Buying a handgun

Mark W

Well-known member
I was recently in South Dakota with my entire family. One of the afternoons we went to the farmstead to do some shooting. My Brother in Law has more guns than days in the year and he brought along an Arsenal. My daughter who is pretty much a home body took quite an interest in, and was very good at shooting the various pistols brought along. She also has a friend who works for the FBI and has shot with her. Daughter says she really enjoys shooting.

To get her out of the house doing something she enjoys, I am going to purchase my first ever handgun. I have visited a couple of local stores and learned about handguns. I have held many and found one that seems to suit me well. It feels good and I am comfortable with it. Now onto purchasing.

My question - where as how is a good place to buy this pistol? I could buy new locally that isn?t the issue. How hard is it to buy from like a Bud?s gun shop? How do I find if there are any slightly used ones in my area? Are gun shows good places to purchase pistols?

Thanks -

Mark
 
Buy online, save money and have it shipped from one FFL to another. There are great sites to find good used guns.


Armslist (good site for finding local gun deals, no FFL needed to transfer / purchase here in SC)
Gunbroker
Palmetto State Firearms located here in SC but ships to any FFL in your area. They have some great online deals too.
 
In my opinion, for your very first handgun purchase - especially since it is something new to you... I would suggest buying from a local dealer.
Hopefully someone you are familiar with, and who you are comfortable with. You will have questions... maybe want accessories.... you will want to have someone you can talk to face to face.
Your local dealer can get you just about anything you can find on the internet, albeit at a higher price... besides - any internet transaction will eventually involve your dealer friend, or someone else local to you. Any internet sale, or out of state sale must be transferred through an ffl near you.
Buying online is easy enough... Buds has an excellent reputation, as well as places like Midway, Palmetto State Arsenal, and many, many others...
You pay for the gun.... tell them, or select from their list, an ffl that you want them to send it to... notify the ffl to expect delivery... when it arrives there they should call you, or your seller will notify you.... go the the local ffl to fill out the necessary paperwork for transfer, pay him his fee and take possession.
If there are problems with the gun you will be responsible to return it either to the seller, or the manufacturer. If you buy local - you just take it back to him.
Gun shows are great. They are fun to attend... you will find many old, nice guns, and odd pieces. They are not the place to find a deal... I have been to many and have yet to find a "deal" on a new gun....
 
My daughter that never showed any interest in guns moved to Texas, within a year she bought a handgun and got her concealed carry permit,....must be the water,,

The range in her town lets you rent pretty much anything you want to try at a reasonable cost, might be good if she can do that to see what she likes before she buys...
 
Mark,

I think with a handgun, before you drop the cash on any purchase, be sure to let her pick it up and hold it. It is kind of like ordering shoes online. It may say medium frame, or "built for smaller hands," but until she actually has a chance to pick it up and see if it fits, it may be the wrong one.

Especially if she wants to concealed carry, it is important that she can do so with her wardrobe styles and body shape etc. Some handguns 'fit" better than others, and iF SHE WANTS TO KEEP IT ON HER CC, then it is really important to factor these into the equation.



If she knows the make and model of what she is comfortable then then get it online through Buds or even gunbroker or auction arms. I have purchased and sold firearms online through them and it was all by the book and I was happy with the transactions. I also worked the gun counter at a major sporting goods place... So I've sold a lot of first sidearms.

As a first handgun, a revolver that handles .357 Mag would give her the stopping power she needs, and she could practice with .38spc in it to get used to shooting it without getting beat up.

Revolvers are easy to start with and have less of the issues that a semi will. Just an idea, you probably have that figured out already.

Best of luck...

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Keep in mind, this post is coming from NY.
In this environment, I'd suggest that patronizing a local gun store will help keep them in business and provide you local access to a gear and information. I like the idea of that camaraderie vs. "getting a good deal on line." Save that for waders and socks.
I continue to be so disturbed by what has happened to the 2nd amendment in NY when I read posts like this.
Good luck and let us know what you bought when you do.
 
Mark W said:
To get her out of the house doing something she enjoys, I am going to purchase my first ever handgun. I have visited a couple of local stores and learned about handguns. I have held many and found one that seems to suit me well. It feels good and I am comfortable with it.

Mark

It seems like your local stores have been most helpful and I would think that at least one of them has already earned your patronage. Why not buy from them and let them continue being a service to you? Personally, I prefer to purchased from a gun shop which has an indoor range as part of their operation. It is a great place to become more familiar and comfortable with a new firearm. Now that you are retired, you can ask about when the range is less busy and not feel pressured by fellow patrons. You may even get some "free" help and limited shooting instruction from the available staff. Many ranges also offer personal instruction as well as group classes. I've never felt like I was overpaying when everything is considered.
 
Huntindave McCann said:
Mark W said:
To get her out of the house doing something she enjoys, I am going to purchase my first ever handgun. I have visited a couple of local stores and learned about handguns. I have held many and found one that seems to suit me well. It feels good and I am comfortable with it.

Mark

It seems like your local stores have been most helpful and I would think that at least one of them has already earned your patronage. Why not buy from them and let them continue being a service to you? Personally, I prefer to purchased from a gun shop which has an indoor range as part of their operation. It is a great place to become more familiar and comfortable with a new firearm. Now that you are retired, you can ask about when the range is less busy and not feel pressured by fellow patrons. You may even get some "free" help and limited shooting instruction from the available staff. Many ranges also offer personal instruction as well as group classes. I've never felt like I was overpaying when everything is considered.


