list of things I need for when I purchase my first firearm

[weddin00 1]

Permit will be here soon, and making a list on things I will need to have to go with my XDm. Here's what I've got so far. If there's anything you think I'm missing or should change I'm all ears.

 

Ears-Howard Leights http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-01526-Electronic-Earmuff/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1302751505&sr=1-1

Eyes-My Own Prescription glasses

Gun Safe-Barska Biometric Safe http://www.amazon.com/Barska-AX11224-BARSKA-Biometric-Safe/dp/B002AQ0PFW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1302751470&sr=8-1

Bag-Midway Usa (unsure which one)

Cleaning Kit-unsure

 

Please comment as I am new to Firearms and want to make sure I have everything I need starting out.

[Medic3166 0]

Ammunition, and lots of it.

 

Maybe a few extra mags too...

 

What caliber XDm?

[Maksim 1,504]

Weddin, I would get a cheap pair of RX glasses, or over the glass eye protection. Often Rx are not strong enough to take an impact of brass, but more than that, they do not cover 100 percent of the eyes, unless aviator type glasses, and do you really want to scratch them up?

 

Cleaning kit, the hoppes one is good to get you started.

 

Rest... ammo ammo ammo.

 

A lesson, such as NRA Basic Pistol will not hurt either.

[weddin00 1]

Think I'm goin with the 45. Was originally gonna get the 9mm compact, but the 45 was too tempting. For ammo I was planning on getting Hornaday Critical Defense. Just don't wanna take a chance with hollow point legalities. Friend of mine who just graduated the academy(I know he isn't a lawyer) said that his class on NJ 2C said hollow points are Legal for range use, hunting, and having them in the home, but you can not use them for self defense in the home. Like I said, just don't wanna risk the legalities even tho I'm pretty sure they are fine for HD. Hornadays are pretty much legal hollow points with eggshells I've been told.

 

Edit: Yes I'm planning on taking an NRA First Steps and Basic pistol class.

[Maksim 1,504]

Do you have any shooting experience?

 

Honestly, unless you are never going to the range.... get a 9mm and a 22lr, practice, then get a 45.

 

Buying a 45 as your first handgun... you are not doing yourself any favors. Unless you are balling, you will run out of ammo/money before you get anywhere near good with a handgun. Secondly, you will want to shoot every day, it is a like a crack addiction, but worse.

 

I shot about 450 to 500 rounds a week the first few weeks I owned my own handgun. 10 boxes at 20 a box for cheap range ammo, you ready to spend $200 a week on ammo? before everything else?

[weddin00 1]

Do you have any shooting experience?

 

Honestly, unless you are never going to the range.... get a 9mm and a 22lr, practice, then get a 45.

 

Buying a 45 as your first handgun... you are not doing yourself any favors. Unless you are balling, you will run out of ammo/money before you get anywhere near good with a handgun. Secondly, you will want to shoot every day, it is a like a crack addiction, but worse.

 

I shot about 450 to 500 rounds a week the first few weeks I owned my own handgun. 10 boxes at 20 a box for cheap range ammo, you ready to spend $200 a week on ammo? before everything else?

 

That's a very good point on cost. I still have time to decide. I may go with the 9mm I dunno. I have some range experience few times with my friends who shoot.

[Maksim 1,504]

That's a very good point on cost. I still have time to decide. I may go with the 9mm I dunno. I have some range experience few times with my friends who shoot.

 

get a 9mm, get a 22lr.

 

You are not limited to one handgun, keep that in mind. Just like you do not have one pair of shoes.. (Some have 50 or more. pairs of shoes that is. the guns are all lost in tragic boating accidents.)

[Krdshrk 3,878]

Training is key.

[BRaptor 68]

Hi Weddin,

 

Welcome to the board. You're going to get a lot of opinions on which caliber weapon to get, so be prepared.

 

If you haven't tested the weapon that you intend to purchase, I would strongly suggest that you go to a range like Shore Shot and rent a lot of different pistols in different calibers. When you walk in, tell them that you're new to shooting and looking to try different brands in different calibers. It'll be money well spent.

 

Then, ask yourself how much you want to spend on ammunition. 45's are expensive to shoot; 22's are REALLY cheap.

 

As for supplies, it depends on your budget.

 

I see you're planning on getting a bag from Midway. They've got nice stuff, from what I've heard. My range bag is a cheap-o bag that I had sitting around that was given to me free a few years ago. I would recommend not spending a lot of money on some "tactical" bag with silly features that you'll never use.

