New to guns

[bsg]

btw... if you still live in your dad's home, speaking with him prior to the gun purchase is a must.

[TallTale]

My mom and dad are actually divorced and I mostly live with my mom(dorming costs a fortune at my school) since my job/school is closer to her(dad lives about 45min-hour away). If anything I need to convince my mom to be ok with me having one in the house(she believes no one but cops should have guns).

[USMC VET]

Buy the rifle then some 22lr snap caps. Read the manual and do some genuine practice with the snap caps. All the while start feeling out ur pops and his stance on you owning a firearm. If he's against it then go to a local shooting range with a practiced shooter to show you the ropes and put some rounds down range. You could also see if the local range will run you through a quick class with their RSO.

[finfan]

My mom and dad are actually divorced and I mostly live with my mom(dorming costs a fortune at my school) since my job/school is closer to her(dad lives about 45min-hour away). If anything I need to convince my mom to be ok with me having one in the house(she believes no one but cops should have guns).

Convince mom BEFORE you make this purchase. Respect Her house. I've got a 19yr old son with a WWII Mauser in my safe. A 21yr old son I wouldn't trust with a squirt gun!
I'm sure with your post your more than ready, please get mom's ok. Her house.

[socalocalypse]

Just my 2 cents-a .22 rifle shouldn't cost more than $5 or $10 tops to rent at the shooting range. Odds are they have a 795. Rent it a few times and see if you need to own the thing?

At the range you don't have to clean it, house it, transport it, be responsible for its misuse, buy a case and cleaning suppllies, etc etc etc. There's a lot of hassles and liability and IMHO, unless you're into drugs or other illegal activities, nobody is gonna home invade you so 'self defense' is unlikely.

Even a cheap .22 requires a good amount of effort to own and transport legally, this is PRK after all!

Oh and I wouldn't trust myself with a rifle at 21 or 22 either LOL

the appleseed project sounds awesome, i'd just suggest considering all the lower cost/effort possibilites before buying your own.

Good luck with whatever you decide

[MrPlink]

Yeah I'm not exactly sure why he never took me shooting before which makes me wonder about his views on guns( I know he owns several handguns including a really cool revolver).

kinda like me, grew up with guns and guitars in the house and my dad never bothered to really take lengths to introduce me into either.

In hind sight I kinda appreciate it, he wanted me to make the first moves and didnt want to force anything on me.

Either way, welcome to calguns and the sport!

Def clear the gun thing with your mom first.
I would use the fact that the marlin is about as "innocent" as you can get for a self loading rifle.

Where are you located? Im sure there are some calgunners local to you that would be willing to take you out the range and show you the basics.
If you are in the SF Bay Area, hit me up.

[MrPlink]

Just my 2 cents-a .22 rifle shouldn't cost more than $5 or $10 tops to rent at the shooting range. Odds are they have a 795. Rent it a few times and see if you need to own the thing?
At the range you don't have to clean it, house it, transport it, be responsible for its misuse, buy a case and cleaning suppllies, etc etc etc.

not a bad idea for any purchase, but the marlin is def a solid gun, esp for a beginner. In its price range, you cant go wrong.

There's a lot of hassles and liability and IMHO, unless you're into drugs or other illegal activities, nobody is gonna home invade you so 'self defense' is unlikely.

ehhh, Im not the paranoid type at all, however I do know 4 people who were killed in home invasions. 1 was into drugs, the other 3 were straight as could be even lived in some rather affluent neighborhoods. Unlikely based on statistics, yes. If thats enough to risk your life, thats your choice



Even a cheap .22 requires a good amount of effort to own and transport legally, this is PRK after all!

Im not sure what you are getting at? Keep it unloaded in the car and dont brandish it in public. Thats about it for CA. You would have to keep up locked up if traveling through a school zone, but that is a federal law, not state.

Oh and I wouldn't trust myself with a rifle at 21 or 22 either LOL

this should be taken case by case. I know adults that are LEO that I dont think should own firearms

the appleseed project sounds awesome, i'd just suggest considering all the lower cost/effort possibilites before buying your own.

Good luck with whatever you decide

responses in BOLD

[Mail Clerk]

Hey guys glad to be here.

