Gun instruction

[DGoodale]

Just a bit north of you (Oceanside) is http://www.pluspproficiency.com/. I can attest to Larry's skill and instruction ability esp. w/ a shotgun but he's equally adept with a handgun.

[SIGSHOOTR]

If you're willing to make the drive up, I highly recommend Bill Murphy's outfit in Corona: http://www.ftatv.com

[ZombieTactics]

... The only curious thing is that he recommends a revolver. ...

Giant red flag IMHO.

[RedFord150]

I am not in SD, but I am sure you must have an indoor range near you.
Check out the local indoor ranges and ask what they have for a beginner course. A group class might be as low as $35.00, a few hours of 'one on one' might be as high as $95.00. They will probably furnish you with one to four rental guns to try out. The instructor can probably recommend a few good models that will work for you.
When you get prices, ask if that includes rental gun and ammo.
Once you have at least one beginner class under your belts, you can start thinking about more advanced training and what guns you might consider buying.
Good luck.

[RedFord150]

... The only curious thing is that he recommends a revolver. ....

Revolvers are great for novices. This means the instructor is more interested in teaching good shooting skills than making his students look 'Tacticool'.
This instructor should be at the top of your list.

[loose_electron]

American Shooting Center as suggested above does well in this area.

They do classes at night after general range access shuts down.

[ZombieTactics]

... This means the instructor is more interested in teaching good shooting skills than making his students look 'Tacticool'.
This instructor should be at the top of your list.

So you say. How would a revolver have helped a "novice" during the invasion robbery of the Outback in Roseville recently? I imagine that those 5-6 rounds out of the {typically carried) snubby would have all met their marks perfectly, right? And - if not - the thugs would have waited patiently for the novice to reload, right?

And I imagine that 15-19 rounds of 9mm or .40S&W are some disadvantage? How? What convenient excuse do you intend to offer up (as though it were gospel) in defense of this notion?

What is especially "tacticool" (or difficult) about a basic, reliable semi-auto, except in your lame attempt to cast it as such? Should I mention something about pretending to be "cowboys" with their "six shooters"?

Jeez people ... the tendency to worship romantic notions over common sense is astounding.

[tacticalcity]

Yeah that argument annoys me to. Revolver guys say stuff like that all the time. I am not sure what school they went to (probably none) that focused on being "tacticool" but all the ones I've gone to focused on building strong fundamentals that combined accuracy (no shots to whom they may concern), speed (real life gun fights happen in fractions of a second), weapons manipulation (knowing how to keep the gun running is critical), tactics (you have to do more than just be able shoot to survive you have to be able to think), and most importantly safety. But these guys never let the facts get in the way of their preconceived ideas. If we are not running exactly the guns they personally like then we MUST all be a bunch of posers. They don't let common sense or wisdom get in the way either. No arguing with them. They refuse to listen.

My cousin at Front Sight in January of 2010. We had a great time and learned a lot.

[RedFord150]

So you say. How would a revolver have helped a "novice" during the invasion robbery of the Outback in Roseville recently? ...

And I imagine that 15-19 rounds of 9mm or .40S&W are ...

... Should I mention something about pretending to be "cowboys" with their "six shooters"?....

We are talking about a novice taking his first lesson, not a defensive situation with multiple attackers. It is unlikely the novice would have a CCW, so he is unlikely too be carrying anything (revolver or semi-auto) in the Outback Steakhouse.

We live in CA. How does your Novice (now buying his first gun) legally obtain magazines that carry more than 10 rounds?

Revolvers are easier for novices for many reasons;
1) All shots can be fired double action. No chance for an excited newbie to inadvertently fire the second shot because the revolver does not cycle back to single action.
2) No flying brass to annoy or scare a novice shooter.
3) A good revolver tends too point naturally.
4) A full size double action revolver with rubber grips generally has a good feel to it and the rubber or synthetic grips tend to absorb recoil.
5) 6 shots at a time is generally more then enough for a beginner taking his or her first lesson.
6) A full size .357 mag revolver can shoot anything from very mild .38 wadcutters to really hot .357 mag loads. Since the gun is heavy, the recoil is very mild with the lighter loads. Once the beginner is comfortable with mild loads, he can move up to hotter loads. One gun, 2 very different calibers.
7) Once the beginner is comfortable shooting double action with a revolver, he can easily transition to a DA/SA Semi-Auto.

I have taken several novices to the range for their first trip. Everyone from young girls to 50 plus year-old men who have never fired a handgun in their life. The full size revolver is generally the favorite. They choose these over the semi-autos I have owned. Has nothing to do with being a Cowboy vs. Tacticool, it is simple preference. FTR, I currently own 3 semi-autos and have previously owned another 4 or 5.

Thanks for asking.

[quarterscalelegends]

I think the point is that ANY gun is intimidating to a new user. Revolvers offer an mechanical operation that everyone can see and grasp onto quickly. Drop the cylinder and its safe. Semi auto can be a bit more confusing. Drop the mag, clear the chamber, feel the chamber, etc. First step is to get new shooters to keep their finger off the trigger, no sence in throwing in more steps until they are completely comfortable with the concept of using the gun first.

