So new to owning a weapon it is scary

[frozentundra]

Depending on proximity, you may be interested in this class on the 20th. It is at the Sandy Springs Gun Club and Range where Claude Werner is a Contract Instructor, although I'm not sure if he is the one teaching this class. Other classes and dates are also available http://sandysprings.myshootingrange.com/calendar/

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Women's Handgun Fundamentals Class
http://events.r20.constantcontact.co...1wlf98b7785a51

This course is tailored to the new shooter who desires a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of safe handgun handling & operation. Safety is paramount and continually reinforced throughout the class. Students will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the anatomy of the different handgun systems, benefits and drawbacks specific to each of the platforms and their operation. In addition students will be introduced to the fundamentals of shooting, which are the cornerstones from which all future student development is built upon. This is an essential course for anyone who owns a handgun, and paramount for individuals who rely on one for self-defense or personal/home protection.
Topics covered:

•Firearms safety
•Anatomy of the weapon
Fundamentals of shooting

One day, two-hour course. Course cost: $100.00. Includes range fees, guns (provided if you don't have one), targets, eye and ear protection. Students need minimum of 50 rounds of ammunition (not included) and the course is limited to 6 students per class.

Once you complete your registration, you will receive an email with a link to complete payment. Please call 770-394-4867 with any questions.
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If it's reasonably convenient, you may find it beneficial to take a course such as this even prior to purchasing your first handgun. Certain design characteristics of any specific handgun can sometimes affect our ability to use it well. Some of these may include size, recoil impulse, trigger characteristics, recoil spring weight, external control placement(such as safety levers, slide lock, mag release, ect...) and others. Having a basic class with an experienced instructor may allow you to identify individual needs and avoid potential compatibility issues.

It sounds like you have a great attitude. I'm sure you'll do well whatever you decide. Remember to have fun!!

[JHC]

Notice you are N. GA - mountains?

PM sent with a bunch of info about opportunities around these parts. I'm not quite "in" the mountains albeit I hunt in them. Forsyth Co.

[YVK]

My personal experience has been that the gun choice selection is best started with assessment of how much time, effort and resources you will put in learning how to use it and what the general aspirations are. Welcome to the site.

[fixer]

I also recommend Tom Givens' book, fighting smarter.

On weapon selection I have found the following to be important:
Gun hand fit--can you get a good trigger pull?
You should be able to reach trigger and move it trough full range of motion without disrupting your grip or having any part of your trigger finger rub on the frame. In short the trigger reach distance has to feel and actually be instinctive and unawkward.
Reliability
Choose a pistol that has a sterling reputation for reliability. As a new shooter the last thing you want is an added variable of worrying about and clearing malfunctions.
Get to know differences in trigger types
Double action/single action
Striker fired
Double action only
Single action only

Carry gear
High quality holsters are an inherent safety device. Do not go cheap here. Dollars spent here will equate to quality.

Ammo
Pick a brand of hollow point that again has a reputation for being reliable.

Caliber
Stick with 9mm for now

Get comfortable and disciplined with the big four safety rules. They should become instinctive like breathing.

Dummy rounds
Dummy rounds are an inherently safe practice tool. You can dry fire, practice loading, operating slide and mag release.

Commitment
What is your objective? This is an important question to ponder and will enable you to set a reasonable goal for your performance. You've been to the range and performed well for a beginner. Can you repeat the performance on demand? How about under stress? How can you improve? This site has a training journal section. I recommend following 'Mr White' not only because he is a virtuoso in pistol craft, he has lots of good videos and to me at least demonstrates what good looks like with a pistol. Just a warning....don't get discouraged.

[kehowell]

The P30sk is available with a safety per HK website.

http://hk-usa.com/hk-models/p30sk/

Per website:
– P30SKS 9mm (V3) DA/SA ambidextrous safety lever/rear decocking button w/two 10rd mags 730903KS A5, MSRP $719

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

Thanks - I will be looking at this - the one I was looking at was close to $900. I don't mind but this pricing seems better. I may go right to the HK page. I am just unfamiliar with all of the talk. I was a computer geek for 40+ years - now I know how my users felt!

