YAGT: OMG I love guns

[ManBearPig]

My brother in law took me to the shooting range today and it was my first time ever shooting a gun. We got there around 1:30 pm, shot for a couple hours, and almost 12 hours later I'm still raving about it. Easily one of the most fun things I've done. Now I'm obsessed with guns, lol. :awe: Just wish they weren't so damn expensive.

We shot the two guns he had, which were the Ruger SR22 (.22) and the Glock 22 (.40). Man, what a difference in feel and power and everything between those two calibers. The .40 initially made me kinda nervous lol. It was an absolute perfect day to go shooting and there were barely any other people there. There were enough for me to get the etiquette of the range down, though, which was nice.

So, without further ado, I have some questions for you (this list will grow throughout the thread, I'm sure):

1)My BIL was wondering what gun you recommend in the 9mm category with a budget of $500-700. Any opinions?

2)Another 9mm question from the BIL...he was wondering why there are so many different types of 9mm ammo (he read them all off to me; there are indeed a lot). Are they for specific guns? Can some take more than one type?

3)While we were shooting, i noticed the Ruger .22 seemed to kinda...jam up a lot or something. The Glock didn't jam once. Is there any way to prevent this (why does this happen?)? Kind of annoying.

4)Could you guys please recommend a good starter gun for ME? :awe: Not really sure what caliber/type/whatever is good for a beginner.

Man...wish I hadn't waited so long to get into this. Also, I now want to try every gun lol. It's kinda like getting video game upgrades; this shit is addicting. Wish I could afford a Desert Eagle...those look sweet. Oh yeah...i feel like everyone should be required to shoot a gun to see how unrealistic movies are lol.

THANKS!

Because this thread is ongoing, I restored the OP.
admin allisolm

 

[Dr. Zaus]

So if your gun loves me does that mean you vicariously love me?

 

[deadlyapp]

Almost all .22's jam notoriously. The sig mosquito is one of the worse while the ruger mark III and up seem to do the best. It's just because the round has so little energy to cycle the bolt back that sometimes it will mis-feed or won't eject properly.

9mm has a lot of guns. The XD9, Glock G26(I think?), and M&P9 are all great and reliable 9mm guns that sit around the 500 or so range. Going up to 700+ you can get a used Sig or 9mm 1911. It really depends on what you want to do with it. If it's strictly a range gun/home defense then get a full size. If you plan on carrying later, get something in a 4" or smaller barrel with a shorter grip.

There are lots of different weights of 9mm round. I'm not sure why but I think the standard is 147gr. You'll see variants allll over the place but 147 is a good mix of power and recoil.

If you handled the .40 fine then you are probably fine with a 9mm or similar. The 9mm is a little smoother of a recoil vs the .40, despite being almost the same size. .40 always felt like a very sharp recoil to me while .45 was powerful but smooth like the 9mm. .22 is a great gun to start with as you can shoot it a ton for very little cost and it allows you to get your aiming and trigger pull and all those other very important things that should be second nature. If you start with a large round you can develop subconcious bad habits such as pulling down to counteract the recoil, etc.

My first gun was a .45 officer sized 1911. I haven't ever owned a .22 handgun. My smallest caliber is 9mm. It worked out fine for me but YMMV.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I have a Ruger Mark II (.22), and it does jam more with cetain ammo. In most cases, it's fine with whatever I put into it with one jam per hundred, but I've found that my gun doesn't like Remington Golden Bullet and a particular variant of Winchester ammo that's called something like Winchester XPert or something like that. In the past, it's been okay with other variants of Remington ammo, and it's always okay with Federal.

The problem with my gun is that the Remington has a fat bullet, and it's getting caught on the lip of the feed ramp. Most bullets might get a small nick and chamber fine, but some get caught. The pic below shows the bullet shape of the Remington versus the more pointed Federal.

 

[jpeyton]

1) CZ-75, Glock 17, Sig P226, S&W M&P, Beretta 92FS

2) There is cheaper 9mm ammo for target shooting, and more expensive personal defense rounds that pack a punch. Most 9mm pistols can reliably shoot any factory ammunition (save the cheap Russian steel-cased stuff).

3) It could have been the ammo you were using. Maybe it was the gun itself. We need more details.

4) If you want a cheap .22 pistol, get a Ruger MkIII. If you want a 9mm, a Glock 17.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I have a Glock 17 (full frame 9mm), and I feed it Miwall brass-cased reloads (115gr and 125gr). It does not jam; never.

I've had one round in ~9000 that have gone through this gun, and just that one round didn't go boom. Had a pin mark on the primer, so it was either no powder or bad primer but it was just that one.


Glock will certainly fit into the $500 to $700 budget. You should try out other guns, though. Small women and men with dainty-sized hands tend not to like the Glock.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[schneiderguy]

Autoloading .22s are a pain in the ass in my experience.

I sold my semiauto .22 rifle for a CZ 455 (bolt action) and I've got a S&W Model 63 (.22 revolver). No jams for me :awe:

 

[schneiderguy]

Thanks for the info! More questions:

1)I was alright shooting today, but seemed like I kept missing due to kinda shaking while trying to align the sights. Any way to get over this, or just more practice?

2)Should I be aiming slightly down so recoil takes the gun up?

3)If im right handed, do I close my left eye and look with my right, or does it not matter? For whatever reason, I kept closing my right eye and using my left.

