YAGT: OMG I love guns

[pontifex]

Question: how much does gun weight affect shooting? The heaviest gun i used was the Glock 22 (not heavy at all) and it felt fine. Say i buy the CZ 75B...that sucker is 2.2lbs! Not heavy, but much heavier than the Glock.

I'm a pretty strong dude who lifts weights often, but won't holding a 2.2lb gun for 200-300 rounds get tiring? Or maybe not, i dunno. Maybe to get tired i have to be handling a giant gun like the S&W 500 magnum or something.

weight will affect recoil some. Heavier gun will soak up some of it so it's not so bad. Also depends on the caliber and type of rounds used also.
For instance, I have a 4' Colt Trooper .357. The .357 is very strong recoil out of it and I can only shoot a few rounds before it hurts my hands. I could shoot tons of .38 special out it all day.
I have a Taurus PT99 9mm (Beretta 92 clone). It's big and a bit heavy and recoil is almost non-existent. I shoot 9mm out of my CZ P-01 compact (smaller and lighter) and felt recoil is worse.
Also, I have a .380 Bersa Thunder (small and lighweight). .380 is a fairly weak round, less than 9mm. It hurts my hand when I shoot it whereas the 9mm in even my CZ P-01 doesn't bother me.

If you're using higher pressure ammo (+P, +P+, etc) that is going to cause more recoil. Those rounds are used for self defense though and will cost much more than FMJ, so you won't want to use them for range fun.

you really shouldn't get too tired holding and shooting a handgun unless it's massive like a Desert Eagle or a large revolver.

Polymer framed guns will be lighter so easier to carry, but you're losing weight which won't mitigate the recoil as much. You're trading lighter weight for a bit more recoil. In the gun world there is almost always a trade-off by choosing a specific option.

Shorter barrel will be less velocity and less accuracy, and more recoil, but lighter and easier to conceal.

 

[gorcorps]

Question: how much does gun weight affect shooting? The heaviest gun i used was the Glock 22 (not heavy at all) and it felt fine. Say i buy the CZ 75B...that sucker is 2.2lbs! Not heavy, but much heavier than the Glock.

I'm a pretty strong dude who lifts weights often, but won't holding a 2.2lb gun for 200-300 rounds get tiring? Or maybe not, i dunno. Maybe to get tired i have to be handling a giant gun like the S&W 500 magnum or something.

Also, lets say i get the polymeric framed version of a gun (e.g., 75B phantom)...won't is mitigate less recoil than the regular, fuller steel version of the gun (75B)?

Steel frame guns have terrific recoil control because of the weight. It's why I love my CZ and 1911.

 

[irishScott]

weight will affect recoil some. Heavier gun will soak up some of it so it's not so bad. Also depends on the caliber and type of rounds used also.
For instance, I have a 4' Colt Trooper .357. The .357 is very strong recoil out of it and I can only shoot a few rounds before it hurts my hands. I could shoot tons of .38 special out it all day.
I have a Taurus PT99 9mm (Beretta 92 clone). It's big and a bit heavy and recoil is almost non-existent. I shoot 9mm out of my CZ P-01 compact (smaller and lighter) and felt recoil is worse.
Also, I have a .380 Bersa Thunder (small and lighweight). .380 is a fairly weak round, less than 9mm. It hurts my hand when I shoot it whereas the 9mm in even my CZ P-01 doesn't bother me.

If you're using higher pressure ammo (+P, +P+, etc) that is going to cause more recoil. Those rounds are used for self defense though and will cost much more than FMJ, so you won't want to use them for range fun.

you really shouldn't get too tired holding and shooting a handgun unless it's massive like a Desert Eagle or a large revolver.

Polymer framed guns will be lighter so easier to carry, but you're losing weight which won't mitigate the recoil as much. You're trading lighter weight for a bit more recoil. In the gun world there is almost always a trade-off by choosing a specific option.

Shorter barrel will be less velocity and less accuracy, and more recoil, but lighter and easier to conceal.

I wouldn't say less accuracy. When hickock45 can hit that steel gong at 80 yards with a 2.7" barrel Sig P238 I'd say short barrels are plenty accurate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W4AVpxvGgg&t=7m30s

The issue with shorter barrels is shorter sight radius. So while the gun may mechanically be very accurate, a significant amount of sight precision is lost, making aiming harder.

 

[shortylickens]

Soo...gun show is here in a week or so! Anything i should avoid/expect/etc?



Why would it still fire? Wouldn't you have to pull the hammer back?

No the Beretta is DA/SA, meaning the first trigger pull is heavy cuz its also pulling the hammer back. When THAT round fires it racks the slide back which also cocks the hammer again, each shot afterwards will be much lighter cuz the trigger doesnt have to do as much work.

Personally I dont like DA/SA as much cuz it means each shot feel different. If I did use such a gun I'd always want to manually cock the hammer the first time so my shot is smooth, but if I were jumped late at night in a parking lot that habit costs me valuable time. Its much easier to get a DAO and just practice with the heavier trigger until you learn not to snap it. OR, get a SAO like the P238 and just leave the hammer cocked, safety on. Then just get in the habit of clicking the safety every time you draw it.
Actually I dont like carrying the P238 cuz its got too much junk on the outside and doesnt draw smoothly.

