Bought my first handgun need some advice

When I do a chamber check I always take my pinky and put it in the camber just to make sure. It's an extra step I was taught.

 

Congratulations on new purchase and exercising your secondamendment rights. Rule #1 treat all gunsas though they are loaded. Everyone hasalready offered good advice.

Go to your local range and talk to the range officer I haveno doubt they would be happy to walk you through how to safely handle yourfirearm. Also be prepared to be addictedto firearms.

 

OP,
a lot of good advice on this thread so far... you'll notice most of it is safety, safety, safety, ..and for good reason... it's easy to get distracted or too excited and forget where that muzzle is pointed, ...forget to get that finger off the trigger and outstretched, ...forget to always check for clear when preparing for transport in the case.... also you'll need to learn the range etiquette - there is some generic etiquitte but some ranges are different - usually outdoor ranges, where you must walk downrange to check your target, will have different rules than indoor ranges w/ automatic target retreival systems...

...remember, there are no "dumb" questions - you want to be confident you know the 4 rules of safety, and proper safe handling...

...like the others, i highly recommend taking a first shots or NRA basic pistol class w/ your daughter first - you'll get some classroom instruction plus range time w/ one-on-one w/ instructor and a variety of different guns... that is a perfect time to unleash w/ questions...

 

Pay for a good pistol class for you and your daughter that teaches gun safety and handling/shooting

My wife was scared to death of guns for a long time, she used to freak out everytime I was cleaning my guns, this went on for 20 years, even though she knew I was a shooter and hunter when we married

4 years ago I finally got her to shoot a few of mine, then she went through a 3 day class, she is now very confident in gun safety and she is packing everytime she leaves the house

She is a pretty darn good shot now, I make sure when I come home from work or anywhere that she knows it`s me coming in the house

Get the entire family involved if possible, it helps the entire house feel safe if everyone in the house has something to defend theirself with in the case of a burglary

 

The biggest thing I can offer is to just be aware of where the gun is pointed...not so difficult with a rifle or shotgun but very different with a pistol. In time it comes naturally but when you're new it's amazing how easy it is to point it at someone.

 

This.

Before you plan a day with your daughter, contact the local range and sign up for an NRA handgun safely and handling class.

Added benefit? That class will suffice for training requirements for a Florida non-resident concealed carry permit.
The Florida permit will allow you to legally carry concealed in something like 23 states, and you do not have to travel to Florida to obtain the permit.
You need to fill out the paperwork, return it with a set of fingerprint cards and proof of your NRA class and they mail the permit back.

 

But short story:

Booger hook off the bang switch at all times

Okay....
1 - Never point the gun at ANYTHING you do not intend to destroy.
2 - Always treat EVERY gun as if it is loaded and not on "safe" until you personally visually and physically verify that it is not loaded or chambered. Even if you WATCH me clear a gun and I hand it to you, you still need to confirm that I cleared it properly.
3 - Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on-target.

There's a lot more, but those are the three biggies.
Finger off the trigger? The gun is not going to fire itself.
Treat it like it's loaded? You won't be careless with a potentially loaded gun.
Always point in a "safe" direction? In the unlikely event that it is loaded and the trigger does get pulled, it's not going to kill anyone.

Depending on the people at the range or gun shop, some people go absolutely apeshit when someone "sweeps" them... even with a gun that they know to be empty (salesman just handed it to them).
Personally, it doesn't bother me that much in a controlled environment like a gun shop.
At a range or other shooting area where I will assume that every gun is loaded and ready to fire? You're going to be "educated"
But I personally make an effort to go overboard in avoiding "sweeping" people, even at the sales counter.

 

x2 .... it's money well worth investing.

I was handgun qualified for the last 18 yrs of my 26 yrs on active duty Air Force. Actually carried on the job for about 4 of those years...the rest was staying qualified (like every 18 months) for deployment ready purposes. So I went through the standard qualification class about a dozen times. Keep in mind I wasn't Security Forces, so my training was more ancilliary in nature and focused a lot on safety.

When I retired from active duty I started going to the range with a friend for fun. We both decided to take a concealed carry class. I learned more in that two day class, then all the times I took the qualification course on active duty. That's my 2 cents FWIW.

