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/
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
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.
Per the PF Code of Conduct, I have a commercial interest in the StreakTM product as sold by Ammo, Inc.
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.
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...at/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-Extre.../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...-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.
What are dummy runs/snap caps? Is it kind of like blanks?Originally Posted by 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.
Here is a popular brand.
https://www.lymanproducts.com/brands/a-zoom
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.
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
Welcome to Pistol-Forum, @bohaiboy!
“There is no growth in the comfort zone.”--Jocko Willink
"You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
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