[kehowell]

Depending on proximity, you may be interested in this class on the 20th. It is at the Sandy Springs Gun Club and Range where Claude Werner is a Contract Instructor, although I'm not sure if he is the one teaching this class. Other classes and dates are also available http://sandysprings.myshootingrange.com/calendar/

-------------------
Women's Handgun Fundamentals Class
http://events.r20.constantcontact.co...1wlf98b7785a51

This course is tailored to the new shooter who desires a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of safe handgun handling & operation. Safety is paramount and continually reinforced throughout the class. Students will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the anatomy of the different handgun systems, benefits and drawbacks specific to each of the platforms and their operation. In addition students will be introduced to the fundamentals of shooting, which are the cornerstones from which all future student development is built upon. This is an essential course for anyone who owns a handgun, and paramount for individuals who rely on one for self-defense or personal/home protection.
Topics covered:

•Firearms safety
•Anatomy of the weapon
Fundamentals of shooting

One day, two-hour course. Course cost: $100.00. Includes range fees, guns (provided if you don't have one), targets, eye and ear protection. Students need minimum of 50 rounds of ammunition (not included) and the course is limited to 6 students per class.

Once you complete your registration, you will receive an email with a link to complete payment. Please call 770-394-4867 with any questions.
---------------------

If it's reasonably convenient, you may find it beneficial to take a course such as this even prior to purchasing your first handgun. Certain design characteristics of any specific handgun can sometimes affect our ability to use it well. Some of these may include size, recoil impulse, trigger characteristics, recoil spring weight, external control placement(such as safety levers, slide lock, mag release, ect...) and others. Having a basic class with an experienced instructor may allow you to identify individual needs and avoid potential compatibility issues.

It sounds like you have a great attitude. I'm sure you'll do well whatever you decide. Remember to have fun!!

This is great information. I am a data hound. Worked as a computer network engineer for 40+ years and love information. Thanks! My day's agenda just was put together

[RJ]

What is your objective? This is an important question to ponder and will enable you to set a reasonable goal for your performance. You've been to the range and performed well for a beginner. Can you repeat the performance on demand? How about under stress? How can you improve? This site has a training journal section. I recommend following 'Mr White' not only because he is a virtuoso in pistol craft, he has lots of good videos and to me at least demonstrates what good looks like with a pistol. Just a warning....don't get discouraged.

Much good in this post, especially the highlighted. It might be worth thinking about what you want to achieve.

If (like me two years ago) you don't really know what you want to achieve, just start asking questions.

The folks on this site are amazingly helpful. I have found exactly 0 people who have failed to be anything but helpful to new bees.

Thanks - I will be looking at this - the one I was looking at was close to $900. I don't mind but this pricing seems better. I may go right to the HK page. I am just unfamiliar with all of the talk. I was a computer geek for 40+ years - now I know how my users felt!

There is a lot to like about HK pistols.

I have a VP9, one of their larger, striker fire (no hammer) pistols and it is very reliable, accurate and fits my hand well.

I will second Claude Werner and Sandy Springs gun club, if you are in North ATL. We lived in Buckhead for two years while I worked in Marietta, and we took a Basic Handgun Safety course there. It is a nice range. Mr. Werner has probably forgotten more about pistol training than I will ever know.

[kehowell]

Thanks Rick

I am a reader so the book length posts don't bother me. Why say something in 10 words when 100 will do. I am printing out all posts and highlighting the areas that I can use for further research. I was trying to think and I don't believe I did pull back the slide. I released the mag and engaged / disengaged the safety but I was working with a Retired Mast. Sgt. from a tank brigade(?) so he took control of the slide and loading the rounds and then handed me the weapon. I have known him for 20yrs and he is an "in charge" guy. We went to the range and he had me rent the Shield thinking I might like it better. Granted it was a rental but after I fired it and said I did not like it, he took it and tried it as well. The discharged brass went all over the place and neither of us liked the response during and after firing. Not sure if that is indicative of a new one but it soured me. Of course you cannot "rent" a new one. Any way the finger molds on the P30 made it more comfortable and the grip did not need to be modified for the "pinky". Keep the information coming. When I purchase the 1st time I don't want too many regrets. Thanks

[LSP972]

Let's talk about that safety catch/lever. I'm going to make a few statements that might seem offensive, but rest assured they are NOT directed at you personally. Your approach and request for information has a refreshing air about it... IOW, you're giving us the impresson that you will actually listen to, and heed, our advice. Bravo, madam.