 

You could go with expensive hearing protection. Howard Leight makes good stuff. I use ear plugs that I bought from Home Depot (noise reduction of 32 Db).

 

Ammunition is where you're going to spend a lot of your money (especially if you stick with a .45). If you buy home defense ammo (e.g. Hornady Critical Defense), keep maybe 50 rounds around the house (it's expensive) and have the remainder of your ammo in chaper "range ammo." There's no need to shoot expensive Hornady ammunition at the range except for every now and then to make 100% sure that you're comfortable with the way that ammo shoots.

 

Your friend coming out of the academy is dead wrong about not being able to use hollow points in a home-defense scenario. There is NO LAW distinguishing ammunition for self-defense. As far as the statutes are concerned, there is no difference if you shoot someone with lead ball, full metal jacket, hollow-point or "defense rounds" in a home-defense shooting.

 

Best of luck, and post what you bought, when you buy it!

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Just don't wanna take a chance with hollow point legalities. Friend of mine who just graduated the academy(I know he isn't a lawyer) said that his class on NJ 2C said hollow points are Legal for range use, hunting, and having them in the home, but you can not use them for self defense in the home. Like I said, just don't wanna risk the legalities even tho I'm pretty sure they are fine for HD. Hornadays are pretty much legal hollow points with eggshells I've been told.

 

Good choice in ammo although hollow points are legal for home defense in New Jersey.

XDm45 is a great first gun, although a 45acp isn't the easiest caliber to learn on. It's expensive and a little harder to learn to shoot with.

[Vlad G 345]

Invest into a dedicated pair or shooting glasses. I personally prefer Rudy Project Rydon's with the prescription insert, but they are not cheap. I like the fact the outer shield lenses have lifetime warranties, and even if they get scratched they protect the more expensive inner prescription ones.

 

If money is not a great issue take a look at the EXCEPTION TACTICAL or Rydon (I use the Rydon) with the ImpactX photocromic. They have life time warranties on the lenses and 3 years on the frames. The Rydon's prescription inserts are pretty thin so they only accept mild level prescription inserts, the Exception can take much heavier inserts. You can look here for more models.

 

If money is an issue, take a look at the ESS High Adrenaline or some of other models from ESS.

 

No matter how much you spend and what you chose make sure they wrap around and cover the sides of your eyes. You only have one pair of eyes so take care of them.

 

Edit: Oh, an never ever buy polarized lenses for shooting, if you think you will EVER want to shoot a gun with a red dot on it.

[Regulator72 80]

For what its worth, ill agree with the above posts... my first pitola was a .45,but only because I wanted a 1911.

 

Now, to what Maks said, you will want to shoot a lot and this gets expensive. I probably shot up the cost of the gun in a matter of weeks. Going forward I picked up a 9mm. Now I pretty much shoot it and supliment in my 1911 on occasion. (I also now reload both calibers that I shoot.)

 

Definitely get good eyes and don't rely on your standard prescription ones for safety. I have Howard leighton muffs your talking about and they are great and you can transition to rifle with them due to the low profile. I wear plugs on occasion because the muffs tend to push my glasses into my head a bit behind my ears. Prolonged shooting can do this.

 

Do yourself a favor and take everyone up one their generosity and come to a forum meet and try some stuff out before you decide what to purchase. I didn't know about the foum before my purchase, not that it woukd have changed my thick headed, I want a 1911 thought process :-) . Good luck, welcome to the forums.

[Duppie 73]

As a new shooter myself I used the time it took to get my permits {4 months} to learn as much as I could not only about what firearms there was out there but the economics of shooting them regularity and proficiently. The safety gear is very important,range gear,cleaning products and peripherals also but by far your largest expenditure,As I'm sure you realize by now, is your choice of firearm and the cost of ammo to fire it regularly.Before purchasing my first gun I knew I wanted 2 types from the start, A 38 special for HP, because of it ease of use and reliability as well as it's relatively inexpensive range ammo also there was something so cool and reassuring about the heft,and ergonomics of a stainless steel wheel gun.

My second choice was a going to be a 9mm poly framed pistol with a high cap mag. Because it's fun to shoot,holds 15 rounds in a small package and you don't feel like your arm is going to fall off after putting 200 rounds down range. But also ammo if bought in bulk can sometimes cost half as much as some of the sexier calibers rounds out there.

I made the right choice for me as I'm sure you will for yourself but better still is the advice and knowledge you can gain from the old timers on this forum, I know it was invaluable to me. Happy and safe shooting.

