A few weeks ago I caved and purchased my first handgun. I've been wanting to learn to shoot for awhile. I already had an old 410 shotgun that was a family pass-down, and after taking it out to shoot for the first time in years a few months back, I decided to go forward with getting something more modern.

I wound up purchasing a Springfield Armory XD pistol, in .40 S&W. I made my decision on this model based on the numerous good reviews I read and the awards it had won in conjunction with it's "newbie friendly" price point. While I'm a complete novice to pistols (to be honest, they scare the crap out of me - the first thing I did when the gun came in was lock it away until I had ready through the full manual twice)), I am very happy with this one. Take down is easy and I could do it day 1, the "always-on" safety features are appreciated, and first outing performance went well. I shot 50 rounds through it out at my parents' farm (without earplugs; learned a good lesson there). From about 35 feet out, I was consistently hitting about 10" off of the bullseye (and consistently off in the same place, not all over the place). Although I don't think 10" off at 35 feet is necessarily good, considering both that it was the first time I had shot a handgun and anything more than a .22 bolt action or 410 shotgun, and the weather was poor (40 degrees fahrenheit, sprinkling, and windy), I'm glad I didn't do any worse than I did. :)

It was fun, all-in-all. My first love is still swords -- I took my custom type XVI by Rick Barrett out for cutting the following weekend for the first time, and both its performance and its singing were just incredible. However, shooting was fun and I'm hoping to find an indoor range sometime to improve my aim.

Take care all,
-JS

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Look at the shot analusis link. It'll tell you what you are doing wrong.

http://www.bullseye.wellington.net.nz/improvi...ooting.htm

Jeremy;

You shouldn't be scared of it, but you should never get so used to it that you handle it without thinking first.

When you pick it up the first thing you should do is DO NOT touch the trigger, then you should take out the magazine to check if it is empty and then CHECK to see if the chamber is empty both visually and by feel, if possible. with that firearm.
(Oh, and always be aware where the gun is pointing. )

The thing is to make a habit of doing this every time you pick it up, even if you just when out of the room for a few minutes.

99.99% of the time the gun will still be empty when you come back, but that one time you forgot that you just loaded it can be anything from a bullet though the T.V. , the floor or a tragic accident.

When target shooting always the barrel pointing in the direction of your target and safe backstop: If you do have an accidental discharge due to an error on your part or when dealing with a jammed gun the shot will go in a safe direction.

If you have it loaded for possible selfdefense situations I will not go into detail as I am not an expert here, but always keep your finger of the trigger unless you want to shoot something. ( I would recommend a good trainning course like the ones given by Massad Ayoob on the legal use and pitfalls of selfdefense with firearms and the minimal handling and tactical skills needed. Also knowing when NOT to shoot is the most important thing. )

Hope that this is usefull to you and enjoy your target shooting.

James: Thanks for the link. There's some good info on there and what I thought I was doing wrong matches the description for the area I was consistently shooting in (down and to the left).

Jean: Thanks for the tips. Luckily my dad taught me enough about guns when I was younger that I know the safety basics (always removing the mag and checking that the chamber is empty when handling or handing over the gun, always keeping the barrell pointed in a safe direction no matter what, only putting your finger on the trigger when you're committed to shooting, etc). The big thing will be what you mentioned, making sure that I keep doing these things every time I handle the gun, even once I've become more comfortable with it.

I recently got interested in the 'other' as well an picked up a plinker.... A 22 single action revolver in 'cowboy' style. I have been fond of such since I was young and it is funny it took me so long to actually own one. Ofcourse, I now want something bigger and faster... lol... So counting swords, I now have two hobby expenses that I can't afford. :D

Went to the gun range a while today, and had some fun with my brothers 12 guage. Those are fun, and will definitely remind you later that you were playing with a good sized gun... I've got a few bruises where I slipped and the stock caught me in the upper bicep.

My gun has fixed sights, so it has taken a ton of shooting to beging to find out where to aim to get good shots in. And that is very dependent on what ammo goes through the gun. Some of it flies well off and is totally unreliable. I'm told most guns have types of ammo they 'like' and ones they don't...

Guns?

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Please don't get me started. :D

My two newest.

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Ooooh, good taste!

Is that an actual Winchester '97 Trench gun or one of the newer Chinese-made reproductions? The Chinese ones look "historically accurate", but I haven't heard about an actual shooting test of one...

Jeremy,

Fantastic! I haven't fired the XD but--prior to Springfield taking over sole importation--did run close to three-hundred rounds through a range buddy's older HS2000. If I recall though, his HS had a captive recoil assembly. Anyway, even with those few rounds, I liked its feel at least as much as that of my Glock. The HS actually felt better in the hand. He loves it, btw, and hasn't had any issues, AFAIK. And, I've enjoyed Springfield's customer service first hand.

Congrats on your first centerfire! No ear protection? Ouch...I said OUCH. ;)


Mike

And Cowboy gun porn courtesy of Mike's garage floor and picnic tarp...

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Sorry Gordon, No Dragoons. This was after a blackpowder clean-up session and I'm only so patient when it comes to chores! :)

Jeremy,

Congratulations! If you had asked me first, I would have told you to get one of the numerous varieties of 1911, but that is just what I like. My dad gave me one as a graduation present from college, and I have loved them ever since. I guess the main thing is that I am comfortable with a 1911, and I feel that being comfortable (which still does not rule out being safe, cautious, or responsible) is an important quality in any sword, pistol, shotgun, or rifle.

When I was home on R&R, I got to borrow a friends Glock model 22 (.40 S&W), and did a little comparative shooting. I decided that I liked my 1911 better, but that is partly because it is heavy and thus absorbs more recoil. In that comparison, the Glock actually had sharper, less comfortable recoil. I'm curious to here what you think of yours and how you would compare it to any other handgun you might get a chance to shoot.

-Grey

Hi Greyson,

I originally had actually been planning to get a 1911, as I do really like the design. The next gun I purchase will be a 1911 model. I had originally narrowed my list of choices down to two guns, after looking around myself and consulting with various friends who are now in the military. Well, to be clear, I had narrowed down to two "preferred" choices, which were a Heckler and Koch USP in .40 S&W or a Para-Ordnance 1911 in .45. I started thinking it'd be nice, however, to save a little money on my first gun, since I still had to see how much I was going to enjoy shooting in the first place. Based on that a friend pointed me out to Springfield Armory's "GI 45" entry-level model 1911, and I happened to see the XD while browsing their site, and then started reading up on it.

This was the first handgun I shot, so while I can't compare the recoil, I can definitely say that it didn't feel bad to me at all. Unfortunately that's about the best answer I can give at this point. However, I'm sure I'll get another gun at some point down the road, and I'm pretty sure it will be a 1911.

Take care,
-JS

You guys are killing me! I'm going to have to go open up my safe now...

Cheers!

Gordon

Gordon;

Just spray some Breakfree into the air as room deoderant ......... LOL.

I really like revolvers....

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So David, is that a pair of 4" 629s I see? I've always loved those.

Here's one for you Dave.........

Colt Diamondback, .22lr
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Hi David,

A great group shot. 'Looks like all the bases are covered!

I know I've gone soft in the head when I pass by a GREAT collection of modern Smiths and the Colt is marvelous, but would you have a closer shot of the 1917? Are those 'white ash' wood?


Mike



edited for conciseness