 

[shortylickens]

Mmmm, if a pistol is DAO it shouldn't even be possible for the hammer to stay cocked back. A decocker has no purpose there.

Some striker fired pistols like the Glock have a half-cock position when you rack the slide back and chamber the first round. It makes the trigger pull a littler easier.
But yeah I cant see any good reason to wanna manually decock one of those. It seems silly. And in the case of a Glock it means more parts, both the decocker and pieces used to make the trigger work when its fully decocked.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[irishScott]

So do most of you carry a gun for protection or just shoot around on the range?

Does it matter? Deciding to carry is a big responsibility and an entirely individual decision. You have to study up on self defense law, practice more often; typically with harder-to-shoot guns. In most states you'll have to pay hundreds of dollars to take a safety course + processing fees + background checks. You'll also have to learn to navigate the maze of state-based concealed carry laws if you intend to cross state lines with it.

It's a lot of work. I personally think it's worth it because I enjoy taking on the responsibility for my own personal safety, with the knowledge that I'm more proficient than most, but it's taken as much work as some of my college courses just to know everything I think I need to to be good at it.

Check out this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei8OK4WdoW0&t=0m51s

 

[ManBearPig]

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[ManBearPig]

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[Kyle]

So my parents are trying to tell me i cant buy a gun! Im living here while i wait to get into medical school, otherwise it wouldnt even be an issue. They think im gonna suddenly go crazy and become suicidal or get in a fight with my brother and kill him...despite me never having suicidal tendencies and never having had a physical altercation in my life. kjsdlksajdsalkdjsalkdjas

Sorry to hear- when I lived w/ them, I know my parents would be the same if I tried to bring a gun in to their home. As long as you're living w/ them though you should respect their wishes...maybe purchase a gun and store it @ a friends house? or other family member? Maybe they'd be open to you having a gun w/ no ammo in the house? Just pick some up on the way to the range?

 

[ManBearPig]

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[schneiderguy]

So my parents are trying to tell me i cant buy a gun! Im living here while i wait to get into medical school, otherwise it wouldnt even be an issue. They think im gonna suddenly go crazy and become suicidal or get in a fight with my brother and kill him...despite me never having suicidal tendencies and never having had a physical altercation in my life. kjsdlksajdsalkdjsalkdjas

Better to ask for forgiveness than permission? :sneaky:

 

[gorcorps]

Sorry to hear- when I lived w/ them, I know my parents would be the same if I tried to bring a gun in to their home. As long as you're living w/ them though you should respect their wishes...maybe purchase a gun and store it @ a friends house? or other family member? Maybe they'd be open to you having a gun w/ no ammo in the house? Just pick some up on the way to the range?

My parents weren't a big fan either. My dad kept hearing about depressing hitting more often in people, and he didn't want me to have "a way out" that handy. Was silly but they're parents so they always worry

Anyway, it's their rules. As almost any parents I know would say, "if you don't like the rules then you don't have to live here"

 

[Merad]

Ha, I can probably beat all of those. My mom cried when I mentioned to her that I had applied for a CHL.

 

[irishScott]

Ha, I can probably beat all of those. My mom cried when I mentioned to her that I had applied for a CHL.

Think I found your mom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNe18EwyaQs&t=0m41s

My parents were... reluctant but open. I took the "ask for forgiveness rather than permission" approach and once I explained my philosophy and reasoning they begrudgingly accepted it. Over time they got more interested and sometime soon I'm taking my dad shooting for the first time.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[Merad]

My mom legit cried today about the thought of me getting a gun! She thinks I'll lose my shit and kill my brother lol. Glad to see other people have somewhat similarly crazy parents.

Well to be fair, she was upset over the CHL part, rather than the guns themselves. We owned guns when I was growing up (just a shotgun), and she'd known before then that I owned pistols and so on. Her first reaction to the CHL is that I wanted it to go out and shoot people. Ahhhh, mothers.

 

[iconn]

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

Check out your state gun laws and be keen on gun safety first.

Then look into the M&P Shield 9MM when u get a chance. The model is sold out in most places.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7pmjCWSgJU
www.corneredcat.com/

 

[pontifex]

check out PAFOA.org. it's centered around PA gun stuff but lots of good info.

 

[KillerCharlie]

Check out your state gun laws and be keen on gun safety first.

Then look into the M&P Shield 9MM when u get a chance. The model is sold out in most places.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7pmjCWSgJU
www.corneredcat.com/

I don't think a compact single stack pistol made specifically for conceal carry is a great pistol to start off with.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[pontifex]

Anyone else have a gun safe they like?

Liberty safes are pretty good for the large gun safes.

 

[ManBearPig]

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[pontifex]

Thanks, I shall check those out. He was looking at this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004Y0WGH2

I think my dad bought a cannon but sent it back because the door was too loose when it was locked.

 

[shortylickens]

My mom insisted I get a Glock 17 and keep practicing until a security company hires me.