Shots Fired! Shots Fired!

[bigred1]

Very cool story, glad you had a good experience and met individuals who were willing to share in the addiction of gun powder.

I love my 1911s but for some reason I really want to shoot a Glock 21 gen 4 w/ large beaver tail back strap.

[HatersLOVEme : )]

Hey most people can't say the first pistol they shot was a 1911 let alone a Dan Wesson

[Sleighter]

Op's journalism skills are noteworthy, nice blog about noobs journey to the first shot.

Still cant compare to the attorneys, law school students and informed lay people that debate current 2A legal and judicial issues here on Calguns...

If the OP manages to stay with us long after he completes "phase 5" or whatever phase completes his research project, just hope and pray he never makes it to the 2A subforums. If he does, heaven help us.

[dyson]

The Calguns condensed version for the reading shy members.

New shooter went to the range to observe.
Nice gun owners took him under their wings and let him shoot their guns.
Was able to hit the target without shooting himself, others or range equipment.
Was surprised by the power of the .45.
Liked shooting will continue.

Better?

Pretty much what i thought it was. Thanks

[Twystd1]

By the way..

Your welcome.

-T

[FreedomWriter]

Yea...But where's the centerfold!

This might qualify as that sexy bit you were referring to. She was a bit much to handle the first time around - have to learn to hold her a little better.

[Eirerogue]

Thanks for posting. Maybe we could do SHORT 'bullet points' on such wordy posts??

[LittleOldLady]

Glad you had a great time shooting for the first time.
I wish I could remember mine......sighs......

[FreedomWriter]

lol bro my fiancees pm9 recoils more than full size 1911 especially if its shooting weak 800fps target fmj loads.

I remember a brief discussion about FMJ and Hollow Point and then all I heard was BOOM again. As far as the 9 recoiling more than the 45 based on their individual load, I have not yet finished by ballistics studies, so I'll have to get back to you on that one. All I remember is BOOOOOM, there goes my hands, Back & Up. I'm just not used to it yet.

Good write up..

Thanks. Yes - compared to the 22 (not that such comparisons make any sense) the 45 did rip significantly harder. It wasn't the blow-back that I found difficult, it was never having the right expectation for when the BOOM would happen. The trigger seemed a LOT lighter than those I remember dry firing in the gun shops.

After thinking about it more, the trigger was probably the same, but in the gun shops there was no BOOOOM after the trigger breaks. That added dimension got most of my attention - I kept thinking about the BLAST and not the target. I was continuously fascinated with each blast and that diverted my attention away from the grip and the target.

I'm going to have to get used to the blast and that feeling in my hands - it was amazing - it definitely caught me off guard. I was supposed to be just a spectator and then seconds later, I'm shooting. I was not prepared for that jolt of electricity. Quite a pleasant surprise. BOOOOM! LOL! I can still hear the damn thing and I'm still smiling every time I think about it... BOOOOM! LOL! Giddy! Fun stuff!

Penthouse magazines have words printed in them?

I posted the centerfold of the week up above.

Is there a Readers Digest version ?

Heck. I can't wait until I get my first run at the Mossberg 930 SPX 8-Shot. I'll write about my first encounter with that one too. That must be an epic first time experience. I'm looking forward to it, but want to take things one step at a time.

Great story, thanks for posting. I'm glad you had such a great range outing and met some kind and generous shooters who let you try out their pistols.

Everyone I met was helpful and did not mind talking about their firearms. The RO was great and did a good job of explaining protocol. The weather could not have been better either. An overall great outing.

...So glad that you got to spend your first day on the range with a knowledgeable gentleman who took it upon himself to help introduce you to the sweet embrace of shooting...

Yes, indeed and thank you! I can't say enough about that part.

The man I met was almost twice my age. I was a like an instant father/son type of thing going on. He basically did what any father would do - he made sure I knew enough and then let me experience it on my own. He was 74 years old and shot extremely well. He basically mandated that I experience shooting a real gun, after he overheard that I was new to it all.

The timing of my trip to San Jose, could not have been better. Three minutes either way and we never would have met. He lives in the area and has been working for IBM for ages. It was great having someone with lots of experience behind my back on the very first shot!

Nice! Did you find out if he was a CG'r?

