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"What Gun Should I Buy?"
JTH:
Lorimor came up with a good list of questions to ask of a "What Gun..." person:
--- Quote from: Lorimor on December 30, 2014, 07:34:52 AM ---We need to know what, if any, previous experience they have.
How much do they intend to train and practice with the gun?
Do they have the strength to rack the slide? Do they have the strength to pull a DA revo trigger?
What do they think they are most comfortable with, semi or revo, from previous experience, if any?
What is their budget?
What is their intended use for the handgun? SD? Plinkin'? Competition? Carry?
--- End quote ---
In my article, the ones I posted as my "Top Three" were:
Is this for daily carry, range practice, or home defense?
What experience do you have with guns? With rifles, shotguns, or handguns?
Are you actually going to practice with this?
...which, I note, match several of his, too. Looking at the situation, I tend to think of those "top three" as the starting point of helping someone choose a gun. (And it works for people wanting a second gun, or a third gun...)
I really do think the most important question is: What is the purpose of this gun? (What is it FOR?)
Not only does it tell you what they want it for, but it also tends to tell you a lot about their knowledge base. Example: "So, what are you going to the use the gun for?" "Well, probably concealed carry but I was thinking of trying some NRA Bullseye competitions with it, too."
That tells you quite a bit about their understanding of firearms, CCW, and bullseye competition. :)
That first question gives you a purpose--which can narrow down a huge set of possibilities to a much narrower set.
To me, the second most important question is "How much experience do you have with firearms, handguns in particular?"
They want a carry pistol, really like the idea of a titanium j-frame in .357Mag (due to really good marketing), but have no actual previous firearms experience....yeah, that's not going to be a good choice. (And no, I don't think a revolver is a good choice for a first-ever self-defense weapon, for anyone who is serious about self-defense. If the person just wants a self-defense talisman, sure, why not? But otherwise, no.)
If they don't know how to shoot, is getting them the BFG3000 as their first gun a really good idea? Do they even know enough to be safe? Will they be able to make appropriate choices of ammunition and gear? (NO NYLON HOLSTERS! STAHP!)
And third, "Are you going to practice with this gun?"
Granted, most people are going to say "Sure, yeah!" but you can generally get a good idea of the real answer from the discussion, and that'll help you determine how much effort you should put into attempting to steer them to a actual effective self-defense weapon versus merely a gun that shoots bullets out the muzzle.
If they aren't going to practice, and REALLY want that Judge---sure, why not? It'll be equally as ineffective in their hands as a better self-defense choice would be, and it'll make them happy--and it'll be just as potentially effective as any other gun would be in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing.
Thoughts? Is there a question that is more important that we need to know before these first three?
I like Lormior's budget/hand issue questions. I'm not so sure about the "which do you like better, semi-auto or revolver" question, though, if talking about a self-defense gun. General range practice, cowboy action shooting, ICORE, sure, but I'm not really sure how much their own preference for semi-auto over revolver matters when talking self-defense weapons IF they are actually going to practice with said gun.
Any other questions we should ask after those top three? (Or instead of those top three?)
JTH:
--- Quote from: SS_N_NE on January 01, 2015, 09:30:04 PM ---For the big city boyz, running down to the metro firing range and renting out $500 of test guns may be an option.
--- End quote ---
I got to thinking about this, and since I couldn't tell if you were meaning to state a serious problem in a funny fashion or just being funny....
I tend to think that by the time someone is ready to try actually shooting the possibilities, they should have narrowed the field down to two or three. Having clarified the reason for the gun buy narrows the field a lot. Looking at reputable offerings in an appropriate caliber (in the budget range of the buyers) narrows it further. Once at a gun counter, checking the frame for grip, trigger for ability, sights for view tends to reduce it further--and generally by that time, there are only a couple of choices left.
We can't always try out all firearms we might like---but between potential range rentals and folks who have guns (we are assuming the potential gun owner contacted an actual gun owner for help in the first place, and gun owners tend to be pretty cool about letting people try their guns), most of the time I think people can have a chance to try out their potential buy before spending the money.
Most people don't do this, of course--but most people don't actually do anything resembling research to make good choices in terms of buying firearms, either.
OnTheFly:
This is a REALLY long thread for absolutely no reason at all. The solution is simple. Buy a KiloLima K-1, and if you can't find that in the local gun store, buy a XDm.
Solution...BAM! That JUST happened.
Fly
JTH:
--- Quote from: OnTheFly on January 05, 2015, 05:52:02 PM ---This is a REALLY long thread for absolutely no reason at all. The solution is simple. Buy a KiloLima K-1, and if you can't find that in the local gun store, buy a XDm.
Solution...BAM! That JUST happened.
--- End quote ---
...and the sad thing is that (though I know in your case you are kidding) this is the type of response that many people get, no matter what kind of situation they are in, no matter what amount of experience (or lack thereof) they have.
[sigh]
Whenever I hear a question starting with "What Gun Should I..." it is hard not to cringe--because between the loads of people with immediate answers of "You gotta buy the ThunderBlaster3000!" and the loads of questioners whose conclusions later all tend to be variations on "Well, I really liked this [completely inappropriate-for-the-situation low-quality pile of crap with no aftermarket support and no gear/equipment available for it] so I think [in spite of all logical suggestions to the contrary] I'm going to buy it"---I just want to blank them all out.
Which makes it hard to really help the people who want help, need help, and will appreciate (and listen to!) help.
OnTheFly:
--- Quote from: jthhapkido on January 05, 2015, 06:51:17 PM ---...and the sad thing is that (though I know in your case you are kidding)
--- End quote ---
Me? Kidding?! I'm Mr. Serious.
Okay...now for a little more serious reply.
[serious]
If a shooter has learned the fundamentals and practiced them until they become natural, then barring a pistol that is completely the wrong size for their hands or has some other physical aspect that will not work with their hands (reaching the magazine or slide release for example), then it doesn't matter too much what they choose in regards to shooting it well. As I have demonstrated at the local matches, I'm no expert shot, but I have found that the fundamentals transfer between guns quite well.
So this just leaves us with the purpose of the gun. Plinking, competition, CC, nightstand gun? I don't know that the "feels good in the hand" aspect really matters that much if they REALLY learn proper grip, trigger finger placement, support hand purpose, etc., etc. I can't say that a Glock feels that natural in my hands, but the only reason I shoot my XDm better than a Glock is because I am more accustomed to the trigger.
Fundamentals are key followed by consideration of purpose.
[/serious]
Fly
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