Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic I shot me some guns yesterday

Yesterday was my 4 year anniversary and to celebrate, we went to the shooting range. We live in Texas so guns are pretty awesome here. Though I'm really not as hillbilly as that makes me sound.

Anywho, I shot my hubby's 357 (w/ 38's in it), a Glock 26, a Khar (something) that shot 9mm, and a Ruger 101. Anyway, anyone know anything about guns? I was surprised I did NOT like the semi-automatics. I really liked my hubby's pistol 357 the best cause it had the least kick but the Ruger was a close 2nd. I'm trying to find something that has very little kick but that could also stop someone in their tracks if need be. Semis are not as reliable as revolvers so I'm leaning towards that but if anyone has any other suggestions, let me know.

Any other gun owners or interested in guns Folcs on here?

If you're a regular shooter who enjoys putting holes in paper targets, I think you should get used to a semi-auto, for the increased capacity if for no other reason. If a 9mm is too much for you, I'd recommend a .380 (same muzzle size but a shorter cartridge and less recoil) or a .32 (even smaller). You could be like Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, who had a ".32 gun in his pocket for fun." As long as you don't go around shooting up bars, of course.

But if you don't shoot regularly, I think a revolver is your cup of tea. They're much simpler to load, fire, clean, and maintain, and they're almost idiot-proof. And if you decide to make a pistol available for home defense, the revolver is the weapon of choice for most. You don't have to worry about a grip safety or thumb safety, pulling back the slide, making sure the magazine is seated, because you may not have time for all that. A revolver is just point-and-shoot. Literally.

Most people who have their guns taken away from them by intruders are those who think guns are magic wands to scare away the bad guys. Many don't know how to fire them, much less hit anything.

My wife and daughter both enjoy going with me to the range and shooting up a couple of boxes of .22 long rifle ammo. And they're both pretty good shots, too. Way back when my wife and I were dating, she'd come with the family to shoot skeet (painted clay disks) with our 20-gauge shotguns. My younger sister and my (then) girlfriend would stand next to each other and fire with over-and-under guns at pairs of targets my dad would launch. Anything the girls missed, my brother and I would take a whack at.

We didn't get to shoot much in that setup. I recall one day when the girls shot up three boxes of ammo each to one box each for my brother and me, and that was only because we insisted they rest for a few rounds and let us shoot.

Hubby and I have recently (in the last few months) joined the ranks of gun-owners. We know a guy who's a Master Sergeant in the Army, who offered to teach us gun safety, how to shoot, etc. He had lots of options for us to try. My husband ended up buying a 9mm semi-automatic. I ended up being a (marginally) better shot than him Apparently women often are better shots than men, for whatever reason. Our Master Sgt said his wife shoots better than he does.

I'm okay with my hubby's 9mm, but there's a gun I really want -- a Ruger . It's purple! So cute! So small it can fit into a pocket, so easy to carry concealed. And it's purple! It's a .380, and I'm told the ammo is a little hard to find. Also, since it's so small, the kick is bigger. I've never actually fired it; we can't afford it anyway. I've held one, though, and it fit nicely into my hand.

PJ

Something that isn't always clear, even to experienced shooters, is that the caliber of a pistol is only part of the entire recoil equation. It also depends on the weight of the pistol itself (to which Pam alluded), the balance (is it barrel-heavy or barrel-light?), the self-loading mechanism if it's a semi-auto (is it just recoil or gas-operated?), how tight the slide return spring is, how the pistol fits into your hand, et cetera. Me, I can fire a .44 Magnum revolver if I'm careful, but I've also fired 9mm semi-autos which jumped all over the place. It just depends, although I'd certainly listen to the advice of a US Army Master Sergeant. He surely knows more about it than I do.

When I was in law enforcement we started out carrying a .357 revolver and then went with a 9mm semi-automatic. Most agencies prefer the semi-automatics just because they could carry 15 rounds instead of 6. And revolvers aren't that fast to load unless you have a speedloader.

As far as the recoil, I can't say I remember much difference between them, but maybe it's my faulty memory. It is important to maintain a tight grip (on the grip, not with the trigger finger) and women can improve their grip by strengthening their forearm muscles--my score was always better when I was doing curls with a 10-lb weight on a regular basis.

I passed up the chance to buy my revolver when they got rid of them, and I do regret it. But I've never kept a gun for personal protection, figuring the gun was more dangerous for my kids than the possibility of an intruder. We live in a fairly safe suburban area.

That's precisely what I need. I think I'll get a Ruger..

Just wanted to add a big fat ditto to all the revolver love (I prefer having a hammer to cock as my idiot check), and also for handguns, we've always been a Beretta family, although my mom and I always have a debate over the size of the grip at the gun show. :p

JD
(Go Texas)