First Day at the Range

thesyguy

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I am waiting on my LTC and trying to decide on my CCW and home defense pistols. A friend took me to the Ashland Fish and Game yesterday to try out a few of his guns to start getting some ideas.

First up was a Walther PPS in 9mm. The grip was a little odd with my pinky kind of hanging off the bottom of the grip. It took a few rounds to get the feel for it but overall it was pretty comfortable. I had forgotten how loud a handgun can be and was a little surprised when I fired the first round.

Next was a Glock 22 .40. This I liked quite a bit. The full grip was very comfortable and the recoil was about the same as the PPS. It seemed a bit tougher to rack, but the heavier weight felt good in my hands. This is a good possibility but would probably go with a 9mm Glock to save on ammo.

The last was a S&W 860 .357 with a 6" barrel. We shot a few rounds of .38 special ammo at first so I could get a feel for the revolver with a lighter load. We then switched to the .357 rounds and holy crap what a difference. I could not believe the difference in sound and the concussion wave between this and the previous two. It really felt like a cannon. This I liked a whole hell of a lot and could see my buying one as a "toy" for range shooting.

I am hoping to get some more range time with a few more ccw type pistols and a full size M&P 9mm and .40 to see how they feel. What I can say is that I am hooked and that I can see me spending a lot of time at the range once I get my LTC.

To add to it I took my wife to MFS today to get her started on her LTC. She has never fired a gun before but did great in the live fire session. This could become a family affair![smile]
 
.357 Magnum is my all time favorite handgun cartridge. Without a doubt.

Don't let anyone convince you that full-size handguns are not comfortable and concealable.

I carry a Glock 17 (same size as the Glock 22 but in 9x19) every day and I can conceal it without issue under everything from an untucked polo to a sport coat.
 
.357 Magnum is my all time favorite handgun cartridge. Without a doubt.

Don't let anyone convince you that full-size handguns are not comfortable and concealable.

I carry a Glock 17 (same size as the Glock 22 but in 9x19) every day and I can conceal it without issue under everything from an untucked polo to a sport coat.

Not to derail the thread (at least not too much) but do you mind sharing some pointers on that? I'm a new shooter and just getting beyond the stage of taking my gun to the range in a bag and nothing more. In fact, I just bought my first holster (Blackhawk Serpa at FS on the advice of a friend) for my SR9 so that I have something for an upcoming class. Just put it on the other day and it feels like I have a mile wide hunk of metal and plastic jutting from my hip that must be visible from space, let alone concealable under a shirt.

* yeah, I know. Cue the "you're doing it wrong" posts. LOL
 
I just bought my first holster (Blackhawk Serpa at FS on the advice of a friend) for my SR9 so that I have something for an upcoming class. Just put it on the other day and it feels like I have a mile wide hunk of metal and plastic jutting from my hip that must be visible from space, let alone concealable under a shirt.

* yeah, I know. Cue the "you're doing it wrong" posts. LOL

LOL, yeah Serpa = doing it wrong right from the get go. You might also want to ask your instructor if he will even allow Serpas in his classes. I know several both locally and nationally that do not.

Anyway.....these four holster make my 17 disappear and I am not a big guy.

AHolster kydex pancake

Brommeland Max-Con

FIST #20

Peters Hold Fast
 
Jose is correct in that you can conceal a full size pistol. The question is: will you? If you're thinking about one gun to start for range/practice, home defense and ccw, consider the different implications of each scenario of use. A .357 is fantastic for all three but deciding which model to buy will be important. A heavy 6" barrel .357 can be concealed, but if you find it difficult and cumbersome you will most likely leave it at home negating your intent to have a ccw firearm. A 3-4" barrel .357 may be a much better option. Similarly, if you like the glock 22, consider trying the glock 23. Same caliber and similar feel but just a little smaller and it maybe easier for you to conceal. My point is shoot as many models as you can to figure out what's best for you.

One more side note: you'll notice Jose put down some nice holster models. Do yourself a favor and get a good holster. It WILL make a difference.
 