I should have, but did not. He's 74 years old. I'm not sure that he'd be hanging out online much even if he was. But, I can find out - he handed me his business card before we parted company.

[FreedomWriter]

You dirty slut you get a Dan Wesson to shoot as your first! Babe your ruined nothing is going to compare!

I was trying to keep the actual shooting at the very end of the research project, so that my buying decision would not be tainted by any one type of gun or any one type of caliber. I failed at doing that. Now, my first impression is chemically imprinted on my brain.

The irony is that the 1911 is the very first gun I began studying. It then turns out to be the very first gun I shot. Now, all I can see are 1911's in my sleep. That's not fair to the others and I'm going to have to see a shrink to get that corrected.

The plan was to shoot everything at the exact same time and THEN go out and use my research to make the best buying decision. The 1911 did not even make my short list and now, I can't get the gun out of my head. Thus, the rationale for my plan was sound from a theoretical standpoint.

I want the 1911, now. But, it is not a good home defense platform for me personally and home defense is what I am working on right now. All I know is - the darn thing goes BOOOM really loud it then sends bullet down range really fast and it puts a really big hole in the target. That's all I know.

Glad you finally took the plunge and pulled the trigger. I think you will find your future research and decisions will be more focused now. Welcome to the shooting family.

Thanks. Yeah, I'd say things are a bit more focused and will become more focused once I can get my hands on the 9 and the 40, preferably in the types on my short list. Can't wait for that, but I'm still one step away from that phase right now.

The homework done already actually helped quite a bit. I knew how the 1911 worked, how to handle it and I was prepared for any FTF, FTE or Stovepipe. The 1911 ran like a race horse, but the custom 22 had all kinds of problems. It FTFd several times and FTEd three times.

It also left a bullet partially down the barrel one time, but that was caught by the owner before shooting it again. So, I got some real TRB experience with the 22. He was using some 22 hollow points and that's when the problems began.

Those 22 rounds are so tiny and light weight, that I was amazed they consistently fed up the ramp at all! I think I may have some Pellets that are bigger than the 22 caliber! Incredibly small rounds, they are.

Too many wordz!

How about this: I shot a 1911 for the very first time. It went BOOOOOM! I said: "Oh man that's amazing - can I do it again!" Then I giggled all the way home. The End.

Pictures or it didn't happen,
Now go and buy yourself an all black outfit, including shoes, and grease your hair back, Dark shades.. Next time you show up at the range you will be the "Expert"

I'm not a 5.11 customer yet. However, I have been to their website and I do think they have some cook stuff. I honestly did not think about pictures or videos (I'll do plenty of that later). I was simply floored by the amazing BOOOM of the 1911 and my lousy grip "expertise." We were too busy trying to assess what was causing so much movement in my hands after the shot was fired, to worry about posterity or framing history.

The bigger story for me was trying to understand why were my hands moving so much after the shot. We nailed it down to first time jitters. After I began driving home, I realized that I was over-anticipating the recoil based purely on the acoustics of the shot being fired. In other words, my body was 'flinching' in expectation of the recoil being paired with the BOOOOOM. The two things are not the same, but my brain was trying to equate them. So, I either moved my hands, or I allowed my grip to become too soft during the trigger pull.

Either way, I'm going to have to fix that problem. Basically, the gun was running me - I was not running the gun. But, I attribute that to being star struck by the 45 caliber. BOOOM! And, then I get all giddy every time. BOOOM! Start smiling and grinning. BOOOM! Start laughing aloud. It is hard to figure things out when you are laughing uncontrollably all the time. BOOOM! Man that was fun - lets do it again.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! Now, there's supposed to be a 3 second pause. A 3 second what? A 3 second pause. Ooops, my bad, let me try it again - BOOOM! (pause - can't wait) BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! It must be that 1911 trigger - it is soooo light!

First step was taken! Now, moving on to the second.... Get the 1911! Glad you had a pleasant day at the range.

It just doesn't fit the Purpose or the Use for me personally. However, I am almost 100% certain that several 1911's are definitely in my future. There's little to no way that I won't own that firearm. It is too classic, runs too smoothly, fits too good in my hands and points to well down range for me not to have at least a couple in my future inventory.

The 1911 is a gun's gun.

...
Was able to hit the target without shooting himself, others or range equipment.
...

