Newbie to group and guns

[bohaiboy]

Hi all, newbie to the core here. Just purchased a S&W M&P 380Shield EZ (mainly for wife). Also found out there are almost no 380 ACP ammo available and what is available is really pricey. Neither of us have ever shot pistols. Went to range for instructions last week and really enjoyed it tho. So please forgive any stupid questions I may have, this is a real learning curve for both of us. Tim in Hill Country of Texas.

[CraigS]

I have a friend in the same situation. He decide 4-5 weeks ago it's time to be armed. Yep, it's a terrible time to get armed too. Ammo is at least double what it should cost IF you can even find it. Best wishes. I would suggest looking at a lot of training videos, figure out how your wife will carry it, and then have her do a LOT of dryfire practice at home. My wife carries in a purse made for the purpose w/ a specific compartment. Even so it's no where near as smooth and safe as a standard holster.

[BillSWPA]

Welcome. The only stupid question is the one not asked.


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[Darth_Uno]

Welcome from St. Louis!

Comfort TX, I know where that is. Sounds like you already took a class, which is a good first step that a lot of people skip. There’s more good training around your area if you’d like to pursue it further....if you can find ammo! You, and plenty of other folks, picked a heck of time to get started.

[fixer]

Hi all, newbie to the core here. Just purchased a S&W M&P 380Shield EZ (mainly for wife). Also found out there are almost no 380 ACP ammo available and what is available is really pricey. Neither of us have ever shot pistols. Went to range for instructions last week and really enjoyed it tho. So please forgive any stupid questions I may have, this is a real learning curve for both of us. Tim in Hill Country of Texas.

You hit the jack pot. This place has a huge knowledge base.

I recommend reading through ToddG's writings and lessons on Pistol-training.com as well (the blog site associated with this forum).

[11B10]

Welcome. The only stupid question is the one not asked.


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My thoughts ^^^^^ exactly. The ammo situation is currently in a state of trying to catch up with demand. Before this day is done, you will have links from the members here that can save you lots of time and money. Just stay tuned.....pistol-forum can - and will - provide you with no bs information freely given.

[RJ]

Warm welcome from Tampa, FL, Tim. Glad to have you aboard.

[RJ]

Comfort TX, I know where that is.



Me too, but only because I went through on the way to the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls for pie and ice cream once. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm. :)

[Zincwarrior]

Hi all, newbie to the core here. Just purchased a S&W M&P 380Shield EZ (mainly for wife). Also found out there are almost no 380 ACP ammo available and what is available is really pricey. Neither of us have ever shot pistols. Went to range for instructions last week and really enjoyed it tho. So please forgive any stupid questions I may have, this is a real learning curve for both of us. Tim in Hill Country of Texas.

Greetings from just north of you.

In addition to whats been said, there are multiple instructors in driving distance,a nd it sounds like you have already availed yourself of some of that. Excellent.
Ammunition is scarce right now but will eventually loosen up. In the interim, do dry firing. Take classes in person and look at online, and ask questions.

[NETim]

Don't be in a hurry to settle on any one handgun brand or type. Get as much experience handling, and hopefully shooting, a variety before you make any major purchases. Rent guns at ranges if that's an option.

And of course, I will heartily recommend hanging out here, reading and asking questions. There is much wisdom here and the chances you'll be led astray are low.

Welcome!

[peterb]

Welcome!

I'd suggest purchasing a few dummy rounds/snap caps so you can safely practice some of the basic skills with your new pistol.

A couple of other sites with good information:

https://www.corneredcat.com/contents/

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Welcome to the group. Being a recent resident of the area, I suggest:

1. Train with Karl Rehn at www.krtraining.com

2. Look at his area Faq:https://krtraining.com/FAQs/AustinGunFAQ.HTML

3. Get some training and compete. Quite a few of us here have competed in IDPA at https://www.texastactical.net/ IDPA is a little easier to get started with than USPSA, IMHO. However, all the local clubs are friendly. See the list at #2

[Bergeron]

Welcome!

Considering the scarcity and expense of ammunition, I'd encourage you and your wife to investigate dry fire training to further build skill. Three great resources that I can recommend are the books written by Annette Evans, Steve Anderson, and Ben Stoeger.

Gabe White (our own Mr_White) has excellent guidance for safe dry fire practice, and you should be able to find it here or on youtube.

