buying my first gun

[creitzel]

Well,

I Just started the purchase of my first handgun. It took me a while to get the money together, because I had to get a safe to keep it in first (I've got curious little minds in the house ), and times have been tight lately. Anyways, its a Ruger Mark II .22 with a 4 3/4" barrel, in stainless. Now I just have to wait til Wednesday, for my local PD to approve my purchase permit, and then I can go pick it up . I'm pretty excited, I feel like a kid at Christmas time lol. Anyways, I just had to tell someone lol.

Chris

 

[Zen21Tao]

Congrats on your first gun but be warned, the fun you have at the range in addictive. It won't be long before you want more toys to play with.

 

[taz-2005]

Congrats - I have the Mark III with a 5 1/2 inch barell and absolutely love it. All of my guns, this one goes to the range every time.

 

[hso]

Good choice for your first gun and good for you for getting the safe first.

Get the inexpensive foam ear plugs and use them every time you shoot (you do want to be able to hear those little voices when they get old enough for you to teach them to shoot don't you?). Don't scrimp on the ammunition so that you spend your time making bullseyes instead of cussing. There are .22 spinner targets that are inexpensive that are a lot of fun to shoot available that will allow you to use them over and over again, but generic vanilla wafers make great targets too.

 

[hoghunting]

Congrats on your first gun. What a nice gun to start your new hobby. Besides earplugs, use safety glasses as 22 autos have a tendency to throw fired cases in many directions, even into an eye.

 

[creitzel]

Thanks

for the tips about eye and ear protection. I've already picked up a set of ear muffs, and will pick up some shooting glasses when I pick up the gun. My wife and I got some safety training from Trebor, here on the forum, prior to making the decision to purchase, so eye and ear protection is high on my priority list.

His training session is also what convinced me to pick the Ruger Mark II as my first handgun. He had one, very similar to the one I purchased, that my wife and I both liked shooting.

but generic vanilla wafers make great targets too

you mean them little things my wife puts into banana pudding? Or am I just simply showing my ignorance?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[rangerruck]

..mmm... ruger. good for first and any other time purchase, so easy to use and shoot, so easy to pull the rabbit ear bolt back. But Beware! take down is about 5 seconds, put back together the first time, about an hour, that is , if you do it right. Do it wrong, and you could ruin your weapon. So follow the instructions exactly.

 

[xd9fan]

sweet welcome to this fun and extremely important new world!!

 

[Jaim03]

Congrats on your first purchase! I made mine about 2 months ago (also a .22 handgun). GREAT first choice. (Those boxes of 500 .22 cal for about $10-12 make it fun & cheap to practice!)

 

[hso]

Yep. Them things in 'nilla pudd'n. Cheap crackers make good targets also and you don't have to clean them up afterwards.

 

[tuckerdog1]

Excellent choice for 1st gun. And BZ for getting a safe 1st as well.

Rangerruck is correct. Much easier to take down, than put back together. But don't be intimidated. Don't know why, but my bled MKII is easier to get back together than my stainless.

Tuckerdog1

 

[Leanwolf]

Good for you!!

I firmly believe that EVERYONE who is starting shooting should start on a .22 LR handgun or rifle. Learn all the fundamentals of safety and gun handling, while growing very proficient at accuracy, PLUS... it doesn't cost you a fortune nor does it beat you up with recoil!!

Aside from what the others have advised, I also suggest you buy a couple or three spare Ruger factory magazines. Nice to have when just out bustin' around in the boonies, and also makes it more fun to shoot by having several loaded magazines ready, rather than having to "refill" every ten rounds.

Have fun.

JMHO. L.W.

 

[neil minor]

A 22lr pistol is a great way to enjoy shooting. I have a Walther P22. And as someone already stated, it's a great method for training (or, getting sued to a pistol). Great decision on the safe - I got one too.

Enjoy your new hobby. And be prepared, the "gun bug" will probably get you too. You'll soon be spending time figuring out ways to get more guns and the cool accessories.

 

[Willo]

excellent choice in guns.. the MKII was the second gun I ever shot back when I was a kid (after a Blackhawk). Very accurate and fun.