 

PS:Almost forgot. Invest in extra

mags/speed loaders, you want to burn expensive range time shooting not reloading.

[dave545 15]

MONEY LOTS OF MONEY

[Malsua 1,422]

Bring a junky towel to lay down on your firing port.

 

If you end up buying a gun with a double stack magazine, you'll find an UPLULA magazine loader to be a wonderful boon to shooting.

 

Depending on where you shoot, you might need to buy targets. I love "Shoot-N-C" targets and I pretty much don't shoot without them. It makes it so much easier to see where you're hitting.

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

Here's a recent discussion of that same subject:

http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php?/topic/23844-what-accessories-do-i-need/page__p__312678__hl__accessories__fromsearch__1#entry312678

[gunnarsport 13]

Weddin,

 

I am in the same position you are in.....a beginner and looking forward to my 2 permits,next week, the Good Lord willing. My plan is to purchase 2 revolvers to start...a .22 and a .38 or .38/.357 revolver.

 

I would also suggest the NRA pistol course. I have a course scheduled in May with Guns for Hire, down in their new South Jersey location, which is the South Jersey Shooting Club. They are offering reduced rates on the courses as an introductory offer to new folks....a great rate!

 

I will be purchasing the ear protection you have listed, the Midway "compact" range bag, and that safe looks great also. I love the fact that it can accommodate 3 hand guns.

I am also going to purchase the Ballistol cleaner/lubricant from Midway. I watched a You Tube video of Hickok45 cleaning a Ruger revolver and he loves it.

[PeteF 1,044]

Think I'm goin with the 45. Was originally gonna get the 9mm compact, but the 45 was too tempting. For ammo I was planning on getting Hornaday Critical Defense. Just don't wanna take a chance with hollow point legalities. Friend of mine who just graduated the academy(I know he isn't a lawyer) said that his class on NJ 2C said hollow points are Legal for range use, hunting, and having them in the home, but you can not use them for self defense in the home. Like I said, just don't wanna risk the legalities even tho I'm pretty sure they are fine for HD. Hornadays are pretty much legal hollow points with eggshells I've been told.

 

Edit: Yes I'm planning on taking an NRA First Steps and Basic pistol class.

 

 

Unless you are rich, do not use Hornady Critical defense to shoot paper targets.

I'm not saying the Hornady is bad ammo, just too expensive to shoot paper.

Any reasonable quality FMJ round is good to shoot targets.

 

For the Home defense side buy a couple of boxes of what you think would be good and try

them at the range to make sure they feed and operate your gun correctly. Then when you

get home load up the mag with the HD/SD ammo and store the gun away.

[71ragtopgoat 23]

My first and only pistol is a 1911 .45. It is not cheap to use but man is it fun.

Order by the 1000 rnd box if you can to save on shipping costs and because you will be through 1000 before you know it.

Here's a good ammo site: http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php?caliber=.45+ACP

 

I use cheap home depot saftey glasses.They work and it's a range not a fashion show.

Midway range bag is a good choice. I own the smaller one and a year later I still have room to spare !!

As far as muffs go find ones on sale with great reviews and get it. You may or may not need better top end muffs depending on how you take to shooting.So dont waste money on all the bells and whistles now.Wait to you have a better idea so you get what you want once.

Then you can use the first as a backup/loaner pair.

 

As far as classes go. I recommend NRA first steps and basic pistol. The classes I enjoyed the most were the ones given by ANJRPC .They are also the cheapest.

 

The other thing I would stress that I have not done to well myself is go to a meetup.

You can learn more from these enthusiasts in a day talking about there passions then any guy teaching a class.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

Great post 71, perfectly put.

[QuePsiPhiSmkr 14]

I agree with everyone on this thread....I inherited a Paraordnance P12 .45 ACP....It is fun as hell!!!!!But EXPENSIVE...I had 100 rounds the first day I shot it and then spent another 100 that day on ammo....Buyer beware..

[weddin00 1]

Still waiting on permits. Due to cost of ammo I've eliminated the 45acp as an option. Just too much for the unemployed. I'm probably getting the xdm9 and will have to get the magazines pinned. Although the ruger 22/45 was Hellas fun and easy to shoot, I think for my first Pistol I'd prefer a 9 mm over the 22lr

[weddin00 1]

Update: Just got a call my FID and permit is in! 33 days not too bad I guess. Jackson For anyone curious