More facts that matter buying a gun, Part 3
By MARJ LAW
In the last two issues, we’ve addressed thoughts for Newbie when he/she is planning to purchase a new semi-automatic handgun. Let’s talk about more things to consider.
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
Just like in shoes, it’s smart to “try before you buy.” You’ll never know how strong the recoil is until you shoot the gun.
You find a range that rents handguns and try out the gun you’ve researched and think you’ll like. Sure enough, you do like it. You head to the local gun shop and make your informed purchase.
Bringing your unloaded gun in a zipped pouch, and a couple boxes of ammunition in a separate bag in the trunk of your car, you’re on your way to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range. You have eyes and ears and a big pile of Shoot-n-See targets in a separate black range bag. You thought to add a multi-tool, first aid kit, bunch of Kleenexes, an UpLula and of course, Chapstick.
This time, you’re toting your very first handgun.
While the range is cold, you and others put up your targets. Then everyone agrees that the range is now hot, so you bring your gun in its case to the shooting bench. Pulling rounds from their box, you load the magazine using the UpLula.
You’re so excited. Trying to remember what you’ve learned, you push the magazine into the grip. You pull back the slide. Funny, this is harder to do than when you rented the same brand and caliber of the gun earlier.
You line up the two back dots to the front dot. You take a breath and let it go. You squeeze that trigger. The trigger has quite a bit more pull to it than you remember.
Finally, the gun goes off! Blam!
But what happened to that much easier gun you rented previously? This gun doesn’t act the same at all! What happened to “try before you buy?”
New handguns require a “break-in” period. This can mean you’ll need to shoot from 200-500 rounds through the gun to have it broken in. During this time, you’ll find the slide becomes more relaxed and the trigger becomes smoother. Breaking in changes the way your gun handles. For the better.
New handgun owners need a break in period as well. Gripping your gun firmly, placing your feet firmly, tilting your body slightly forward, and remembering to breathe, letting go and relaxing are a few ideas that take a while to assimilate.
Be patient with yourself and your new handgun.
AMMUNITION
But wait! Wait!
Before you purchase that handgun you think you want, did you consider the price of ammunition? When you practice at the range a few times every month, the price of ammunition will build up.
Every gun needs ammunition, so what’s the big deal?
Price and findability of ammunition can make a difference in your choice of gun. To make a comparison, I looked up prices for .22 Long Rifle, .32 ACP, 9mm and .38 Special on one web site.
A box of Blazer Brass 9mm FMJ (full metal jackets) runs at $19.99 for 50 rounds. That’s about 40 cents a round.
A box of Blazer Brass .38 Special FMJs costs $30.99 or 62 cent a round.
Get this: a box of 500 Blazer .22s sells for $39.99, which comes to only 8 cents a round!
But a box of Blazer 32 ACP FMJ rounds is $33.99 or 68 cents a round.
Ammo for some guns can be difficult to find, or it can be expensive. Over time, this matters. While the .25 and the .32 handguns are often easy to shoot, they are less popular and can have ammunition that is a lot more expensive than other easy-shooting guns. That is, if you can find the ammunition in the first place.
When you’ve chosen a gun you like, make sure the ammunition is available in almost all places, and that it is not significantly higher priced than other ammunition.
TARGETS
How cheap are you? How good is your eyesight?
If you are cheap, cheap, cheap, you can take a Sharpie marker and make a black dot circle on a piece of paper and staple or duct-tape it to the WCSO target’s backboard. Then aim for the dot.
If you’re not quite so cheap, you can make dots on paper plates and attach them to the backboard.
You can print targets from your computer.
Big people-sized silhouettes are available. They’re printed on heavy paper so they’re sturdy. Of course, their cost is more than a piece of paper.
My favorite targets are the Shoot-n-See or Dirty Bird targets. You can find them in various-sized circles with red centers. The neat thing about these is, when your round hits them, a splatter of contrasting color shows exactly where you hit. Sure, you can see your paper target 21 feet away, but you can see the color-changing ones a lot better. And it doesn’t hurt your ego to see you’ve made noticeable holes. Especially when you hit a bullseye!
Some targets have pictures of little creatures like ducks and rabbits. Some targets have games like Battleship, where you can compete with other shooters to sink ships.
The fancier the target, the more you’ll spend. I prefer the expensive color-changing targets. 1 or 2 can last during our Wednesday morning session. They come with dots to plug up the holes you’ve made, so you can get more use out of each target.
IN SUM…
Summing it up, you should always “try before you buy.” The gun you actually purchase may shoot a little differently, especially at first, but it will break in after a couple hundred rounds. I believe this is the best way to find the gun that’s best for you you’ve done your research.
Make sure you can find and afford ammunition before you purchase your handgun.
Choose the target you like the best and can afford. Some of these are available for purchase at the WCSO range in case you forgot to put them in your range bag.
If you’d like more suggestions for ideas to consider before buying your first handgun, check the last 2 issues of The Wakulla Sun.
Little facts that matter, Part 1 and Little facts that matter, Part 2
Buying a handgun is a big deal. You’ll consider a lot of aspects before you settle on one. Stay tuned for Parts 4, 5 and 6 in The Wakulla Sun’s next three issues.
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.