I agree with Dave. And you may find that the actual price difference is negligible anyway, if there is more than one gun store within a 15 minute drive they tend to compete on price. Gun buyers are famous for asking how much a new gun costs, then saying they're headed down the road ten miles to save $20 bucks. It's what I believe causes the generally dour temperament of gun store owners. LOL [;)]
 
Also maybe find someone who has the same gun in the same caliber and shoot it before you buy. Some local shops here rent guns for you to try.
 
Mark, are you buying the pistol for your daughter to shoot? If so I would let her pick out her own gun. Possibly go to a shooting range / local gun club and try out different handguns if you can. Talk to your brother in law if he is a gun guy. Another thing I would recommend is looking at .22's if this is going to be for target shooting or plinking. 500 rounds for $15 is a lot of fun. There are some good quality brand name semi-auto .22 handguns out there. It is easy to get a .22 rifle to have fun with at the same time.
 
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noweil Mike said:
Mark, are you buying the pistol for your daughter to shoot? If so I would let her pick out her own gun. Possibly go to a shooting range / local gun club and try out different handguns if you can. Talk to your brother in law if he is a gun guy. Another thing I would recommend is looking at .22's if this is going to be for target shooting or plinking. 500 rounds for $15 is a lot of fun. There are some good quality brand name semi-auto .22 handguns out there. It is easy to get a .22 rifle to have fun with at the same time.

Ruger SR.22
 
I'm with the majority on this, buy local especially since you are new to the handgun game. Service after the sale is worth the extra $ you may spend and you will have to pay a local FFL dealer to do the transfer, which will eat up some of the savings. Build a relationship with a local guy and save the on-line buying for the guns that aren't common to your area.

Most dealers in my area will hit a customer pretty good to do a transfer on a new gun that they handle or can order into their store. Makes sense to me, they're there to make money. Usually they are pretty easy on the folks who are buying unusual, rare, hard to find used guns. The guy I use to do transfers for me did it free on a Browning Superposed I got a screaming good deal on. Why did he do it? Because when I buy new I buy from his store. I did leave a $50 bill laying on the counter that day and told him to take his wife out on a date.
 
Mark,

I was in the same boat when I first was dating my wife. Try to find a large shop with an indoor range. Usually those shops rent pistols for the "try&buy" experience. I started my wife on one of my 22 pistols then she jumped up to a 9mm and loved it.

I've ordered from Buds before and had the gun transferred to my local FFL.
 
I'd find a gun range or two and rent some handguns to let her test.

I bought my wife a $1000 dollar pistol that throws brass right in her face.
She also has trouble squeezing the grip safety.
There's nothing like a few hours at the range to check for compatibility.
It's cheaper in the long run.
She's got a nice springfield emp for sale
If you need one. ;-)
 
Thanks for all the advice.

I guess I could have been clearer. I am purchasing the be firearm for me and plan to take her shooting when I go. The chances that she will stick to it are low and I?d rather have a gun that fits me better than her just in case she stops enjoying shooting.

I don?t ever see myself as a carry guy and see us just plinking cans at the cabin or putting holes in paper at a range. I am leaning towards a .22LR as a first handgun. Narrowed it to S&W M&P, or the Walther PQM for a couple of reasons. Both can be bought for around $300, both hold 12+1 rounds; both are 4? barrels and they both are smaller caliber guns of their bigger brothers which I like. And both come with threaded barrels should a suppressor be in order somewhere down the line.

As far as buying locally verses ordering. I would like to buy local but haven?t found either of these guns at the places I have visited. The 9mm versions no problem. I may be ordering. I did see Sportsman Warehouse carries it and there is also one local to me. If they have them in stock I?ll go and purchase there. If not in stock I may be ordering online and shipping to a FFL.

I?ll let you know what we end up with. Thanks again for the advice.

Mark
 
Ok, I misunderstood your question.
My wife started with the m&p and likes it so if it fits your hand it it would be a good choice for both of you.

I'd also buy from a local gun shop if possible but have had good luck with gun broker with a couple recent purchases. Both guns arrived at my local dealer within 2 to 3 days of purchase.
I bought a used walther pk380 for a very reasonable price.
 
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Well, just when I think I had things figured out, there is a wrinkle to buying a Walther handgun in MN. Seems there is some rule that if any part of the gun melts below 1000 def F it can't be sold in MN. You can own one, a local dealer just can't sell one.

So, I don't know how this works. I see that Bud's will not ship a Walther pistol to MN FFL's for this reason. If I found an online dealer that ships to MN would the FFL refuse to sell to me? Can I have my brother in law in SD purchase it and then sell it to me or gift it to me?

Not trying to be illegal, just figuring out how to purchase this gun. And yeah, I understand that some may think I'm trying to skirt the law but I'm not. I believe my Brother in Law could purchase it in South Dakota and then sell it to me as a private citizen.

Mark
 
wth?
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What on earth is all this stuff below your. post?? Direct Language etc.....?

todd tennyson said:
wth?
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