first gun purchase.

ScuD

i am by no means a pro when it comes to firearms. but i have enjoyed more than a session a moth at the shooting range for the past year or so. i would like to get my license now that i am getting into my own place, and i was wondering if there are any suggestions you could hand my way. i was thinking a handgun..i am a little nervous about owning a rifle, I've handled hunting rifle's before. i'm talking about those guys i see at the range with guns that look like military grade weapons. like ACR's, SIG 550's and i saw a guy with what looked like an m4. pretty intense.

acid_drop

Are you located in the U.S.?

And what makes you more nervous of a rifle than a handgun. 90 percent of the time, negligent discharges and accidental shootings happen with handguns. It's all about being safe with weapons, and understanding that you never point it at something you don't fully intend to kill- loaded or not.

What makes a semi-automatic any more "military-grade" than a bolt action hunting rifle? Plenty of semi-autos are modeled after military armament, difference is- no fun switch.

I carried an M4 and an M14A4SDM overseas, and tend to shoot Ar15's when I have the chance. It's a platform I'm very comfortable with, and know how to use effectively.

Don't judge a weapon is evil because it has a counterpart in the hands of soldiers. All of your firearms are based off of technology developed for war.


ANYWAY back on subject what are you looking for in a firearm? In the U.S. you must be 21 or over to own a handgun. 18 for rifles in most states. What do you have experience shooting? Including weapon types and calibers. Shoot as much variety as you can to get a better understanding of what you like. I can shoot a 5.56 rifle all day, but a .40cal pistol gets old pretty quick.

My BEST advice, is to get a .22lr rifle. A Marlin 60, or Ruger 10/22. Great guns to start on, it's what most of us started with. .22lr is cheap to feed, and you don't develop bad flinching habbits. Technique and practice are key, you can buy 500 rounds of .22 for like $20-$30 where as .308 is about a dollar a round. Starting out with 30-06 without having the proper technique down, can foster some pretty bad habbits.

ScuD

i started off with the H&K USP .40 because of its recognizability, i saw it and i wanted to shoot it. i immediately switched to a smaller caliber, and since then i've pretty much been shooting the Glock 17 9mm. i like the controllability. i'm not looking for firearms for self defense OR hunting, what i'm really looking forward to is the enthusiast level of shooting for sport. at first it was just an outlet, a way for me to blow off steam but now i really want to learn about firearms and how they work and how i can become a good practical shooter with all kinds of firearms. i am 23 and i live in Canada, i have my treaty rights so i can own any thing thats not prohibited, all i have to do is send in the application to my band and properly register the guns through them. i could get a normal license but i wont have to pay taxes on ammunition if i go through my band.

anyways, as far as safety goes, the fellas down at the range are pretty helpful, money isn't really a concern, but i figure i'll start small. i want to take lessons, but i cant afford it. i have been trying the watch and learn method, and the i'll shoot like they do in the vidya games method JK, but it's pretty slow going. i looked up some nice .22 rifle's, i think i'll start there, and i think i'll be moving on to something a little heavier as far as a handgun goes. one rifle and a handgun should start me off.

acid_drop

ScuD wrote: »

anyways, as far as safety goes, the fellas down at the range are pretty helpful, money isn't really a concern, but i figure i'll start small. i want to take lessons, but i cant afford it. i have been trying the watch and learn method, and the i'll shoot like they do in the vidya games method JK, but it's pretty slow going. i looked up some nice .22 rifle's, i think i'll start there, and i think i'll be moving on to something a little heavier as far as a handgun goes. one rifle and a handgun should start me off.

Go through your band? What band? Also, I'm not totally up on the laws in Canada. Haven't been up there in years. Don't know the legality of an AR15, but they are fun guns, and the ammo is pretty cheap for centerfire.

I like .45 in a pistol cartridge. Probably because I own a 1911. It's more like a push, than the violent snap of the .40. It's not like I can't handle the .40, I just don't find it nearly as enjoyable to shoot long term. I get fatigued faster trying to keep sights on target with the .40 compared to 9mm or .45. I can't afford to shoot the .45 nearly as much as I would like though.

ScuD

i can register guns in my name without a traditional lisence if i register them through my band on the reservation. a band is a tribe, we dont say tribe anymore, since we use representative democracy now. i haven't shot anything bigger than the .40 .

im looking at this right now.

http://www.shootingcentre.com/catalog/firearms/restricted/longarms/bushmaster-ar-15

acid_drop

WAYYYY overpriced for a Bushmaster. What is "prohibited" in Canada?

ScuD

this is a site for a store in a big mall in the city. whats a "good price" for a rifle like this.

PROHIBITED and restricted. what i meant to say was restricted. ENGLISH FAIL.

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/fs-fd/rp-eng.htm

acid_drop

So essentially you can't own a semi-auto rifle with a barrel length under 18" ? Weird.

I don't know about Canada and prices, but here a bushmaster would be like 900-1100 USD.

ScuD

and I can, since i am not subject to some of the restrictions placed on the acquisition of firearms. allot of bands out east have ak-47's, totally legal. theres alot of restrictions people in certain bands are not subject too, since most treaties state our right to "self governance and Self defense". getting anything out side of that list is pretty hard in Canada anyways, so its a moot point.

generally you take the american price and add 300.