To the OP......if you like the feel of the .357 definately consider it for concealed carry. Don't rule it out as only a "range gun". I have a ruger sp101 .357 in the 2 1/4 inch barrel......it is VERY easy to conceal and carry......insode the wasteband for me at the 3:00 position. My advice is find a handgun you like to shoot well and definately consider it......there are many med frame revolvers out there that can be concealed quite easily. There are smaller j frame type revolvers out there chambered in 357 magnum but they were just too small for my hands and hurt like hell to shoot! The ruger sp101 is large enought to take the recoil of a magnum round but still easily concealed for me.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I do appreciate it.

I plan on shooting as many different models as I can before deciding. I will purchase two handguns to start, a CCW and a home defense gun, plus a pump shotgun.

I have been digesting all the information I can from this forum and have definitely learned the importance of not only the pistol, but the holster you carry it in. I also plan to continue with training as I do feel it is both the smart and right thing to do.

It is great to have a place that I can go to interact with, and learn from, those who have the experience and knowledge that I want to absorb.
 
Lot of good suggestions so far. I would like to toss in a few too. I carry a 1911, 3 inch barrel. Conceals very well in a IWB or in my front jeans pocket, believe it or not. Try as many handguns as you can before you decide. I settled on the 1911 after I discovered it is what I shoot best with AND it is what I have the most fun with at the range. Killing two birds with one gun, so to speak. By using one gun for range/cc it keeps me very "tuned". Not putting the other guns down at all, but what I like about 1911's is the lighter trigger pull and double safeties. But that is just me.

If my aged memory serves me correctly, I use a DeSantis holster, never even notice that I have it on. It is comfortable sitting in a vehicle, chair, standing, etc.

.45 ACP is nice for so called "stopping power". Actually, it just makes a nice big hole. Later on, if you really get into it, reloading .45 is really easy, almost every shooter out there reloads it.
 
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I had forgotten how loud a handgun can be and was a little surprised when I fired the first round.

Please tell me that your friend lent you some good hearing protection? If not, you should buy a good pair of 'muffs or some good ear plugs. Shooting without hearing protection will make you an unhappy camper later in life.
 
One more side note: you'll notice Jose put down some nice holster models. Do yourself a favor and get a good holster. It WILL make a difference.

One more side note: a quality gun belt is just as important as a good holster. Without a true gun belt, the best holster in the world will not perform as designed.
 
I've got both the M&P 9mm (in range kit) and the Walther PPS in .40. Both serve their respective purposes quite well. PPS is exceptional for CCW, and the M&P is a great range toy/home defense handgun.
 
LOL, yeah Serpa = doing it wrong right from the get go. You might also want to ask your instructor if he will even allow Serpas in his classes. I know several both locally and nationally that do not.

Anyway.....these four holster make my 17 disappear and I am not a big guy.

AHolster kydex pancake

Brommeland Max-Con

FIST #20

Peters Hold Fast


Thanks for the advise Jose. That's why I like coming here. Will definitely check out those options. My wife's comment reading this thread over my shoulder "so, looks like holsters are like camera tripods. Buy the really good one first or you'll just spend twice as much on half a dozen crappy cheap ones." That about sum it up?
 
Please tell me that your friend lent you some good hearing protection? If not, you should buy a good pair of 'muffs or some good ear plugs. Shooting without hearing protection will make you an unhappy camper later in life.

Absolutely. I was wearing an electronic set of muffs. I think it was more the concussion than the actual sound that threw me.
 
One more side note: a quality gun belt is just as important as a good holster. Without a true gun belt, the best holster in the world will not perform as designed.

Thanks. I did do some reading on the forum in regards to gun belts and the many different companies that offer them. Definitely going to be part of the package once the license comes in. This is gonna get expensive! But I'm ok with that as I prefer to do things the right way the first time.
 
Similar Story over here, I bought a 9mm SR9c... Next i got a S&W 686, and when i switched from .38 to .357 it was amazing...
 
My wife's comment reading this thread over my shoulder "so, looks like holsters are like camera tripods. Buy the really good one first or you'll just spend twice as much on half a dozen crappy cheap ones." That about sum it up?
Your wife is a wise woman [smile]
 
Absolutely. I was wearing an electronic set of muffs. I think it was more the concussion than the actual sound that threw me.

"Percussion"? If you're getting a concussion, maybe you should wear a helmet to the range, too. ;-)
 
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