My very first round was less than 3 inches from dead center. I'm never going to forget that fact. I also won't forget how hard it was to strike the center of the target and amazed at how easy it was to catch fliers that are nowhere near the center.

So, I have a lot to learn about being consistently accurate under all conditions. I can see now, where the skill comes into play in doing that. But, even for my firs time - I was "combat effective" in my shooting. I was also laughing my butt off as well with each BOOOM - so maybe that had something to do with my focus. It was very hard not to smile each time I fired the gun.

[FreedomWriter]

Kudos to the gentlemen who helped you.That's how we will win.

Yes. He basically told me to get out there and try it. His attitude was, hey - there's no need for you to come all the way out here just to observe - might as well shoot something! Now, I can't wait to get back.

And you didn't have to pay for ammo? Win all around. OP, at first I wondered why someone would spend that much time researching as you did.
I can see now, you won't be like some of the guys here that buy a gun on the spur of the moment and sell it two weeks later. Good read. I enjoy someone that can write.

Thanks! I offered to pay, he said no thanks. He was happy sharing the experience with someone new. He said he shoots all the time and just did not mind someone else shooting his guns.

Yes - there is a method to my madness. I'm also a design engineer, so research is built-in given on anything important. This is the pre-purchase model I will follow. In the future, it might not take nearly as long, but I don't see myself buying anything without learning something about it first.

I still think the PPQ will be the one, but I won't know for sure until I finish the final phase and shoot everything on my short list and a few that are not on the list for good contrast (like the Beretta 90 Series and PX4 Storm, CZ SP-01, M&P 9/40/45, Sig P226 and SP2022, FNX 9/40/45, etc.).

Many people do quite well with the 45 ACP. You will learn to handle, and work with the recoil, instead of against it....

Thanks! It sounds like you were at the range on Saturday, as well having some fun. Clearly, you bought your firearms for a distinctly different purpose than what I'm considering them for - at least in the order of priority. I am also thinking about competition shooting, but my first priority is home defense.

You were shooting out at 200+ yards with a rifle and I was struggling not to allow the gun to move so much in my hands at 25 yards and wondering how the heck anyone could shoot at distances further than that.

All the best with your competition shooting!

I'd never charge a first-timer for ammo. It gets them hooked without hitting them with the reality of the cost of the sport.

That was back in phase 1. I already know exactly how expensive this is going to be and I have a list of suppliers already mapped out for all the supplies I'll ever need. Ammo has been very expensive lately due to the buying craze. A simple supply and demand problem.

The irony is this - if people would simply stop buying for a period of time, that will re-establish the normal production cycles of ammo manufacturers and prices would by necessity go down closer to historical levels. The per round cost right now is simply out of whack and fundamental economic principles are driving the problem. Online prices should be the lowest, but even they know that hoarding is taking place and set their prices accordingly without fear of losing sales.

If everyone would just stop - for a while - that would recalibrate the supply chain and reset prices across the board. But, it would take a national "stop" campaign to do it. Else, live with the higher prices and pockets of hoarding in various places around the country.

Or, buy that really cheap stuff from overseas - you know - that stuff that ships in crates that you need an atomic bomb just to open - yeah, that stuff. I hear that some people got some good deals on International Surplus Ammo, but I'm also told that most of the really cheap overseas surplus suppliers have raised their prices as well. If people would just slow down a bit, prices can return to something resembling "fair value."

Lmao..omg we are like drug dealers. I'm going to laugh every time I pay for a new shooter now.

I laugh every time a 1911 goes off. I just love the way it send the bullet down range. BOOOM = Hole. BOOOM = Hole. Each BOOM was followed by an instant Hole. Whomever said they go "Bang," was 100% wrong. They don't go bang - they go BOOOM!

He lost me when he misspelled jeepers.
geepers would be pronounced geep ers
Geep geep geep

Geepers is the way I spell it whenever I'm issuing mild ridicule to a nonsequitur post. It is my way of pointing out the "error" in the uncalled for reply. As a former English TA in college, it has been a very long time since I corrected freshman papers for extra credit.

Geepers, dude!

Op's journalism skills are noteworthy, nice blog about noobs journey to the first shot.

Still cant compare to the attorneys, law school students and informed lay people that debate current 2A legal and judicial issues here on Calguns...

