My First Gun: 5 Simple Steps to Making Your First Gun Purchase a Success

Biloxi, Mississippi–(Ammoland.com)- Picking your first gun can be a daunting task. By the time you reach the gun store counter you’ve likely been given more advice from friends and family than you can remember. Unfortunately, much of that advice might have been contradictory.

Your Uncle Jim said to buy a revolver, the guy at work said to buy a “compact. 22”, your buddy from the gym said “get a Glock”. What’s a person to do?

Question #1:  What is your reason for buying your first gun?

Is your first gun a recreational tool, one you’ll be using to practice marksmanship?  Are you looking for a home protection gun, one to keep on the nightstand “just in case”? Will you be taking formal training and applying for a Concealed Carry Permit?

If you simply want to learn how to shoot and practice marksmanship a pistol or revolver chambered in .22LR (Long Rifle) is a good place to start. The .22LR cartridge is inexpensive, offers very little recoil (kick) and is relatively quiet when compared to larger cartridges. Handguns chambered in .22LR can be fantastic training tools.

Should your first gun be for Home Protection, you will want to purchase a center-fire pistol or revolver chambered with a larger caliber, such as .380ACP, .38Special, 9mm Luger, etc. If your first gun is to be kept in the house for security, it doesn’t need to be all that compact or light-weight. A large gun that fits in your hands will feel better to practice with and is more easily managed.

Lastly, if you are looking to purchase your first gun to conceal comfortably on a daily basis, size and weight are considerations. It must be kept in mind that small, lightweight firearms are less forgiving of marksmanship errors and more difficult to learn to shoot effectively. Those guns can indeed be mastered, but the shooter must be dedicated to training and practice. It does no good to carry a firearm for self-defense if you can’t hit an elephant at five paces with it.

Continue Reading >>

This post My First Gun: 5 Simple Steps to Making Your First Gun Purchase a Success appeared first on AmmoLand.com Shooting Sports News .