how common do you think this mind-set is?

[oysterer]

Close friend of mine has a 617 pre-lock I am trying to separate from him unsuccessfully for a few years...

He got it from a LGS years ago when that model was current.

A guy walked in and bought it, PA paperwork and a few minutes later he was on his way. Put the gun in the tank, wanted to load it up and came running back into the LGS saying his ammo doesn't fit.

Well it is a 22, not a 357.

Traded it back in another 5 minutes later. Just goes to show, no all are gun nuts like us, nuts yes, just not gun...

 

[walnutred]

I'm shocked he bought a M39 for CCW.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Don't need to limit it to people who carry. There are probably way more people who have bought home defense firearms and ammo, but have yet to shoot the purchase.

For protection, my in-law's neighbors had bought a new J-frame .38 and a .380 Bodyguard, with hollow points for each. They forgot where each was stored. They thought each was put away loaded. They were not. They'd forgotten the manual of arms of each, if they ever knew it at all.

I'm continually amazed -- and not in a good way -- by people who treat guns more as a talisman than a tool. I try to point out, as gently as possible, that owning a firearm for protection is pointless if you don't know how to use it. It would be like trying to make music with a guitar you've never learned to play...

 

[cmj8591]

Not everyone who buys a gun likes guns. After what we just went through I think most buyers were watching the nightly news and thought "I better get one while I can". The reality is that they're not going to train with it. They might shoot it. Or not. They might try carrying it for a while and very soon realize that it's not as easy as it seems to be armed. With no real commitment, the gun goes in a draw or gets sold off never to be heard of until the next global apocalypse. It's no different than anything else. It's a lot like that person who buys a tread mill. It starts out with an idea but once the realization sets in that there is work associated with it and it's hard, it turns into a clothes rack.

 

[steelslaver]

Why should he practice with it, the gun was good enough to win several matches with. What more do you want.

One of the guys I shoot with, every Tuesday evening, teaches the NRA handgun classes here. He gets people who just bought a gun, usually an inexpensive semi auto, who know nothing at all about the gun. While he is glad they take the class and get an idea especially about gun safety, the results when they actual do the shooting portion, the results are not encouraging and he says less than half of them show any inclination to practice even after miserable results at short range.

Our group started out this spring with about 12 people every Tuesday, lately it has been just 3 of us. Tom who leads it had always been encouraging, was making it simple, yet the ones who probably needed the most practice did not stay around long.

 

[racoonbeast]

Try and catch your breath. We are not living in the O.K. Coral or downtown Baghdad. I bet that he will be able to carry his gun around untried for a few days, probably even a few weeks, and survive.

 

[quikdraw67]

After working in a gun shop for a summer in 2014, my eyes were opened.

For everyone of "us", who know the manual of arms for their gun, who know how to safely handle and carry our guns, there are 5 people who are clueless/ignorant/or just plain out don't give a **** about how to be a safe, proficient gun owner.

I thought working in a gun shop would be my dream job.

There are people out there who shouldn't be able to carry a spork, let alone a gun.

JMHO YMMV

 

[sigp220.45]

People who know almost nothing about guns and never ever practice successfully shoot other people every day. Point gun, pull trigger.

Its our hobby, so we gun folks will obsess over stance and grip and sight picture and when to do a tactical reload and if this bullet sacrifices penetration for expansion.

Meanwhile, Dipstick knows if he can get close to Junebug all he has to do is point gun, pull trigger.

 

[waffles]

I dont carry guns I haven't had out to the range, but I'd not worry had I just purchased a Glock 19 or somesuch and didn't have a chance to take it out.

A model 39? Ehhhhhh...but he will be fine. He's made it this far without a carry piece, the odds that he'll be attacked before taking it to the range are tiny, and even smaller still the idea that it won't work. I don't think it's the best idea but most carry guns act as "tiger repellent rocks" for us anyways.

 

[quikdraw67]

People who know almost nothing about guns and never ever practice successfully shoot other people every day. Point gun, pull trigger.

Its our hobby, so we gun folks will obsess over stance and grip and sight picture and when to do a tactical reload and if this bullet sacrifices penetration for expansion.

Meanwhile, Dipstick knows if he can get close to Junebug all he has to do is point gun, pull trigger.

Welcome to Chicago.

 

[Bald1]

I think every gun is different. If I bought a new K frame to carry I’d put 24-30 rounds through it and be good to go. I’m already familiar with the platform. When my new Sig 365 arrives I’ll probably put 100 rds through it before carrying………. I do however put 50 rds through my carry gun every month.

 

[mscampbell2734]

When I transitioned to Glocks for my carry guns I put 1000 rounds through the 2, a model 22 and 27 before carrying them. I was already a department and FBI LE instructor but I had never carried a striker fired trigger safety gun before, having come up with 1911s, Beretta and Smith. I was just not comfortable with the Glock.

It really scares me sometimes at the range with I see an obvious new shooter walk up with the factory box and start screwing around trying to load and shoot whatever they bought. I've seen at least twice people not have the right caliber ammo.

