My First Time Shooting - a review

"CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever" (carsoffortlangley)
06/24/2019 at 22:18 • Filed to: None

I tried out 4 guns today. A .45 1911, AR-15, SKS & KSG. First time shooting, despite having my firearms licence for 7 years now.

Be prepared, this is written from the point of view of someone who doesn’t know and has never fired guns. It will read like a car review from someone who just drove and doesn’t really know about cars.

I have no idea on the distance for the below. Call it 15 feet for the pistol and 65 for the rifles? Give or take a few feet.

Green - M16

Blue - SKS

Yellow - 1911 .45

Red - SKS rapid fire

I liked the experience of the .45, but wouldn’t buy one (if I was allowed, I don’t have a restricted license). Not a fan of the design or the feel of the shot. Can’t really describe why, just not.

The M16 was good, easy to fire (obviously) and easy to handle. Not really any character. Wouldn’t buy.

The SKS was cool, I have handled/loaded one before with dummy rounds but never fired. I dig the history and the feel. I’d buy one, but only a collectors condition soviet model. I really like the stripper clip loading.

After 2 rounds my 110lb wife didn’t want to fire the KSG again so I finished off the rounds. I liked it, felt really comfy and really well made. I really think the bullpup design works well for it. If you were to buy a defensive gun this would be a good option I guess. Shot it in her lane so it didn't mess my target up.

DISCUSSION (24)

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/24/2019 at 22:23

That’s some damn nice grouping for someone who’s never fired a gun before (a nd for a lot of people who have.) Well done.

Chariotoflove > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/24/2019 at 22:27

That .45 is nice. I went to school in Ithaca when Ithaca Gun was really based there. Climbed Gun Hill Rd. past the factory countless times on my bike.

That has nothing to do with your experience or with the gun. It just made me remember.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/24/2019 at 22:50

The .45 is a large handgun. You might enjoy something lighter and more compact. I enjoy wheel guns because I don’t like the movement of the slide. My favorite wheel gun is my cousin’s Ruger Super Alaskan in .454 Casull. “Bear repellent,” he calls it :

Kinja'd!!!

Fire off a 250-grain load in that pistol and you know you’ve fired something.

And here, same shoot:

Kinja'd!!!

The Thompson is a surprisingly large gun. Same ammo as that 1911 you fired.

ARs make me yawn.

If you ever get the chance, the M-1 Garand is a blast to fire.

If I had a thousand bucks to blow, I’d be buying a Ruger Mini-14 in 5.56mm NATO :

Kinja'd!!!

So did you enjoy it?

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/24/2019 at 22:55

Big fan of the .454 Casull. Spendy ammo though if you’re just plinking. (I’d still have one though, and a Dillon bench to go with it.) Excellent bear repellent though. Elephants and engine blocks too, should the need arise.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/24/2019 at 22:56

I enjoyed it. That pistol is prohib in Canada, so not possible.

I’d really consider picking up an SKS.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/24/2019 at 23:29

D ifferent model in the same caliber with a longer barrel should be doable though afaik. Been quite a while though, so I’m not up on my specifics when it comes to compliance.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
06/24/2019 at 23:36

I meant that specific one due to barrel length.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
06/24/2019 at 23:37

My cousin does all of his loading. Last time we warmed up that gun, he had some 300-grain loaded at about the strongest recipe specified for that gun. Rowdy. Then we tried some 250-grain that was still rowdy, but manageable. Fun stuff. He’s got a safe full of guns, but that Alaskan is the one I enjoy the most.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/24/2019 at 23:38

The revolver would be prohibited, but not the .45 auto?

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/24/2019 at 23:42

Yes, short barrel. (Our laws don’t make sense).

You can't have a .38 special stubby, but you could have basically any 9mm pistol.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/24/2019 at 23:43

It’s a matter of barrel length. I forget the legal minimum (4"? 5"?), but nothing even remotely resembling a snubnose allowed.

