buying a handgun: what do I need to know?

[gyrfalcon]

If you look through Carl's current and previous incarnation, he has been posting here about guns for nearly a year. Initially he came on like Joll himself and asked leading questions and tried to elicit death threats from people that he could use against them, and then in his current incarnation supposedly shows off a lot of knowledge about guns that pretty much proves that he's lying about his gun knowledge OR actually knows what he's talking about, which means he was lying about being a noob to begin with. Either way, he's lying through his teeth and trying to provoke as much controversy as possible.

Multiple personality disorder?

[Ken]

1. Go to farm where your rifle is stored
2. Retrieve balls
3. Tell wife you're buying a pistol
4. ????
5. Profit.

[Seismic Sam]

Hey Carl!!! Y'all come back now, ya hear?? Every time you do, a montage of your trollish posts will immediately show up very quickly after your initial "fishing" attempt. Happy hunting grounds!!!

Oh, and on point, I think 9mm sucks and 45 ACP is da bomb!!

[gyrfalcon]

Oh, and on point, I think 9mm sucks and 45 ACP is da bomb!!

Only if you're reloading it!

[Tickledpink]

This could have been a decent thread if it wasn't for the complete b.s.

I could have actually learned something. I am looking forward to purchasing my own handgun in the next few months and have virtually no idea of what I am doing.
Yes, I do have my very own live in helper monkey to turn to with questions but you know what they say about asking S.O.'s for help. My opinion and Strad's opinion are very different from each other and I would rather avoid any kind of "disagreement" in purchases. Happier household that way.

I would greatly appreciate any .02 that someone can throw in about being a noob and proceeding with a first purchase. I know what I think looks nice and I know a little bit about handguns but it would be good to know what kind of questions to ask without looking like a total jackass.


P.S. Carl Spackler.....purchasing and storing a firearm in the house without the wife's knowledge is just about the stupidest thing you could do in that marriage. It would start a whole snowball of crap.

[tt3]

This could have been a decent thread if it wasn't for the complete b.s.

I could have actually learned something. I am looking forward to purchasing my own handgun in the next few months and have virtually no idea of what I am doing.
Yes, I do have my very own live in helper monkey to turn to with questions but you know what they say about asking S.O.'s for help. My opinion and Strad's opinion are very different from each other and I would rather avoid any kind of "disagreement" in purchases. Happier household that way.

I would greatly appreciate any .02 that someone can throw in about being a noob and proceeding with a first purchase. I know what I think looks nice and I know a little bit about handguns but it would be good to know what kind of questions to ask without looking like a total jackass.


P.S. Carl Spackler.....purchasing and storing a firearm in the house without the wife's knowledge is just about the stupidest thing you could do in that marriage. It would start a whole snowball of crap.

Grab strad, bring your kids, come up for an evening and chat with my wife while strad and I watch the kids. (and have a beer... or two.)

Tell him to bring my growler, too.

[gyrfalcon]

I would greatly appreciate any .02 that someone can throw in about being a noob and proceeding with a first purchase. I know what I think looks nice and I know a little bit about handguns but it would be good to know what kind of questions to ask without looking like a total jackass.

My 2cents...

Educate yourself in firearms safety and handling (DNR Firearms safety/etc)
Decide what you want your handgun for...i.e. self-defense, target shooting, IPDA, etc
Prefer a handgun in a highly available and popular caliber i.e: 9mm, .45ACP maybe others like .380ACP/.40S&W/etc.
Prefer a handgun that has a high production and accessories available for it. (Glock 17/etc)
Go with a company that stands behind their products and is responsive to customers. (Kel-Tec/Ruger/etc)
Go to Ahlmans or Bills when they have a gunshow/shooters show and you can try out various brands from different manufactures before you buy.
Do not buy a handgun on LOOKS, unless you just wanted a handgun that looked good.
If you know people with handguns, try out all the guns they'll let you that seem to fit the roll you're looking for.

[Seismic Sam]

This could have been a decent thread if it wasn't for the complete b.s.

I could have actually learned something. I am looking forward to purchasing my own handgun in the next few months and have virtually no idea of what I am doing.
Yes, I do have my very own live in helper monkey to turn to with questions but you know what they say about asking S.O.'s for help. My opinion and Strad's opinion are very different from each other and I would rather avoid any kind of "disagreement" in purchases. Happier household that way.

Dear Tickled: Unfortunately, the wife wasn't real, the pistol wasn't real, and Carl was just trying to milk his tired cliche for a little more attention.

I would recommend that you post the same question yourself here or in the Powder Room, and you'll get some real information. We know you're a real person. Carl is not.

And to reference something I have said many, many times:

http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=8295&p=84328&hilit=women#p84328

And that 625 WILL shoot 45 Super ammo straight up, which is a wicked load. Full equivalent of a 41 mag factory load. With the right grips, it's not half bad with an all steel gun. Being in front of that is only slightly less nasty than catching a 50 caliber 300 grain Gold Dot. IIRC, you're kind of a recoil junkie anyway..

[jac714]

This could have been a decent thread if it wasn't for the complete b.s.

I could have actually learned something. I am looking forward to purchasing my own handgun in the next few months and have virtually no idea of what I am doing.
Yes, I do have my very own live in helper monkey to turn to with questions but you know what they say about asking S.O.'s for help. My opinion and Strad's opinion are very different from each other and I would rather avoid any kind of "disagreement" in purchases. Happier household that way.

I would greatly appreciate any .02 that someone can throw in about being a noob and proceeding with a first purchase. I know what I think looks nice and I know a little bit about handguns but it would be good to know what kind of questions to ask without looking like a total jackass.


P.S. Carl Spackler.....purchasing and storing a firearm in the house without the wife's knowledge is just about the stupidest thing you could do in that marriage. It would start a whole snowball of crap.

A couple of questions for you, have you looked at the information on the Cornered Cat? http://www.corneredcat.com


After you do that then you can start to narrow the selection, at this point you will probably want to go to a range/gun shop (or ask here) and start shooting a variety of different guns, one will talk to you and you will feel comfortable handling it. You have now found your first gun, you will find that you will want a variety of them before you are finished,.

[rugersol]

I would greatly appreciate any .02 that someone can throw in about being a noob and proceeding with a first purchase.

Yer in great luck!

My wife absolutely insists in doing the exact opposite of whatever I suggest. So long as you do the same, I have little doubt ya'll be quite pleased!

At that, simply avoid any large-frame S&W revolver, or any 1911 priced over $800, and ya could hardly go wrong.

Moreover, I suspect a Glock, or almost anything Taurus or HiPoint makes may be good bet!

[Tickledpink]

Thanks everyone for the help, I am going to take this over to the powder room.

[mnglocker]

OMG! He's alive and kicking.

How ya been?

....

[jac714]

OMG! He's alive and kicking.

How ya been?

....

I am OK, the rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated .