Only 10 days until I get my first gun...

[Smilin Steve]

Hello everyone I'm a 19 year old college student from southern california and today I purchased my first gun; a Ruger 10/22. I have been interesting in shooting for a long time and it seems like a great hobby. I'm pretty much rediculously excited and I can't wait to fire it for the first time. Got any general pointers? I'm sure you'll be reading a lot of inexperienced questions from me in the future.

 

[el44vaquero]

Good luck and good shootin' my friend.

 

[Technosavant]

General pointers?

1) Read the 4 rules. Commit them to memory. Practice them religiously. NEVER shoot with anyone who has not done likewise.
2) Keep your firearms in good condition. Some may cost more than others, but none can really be seen as "cheap." Take care of them, and they'll take care of you.
3) Where .22LR is concerned, buy in sizes no smaller than 500 round bricks. Shooting is fun, and with the low cost of that ammo, there is no reason to buy any less, and several reasons to buy more. Corollary: When buying new guns, price the ammo BEFORE plunking down cash. The first gun I purchased was a .45 automatic. Great gun, fine round, but I was a little miffed when I saw that I could have shot twice as much 9mm for the same $$$.
4) Enjoy. Not that you'll need help doing that, but remember- shooting is a fun hobby. Just don't enjoy so much that you violate one of the four rules.

 

[trickyasafox]

remember the four rules, find a nice range and go at it!

my 10/22 is not very ammo picky, but seems to really group well with federal bulk pack ammo and winchester bulk pack. both run about 10-12 dollars by me for 500-550 rounds.

 

[Smilin Steve]

.

Thank you so much that's really good advice. I'm taking notes.

 

[Dragun]

good choice, steve! i think that every man women and child should have a 10/22 Ruger. i also think that a .22LR is a great place to start and will get you 'into' additional firearms as you will become addicted almost instantly. about anything you want to know is in these threads. you can search for answers and opinions or just ask specific questions right in this thread to receive a wealth of information from the combined experience of the members here. this is my favorite of all gun related forums.

Remember always the Four Rules of Firearm Safety and welcome to The High Road.

 

[f4t9r]

Enjoy

 

[losangeles]

Great to hear about your first gun. That's a good choice for a first firearm. Make sure you learn as much about gun safety, and about your 10/22 as much as possible.

You might want to visit the NRA website and find out about a safety class on rifles. There are always a few going on in Southern California.

 

[Bill2k1]

I know the feeling, I only had to wait two days however Go buy a ton of ammo, 22 is cheap and fun. As far as pointers, remember the 4 rules, and slow squeeze with the pad of the tip of your finger. Let the gun suprise you when it goes off.

I know all the advice on trigger and breath control is gonna go out the window when you send your first shot downrange. Just have fun, you have years to become a bullseye shooter.

 

[jtward01]

Steve,

It's really great that you're interested in the shooting sports, and you've made an excellent choice for a first gun. Young people are the future of our hobby so please invite your non-shooting friends to go to the range with you.

 

[AStone]

I'm pretty much rediculously excited and I can't wait to fire it for the first time. Got any general pointers?

Hey, Steve. Welcome to THR. I suspect that, like me, you're going to like it here.

10/22 huh? Yeah, I understand the appeal. My first .22 (after the BB and pellet guns) was a Remington Nylon 66.

Plinker deluxe. Cans, bottles, sticks, snakes ... a few birds, some squirrels...

I ate the squirrels.

Anyway, yeah, this is a great forum. And don't worry about the 'inexperienced questions'.
That's why we're all here: trying to learn 'experience' from those who done gone ahead of us.

Ask away. Many of us will respond. A few of us really know what we're talking about.
You'll learn soon enough to distinguish those who do from those who don't.

And if not, it could result in death or injury.

{Note: THR will not be held responsible for death or injury resulting from advice offered from those who don't.
If you, or any member of your family, follows advice from those who don't, we will not, repeat, NOT, be held responsible.
YMMV. Offer void where prohibited, most likely in CA, NJ & the British Isles.}

Minor note for college students attempting to earn good grades for writing assignments: check spelling;
"rediculous" is actually spelled "ridiculous", even though it's pronounced more like the former.

...Oh, one more point. Enjoy that 10/22.

But if you ever want to own a 'serious' .22LR,
one that would be more likely to facilitate your
survival during a TEOTWAWKI event
in which you had to provide your own food n' stuff,
consider one of these in a bolt action.



See you on the forum.

Nem

 

[BSlacker]

Just remember the rules. Listen to the Range Officer where you go and I would let the RO know that you are just starting out. The 10/22 is a great gun and lots of fun. If you have trouble finding a spot to shoot let me know or need any help just email [email protected]. Check in over at Calguns lots of action right now in California gun front. Welcome.

 

[WillBrayJr]

While you wait, read up on responsible firearm rules. Like everyone here I too think the Ruger 10/22 is a great starter rifle.

I started myself shooting with a Crossman air rifle that cost $40.00 and got good enough to hit milk caps around 25 yards with open sights. My first rifle was a Mak-90 Sporter AK-47. I always kick myself in the @$$ for trading it for a POS 9mm Glock.

 

[poppy]

You picked a good first gun. The 10/22 is one of my favorites, especially with the 25 round mags, but I suspose they are not PC in Cal. poppy

 

[JV_2108]

General pointers?

1) Read the 4 rules. Commit them to memory. Practice them religiously. NEVER shoot with anyone who has not done likewise.