Now... manual safety devices, IOW one that must be consciously removed by the shooter before the weapon will fire, can be a double-edged sword. Too many people think they are a magic talisman... if the safety is engaged, they don't have to worry about anything. That is absolutely a false assumption; NOTHING should ever supersede the four basic safety rules, the first of which is sometimes known as "the laser rule". Imagine a laser beam emanating from the muzzle (business end of the barrel), and everything that beam touches/crosses can potentially be hit if the weapon discharges. The original wording went something like this: "Never point a firearm at anything you aren't willing to destroy." The fact that a particular weapon has an active safety device does not negate this axiom.

Most modern handguns (and the HK you're considering is as good as it gets) have passive, internal safety blocks intended to prevent the weapon from firing when dropped or similarly mishandled. But they don't prevent the trigger from being pulled. While a manual safety lever does indeed interrupt the firing process, it is a man-made device, and can fail.

But that is not what I'm getting at. If its working properly, you must deactivate a manual safety before you can shoot. And here is where the ice cream starts to melt. Unless you train; and I mean TRAIN, repetitively, not take a two-hour class and consider yourself "familiarized"; to consciously remove that safety- and do so quickly- under stress you're quite likely to forget or fumble that part of the process, and the weapon will not fire when you desperately need it to.

In 30+ years of carrying a handgun professionally, which included 20 years of heavy involvement in the training end of the law enforcement business and participating in the investigation of many shootings, it has become my opinion that the best type of pistol for most folks is of the "point and pull" variety... IOW, one that you pick up, or draw from a holster, aim at your target and pull the trigger. On the face of it, that sounds... well... dangerous, to the uninitiated. And with certain types of weapons- mainly those with light triggers- it certainly can be. A discussion of trigger actions is beyond the scope of this post, but be assured that there are trigger actions (HK offers two varieties, standard double action/single action, and the LEM/Law Enforcement Modification) out there designed to minimize this danger; and besides, another one of those four basic safety rules states "Keep your finger OFF of the trigger until you've made a aconscious decision to shoot."

Please understand I am certainly not trying to minimize your "safety" concerns. They are valid. I am trying to point out that a manual safety is most assuredly not a guarantee of preventing an unintentional/negligent discharge (if indeed you thought that), and, more importantly, the presence of one can actually hinder your performance... particularly if you don't train yourself to make the deactivation of the device part of your firing stroke.

The average adult must perform between 3000 and 3500 repetitions of a motor skill before it becomes ingrained in the subconscious; sometimes many more, depending on your personal circuitry. A good analogy would be driving your vehicle. Once you became experienced, you stopped thinking about certain actions. When some idiot pulls out in front of you, you don't have to actively think "Oh darn. I need to apply the brakes". Your subconscious mind does that for you. And THAT is what you must develop with a manual safety on your defensive pistol. Under duress, your normal cognitive thought processes will be "under attack" from adrenaline and stress. Having to think about taking that safety off just throws another obstacle in your path of effective reaction.

All that said... if you're willing to invest the time and ammunition needed to program yourself to ALWAYS get that safety off between the draw and lining up on your target, then by all means go for it. But it will take a lot of dedicated work on your part. Nothing difficult, actually its rather tedious. But necessary.

Welcome to the forum.

.

[scw2]

Welcome. I'm also a relatively new owner/shooter, having started around May or June of last year. I think I remember and understand some of what you must be going through right now and wanted to share some thoughts.

I did a decent amount of research just like you're doing now. Ultimately, I picked a good gun, but until you shoot a lot you won't even really know what you will or will not want. This leads to my second point, in that I wanted a safety also. LSP972 touched on it a bit, but the reality is it's not just training to draw, click off the safety, shoot, re-engage safety, and holster. I normally did fine as that's what I trained for the first two months, then did a low-light shooting session and had to juggle pistol manipulation + movement + working the light, and that often led to me forgetting to turn the safety off. You'll want to practice presenting from many different scenarios and do many more reps than you might expect to make it automatic.

I also get the impression from many experienced shooters that you'll want to pick a gun based on how well you shoot it. Ideally it's also the gun that feels the best, but it may not be. Also, what feels good in your hand at the store counter isn't what necessarily feels good as you shoot it.

One piece of advice I got and have seen repeated here is to buy a "good" first gun, then spend money on ammo and training and relevant gear. Try not to skimp on important stuff like belts or holsters. In some cases it's a matter of personal safety - for example you don't want a holster that collapses after you draw, forcing you to point the gun at part of your body to reholster.

I'd also read through the threads here, especially the reference section. Then ask any questions that will pop up and I'm sure someone that has the experience and knowledge will help you!