Welcome to the board and to gun ownership. Once you buy your first one the next ones come along easier. You've got another board member from the peninsula as well.

photomonkey wrote:Masonalannz, I'm in Virginia Beach. I see that you're in Hampton. Small world. Thought I was the only lib down here. Strength in numbers it would seem.

DuckyChan, your post made me snort. Yeah, I figured these two would be pretty useless for any sort of home protection when the doorbell rang for the first time and they both beelined it for under the bed. In that case I won't even be able to get my hands on one to throw it at someone.

All the money we spend on food and toys...you'd think they'd at least kick in for the defense of the home.

At any rate....wanted to let everyone know that the first purchase was made today. I found a shop that I felt perfectly comfortable in. There was no creepy vibe, there was no talk of how "they" were gonna come and get all our guns, putting it simply, the place didn't give me the willies.

So, I purchased the Glock G17. I'd had my eyes on it as the primary starting point for my search and, in the end, it wound up being the best bet. Personal preference would have been for something .40 or .45 for enhanced stopping power but the recoil on the 9mm is going to be much easier for the wife to handle while she gets started at the range. I'd rather her be able to get well placed shots with the 9mm than hoping that she's connecting with the 40. We've both fired this gun before....now we just own one. Range time and classes are soon to come as well....just the first steps in a long line of getting the most out of the purchase. I've target shot a bit in the past and I'm looking forward at being to count shooting as a hobby and get as good as I can at it. In the end, if it's something we can do together for fun, while at the same time taking steps to enhance our personal security, then that's a win win.

Because of my time here combined with the positive experience in the shop I didn't feel the remorse that I thought I might when making the purchase. If anything I'm very secure in what I did and excited for the road ahead. Research also shows that the move to PA in the future will be an easy one given the agreements that the two states share and even a concealed carry permit will carry over....something I'm going to ensure that the wife has (even if she doesn't constantly use it) when she starts her night classes. At least the option will be there.

At any rate....thank you all again for the input and the advice as I implement what I've learned here. I really wish there was a chapter here or an instructor in the area....I'd love to learn personally from someone in the club. Meh....who knows....maybe one day I'll be one and can help out a n00b of my very own.

The Glock 17 is a great gun! I rented one before I settled on the Glock 19 because I wanted to get my CCW and the 19 is a smudge easier to carry since it's a little smaller. There might be some polymer haters here but I love Glock. I've never had a problem. Also which Glock generation did you get? My 19 is Gen3 but I've fired a Gen4 17 and liked it a lot.

Did you buy at Bobs Guns in Norfolk?

masonalannz wrote:Did you buy at Bobs Guns in Norfolk?

No. Bob's was on my list as a possible source but a price comparison with The Armory on Indian River showed the same selection with a fairly significant price difference. Both shops were very well reviewed though (compared to the other 2 "main" choices in the area). Had a great experience with the staff at The Armory so it was a win.

Nice job on the new purchase! I'm sure you'll both love the 17, and when your wife tells you to "get your own", like mine did, just smile and say "OK"! Then find yourself a .40, or better yet, a 1911 .45ACP. You WON'T be disappointed!

Another greeting from Texas

Good to see you on board.

Xela

I think the 17 will be a great choice as well. I carry a 19, and as Metal Slug IV stated they are nearly one and the same other than size.

I would suggest finding a holster and talking to your wife about how it gets used & when it gets used. I'm a big believer in training and preparation. Welcome to the club!

Welcome Photomonkey!

Though I've never had an issue with firearms for hunting, I grew up doing such things, up until about 12 years ago I was adamantly against handguns and semi-auto weapons. I live in the southeast and work in an industry that, at least in this part of the country, is largely dominated by right-wingers.

Over the last 12 years three things happened that after each, every yahoo right winger I worked with started buying guns and hoarding ammo: Y2K, 911 and Obama. The repugnicans all panicked and started talking about liberal conspiracies and marshal law, hiding out in the woods and survivalist tactics, and each time something new happened to upset their world view the paranoia and hate speech escalated until now it's spilled out into the mainstream media in the form of people like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin.

This behavior convinced me that maybe I needed a gun for home defense, not to protect myself from terrorists and communists (LOL!) but because to be perfectly honest the extreme right wingers and the religious right scare the crap out of me. Add to that the current economy and level of unemployment and there are a lot of desperate people out there and a lot more crime.

What I rediscovered as I got into this, though, is that target shooting, something I hadn't done since I was a teenager, is a lot of fun as is shooting in general.

These days I'm a Title 1 FFL dealer with a goal of getting more liberals interested in shooting sports and to give them a resource to go to that doesn't make them feel like they have to go behind enemy lines to buy a gun.

Love&A.45, You should put a tasteful link to your site in your signature, just so it's easy to find.

AmirMortal wrote:Love&A.45, You should put a tasteful link to your site in your signature, just so it's easy to find.

Good idea, thanks!

photomonkey wrote:DuckyChan, your post made me snort. Yeah, I figured these two would be pretty useless for any sort of home protection when the doorbell rang for the first time and they both beelined it for under the bed. In that case I won't even be able to get my hands on one to throw it at someone.

