I Finally Did It!

[tallsteve]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger (pun intended) on purchasing a handgun. I ended up going with the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield in 9mm. I do want to get my concealed carry permit so, I wanted something more compact. With the extended magazine for the shield, it actually fits my rather large (skinny and long, not fat) hands quite comfortably. I put 50 rounds through it at the range, right after buying it this morning, and it shoots great although my experience with handguns is limited so, i don't really have anything to compare it to. At 3 to 5 yards, I was dead on. My 7+ yard shooting needs some work. For a newbie handgun owner, does anyone have any advice? Shooting, classes, hints & tips?

82222

[Iceaxe]

You only have one gun?!?

:roflol: :roflol: :roflol:



For a newbie handgun owner, does anyone have any advice?

Yeah... don't hold your gun sideways like they do in the movies.

http://www.ablogabouthistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/weapon.jpg

Welcome to the gun owner club. :2thumbs:

[Sombeech]

How much did it cost, and where did you buy from? I've been debating on a better semi auto, or a good ol' reliable revolver.

[tallsteve]

How much did it cost, and where did you buy from? I've been debating on a better semi auto, or a good ol' reliable revolver.

I bought it at Get Some Guns in Orem and paid $390.00. The gun included 2 magazines and the store threw in a 30 day gun range pass and a beginner handgun class. The store is only 8 minutes from my office so, I plan on going at lunch time quite often over the next 30 days.

[tallsteve]

You only have one gun?!?

Hah! Only one handgun now. I can see myself buying a full-size version within the next 6 months or so.

[oldno7]

Use it--enjoy it--but before that, understand it and how it works.
Take it apart and clean it--several times, familiarity=safety!

[oldno7]

Isn't it nice to know you helped:mrgreen:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/10/05/guns-in-the-united-states-one-for-every-man-woman-and-child-and-then-some/

[tallsteve]

I took my concealed carry class last night at Get Some Guns in Orem. There were only 4 of us in the class, 3 men and 1 woman. The class started at 6:00 and we didn't get finished until 10:30. I liked that the instructor had us shoot- both a semi-auto and a revolver. 10 rounds through each. He said he wasn't about to put his name on anyone's paperwork if they couldn't shoot decently, display basic safety protocols and handgun know-how. The class and instructor was excellent.
I've now put about 150 rounds through my M&P Shield and I'm liking it more and more.

[Iceaxe]

Nice... I wish my CCP instructor was that good. The guy that taught my class was a real piece of work and provided almost zero useful or practical information. He was a cop and spent the entire class telling us stories about how awesome he is instead of teaching us the program he should have. The only good part about his class was it only lasted 2.5 hours until he ran out of "I'm a hero" stories and we got to leave.

[tallsteve]

Wow. I can't stress enough about what an excellent job our instructor did. He had also been a cop for 22 years or something but, now works full-time at this gun store. He didn't tell us any cop stories but, we did go through a lot of hypothetical scenarios so we were more clear about the law. The scenarios helped me a lot and forced us to think about what we'd do in a shooting situation. I'd highly recommend him to anyone else thinking of getting their permit down here in Utah County.

[mxerhale]

Sounds like a great teacher. In our class the teacher was also a retired cop but he only told us a couple of po-po stories and gave us a lot of what if situations. You need to have these type scenarios in your head every time you are carrying because you probably won't have time to have an ethics and law discussion in your noggin...

[tallsteve]

I received my CCP last Saturday. Our instructor told us to expect the permit to take about 60 days to get back. I received mine back in under 30 days!
Question- has anyone signed up for concealed carry legal defense plan? I'm thinking about it. Looks like one of the better reviewed plans is from this firm: http://ccwsafe.com. For $99 a year you get this. Worth it?



[*=center]Covers one person for any criminal, civil or administrative legal action stemming from a self defense incident. Attorneys, Investigators and Expert witnesses are covered. Member does not have to payback any fees.
[*=center]Covers all uses of deadly force, not just firearms.
[*=center]No Caps, No Limits, Includes Retrials and Appeals. Member will never pay out of pocket for services.
[*=center]Covers member in any state that their permit(s) or license(s) are honored.
[*=center]Includes Bail Bond coverage up to $250,000 bonds at no additional cost.

[REDFOX]

If I was in a position where I thought that I might have to use a weapon for defense, I might actually buy one of those insurance plans. What I learned from the class was that if you pull the trigger you had better be prepared for a lot of paperwork and questioning. I would rather keep things simple for myself. My personal belief is that insurance is the biggest scam in America.

[tallsteve]

As a followup item, I purchased my M&P Shield concealed carry holster from Stealth Gear USA http://stealthgearusa.com/products/sgusa-holsters-for-the-smith-and-wesson-m-p-shield-9mm-41?variant=2523454084. Others had recommended them plus, they are a local company based out of American Fork. They have a small storefront showroom if you want to go look at their product. So far so good but I don't have another holster to compare it to. High quality, very comfortable with no break-in period. If you're looking for something, give them a try.

[Painted Horse]

I've several handguns, But none of them are really concealable. .41Mag to scare bears etc.
So I recently got the bug for smaller conceal carry, Ended up buying a Browning 1911-380

It's not a tiny pocket gun, But is much smaller than my camp protection guns and Alaska fishing guns.

I like the feel of it and it shoots very nice. The 4.25" barrel gives a longer sight plane and a little higher velocity than the average mouse gun.
But I'm wishing it came in 9mm instead of 380Auto. I'm finding 380 ammo is harder to fine, less of a selection and more expensive than 9mm

I'm also finding that it has not been out long enough for most after market manufactures to get accessories out on the market yet. Holsters, Extra mags etc are in short supply

[tallsteve]

For ammo try Freedom Munitions out of Idaho. They are most known for their reloads and I've had really good success with it. Cleaner burning than the new stuff I was buying and they constantly have discounts and specials going on. https://www.freedommunitions.com/#&panel1-2

[Painted Horse]

Thanks for the suggestions. I bought some from them and will give it a try.