 

Ditto.

I do a triple-check... and the 3rd check tends to freak some people out so I'm careful to hide the action if possible, but I ALWAYS do it with a gun that I did not fire the last round from or I have not personally cleaned... and that is the squib check.

Check one - Visually confirm that the chamber is empty.
Check two - Stick my pinky into the chamber.
Check three - Place my thumb over the breech covering about half of it... and this is what freaks some people out.... look down the barrel. I am looking for the edge of my thumbnail and to confirm that the barrel is clear of obstruction. Yes, some people freak out, but IMHO, it is a necessary safety check, and it is perfectly safe because:
1 - It has already been visually and physically confirmed empty.
2 - My thumb is in the chamber, the slide cannot close
3 - Even if somehow the slide were to drop and chamber a round, my thumb is blocking the firing pin.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. I'm looking into a NRA class. The range offers a 4 hour class for $189 does that seem reasonable? Going to ask if this is NRA. Taking the future SIL with me today to pick up the gun. I think he's going to get into it too. This just keeps getting better and haven't even fired a shot yet.

 

Full metal jacket, aka FMJ, is just one of many different styles of ammo it is usually a lead core with copper on the outside but sometimes a different metal is used on the outside "jacket." A training course with your local DNR should be around 10-20 dollars all of the NRA classes I've taken that are basic gun safety were 50-100. This is a good website to find classes around you and describe the classes. http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/index.asp

This is good advice. OP there is NO such thing as being to safe with a gun.

Careful you might end up like me with many different guns and a lot of ammo putting hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year into this hobby.

Edit: Also I hope you've invested in safety gear such as gun mufflers and safety glasses because being deaf or blind isn't very fun.

 

The basic gun safety, is that similar to the Hunter Safety course that is required by some states? i know they had a lot about gun safety in that course when i was a kid. in fact the back of the orange card i got has the rules of gun safety

 

Pretty much the same thing. And my card had the same thing on the back just the basic don't point at anything you don't intend to shoot, and assume it's loaded at all times, etc.

 

i like the emphasis on "once you pull the trigger, you cant take it back"

 

i usually use Winchester White Box or Remington's UMC for plinking from everyone's local wal-mart. CTD's prices might look pretty but they'll get you on shipping.

 

+1

For 5.56 and a lot of other calibers, I'll buy from http://www.ammunitiontogo.com but for 9mm and 45, I need to balance against WalMart as they are usually cheaper on FMJ.

Cheaper than dirt really isn't, and as a Californian I will not support them.
I can understand them not selling firearms into California, but they refuse to sell perfectly legal items to California. Same for Sportsman's Guide.
They claim that they can be charged by the state if someone buys a product and uses it to assemble an assault weapon.
No, they can't. I can walk across the street and buy every single item that they won't sell to California other than a completed "featured" (banned) gun.

They won't even sell an M1 bayonet to California... and California does NOT restrict bayonets, and the bayonet lug is not considered an "evil feature" as it was with the Federal ban.
They also believe that a double-edged knife is illegal in California.
It's not. California actually has better knife laws than most states.

So no... CTD can Sick my Duck, I wouldn't buy from them if they were the last vendor on the web.

 

You need to facepalm yourself ... for buying first and shooting second.
Ideally you would have tried out a few guns at the range first to get a feel for what you shoot well. The ergonomics between pistols are NOT the same.

Second, 9mm FMJ (full metal jacket), ie, the cheap stuff from Walmart, Dick's, etc, is fine for range time.

Wear eye protection and ear protection. It might be mandatory, or maybe not, but I buy my own. You don't want someone else's ear wax all over yours, do you?

Edited because I can spell, but I use the wrong words.

 

^ there's a guy in your area that supply's me my reloads. 280 for 1000 .45 and 165 for 1000 9mm

 

hmm... if that's 189/person for 4 hours, that sounds a bit high to me for an introductory class..., maybe it's an advanced class,... ask them what is involved in the class and what ability level it caters to... if this is a first for you and your daughter, i'd recommend going w/ someone who offers an introductory course (first steps, first shots, etc) that includes both classroom and range instruction...