I have a magnet on the fridge that says "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." for a reason. Mine is more likely to attack me in the middle of the night, rather than a house intruder.

Well this is a bummer.....my last reply didn't get posted and I had no idea that all of these other posts had come up either. Didn't mean to drop out of the chat there all...just didn't know that more had been said.

Slug...in answer to your question on Sunday, it's a Gen3. Has the finger grips and the rail but the grip pattern isn't the pixelated style of the Gen4. As I understand it, the grip on the Gen4 is a bit smaller than the Gen3 anyway? As the 3 is just about perfect in my hands (and very comfortable for the wife as well) I'm definitely happy to have a 3rd gen.

Amrev360 - yep - we had that conversation just yesterday actually and I bought a holster when I purchased the pistol. No way I'm having a Glock without something protecting the trigger on all sides. While the trigger safety is something I love about the firearm it's also the biggest point of failure I see with it. Priority number one was making sure that nothing can come in contact with the trigger if I don't want it to.

But yeah, we had a chat about why we have it in the house and under what circumstances it plays its role in the defense of the house if needed. This will, no doubt, come up again and again through training and classes....but it's good to have had the chat up front.

I desperately want to get her to the range as quickly as possible and, while this week has been killer for her from a classwork perspective, I'm hoping that next week will open up an hour or two so she knows what it feels like. I see this as imperative really.

Love&A.45 - funny that you mention that but I've had the same thoughts. I mean, let's be honest....right now the political discourse in this country is not "well, I disagree with you and here's why" but rather "you're a commie America hating bastard and I'd just as soon spit on you than listen to a word you have to say." Not exactly the way to see one's neighbor, is it?

I've heard an increasing level of volume pertaining to "revolution" (whatever that means) and "taking the country back by force if necessary" (back from whom exactly?) and you're right....it's scaring the piss out of me. I'm envisioning the day when people are at each other's throats and the conversation goes something like
"I hate you!!!!"
"I hate you too!!!!"
"Why??"
"I have no idea!!!!"

Makes me sad.

But, piggybacking off of what you said about target shooting - it's something I did a little bit of in the past and I took the new gun to the range for the first time last night and had an incredible time. Generally when I do something that involves practice it becomes personal for me to get as good at it as I possibly can so I'm already looking at ways of training and working my way up through various certifications. In all honesty, the daydream is to be good enough to be an instructor at some point....maybe then I can help out another fellow lib who isn't all that comfortable treading in these righty-dominated waters....like you said....make them feel like they don't need to go behind enemy lines. I have a feeling that this group will be instrumental in my accomplishing that goal.

DuckyChan - ain't that the truth.

Shoot the postal match.

Paladin wrote:Shoot the postal match.

Yeah. Photomonkey if you wanna meet up at Bobs or some other place you know of that rent's guns in the next week or so and shoot the Postal Match I could probably fit it into my schedule. You're the first member yet who is close enough for me to easily get together with. My work schedule is pretty flexible.

I've seen the Postal Match badge in threads and I saw the post about the new match (with the kiwi?) but I'm a little lost......hints?

masonalannz wrote:

Paladin wrote:Shoot the postal match.

Yeah. Photomonkey if you wanna meet up at Bobs or some other place you know of that rent's guns in the next week or so and shoot the Postal Match I could probably fit it into my schedule. You're the first member yet who is close enough for me to easily get together with. My work schedule is pretty flexible.

I'd take you up on that offer as well if I ever knew when I might get home it wouldn't be too far of a drive for me.

whitey wrote:

masonalannz wrote:

Paladin wrote:Shoot the postal match.

Yeah. Photomonkey if you wanna meet up at Bobs or some other place you know of that rent's guns in the next week or so and shoot the Postal Match I could probably fit it into my schedule. You're the first member yet who is close enough for me to easily get together with. My work schedule is pretty flexible.

I'd take you up on that offer as well if I ever knew when I might get home it wouldn't be too far of a drive for me.

Having driven big trucks OTR I completely understand. If you wanna get together anytime you're home PM me. We could meet in the middle at the Chickahominy DGIF range, so long as it's open.

If I'm home for a long enough stretch I'll take you up on that offer.

Welcome and congrats on the acquisition of the Glock...I'll confess that my only almost and not on purpose negligent discharge was due to a lack of respect for the sensitivity of the Glock trigger. Fortunately I wasn't really attached to that toe anyway so it's no big deal...

That's a joke. I didn't shoot myself. But I did fire an instant before I intended because of...well enough of that...that little trigger on the trigger...really sensitive!

Nice to have ya!

photomonkey wrote:I've seen the Postal Match badge in threads and I saw the post about the new match (with the kiwi?) but I'm a little lost......hints?

Print target.

Put up target.

Aim at target. (this is optional for many members)

Shoot Target

Score Target

Take picture of target.

Email target.

Win awesome prizes.

Seriously PM me if you have any questions.