[Bio]

I was exactly where you are about 5 months ago. The advice and discussion I got on this place is exceptional. Definitely fo a lot of dry fire. That was recommended to me, and I dry fired a few times a week before I had the time to take my first instructional class. Getting control of my grasp and trigger press let me get more put of the class because I wasn't wrestling as much with the basics.

[BillSWPA]

Since your primary focus in your purchase seems to be your wife, below is a list of links I put together for a female friend who was looking to purchase her first gun.

https://handgunlaw.us/ Good detailed source of legal information

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ccw-us-gun-laws-legal-heat/id499394939 If you do get a concealed handgun license, you want this app on your phone.

https://armedcitizensnetwork.org/ You need to be a member of this organization once you decide to keep, or carry a gun for self-defense.

https://www.amazon.com/Gravest-Extreme-Firearm-Personal-Protection/dp/0936279001 Best single source for learning the law of self defense

https://coronadoleather.com/ Good source of gun purses and gun fanny packs.

https://www.gtmoriginal.com/ Source of gun purses

https://www.corneredcat.com/ General information

https://deneadams.com/ Concealed carry clothing

https://darkalleydenim.com/ Concealed carry clothing

https://www.jmcustomkydex.com/ Holster maker

http://www.fist-holsters.com/storage-prod/ladyfist-holsters.html Belt holsters specifically designed around a female hip

Since you may also have some interest yourself, I will add a link to the best pocket holsters I have found:

https://aholster.com/pocket-aholster/

Since ammo availability is a concern, some of the best training money I have ever spent is on one of these laser training pistols:

https://nextleveltraining.com/

For even better feedback while using the laser trainer:

https://lasrapp.com/

Hope at least some of this helps.

[bohaiboy]

Welcome!

I'd suggest purchasing a few dummy rounds/snap caps so you can safely practice some of the basic skills with your new pistol.

A couple of other sites with good information:

https://www.corneredcat.com/contents/

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/

What are dummy runs/snap caps? Is it kind of like blanks?

[Yung]

What are dummy runs/snap caps? Is it kind of like blanks?

Blanks will make a noise. Snap caps/dummy/inert/safety/training rounds are for practice, and function checks. They will never be able to go off like blanks or real ammunition.

Here is a popular brand.
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/a-zoom

[Wise_A]

Hi all, newbie to the core here. Just purchased a S&W M&P 380Shield EZ (mainly for wife). Also found out there are almost no 380 ACP ammo available and what is available is really pricey.

The 380EZ isn't a bad place to start for any shooter--manageable recoil, simple manual of arms, easy to operate.

If you're looking to practice, I'd suggest an inexpensive .22LR semiauto. A Walther P-22 would be excellent if you can find one used for $200-$225 delivered, although it's a DA/SA and your 380EZ is a striker-fired pistol. For a smidge more, you can have a Browning Buckmark for $300-$350ish new (or a little more for more target-oriented versions), and it would share the same operating style as the EZ. Next up would be a Ruger 22/45 Lite--I wouldn't go above $500 new. Laying out for a .22 might seem counterproductive, but .22 ammo is cheap and, when it is available, usually available in quantity. Really good match-grade stuff will go for around $4/box or $35/500. Check around to see what you can get before you commit to buying a gun. I'm not personally a super-huge fan of dry-fire-only practice for truly new shooters, unless it's accompanied by live fire and/or coaching, and the shooter is willing and able to learn to recognize disruptions in sight alignment.

Alternatively, there are some dry fire aids--some of which are pricey--like the MantisX system.

If you have a real need for a defensive cartridge right now, I might suggest looking into availability of .40S&W or .45 GAP (not ACP). Both are highly capable, and because they were either unpopular or waning in popularity pre-crisis, ammo may be available in your area.

Best of luck.

[peterb]

Blanks will make a noise. Snap caps/dummy/inert/safety/training rounds are for practice, and function checks. They will never be able to go off like blanks or real ammunition.

It's an unfortunate truth that many firearm accidents happen when people are loading/unloading/"checking"/clearing malfunctions. Dummy rounds let you practice those operations safely.

Once you start shooting, they can be used for "ball and dummy" practice. https://pistol-training.com/drills/ball-dummy-drill

[Clusterfrack]

Welcome to Pistol-Forum, bohaiboy!