<snip>

4) Enjoy. Not that you'll need help doing that, but remember- shooting is a fun hobby. Just don't enjoy so much that you violate one of the four rules.

OK, now I'm confused. This tells me that the NRA has three rules:

http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp

 

[Kurt_M]

Welcome to the madness!

Shoot straight and be careful, it's a fun sport but like any other there are dangers.

 

[Black Majik]

Congrats on your first.... its definitely an exciting feeling.

Remember the 4 rules. While at the range, dont be shy to ask people questions. Most shooters are willing to help new shooters out.

Read these forums, and learn the basics to proper shooting technique. Proper form, proper sight picture, proper trigger pull.

You've done good starting out with a .22. But remember, firearm ownership doesn't stop at one, so start saving up for your next!

Also be sure to take a NRA basic course. This will teach your and/or reconfirm your basic shooting fundamentals. Shooting is a serious hobby. But its a great hobby to get into.

BTW, noticed your in Socal. Congrats man.

 

[ball3006]

Congratulations......

Wise choice for a first gun. Enjoy your money while you still have it. Once you have your first gun in hand, there will be many more, and you have to feed them too. chris3

 

[Technosavant]

OK, now I'm confused. This tells me that the NRA has three rules:

http://www.nrahq.org/education/guide.asp

The "4 rules" we are referencing:

1) ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED. The only time they may be considered unloaded is when you yourself have verified it, and the gun has not left your hand. If you set it down and turn around, consider it loaded again. Too many people have had NDs because they "thought it was unloaded."

2) NEVER POINT A GUN AT ANYTHING YOU DO NOT WISH TO DESTROY. Unless it has a pretty impressive kick, a gun is only highly dangerous in a direction extending out from the muzzle. What comes out of that barrel can kill, or at least do significant damage. Even if unloaded, pointing a muzzle at somebody is incredibly rude. Always keep it pointed in a "safe" direction (a direction which has something which will stop the round and is not terrible expensive to replace).

3) KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO FIRE. Finger goes outside the trigger guard unless you are sending lead off on a high speed journey. There is no excuse for firing off a round because you accidentally pulled the trigger. Otherwise known as "keeping the booger hook off the bang switch."

4) ALWAYS BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND IT. Never, under any circumstances, fire at something about which you are unsure. None of this "I thought it was a deer." If you aren't 100% certain, don't shoot. Also, know where that round will go if you miss or it passes through the target. There was a story not too long ago where some people were having a party, and a 5 year old, unbeknownst to the adults, hid behind a target. Shooting resumed and the child was killed. You must know for certain what you are shooting at, and that if you miss or overpenetrate (or even ricochet), that round will be stopped before it reaches someplace where it will do damage.

Know them, love them. These rules are designed so that even if you forget one of them, the other 3 will save your bacon. Better not to forget any.

 

[Snagglepuss]

Congratulations, you will never regret taking part in this great sport.

Take a class,

DON'T FORGET THE SEARCH FUNCTION ON ANY FORUM YOU VISIT

 

[dav]

Also, where in So. Cal, Steve?

There's many of us who would be happy to go shooting with you, if you want.

 

[GoBrush]

Steve:

Welcome and good choice for your first gun. Get trained and spread the gospel of the 2nd Amendment remember it is a right!

Enjoy and stay safe.

 

[Stiletto Null]

Another college student here! 20 on the 20th.



I'm going to remark that milsurp is a great way to cheaply enter into the world of high-powered rifles, AND they're often built a hell of a lot tougher than any new-production rifle.

Anyhoo, that's a Remington 597 (a semiauto, in .22LR) and a Yugoslavian M48 Mauser (almost a clone of the Kar98k, but not quite). The Remmy cost me $100 + tax, it was sitting at a local gun shop for cheap. The Mauser was $145 after taxes. Same shop.

My advice is to try to find a good gun shop and lurk incessantly so that when a good piece comes in on consignment or whatever, you can snatch it away before someone else does.

***

Oh yeah, my 597 likes the Remington Thunderbolt ammunition; give it a try, it's one of the normal (i.e. not fancypants) ammunition brands out there, meaning prices around $2/50rds. Probably less online.

 

[GigaBuist]

Make sure you go and get some GOOD hearing protection. Some muffs that are rated for 30 or 31db would be a good thing and snatch up some good earplugs! Throw the muffs in the 'range bag' and keep the earplugs in the car or in your coat pocket. If they're always with you, there's no way you can forget them.

Your hearing will only get worse as you age, so keep try and keep what the Good Lord gave you!

 

[rust collector]

All good advise. I don't remember seeing a comment about eye protection, so I'll chime in here to caution you that shooting can be tough on eyes and you really need to make it a habit to wear eye protection. Polycarbonate is better protection than standard acrylic. If you use good safety habits from the beginning, you can concentrate on having fun.

You may also want to hunt up some basic information on shooting techniques and positions, just to save some time in getting proficient. It's a hand/eye coordination sport, with a lot of physics, biomechanics and psychology thrown in. Things such as getting low to the ground, supporting on bone rather than using muscle, proper sight picture and trigger management will become important if you really want to become a capable rifle shot.

Many of us started with a single shot .22, and we really had to concentrate on making one shot count. Make sure you don't subsitute quantity for quality, and you'll do all right.

You're gonna have fun! Enjoy. And leave the range clean!


c