for home defense why not look into a shotgun? I'm not familiar with Cali laws regarding them, but a shotgun is great for home defense

 

Also the nice thing if you get a glock is you can pick up one of these for mirror image training (dont really need to have a glock to use this training pistol but I like to use the same firearm for muscle memory for all of my self defense scenarios)
https://nextleveltraining.com/product/sirt-110/

I have one on order. Perfect for home training. Gives you more than if you were just dry firing.

 

I hadn't looked at them. Just initially thinking they are cumbersome, heavy, etc.

But if that is a recommendation, I would be happy to look at it when I am the store as well.

This is the upside of being a newbie, that I can take all the suggestions here prior to going to a store.

 

Shotgun is a good HD weapon but the thing with long guns is in tight spaces or if you need to clear a corner, its easier to maneuver with a handgun. Also, a lot of ranges only allow handguns. Most long guns are not permitted so your training is limited.

 

They are a little bit but not like dragging a cannon around, lol. They make for pretty easy point and shoot with the spread. I wouldn't rule them out.

The corners are definitely true. But with practice that can be worked around to a point.

Must be a Cali thing, cause the ranges here allow pretty much anything

 

Forgot to mention one thing:

There are quite a few Bears in this area. I see 1-2 a week in my backyard and driveway. So the type of gun would also help in bear protection would be good.

 

Def a Cali thing. As of Jan 1, 2017, all our Semi Automatic rifles are illegal and must be registered as an assault weapon. Can no longer purchase, transfer, gift, or sell.

As a beginner, I would start out on a handgun. Learning the basic of that, you are able to use that knowledge on most all other firearms.

 

What part of LA are you in?

Also forgot to ask, whats your budget?

 

12G shotgun for bear. Glock 19 for everything else.

easy question.

 

No budget.
La Canada Flintridge.

 

That will open a whole new can of worms.

If you want a single firearm to cover home defense and bear protection a 12ga is the best choice. In my opinion a 7" handgun is almost always a better choice than a 38" shotgun inside the confines of a house for self defense against people.

 

G19 should be out the door for 600 bucks.

Holster under 100.

Training 250 a day.

Extra magazines 30 bucks each.

 

So you also get to worry about fires and land slides.