Hi guys, I have recently registered for an FID, I'm getting printed this week. It's great to have found this form, there is tons of information here. The one question I thought about when looking for necessities related to purchasing my first pistol, is there any point in buying a holster? From what I read the closest range near me allows holster draw after taking a class, but honestly if that is the only benefit, I can't see a reason to purchase one. Is there something I'm missing?

I buy a holster for every handgun I own, even my silly single action .22s.

I believe $20-$40 on a holster is money well spent.

How else am I going to carry my handguns when the revolution starts?

If you wear it when you answer the door, the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses will generally stop coming by. 

22 minutes ago, RustyShackleford said:

Hi guys, I have recently registered for an FID, I'm getting printed this week. It's great to have found this form, there is tons of information here. The one question I thought about when looking for necessities related to purchasing my first pistol, is there any point in buying a holster? From what I read the closest range near me allows holster draw after taking a class, but honestly if that is the only benefit, I can't see a reason to purchase one. Is there something I'm missing?

Own a handgun....?

Own a holster for it and learn how to use it.

 

Pork roll.

1 minute ago, silverado427 said:

Pork roll.

?? I searched first..

In NJ you can carry at your home, other property you own,  and your fixed place of business(not any type of mobile business)

You can also carry in any of the constitutional carry states when traveling and you can get a non resident CCW permit from several states that would allow you to carry in the majority of the states 

So you will still have plenty of opportunity to carry your handgun if you so choose and "Mexican carry" is frowned upon and dangerous so do yourself a favor and get yourself a holster and sign up for some basic pistol classes while your at it. 

On another note stop by the introductions page and introduce yourself to the forum

 

And say howdy to hank hill for me.....

A holster lets you play all of the great gun games...IPSC, IDPA, Steel Challenge, etc. etc. 

Pick one, give it a try, you'll probably love it.

I also recommend a quality gun belt. They have a stiffener to keep the weight of the gun from twisting the belt.

4 minutes ago, brucin said:

I also recommend a quality gun belt. They have a stiffener to keep the weight of the gun from twisting the belt.

 

7 minutes ago, 10X said:

A holster lets you play all of the great gun games...IPSC, IDPA, Steel Challenge, etc. etc. 

Pick one, give it a try, you'll probably love it.

 

5 minutes ago, brucin said:

I also recommend a quality gun belt. They have a stiffener to keep the weight of the gun from twisting the belt.

This and this. There a lot of great matches in this state. 

1 hour ago, dajonga said:

I buy a holster for every handgun I own, even my silly single action .22s.

I believe $20-$40 on a holster is money well spent.

How else am I going to carry my handguns when the revolution starts?

Great idea:

20 minutes ago, 10X said:

A holster lets you play all of the great gun games...IPSC, IDPA, Steel Challenge, etc. etc. 

Pick one, give it a try, you'll probably love it.

Based on this, would you recommend a concealed or open holster?

The accurate but not-so-useful answer is, it depends.

Serious IPSC and Steel Challenge shooters use full-on race holsters, not at all concealable, but very configurable and fast.

Those aren't legal for IDPA, which requires concealment, though not a high degree of concealment.  Blade-Tech, Comp-Tac, and others make Kydex holsters that are competitive in IDPA.  They're also a lot cheaper than a race holster, and IDPA legal holsters are also legal for the other events (not the old West SASS type events, but otherwise...)    So I'd start there, it gives you the most flexibility while you try different events and decide if you want to later upgrade to more specialized gear.

There are some on the forum who are much more active in these events than I am, so expect more advice to come rolling in.

3 hours ago, RustyShackleford said:

Hi guys, I have recently registered for an FID, I'm getting printed this week. It's great to have found this form, there is tons of information here. The one question I thought about when looking for necessities related to purchasing my first pistol, is there any point in buying a holster? From what I read the closest range near me allows holster draw after taking a class, but honestly if that is the only benefit, I can't see a reason to purchase one. Is there something I'm missing?

 

At a minimum you should buy a holster and a gun belt.

If something goes bump in the night and you want to investigate in your pajamas you'll be glad you had the belt and holster.   Make sure it's a holster that will with with the light attached to your pistol.

You do have a light on your pistol, right?

Taylor Ham...

Well I live in an 800sq ft condo, I figure if someone breaks in, they will have me before I even have time to get the weapon out, so I never really considered making this purchase for protection. I also don't feel comfortable leaving it loaded on the nightstand. I just want to have some fun learning a new interest, I hadn't actually considered buying a gun until Reloaderz opened up about 10 minutes down the road. I figured I would wait until one day I live in a house, but then I would just buy a shotgun. Good call on the light attachment and holster for it, would be nice to have down the road.

So next you want to consider accessorizing with a biometric handgun safe.   Transitions the gun from locked-away to in-your-hand in seconds.  

Biometric safe review