Hello and thanks to all especially Mike-Mike

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All, I've been lurking for quite some time and learning a lot so I wanted to drop in and introduce myself as well as thank you all for the great information I've collected here over the past few weeks.

Recently my father and I were talking about getting back in to shooting. We used to shoot and hunt together over 10 years ago and just kind of "stopped". When I started doing the research this was one of the first places I landed and the resource is GREAT. First of all I was SHOCKED as to the changes in MA laws and the conditions of licensing in general (so the very first thing I did was send off my GOAL memberships).

I found Mike (Mike-Mike) on this forum and contacted him about a basic pistol class for my dad, my wife, and I. The majority reason why I put this post outside of the general "new folks thread" is to single out and thank Mike for the time he took yesterday with us and the great course he ran. We had a wildly different audience for him (my dad, lifetime member of law enforcement with a degree of experience, myself who learned to shoot "dad's way" when I was a teenager, and my wife who had never held a gun in her life). By the end of the day we had all learned a lot and Mike had my wife hitting 90% on a 12" steel plate down the end of the range with just about everything Mike brought! :) She was by far the best out of the three of us when it came to practical application at the range.

My wife, after that experience, on the way home told me for the first time she was "kind of against guns in general" when we started but now "couldn't wait to get our permits approved and go out shooting". Not only did Mike teach a great class and set my dad and I back on the way into shooting but in a few hours of range time had my quiet anti gun wife shooting dead on with just about everything from a .22 revolver to an AR-15 and changed the debate from whether we would have "a" gun in the house to whether "we" liked the Glock 9mm or the S&W .40 best...

Absolutely amazing job with us all Mike and I recommend ANYONE looking for a similar class contact him!

I'll keep you all informed how the license process goes and seek out advice on some first purchases.

Thanks,

-Paul
 
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Welcome to NES. It is great to hear of your positive experience for you and your family.
 
Paul, one thing I've learned about women shooters over the years is that they accept coaching. They don't have this big stubborn streak that tells them they know what to do. They listen to the instructor and get better.

It's so different than the way men learn.
 
Welcome! I am new here as well, but have found that there are many knowledgable people that are just waiting for the opportunity to help others. This is a great online resource and I am pleased I stumbled across it.

That's an excellent story you have told. I enjoy reading of newcomers or those getting back into the hobby!
 
Thanks for the warm reception.

So when are you guys gonna come out to an IDPA match with us?

While the IDPA descriptions Mike gave us certainly make it something that sounds worth checking out... first things first... to get licensed.

Provided that goes smoothly I'm sure the next two things that will happen are:

1. My wife will continue to embarrass me on range and at whatever competition we got involved in.

2. You guys are going to make me go BROKE... This site is a great resource for info but it is also going to cost me a fortune :) I'm eying all the juicy classifieds and then it got worse when I "went green"... the group buys in the members section. It's probably a good thing that I can't legally buy any of this stuff yet. I need time to save and figure out where yet ANOTHER expensive hobby fits in the budget!

Until then... research...
 
Good luck with all of the research and purchasing. I was in your place about 10 months ago. I'd highly recommend a 22 as your first gun. I went with the Ruger Mk III and I'm quite happy with it. If you prefer rifles, you can't go wrong with the 10/22. You're welcome to try anything I have that you might be interested in, and that's true of most members here. If you can, come out to the Car shoot on Sept 6. I went to the pumpkin shoot last fall while waiting for my license and the members were VERY generous with letting me try stuff.
 
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