But the poster who said putting the thing together is more difficult that taking it apart is right. When I was about 14-15 I stripped my dad's and still remember the effort it took me to get it back together. 15 years later I still remember there's a little doodad that needs to be placed in a little indentation just right. My dad always says "never take apart your weapons" but I always do anyway.
:banghead:

 

[creitzel]

So...

The local PD okayed me, and I picked it up today

The whole purchase process was a pain in the , I had to make 3 trips to the PD, and a trip to the gun store. The pro-gun folks here in Michigan just won another convert .

I've just spent the last couple of hours after work reading the owners manual, and tearing it down, and reassembling it about 5 times. You guys had me scared that I wouldn't be able to get it back together again, but I've found it pretty straight forward. Maybe it's because this is the first gun I've taken apart, and I'm not looking for an easier way to do things or something . The biggest thing I keep forgetting to do is to make sure that after putting the bolt back in, to flip it and pull the trigger, so that the hammer is decocked. But, it won't go back together with the hammer cocked, so it reminds me really quick

Yep. Them things in 'nilla pudd'n.

I would have never thought of using them or crackers as targets, but its a great idea. They would make really cool/inexpensive reactive targets. If I can find somewhere to shoot outside ( I doubt the indoor ranges here in the city would go for nilla wafer parts everywhere ) around here, Im definitely going to try this out

So now that I have the gun, what ammo do you all recommend for it? Where's the best place to get good deals on it?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[gazpacho]

If I remember correctly, your Ruger MK2 should be happy with most standard and high velocity ammo. Go to Meijers and pick up some Federal Bulk Pack High Velocity ammo. Should be $8 or $9 for 500 rounds. I also like Winchester Super-X (X22LRPP). It costs about twice as much, but I find it very reliable and pretty accurate.

When I go shooting 22lr, outdoors with my wife, I have to bring along a pallet of V8 Juice cans. Shooting a can of V8 with 22lr won't make the can explode. Instead the bullet with punch a hole through it, causing the can to fall over and bleed tomato drink. Not exactly my thing, but my wife likes watching them "keel over and die".

 

[Vern Humphrey]

If the small targets are a little frustrating for you, and they will be at first, try paper saucers from Sam's Club.

 

[ARTiger]

Congratulations on your first gun! Kudos as well on getting the safe, taking the training course, getting ear/eye protection, etc. It's great to see new responsible gun owners come into the sport.

Another fun suggestion . . . pick up some of the .22 tracer rounds available now. Cabela's and a few other places have them fairly cheap. Really fun and also helps you to learn your gun's point of impact vs. point of aim.

I started with a .22 LR auto also (Colt Woodsman) and really think it helped me learn to shoot better before moving up to larger calibers.

 

[-sean-]

Congratulations on your first gun.

and pull the trigger

Just a heads up, it is not advisable to dry-fire any rimfire gun. Maybe you already knew this or I was reading your post incorrectly, but it appears that that is what you are doing. The reason to avoid dry-firing a rimfire gun is that when you pull the trigger the firing pin will drop on the outer area of the chamber, where the bolt rests. If the gun is loaded, there is a .22 round there that will subsequently fire. If the gun is unloaded, the firing pin will slam against the outer rim of the chamber and may cause damage.

It's not too big of a deal, but it's better to be safe than sorry.


In regard to your question about which type of ammunition will perform best in your new Ruger 10-22 pistol, most guns are different. Some Mark IIs will be accurate with one type of ammo but unreliable. The very next Mark II produced with only a 1-character difference in its serial number will be extremely reliable with the same ammunition, but inaccurate.

I suggest you pick up at 550-round box of Federal ammunition; the cartridge with the 36-grain copper plated bullets.


Be advised that all new guns require a break-in period, usually about 500 rounds. So don't be surprised if your new pistol is inaccurate/unreliable for the first couple hundred shots.

Don't forget to clean and lubricate your pistol before you take it out the first time.

For bore cleaning I suggest you get a .22 caliber pistol boresnake and run it only from the chamber. Lubricate the cloth area before the brushes. You never want to run a dry brush through the bore. Pull it out straight and make sure you don't damage the crown (the very tip of your muzzle).

After you put that cheap brick of ammunition through it, then pick up 5 or 10 different types of ammuntion and see which performs best in your pistol.

