r/canadaguns • u/AutoModerator • May 29 '22
Weekly Newbies & FAQ Thread - Post your questions here for PAL/RPAL application, timelines, CFSC/CFSRC, references & requirements, or general new to firearms ownership -type questions
This thread will be used for the "new"-type questions, PAL/RPAL applications, references, CFSC/CFRSC requirements, storage/transport, or other general "new-to-me" firearms ownership questions.
In response to this thread, the community was quite positive for a thread to cover these subjects.
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u/C3Kn Jun 01 '22
DEAR, NEW POTENTIAL HANDGUN OWNERS: A monologue by me
So, you’ve decided that now is the time to go purchase your first handgun; congratulations! It’s never really a bad time to get your first, and given current events there really is no time like the present. I wanted to put something out there for you that I hope helps you on your path. If you’re interested, keep reading.
To start, I am an avid sport shooter, gear collector, lover of all things firearm related, and a huge proponent of continuing education and self improvement. I am also a part time firearms instructor, and have had the pleasure and privilege to train and shoot with many people new to the hobby. Between my own shooting, shooting and training with friends/peers, and now instructing, I feel confident in saying that I am able to offer solid, useful advice. Here are my tips, advice, and hard truths.
Tips:
-buy a semi auto 9mm
.40 is cool if you are into high speed IPSC, are a government employee who gets government sponsored ammo, are stuck in the 90’s, or love you spend more money to put slightly larger holes in paper. The same goes for .45 but you might also have been out of touch with the gun industry for the past 20 years, you might have a $5000 1911, or maybe both. Buy a 9mm and enjoy your ammo savings over the bigger stuff so you can buy more ammo. .22LR pistols are super awesome if you want to constantly clean it and fix malfunctions on the range. 9mm hits the sweet spot between ammo prices, recoil impulse (important for a beginner), and availability.
-buy a normal gun
That obscure or exotic handgun seems really cool when you first get it; then you go to buy a part for it and it turns out there’s only one distributor in Canada, and they’re out of stock. Now you have no replacement parts, or they’re egregiously expensive to get. Same goes for warranty or repair? Why bottleneck yourself and make it harder to keep your gun running when you could buy something normal and not have to sweat it? That oddball Turkish knock off you found for cheap seems super rad until you discover that magazines are next to impossible to find, or that they’re $90 a piece. Oh you found a cheap gun with cheap mags too? Turns out they’re hot garbage and can’t be repaired or have internals replaced. Magpul makes cheap and plentiful magazines for all models of glock handguns, and mec gar makes solid magazines for the sig P22x series that are inexpensive. Use this information wisely. Plan to own at LEAST 4, but know that more is better. The same goes for holsters- you know who makes glock 17 holsters? Every holster company that exists, plus the kid down the street with his kydex and toaster oven. Lefty shooters, heed my warning: holster companies hate us and will make as few off the shelf options as humanly possible.
-do not buy a 9mm 1911 for your first gun Just don’t do it. You want to spend time shooting your first gun, not fixing it constantly or having 80 year old brass goblins interrogate you about why you didn’t get one in .45
-seek professional training
I don’t say this to try and drum up business, I say this because owning a handgun is an enormous responsibility and sometimes people take for granted how quickly they can become dangerous if misused. I want everyone to be safe and having fun 100% of the time, and I am a firm believer that self teaching or “figuring it out” with a handgun is not the optimal way to achieve either of those things. Money spent on training is money well spent. Your drunk uncle who taught you how to shoot bottles with his ruger wrangler in the back yard when you were a kid might have missed a few critical tidbits of info.
-buy extra mags and lots of ammo
I touched on magazines above but I mean this. They do not have an expiration date, and depending on what’s going on in the world they may be tough to find when you want them. Case in point- sig p320 mags are hard to find right now because the US govt and everyone who wants to have the same gun as the US army does are buying them up en masse. Ammo goes up in price every year; this is as certain as death and taxes. The best time to buy ammo was always yesterday, so don’t dawdle. Think of how much you think you’d like to keep on hand, then buy that but x2 or x3. Gold and silver are great hedges against inflation, but your new precious metals are brass and lead.
-buy a holster
You’re going to want one down the road, trust me. Buy a kydex holster from a reputable manufacturer for your model of handgun. Notice I said kydex and not nylon. Nylon holsters are trash and you will not enjoy it long term. Leather holsters are for cowboys and the dudes in Miami vice.
-buy once cry once
Buy the highest quality handgun your budget allows. This isn’t something you’ll likely to be able to change your mind on down the road, so buy something good now so you’re not left with a paperweight in the future, or wishing you’d hadn’t bought. This goes for gear as well. I PROMISE you that you will spend more money in the long run if you try to be a cheapskate up front. Please do not ask me how I know this, because it is depressing to have to admit.
-stock up on spares
Spare parts are only going to get harder to find, so grab some now. You probably don’t need 4 spare slides in the drawer, but high wear parts like recoil springs are something you should have extras of. Go online and find a maintenance schedule for your model of pistol and start buying spare parts there. Spare parts for magazines are also a good idea.
Advice: I have personally shot or have been in close proximity to a large variety of handguns during my time as a shooter and instructor. There are good guns, and there are guns that I will never spend a dime on. Some of you might be upset at this list and not seeing your gun on it, but if that happens it is for 1 of 3 reasons; I forgot about it, I have witnessed first hand someone use it at a course and have it be a POS, or the parts/accessories are hard to find or cost prohibitive. Remember we are talking about FIRST guns for BEGINNERS so don’t get mad when I don’t suggest a long slide John Wick HK. I respect that “mines been fine” for the 20 rounds a year you shoot it, but you’re gonna have to get over it. I’m also aware of the “I shoot mine 10 billion times a month and haven’t cleaned it in 70 years and it shoots the wings off a fly at 9000 yards” crowd, and I’m just going to leave you guys alone because there’s no reasoning with you.
Here are guns that just work and are solid buys for any new gun owner (in no particular order)
Any DOUBLE STACK 9mm glock (17,19,34,19x, etc) Sig P226 (note- sig OEM mags are all expensive) Sig P320 S&W M&P 9 CZ shadows (all of them) ($$$ for mags) CZ75 (all of them) CZp10
For a beginner, I would say 100% of the time to grab a glock 17 or m&p 9 and you will be 100% good to go.
Hard truths:
This won’t be cheap. Once you buy the gun, extra mags, ammo, any holsters or gear, training, etc it’s going to be a couple bucks. Unfortunately your time is now limited, so keep that in mind.
Expect to suck at first. Handguns are hard to shoot. There’s not a lot of space to get good physical purchase on the gun like there is with a long gun, and the trigger is very heavy in consideration of the weight of the gun as a whole. Do not be discouraged on your first range trip; they’re hard to shoot accurately if you don’t know what you’re doing. Be patient, and know that there are good people who will show you how to get better out there.
It’s a sellers market right now. With the announcement yesterday, prices in the private market have likely jumped. I’m sorry that you got caught up in the timing, but it happens when supply and demand get wonky.
This likely isn’t over. Given the past few years of history between gun owners and our current “leadership” this likely will not be the last time things get squirrely. Buy what you can, when you can. I’m not trying to make anyone panic here; I’m just trying to make sure nobody gets left behind.
A $5000 gun won’t make you a $5000 shooter. I get that beggars can’t be choosers because of the times we live in now, but don’t go out and buy a race gun for your very first. It will not improve your shooting one bit, and you could have spent that money on ammo or training instead.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. My DM’s are always open if anyone has questions.