First time purchase (newbee) Glock gen 3 or S & W M&P

[seabiscuit]

That is what I'm doing right now... I got my pistol, read the forum and PT.com, and go practice. But I know I have a lot to learn, and if I see a class in my area, I'll take it if the cash is there.

I used to shoot competitive smallbore in high school. Now, how hard is that? Shoot through peep sights designed for the target, sitting, prone, kneeling, standing. No recoil to deal with. Sling.

Even after two years of shooting weekly, I learned something every week. And before I even started, I had hundreds of hours in the backyard shooting air rifles.

I can shoot fairly accurately. I can shoot fairly fast. I need practice and training on putting the two together, and I need training based on real-life situations. Shooting is one thing, killing in defense with a pistol is another.

Learning never ends.

[Bryan G]

That is what I'm doing right now... I got my pistol, read the forum and PT.com, and go practice. But I know I have a lot to learn, and if I see a class in my area, I'll take it if the cash is there.

I used to shoot competitive smallbore in high school. Now, how hard is that? Shoot through peep sights designed for the target, sitting, prone, kneeling, standing. No recoil to deal with. Sling.

Even after two years of shooting weekly, I learned something every week. And before I even started, I had hundreds of hours in the backyard shooting air rifles.

I can shoot fairly accurately. I can shoot fairly fast. I need practice and training on putting the two together, and I need training based on real-life situations. Shooting is one thing, killing in defense with a pistol is another.

Learning never ends.

Well, I don't believe anyone can teach me anything on shooting a gun, I know how to use and shoot, learned that at the gun range with my .357 back in the day. Everyone was helpful and glad to give advice but now you showed me something I don't know, or at least could use some info on, self defense, real life situations. How would I react if I end up in a circumstance where I need to shoot someone to protect my daughters? Would I be able to pull the trigger? Would I know when to shoot and when not to. What's the best way to react in a hostage situation? Are there techniques to help me stay calm and level headed?

I would like classes on that, thanx again for the info. Coming to this forum was definitely a smart move.

[jslaker]

Well, I don't believe anyone can teach me anything on shooting a gun,

I mean this with complete respect, but this is exactly the wrong attitude to have.

[seabiscuit]

Bryan, unless you're the best shot in the world, people can teach you things. And even the best shots ask for advice from really good shots.

[Bryan G]

Bryan, unless you're the best shot in the world, people can teach you things. And even the best shots ask for advice from really good shots.

I hope this doesn't come out sounding disrespectful, or like I'm trying to brag but the truth is:

I'm not trying to be the best shot, I just need to be able to shoot a body between 6 and 20 feet away, for that I just need to practice. I'm not going into competition, if I was I would agree with you.

I was a pro mountain bike racer in the 80's, I was never trained, I taught myself and practiced for one year, raced a few amateur races then pro.

I was an extreme skier in the 80's also, again, self taught. I not only skied all the black diamond runs at Jackson Hole, Whistler/Blackcomb, Lake Tahoe, and throughout Colorado but I skied a lot of back country.

Now, I run a computer repair business, it's successful and again, self taught, I taught myself how to repair computers and build web sites.

I find it hard to believe that learning to use a gun would be harder than any of those...

In hockey I did take some training classes but that's different, there are many more complexities in that sport but the training was only 2 weeks and I was playing hockey from 7 years old until I was 40.

Let me state that again, I don't plan to be the best shot or compete otherwise I would agree 100%. Here's the truth, I can easily hit a 2 liter bottle from the hip at 25' so I'm sure I can hit a person at a greater range, and with practice I'll be even better. Besides, to get my CCW permit I'll have to take classes anyway.

[grimel]

I hope this doesn't come out sounding disrespectful, or like I'm trying to brag but the truth is:

I'm not trying to be the best shot, I just need to be able to shoot a body between 6 and 20 feet away, for that I just need to practice. I'm not going into competition, if I was I would agree with you.

.....

I find it hard to believe that learning to use a gun would be harder than any of those...

....

Let me state that again, I don't plan to be the best shot or compete otherwise I would agree 100%. Here's the truth, I can easily hit a 2 liter bottle from the hip at 25' so I'm sure I can hit a person at a greater range, and with practice I'll be even better. Besides, to get my CCW permit I'll have to take classes anyway.

The CCW class will be a bad joke. You might learn something about the Wi laws. You'll learn next to nothing about shooting a pistol.

As for shooting 6-20 ft, there is so much more to it than just hitting a body/2 liter bottle. Do you know where to hit the body/bottle (hint the actual target is considerably smaller than a 2 liter bottle, it's not likely to be standing still)? Do you have any clue how to not shoot yourself in the leg/butt when drawing at speed?

Look up Tex Grebner Outdoors on youtube. He thinks he knows how to shoot a pistol, train for defensive shooting, and has even taken a class (waaaaaay after he developed his horrid habits). He just put up (last week or so) a video of him shooting himself.

Quite frankly right now, you don't know what you don't know. My dad has been shooting about 50yrs give or take a day or so. Went through US Army training. I've been dragging him to classes (him in his 60's) and he started me out on handguns and long guns when I was about 5. He learns something in each class that makes him better able to defend himself. The hard part is finding someone with a clue teaching classes.

[JHC]

Bryan,
It will be so much more fun and your money on ammo so much better spent if you get a foundation of instruction on the modern TTPs. Not to mention how much faster you'll progress not unlearning some habit after you more slowly discover you are doing something that is holding you back. Just food for thought.

And the two liter bottle thing is childs play compared to running a sub-6.0 FAST or sub-8.0 El Presidente. There is so much fun and adventure in this ahead of you. ENJOY!

[SecondsCount]

Bryan, you don't know what you don't know.

I had been shooting for nearly 30 years before I took my first defense pistol class. The first class I took happened by accident. I thought it was going to be an IDPA clinic, instead it turned out to be a defensive pistol class, and if I had known this at the time I probably would not have gone. Thankfully I took it because it changed my mindset about carrying a gun and training to the best of my ability.

When I took my first class, I thought I was a good shooter. Many people had complimented me on how well I shot and even approached me once to join the shooting team at local shooting range. It took a class to open my eyes to the fact that a defensive shooting is not about standing still and making ragged holes in a target.

Since then I have taken several more classes, including Todd's AFHF class, and every one has opened my eyes to things that I never thought were important to defending your life with a gun.