As the topic states I'm new to guns and am looking to buy a marlin 795 to be my first gun. My question is should I take a class that teaches me how to use a rifle before I actually buy one or should I buy it first? My dad is a retired cop and was on the swat team so I think he'd be willing to give me some tips on how to shoot if I got a gun but I'm not exactly sure how he feels about me actually owning one. Thanks guys

TallTale,

Use your dad as a teaching tool. He has just as much if not more experience/knowledge as any gun class can offer. This espeically includes gun safety!!!!

Mail Clerk

[bsg]

My mom and dad are actually divorced and I mostly live with my mom(dorming costs a fortune at my school) since my job/school is closer to her(dad lives about 45min-hour away). If anything I need to convince my mom to be ok with me having one in the house(she believes no one but cops should have guns).

glad you're doing the right thing by getting permission from your mom first... before bringing a gun into her home.

[dogg1er]

It seem that you have enough common sense to acquire some knowledge about this decision of buying a firearm before you made it, it also seems like you already knew you were going to have to get your moms permission to bring a firearm into her house.

Talk to your dad about owning/ buying a gun, like another person posted here your dad was swat so he would have an abundance of info for you.

When approaching your mom for permission let her know that you spoke with your dad and (assuming he backs your decision) he said he will show you the rights and wrongs in the handling of a firearm. She knows his background so she might feel better that he is going to show you the rights and wrongs, also knowing that dad has your best interest at hand is also a plus.

Good luck.

[TallTale]

Bit of an update here:

I decided to talk with my dad about it. I was pretty nervous since I wasn't sure how he'd react. I simply told him that I wanted a gun to which he responded, "for what?" I told him that I felt I was ready to have one and learn how to shoot it in case I'd ever need to use one. When I told him that I wanted a .22lr, he said that was a waste of money. I said it was only 140$(of my money) and I want to learn to shoot it and eventually get a shotgun later. He responded by saying that I should learn how to shoot by using a pistol and then I could move up. I kept telling him that I didnt want a pistol and that I did my research. He didn't say anything back

I then told him that I still need to convince my mom on letting me keep the gun at her house before I get it and asked if he would teach me how to shoot it when I got it. He said yeah so that's pretty awesome

[dangerranger]

My dad was a shooter, but not much of a teacher. he shot on the army rifle team in the late 40s. up untill very recently he was still a great shot. but did not have the pationce to teach any one to shoot. he also thought owning guns without a purpose was a waste of time. and having more than one of any gun was a huge waste. luckily I had a grandfather who I spent alot of time with. learn everything you can from dad but rember that his view of gun owners is probably alittle differant than those on this board. his experiance with them have been gang members and homeowners who have been ripped off. Project appleseed is a great trainer for first timers, but be shure to tell them that you have no experiance up front. dont worry to much about wasting your time on a 22. I cant count all the hours of enjoyment Ive gotten from my 22s. up untill just recently I still had my first rifle. thats it with the bi pod at the end of the table



and again with the new stock all cleaned up.






not too differant from your 795 internaly.
I cleaned it up and gave it to one of my sons.
most competitive shooters practice with a 22LR. guns are not just defencive weapons, in 50 years Ive yet to shoot or even threaten anyone.
So enjoy your gun for what you want it to be. target shooter, hunter,or even collector. they are allot of fun. DR

[2Bear]

He responded by saying that I should learn how to shoot by using a pistol and then I could move up. I kept telling him that I didnt want a pistol and that I did my research. He didn't say anything back

I then told him that I still need to convince my mom on letting me keep the gun at her house before I get it and asked if he would teach me how to shoot it when I got it. He said yeah so that's pretty awesome

So, you'll have your .22, and dad can teach you how to shoot his handgun(s). Sounds like a win-win to me. (.22 ammo is cheap...)

[johnthomas]

Your dad was a swat and your new to guns???? how'd that happen??

My Dad was a soldier for 31 years, Infantry, WW2, Korea 2 tours in combat.
I was in the Army for 6 years and 8 in the reserves. I didn't get serious about guns until my 30's, 57 now. We are not our Dad, until you start raising kids, lol then you say stuff to them he used to say to you.
My dad encouraged me to stay away from guns, he truly understood what guns do to a body.

[Cuerno_de_Chivo]

The way i look at learning how to shoot is like how i look at learning math. You learn by doing it. Go to the range, shoot, practice, look up videos on youtube, all that. The first time i got into guns i bought a Mosin Nagant, the next day i went to the range and learned how to use the rifle and everything. Just practice, practice, and practice. IMO i wouldn't enroll in any classes unless they are free. Just hit the range, if you have questions, people there are very friendly and will help you.