Choosing a Handgun — Smart Tips for Pistol Purchasers
Are you in the market for your first handgun, for target use or for self-defense? The Winchester Blog has a good article for handgun buyers. This story, “Things You Should Know When Purchasing Your First Pistol”, provides many smart tips that can help you choose the right handgun, and save money in the process. In addition, the article explains how to train with your new pistol and handle it safely. READ Full Article.
If possible, you should test a variety of different pistols, to determine which works best for you. Check the feel, the ergonomics, the sight picture, and the controls. And, if possible, test the pistols with live-fire at a range which rents samples.
How do you know if your choice is right for you?
Once you’ve narrowed down choices, try to get time shooting the pistol(s) you are considering. You can usually rent guns at commercial ranges. This is an excellent way to “try before you buy.” NSSF has a list of places to shoot[.] When looking for a range that rents firearms, an online search and then a phone call to confirm what options are available is a solid plan. If you have friends and family who own a model you are interested in, ask if they will go to the range with you so that you can try it.Take pistols for a test drive
First, dry-fire and manipulate the pistol. Can you easily lock the slide open? Are the sights suited to your vision? Then, fire a magazine or two of ammo [in a supervised range facility]. — Winchester Blog
The Winchester Blog article lists techniques that can help you get the “feel” for a particular firearm:
1. Practice the 4 Rules of Firearm Safety and make sure the gun is empty.
2. [After confirming the gun is empty] manipulate the slide, safety, magazine release, and dry-fire.
3. Perform a dry or empty magazine change — make sure you can hit the release and also reload a new magazine easily.
4. Perform a draw, or if you’re at a range where that is not allowed, simply pick the pistol up off the table and bring it up to your eye level and align the sights. Do this a few times. Can you acquire the sights quickly?
5. How does the backstrap fit your hand? Can you get both hands on the gun with enough “purchase” that you can really grip it well?
READ Full Winchester Blog Pistol Purchase Article »
This Winchester Blog article is by Becky Yackley. Becky has competed in 3-Gun, Bianchi pistol, Service Rifle, NCAA air rifle, smallbore and air pistol events around the world since 1989.
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Tags: Becky Yackley, Handgun, Pistol, Revolver, Winchester Blog
I am currently involved with a group of volunteers in teaching handgun shooting to people from the Indian community in Houston. We have a huge concentration (roughly 670,000 Americans of Indian descent) in Greater Houston and a lot of people from the community (mostly women) want to learn to shoot. I am not an instructor or expert, but I work with a retired Police Officer of Indian descent who gives his time voluntarily to coach the community, and perhaps my views may be helpful for whoever is reading this.
We have only 9mm pistols for the adults and 22 revolvers and rifles for the children. Guns used include the Taurus G3C, SIG P365, Mossberg MC1, Glock 43X, Glock 19X and Glock 17. Our ammunition of choice is entirely Winchester Practrice Ammo as this is the cheapest that we can buy from Academy in Houston.We have had very good results with it, Surprisingly, I have found that the pistol that most new shooters seem to like is the Taurus G3C. The slightly rounded grip seems to make these pistols comfortable for most new shooters to shoot accurately. With a laser that I have mounted on my personal pistol, I find most shooters hitting the X ring on a human silhouette target at 25 yards by the end of the first day. The slimmer SIG and Mossberg conceal more easily, but somehow new shooters find them more challenginng to shoot more accurately with. The Glocks work well but of course they are more expensive to begin with than the Taurus G3Cs.
We are hoping to bring a good number of our people into the tradition of gun ownership. A number of mothers want us to teach their daughters to shoot in particular. Hopefully, what we are doing with the Indian community could be helpful for other communities who may also be interested in working towards supporting our freedoms. If anyone has tips / hints for us. we would welcome them of course! Thank you!