DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING ON YOUTUBE
By MARJ LAW
Used to be, when you wanted to know an explanation of something, you’d break open your encyclopedia or you’d find a book at the library. These days, seems like the internet is the way to go.
If you want to read about your subject, you can find several responses. If you’d rather see and hear a demonstration, YouTube is a way to go.
So recently, Joe emailed me a link called “The 5 Guns New Gun Owners Most Regret Owning” on God, Family and Guns. Wow. What guns should a newbie not get? That’s a really good question. I have my own ideas and am interested to see what Mark has come up with.
Will I agree with him? Does Joe agree? Do all three of us have differing opinions? What do we think after watching this episode?
Watching is a really good revelation that you shouldn’t take as absolute fact anyone else’s outlook on firearms. It’s useful to hear other opinions, but what works the best for you is still the best for you. According to Mark, the first of the five worst handguns for newbies are Magnums.
The .357 and .44 Magnums are good examples. I agree.
This guy says the caliber is too big for a newbie. It’s an “awful, terrible choice.”
I agree here too, but if Newbie is watching this, I’d explain not that the caliber is too big, but that the recoil of the gun will require strength and technique that will be hard to control for an inexperienced person.
The caveat is, according to Mark, that Newbie can shoot a .38 round in these magnum revolvers. Again, Newbie needs to understand why this is. Anyone can make assertions, but Newbie needs to know that this is one case (and don’t think you can do this with just any gun), where you can load another caliber of round: the .38. Since the magnums are usually big and heavy guns, their mass will absorb much of the recoil with the .38 that you would have experienced when shooting the magnum rounds. So that’s why. Newbie needs to know the “why” of it.
The next of the 5 worst guns for Newbie are the 1911s. 1911 refers to a configuration of handgun designed by John Browning. They have been around for decades, and can be wonderful guns. However…
Mark says the 1911s are too complicated for Newbie. Again, I’d suggest that Mark say exactly why this is so.
1911s are not revolvers. Revolvers are basically guns you point and shoot. They may have a safety lever, but they are fairly uncomplicated guns to learn to shoot.
1911s, though, are semi-automatic handguns. The learning curve is a lot higher on semis. Again, most of the question of why this is so is not addressed.
Newbie has to learn how to load a magazine and put it into the grip. Newbie has to learn about jacking the slide to load that first round. Newbie has to know how to handle it if a round doesn’t feed, if it fails to fire or fails to eject a casing. In these cases, Newbie needs to know to keep the muzzle facing downrange and to drop the magazine. Newbie needs to open the slide and dump the casing out of the ejection port (if a round is there) and to inspect the chamber for a round lodged here.
Another complication is that fieldstripping a 1911 can be a real bear. You’ll have to clean your gun one day, so learning to fieldstrip it can be a real treat. Not. On some, you start by opening up a paper clip and sticking it into a hole in the gun. On some, you take a wrench to the muzzle area of the gun to take out the bushing. When it comes to my Thompson .45 ACP, for example, I generously allow Joe to take it apart.
Another firearm Mark has an issue with is Glocks because he says they have no manual safety. He also mentions that the Sig P320 has no manual safety. These are both striker-fired handguns, which means they do not have a hammer.
While he feels that it’s important to have a manual safety, I do not. He is concerned that Newbie might put a finger on the trigger and because the gun has no manual safety, the gun could fire accidentally. In my opinion, it’s not a steep learning curve to keep your finger off the trigger.
Personally, I would rather have no safety. For someone who has no training in any kind of military service, I did not learn the muscle memory of flicking off the safety before firing. In fact, at a time of extreme stress when Mr. Bad has broken down the door, I do not want to have to even think about whether that safety is on or off.
“Hey, Mr. Bad, would you give me a sec to check my safety?” It’s not going to happen. I want a gun that may have a grip safety, or a slightly longer trigger pull, but I don’t want a safety on or off to determine if I can protect myself in a time of danger.
Another firearm Mark has a problem with are small .380s that pop and hurt the hand. Because of this, he feels that Newbie won’t want to practice with the new gun. He says these guns are “not a pleasure to shoot.”
Yes, some of the tiny, flat gripped .380s like the Ruger LCP or the Bodyguard can be a bit hard on the hand. However, I’ve shot several .380s that are quite easy and comfortable to shoot. Take the Sig Sauer P238. It fits nicely in my hand, has a light trigger and shoots without a lot of recoil. It is a pleasure to shoot.
So, in my opinion, it isn’t fair to judge all .380s by a few. Newbie can read up on .380s and find one that won’t hurt the tenderest of hands.
The last category of guns a newbie should not own are guns you can’t fully operate. I agree with Mark on this. He says if you can’t rack the slide, put rounds in the magazine, take the gun apart, or clean the gun, you should not own the gun.
I totally agree. In theory. However, take that Thompson .45 ACP. It’s a really smooth gun even though it’s a .45. I can load it, rack the slide and clean it.
Take it apart? With a bushing wrench? I don’t have the strength or technique. But I do have Joe, who is very willing to fieldstrip the gun. Yay.
If you are willing to have someone else clean your gun, and you can handle everything else, there’s at least one person in Wakulla County who will do it for a fee. For some people, it’s well worth it. Bottom line is: does the gun get clean? Yes.
Gathering information before purchasing a gun is a fine idea. Mark clearly has his opinions. I have mine. Our opinions are not necessarily the same.
Look on the internet, ask experienced friends and go to a range that rents guns and try them out for yourself.
Only you will know what is best for you.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.