Cole Dedhand
Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2019
- Messages
- 1
Howdy. Just joined the forum from Nevada.
So, I am looking to get my first firearm, as a young adult.
I have very minor gun experience from my childhood and a couple of times I have been shooting with someone else, very briefly here and there (to the point that I don't have any fears about firearms born out of ignorance, and I am already familiar with the safety stuff) but not enough that I have anything approaching a "skill-set". For all intents and purposes I'd be learning to shoot from scratch.
With that in mind, I'm trying to decide whether my first firearm should be a rifle or a handgun. I'm sure like everyone else I will immediately get the itch to make more purchases, but I'm going to keep this as my only gun for a little while, shoot the snot out of it, and really learn the ins-and-outs. I am hoping to use it to develop a good base of practical general shooting skills, and good habits that will be transferable to a wide range of other guns (that I'm sure I will acquire in good time, despite the moaning of my bank account). Also, my interests are mostly focused on self-defense/contingency shooting, and possibly competition, if I try that out and like it.
So do either of those platforms have an advantage in building core skills like this? Differences between them that make one easier to learn, or less likely to build bad habits? Does it even make a difference? ( price / availability, isn't really a factor in this decision - either way it's going to be something fairly low power, in the .22-9mm range).
Not really looking for a specific "gun to buy" recommendation or anything like that, just some general guidance. Any advice is appreciated.
EDIT: Thanks for the good advice and the warm reception. You gents have been mighty helpful - seems like the common consensus is a 22 rifle, either a good bolt action or maybe a 10/22 (though it seems I probably couldn't do too much harm getting a pistol instead). After a little bit of perusing, I've taken something of an unnatural liking to the Marlin 39A. A lever action seems like a good combination between a bolt gun and a semi-auto, plus it looks nice, like something I might want to hand down to my kids as their "first" as well. I'll have to see if any of the places near me rent one, just so I can make sure I dont hate it first .
Some people have mentioned reloading. I'm sure that could be something far down the road, and I know it has its advantages, but I just don't have the time or inclination presently. But after getting a little bit acquainted through some YouTube videos and articles, I think if every time I wanted to go to the range I had to break out the press and powder scoop, I wouldn't be going very often...
So, I am looking to get my first firearm, as a young adult.
I have very minor gun experience from my childhood and a couple of times I have been shooting with someone else, very briefly here and there (to the point that I don't have any fears about firearms born out of ignorance, and I am already familiar with the safety stuff) but not enough that I have anything approaching a "skill-set". For all intents and purposes I'd be learning to shoot from scratch.
With that in mind, I'm trying to decide whether my first firearm should be a rifle or a handgun. I'm sure like everyone else I will immediately get the itch to make more purchases, but I'm going to keep this as my only gun for a little while, shoot the snot out of it, and really learn the ins-and-outs. I am hoping to use it to develop a good base of practical general shooting skills, and good habits that will be transferable to a wide range of other guns (that I'm sure I will acquire in good time, despite the moaning of my bank account). Also, my interests are mostly focused on self-defense/contingency shooting, and possibly competition, if I try that out and like it.
So do either of those platforms have an advantage in building core skills like this? Differences between them that make one easier to learn, or less likely to build bad habits? Does it even make a difference? ( price / availability, isn't really a factor in this decision - either way it's going to be something fairly low power, in the .22-9mm range).
Not really looking for a specific "gun to buy" recommendation or anything like that, just some general guidance. Any advice is appreciated.
EDIT: Thanks for the good advice and the warm reception. You gents have been mighty helpful - seems like the common consensus is a 22 rifle, either a good bolt action or maybe a 10/22 (though it seems I probably couldn't do too much harm getting a pistol instead). After a little bit of perusing, I've taken something of an unnatural liking to the Marlin 39A. A lever action seems like a good combination between a bolt gun and a semi-auto, plus it looks nice, like something I might want to hand down to my kids as their "first" as well. I'll have to see if any of the places near me rent one, just so I can make sure I dont hate it first .
Some people have mentioned reloading. I'm sure that could be something far down the road, and I know it has its advantages, but I just don't have the time or inclination presently. But after getting a little bit acquainted through some YouTube videos and articles, I think if every time I wanted to go to the range I had to break out the press and powder scoop, I wouldn't be going very often...
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