MISTAKE #1 - I TRIED TO FIT ALL MY NEEDS INTO MY FIRST GUN
The first gun I had, I bought a .40 S&W High Capacity Competition Series 1911 Pistol. I was thinking, wow this firearm is great, I can use it for competition, I can use it to carry, it has a very high capacity, it was a .40 caliber which was basically a 9mm and .45 combined. I thought it was perfect. However, it was like buying a car that you want to use as a pick-up, an SUV and as a race car. It does NOT work! It was heavy, very heavy. I tried to carry it on my hip and it was very hard to conceal. There was this huge print of the gun on my shirt, not to mention my pants feel like they are falling off. I tried to carry it using a bag and the bag was heavy, plus I did not feel comfortable carrying a gun that is in a bag not attached to your body. Eventually, I bought a standard 1911 and I was very happy ever since. You’re first gun, you are probably going to want to enjoy shooting it more than anything else. Buying a full sized pistol and just thinking about what I needed in the range would have helped me avoid that mistake.
MISTAKE #2 - I BOUGHT A SMALL GUN FOR CARRYING
After my first purchase, I eventually ended up having a sub-compact pistol that was 2.75” barrel length and high capacity. It fit my hand good, it looked good. But it was not fun to practice with and use at the range. I ended up buying the gun only to carry but was never practicing with it. To top it off, I even added another gun that was a lot smaller than my current carry firearm. It was very easy to carry and conceal yes, but do you really want a gun for defense that you don’t like shooting it at all? What worked for me was when I bought a firearm with as long a barrel that I can use and the grip would not print when I carried it with a holster. I found out that compact size was the best for me. By the way, as a rule of thumb with regard to handling firearms, the longer the barrel of the gun, the more you retain accuracy. If you go for shorter barrels, an inch makes a big difference if you are shooting it from 7 meters and beyond.
MISTAKE #3 - I BOUGHT INTO THE IDEA THAT HIGHER CAPACITY IS BEST FOR CARRYING
Unless you are well practiced and it is for the range, higher capacity may not always be the best. If you can’t hit a target consistently with 7 or 8 rounds, what makes you think you can hit it better with 13 or 15 or 17? Especially if you are planning to carry that firearm, you would not want to your bullet going all over the place, potentially hitting bystanders or not getting that bullet placement when you need it the most. You should always practice what you carry, and if you chose a good barrel length for your carry firearm, you will enjoy it at the range regardless of it’s ammunition capacity and you would be more comfortable using it on a real situation. Take your time when practicing, always aim for accuracy. Speed comes along as you get used to getting that aim. However, if you practice for speed, accuracy will not come no matter how may times you shoot.
MISTAKE #4 - I BOUGHT CHEAP LOW QUALITY HOLSTER
One thing that is not obvious when you are buying your first firearm is that you are going to NEED A HOLSTER. When you bring home that gun, you are going to be excited, you are going to love it. Only to find out that when you go to the range, you do not have a decent holster. You would want to simulate how you will use the gun and using a cheap holster has a huge impact on your performance. Specifically, I bought those small cheap leather holsters which after a month of use, wears out and you need to throw. I bought a second one and it was still the same problem, you can’t easily pull out your gun and even if you did, you wouldn’t be able to put it back in easily. Eventually, I used a Kydex holster and have been happy using it for years. While it may look a bit expensive buying a good holster right after purchasing your first gun, you are going to want to go for a holster that you can use for a lifetime. Not only does it save you money in the long run, you are assured that if something goes wrong, you are able to quickly react and place your gun in and out of that holster. A good holster should protect your trigger guard, reduce printing while remaining comfortable to wear all throughout the day.
Those are the TOP 4 MISTAKES I MADE when I was starting out as a gun owner. It may or may not work for you but I am sharing it so hopefully you can avoid the same problems I had. How about you? Comment below and share your experience. I would love to hear them!
Regards,
Edwin