Secondly... What county in california do you live in that allows hi cap mags??? We can only have 10 rounds, my smith and wessons hold 7-8 rounds. If i cant hit someone with 7 or 8 rounds i deserve to die.

[ZombieTactics]

We are talking about a novice taking his first lesson, not a defensive situation with multiple attackers. It is unlikely the novice would have a CCW, so he is unlikely too be carrying anything (revolver or semi-auto) in the Outback Steakhouse. ...

What is your point exactly ... that semi-autos are too hard? I have a video on my YouTube channel where my 13-year-old daughter runs the gun like a pro with minimal training. Where is the problem?

We live in CA. How does your Novice (now buying his first gun) legally obtain magazines that carry more than 10 rounds?

Good point. I would counter that 10 is still twice as many as 5, and that I've never met anyone outside of an "expo" who could load a wheel-gun faster than a beginner can reload a semi with minimal training. Your logic fails in the light of cold, hard reality ... which you studiously avoid with almost religious-cult-like zeal.

Revolvers are easier for novices for many reasons; ...

"Easier" implies that semi-autos are somehow hard. I can demonstrate otherwise any day of the week to anyone with an open mind. "Easier" says nothing about any fitness-for-purpose.

The OP specifically mentioned home-defense, or I'd make no issue of this. Revolvers are also excellent choices for a variety of specific use-cases. The fact is that a semi-auto is simply - on its technical merits - a demonstrably superior platform for SD/HD.

[tacticalcity]

I did not find the semi-auto any harder conceptually or mechanically than my father's revolver. I personally found the revolver much harder because of the DA trigger and slower reloads.

In true form to revolver guy line of thinking, you are assuming those "15-19 rounds of 9mm or .40S&W" all had to be in the SAME MAGAZINE. Not so. The main advantage of a semi-auto is detachable magazines that can be loaded faster than a revolver can (given same experience level and amount of training on each). Two of you in a row demonstrated a failure in mindset. You glossed right over the fact that he could be using a spare magazine and a reload to get those additional rounds and immediately assumed he was talking about a hi-capacity magazine.

Your next failure in mindset is assuming that an incident would involve only one attacker (your 7-8 round comment). He lives near the border. Cartels and drug war violence is on the rise. They don't operate alone. A simple youtube search shows incident after incident of groups of attackers doing home invasions, robbing stores, and car jacking people - most those incidents occurring in areas near the border and involving Hispanic gangs working for the cartels. Not a racist, just pointing out that the drug war is not just occurring in Mexico but here in the US as well. The odds are considerably higher that it would be multiple attackers and not just one. Times have changed. That said, it's not like you should expect to be attacked. Such things are rare. I use the Boyscout line of thinking that I learned in the military. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and you're ready for whatever life throws at you.

Lastly, I don't understand your comments about CCW at all. They don't apply specifically to semi-autos. Regardless of what type of gun you use a one day course is going to teach you how to work from a holster, and a multi-day course is going to teach you how to work from concealment. Plus getting a CCW is not that hard in every single county here in California. I have no idea what it is like in San Diego, but they practically rubber stamp them here in Sacramento. Plus he could always get a Non-Resident permit from Utah or Arizona with next to no effort at all. So that part of your argument is irrelevant. They are recognized in multiple states. So if he travels at all those would be a smart idea for him and a logical next step. If he goes for the Arizona permit he can use the certificate from whatever course he takes and use it as his training requirment. They are not strict at all about what that has to be.

[quarterscalelegends]

So are you saying that if you put a loaded revolver AND a semi auto on a table in front of a person with no knowledge of guns that they would be able to make them both safe with the same amount of effort and confidence?

FYI for HD Revolvers are CLEARY the best choice simply for the fact they are 100% reliable. Now if its zombies you are worried about, you may have time to clear that FTF since they walk so slow anyway... LOL

[heycorey]

"Tacticool" comments aside ... most of the people who buy a handgun never get more than basic handgun safety training and don't shoot/practice often enough to develop sufficiently reliable reflex reactions (ie, "Tap. Rack. Bang!"). If that person ever actually needs to use a handgun to defend their life, they'll be ill-equipped to deal with a malfunctioning semi-auto ... otherwise referred to as the "click of death".

If you pull the trigger on a double-action revolver and it doesn't go bang ... just keep pulling the trigger until it does.


In either case ... get some training and then ... never stop practicing.

[quarterscalelegends]

so are you saying your failure in mindset is that he could have 3 or 4 speed loaders or moon clips in his pocket? I have a 8 round s&w lightweight that runs moon clips. i could easily have 24 rounds at my disposal that load just as fast as a magazine. Better yet, i could be riding a unicorn with a backpack full of moon clips giving me a capacity of over 1000 rounds... LOL