 

[chief38]

I've got a neighbor who bought a S&W Bodyguard pistol a while ago (before I met him). He showed it to me a few weeks ago and I asked how he likes it. That is when he informed me that he never shot it!

When I said to him let's go tho the Range next week, he said we'll see - we never got to go. Now I am after him to make a trip there within a few days to familiarize himself with the gun. He does carry it on occasion and also rely's on it as a SD / HD gun. When I asked him how he felt about having a loaded gun on his person and never having shot it - he didn't see that as a major problem.

BTW my neighbor is a pretty bright, hard working (not lazy) fellow - I was actually shocked at his "gun attitude". That said, me, being me, I will get him out to the Range to familiarize himself with the pistol. I will also show him how to disassemble and clean it - more than likely he will never shoot it again unless I drag him back to the Range.

 

[ispcapt]

I think most people buy a gun, maybe shoot a few rounds, load it up, and call it good. It was probably more common in years past, which accounts for all the sock-drawer guns we covet.

Exactly. When we had a small firearms business we picked up a lot of guns that had very little if any use. It was the norm for someone wanting to sell a gun and a full box of ammo or maybe a 5-6 rounds fired. They bought the gun and a box of ammo and that was it.
That's why it's a total joke when someone says "Buy a LE gun. Very little use, just carried". They really have no idea what guns are like coming in for sale. LE guns are usually the most used than what is the norm for non-LE guns.
The one advantage tho of a LE agency owned gun is most likely it's been maintained. With a non-LE owned gun no matter how little wear it shows you have to look it over real carefully to make sure the kitchen table butcher hasn't "customized" it with a dremel action job.

 

[BE Mike]

I'm wondering how many people carry a handgun that they have rarely shot?

Most people who carry a gun are not really what I'd call gun people. I'd say that the majority have rarely shot the handgun that they carry and can't hit anything outside of touching distances.

 

[cmj8591]

Look on the bright side. Most of the bad guys don't practice either.

 

[desi2358]

Exactly. When we had a small firearms business we picked up a lot of guns that had very little if any use. It was the norm for someone wanting to sell a gun and a full box of ammo or maybe a 5-6 rounds fired. They bought the gun and a box of ammo and that was it.
That's why it's a total joke when someone says "Buy a LE gun. Very little use, just carried". They really have no idea what guns are like coming in for sale. LE guns are usually the most used than what is the norm for non-LE guns.
The one advantage tho of a LE agency owned gun is most likely it's been maintained. With a non-LE owned gun no matter how little wear it shows you have to look it over real carefully to make sure the kitchen table butcher hasn't "customized" it with a dremel action job.

I would have to agree, working in a gun store I got to see a lot of guns that had been used very little (if at all!) coming in the door. People often bought a gun, then needed money and brought it to the shop (and were often shocked to find out it wasn't going to sell for what they had paid for it) Often brought in with the one box of ammo they had, either full or missing just a couple rounds.

Sadly LE guns were no guarantee of proper maintenance. We used to buy various trade in LE and military guns from distributors to sell in the shop. Found out it was a good idea to go through them carefully before putting them out for sale. Damaged magazines, sights and grips were not uncommon. Also saw the occasional messed up trigger, usually on a revolver. Either a poorly trained armorer or someone thinking he knew better trying to "fix" it I'm guessing. Cosmetic issues were no big deal but functional issues we didn't want going out the door if we could prevent it. Had a couple Glocks in one shipment that seemed to have been glued into non-functional status by some type of lube that was overused and gelled into a sticky mess (worse than the cosmoline found in a lot of the mil-surp guns). Similar to a bunch of guns from an estate I handled, too much of the wrong lube can be a problem.

 

[robertrwalsh]

For several years before I retired I was one of the main go-to guys at work for concealed carry questions. I found it both surprising and disheartening that so many people did not test fire their weapons substantially before carrying them. Even revolvers CAN have issues. Semi-autos often do during break-in. I also found a lot of guys NEVER rotated their off-duty carry ammo. I always recommended at least one box of carry ammo thru a revolver before carrying it and at least 200 rounds thru a semi-auto and significant familiarization / break-in for any new weapon / holster combination.

 

[rincar]

I Usually rotate my carry guns between a S&W MP EZ Shield in 9mm, A Sig P 365, 9MM and a Ruger LC9 in mm. I always carry a spare magazine. I also carry my S&W switch blade knife. If I carry a backup gun it is my Beretta Model 21A in 22 long Rifle. Or one of my mouse guns in 25 ACP. They have all been test fired many times. I rotate the Pistols according to my clothing or where I am going to in my travels. I never leave my Home unarmed. I have been carrying Firearms since I was 19 years old. I feel naked when I am unarmed.

 

[Muss Muggins]

If it’s a platform/design I trust, from a maker that I’ve been to their armorer school, and it hits all the function tests, I’ll carry a pistol without firing it.