Thanks again for all the info!!

1. You were probably missing more because of flinching/not pulling the trigger straight back than not having the sights aligned perfectly. You won't be able to hold the gun perfectly still so I find that ignoring the wobble and getting a good trigger pull is better than trying to break the shot when you have a perfect sight alignment and jerking the trigger.

2. No, the bullet leaves the barrel before the recoil kicks the gun up.

3. You might be left eye dominant. I keep both eyes open when shooting handguns.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[ThatsABigOne]

1)Practice.
2)No!
3)For me, I am right handed, but aim with left eye, as I have a better handling ability.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[schneiderguy]

Oh yeah, does it matter how much you extend your arms when shooting?

I go to full extension then back off just a bit.

This is a good video on handgun grip, and you can see how he extends his arms:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVhTA-n0ivE

 

[OverVolt]

Sig p226, glock19/17, CZ 75b, all good 9mm pistols. I really want to try a CZ 75b.

I shoot mostly 115gr 9mm for fun/cheap.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[marrr]

Any websites you guys recommend for buying guns or learning about gun stuff?

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php
http://www.galleryofguns.com/

 

[JulesMaximus]

Do you fondle your guns while watching Dirty Harry movies? If not, you aren't a true gun nut.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[Rumpltzer]

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php
http://www.galleryofguns.com/

I'll also add http://www.jetguns.com/ for prices.

I kept up with the http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/ and http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/ forums for a few months when I was in that mood, but forums like these (motorcycles, cars, bikes, guns) become repetative. It's pretty much the same thing over and over again.

Also, the calguns Web site is California specific. CA restrictions might not apply in your case....

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Just wait till you get laid! Guns and Star Trek shit goes out the window!

 

[velillen]

Thanks!!

How different does a .45 or a .50 feel compared to a .40?

Lot more recoil than a 40 IMO. I have a sig p226 and itll shot pretty much anything i toss at it (even cheap russian ammo). One thing to consider is ammo prices. 9mm is cheaper than 40 and 40 is cheaper than 45. So if your look just for fun than a 9 will save ya money. (course so will a 22).

Before you run out and buy anything i'd take a gun safety class. They shoot teach you proper shooting techniques as well.

As for buying....we can only recommend our favorites. Glocks are highly recommended by many but when i held it it jsust didnt feel right in my hands. The Sig felt perfect. The 92FS felt good too but the one i held the slide rattled a bit and felt "loose". Definitely go at least hold each gun to see how you like the feel.

As for bullet weights...if i remember right the 9mm was designed around either 115 or 124 grain bullets. But that was back in 1902. Now a days any 9mm SHOULD be able to fire any weight bullet (90gr, 115, 125, 147, ect)

 

[pontifex]

1)My BIL was wondering what gun you recommend in the 9mm category with a budget of $500-700. Any opinions?

Lots of great stuff to choose from in that price range. Just look up stuff and do some research in it, go check them out at shops.


2)Another 9mm question from the BIL...he was wondering why there are so many different types of 9mm ammo (he read them all off to me; there are indeed a lot). Are they for specific guns? Can some take more than one type?

Different applications - self defense, plinking, competition. Also some bullets or loads work better in different barrel lengths and guns. you really just have to try stuff out to see what works best.

3)While we were shooting, i noticed the Ruger .22 seemed to kinda...jam up a lot or something. The Glock didn't jam once. Is there any way to prevent this (why does this happen?)? Kind of annoying.

.22 ammo is pretty dirty. Also a low power round so it can have trouble cycling the slide. might just take some break in time or might try a lower power recoil spring.

4)Could you guys please recommend a good starter gun for ME? Not really sure what caliber/type/whatever is good for a beginner.

I would say .22 is the best beginner gun. that way you can shoot a lot for little money, recoil is very low so you don't get scared/flinch alot, and allows you to build up good shooting skills.

Next up I would probably suggest 9mm for a semi-auto. probably the next cheapest handgun ammo (barring surplus) and recoil isn't too bad.

For revolver, I would say get a .357 but shoot .38 special out of it. .38 special is waaaay less recoil and will be cheaper than .357. But you also have the option to move up to .357 if you want to. .357 is brutal imo.

 

[superccs]

9mm is the way to go.

My money was spent on the S&W M&P 9.

 

[Merad]

With a lot of combat style .22s you need to use more powerful ammo like CCI Minimags for them to cycle reliably. Dedicated .22 target pistols like the Ruger Mark series are usually more forgiving with ammo.

 

[Raduque]

Thanks!!

How different does a .45 or a .50 feel compared to a .40?

Both will feel significantly different from a 9mm, and anything in .50 caliber is going to kick a hell of a lot harder than 9 or .40. A .45, in a full-frame 1911 is going to feel somewhat between a 9mm and a .40. The 1911's solid metal construction will really help to dampen the .45's recoil.

9mm is the way to go.

My money was spent on the S&W M&P 9.

I'll second this one, can't go wrong with an M&P.

For revolver, I would say get a .357 but shoot .38 special out of it. .38 special is waaaay less recoil and will be cheaper than .357. But you also have the option to move up to .357 if you want to. .357 is brutal imo.

This is also a really good suggestion. A .357 frame can handle any cheap .38 round you want to fire. Be warned though, while a .38 can chamber and fire .357, .357 rounds will damage or destroy the .38 frame.