Mentality behind it is as we’re not permitted to carry, there is no reason to allow something that is both more concealable as well as less accurate than it’s longer barreled counterpart. Most (all?) small frame semi autos are a no go here as well, largely du e to barrel length.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/24/2019 at 23:45

It’s a satisfying thing, it really is. My dad had a Freedom Arms, I want to say Model 83 but it’s been years, chambered as such. It was a beast.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
06/24/2019 at 23:55

I can see the rationale. So can you hip-carry?

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/25/2019 at 00:02

No carrying, period. Unloaded, gun and ammo seperate, both locked up at all times. You can transport it to the range or a gun shop, unloaded, in a locked case in the trunk. You are literally not allowed to use it for defense whatsoever.

I do not know if there is any handgun hunting allowed here, but considering the carry laws I don’t think there is. We’re cityfolk though, so I have no idea what goes on in the backcountry, legal or otherwise.

You can open carry longguns though, I think. Though I wouldn’t suggest it anywhere around here.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
06/25/2019 at 00:19

Interesting. That's almost as bad as California.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
06/25/2019 at 00:25

Probably where they got the idea.

M.T. Blake > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/25/2019 at 01:24

If your right handed, your pistol shots going left are either due to squeezing too tightly with your left or pushing the trigger left when your firing. Not too bad though for a first time. Typically you see all the shots go low with people jerking the trigger anticipating the shot.

RPM esq. > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/25/2019 at 02:03

Your 1911 target is not far off what mine usually look like and I shoot the damn thing pretty regularly. It’s not exactly a precision instrument, especially in commander length or shorter.

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/25/2019 at 03:55

Solid groups for your first time out. Surprised you’re able to acquire a licence without having to qualify, but then again, the idea behind licencing is probably considerably different where you’re from. (I’m from New Mexico and reside in Texas...where licencing to own isn’t require, but to carry, is.)

Assuming you are right-handed, from the looks of your grouping with the 1911, you just need to stabilize east-west more. As you’re pulling the trigger, your wrist is breaking left a little. Think of your two-handed grip thusly: right hand squeezes north-south, left hand squeezes east-west, and then pull the trigger with the first segment of your finger, not with the second segment or the crease between the two. Should see that grouping move back over to the bullseye, and even tighten up from top to bottom as well. (I could be way off, but when my groups are hanging left, just fixing my “squeeze” as described usually fixes it.)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
06/25/2019 at 07:55

That’s a big topic. The United States certainly has a peculiar relationship with firearms.

TheRealBicycleBuck > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/25/2019 at 10:34

I own an M&P Shield 0.40 which I inherited from my mom. After some people attempted to break into her house while she was home, she got her conceal carry license and bought this. She had learned that a long gun (my Remington Wingmaster) was too un w ie ldy for home defense and the Mossberg 500 she bought was too hard to shoot. I shot the M&P for the first time when she came for a visit.

Kinja'd!!!

It’s a really compact gun, good for concealed carry, but really too small for my hand. Without that extended capacity magazine, my pinky finger doesn’t have a place to grip. That may not seem like a big deal, but when shooting a 0.40 caliber bullet, it makes a big difference.

A friend of mine has the 9mm version of this gun. We had a chance to shoot them back-to-back a couple of years ago. The 9mm is much easier to handle, especially when using the standard magazine. After my wife shot both of them, she refused to go back to the 0.40 because it was just a little too much for her to handle. She liked the 9mm.

What really surprised me was how much she liked shooting an AR-15. We may end up owning one someday.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/25/2019 at 22:19

So a day later, how are you feeling about the experience? Did you have fun? Something you’d like to consider to pursue as a hobby, or more of a check it off of the to-do list sort of thing?

Done any rifle shopping lately.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
06/25/2019 at 23:09

Always shopping. An AR doesn’t do anything for me. I do like the idea of an SKS...

We'll see. No shortage of things demanding my disposable income these days

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
06/25/2019 at 23:23

Gl ad you were finally able to make it over there after all this time. You show promise so I ‘d be interested to watch you progress if you do happen to make a habit out if it.

I know what you mean about disposable income though, it unfortunately doesn’t rain from the sky. T here might be a market for bottled rainforest rainwater however , so if we play our cards right maybe there’s hope yet.