There will be plenty of time for Second Amendment opinions later, for which I have shared very little of my own. Having said that, I'm an engineer and mathematician by formal education and an international currency trader by profession. So, I would hope that attorneys would be more informed on matters involving guns and the laws that regulate them. Hopefully, I can learn something of value from them on the subject.

Thank you for the strained compliment, nonetheless!

[FreedomWriter]

I think it's awesome that your first shot ever was out of a nice 1911! That was very cool of those guys to let you shoot their guns. I'm glad it was a great experience for you. Thanks for sharing and like others have said, you write very well!

Hey, thanks! Yes - they were two very hospitable guys. Indeed, it was a memorable blast - literally. You never forget your first time doing anything and I will most certainly never forget that experience.

OP, if you can get over the hyperbolic "Having gun powder exploding that close to your face is freakish, a bit unreal"-style descriptions, I'll front you the cost of another South Bay range session. I'm a card-carrying Range Safety Officer (RSO) and we can shoot .22, 9mm, .45, 5.56, .30-06, .308, rifle, pistol -- whatever. Just promise to write honestly, and maybe leave out your "phase" overthinking.

Hello Bolillo,

I kind of like my writing style and my process for making a decision in this matter. It was freakish having something explode like that so close to my face - like when was the last time that ever happened, prior to shooting the 1911! I can't think of anything that explosive that close to my face or body, at all.

It was like my first flight. I knew the propeller was attached to the engine, but I kept thinking, what if that damn thing comes off and flies back through the canopy glass - hmmmm. That too was a freakish first time experience, but that did not stop me from having some of the most fun I had ever had in my life up to that point.

Ever witness a Shuttle launch down at the Cape. It is a very emotional experience the very first time you witness one in person - something you will never forget - life changing for me personally and set the course for what I would later study in college.

First time experiences that are highly kinetic will always be hyperbolic - can't get around it. Life if meant to be enjoyed and to be fascinated by whenever and wherever possible. I never want to give up that enjoyment.

I "overthink" everything. That's the nature of a Design Engineer and Data Analyst - that's what we do! It is hardwired into our limbic brain. We get paid to think things over and over again - where other people stop short.

I'd love to come out and shoot with you - but more importantly, learn something from you that is useful in my research. I have no problem paying the range fees. But, I'm probably going to be very giddy, hyperbolic and overthinking things to the hilt - especially all those damn guns you apparently have!

Lemme know...

Cool deal for you OP, glad you had a great time. Now remember this when you are the old pro and a new shooter comes along.
And to the generous shooters at Metcalf who shared their time, expertise and ammo.
Well done, gentlemen, well done.

Yes, indeed. That's a very important point. I actually asked myself - would I be that generous? I concluded that I would - especially if I came across someone who had clearly done some homework and could tell me something about a firearm he or she never shot before.

So, yes - I certainly would do the same for others and I would pay for it, because I was going to pay for my own shooting anyway. All I would ask is that people take the time go do some homework, before coming out to the range - that's all I ask.

Show up prepared to shoot mentally, by at least knowing the five (5) basic rules for fundamental handgun safety and at least be able to identify and describe the purpose and function of the external controls on a basic semi-auto pistol. And, have some idea about grip and stance. I don't think that any of that is too much to ask.

Otherwise it can get to scary. You don't want someone wheeling around backwards with a gun in their hand and their finger on the trigger, because they have a question to ask and they forgot that they were holding a loading weapon in their hand. I took that level of responsibility seriously and I would want other nubes to do the same.

[FreedomWriter]

Thanks for posting. Maybe we could do SHORT 'bullet points' on such wordy posts??

It was the first time around - so I was a bit excited.

Glad you had a great time shooting for the first time.
I wish I could remember mine......sighs......

Sorry, about that. I wish I could remember for you.

It was an epic BOOOM and then you laughed aloud. Afterwards, you were smiling all the way home and thinking about buying something that day.

[LittleOldLady]

It was the first time around - so I was a bit excited.




Sorry, about that. I wish I could remember for you.

It was an epic BOOOM and then you laughed aloud. Afterwards, you were smiling all the way home and thinking about buying something that day.

Thanks, it was probably a new doll or a new bicycle..... alzheimer's is a terrible burden.

I will settle for laughing and smiling for you

[Cool Custard]

Curious why you think a 1911 isn't suitable for home defense op?