Don't forget the Four Rules and have a fun time.

-- Sean

 

[-sean-]

pick up some of the .22 tracer rounds

I am in no way trying to hijack this thread, but IIRC, those rounds are mildly corrosive.

I don't remember where I heard that so it may not be true, but something in the back of my head tells me that, they are in fact mildly corrosive.

Just a heads up.

 

[creitzel]

sean

Just a heads up, it is not advisable to dry-fire any rimfire gun.

I wasn't referring to dry-firing the gun in that post. The reassembly procedure requires you to hold the gun with the muzzle pointed down at an angle, and pull the trigger, to get the hammer to go from it's cocked position, to its decocked position. At this point in the procedure, the gun is not fully assembled, and pulling the trigger just lets the hammer swing freely. See Step 6. in the owner's manual:

http://www.ruger.com/firearms/PDF/01.pdf

In regards to dry-firing, in the section entitled "To Unload", it states in step 5 that "The pistol can be dry fired as long as the firing pin stop is in place". Dry-firing is also required as part of the disassembly procedure that they describe. You've got me worried about hurting my new baby now . So is this dry-firing that they are telling me to do going to hurt the gun?

Thanks for the tips on cleaning, and especially thanks for letting me know I need to clean it prior to shooting it the first time. The guy at the store didn't say anything about that,and I was going to just take it to the range this weekend without cleaning it. I'll clean it tomorrow night.

Also thanks for the info about a break-in period, I was unaware of this as well.

Thanks,

Chris

 

[-sean-]

I wasn't referring to dry-firing the gun in that post. The reassembly procedure requires you to hold the gun with the muzzle pointed down at an angle, and pull the trigger, to get the hammer to go from it's cocked position, to its decocked position. At this point in the procedure, the gun is not fully assembled, and pulling the trigger just lets the hammer swing freely. See Step 6. in the owner's manual:

http://www.ruger.com/firearms/PDF/01.pdf

In regards to dry-firing, in the section entitled "To Unload", it states in step 5 that "The pistol can be dry fired as long as the firing pin stop is in place". Dry-firing is also required as part of the disassembly procedure that they describe. You've got me worried about hurting my new baby now . So is this dry-firing that they are telling me to do going to hurt the gun?

I must apologize for commenting on a firearm with which I am not familiar. If the MKII's instruction booklet say that it is fine to dry-fire (or even necessary for disassembly,) Then they must have some built in device that prevents damage.

In most cases, you can damage rimfires through dry-firing them, overtime. Perhaps the MKII is not one of those arms?

Thanks for the tips on cleaning, and especially thanks for letting me know I need to clean it prior to shooting it the first time. The guy at the store didn't say anything about that,and I was going to just take it to the range this weekend without cleaning it. I'll clean it tomorrow night.

The bore most probably will be dirty from the manufacturing process, test-firing, and factory greasing.

Also, All metal parts that come into high friction will need a bit of lube to prevent wear.

Also thanks for the info about a break-in period, I was unaware of this as well.

Your welcome.

Thanks,

Chris

--Sean

 

[ugaarguy]

Creitzel, congrats on the new purchase, welcome to THR, and I wish you and your family much enjoyment with the new/first firearm. As was said earlier cookies and crackers are great reactive targets...especially those stale ones...much more fun than throwing them away

 

[FlaChef]

As mentioned previously any particular gun may like or not like onae particular ammo even if made on the same day, this goes for all auto loading pistols not just .22's.

Break in can sometimes take closer to 1k rounds (400-500 is normal though).

Disregard the above for revolovers though

But for break in of new .22's I like some high velocity rounds, specificly CCI Mini Mags you can pick up for $6 per 100 at wal-mart.

Some of the super high velocity ones (stingers come to mind) can be problematic in a lot of .22 autos.

Regarding the cleaning before firing; packing grease and metal shavings from the factory are the reasons for that.

CONGRATS on a great new sport and it sounds like you are being very responsible in your new activity. We need more like you.

 

[Fire4Effect]

but generic vanilla wafers make great targets too.

I can hear it now.

"Did you have fun shooting today?"

"Yes"

"Are you hungry?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"I ate the targets."



Congratulations on your purchase... now have fun with it and stay safe.