Our First Gun

I've had the honor of taking quite a few people out for their first time shooting. By far the most pleasant are the women. I've never had one swing the muzzle around or endanger anyone, or commit any safety violation. By the end of the day they were all competent shots and some downright surprising. The men were not as safety conscious or accurate. They often act as if they were afraid of the thing and seemed to think the number of shots is what counts, rather than the number of hits. The worst is foreigners, especially Germans. They seem to think the range is some sort of cowboy movie and safety be damned. Very scary people.

Acquiring a firearm is only Step One. Step Two is learning to use it safely and effectively. Failing to folllow through is a recipe for failure.

Congratulations. Don't be afraid of it. Now go practice, practice, practice. My family was fortunate to have a father who took the time to show all of his children gun safety at a really early age. We started at about six years of age, target practice, skeet shooting and hunting. I have only had.to protect myself once, when someone tried to brake into my house. They had second thoughts. 74 years later, I still carry and my husband says I'm a better shot than he is. And yes, I still practice.

My first gun was a 20 gauge bolt action. That is an odd gun! It has all the speed of point and shoot along with all the speed of a sloth when chambering another shell.

At a very short range ( when most law abiding people expect to use a firearm) a .38 or 9mm bullet will simply go through your attacker’s body. And he will keep on coming. A .22 round will ricochet inside and rip up vital organs and stop him in his tracks.This is what I hear. Experts here are welcome to comment.

They each need at least one.

One of our wedding presents was the then newly introduced Glock .40. My wife keeps it in her bed-stand drawer.

Congrats! And welcome to your heritage!

#5, hollow-point or "critical defense" type ammunition changes all that. Buy the less expensive steel jacket ammo for target practice but load the good stuff when you are carrying. To motivate new gun owners to practice regularly, ask them how they think they would feel if somebody busted through their front door and they had nothing but a TV remote in their hand.

One gun? Try 5 so you have one no matter where you are!....and don't forget to have Classes on HOW TO USE IT so you don't hurt yourself!

I've fired a .38. After five shots, my arm was sore and I had a blister forming. A 9mm with hollow points won't (I believe) go thru and my 9 holds 15 cartridges. If stopping power is a must, there's the 1911 (.45 ACP)... which is still easier to fire than a .38. They're gonna want another gun.

Learn to use it! Handle it a lot! I didn’t consult with my wife! Is that bad?

A .38 Special is a good start, Ms. Berger. Now go acquire about five more - a good battle rifle with extra magazines, several modern semiautomatic handguns with extra magazines, and a short-barreled 12-gauge pump shotgun. Buy lots of ammunition, and spend time at the range. When you do, you'll encounter people who think just like you do, and have a lot of experience; it's a whole new life.

I get it. I started out with my Dad's S&W Model 10 .38. I figured that since I inherited it, I should learn how to shoot it. It's still my favorite. Then came the Glock .40. Then another one. Then the Kimber 1911 .45 ACP. Then another one. Then the S&W 629 .44 Magnum. And so on. Same deal with the long guns. Garand, M1A, Mini-14, Benelli, Browning, Mossberg 590. A lot of you probably know how it is.

That's like bringing a revolver to a semi-auto-gun fight....

I have taught a number of people to shoot "ab initio", without previous experience. A few summers ago, a pair of women, a widow of a friend and his sister, decided that they needed to be able to defend themselves in their homes. After trying many types of guns, they both settled on revolvers for their simplicity, and .38 caliber for it's easy of shooting, yet 'effective enough' ability. After about 10 sessions of a couple hours each on the range, they were safe, competent and comfortable. One had purchased a gun, the other was using a loaner. Eventually that lady wanted to purchase a gun, but was in a rush due to moving to a different city, so had to take what was readily avialable for her low budget. She wound up with a 9mm semi-auto, and we spent a couple of hours at the range making sure she understood the differences. She had retained her basic shooting skills over the more than one year since the end of training, so that was good. I have taught many people, and perhaps a dozen women to shoot. Women can be excellent shooters and most are attentive students, and learn well. I hope that the author and her husband get some good training, and a good bit of range time to become safe and competent with their new safety tool.

Re #5, with modern hollow point self defense cartridges, what you say is not true. It was true years ago with the round nosed .38 bullets and with fully jacketed 9mm ammo. That is obsoleted totally by modern expanding ammunition. A modern design 9mm or .38 will expand, cause a large wound and often stay inside the attacker. I would suggest you look at this video. This is tested to a scientific protocol created by a USArmy doctor and wound ballistics expert, and then refined by the FBI after a failure to stop in the Miami shootout in 1986. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN2g4kuVpbw A .22 can work if a person has severe hand weakness preventing absorbing more recoil, but is not a great choice. Fatal? Yes, but quick stop? Often/usually not.

A .38 should not have significantly more recoil than a 9mm. Nor should it blister your hand or make your wrist sore after 5 rounds. Someone may have taught you an incorrect grip or loaded the .38 with very hot ammunition (some idiots think that it is funny to give a new shooter a gun that is hard to handle). A 22 may also go right through a person as well. While a .22 may fragment or actually bounce around in the body and ultimately kill the person it hits, it is rarely a one shot stopper. They die days later from infection instead. If they drop it was a perfectly placed shot. If they stop, it is often that they are shocked you shot and don't want to be shot again (a frequent occurrence). Generally a .38/9mm is the low end for most people looking for a one shot stop. With modern hollow points as recommended (That also are less likely to over penetrate. But they may still pass through the intended "shootee" so be aware.) I agree with other posters - women are generally easy to teach, safety conscious and can generally learn to shoot a target effectively after one lesson. Finally, yes get the gun, learn how to use, care for and properly store it. Also make sure you know when the circumstances warrant displaying it and then finally, if necessary, using it for defense. Most of the time the aggressor will break off the action in response to the threat. If you must shoot, most of the time the person shot with a handgun will not die, but that end result is always possible.

#11, the lightest available tiny 5 shot .38s with the most powerful ammo in tgat caliber can be unpleasant to shhot, no doubt. But a steel, six shot normal .38 revolver with standard ammo, is fine, women shoot these well. Not nearly as easy with the small grips and ultra light weight of the "pocket revolvers", both increase recoil. There are similarly tiny, light 9mms with the same high recoil issues, too. Full sized guns with standard ammo in 9mm , or .38 Spl caliber are pretty easy for ordinary people to shoot well.

Re #4, a similar 20 ga bolt shotgun sits next to the back door, wirh buckshot in the magazine.